Tag: conflict

Iraqi PM declares ‘end of war against IS’ in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday announced the end of a three-year war by Iraqi forces to drive the Islamic State jihadist group out of the country. “Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS),” Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. “Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We […]

Israel strike kills 2 Palestinians, says Gaza officials

  GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas’s military wing killed two people on Saturday, health officials of the territory’s Palestinian Islamist rulers said. The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US President Donald Trump’s deeply controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The Hamas health […]

Putin ‘deeply concerned’ at US Jerusalem move

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian president Vladimir Putin is “deeply concerned” by Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, the Kremlin said in a statement Thursday. In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin called for the Palestinians and Israel to “hold back” and renew negotiations. “This kind of measure can block possible paths to peace in the Middle East,” the Kremlin said of US President Trump’s move. […]

Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

by Mike Smith with Andrew Beatty in Washington Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) — President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, upending decades of careful US policy and ignoring dire warnings of a historic misstep that could trigger a surge of violence in the Middle East. A senior administration official said Trump would make the announcement — ignoring frantic warnings from US allies in the region and around the world — at […]

Morocco’s king warns Trump against Jerusalem embassy move

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Tuesday warned US President Donald Trump against moving the American embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem. Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas by phone of his intention to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, Abbas’s office said Tuesday. In an open letter to the American president, the Moroccan king expressed his “deep personal concern” and “the great concern felt by Arab and Muslim states and peoples” over […]

Recent clashes in Yemen capital killed at least 234: ICRC

SANAA, Yemen (AFP) — Clashes in the Yemeni capital have killed at least 234 people and wounded 400 since December 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday. “Now we have 400 wounded reported and 234 dead,” Sanaa-based ICRC spokeswoman Soumaya Beltifa told AFP, in reference to fighting between Huthi rebels and forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh — who was himself killed on Monday. Strongman Saleh had on Saturday bypassed his […]

Putin urges ‘compromise’ ahead of new Syria peace talks

by Maria Panina Agence France-Presse SOCHI, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that efforts to end Syria’s six-year war were entering “a new stage” ahead of a planned meeting of Syrian government officials and opposition leaders, warning both sides that compromise would be necessary. The new talks should happen soon, Putin said after a summit with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, insisting that they would reinvigorate a hobbled peace process. […]

Renewed US-Russia rift threatens slim Syria peace hope

by Francesco Fontemaggi/ and Dave Clark © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The latest US and Russian bid to find enough common ground on which to build some hope for Syria is in trouble, just days ahead of talks that could make or break the peace process. A United Nations mediator has called on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and a beleaguered opposition coalition to send envoys to Geneva on November 28 to resolve the seven-year-old civil […]

Thousands more US troops arrive in Afghanistan: general

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Approximately 3,000 additional American troops have now been deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump’s revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Pentagon had previously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an increase requested by the commander on the ground, General John Nicholson. “We’ve just completed a force flow into Afghanistan,” Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told […]

Lafarge offices searched over Syria business links

PARIS, France (AFP) — French investigators searched the offices of French-Swiss cement maker Lafarge Tuesday, the company said, as part of an enquiry into financial links to jihadist groups in Syria, including Islamic State. “French investigators are in the process of investigating our offices,” a Lafarge spokeswoman told AFP, confirming a report to that effect by France Inter radio. “We are cooperating fully with investigators, but we cannot make any further comment on this ongoing inquiry,” she […]

US won’t walk away from Syria war until talks progress: Mattis

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US-led coalition will forge ahead in its fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq until a UN peace process makes further headway, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday. “We’re not just going to walk away right now until the Geneva Process has traction,” he told reporters. “You need to do something about this mess now, not just fight the military part of it and then say […]

Civilians wounded in Saudi-led strikes on Yemen capital: witnesses

SANAA, Yemen (AFP) — Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition left at least three civilians wounded in Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa late Friday, witnesses said. The strikes hit a residential area near the ministry of defence building, which had been targeted just before. “I was sitting at home and heard the first strike hit the ministry of defence. Everyone was afraid. Minutes later, another strike hit my neighbour’s house,” resident Mohammed Aatif said. “My entire house shook,” said […]