Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 19 april 2017
Activists: Airstrikes in northern and eastern Syria kill 20

BASSEM MROUE ate in 2014.
Associated Press Over the past year the
BEIRUT (AP) — An overnight extremists have suffered
airstrike likely carried out a string of defeats at the
by the U.S.-led coalition hands of an array of Syrian
struck an eastern Syrian and Iraqi forces.
town held by the Islamic On Tuesday in northern Syr-
State group, killing at least ia, an airstrike on the village
10 people and wounding of Maaret Harmeh killed 10
dozens, opposition activ- people and wounded sev-
ists said. Another airstrike, eral others, activists said.
this one during the day, The Observatory said those
hit a rebel-held village in killed were all relatives. The
the northwest on Tuesday, Civil Defense, another ac-
killing a woman and nine tivist group, said 10 people
children. were also wounded in that
The activists said the late attack.
Monday strike on the town Maaret Harmeh is close to
of Boukamal, on the Iraqi the town of Khan Sheik-
border, was similar to air- houn where a chemical
strikes carried out by the This image purports to shows destroyed houses following a U.S.-led coalition strike in the eastern weapons attack killed
U.S.-led coalition that has Syrian town of Boukamal, on the Iraqi border. Activists say an airstrike on a village in northwestern nearly 90 people on April 4.
been targeting IS in both Syria has killed 10 people —a woman and nine children. The United States has ac-
Syria and Iraq. Airstrikes (Aamaq News Agency via AP) cused the Syrian govern-
by the U.S.-led coalition agency said the strike of based Syrian Observatory He said IS cordoned off the ment of being behind the
have killed dozens of civil- Boukamal killed six people for Human Rights said the area and cut all telecom- attack and fired missiles at
ians over the past several and wounded 15 — all of Boukamal strike killed 15 munications after the strike, a Syrian army base. Syria
weeks as the battle against them women and children. civilians, including women which heavily damaged at denies the charges.
the extremists intensifies. It did not say whether any IS and children, as well as least four buildings. Meanwhile, Human Rights
The new purported took fighters were also killed. three Iraqi IS fighters. “The number of casualties Watch said in a report
place as the U.S.-led coali- The U.S. military’s regional Opposition activist Omar is huge,” Abu Laila said, Tuesday that U.S. forces
tion came under fire from command, CENTCOM, said Abu Laila, who currently adding that mosque loud- appear to have failed to
Human Rights Watch over in response to a query by lives in Europe but is from speakers were used to urge take necessary precau-
another deadly incident in The Associated Press that the province where the people to head to hospitals tions to avoid civilian casu-
northern Syria last month, it was aware of the reports strike took place and main- to donate blood. alties in a March 16 airstrike
in which dozens of people and was looking into them. tains contacts there, said 10 IS used to control wide parts that killed dozens of peo-
were killed. Activists gave different people were killed, includ- of Syria and Iraq, where the ple in the northern Syrian
The IS-linked Aamaq news casualty tolls. The Britain- ing an Iraqi family of four. group declared a caliph- province of Aleppo.q

Israel:

No talks with Palestinians on hunger strike

ARON HELLER The strike could also height- tinians are currently in Israe-
Associated Press en Israeli-Palestinian ten- li lockups. Israel calls them
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel sions at a time of renewed security prisoners — held
will not negotiate with hun- U.S. attempts to restart for offenses ranging from
dreds of Palestinian prison- stalled peace negotia- stone throwing and mem-
ers who launched a hun- tions. Israeli rule over the bership in outlawed groups
ger strike to press for better West Bank and east Jeru- to carrying out attacks that
conditions, a government salem, territories captured killed or wounded Israelis.
minister said Tuesday, add- during the 1967 war and Several hundred are being
ing that the organizer of the claimed by the Palestinians detained without charges.
protest has been placed in as part of a future state, Barghouti, the strike leader,
solitary confinement. reaches the half-century is prominent in the Fatah
If sustained, the strike led by mark in June. The Palestin- movement of Western-
Marwan Barghouti, a Pales- ian prisoners seek better backed Palestinian Presi-
tinian leader jailed during conditions, including more dent Abbas. Polls suggest
the second Palestinian up- contact with relatives, and that the 58-year-old Barg-
rising, would be the largest an end to Israel’s practice houti is the most popular
in recent years. of detentions without trials. choice among Palestinians
It is also gaining traction Israeli officials said some to succeed the 82-year-
since Barghouti, who is 1,100 prisoners joined the old Abbas.Barghouti, a
serving multiple life terms in strike on Monday. leader of the 2000 Palestin-
prison after Israel found him Palestinian officials and ian uprising, is serving five
guilty of involvement in the activists put the number of life terms after being con-
deaths of four Israelis and a hunger strikers at 1,300 and victed by an Israeli court of
Greek monk, is widely ex- 1,500, respectively, saying directing two shooting at-
pected to run for president it is difficult to get updates tacks and a bombing that
once Mahmoud Abbas is from inside the prisons. killed five people, including
out of the picture. They said some 6,500 Pales- three Israelis.q