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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 1 February 2021
13 killed in car bombs, shooting in northern Syria

BEIRUT (AP) — One Syrian dently verified in the city
was killed on Sunday and where both security forces
four injured after Kurdish have presence.
security forces opened fire The Kurds, Syria's largest eth-
at pro-government dem- nic minority, have carved
onstrators in a northeastern out a semi-autonomous en-
city, state media said. clave in Syria's north since
The state news agency the start of the civil war in
SANA said the Kurdish forc- 2011. In the area, they run
es opened fire at demon- their own affairs and con-
strators protesting the siege trol most of the country's oil
on their neighborhood in resources.
Hassakeh city. The area In both Hassakeh and Qa-
is known as the security mishli cities, they share con-
square and is controlled by trol with government forc-
government forces. es— which have presence
Separately, two car bombs in security zones, near the
went off two hours apart airport and in some neigh-
in the northwestern town borhoods. Both cities have
of Azaz and another vil- a sizeable Kurdish popula-
lage some 50 kilometers (30 In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, pro-government demonstrators tion.
miles) away. The explosions protest the siege on their neighborhood by Kurdish security forces, in Hassakeh, Syria, Sunday, Tension occasionally erupts
in the areas controlled by Jan. 31, 2021. between the two sides, but
Syrian opposition fight- Associated Press the Kurdish forces have
ers allied with Turkey killed more presence and con-
six civilians, including one es, who are considered ter- A video of the rally in the Hawar, said security forces trol there. In recent weeks,
child in Azaz, and six fight- rorists by Ankara. The oppo- northeastern city of Has- at a checkpoint in the Kurdish forces have im-
ers at a checkpoint in a sition-controlled areas are sakeh showed dozens of city had come under fire, posed a siege on govern-
village near the town of al- scene of recurrent attacks men gathering in a street prompting its members to ment neighborhoods in
Bab, first responders known that are rarely claimed on a rainy day as fire rang respond to the source of Hassakeh and to a lesser
as Syrian Civil Defense and by any one side. The Syr- out over their heads. The fire. The clashes led to the degree in Qamishli.
opposition media reported. ian Civil Defense said it re- men began chanting: "With death of a government se- In Hassakeh, the Kurdish
Turkey and allied Syrian sponded to 11 explosions our souls, our blood we sac- curity member, the agency forces prevented flour from
fighters control large parts in northwestern Syria since rifice for you Bashar," in ref- said. entering the government-
of northern Syria, and are the start of January, before erence to the Syrian Presi- The different accounts controlled areas, forcing
at odds with government Sunday, where at least 11 dent Bashar Assad. could not be immediately bakeries to shut down in
forces and Kurdish-led forc- people were killed. A Kurdish-run news agency, reconciled or indepen- the last week. q

Afghan negotiating team warns Taliban it must resume talks

progress. the peace deal. iban peace deal, saying
He asked the Taliban to Following discussions in the deal favors the Taliban.
"stop spreading baseless Moscow on Friday, the Talib asked the new U.S.
remarks" and return to the head of the Taliban del- administration to withdraw
negotiating table, adding egation, Sher Mohammed its forces in a way that will
"The Taliban does not have Abbas Stanikzai, said the prevent a security vacuum
the guts for peace, they group expects the U.S. to in the country and prevent
are spreading nonsense fulfill its pledge to withdraw the possibility of more mili-
around." all of its troops from Af- tant attacks in Afghanistan
There was no immediate ghanistan by May. and against the U.S. and
response from the Taliban. The U.S. Pentagon an- other countries.
Talib's comments came as nounced in mid-January The Taliban on Sunday mis-
the Taliban leadership has that the U.S. military has takenly fired two mortars
recently been in Iran and met its goal of reducing in northern Faryab prov-
Russia for discussions on the number of troops in Af- ince killing two civilians
the negotiations, and as ghanistan to about 2,500. and wounding 14 others,
In this Sept. 12, 2020 photo, a Taliban delegation arrive to attend
the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan President Joe Biden's new Stanikzai has also de- said the provincial police
government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. administration has said it manded the resignation spokesman, Karim Yuresh.
Associated Press plans to review the peace of Afghan President Ashraf He said Afghan security
agreement signed last Feb- Ghani, calling his admin- checkpoints were targeted
By TAMEEM AKHGAR the team before a deal is ruary between the U.S. and istration an obstacle to but the shells missed the
Associated Press reached. the Taliban. peace, and a spike in vio- checkpoints and hit the ci-
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Government negotiator The Pentagon said last lence has decreased opti- vilians.
— A member of the Af- Rasul Talib said in a news week that the Taliban's re- mism among Afghans the Taliban spokesman Zabi-
ghan government's peace conference the team is fusal to meet commitments peace process will work. hullah Mujahid denied the
negotiating team Sunday waiting for the return of the to reduce violence in Af- Meanwhile, the Afghan group fired mortars toward
warned the Taliban that if Taliban leadership to Doha, ghanistan is raising ques- peace negotiating team civilians and accused Af-
they don't resume peace where a second round of tions about whether all U.S. praised President Biden's ghan forces of firing the
talks in Qatar soon, the peace talks began this troops will be able to leave administration for its deci- mortars and causing the
government could recall month but have made little by May as required under sion to review the U.S.-Tal- casualties.q