US Military Says Struck More than 30 ISIS Targets in Syria

US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
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US Military Says Struck More than 30 ISIS Targets in Syria

US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)

The US military said Saturday that its forces had struck more than 30 ISIS group targets in Syria this month, maintaining pressure on the militants after a deadly attack on US troops last year.

The strikes also came as the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in recent weeks transferred thousands of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq, after they had been held in prisons run for years by Kurdish-led forces, AFP reported.

US forces "conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria... to sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network," a CENTCOM statement said.

The airstrikes, carried out between February 3 and February 12, hit ISIS "infrastructure and weapons storage targets", it said.

The forces additionally conducted "five strikes against an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities" between January 27 and February 2, the statement said.

Washington has blamed an ISIS militant for ambushing and killing two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter in Palmyra on December 13.

Syria's interior ministry has said the ISIS gunman was a member of the security forces who had been set to be fired for extremism.

The US launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in response to the attack.

"More than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured and over 100 ISIS infrastructure targets have been struck with hundreds of precision munitions during two months of targeted operations," the CENTCOM statement added.

On Friday, CENTCOM said it had completed the transfer of more than 5,700 detained ISIS suspects, from 61 countries, from Syria to Iraq.

The operation began last month as Damascus's capture of territory surrounding the prisons from Kurdish-led forces sparked questions over the fate of the ISIS prisoners, prompting Washington to step in.

Alongside the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces spearheaded the battle that led to the militant group's territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.

Washington has however drawn close to Syria's new authorities, recently saying the purpose of its alliance with the Kurdish forces was largely over.

As Damascus seeks to extend its control over all of Syria, US forces confirmed on Thursday their withdrawal from Al-Tanf base near Syria's border with Jordan and Iraq.

 

 



Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills 10, Injures 21

Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)
Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)
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Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills 10, Injures 21

Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)
Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)

A gold mine collapsed in northern Sudan killing at least 10 people and injuring 21 others, two survivors told AFP on Sunday after overnight rescue efforts.

Shafts of the Awny mining area near Sudan's border with Egypt collapsed on Saturday.

By Sunday morning "10 bodies had been recovered and 21 injured miners pulled out", said one of the survivors who was working at the mine when it collapsed, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

Another survivor, also requesting anonymity, told AFP the rescue operation was "being carried out by the miners themselves" with little equipment available.

More miners were feared dead under the rubble and survivors said the search for the missing was ongoing.

Many young Sudanese have joined a dangerous gold rush, working in unregulated mines with their hands and rudimentary tools for meagre daily wages.

They face chemical poisoning and regular mine collapses.

Last week at least 82 people were killed and dozens injured in a collapse in the southern Kordofan region.

Artisanal and small-scale mining, which takes place in unofficial zones or decommissioned mines, accounts for the majority of gold extracted in Sudan.

Even before the war pushed nearly 20 million Sudanese into severe hunger, artisanal mining employed more than two million people, according to industry figures.


CIA Chief Meets Egypt's Sisi in Cairo

FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
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CIA Chief Meets Egypt's Sisi in Cairo

FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa

US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Sunday in a rare visit to Cairo, as the United States warned of rapid escalation in the Middle East war.

Sisi's office said the meeting, attended by Egypt's spy chief Hassan Rashad, discussed the wars in Iran, the Gaza Strip and Sudan, as well as attacks on Gulf countries and threats to maritime security.

Sisi stressed "the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks," according to a presidency statement.

"This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly," it warned.

Sisi's office said Ratcliffe on Sunday "lauded Egypt's pivotal role in supporting efforts aimed at reaching peaceful, comprehensive settlements to regional crises".

 

 

 

 

 


Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh

Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh
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Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh

Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh

The Arab Parliament has strongly denounced the terrorist Houthi militia's continued attacks, including the attack targeting Riyadh, stressing that it constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to Arab national security and regional stability.

In a statement on Sunday, Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi expressed the parliament's full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for the measures it takes to defend itself against any attacks targeting its security and territorial integrity, SPA reported.

Al-Yamahi called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to assume its legal and political responsibilities to stop these blatant attacks, ensure that they are not repeated, and hold those responsible accountable.