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WORLD NEWSSaturday 24 March 2018

Kurdish rebels withdraw from Iraq's Sinjar

By SUSANNAH GEORGE The Kurdistan Workers Par- known as the Peshmerga earlier this week, referring attacks in northern Iraq,
SUZAN FRASER ty, or PKK, said it moved and backed by the U.S.-led to a string of Kurdish-held describing them as "viola-
Associated Press into Sinjar to protect the coalition. town in northern Syria. "One tions" that led to the death
BAGHDAD (AP) — A Kurdish Yezidi people "from geno- Turkish President Recep night, we could suddenly of a number of civilians in
rebel group will withdraw cide" at the hands of the Is- Tayyip Erdogan threatened enter Sinjar." a statement released late
from the town of Sinjar in lamic State group and are to expand an ongoing Turkey has launched a Thursday.
northern Iraq on Friday, it now withdrawing "having military offensive in the Syr- number of strikes against Also on Friday, Turkey's
said in a statement, follow- reached that aim," accord- ian town of Afrin into other suspected PKK camps in prime minister said his coun-
ing threats of attack from ing to the statement. Kurdish-held areas across Iraq's north over the past try was partially reopen-
Turkey's president who has PKK fighters moved into Sin- northern Syria and even week. It views the PKK and ing its airspace to flights to
launched a series of air- jar — about 75 miles (120 into neighboring Iraq. some U.S.-backed Kurdish Iraq's Kurdish region, after
strikes against suspected kilometers) west of Mosul "We'll continue this process forces in Syria as terrorists. the central government re-
Kurdish rebel camps over — in 2015 with an offensive until we completely abolish Earlier, Iraq's Foreign Min- stored authority at airports
the past week. led by Iraqi Kurdish fighters this corridor," Erdogan said istry condemned Turkey's in the area.q

Deal reached to evacuate second pocket of Syria's Ghouta

This photo shows civilians carrying their belongings as they flee from fighting between Syrian derground shelter, prompt- besieged area. The group
government forces and insurgents through the Wafideen crossing in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of ing the truce and later the added that opposition
Damascus, Syria, Thursday, March 22, 2018. Syrian troops have recently taken control of about 80 agreement between Fay- fighters and their relatives
percent of eastern Ghouta from rebel forces. laq al-Rahman rebel group who decide to leave east-
and the government to ern Ghouta will head to
(SANA via AP) evacuate the area. Friday's rebel-held parts of northern
agreement will mean the Syria while civilians who de-
By SARAH EL DEEB of the capital Damascus and the armed opposition surrender of the second of cide to stay will be guaran-
BASSEM MROUE hours after the main rebel group said. three pockets in eastern teed safety.
BEIRUT (AP) — An agree- group in the area declared Shortly before the cease- Ghouta, where rebels have It said that Russian military
ment was reached Friday a cease-fire to give nego- fire went into effect at been holding up over the police will deploy in Faylaq
to evacuate the second tiations with the Russians midnight Thursday, intense past years. On Thursday, al-Rahman-controlled ar-
of three pockets held by and the Syrian government government attacks killed hundreds streamed out of eas including the suburbs
opposition fighters east a chance, state media at least 37 people in an un- Harasta, the first pocket of Arbeen, Zamalka, Ein
after a similar negotiated Tarma and Jobar. A prison-
cease-fire and evacuation er exchange will take place
of armed fighters and civil- between the group and
ians. The rebel group Faylaq the government, the group
al-Rahman, which controls added. Rabieh Dibeh, cor-
the second pocket, asked respondent for state-affil-
for the latest cease-fire af- iated al-Ikhbariya TV said
ter the intensified assault on 7,000 civilians and Faylaq
territories it controls. al-Rahman fighters will be-
Faylaq al-Rahman, the sec- gin leaving the four suburbs
ond most powerful group in as early as Saturday. The
eastern Ghouta, said in a Britain-based Syrian Ob-
statement that it reached servatory for Human Rights
an agreement with the Rus- said it is not clear whether
sians over areas it controls Faylaq al-Rahman mem-
in eastern Ghouta. It add- bers will head to the rebel-
ed that the deal will lead held northwestern province
to the immediate evacua- of Idlib or to northern re-
tion of sick and wounded gions controlled by Turkish
people for treatment and troops and Turkey-backed
to allow aid to enter the opposition fighters.q

Watchdog: Nations helped Egypt’s military consolidate power

BERLIN (AP) — The interna- faces only one other oppo- panded its political power group’s deputy director. officially confirmed.
tional community is doing nent, an obscure politician. and economic ambitions The report estimates Egypt’s In an interview earlier this
a disservice to the Egyptian Transparency International and is “a largely opaque military annual budget to week, el-Sissi dismissed
people by supporting the Defense and Security says and unaccountable institu- be $4.4 billion. Over the such estimates, saying the
country’s armed forces with Egypt’s military received tion.” years, the Egyptian military armed forces only control
“few strings attached,” an financial aid and security “Egypt’s armed forces has built a vast economic between 2 percent and 3
anti-corruption watchdog assistance from Western have under President el-Sis- empire that includes food, percent of the country’s
said Friday. states and arms compa- si expanded their privileged mineral water and land economy.
The new report comes just nies, helping the military to position in the country’s reclamation companies. El-Sissi rose to power after
days ahead of Egypt’s consolidate its power. economy, have grabbed Independent research- he led the military over-
presidential election, in The Berlin-based watch- full control over the political ers say the armed forces throw of an elected Islamist
which general-turned-Pres- dog said the Egyptian mili- system and yet they are not control up to 40 percent of president, Mohammed
ident Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is tary, the budget of which under any meaningful scru- Egypt’s economy, though Morsi, whose one-year rule
virtually certain to win as he is largely unknown, has ex- tiny,” said James Lynch, the the figures have not been proved divisive.q