Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 4 deceMber 2017

Egypt presidential hopeful returns home, whereabouts unclear

after it has given him a prompting speculation on
home since 2012. whether he has been de-
Last week, Shafiq an- tained by security or intel-
nounced from the UAE that ligence agencies or was
he would return to Egypt to being kept at a suburban
run for president. He ran in Cairo hotel. Repeated at-
Egypt's first free elections tempts by The Associated
in 2012 and lost by a nar- Press to contact his lawyers
row margin to the Islamist failed.
Mohammed Morsi of the Mai Ahmed Shafiq told the
Muslim Brotherhood be- AP in a text message that
fore fleeing the country to she has yet to hear from
escape a litany of criminal her father.
charges that could have "I don't know anything
landed him in prison. He about my father," she
has since been found in- wrote. Egypt's presidential
nocent of all corruption al- elections are due to be
legations, clearing the way held around March or April
for his return home. next year.
Airport officials said he was The incumbent, general-
escorted out of Cairo air- turned-president Abdel-
Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq speaks during a press conference at his office port by unidentified secu- Fattah el-Sissi, is virtually
in Cairo, Egypt. There has been no word on the whereabouts of Shafiq, an Egyptian presidential rity personnel. Family mem- certain to run, but has yet
hopeful who flew home from the United Arab Emirates almost 24 hours ago. bers and supporters who to make an official an-
(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) had been waiting to greet nouncement.Predictably,
By HAMZA HENDAWI ates 24 hours ago. Ahmed UAE authorities arrested him upon arrival did not see the pro-el-Sissi media has
Associated Press Shafiq, a career air force and deported him to Cairo him, said the officials, who already begun to demon-
CAIRO (AP) — There has officer who served as the Saturday after he claimed spoke on condition of ano- ize Shafiq, claiming he has
been no official word yet last prime minister under that authorities there nymity because they were forged a secret alliance
as of Sunday evening ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak, banned him from return- not authorized to brief the with the Brotherhood,
on the whereabouts of flew to Cairo from the Emir- ing to Egypt to contest next media. which has since Morsi's
an Egyptian presidential ates Saturday night, ending year's presidential election. There has been no official ouster been outlawed
hopeful who flew home more than five years of ex- The UAE denied this and word on Shafiq's where- and designated a terrorist
from the United Arab Emir- ile in the Gulf Arab nation. accused him of ingratitude abouts by Sunday evening, group. q

US-backed Syria Kurdish force says east Euphrates free of IS

By SARAH EL DEEB Noureddine Mahmoud, air protection and neces- and allied Iranian-backed leaders played in the fight
Associated Press spokesman for the People’s sary cover,” Mahmoud said militia, have been chas- against IS in the oil-rich Deir
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s main Defense Units, known as the at a press conference in al- ing IS militants on the other el-Zour province, where
Kurdish forces declared YPG, and the backbone Salihiya, a town in Deir el- side of the river. Russia and tribesmen play an integral
Sunday that they have suc- of the U.S.-backed Syrian Zour province on Sunday. the U.S. kept in contact, in role in consolidating pow-
cessfully cleared areas east Democratic Forces, praised The press conference was so-called “de-confliction” er there. The extent of SDF
of the Euphrates river of Is- U.S. and Russian air and lo- attended by a Russian gen- talks, to prevent clashes cooperation with Russian
lamic State militants, with gistical support as well as eral from the Russian base between the two forces. forces and their Syrian al-
help from the U.S.-led coali- ground operations coordi- in Hmeimeem, in western U.S. officials said communi- lies, however, is not clear.
tion and Russian forces. nation. He said his forces Syria. The SDF have been cation was also maintained The Kurdish-led forces now
The announcement comes are ready to form joint battling IS fighters east of on the ground, including control nearly 25 percent
after U.S. Defense Secretary operation rooms with the the Euphrates river in Deir in meetings between SDF of Syrian territories and im-
James Mattis said Wash- different partners to com- el Zour province since Sep- commanders and their portant oil resources after
ington will stop arming the plete the fight against IS. tember. In a separate cam- counterparts on the gov- their battlefield successes
YPG as offensive opera- “We hope for an increase paign, Syrian government ernment side. Mahmoud in northern and eastern
tions come to an end. of the support and ensuring forces, backed by Russia also praised the role tribal Syria.q