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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 15 July 2017

US, Somalia forces raid al-Shabab, kill several: Official

By ABDI GULED companied by U.S. forces in not authorized to speak to al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabab in the country’s south. So-
Associated Press two helicopters raided two the press. U.S. Africa Com- said via its Andalus radio malia President Mohamed
HARGEISA, Somalia (AP) — locations, the official said. mand spokesman Mark arm that its fighters foiled Abdullahi Mohamed said a
United States and Somali They included a detention Cheadle said U.S. forces an attempted raid by U.S. training camp near Sakow
military forces raided a reb- center run by al-Shabab conducted an “advise and and African forces. Earlier in the Middle Juba region
el-held village in southern in Kunya-Barrow village in assist mission” against al- this month, the U.S. military had been destroyed.
Somalia and killed several Lower Shabelle region, and Shabab with members of said it carried out an air- President Donald Trump
al-Shabab fighters early an unknown number of de- the Somali National Army in strike against al-Shabab in has approved expanded
Thursday, a senior Somali tainees were freed. Kunya-Barrow. He gave no Somalia and was assessing military operations against
intelligence official said, as Troops engaged a small further details. the results. The airstrike fol- al-Shabab, including more
both countries step up ef- number of extremist fight- There were no U.S. casu- lowed another last month aggressive airstrikes and
forts against Africa’s dead- ers, said the official, who alties, AFRICOM spokes- that the U.S. said killed eight considering parts of south-
liest Islamic extremist group. spoke on condition of an- woman Jennifer Dyrcz extremists at a rebel com- ern Somalia areas of active
Somali commandos ac- onymity because he was added Friday morning. The mand and logistics camp hostilities. q

Arab gunmen kill 2 Israeli policemen at Jerusalem shrine

By IAN DEITCH acted quickly to allay Mus-
Associated Press lim fears, saying that the
JERUSALEM (AP) — Arab status quo at the Muslim-
assailants struck at ground administered site “will be
zero of the Israeli-Pales- preserved.”
tinian conflict on Friday, Jews revere the site, where
opening fire from inside a the two Jewish temples
major Jerusalem shrine and stood in biblical times, as
killing two Israeli policemen the Temple Mount. It is the
before being shot dead. holiest site in Judaism and
The rare attack from within the nearby Western Wall,
the sacred site, revered by a remnant of one of the
both Muslims and Jews, temples, is the holiest place
raised new concerns about where Jews can pray.
an escalation of violence. Muslims regard the same
The three attackers were hilltop compound as the
Arab citizens of Israel, also Noble Sanctuary. Home to
a rarity in a rash of Palestin- the Al-Aqsa Mosque and
ian attacks on Israeli civil- Dome of the Rock, it is Is-
ians and soldiers that erupt- lam’s third-holiest site after
ed about two years ago, Mecca and Medina in Sau-
in part over tensions at the di Arabia. The fate of the
holy site. Jerusalem police area is an emotional issue
commissioner Yoram Ha- An Israeli border police officer stands guard outside in Jerusalem’s Old City Friday, July 14, 2017. at the heart of the conflict
levy said the attack was Three Palestinian assailants opened fire on Israeli police from inside a major Jerusalem holy site and forms the centerpiece
well planned: The assailants Friday, killing two officers before being shot dead, police said. of rival Israeli and Palestin-
had obtained automatic (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) ian national narratives.
weapons and stayed at cident began and ended” Temple Mount — for further ter security evaluations on After Friday’s attack, Israeli
the holy compound the at the holy compound, he sweeps to make sure there Sunday. President Reuven Rivlin
night before. He said they told channel 10 TV. were no more weapons Jordan, a custodian of the said: “We cannot allow for
marked their targets in ad- After the violence, Israel there. sacred compound, called agents of murder who des-
vance and after shooting closed the site — known to Prime Minister Benjamin for its immediate reopen- ecrate the name of God,
them ran back inside the Muslims as the Noble Sanc- Netanyahu’s office said it ing to allow access to Mus- to drag us into a bloody
compound. “The entire in- tuary and to Jews as the would reopen gradually af- lim worshippers. Netanyahu war.”q

Qatari FM says Gulf standoff cannot be resolved in a day

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Thani also told reporters in rion or evidence that indi- support to terror groups, allegation of supporting
Qatar’s foreign minister Ankara that Qatar would cates that (Tillerson’s visit) accusing the four Arab extremist groups, though it
said Friday it would be un- continue to work with the was a failure,” al-Thani said. states lined up against has provided aid that helps
fair to describe U.S. Secre- United States and Kuwait “We cannot expect such Doha of failing to provide Islamist groups that others
tary of State Rex Tillerson’s to end the standoff with its a tense crisis to be solved “single evidence” against have branded as terrorists,
shuttle diplomacy to find a four Arab neighbors. in a day.” Turkish Foreign the tiny oil-rich nation. such as the Muslim Brother-
solution for a major feud in Tillerson concluded his me- Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Cavusoglu said that under a hood and the Palestinian
the Persian Gulf as a failure, diation efforts on Thursday, whose nation has support- recent pact, Qatar agreed militant group Hamas.
insisting that the crisis “can- making no promise of an ed Qatar in the dispute, with the U.S. to strengthen Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
not be solved in a day.” imminent breakthrough but said he believed a solution its counterterrorism efforts, Egypt and the United Arab
During a joint news confer- voicing optimism that Qa- would be possible “in the citing this as evidence of Emirates say the counter-
ence with his Turkish coun- tar and its neighbors might mid-term.” The Qatari min- Doha’s “sincerety” in coun- terrorism agreement does
terpart, Sheikh Moham- soon be willing to talk face ister again denied accu- tering extremist groups. not go far enough to end
med bin Abdulrahman Al to face. “There is no crite- sations his nation provides Qatar vehemently denies the dispute.q