US Airstrike in Syria Kills Senior Hurras al-Din Operative

The CENTCOM logo
The CENTCOM logo
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US Airstrike in Syria Kills Senior Hurras al-Din Operative

The CENTCOM logo
The CENTCOM logo

The US military said it killed a senior operative of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group in an airstrike in northwest Syria on Thursday.

The airstrike resulted in the death of Muhammad Salah al-Za'bir of the Hurras al-Din group, the US Central Command said in a statement.

It said the strike was part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, its allies, and its partners in the region.

“CENTCOM will continue to hunt and kill or capture terrorists, and defend our homeland, against groups that plot to attack US and allied personnel,” said US Central Command Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.



Moroccan King Calls for Eid Animal Sacrifice Restraint 

Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq makes the announcement on national television. (MAP)
Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq makes the announcement on national television. (MAP)
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Moroccan King Calls for Eid Animal Sacrifice Restraint 

Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq makes the announcement on national television. (MAP)
Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq makes the announcement on national television. (MAP)

The king of Morocco has called on people to refrain from sacrificing sheep during a religious festival later this year because of a drought that has decimated livestock populations and driven up the price of meat.

Millions of sheep, goats and other livestock are sacrificed across the Muslim world every year during Eid al-Adha, one of two key Islamic holidays and due this year in June.

But Morocco is enduring a seventh consecutive year of drought, which has led to a 38 percent fall in livestock numbers in 12 months.

Rainfall has been 53 percent lower than the average of the last 30 years, according to the agriculture ministry.

"Our country is facing climatic and economic challenges that have resulted in a substantial decline in livestock," King Mohammed VI said in a speech read by Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq on national television Wednesday.

While acknowledging the importance of the Eid festival, the king called on his people "to refrain from performing the rite of sacrifice".

Mohammed VI's father, Hassan II, made a similar call in 1966 when the country also endured a prolonged drought.