Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 24 augusT 2017

In Lebanon: North Korean

UN force pushes back after US, Israeli criticism photos suggest
new solid-fuel
By SARAH EL DEEB U.S. Ambassador Nikki Hal- forces of terror in Lebanon fragile and volatile,” she missile designs
Associated Press ey said in a statement co- and around the region.” said, and all parties must
BEIRUT (AP) — The head inciding with Wednesday’s But France’s deputy U.N. uphold their commitment By ERIC TALMADGE
of U.N. peacekeepers in closed U.N. Security Council ambassador Anne Gue- to a 2004 Security Coun- Associated Press
Lebanon is pushing back consultations on the force, gen, whose country is in cil resolution ordering all TOKYO (AP) — North Ko-
Lebanese militias, including rea’s state media released
Hezbollah, to disarm and photos Wednesday that
calling for the Lebanese appear to show the de-
army to extend its authority signs of one or possibly two
throughout the south. new missiles.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Concept diagrams of the
Vassily Nebenzia told re- missiles were seen hanging
porters after the council’s on a wall behind leader
discussion that the man- Kim Jong Un while he vis-
date should be renewed in ited a plant that makes
its present form, noting that solid-fuel engines for the
the Lebanese government country’s ballistic-missile
has not asked for a change program.
in the mandate. One of the photos clearly
Asked whether there was showed a diagram for a
support for the U.S. propos- missile called “Pukguk-
al to change the mandate, song-3,” which appears to
he replied: “I think the ma- be the latest in its Pukguk-
jority of those who spoke song, or Polaris, series. The
supported the renewal of other was harder to dis-
the mandate as it is now.” cern, though it carried a
Beary, the Irish commander “Hwasong,” or Mars, desig-
who leads UNIFIL, said it has nation name.
successfully maintained The photos were carried in
Lebanese army soldiers train on the deck of the Brazilian warship UNIAO, part of the UNIFIL
Maritime force, during a joint exercise between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, to apprehend the peace for more than the morning edition of the
the smuggling of illegal material, off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The a decade, and prevented Rodong Sinmun, the ruling
head of the U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon says his force has no evidence that weapons are major “misunderstandings” party’s newspaper, and
being illegally transferred in the country’s south, rebuffing criticism the mission is failing to stem from erupting between Is- released by the Korean
their spread. rael and Hezbollah. Central News Agency just
(AP Photo/Hussein Malla) “We should not be look- two days after the United
after U.S. and Israeli criti- known as UNIFIL, that Hez- charge of drafting the ing to upset that,” he told States and South Korea be-
cism of the mission, say- bollah openly boasts about council resolution renewing The Associated Press on gan annual military exer-
ing Wednesday that his its illegal weapons stockpile the mandate, told report- Wednesday aboard the cises that the North claims
force has no evidence that and publicly threatens the ers that “it is of paramount Brazilian flagship for the are a rehearsal for war.
weapons are being illegally destruction of neighboring importance for the stabil- UNIFIL maritime force. Tensions on the peninsula
transferred and stockpiled Israel. “The Security Council ity of Lebanon and the re- He said his force’s man- generally ratchet up dur-
in the Hezbollah-dominat- cannot adopt a business- gion, and in the best inter- date is “viable” and has en- ing the maneuvers and a
ed south. Maj. Gen. Mi- as-usual approach when est of all, that UNIFIL keeps abled his mission to deploy series of larger exercises
chael Beary defended the so much is at stake,” she its mandate and is in a po- south of the Litani river and held each spring.
10,500-strong force as the said. “We call on the mem- sition to fulfill it, with the full along most of the 110-kilo- The KCNA report on the vis-
U.S. and France publicly dis- bers of the Security Council backing and confidence meter (68-mile) frontier be- it said Kim called on work-
agreed about whether its to join us in taking real ac- of the Security Council.” tween Israel and Lebanon. ers at the plant to produce
mandate, which expires on tion to make UNIFIL a stron- “Though the situation has It also allows for patrols and more solid-fuel rocket en-
Aug. 31, should be beefed ger peacekeeping mission remained generally calm in helicopter reconnaissance gines and rocket warhead
up to tackle Hezbollah. and to stand up against the south, it is also still very missions.q tips. Michael Duitsman, a
research associate at the
Iraqis cite progress in driving IS from Tal Afar Center for Non-Prolifera-
tion Studies, said the first
missile has not been seen
By S. SALAHEDDIN military units took al-Kifah alition is providing airstrikes eoconference from Bagh- before. “The Pukguksong-3
Associated Press al-Shamali in the northwest. as well as other forms of dad. is definitely new,” he said in
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi forc- Iraqi leaders often declare support to Iraqi troops, and The extremist group has lost an email to the AP.
es said Wednesday they areas liberated when some U.S. and other special forc- most of the territory it seized The missile might be de-
have captured two neigh- fighting is still underway. es are operating near the when it swept across north- signed to fly farther and to
borhoods on the edge of Last month, Iraq declared front lines. ern and central Iraq in the be launched from protec-
the Islamic State-held town victory over IS in Mosul, the British Maj. Gen. Rupert summer of 2014, and has tive canisters, which allow
of Tal Afar. country’s second largest Jones, the coalition’s dep- also suffered major losses in missiles to be transported
Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Ra- city, after a grueling nine- uty commander, said Iraqi Syria. more easily and makes
sheed Yar Allah, who com- month campaign. The Tal forces are off to a “re- But the coalition estimates them more difficult to lo-
mands the operation, said Afar operation began Sun- ally positive start” and are that the group still has some cate and destroy in ad-
special forces drove the day, and is aimed at driv- “closing the noose” around 2,000 fighters in Tal Afar and vance. Solid-fuel engines
militants from al-Kifah al-Ja- ing IS from one of the last the militants. 2,500 in the Syrian city of add to that difficulty be-
noubi on the southwestern major pockets it controls in “The key is that they’ve bro- Raqqa, where U.S.-backed cause they allow for quick-
edge of the town, and that Iraq. ken into the city,” he told Syrian forces are fighting er launches than liquid-fuel
federal police and para- As in Mosul, the U.S.-led co- Pentagon reporters via vid- the group.q missiles.q