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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 21 February 2018

Government bombing of Damascus suburbs kills more than 100

By PHILIP ISSA gey Lavrov appeared to
BASSEM MROUE endorse the unrestrained
BEIRUT (AP) — Government assault, which he said was
forces bombed the north- backed by the Russian air
eastern suburbs of the Syr- force. "In keeping with the
ian capital for a second existing agreements, the
straight day on Tuesday, fight against terrorism can-
killing more than 100 peo- not be restricted by any-
ple and raising the specter thing," he said.
of a full-scale offensive that Russia has been an unwav-
could spell catastrophe for ering ally of Syrian President
the nearly 400,000 residents Bashar Assad's forces and
trapped under siege. was instrumental to the all-
Rescuers raced to reach out assault in late 2016 that
survivors in the devastated ejected rebels from their
Damascus suburbs known enclave in eastern Aleppo,
as eastern Ghouta as war- Syria's largest city before
planes and helicopter gun- the war — an outcome that
ships circled overhead, Lavrov said could serve as a
bombing hospitals, apart- model for eastern Ghouta.
ment blocks, markets and In this photo released on Tuesday Feb. 20, 2018 which provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group Ankara considers the YPG
known as the White Helmets, shows members of the Syrian Civil Defense run to help survivors from
other civilian targets. The a street that attacked by airstrikes and shelling of the Syrian government forces, in Ghouta, suburb a “terrorist group” linked to
suburbs are the last major of Damascus, Syria. the Kurdish insurgency with-
stronghold for rebels in the (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) in Turkey’s borders. On Jan.
capital region. 20, it launched a major
At least 250 civilians were 58 children, according to ple were wounded, it said. the U.N. children's agency air and ground offensive,
killed during the 48 hours of the Syrian Observatory for "We no longer have the said in a terse statement pounding the Afrin enclave
unrelenting onslaught that Human Rights monitoring words to describe children's about the carnage. with airstrikes and artillery
began Monday, including group. Another 1,000 peo- suffering and our outrage," Russian Foreign Minister Ser- on a daily basis. q

Egypt adds detained Islamist politician to terror list

By SAMY MAGDY movement. It won a series thies are still with the Broth- or were arrested. The only two journalists it said were
CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian of free elections after the erhood. other candidate allowed "forcibly disappeared" on
court on Tuesday added a 2011 uprising, culminating He was arrested earlier to run is a little-known poli- Feb. 4 on their way to work
detained Islamist politician in Morsi's election in 2012. this month, shortly after his tician who supports el-Sissi. in Cairo.
to a list of wanted "terrorists" But his rule proved divi- return from a trip to Lon- Also on Tuesday, the Cairo EuroMed Rights said in a
over his alleged links to the sive, and a year later the don. He is the leader of the Criminal Court sentenced Tuesday statement that
outlawed Muslim Brother- military overthrew him and Strong Egypt party, whose 20 people to 10 years in pris- Moustafa el-Asar and Has-
hood group. launched a crackdown on deputy, Mohammed el- on on charges of attacking san el-Banna were brought
The South Cairo Crimi- his supporters. Kassas, was also detained a church during the unrest before state security pros-
nal Court added Abdel- The government later de- over alleged links to the that followed Morsi's oust- ecutors two weeks after
Monaem Abul Fetouh and clared the Brotherhood a Brotherhood. er. The court sentenced they went missing, but that
15 others to the list, which terrorist group. Abul Fetouh's arrest was two minor defendants to their place of detention re-
includes deposed President Abul Fetouh, 66, was a long- the latest in a series of high- three years in prison over mains unknown. Journalists
Mohamed Morsi, Brother- time Brotherhood member, profile detentions ahead of the same charges, which have been regularly de-
hood spiritual guide Mo- but quit the group in 2011 the March 26-28 presiden- included setting fire to a tained and prosecuted in
hammed Badie and other to run for president the fol- tial election. church. Egypt under el-Sissi. Report-
group leaders. lowing year. Since Morsi's President Abdel-Fattah el- An international rights ers Without Borders ranked
For decades, the Muslim overthrow, pro-govern- Sissi faces no serious com- group meanwhile urged Egypt 161st out of 180
Brotherhood was Egypt's ment media have insisted petition, after a number Egyptian authorities to re- countries in its 2017 Press
best-organized opposition Abul Fetouh's true sympa- of candidates withdrew veal the whereabouts of Freedom Index.q