Indian armed forces to open all combat roles to women

Indian President says women will be allowed to occupy combat roles in all sections of the army, navy and air force.

 

Indian women will be allowed to participate in combat roles in the country's armed forces [Bernat Armangue/AP]

India has announced that women will be allowed to occupy combat roles in all sections of its army, navy and air force, indicating a radical move to gender parity in one of the world's most-male dominated professions.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee announced the move on Tuesday while addressing both houses of the parliament before the budget session, saying that the government would in the future recruit women for fighting roles in India's armed forces.
India, which has one of the largest armies in the world, has previously resisted such a move, citing concerns over women's vulnerability if captured and over their physical and mental ability to cope with the stress of frontline deployments.
"My government has approved the induction of women as short service commission officers and as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force. In the future, my government will induct women in all the fighter streams of our armed forces," Mukherjee said.
"In our country 'Shakti', which means power, is the manifestation of female energy. This Shakti defines our strength," he added.

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While most countries employ women in various roles in their armed forces, only a handful - including Australia, Germany, Israel and the United States - have allowed them to take on combat or fighting roles.
India began recruiting women to non-medical positions in the armed forces in 1992, yet only 2.5 percent of its more than one million personnel are female - most of them administrators, intelligence officers, doctors, nurses or dentists.
In October, the government took the first steps towards bringing women into fighting roles and approved plans by the Indian Air Force for women pilots to fly warplanes from June 2017 on a three-year experimental basis.
Women's rights activists welcomed the president's remarks but said that bringing real gender parity into the armed forces would be a slow process.

 

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Messi sends Afghan 'plastic shirt boy' a signed jersey

Murtaza Ahmadi, who became an internet hit after wearing makeshift Messi shirt, receives a surprise from his hero.

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I love Messi and my shirt says Messi loves me, Murtaza told UNICEF [UNICEF/Mahdy Mehraeen]

More to this story

• Afghan 'plastic bag boy' excited about Messi meeting

A five-year-old Afghan boy photographed wearing an improvised Lionel Messi shirt made out of a plastic bag has finally received the genuine article - and it was signed by the Barcelona superstar.
Murtaza Ahmadi shot to internet fame after photographs of him dressed in the blue-and-white top with Messi's name written on it went viral in January, prompting people to try to track him down.
A signed Argentina jersey and a football were delivered to Murtaza in the central province of Ghazni by the UN children's agency, UNICEF.
"I love Messi and my shirt says Messi loves me," UNICEF quoted Murtaza as saying.

Murtaza Ahmadi plays football in an improvised Lionel Messi jersey made out of plastic [Homayoun Ahmadi]

The boy's father, Mohammad Arif Ahmadi, said: "A woman from UNICEF got in contact with us and told us a couple of days ago that Murtaza might be receiving a package from Messi.
"He is very happy to receive the gifts."
Earlier in February, the Afghan Football Federation (AFF) told Al Jazeera that the boy would get a chance to meet his football hero but a date and venue had still not been confirmed.
Speaking to Al Jazeera in a phone call earlier in February, Murtaza said: "I love Messi and football. I will meet him one day."

The making of viral fame

Murtaza's brother Homayoun made the improvised shirt - that perfectly fitted the little boy - and scribbled Messi's name and his No 10 in it.
"Murtaza found a plastic bag and ran towards me, asking me to make a jersey out of it for him," 15-year-old Homayoun told Al Jazeera.
"We can't even imagine buying the original Messi jersey. We just can't afford it so, to make my brother happy, I made a shirt out of that plastic bag for him."
The boy’s father said that he has been overwhelmed by the response to the photographs.
"We did not expect that we would get this kind of support from everyone. People from all over the world have been calling me to help get Murtaza a jersey and a football," he told Al Jazeera.
"Murtaza can't hold it. He is so excited by the news of meeting Messi. We don't know when is it going to happen, but we are humbled by the response we got."

Ahmadi's father admitted he could not afford to buy him a replica jersey, adding that his son only had a punctured ball to play [Fatima Faizi/Al Jazeera]

 

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Somali leader: '200 Kenyan troops' dead in January raid

Somali president says Al-Shabab attack on El-Ade camp killed up to 200 soldiers, but Kenyan officials reject the toll.

