Algeria Arrests Two Suspected Terrorists

Part of the army’s mission in tracking down smugglers (Ministry of Defense)
Part of the army’s mission in tracking down smugglers (Ministry of Defense)
TT

Algeria Arrests Two Suspected Terrorists

Part of the army’s mission in tracking down smugglers (Ministry of Defense)
Part of the army’s mission in tracking down smugglers (Ministry of Defense)

The People's National Army (PNA) apprehended two individuals in Oran, the largest city in western Algeria, over suspicions of "backing terrorist groups," the Algerian defense ministry revealed on Wednesday.

Simultaneously, a military patrol uncovered an extremists' hideout in Bouira, situated in the east of the capital.

According to the ministry, these operations, conducted between January 10-16, 2024, underscore the "professionalism, vigilance, and permanent availability" of the Armed Forces across the national territory.

The ministry lauded the efforts to "fight organized crime and the scourge of drug trafficking" in the country.



Palestinian Officials Accuse Israeli Forces of Damaging Historic West Bank Mosque

A Palestinian man checks the partially burned al-Nasr mosque in Nablus. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP
A Palestinian man checks the partially burned al-Nasr mosque in Nablus. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP
TT

Palestinian Officials Accuse Israeli Forces of Damaging Historic West Bank Mosque

A Palestinian man checks the partially burned al-Nasr mosque in Nablus. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP
A Palestinian man checks the partially burned al-Nasr mosque in Nablus. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP

Palestinian officials denounced the partial burning of a historic mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Friday, which they said had been carried out during a raid by Israeli armed forces.

AFPTV footage from Friday showed Palestinians inspecting the blackened and partially charred interior of the al-Nasr mosque -- a landmark in Nablus' Old City.

Witnesses interviewed by AFP said the military operation took place between 2:00 am and 6:30 am.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army did not immediately provide official comment on its operations in the northern West Bank city.

Local religious authorities said a total of six mosques had been targeted.

The destruction came as Muslims marked the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs called the damage to the Nablus mosques "a serious attack in its size and timing", and condemned "a systematic plan... in the desecration of our holy sites, mosques and places of worship".

Nablus endowments director Sheikh Nasser Al-Salman denounced "the Israeli occupation's barbaric invasion of Nablus mosques".

In a statement, he accused Israel of "working hard to violate Islamic holy sites and mosques at an accelerated pace".

Israel has been waging a weeks-long offensive in the northern West Bank that began around refugee camps regarded by Israel as bastions of Palestinian militancy.

It has since expanded to more areas, displaced tens of thousands of people and saw the first deployment of Israeli tanks in the territory in 20 years.

In a statement, the Nablus municipality condemned Israeli forces' "burning of the al-Nasr mosque, which is considered a historical mosque and an important heritage landmark inside the Old City".

Nablus municipality mayor Husam Shakhshir said Israeli forces had obstructed firefighting crews and prevented them from reaching the scene of the fire.