Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 22 augusT 2017
Lebanon says it helped foil plot to down plane in Australia

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press posed to be the suicide at- plane. It was not immedi-
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s tacker. It was not immedi- ately clear if they were two
interior minister said Mon- ately clear how authorities of the four brothers.
day that the country’s po- uncovered the plot. Four Lebanese-Australian
lice intelligence played a Australian authorities said men had been arrested
major role in foiling a plot late last month that they by police, who also re-
to bring down an Emirati thwarted a credible terror- portedly seized a meat
passenger plane that was ist plot to down an airplane grinder that investigators
supposed to take off from by smuggling a device on- thought may be the basis
Sydney bound for the Unit- board. They have provided of a bomb. One of the four
ed Arab Emirates’ capital, few details, including the was released later without
Abu Dhabi. precise nature of the threat charge.
Nohad Machnouk told re- or any airlines involved. Machnouk said two of the
porters that four Lebanese- The United Arab Emirates’ brothers, Khaled and Mah-
Australian brothers, includ- Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk speaks in Beirut, national airline said it is moud Khayyat, are held
ing one who is in detention Lebanon. Machnouk said Monday that the country’s police in- working with Australian po- in Australia, while another,
in Lebanon, had planned telligence played a major role in foiling a plot to bring down an lice in the ongoing investi- Tarek, is a senior member
to blow up the plane with Emirati passenger plane that was supposed to take off from Syd- gation. But Etihad Airways, of the Islamic State group
bombs hidden inside a ney in Australia to the United Arab Emirate capital of Abu Dhabi. the smallest of three long- based in the northern Syr-
large Barbie doll and a (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) haul Gulf carriers that fly to ian city of Raqqa. He add-
meat grinder. He said the weight permitted by the tacker tried to bring two Australia, refused to con- ed that the fourth brother,
bombs did not make it airline. explosives on the plane in firm if it had been targeted. Amer, was supposed to be
onto the plane because Machnouk said the bombs case one of them did not Earlier this month, Australian on board the plane, work-
the handbag they were were sent back to the work. The second would police said two men were ing to bring it down 20 min-
placed in was 7 kilograms would-be attacker’s home be detonated by one of charged with terrorism of- utes after takeoff, but was
(15.4 pounds) above the in Australia. He said the at- the brothers who was sup- fenses in Australia in con- arrested in Lebanon after
nection with an alleged he arrived in mid-July from
plot to bring down the air- Australia. q
Iraqi forces close in on IS

held town west of Mosul

By BALINT SZLANKO said. “We slept there and
Associated Press then started walking again
HALABIYAH, Iraq (AP) at four in the morning. And
— Iraqi forces made sig- we walked until we arrived
nificant progress as they here.”
closed in on the Islamic Sajet said two other wom-
State-held town of Tal Afar, en fleeing with her died of
west of Mosul, the U.S.-led exhaustion while attempt-
coalition and an Iraqi mili- ing to make the journey.
tary spokesman said Mon- The spokesman for the
day. Joint Military Command,
U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool,
a coalition spokesman, said troops recaptured six
told The Associated Press villages located a few kilo-
that Iraqi forces have re- meters from the urban ar-
taken some 250 square ki- eas of Tal Afar. He said mili-
lometers (95 square miles) tants deployed suicide car
from the extremist group bombers, road side bombs
since the operation began and mortars to slow down
early Sunday, though they the advancing troops.
have not yet pushed into Citing intelligence, Rasool
the town itself. estimated the number of IS
“As we get into the urban militants inside the town at
areas — as we saw in Mo- around 2,000 fighters.
sul and Raqqa — that’s U.S.-backed Iraqi forces
where we’ll see the pace drove IS from Mosul last
slow down, that’s where month after a grueling,
(IS) have placed their de- nine-month campaign to
fenses,” he said. retake the country’s sec-
Dozens of civilians fled the ond largest city. U.S.-allied
area. Sadia Sajet, from Tal forces are currently bat-
Afar, said she walked for tling IS in the Syrian city of
over a day to cross the Raqqa, the extremists’ de
front line and reach Iraqi facto capital.
forces. Dillon said most of the ter-
“We stayed overnight by ritory retaken in the opera-
the river. There were a lot tion has been in the Kisik
of dead bodies there. The junction area to the east of
smell was horrible,” she the town.q