RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) – by Ian Timberlake Six months after Saudi Arabia said its war in Yemen was winding down, air strikes are again pounding rebels and rockets flying across the border, with no end to the conflict in sight. Facing criticism of its bombing campaign and a budget crunch from low oil prices, Riyadh is keen to bring an end to the intervention it launched last year against Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies, […]
Middle East
Rocket kills 7 civilians in Saudi as Yemen probe begins
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) – Saudi Arabia suffered its worst civilian death toll Tuesday in cross-border shelling from Yemen as an anti-rebel coalition it leads launched an investigation into a deadly strike on a hospital. A rocket fired by rebels in Yemen killed seven civilians in Najran city in the highest reported number of non-combattant casualties in the kingdom’s south since the Arab coalition intervened in Yemen 17 months ago. “It killed four citizens and three […]
Russia launches first Syria raids from Iran base
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber Russia said Tuesday its warplanes flew out of an Iranian airbase for the first time to bomb jihadist groups in Syria, as fighting raged for control of the ravaged city of Aleppo. The deployment marks a major switch in the bombing campaign the Kremlin launched in September to support Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, as until now Moscow had only flown raids out of its bases in Syria and Russia. Russia’s defence […]
Deadly coalition air strikes hit Yemen hospital
SANAA, Yemen (AFP) – Arab coalition air raids Monday hit a Yemeni hospital where international humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders operates, killing six people 48 hours after air strikes that killed children. The Paris-based Doctors Without Borders (MSF) tweeted that Abs hospital in the rebel-held northwestern province of Hajja “was targeted by air strikes today at 15:45 Yemen time (1245 GMT)”. Monday’s strikes killed six people and wounded 20, according to Ayman Mazkour, who heads […]
Israel minister bans soldiers from volunteering with migrant children
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) – Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has prohibited soldiers from volunteering in their free time with children of migrants who are illegally in the country, sparking fierce debate Monday. Human rights organisations, leftwing opposition politicians and some media condemned the decision as racist, while rightwing supporters said the soldiers should instead help disadvantaged Israelis. Commanders of some units in the army, one of Israel’s most important institutions, encourage their troops to carry out […]
PKK bombing kills 7 near Turkey’s Diyarbakir
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AFP) – by Ilyas AKENGIN Five Turkish police officers and two civilians were killed on Monday in a car bombing outside the southeastern city of Diyarbakir blamed on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels, the government said. The blast hit a police traffic control building on a highway leading southeast from Diyarbakir to the city of Batman, killing the seven, a Turkish official said, confirming media reports and asking not to be named. The local […]
Ukraine blocks jihadist routes to Syria: security service
KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) – by Dmitry ZAKS Ukraine’s security service said on Thursday it had blocked channels being used by jihadists travelling to fight with the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq and detained an ‘IS recruiter’ from one of the former Soviet republics. “The Ukranian security service, prosecutor’s office, police and migration service have blocked several channels for the transit of foreign fighters to the IS international terrorist group through our state’s territory,” […]
Libya pro-govt forces say Sirte battle in ‘final phase’
TRIPOLI, Libya (AFP) – by Rim Taher Pro-government forces battled Thursday to clear the Islamic State group from its main Libyan stronghold of Sirte, after dealing a major blow to the jihadists by seizing their headquarters. IS still controls several areas of the Mediterranean city, whose capture in June 2015 sparked fears the extremists would use it as a springboard for attacks on Europe. Sirte’s fall would be a huge setback to the jihadists’ efforts […]
Turkey offers Russia joint operations against IS in Syria
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – by Fulya OZERKAN Turkey on Thursday called on Russia to carry out joint operations against Islamic State (IS) in Syria, after crucial talks between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed at ending a diplomatic crisis. The comments by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu came as a Turkish delegation was in Russia for talks aimed at coordinating actions on Syria and other bilateral issues. “We will discuss all the […]
IMF agrees $12 billion loan to boost Egypt economy
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) – by Maram Mazen The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it had reached an initial agreement to lend $12 billion to Egypt to bolster an economy battered by years of unrest. The Egyptian government hopes the three-year deal will provide a lifeline for the North African nation as it grapples with a dollar shortage and dwindling foreign reserves. The agreement, which will have to be ratified by the IMF and Egyptian authorities, […]
After coup bid, Erdogan seeks to ride national unity wave
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – by Stuart WILLIAMS One nation. One flag. One homeland. One state. These eight words have been the key slogan of Turkish politics in the last years, strongly favoured by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a symbol of national unity. But in the months before the July 15 failed military coup, there had been precious little such unity in Turkey with the southeast riven by conflict, the opposition in a constant war […]
Saudi-led jets hit Yemen despite concerns
SANAA, Yemen (AFP) – Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched fresh air strikes against Shiite rebels across Yemen Wednesday despite international concerns over the escalation after the suspension of peace talks. The coalition resumed strikes days after UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait between representatives of the government and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels ended without a breakthrough. The coalition, which has been battling to prop up Yemen’s government against the Huthis since March 2015, hit rebel positions across […]
