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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 18 april 2018

Israel, marking annual Memorial Day, comes to a standstill

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel a dispute between Israel’s
marked its annual Memorial Defense Minister Avigdor
Day for fallen soldiers and Lieberman and a group of
victims of terrorism on Tues- Israeli and Palestinian be-
day with somber ceremo- reaved families holding a
nies and a one-minute siren joint memorial ceremony
that brought the country to for loved ones.
a solemn standstill. Lieberman refused to al-
Sirens wailed at 8 p.m. low some of the Palestinian
across the country, prompt- participants to enter Israel,
ing Israelis to stop in their prompting a court chal-
tracks and stand silently lenge by the group of be-
with heads bowed to re- reaved families.
member the dead. An- The Supreme Court on
other siren will ring out on Tuesday rejected Lieber-
Wednesday morning. man’s decision, allowing
Memorial Day, which goes for the joint ceremony to
from sundown to sundown, go ahead as planned. In
is marked across the coun- response, Lieberman said
try by mournful ceremonies the court “put on the same
and visits to cemeteries by plane bereavement and
bereaved families. terror, the murdered and
Places of entertainment the murderers.”
shut down and TV and ra- Israeli soldiers stand in formation as a siren sounds to mark the annual Memorial Day for Israel’s Memorial Day continues
dio stations broadcast war fallen soldiers at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem, Tuesday, into Wednesday, ending
stories and melancholic April 17, 2018. at sundown with a sharp
music. Associated Press break into jubilant festivities
The main ceremony was ern Wall on Tuesday eve- el’s president, military brass This year’s commemora- celebrating 70 years since
held at Jerusalem’s West- ning and attended by Isra- and grieving families. tion has been marred by Israel’s creation.q

Niger may have arrested militant with ties to US ambush

By CARLEY PETESCH ambush that also left five released. “Regrettably, finds no single point of fail- sion like that into Niger be-
Associated Press Nigeriens dead, U.S. forces they were ambushed by ure leading to the attack, fore, said the commander
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Ni- and their counterparts from ISIS Greater Sahara forces,” which occurred after the of Special Operations
ger’s military has detained the Niger military were pur- said Whitaker. soldiers learned Chefou Command Africa, Maj.
a suspect who it believes suing Doundou Chefou, a U.S. officials familiar with had left the area. It also Gen. Marcus Hicks, who
could be the militant lead- militant suspected of being the military investigation draws no conclusion about warned that the extremist
er who was being pursued involved in the kidnapping into the Niger ambush said whether villagers in Tongo threat has been marching
when an ambush left four of an American aid worker. last month that it conclud- Tongo, where the U.S. team south in the Sahel at an un-
American soldiers dead Authorities on Tuesday ed the team didn’t get stopped for water and sup- precedented level.
in October, the American were awaiting identifica- required senior command plies, alerted IS militants Threats in the region include
ambassador said Tuesday. tion of whether the man in approval for their risky mis- to American forces in the al-Qaida-linked fighters in
U.S. Ambassador Eric P. custody is Chefou. sion to capture Chefou. area. Still, questions remain Mali and Burkina Faso, Is-
Whitaker told The Associat- “Detentions by Nigerien As a result, commanders about whether higher-level lamic State group-affiliated
ed Press he does not know forces are ongoing,” Whita- couldn’t accurately assess commanders — if given the fighters in Niger, Mali and
the identity of the detained ker said. the mission’s risk, according chance — would have ap- Nigeria and the Nigeria-
suspect but that the head A U.S. investigation into the to the officials who spoke proved the mission, or pro- based Boko Haram. All
of Niger’s special forces October ambush, which on condition of anonym- vided additional resources take advantage of the vast
is hopeful it’s a known ex- was claimed by fighters ity to discuss the results of for it. region’s widespread pov-
tremist leader. linked to the Islamic State the not-yet-released inves- Before October, there had erty and poorly equipped
At the time of the October group, has not yet been tigation. The investigation not been any major incur- security forces.q