Page 6 - aruba-today-20240827

A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 27 augusT 2024
Gunmen kill dozens in multiple attacks in one of the deadliest

days in a Pakistani province

By ABDUL SATTAR and of troop casualties.
MUNIR AHMED It said one female suicide
Associated Press bomber also took part in the
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — attack on security forces.
Gunmen in southwestern Separatists are known to ask
Pakistan killed at least 38 people for their ID cards,
people in three separate and then abduct or kill
attacks on Monday, offi- those who are from outside
cials said, while the military the province. Many recent
said security forces killed 21 victims have come from
insurgents, marking one of neighboring Punjab prov-
the deadliest days of vio- ince.
lence in the restive Baluch- Uzma Bukhari, a spokesper-
istan province, with reports son for the Punjab provincial
of other shootings and de- government, denounced
struction in the area as well. the latest killings, saying the
Twenty-three people were “attacks are a matter of
fatally shot overnight after grave concern” and urg-
being taken from buses, ing the Baluchistan govern-
vehicles and trucks in Mu- People look at a burnt vehicle which was torched by gunmen after they killed passengers at a ment to “step up efforts to
highway in Musakhail, a district in Baluchistan province in restive southwestern Pakistan, Monday,
sakhail, a district in Baluch- Aug. 26, 2024. eliminate BLA terrorists.”
istan, senior police official Associated Press Pakistani President Asif Ali
Ayub Achakzai said. The Zardari, Prime Minister She-
attackers burned at least rity forces were “martyred” who killed our innocent ci- lawed Baluch Liberation hbaz Sharif and Interior Min-
10 vehicles before fleeing. while responding to the at- vilians and security with be Army separatist group ister Mohsin Naqvi in sepa-
In a separate attack, gun- tacks. Those appeared to dealt with a full force.” warned people to stay rate statements called the
men killed at least nine peo- be included in the overall Baluchistan has been the away from highways as attack in Musakhail “bar-
ple, including four police of- death toll. scene of a long-running they launched attacks on baric” and vowed that
ficers and five passersby, in “Sanitization operations are insurgency in Pakistan, security forces in various those behind it would not
Baluchistan’s Qalat district, being conducted and the with an array of separat- parts of the province. escape justice.
authorities said. The bodies instigators, perpetrators, ist groups staging attacks, But there there was no im- In May, gunmen fatally shot
of six people were found in facilitators and abettors of mainly on security forces. mediate claim of responsi- seven barbers in Gwadar, a
Bolan, where insurgents also these heinous and coward- The separatists have been bility for the latest killings. port city in Baluchistan.
blew up a railway track. ly acts, targeting innocent demanding indepen- In a statement on Monday, In April, separatists killed
They also attacked a police civilians, will be brought to dence from the central the BLA only said it inflicted nine people after abduct-
station in Mastung and at- justice,” the military said in government in Islamabad. heavy losses on security ing them from a bus on a
tacked and burned vehi- a statement. Although Pakistani authori- forces in attacks in the prov- highway in Baluchistan.
cles in Gwadar, all districts Sarfraz Bugti, the chief min- ties say they have quelled ince. Pakistan’s military and They also killed two people
in Baluchistan. No casualties ister in Baluchistan, told re- the insurgency, violence in government did not imme- and wounded six in another
were reported in those at- porters in Quetta that oper- Baluchistan has persisted. diately comment on that car they forced to stop. The
tacks. ations against the insurgents The attack in Musakhail claim. The group often pro- BLA claimed responsibility
The military said 14 secu- are underway, and “those came hours after the out- vides exaggerated figures for those attacks. q

WHO launches plan to stanch mpox transmission and says the

virus can be stopped

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. launched a six-month plan mpox transmission, includ- hanom Ghebreyesus in a ous week.
health agency on Monday to help stanch outbreaks of ing ramping up staffing in statement. In its latest update on the
affected countries and The agency is “significantly outbreak, the African Cen-
boosting surveillance, pre- scaling up staff” in affected ters for Disease Control
vention and response strat- countries, it said. In mid- reported that as of Thurs-
egies. August, WHO classified the day, more than 21,300 sus-
The World Health Organiza- current mpox outbreak as pected or confirmed cases
tion said it expects the plan a global health emergen- and 590 deaths have been
from September through cy. reported this year in 12 Afri-
February next year will re- Also Monday, German can countries.
quire $135 million in fund- government spokesperson Mpox belongs to the same
ing and aims to improve Steffen Hebestreit said Ger- family of viruses as smallpox
fair access to vaccines, many is donating 100,000 but typically causes milder
notably in African countries doses of mpox vaccine to symptoms like fever, chills
hardest hit by the outbreak. affected countries from and body aches. It mostly
“The mpox outbreaks in stocks held by its military, spreads through close skin-
the Democratic Republic German news agency dpa to-skin contact, including
of the Congo and neigh- reported. sexual intercourse. People
Red Cross officials create awareness around mpox in the Don boring countries can be Last Tuesday, Congo the with more serious cases
Bosco refugee camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, controlled, and can be hardest-hit country report- can develop lesions on
Thursday, Aug. 22, 2023. stopped,” said WHO Di- ed more than 1,000 new the face, hands, chest and
Associated Press rector-General Tedros Ad- mpox cases over the previ- genitals.q