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At Saudi, Egypt's Request, Arab League to Hold Emergency Meeting on Sudan

Smoke is seen rising in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)
Smoke is seen rising in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)
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At Saudi, Egypt's Request, Arab League to Hold Emergency Meeting on Sudan

Smoke is seen rising in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)
Smoke is seen rising in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)

The Arab League will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in Sudan.

The meeting will be held at the level of permanent representatives.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt requested that the meeting be held, said Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki.

Fighting in the Sudanese capital raged into the early hours of Sunday after a day of deadly battles between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army that left at least 56 people dead and nearly 600 wounded.

Explosions and gunfire rang out on the deserted streets of Khartoum, according to witnesses, after the RSF said they were in control of the presidential palace, Khartoum airport and other vital facilities.

The clashes follow rising tensions over the RSF's integration into the military. The disagreement has delayed the signing of an internationally backed agreement with political parties on a transition to democracy.

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Iraqi Forces Kill ISIS ‘Deputy Ruler’ of Kirkuk

A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
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Iraqi Forces Kill ISIS ‘Deputy Ruler’ of Kirkuk

A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)

Iraqi forces launched a military operation to eliminate remaining ISIS cells in the Zaghitoun Valley, located between the Kirkuk and Saladin governorates.

The Joint Operations Command said in a statement that airstrikes killed ISIS’ deputy ruler of Kirkuk Maher Hamad Salbi (Abu Obaida) and six of his associates in the Hamrin mountains.

The statement added that Iraqi F-16 jets targeted a key hideout of the militants, who had attempted to attack the forces carrying out the mission.

A special forces unit, with technical support from the Joint Operations Command’s Targeting Cell, reached the site with assistance from Kirkuk Operations Command's engineering efforts.

“A security force arrived at the scene and found an M16 rifle, a thermal scope, two hand grenades, a suicide belt, four ammunition magazines, six mobile phones, a flash drive, a solar panel, and bedding,” the statement added.

The team returned safely after completing the mission.

The statement said security forces surrounded a complex of caves and hideouts in the Hamrin mountains for five days, using precise intelligence to successfully eliminate the remaining ISIS members.

An official source stated that “security forces from the Kirkuk Operations Command launched a large-scale military operation on Friday morning in the Zaghitoun Valley, west of Kirkuk, near Saladin.”

The operation aims to remove ISIS cells in the valley, which has been used by the group as a hideout and occasionally sees terrorist activity. The operation includes destroying ISIS hideouts and cutting off escape routes.

Although the Iraqi government declared ISIS defeated in 2017, the group remains active in remote areas, still posing a security threat. The UN estimates the number of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria at between 1,500 and 3,000.