page 29

page 29 SOMALIA Somali forces kill ‘more than 100’ al-Shabab fighters At least 115 fighters of the militant Islamist group al-Shabab have been killed in heavy fighting with pro-government forces in northern Somalia, the regional government says. A further 110 militants were captured during the fighting, the Galmudug government added in a statement. There has […]

page 29

SOMALIA

Somali forces kill ‘more than 100’ al-Shabab fighters

At least 115 fighters of the militant Islamist group al-Shabab have been killed in heavy fighting with pro-government forces in northern Somalia, the regional government says.

A further 110 militants were captured during the fighting, the Galmudug government added in a statement.

There has been no independent confirmation of the claims.

The al-Qaeda-linked militants have drifted north after losing ground in southern and central Somalia.

Galmudug’s President Abdikarim Hussein Galaud said the security forces were determined to “wipe out” the militants, and to prevent them from establishing bases in stable parts of the north.

The militants were defeated after four days of fighting along Galmudug’s border with Puntland, the government statement said. A few of them managed to flee into rural areas, it added.

The statement did not give casualty figures for pro-government forces.

The African Union (AU) has some 22,000 troops battling al-Shabab in southern Somalia, where it was formed nearly a decade ago to fight for Islamic rule.

BELGIUM

Belgium releases man charged over Brussels attacks

A man known as Faycal C, the only person arrested and charged with involvement in the Brussels attacks, has been released for lack of evidence.

Belgian media gave his name as Faycal Cheffou and said he was suspected of being the mystery third man seen in CCTV footage of the bombers.

Tuesday’s attacks on the airport and the city’s metro system killed 35 people and injured more than 300. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

Police have blocked off a Brussels square, Place de la Bourse, which saw clashes between police and nationalist protesters on Sunday. Officers said there was a “security issue”.

People were allowed to stay in the square, where mourners have placed candles, wreaths and messages for victims of the bomb attacks.

At least 12 of the victims are foreign nationals from the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and China, it said earlier.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan plans new paramilitary crackdown after Easter bombing kills 70

Pakistan has decided to launch a paramilitary crackdown on Islamist militants in Punjab, the country’s richest and most populous province, after an Easter Day bombing killed 70 people in the provincial capital Lahore, officials said on Monday.

Security and government officials said the decision had been made to launch a full-scale operation involving the paramilitary Rangers, who would have powers to conduct raids and interrogate suspects in the same way as they have been doing in the southern city of Karachi for more than two years.

Sunday’s suicide bombing at a public park was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban’s Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction, which once declared loyalty to Islamic State. The group said it was targeting Christians.

The brutality of the attack, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar’s fifth bombing since December, reflects the movement’s attempts to raise its profile among Pakistan’s increasingly fractured Islamist militants.

TURKEY

Diplomatic row deepens over Turkey press freedom trial

A diplomatic dispute between Ankara and its Western allies continues to grow over the presence of senior foreign diplomats at the trial of two Turkish journalists. Turkey’s Justice and Foreign ministries are accusing the diplomats of interference in Turkey’s judiciary.

“Unacceptable,” tweeted Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, irked by the presence of foreign diplomats at Friday’s trial of journalists Can Dundar and Erdem Gul.

Consular representatives from many of Turkey’s key Western allies were in the courtroom. If convicted, the journalists face life imprisonment for articles accusing the government of arms smuggling to Syrian jihadists.

The large turnout of senior diplomats was widely interpreted as a show of support for Dundar and Gul, whose trial has been strongly criticized internationally.

The criticism comes after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized his allies Saturday.

BANGLADESH

Bangladesh court upholds Islam as religion of the state

Bangladesh’s High Court on Monday rejected a 28-year-old petition calling for the removal of a constitutional provision recognising Islam as the official religion of the Muslim-majority South Asian nation.

The court ruled that the petitioning organisation, the Committee against Autocracy and Communalism, did not have the right to be heard in the court.

Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque, one of the three judges sitting on the bench, said that the court found that “the petitioner does not have locus standi and that is why the petition will be summarily rejected”.

The organisation’s lawyer, Subrata Chowdhury, said that he was “100 percent disappointed” with the decision.

“Without a hearing and without giving us any chance to present our argument on the point of locus standi, the court dismissed the case,” he said.

IRAN

Iran vows to pursue missile program despite new U.S. sanctions

Iran will pursue its development of ballistic missiles despite the U.S. blacklisting of more Iranian companies linked to the program, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said on Monday.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) test-fired several ballistic missiles this month, drawing condemnation from Western leaders who believe the tests violate a United Nations resolution.

The U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted on Thursday two Iranian companies, cutting them off from international finance over their connection to the missile program.

Washington had imposed similar sanctions on 11 businesses and individuals in January over a missile test carried out by the IRGC in October 2015.

“Even if they build a wall around Iran, our missile program will not stop,” Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace arm, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. “They are trying to frighten our officials with sanctions and invasion. This fear is our biggest threat.”

YEMEN

Rebels and Saudi-led coalition swap prisoners

A Saudi-led military coalition said on Monday it had completed a prisoner swap in Yemen, exchanging nine Saudi prisoners for 109 Yemeni nationals ahead of a planned truce and peace talks aimed at ending the year-long war with Houthi rebels.

The prisoner swap coincided with fresh air strikes by both the coalition and by U.S. warplanes on Islamist militants in southern Yemen.

The coalition did not say which group the swap was made with, but the Houthi movement said on Sunday it had exchanged prisoners with its enemy Riyadh as a first step toward ending a humanitarian crisis prompted by the war.

The Iran-allied Houthis have been battling forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi since last March in a conflict that has cost more than 6,200 lives.

Yemeni media said the nine Saudis were soldiers. The freed Yemenis had been detained during operations in Yemen.

ALGERIA

Algeria air crash kills 12 soldiers

A military helicopter has crashed in southern Algeria, killing 12 soldiers, the defence ministry has said.

The Russian-made Mi-171 came down while on a reconnaissance mission in Tamanrasset region, some 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the capital, Algiers.

The helicopter apparently experienced technical failure, but the exact cause of the crash is yet to be established, the ministry added.

Critics say Algeria has a poor aircraft safety record. In 2014, 77 people were killed in a military plane crash. Two military aircrafts collided during a training exercise in 2012, killing both pilots.

ANGOLA

17 activists sentenced for rebelling against Angolan gov’t

An Angolan court sentenced 17 young activists to between two and 8-1/2 years in jail on Monday for rebellion against the government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

The activists were arrested in Luanda in June after organizing a reading of U.S. academic Gene Sharp’s 1993 book “From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation”. The book’s cover describes it as “a blueprint for non-violent resistance to repressive regimes”.

They were accused of acts of rebellion, planning mass civil disobedience in the capital and producing fake passports, among other charges. Their sentences ranged from two years and three months to eight years and six months.

SYRIA

Syrian forces steps up offensive against IS after retaking Palmyra

The Syrian army, backed by Russian warplanes, is reported to be continuing its offensive against so-called Islamic State (IS) after recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra on Sunday.

Fighting was taking place around IS-held towns to the north-east and south-west of the city, reports said.

The army says it will use Palmyra as a launchpad to expand operations against IS and cut its supply routes.

It retook the city after days of fighting backed by Russian air strikes.

IS seized the Unesco World Heritage site and modern town in May 2015, publicly destroying some ancient buildings and artefacts. Experts are now assessing the damage.