Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 16 February 2018
NATO to expand Iraq military training mission

By LORNE COOK es in de-mining, countering Iraqi officers so they in turn tioned the possibility that insurgency has waned in
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO home-made bombs and can train their own troops. some might take place in recent years, the Islamic
Secretary-General Jens dealing with explosives. NATO diplomats suggest the northern city of Erbil. State group flourished. IS
Stoltenberg on Thursday The allies have also trained the expanded mission Iraq is struggling to emerge has now been dislodged
announced that the alli- Iraqi troops in neighboring could involve up to 200 from the chaos that fol- from the third of Iraq that
ance will expand its military Jordan. "We will scale up," personnel. The diplomats lowed the 2003 U.S.-led in- it once held, but the group
training mission in Iraq and Stoltenberg said after talks declined to be identified vasion that toppled dicta- still poses a threat and the
help the conflict-ravaged with NATO defense minis- because the effort is still in tor Saddam Hussein. After Iraqi armed forces remain
country develop new ters in Brussels, though he the planning stages. the invasion, the tempo- relatively weak. “We be-
academies and schools for declined to say how many The training would take rary U.S.-led administration lieve that it’s in NATO’s best
its armed forces. NATO al- personnel the effort would place in the capital Bagh- disbanded the Iraqi army, interests that we project
ready has a small team of involve or where it would dad, other Iraqi cities and leaving tens of thousands stability at the government
military and civilian person- operate. He said the mis- even in neighboring coun- of trained personnel job- of Iraq’s request,” U.S. De-
nel in Iraq and uses mobile sion would not be used for tries like Jordan. Germa- less and bitter. Many took fense Secretary Jim Mattis
teams to train national forc- combat, but rather to train ny's defense minister men- up arms, and while the told reporters.q

Israeli attorney general lauds police probe into Netanyahu

By TIA GOLDENBERG cepted nearly $300,000 in
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's gifts from two billionaires,
attorney general on Thurs- among other allegations
day praised a police in- — "biased, extreme, full
vestigation into the prime of holes, like Swiss cheese."
minister over corruption al- Netanyahu has accused
legations, saying it was con- the police of being overly
ducted "thoroughly" and aggressive in their probe
"by the book" even as the and his supporters in parlia-
Israeli leader has shrugged ment have bashed the po-
off its conclusions. lice, claiming they were or-
In a speech at Tel Aviv Uni- chestrating a coup d'etat.
versity, Avihai Mandelblit Mandelblit said he intends
lauded the more-than- to ignore the noise and
yearlong probe into a pair plans to make a decision
of corruption scandals that based on the evidence.
have engulfed Prime Min- The police recommenda-
ister Benjamin Netanyahu, tions dealt an embarrassing
culminating this week when blow to the Israeli leader
police recommended that but they do not yet threat-
he be indicted on bribery en his lengthy rule. Imme-
and breach of trust charg- diate reaction fell along
es in both cases. partisan lines, an indication
The recommendations now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the official memorial ceremony marking the that his coalition will stand
go to Mandelblit, who will 20th anniversary of the assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the Mt. Herzl Cem- behind him for now. He
review the material before etery in Jerusalem. Israel's attorney general on Thursday praised a police investigation into the can remain in office while
deciding whether to file prime minister over corruption allegations, saying it was conducted "thoroughly" and "by the Mandelblit makes his deci-
charges."The investigations book" even as the Israeli leader has shrugged off its conclusions. sion, a process which could
were carried out by the (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP) take months. Netanyahu
book, exactly as is expect- like these: professionally, aim to get to the truth," he wrongdoing and has called has vowed to remain office
ed by law enforcement au- thoroughly, creatively and said. the police recommenda- and even seek re-election.
thorities to deal with cases with sophistication, with the Netanyahu has denied tions — which said he ac- q

UK blames Russian military for ‘malicious’ cyberattack

LONDON (AP) — Britain structive NotPetya cyberat- and FedEx subsidiary TNT. ready to tackle these stark pared with a military at-
blamed the Russian gov- tack of June 2017.” Ahmad said the “reckless” and intensifying threats,” tack.”
ernment on Thursday for a The fast-spreading out- attack cost organizations Williamson said. President Vladimir Putin’s
cyberattack that hit busi- break of data-scrambling hundreds of millions of dol- Danish defense minister spokesman, Dmitry Peskov,
nesses across Europe last software centered on lars. Claus Hjort Frederiksen said denied Russia’s involve-
year, accusing Moscow of Ukraine, which is embroiled British Defense Secretary intelligence agencies in ment.
“weaponizing information” in a conflict with Moscow- Gavin Williamson accused Britain, Denmark and else- “We categorically deny
in a new kind of warfare. backed separatists in the Russia of “undermining de- where had uncovered the the accusations. We con-
Foreign Minister Tariq Ah- country’s east. It spread to mocracy, wrecking liveli- Russian responsibility. sider them unfounded and
mad said “the U.K. gov- companies that do busi- hoods by targeting critical Speaking at a NATO de- baseless and see them as
ernment judges that the ness with Ukraine, including infrastructure, and weap- fense ministers’ meeting in continuation of groundless
Russian government, spe- U.S. pharmaceutical com- onizing information” with Brussels, he said the hack Russophobic campaign,”
cifically the Russian military, pany Merck, Danish ship- malicious cyberattacks. was meant to cause dam- he said in a conference
was responsible for the de- ping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk “We must be primed and age and should “be com- call with reporters.q