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UP FRONTMonday 22 February 2016
IS bombings rock Syria as world powers seek truce
BASSEM MROUE Secretary of State John Kerry gestures during a joint press conference with his Jordanian coun- ies and have repeatedly
DEB RIECHMANN terpart Nasser Judeh (unseen) in Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. John Kerry said Sunday targeted Shiites, who they
Associated Press that a “provisional agreement” has been reached on a Syrian cease-fire that could begin in the view as apostates deserv-
BEIRUT (AP) — Bombings next few days, but he acknowledged that it’s not finalized and all parties might not automatically ing of death.
claimed by the Islamic comply. The deadly blasts may
State group in the Syrian strengthen the govern-
cities of Damascus and (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) ment’s argument that it
Homs killed nearly 130 peo- should press ahead with
ple on Sunday, highlighting Hezbollah movement and en, were killed by two car showing people running a major offensive in the
the threat posed by the other Shiite militiamen from bombs set off in a mostly in narrow streets as others north of the country, where
extremists as the country’s Iraq and elsewhere. Hez- Alawite neighborhood. Syr- carried the wounded, in- troops backed by Russian
warring factions fight for bollah’s Al-Manar TV said ian President Bashar Assad cluding several children. airstrikes are close to seal-
the northern city of Aleppo the blasts were caused by hails from the Alawite mi- “He’s alive, he’s alive,” a ing off Aleppo, once Syr-
and world powers chase a car bomb and two sui- nority, an offshoot of Shiite man shouted as he tried ia’s largest city and com-
an elusive cease-fire. cide bombers. Islam. to administer CPR to an mercial hub. Syrian insur-
The blasts came as Sec- The bombings in the cen- Syrian TV footage from unconscious man. The TV gents, including Western-
retary of State John Kerry tral city of Homs killed Homs showed streets filled later called on citizens to backed rebels, seized
said that a “provisional at least 46 people and with debris and mangled donate blood. several neighborhoods in
agreement” has been wounded dozens, accord- cars, and the charred The Islamic State group 2012.
reached on a cessation of ing to Syria’sForeign Minis- body of a man being taken claimed both attacks. The The heavy fighting near
hostilities that could begin try. The Observatory said 57 away on a stretcher. Foot- extremists are dug in on Aleppo led to collapse
in the next few days. But people, including 11 wom- age from Sayyida Zeinab the outskirts of the two cit- of peace talks earlier this
he acknowledged that it’s month. World powers later
not finalized and all parties agreed on a “cessation of
might not automatically hostilities” to begin within
comply. a week, but the deadline
A series of blast ripped passed with no letup in the
through the Sayyida Ze- fighting.
inab suburb of Damascus, Kerry has since reached out
killing at least 83 people to his Russian counterpart,
and wounding more than and during a visit to Jor-
170, the official SANA news dan on Sunday, said they
agency said. The Britain- had struck a “provisional
based Syrian Observatory agreement” and must now
for Human Rights, which reach out to the opposing
relies on local Syrian activ- sides on the ground. Rus-
ists, said the blasts killed 62. sia is a key ally of Assad’s
SANA said the bombs went government, while the U.S.
off near schools during the backs some of the rebels
afternoon rush hour. fighting to overthrow him.
The neighborhood is home Kerry declined to go into
to one of Shiite Islam’s holi- the details of the agree-
est shrines, which his heav- ment, saying it “is not yet
ily guarded by Lebanon’s done.” q
Greece: Macedonia has closed borders to Afghan migrants
C. KANTOURIS through because Serbia trekkers from the Afghan
made the same decision city of Jaghori Zeba. “We
K. TESTORIDES and officials feared the mi- have spent three nights in
grants would get stuck in the cold, we are hungry.
Associated Press Macedonia. They told me that the bor-
“The authorities of the For- ders have been closed to
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — mer Yugoslav Republic of us. However, when I started
Macedonia informed us from Afghanistan I knew
Macedonia closed its bor- that, beginning at dawn borders were open for us.
Sunday, they no longer I am going to the Idomeni
der to Afghan migrants accept Afghan refugees border crossing to find out
because the same prob- and ask why they have
early Sunday, Greek police lem exists at their border closed it.” Since dawn
with Serbia,” Petros Tanos, Sunday, only 150 refugees
said, slowing the admission spokesman for Greek po- from Iraq and Syria were
lice’s Central Macedonia allowed into Macedonia,
of refugees to a trickle and division, told The Associ- on top of 310 allowed in
ated Press. Saturday. At the border
leaving a growing bottle- Despite the reports, about Sunday, two Macedonian
500 migrants of all national- and two Czech policemen
neck of people stuck at ities made the trek on foot were thoroughly inspecting
from the gas station to the the documents of Iraqi and
their shared border. border Sunday. “I can no Syrian migrants and would
longer wait,” said 17-year- only let them pass if they
A Macedonian police old Ali Nowroz, one of the had passports or ID cards.q
spokeswoman denied
there was any new prohi-
bition regarding Afghans, A Greek policeman checks documents of a man at the border-
line with Macedonia near the northern Greek village of Idome-
blaming the problem on ni, on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. Macedonia has closed its southern
border with Greece to Afghan migrants, allowing only Iraqis and
Serbia, the next nation Syrians, Greek police report.
along the Balkans migra- (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
tion route into Western Eu- kilometers (11 miles) away, take them to the border.
80 buses with 4,000 more Greek police said Macedo-
rope. By early afternoon, migrants were waiting to nia refused to let Afghans
about 1,000 migrants were
waiting at the Greek bor-
der camp in Idomeni —
and at a gas station only 17
