Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 20 September 2019
Governor: Suicide bomb in southern Afghanistan kills 20

By TAMEEM AKHGAR said.
KATHY GANNON Meanwhile in southern
Associated Press Zabul province, Governor
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Rahmatullah Yarmal said
— A powerful suicide truck the death toll was 20 with
bomb devastated a hospi- many of the 97 injured in
tal in southern Afghanistan critical condition. There
early Thursday morning, kill- were contradictory figures
ing 20 people and wound- of the dead and wounded
ing 97 others, according to in the early hours immedi-
the province's governor, ately after the 6 a.m. sui-
while a deadly drone strike cide truck bombing.
in the country's east was Morning prayers had just
blamed on U.S. forces. finished when worship-
The Taliban, who claimed pers were stunned by the
responsibility for the suicide ear-splitting blast that de-
bombing, have carried out stroyed parts of a mosque
nearly daily attacks since adjacent to the hospital
peace talks with the United and the hospital building,
States collapsed earlier this said Mahboob Hakimi, a
month. resident of Qalat.
Thursday's massive explo- Windows in his home nearly
sion destroyed part of the Afghan security members and people work at the site of a suicide attack in Zabul, Afghanistan, two kilometers (over one
hospital in Qalat, the capi- Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. mile) away were shattered
tal of southern Zabul prov- Associated Press by the blast, he said.
ince, and left a fleet of A Taliban spokesman, Zabi-
ambulances broken and stan's Nangarhar province combatants and are work- to be missing. hullah Mujahed, said in
battered. blamed on U.S. forces killed ing with local officials to Attaullah Khogyani, spokes- a tweet the target was a
Local residents, many of at least 16 and wounded determine the facts," said man for the provincial gov- nearby intelligence office,
whom had come to see tens of others, most of them Col. Sonny Legget, U.S. ernor, also said the target which he claimed was de-
their sick family members, civilians, said Jawaid Za- Forces-Afghanistan. was Islamic State group mil- stroyed and "tens of intel-
used shawls and blankets man, presidential adviser Angry residents of the area itants who are in the area. ligence operatives killed/
to carry the wounded in- on tribal affairs. where the strike occurred But according to Zaman wounded."Provincial coun-
side the destroyed building, The U.S. forces in Afghani- carried 12 of the bodies to the local residents had pro- cil chief Atta Jan Haqbayan
while authorities scrambled stan said they carried out a the provincial capital Jalal- vided prior notice to the said the wall of the National
to take the worst of the strike in eastern Nangarhar abad Thursday morning local authorities that they Security Department (NDS)
wounded to hospitals in targeting Islamic State posi- protesting the attack, said would be collecting dried building was damaged. He
nearby Kandahar. tions in the area. provincial council head fruit. As many as 50 people couldn't say whether any
Hours earlier, a drone at- "We are aware of allega- Ahmad Ali Hazrat. Many were in the fields when the personnel were among the
tack in eastern Afghani- tions of the death of non- more people are believed aerial attack occurred, he casualties.q

Lebanon concludes Israeli drones were on attack mission

came from over the Medi- of Lebanon," he said. Israeli media have reported
terranean Sea on Aug. 25, Bou Saab described a so- that Israeli drones targeted
with one drone crashing phisticated military mis- a Beirut facility housing a
on the roof of the militant sion involving three other "planetary mixer," a large
group Hezbollah's media unmanned aerial vehicles industrial machine that is
office in southern Beirut, controlling the attack critical to making missiles.
while the other exploded drones controlling from Hezbollah denies it produc-
and crashed into a nearby above. He said it was un- es missiles in Lebanon.
plot of land 42 minutes lat- clear what the attack's tar- Israel considers Iran to be
er. get was, but it was clear its greatest enemy, and
Speaking at a press confer- they were not on an intel- Iran-backed Hezbollah to
ence in Beirut to present ligence mission. be its most immediate mili-
the findings of the inves- Journalists were shown the tary threat. Hezbollah has
tigation, Bou Saab said it drone that crashed, which a battle-tested army that
was "the most dangerous was described as a "cus- has been fighting along-
act of aggression by Israel" tom made military drone." side the forces of Syrian
Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab points to parts of an since the monthlong war The attack raised the po- President Bashar Assad in
Israeli drone that crashed in southern Beirut last month during
a press conference, in Yarzeh near Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, between Israel and Hezbol- tential for conflict amid Syria's civil war. Israel has
Sept. 19, 2019. lah in 2006. heightened regional ten- acknowledged carrying
Associated Press "It is clear that Israel want- sions. Israel has not con- out scores of airstrikes in Syr-
ed to change the rules of firmed its involvement, but ia aimed at preventing al-
Associated Press one of them armed with engagement with Leba- Israel's prime minister has leged Iranian arms transfers
BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) non. It was the first time we accused Iran and its Leba- to Hezbollah. But in August,
government investigation of explosives, Lebanon's see drones carrying explo- nese proxy Hezbollah of Israel was believed to have
concluded that two Israeli defense minister said Thurs- sives fly over the airport, racing to build a missile- widened its campaign and
drones were on an attack day. endangering civil aviation production program in struck Iranian or Hezbollah
mission when they crashed Elias Bou Saab said inves- and commercial flights Lebanon and vowed to targets in Iraq and Leba-
in the capital last month, tigations show the drones and explode in the streets destroy the project. non as well.q