World Digest: Nov. 2, 2019
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Version 0 of 1. MALI The Islamic State asserted responsibility Saturday for a militant attack that killed at least 53 soldiers and one civilian at an army post in northern Mali. The terrorist organization issued the claim via its Amaq News Agency, without providing evidence. The militant group has posted dozens of claims of responsibility for attacks in several countries since leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a U.S. raid last weekend. Friday’s attack in Indelimane, in Mali’s volatile Menaka region, is the latest violence to target that country’s armed forces. The assailants were believed to have fled toward the border with Niger, government spokesman Yaya Sangare said. A month ago, 41 soldiers were killed and 20 others went missing during two attacks on Malian soldiers who were part of a regional counterterrorism force. The two most recent attacks are among the most deadly against the Malian army since a 2013 French-led military intervention to oust the Islamist militants from power in the major towns of northern Mali. — Reuters IRAQ Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding more than 200 in Baghdad and in the country’s south, police officials and a semiofficial human rights commission said. The largest protest took place in Baghdad, the capital, where tens of thousands of people gathered in and near a central square in defiance of a government crackdown that killed dozens over the past month. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been protesting, mostly in Baghdad and southern regions, since last month, demanding sweeping changes to the political system established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, which they blame for widespread corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. — Associated Press Car bomb kills 13 in Syrian town near Turkish border: A car bomb exploded in the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad, killing 13 people, Turkey's Defense Ministry said. About 20 others were wounded in the town along the Turkish border, which was captured last month by Turkey-backed opposition gunmen. The ministry blamed Syrian Kurdish fighters, which it considers terrorists, for the bomb attack. Turkey will send Islamic State prisoners to home countries: Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Turkey will send Islamic State members in Syria back to their home countries. He also complained about European inaction on the matter. "That is not acceptable to us. It's also irresponsible," he said of Europe leaving Turkey to deal with the prisoners alone. Iran strikes initial deal to rebuild Syrian power grid: Iran signed a preliminary agreement with Syria to help rebuild the country's electricity grid, Iranian state media reported, as Tehran seeks a deepening economic role in Syria. A memorandum of understanding includes connecting the two countries' grids through Iraq. Nine children killed by mine in Afghanistan: Nine Afghan children were killed when a mine exploded as they walked to school, police said, the latest victims in a growing toll of civilian casualties in the war. The blast happened in the northeastern province of Takhar. Saturday is a school day in Afghanistan. Police doubt that Okinawa castle fire was arson: Police believe a fire that tore through World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle in Okinawa this past week was probably not caused by arson, Kyodo News reported, citing sources. In analyzing evidence such as surveillance footage at the destroyed castle, local police have found no traces of intrusion into the castle before the fire broke out. — From news services |