Page 9 - atoday
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Monday 23 November 2015
Migrants barred from crossing into Macedonia hold protest
Ivanov told reporters Sun- countries on their way to but, in the scuffle, he cut
day after meeting with central and northern Eu- his face.
visiting European Council rope. The number of migrants
president Donald Tusk in This policy has left many being barred from enter-
Macedonia’s capital, Sko- others stranded in the ing Macedonia has fallen
pje. Greek border town for four significantly Sunday, from
Several European coun- days, demanding to be let more than 2,000 to around
tries, including EU mem- in and chanting slogans 1,300 in the early evening.
bers Slovenia and Croatia such as “Freedom!” and Many of them took buses
and non-members Serbia “We are not terrorists.” and taxis to Athens and
and Macedonia, have On Sunday, an Iranian man Thessaloniki. Greek police
declared they will only al- threatened to cut his wrists believe they may be try-
low “war-zone refugees” with a razor if not allowed ing to find other routes,
from Afghanistan, Iraq and into Macedonia. Police including with the help of
Syria to transit through their intervened to disarm him, smugglers.q
An Iranian man who was self-inflicted with a razor, shouts
during a protest by migrants demanding to be allowed to cross
the border with Macedonia, near the Greek village of Idomeni,
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
C. KANTOURIS support and data sharing.
K. TESTORIDES The influx of migrants into
Associated Press Macedonia has height-
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — ened tensions in the coun-
Migrants barred from cross- try, President Gjorgje Iva-
ing the Greece-Macedo- nov said.
nia border held a fourth “The risk of possible conflict
day of protests Sunday, between refugees and mi-
as Macedonia’s president grants, the migrants and
criticized the European police and army, and be-
Union over the refugee tween migrants and local
crisis for a lack of financial people is rated as high,”
Russia: 11 allied with IS group
killed in North Caucasus raids
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian the officers.
law enforcement officers An Islamic insurgency has
on Sunday raided a hide- long simmered in the pre-
out in the North Cauca- dominantly Muslim North
sus of armed militants al- Caucasus republics of
lied with the Islamic State southern Russia. The region,
group, killing all 11 of them which includes Chechnya
in an exchange of fire, the and Dagestan, has be-
counter-terrorism agency come fertile ground for IS
said. The reinforced base propaganda and recruit-
in a wooded, mountain- ment, and the majority of
ous area on the outskirts of the estimated 3,000 Rus-
Nalchik, the capital of the sians fighting in Syria are
Kabardino-Balkaria repub- believed to come from the
lic, contained a workshop North Caucasus.
for producing explosive The agency said the group
devices and a stockpile of of militants killed in Sun-
weapons and ammunition, day’s raid were allied with
the National Anti-Terrorist IS and had helped to send
Committee said in a state- local residents to Syria to
ment. It said all 11 militants fight with IS.
were killed after opening They also were preparing
fire on the officers and us- to carry out attacks in the
ing grenades, while there North Caucasus, the agen-
were no fatalities among cy said.q
