Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Friday 15 January 2016
PM says Turkish artillery hit Cologne prosecutors:
IS positions in Iraq and Syria Reward offered over New Year’s Eve attacks
SUZAN FRASER mining that IS was respon- German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the debate at the German parliament Bundestag on
Associated Press sible for the “heinous” the crime in Cologne during New Year’s Eve, in Berlin, Germany.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — suicide bombing Tuesday
Turkish tanks and artillery in Istanbul’s main tourist (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
attacked the Islamic State district, just steps away
group in Iraq and Syria in from the landmark Blue FRANK JORDANS more video or photographs lum seekers arrive last year,
retaliation for the suicide Mosque. Associated Press of the scene that night to many of them from war-
bombing in Istanbul that All of the dead were Ger- BERLIN (AP) Prosecutors upload it to their website. torn Syria.
killed 10 tourists, Turkey’s man tourists. in Cologne said Thursday The scale and nature of the “After Cologne, we need
prime minister said Thurs- Turkish officials say the they are offering a reward attacks has triggered a na- more, not less, integration,”
day — the country’s first bomber, a Syrian born in of 10,000 euros ($10,920) tionwide debate in Germa- Kraft said, adding that her
significant strike against 1988, was affiliated with for information leading to ny about the country’s abil- state would continue to
the Islamic extremists in the Islamic State group the arrest or identification ity to integrate refugees, welcome those fleeing war
months. and entered Turkey by of those who committed because some of the sus- and persecution elsewhere
Turkey agreed last year posing as a refugee. Inte- sexual assaults and robber- pects are asylum seekers. in the world.
to take on a larger role in rior Minister Efkan Ala said ies during New Year’s. Bremer said authorities Asylum seekers from coun-
the fight against IS amid seven people had been A spokesman for Cologne have charged 13 men with tries such as Algeria and
two major attacks that detained in connection prosecutors said they have robbery, theft, dealing in Morocco, who stand little
left 135 people dead. But with the bombing. so far received 652 criminal stolen goods and resisting chance of having their re-
critics contend the coun- “Turkey will continue to complaints from that night, arrest. Five men are in cus- quest approved, should be
try has shown only limited punish with even greater when groups of drunken tody, he said. The number processed more swiftly, she
engagement, striking only force any threat that is di- men described as being of people charged is likely said.
when attacked and fo- rected against Turkey or its mostly of “Arab or North Af- to rise in the coming days The head of the Interna-
cusing instead on quelling guests,” Davutoglu said. rican” origin attacked rev- as police forward their find- tional Organization for Mi-
Kurdish rebels. “We will press ahead with elers at the city’s main train ings to prosecutors, Bremer gration said refugees in
Turkey rejects the accu- our determined struggle station. At least 331 com- added. Germany shouldn’t be stig-
sations, pointing out that until the Daesh terrorist or- plaints alleged sexual as- The governor of North matized by alleged sexual
it has opened its bases to ganization leaves Turkey’s saults, including two cases Rhine-Westphalia state, assaults against women
the U.S.-led air campaign borders ... and until it loses of rape, Ulrich Bremer told where Cologne is located, and other crimes by some
against IS , boosted secu- its ability to continue with The Associated Press. In to- expressed regret for the at- asylum-seekers on New
rity along its 900-kilome- its acts that soil our sacred tal, 739 victims have come tacks. Year’s Eve.
ter (550-mile) border with religion, Islam.” forward â mostly women â Hannelore Kraft told the While decrying the “abso-
Syria to try to prevent IS Davutoglu was speak- of whom 430 alleged they state parliament that she lutely reprehensible” and
fighters from crossing it ing in Ankara hours after had been sexually assault- understood how the inci- “horrible” attacks, IOM
and cracked down on Kurdish rebels detonated ed in some way. dent made citizens feel Director-General William
suspected terror cells in a car bomb at a police Bremer said authorities insecure, but insisted that Lacy Swing also appealed
Turkey, detaining or de- station in southeastern have evaluated 350 hours it shouldn’t be used to tar- for some “perspective”
porting thousands of mili- Turkey, then attacked it of video and interviewed nish the vast majority of in- about the alleged crimes
tants. Turkish forces are with rocket launchers and 120 witnesses. Police are nocent refugees. Germany and warned of stereotyp-
also training Iraqi Kurdish firearms. calling for anyone who has saw almost 1.1 million asy- ing the refugees. q
forces fighting the mili-
tants. Six people were killed,
Prime Minister Ahmet Da- including three children,
vutoglu said some 200 ex- authorities said.
tremists had been killed Clashes between Turkey’s
over the past 48 hours in security forces and the
Turkey’s offensive against rebels of the Kurdistan
IS along the Syria-Turkish Workers’ Party, or PKK, re-
border and near a Turk- ignited in July, shattering
ish camp in northern Iraq. a fragile peace process.
He did not rule out pos- Turkey has carried out nu-
sible airstrikes against the merous airstrikes against
group, although a day PKK positions in northern
earlier he said Russia was Iraq and imposed ex-
obstructing Turkey’s abil- tended curfews in flash-
ity to conduct airstrikes point neighborhoods and
against IS in Syria. towns in its mainly Kurdish
The Turkish leader said southeast as security forc-
Ankara acted after deter- es battle Kurdish militants
linked to the PKK.q
