Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

A9
WORLD NEWS Tuesday 19 sepTember 2017

Putin attends military drills that worry Russia’s neighbors

By V. ISACHENKOV of transparency about the
I. SEKRETAREV war games and questioned
Associated Press Moscow’s intentions.
LUZHSKY RANGE, Russia The exercises, held in sev-
(AP) — Russian President eral firing ranges in Belarus
Vladimir Putin on Monday and western Russia, run
attended the weeklong through Wednesday. Rus-
war games with Belarus sia and Belarus say 5,500
that have demonstrated Russian and 7,200 Belaru-
the Russian military’s re- sian troops are participat-
surgent might and made ing, but some NATO coun-
neighboring countries ner- tries have estimated that
vous. up to 100,000 troops could
Putin observed the Zapad be involved.
(West) 2017 drills — tank With Russia’s relations with
attacks, airborne assaults the West at a post-Cold
and air raids that got un- War low point over the
derway Thursday — at the fighting in Ukraine, wor-
Luzhsky range in western ries about the war games
Russia, just over 100 kilome- ranged from allegations
ters (about 60 miles) east of that Russia could perma-
Estonia’s border. nently deploy its forces to Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, second left, and
As part of the maneuvers, Belarus to fears of a surprise Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, right, watch a military
the Russian military on Mon- onslaught on the Baltics. exercise at a training ground at the Luzhsky Range, near St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Sept. 18,
day also test-fired its state- Russia and Belarus have 2017.
of-the-art cruise missile at a said the exercises simu- (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin via AP)
mock target in the Central late a response to foreign-
Asian nation of Kazakhstan, backed “extremists” and — Estonia, Latvia and Lithu- drills in the region, activities them to dodge more intru-
showcasing the weapon’s insisted the maneuvers ania — and Poland see the Moscow has criticized as a sive inspections by NATO
extended range and pre- don’t threaten anyone. monikers for the made up reflection of the alliance’s in line with international
cision strike capability. Their troops are fighting enemies as thinly disguised hostile intentions. agreements. The practice
Some nervous NATO mem- three invented “aggressor references to their nations. Russia and Belarus kept the maneuvers nonetheless
bers, including the Baltic countries” — Veishnoriya, NATO has rotated military stated number of troops have put Russia’s massive
states and Poland, have Lubeniya and Vesbariya. units in the Baltics and Po- involved in the drills just be- military mobilization capa-
criticized an alleged lack However, the Baltic states land and staged regular low 13,000, a limit allowing bility on display. q

UK police quiz 2 ex-foster children over London subway bomb

By JILL LAWLESS for ferries to France. The Thirty people were injured “critical,” meaning an at- conflicts.
Associated Press 21-year-old was held later when an improvised explo- tack may be imminent. Ian Harvey, who heads lo-
LONDON (AP) — The two the same day in Hounslow sive device partly exploded They lowered it Sunday to cal Spelthorne Borough
suspects detained over in west London. aboard a crowded London “severe,” and police said Council, said he believed
last week’s London subway Photos published by the Underground train at Par- the investigation was mak- the 18-year-old was an Iraqi
bombing are an 18-year- Sun newspaper showed a sons Green station during ing rapid progress. orphan who moved to the
old refugee from Iraq and a man being detained out- the morning rush hour. Police searched three U.K. when he was 15 after
21-year old from Syria, both side a fast-food restaurant None of the injuries was life- addresses, including the his parents died and had
of whom were fostered by in Hounslow, which was threatening, and experts house in suburban Sunbury, lived in the Sunbury house.
a British couple, according searched by police. said it appears the main outside London, of Penelo- He said the 21-year-old was
to a local official and me- Both men are being held charge of the bomb didn’t pe and Ronald Jones. The also a former foster child of
dia reports. under the Terrorism Act detonate. couple has been honored the Joneses.
The 18-year-old was de- and are being questioned After the rush-hour bomb- by Queen Elizabeth II for Sky News and other British
tained Saturday at the at a London police station ing, British officials raised fostering more than 200 media named him as Ya-
southeast England port of about Friday’s attack. Nei- the country’s terror threat children, including refu- hyah Farroukh, who is origi-
Dover, a departure point ther has been charged. level to the highest level, gees from Middle Eastern nally from Syria. q