Page 10 - aruba-today-20171028

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 28 OctOber 2017
Iraq halts troops from retaking land from Kurds UN official: Syria

siege ‘an outrage,’
wants aid access
correct, but added talks
were ongoing. Escalat- PHILIP ISSA
ing tensions between Irbil Associated Press
and Baghdad erupted in BEIRUT (AP) — The top hu-
violence earlier this month man rights official of the
following a controversial United Nations called the
referendum on indepen- Syrian government’s siege
dence held by the Kurds in of the capital’s suburbs
September. “an outrage” on Friday
Clashes broke out when and said food and medical
federal forces retook the supplies must be allowed
disputed city of Kirkuk and to reach civilians inside.
other areas outside the Residents of the Eastern
autonomous Kurdish re- Ghouta suburbs of Da-
gion that the Kurds had mascus are facing a “hu-
seized from the Islamic manitarian emergency” as
State group. IS conquered the price of food has sky-
those areas after sweeping rocketed in the region un-
across the country in 2014. der siege, said Zeid Ra’ad
Most of the Kurdish forces al-Hussein in a statement
withdrew without a fight published by his office.
Iraqi security forces gather outside the Kurdish-held city of Altun Kupri on the outskirts of Irbil, after Iraqi troops moved Photos of children gaunt
Iraq. The U.S.-led coalition said Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 that a cease-fire has been reached between in, but reports of low-level from hunger drew re-
Baghdad and Iraq’s Kurdish minority. clashes continued and ten- newed attention this week
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) sions remained. The Kurdish to the Ghouta suburbs,
By SUSANNAH GEORGE der federal control. from the U.S.-led coali- referendum on support for one of the hubs of the 2011
Associated Press The order was given to tion that a cease-fire had independence was held uprising against President
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s “prevent clashes and been reached between in September in the three Bashar Assad’s rule.
Prime Minister on Friday is- bloodshed between the Kurdish forces and troops provinces that make up The Syrian government
sued a 24-hour suspension sons of one nation,” Haider deployed by Iraq’s central the Kurds’ autonomous routinely blocks the U.N.
of the movement of troops al-Abadi said in a written government. zone, as well as in a string of from delivering aid to ar-
who are deployed in Iraq’s statement. After initially announcing territories claimed by Bagh- eas opposed to its rule. The
north to bring territory held The announcement fol- a cease-fire, the Coalition dad, but at the time con- U.N. was last able to reach
by Kurdish forces back un- lows conflicting reports said the statement was in- trolled by Kurdish forces.q Eastern Ghouta a month
ago, carrying supplies for
Senior Hamas official hurt in Gaza car explosion only 25,000 people out of
an estimated 350,000 in
need.
By FARES AKRAM The government has
Associated Press blocked three-quarters of
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) the U.N.’s requests to de-
— The head of Gaza secu- liver aid to besieged and
rity services was wounded hard-to-reach areas in Syr-
when an explosion ripped ia, according to the office
through his car Friday, ac- of the U.N. High Commis-
cording to the Islamic mili- sioner for Human Rights.
tant group Hamas, which The Syrian government’s
rules the territory. The group backers Russia and Iran,
called the blast a failed as- as well as Turkey, brokered
sassination attempt. a truce in May to allow
Hamas said a bomb sorely needed humanitar-
placed under Gen. Tawfiq ian aid to reach eastern
Abu Naim’s car exploded Ghouta after nearly four
in central Gaza. It said Abu years of siege and bom-
Naim “survived an assas- bardment at the hands of
sination attempt” and that government forces. But the
an investigation was under- situation in the suburbs has
way. deteriorated since govern-
Abu Naim was transferred ment forces seized the Qa-
to Shifa hospital in Gaza boun and Barzeh neigh-
City, where dozens of borhoods in northeastern
Hamas officials gathered Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, visits Gen. Tawfiq Abu Naim at Shifa Hospital Damascus, also in May.
and visited him, including in Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. Hamas said in a statement Friday that Gen. Tawfiq Abu Naim The two neighborhoods
politburo chief Ismail Hani- “survived an assassination attempt”, after he was wounded in an explosion in his car. were the main points for
yeh. (M. Austaz, HMO via AP) smuggling supplies into the
“Those who think that this injuries on his arms and a divided. Fatah party. He is also work- Ghouta region through
criminal operation can bandage on his head. The incident comes amid ing with Egypt on securing tunnels. Residents survive
limit our determination to Hamas has controlled reconciliation efforts be- Gaza’s border with Sinai to on smuggled goods, pay-
achieve the reconciliation Gaza since 2007 when it tween the two Palestinian block extremists like Islamic ing extortion prices to war-
are wrong,” Haniyeh said. ousted forces of Palestin- groups. State group fighters from lords and local traders who
Footage at hospital showed ian President Mahmoud Abu Naim supports recon- moving between the two control the routes in and
Abu Naim with shrapnel Abbas, leaving Palestinians ciliation efforts with Abbas’ territories.q out of the enclave.q