Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

A9
WORLD NEWS Thursday 15 June 2017

US deploys mobile missile system to eastern Syria

By PHILIP ISSA protect itself from attacks
SARAH EL DEEB in the area when weather
Associated Press would limit the ability of
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. has strike aircraft to reach there
deployed a truck-mounted in time.
missile system into Syria, an The Pentagon official re-
official said Wednesday, to quested anonymity, to dis-
a forward operating group cuss unannounced military
of rebels and U.S. military movements.
advisers that have repeat- U.S.-backed rebels were
edly clashed with govern- advancing north along the
ment forces. Syrian-Iraqi frontier, against
The deployment raises IS militants, when pro-gov-
the stakes in eastern Syria, ernment forces cut them
where Iranian-sponsored off with a flanking maneu-
pro-government forces ver last week.
have outflanked U.S. advis- U.S. special forces opera-
ers and rebels holding the tors are embedded with
Tanf border crossing to es- the rebels in an advisory
tablish their own link to Iraq capacity, the Pentagon
for the first time in years. says, though they have In this picture taken Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 from the balcony of the Abdul-Hamid Khatib home,
They are now waiting for fought alongside their al- people walk through mounds of rubble which used to be high rise apartment buildings in the
pro-Iranian forces to link up lies in defense battles. They once rebel-held Ansari neighborhood in the eastern Aleppo, Syria. The U.S. has deployed a truck-
with them on the Iraqi side hold two outposts in the mounted missile system into Syria, an official said Wednesday, to a forward operating group of
of the border, while pre- desert region. rebels and U.S. military advisers that have repeatedly clashed with government forces.
paring to march on Islamic The U.S. central military (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
State positions to the north, command has said it re- and has not led to greater Jordan were holding lomat said, speaking on
in the Euphrates River Val- mains committed to reach- humanitarian access to closed door-meetings in condition of anonymity be-
ley. ing and defeating the IS besieged areas across the Amman to halt the fighting cause he was not autho-
Shifting the HIMARS missile group in its strongholds war-torn country. between rebels and the rized to brief the media.
system into eastern Syria along the Euphrates, be- Underscoring the ongo- government in southern In Geneva, the Indepen-
from Jordan will give the ginning with Boukamal, 220 ing violence, a barrage of Syria. dent International Commis-
U.S. a precise, long-range kilometers (137 miles) north- airstrikes and artillery shells The three states are de- sion of Inquiry told the U.N.
weapon to protect its ad- east of Tanf. pummeled different areas bating the boundaries of Human Rights Council that
visers and allies in Tanf, and Meanwhile, a U.N. investi- of southern Daraa prov- a cease-fire line between fighting around the central
to attack Islamic State mili- gative commission for Syria ince Wednesday, leaving the government and reb- province of Homs, near Da-
tants further downfield. It reported that last month’s at least eight people dead, els in what is hoped to be mascus and in the south-
has a range of 300 kilome- “de-escalation” agree- including children, first re- a comprehensive agree- ern city of Daraa has con-
ters (186 miles). ment has reduced vio- sponders and activists said. ment that would delineate tinued — despite the deal
The deployment also in- lence in only one of the four A western diplomat said the control of border cross- brokered by Russia, Turkey
sures that the military can zones included in the deal that the U.S., Russia, and ings with Jordan, the dip- and Iran in May. q
Qatar pulls all its troops from Djibouti-Eritrea border

By MALAK HARB lomatic ties and now are group, known as the Red we had some skirmishes. its ties to Iran and embrace
ELIAS MESERET trying to isolate Qatar from Sea Afar Democratic Or- It was unnecessary.”Doha of various Islamist groups
Associated Press the rest of the world. ganization. Eritrean forces mediated the conflict be- have put the country un-
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qa- While the dispute hasn’t moved in after the troops tween the two countries der intense scrutiny.U.N.
tar said Wednesday it has escalated to a military con- departed, Ali said. in 2010. Gulf nations have Secretary-General Anto-
pulled all of its troops from frontation, Qatar’s military Eritrea’s top diplomat to stationed troops in both Af- nio Guterres spoke to Ku-
the border of Djibouti and is dwarfed by neighboring the African Union, Araya rican countries, using that wait’s Deputy Prime Minis-
Eritrea, east African nations Saudi Arabia and the Unit- Desta, told The Associated as a jumping-off point for ter Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid
that have a long-running ed Arab Emirates, two of its Press the move came after the ongoing Saudi-led war Al-Sabah on Wednesday
territorial dispute which biggest opponents in the Eritrea cut diplomatic ties in Yemen.Saudi Arabia, and expressed “full sup-
Doha had helped mediate. crisis.The 450 Qatari troops to Qatar. However, Desta Egypt, the United Arab Emir- port for Kuwait’s efforts to
Qatar offered no explana- controlled a mountainous said his country wanted no ates and Bahrain have ac- de-escalate tensions and
tion for the move, though it border crossing between confrontation with Djibouti. cused Qatar of supporting to promote effective dia-
comes amid a diplomatic Eritrea and Djibouti, said “We don’t want to take terrorism and severed ties logue” to resolve the crisis,
dispute with other Arab Nasredin Ali, a spokesman any of Djibouti’s land,” with Doha last week. Qatar U.N. spokesman Stephane
nations that have cut dip- for Eritrea’s biggest armed Araya said. “The last time denies the allegations, but Dujarric said.q