Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 3 March 2018
Deadly attacks by extremists strike Burkina Faso capital

By BRAHIMA OUADRAOGO outside and inside the
Associated Press premises," Korbeogo said.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Five emergency centers to
Faso (AP) — Islamic ex- treat casualties were set up
tremists struck the French in hospitals, a military bar-
Embassy and army head- racks and at a stadium in
quarters in simultaneous at- Ouagadougou, said Col.
tacks of gunfire and explo- Amade Kafando, director
sives Friday in Burkina Faso's general of Burkina Faso's
capital, killing eight people army health unit.
and wounding more than French President Emmanu-
80 others. All eight militants el Macron spoke with Presi-
were slain by security forc- dent Roch Marc Christian
es. Kabore to express his con-
The violence, which the dolences and support, and
government called a ter- also to thank the country’s
rorist attack, marked a fur- forces for their quick inter-
ther deterioration in former vention. Burkina Faso is one
French colony's perilous se- of five countries in the Sa-
curity situation. Islamic mili- hel contributing to the so-
tants already have struck called G5 force in the re-
twice since January 2016 gion battling extremists.
in the West African coun- Troops ride in a vehicle near the French Embassy in central Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Friday Macron “reaffirms his de-
try, prompting criticism of March 2, 2018. Gunfire and explosions rocked Burkina Faso's capital early Friday in what the po- termination and the full
lice said was a suspected attack by Islamic extremists. By midday the gunfire became intermit-
the military response each tent and helicopters flew above the French Embassy in Ouagadougou. commitment of France,
time. (AP Photo/ Ludivine Laniepce) alongside its G5 Sahel part-
No group claimed responsi- ners, in the fight against ter-
bility for Friday's attacks. the assailants wore military hurt, but a gendarme and also arrived in a pickup and rorist movements,” accord-
One of the militants' as- clothing and seemed to the four attackers were starting shooting at soldiers, ing to a statement from the
saults destroyed a room be aware of the planned killed, French Foreign Minis- said Moussa Korbeogo, a French leader.
in the army headquarters gathering. ter Jean-Yves Le Drian said trader at a nearby market. The Paris prosecutor’s office
where senior officers were The French Embassy came in televised remarks. Heavy smoke rose from the said it has opened a pre-
to have met but was relo- under attack around 10:15 Gunfire and explosions re- army joint chief of staff's liminary attempted murder
cated at the last minute, a.m., with witnesses at the sounded for hours, subsid- office, where witnesses investigation into the at-
according to Security Min- nearby state TV offices tell- ing by midday. Workers reported loud explosions. tack because the embassy
ister Clement Sawadogo. ing The Associated Press fled nearby offices and he- Windows were broken was among the targets, a
"If the meeting had taken that the attackers had ar- licopters were seen above there and in nearby build- French judicial official said
place in the first room, our rived in a pickup truck, the embassy. ings. on condition of anonymity
army would have been shouted, "Allahu akbar!" A similar attack unfolded "Some of the soldiers ran because he is not autho-
beheaded," Sawadogo and began shooting. at the army headquarters into a nearby bank to seek rized to talk to the media
said, adding that some of No one in the embassy was across town. The assailants shelter. Several were killed identified.q
Suicide bomb in Afghan capital kills young girl, wounds 22

By AMIR SHAH said in a statement that ambulance filled with ex-
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) "no Resolute Support ser- plosives into the heart of
— A suicide car bombing vice members were injured the city, killing at least 103
in the eastern part of the in the incident," referring people and wounding as
Afghan capital on Friday to the mission's name. No many as 235. The Taliban
morning killed at least one militant group claimed re- claimed the ambulance
person, a young girl, and sponsibility for the attack. attack, as well as an attack
wounded 22, Afghan offi- At the blast site in the Qabil a week earlier in which mili-
cials said. Bay neighborhood, blood tants stormed a luxury hotel
Basir Mujahid, spokesman pooled on the pavement in Kabul, killing 22 people,
for the Kabul police chief, amid rubble in front of a de- including 14 foreigners,
said the blast occurred in stroyed building. Residents and setting off a 13-hour
the neighborhood of Qabil in the area were the first battle with security forces.
Bay, in an area that is home to say the explosion was a The recent attacks have
to a police station, the gov- suicide attack, before Dan- underscored the weak-
ernment's customs offices Residents walk though the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Af- ish's statement. They spoke nesses of Afghan security
ghanistan, Friday, March 2, 2018. A large explosion in the east-
and some guest houses. ern part of the Afghan capital on Friday morning killed at least on condition of anonym- forces more than 16 years
Najib Danish, spokesman one person and wounding others an Afghan official said. ity, fearing for their own after the U.S.-led invasion
for the Interior Ministry, said (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) safety. Kabul has recently toppled the Taliban. On
the suicide bomber target- seen a spate of large-scale Wednesday, Afghan Presi-
ed a "convoy of foreigners" try, said 22 were wounded Afghan casualties were militant attacks by the Tal- dent Ashraf Ghani called
but did not offer further de- in the blast. Mohammad reported in the bombing. iban and also the Islamic on the Taliban to take part
tails or clarify whether it was Musa Zahir, a doctor at the NATO forces in Kabul con- State group, whose affiliate in peace talks to "save the
foreign forces who were area's Wazir Akbar Khan firmed the attack was a sui- in Afghanistan has grown country," offering secu-
targeted or contractors. hospital, said the wound- cide car bombing. Capt. stronger since it emerged rity and incentives such as
Nasrat Rahimi, deputy ed included five children Tom Gresback, spokesman in 2014. In late January, a passports to insurgents who
spokesman for the minis- and two women. No non- for the NATO-led forces, Taliban attacker drove an join the negotiations.q