Explosions Heard Near Sudan Capital

Smoke rises over Khartoum as clashes continue between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (AP)
Smoke rises over Khartoum as clashes continue between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (AP)
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Explosions Heard Near Sudan Capital

Smoke rises over Khartoum as clashes continue between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (AP)
Smoke rises over Khartoum as clashes continue between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (AP)

Explosions were heard near the army-controlled Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday, witnesses told AFP, a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they agreed to a humanitarian truce.

Following the RSF's capture of El-Fasher, the army's last major stronghold in western Darfur, less than two weeks ago, the paramilitaries appear to be shifting their focus eastward towards Khartoum and the oil-rich Kordofan region.

Khartoum has seen relative calm since the regular army regained control this year, but the RSF -- at war with the army since April 2023 -- has continued its attacks in several regions, targeting both military and civilian sites.

A resident in Omdurman, part of the greater Khartoum area, told AFP on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, that they were awoken "around 2 am (0000 GMT) by the sound of... explosions near the Wadi Sayidna military base".

Another resident said they "heard a drone overhead around 4 am before an explosion struck near" a power station, causing an outage in the area.

In army-controlled Atbara, around 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Khartoum, a resident said several drones "appeared over the city shortly after 3 am" Friday.

"Anti-aircraft defenses shot them down, but I saw fires breaking out and heard sounds of explosions in the east of the city," the resident said, also on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Another Atbara resident told AFP: "I saw 10 drones over the city, and the anti-aircraft defenses were shooting them down one by one, but at the same time, I saw fires in the east of the city."

There were no immediate reports of casualties, and neither the army nor the RSF have yet commented on the attacks.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors' Union said that the RSF shelled a hospital in the besieged city of Dilling in South Kordofan on Thursday morning, causing several injuries, some critical.

The shelling "destroyed the hospital's radiology and medical imaging department", crippling one of the region's vital health facilities, the union said.

Dilling has been under RSF siege since June 2023.

 



7 Killed in Drone Strike on Hospital in Sudan's Kordofan

A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
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7 Killed in Drone Strike on Hospital in Sudan's Kordofan

A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

A drone strike Sunday on an army hospital in the besieged southern Sudan city of Dilling left "seven civilians dead and 12 injured", a health worker at the facility told AFP.

The victims included patients and their companions, the medic said on condition of anonymity, explaining that the army hospital "serves the residents of the city and its surroundings, in addition to military personnel".

Dilling, in the flashpoint state of South Kordofan, is controlled by the Sudanese army but is besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The greater Kordofan region is currently facing the fiercest fighting in Sudan's war between the army and the RSF, as both seek to wrest control of the massive southern region.

The UN has repeatedly warned the region is in danger of witnessing a repeat of the atrocities that unfolded in North Darfur state capital El-Fasher, including mass killing, abductions and sexual violence.


Iraq's Election Result Ratified by Supreme Federal Court as Premiership Remains up for Grabs

Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
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Iraq's Election Result Ratified by Supreme Federal Court as Premiership Remains up for Grabs

Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

The result of last month’s parliamentary elections in Iraq was ratified by the Supreme Federal Court on Sunday, confirming that the party of caretaker prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani won the largest number of seats — but not enough to assure him a second term.

The court confirmed that the voting process met all constitutional and legal requirements and had no irregularities affecting its validity.

The Independent High Electoral Commission submitted the final results of the legislative elections to the Supreme Federal Court on Monday for official certification after resolving 853 complaints submitted regarding the election results, according to The AP news.

Al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition won 46 seats in the 329-seat parliament. However, in past elections in Iraq, the bloc taking the largest number of seats has often been unable to impose its preferred candidate.

The coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won 29 seats, the Sadiqoun Bloc, which is led by the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Qais al-Khazali, won 28 seats, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, one of the two main Kurdish parties in the country, won 27 seats.

The Taqaddum (Progress) party of ousted former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also won 27 seats, setting the stage for a contest over the speaker's role.

 


Hamas Confirms the Death of a Top Commander in Gaza after Israeli Strike

Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Hamas Confirms the Death of a Top Commander in Gaza after Israeli Strike

Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Hamas on Sunday confirmed the death of a top commander in Gaza, a day after Israel said it had killed Raed Saad in a strike outside Gaza City.

The Hamas statement described Saad as the commander of its military manufacturing unit. Israel had described him as an architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza, and asserted that he had been “engaged in rebuilding the terrorist organization” in a violation of the ceasefire that took effect two months ago, The AP news reported.

Israel said it killed Saad after an explosive device detonated and wounded two soldiers in the territory’s south.

Hamas also said it had named a new commander but did not give details.

Saturday's strike west of Gaza City killed four people, according to an Associated Press journalist who saw their bodies arrive at Shifa Hospital. Another three were wounded, according to Al-Awda hospital. Hamas in its initial statement described the vehicle struck as a civilian one.

Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of truce violations.

Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 391 Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has said recent strikes are in retaliation for militant attacks against its soldiers, and that troops have fired on Palestinians who approached the “Yellow Line” between the Israeli-controlled majority of Gaza and the rest of the territory.

Israel has demanded that Palestinian militants return the remains of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, from Gaza and called it a condition of moving to the second and more complicated phase of the ceasefire. That lays out a vision for ending Hamas’ rule and seeing the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision.

Israel’s two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,660 Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.