Moroccan UN Peacekeeper Killed in C.Africa Attack

United Nations peacekeepers from Morocco during a ceremony on September 15, 2014, to celebrate the official start of the mission of the United Nations Peace Forces (Getty Images)
United Nations peacekeepers from Morocco during a ceremony on September 15, 2014, to celebrate the official start of the mission of the United Nations Peace Forces (Getty Images)
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Moroccan UN Peacekeeper Killed in C.Africa Attack

United Nations peacekeepers from Morocco during a ceremony on September 15, 2014, to celebrate the official start of the mission of the United Nations Peace Forces (Getty Images)
United Nations peacekeepers from Morocco during a ceremony on September 15, 2014, to celebrate the official start of the mission of the United Nations Peace Forces (Getty Images)

A Moroccan soldier serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in war-torn Central Africa was killed during an attack at an airfield, the UN said on Friday.

The mission did not say who carried out Thursday's attack at Obo in the southeast of the country, AFP said.

"A blue helmet from the Moroccan contingent... died after an attack on Thursday morning at the Obo aerodrome while he was protecting the aerodrome perimeter for a landing, with other members of his continent," said the UN force in Central Africa (MINUSCA).

The 14,000-strong peacekeeping force has been deployed since 2014 in the country which is wracked by civil war.



Turkish FM Discusses with Blinken Need to Cooperate with New Syrian Administration

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)
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Turkish FM Discusses with Blinken Need to Cooperate with New Syrian Administration

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)

Türkiye's foreign minister discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday the need to act in cooperation with the new Syrian administration to ensure the completion of the transition period in an orderly manner, the ministry said.

In a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Blinken that Ankara would not allow Kurdish YPG militia to take shelter in Syria, the ministry spokesperson said.

During the call, Blinken emphasized the need to support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that "upholds human rights and prioritizes an inclusive and representative government," according to a statement from the US State Department.

Blinken and Fidan also discussed preventing terrorism from endangering the security of Türkiye and Syria, the statement said.