Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Monday 30 deceMber 2019
Truck bomb in Somali capital kills at least 79 at rush hour

By ABDI GULED the checkpoint into the city
Associated Press undetected, considering
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) the additional obstacles
— A truck bomb exploded ahead, so bombing the
at a busy security check- busy checkpoint in a show
point in Somalia's capital of strength appeared to
Saturday morning, killing at be an ideal decision," the
least 79 people including Mogadishu-based Ahmed
many students, authorities Barre told The Associated
said. It was the worst attack Press.
in Mogadishu since the Al-Shabab was blamed
devastating 2017 bombing for the truck bombing in
that killed hundreds. Mogadishu in October
The explosion ripped 2017 that killed more than
through rush hour as Soma- 500 people, but the group
lia returned to work after its never claimed responsibil-
weekend. At least 125 peo- ity for the blast that led to
ple were wounded, Aamin widespread public out-
Ambulance service direc- rage. Some analysts said al-
tor Abdiqadir Abdulrah- Shabab didn't dare claim
man said, and hundreds credit as its strategy of try-
of Mogadishu residents do- ing to sway public opinion
nated blood in response to A civilian who was wounded in suicide car bomb attack is helped to be taken to hospital in by exposing government
desperate appeals. Mogadishu, Somalia, Saturday, Dec, 28, 2019. weakness had badly back-
President Mohamed Associated Press fired.
Abdullahi Mohamed con- to class and police officers, claim of responsibility, but ing force. The attack again raises
demned the attack as said Somalia's police chief al-Shabab often carries out Despite that advance in concern about the readi-
a "heinous act of terror" Gen. Abdi Hassan Hijar. He such attacks. The extremist bomb-making, one secu- ness of Somali forces to
and blamed the local al- said the vehicle detonated group was pushed out of rity expert said the unlikely take over responsibility for
Shabab extremist group, after police at the check- Mogadishu several years choice of target Saturday the Horn of Africa coun-
which is linked to al-Qaida point blocked it from pro- ago but continues to tar- — a checkpoint at the west- try's security in the coming
and whose reach has ex- ceeding into the city. get high-profile areas such ern entrance to the capital months from the AU force.
tended to deadly attacks Somalis mourned the as checkpoints and hotels — reflected al-Shabab's Al-Shabab, the target of
on luxury malls and schools deaths of so many young in the seaside city. weakening capability to a growing number of U.S.
in neighboring Kenya. people in a country trying Al-Shabab is now able to plan and execute attacks airstrikes since President
Bodies lay on the ground to rebuild itself after de- make its own explosives, its at will. Mogadishu recently Donald Trump took office,
amid the blackened skel- cades of conflict. Two Turk- "weapon of choice," United introduced tougher secu- controls parts of Somalia's
etons of vehicles. At a hos- ish brothers were among Nations experts monitoring rity measures that Somali southern and central re-
pital, families and friends the dead, Somalia's foreign sanctions on Somalia said officials said make it more gions. It funds itself with a
picked through dozens of minister said, and Turkish earlier this year. The group difficult to smuggle in ex- "taxation" system that ex-
the dead, gingerly lifting President Recep Tayyip Er- had previously relied on mil- plosives. perts describe as extortion
sheets to peer at faces. dogan condemned the at- itary-grade explosives cap- "It feels like they literally of businesses and travelers
Most of those killed were tack. tured during assaults on an knew that their (car bomb) that brings in millions of dol-
university students returning There was no immediate African Union peacekeep- may not proceed through lars a year.q

Taiwan president: Island’s democracy under threat from China

Associated Press and way of life, but would we are doing so in terms of
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Tai- make no changes to the economics and across the
wanese President Tsai Ing- constitution or the island’s board with many coun-
wen said Sunday that the official name, the Repub- tries,” she said.
self-governing island’s de- lic of China, which moved Tsai’s governing Demo-
mocracy remains under its seat of government to cratic Progressive Party
direct threat from rival Chi- Taipei, the island’s capital, currently holds a majority
na, underscoring her calls following the Communist in the assembly, allowing
for closer ties with the U.S. Party’s seizure of power on her to pursue an agenda
and other allies. mainland China in 1949. of economic reforms, part-
Tsai was speaking at a “Taiwan’s most press- ly intended to attract rein-
televised debate against ing challenge arises from vestment from Taiwanese
Han Kuo-yu of the main China’s expanding am- business groups based in
opposition Nationalist Par- bitions,” Tsai said. “The China and elsewhere.
ty and veteran politician situation in our region is During the debate, Han
James Soong of the Peo- ever-more complex and furthered his claims of fac- Taiwan's 2020 presidential election candidate James Soong of
ple’s First Party. Elections Taiwan’s sovereignty — its ing opposition from the the People First Party speaks during a televised policy debate
in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019.
for president and the leg- free, democratic way of mainstream media and Associated Press
islature are set for Jan. 11. life — is under threat of be- accused Tsai’s backers of
Most polls show Tsai lead- ing stripped away and un- corruption. He described his previous dealings with portion of the pro-China
ing in her quest for a sec- dermined.” China’s threat to use mili- Chinese authorities as nec- electorate, cast himself
ond four-year term. “We need to deepen and tary force to bring Taiwan essary to ensure Taiwan’s as a moderate who could
Tsai said she would pre- strengthen our internation- under its control as an ab- economic future. bring political experience
serve Taiwan’s freedoms al relations, and at present straction and defended Soong, who commands a to the office. q