 

Kenyan soldiers pay respects to fallen comrades killed in the January attack in Somalia [John Muchucha/AP Photo]

Up to 200 Kenyan soldiers were killed in an attack on their camp in Somalia by al-Shabab last month, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said - although Kenya rejected the figure.
On January 15, dozens of heavily-armed al-Shabab fighters assaulted a Kenyan-run military base for African Union peacekeepers in the southern Somali town of El-Ade, not far from the Kenyan border.
"When about 200 soldiers who came to help your country are killed in one morning, it is not something trivial," Mohamud told Somali Cable TV, a privately owned station. The interview was posted on YouTube on Thursday.
"We have been winning for years and months but that El-Ade battle, we were defeated. Yes, in war, sometimes something that you do not like happens to you," the Somali president added.

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READ MORE: Al-Shabab attacks African Union base in Somalia

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Kenyan authorities have refused to give a death toll following the attack, which targeted troops working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
But Kenya Defence Forces spokesman, Colonel David Obonyo, denied the number given by the Somali president and questioned the source of the information.
"It is not true. This information never came from us or anyone in the government of Kenya," he told the Reuters news agency on Thursday.

Series of attacks

Newspaper pictures of coffins draped with Kenyan flags bringing back dead soldiers after last month's attack increased the disquiet from ordinary Kenyans and the opposition alike over Kenya's continued presence in Somalia.
Al-Shabab later distributed photos purporting to show the bodies of dozens of Kenyan soldiers, many apparently shot in the head.

Kenya sent soldiers into Somalia in 2011 after raids in the border region and kidnappings that threatened the tourism industry in the region's biggest economy and wider regional destabilisation. It later joined the AMISOM operation.
Al-Shabab's attacks in Kenya have included a raid by gunmen on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in 2013 and a university in Garissa in 2015. Hundreds of people have been killed in al-Shabab attacks in the past two years.
The group has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia by AMISOM and Somali army offensives, but it still controls some rural areas and often launches guerrilla-style assaults and bomb attacks.
Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda and seeks to overthrow Somalia's Western-backed government, initially said it had killed more than 100 soldiers in the attack.
The group, which is also seeking to drive the AU force out of Somalia, often says its attacks against Kenyan targets are retaliation for its participation in AMISOM, which also includes Uganda and Burundi.

Mogadishu attack

The release of President Mohamud's interview came as at least three people were killed and nine wounded on Thursday when al-Shabab fired mortars at the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, health officials said.
The wounded, including three children, were brought to the Dar-ul Shifa hospital from the Ago dhiig area of the Warta Nabada district, hospital director Mohamed Abas told Al Jazeera.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the midday attack and confirmed it was aimed at the palace.
"We fired nine mortars at the presidential palace and most of them hit their intended target," Abdulaziz Abu Muscab, the group's military spokesman, told Al Jazeera.
"The attack is part of our ongoing operations in Mogadishu," Muscab said.
The group attempted similar mortar attacks on the palace earlier in February, and also in January.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

 

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Curfew in Ahmedabad as caste protests turn violent

Police reinforcements deployed after 500,000 Patels protest in Indian city over job and college quotas.

 

About half a million Patels rallied in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, paralysing the city, to demand preferential treatment [AP]

India has deployed paramilitary forces and imposed a curfew in Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state, after violence broke out at a protest led by a powerful caste to demand more government jobs and college places.

The Gujarat state government imposed a curfew in parts of Ahmedabad and four other cities and towns across the western state and called in paramilitary reinforcements on Wednesday after members of the affluent Patel caste protested in the city.

Notes from the field: Al Jazeera's Nidhi Dutt

The Patels are a relatively wealthy and powerful community in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Over the years many have made their mark as gem and textile merchants. The question being asked in India is why does this big and influential community need to be included in a reservation or quota system that has since independence been used to guarantee work and participation of minority communities? According to the Patels, most government jobs and school places in Gujarat are reserved for people belonging to various special categories and as a result, they miss out. Importantly, this is all unfolding in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state. The Patels are among some of his most important supporters. More than 100 different communities already benefit from the reservation system in Gujarat but according to the state government, the Patels cannot be added to the list.

Stone-throwing Patels torched cars, buses and police stations over the arrest of their leader, Hardik Patel, who had hours earlier on Tuesday led a massive protest in Ahmedabad, senior police officers said.

At least a dozen officers were injured in the violence, prompting the first curfew in the state since 2002 when communal riots left at least 1,000 people dead, Gujarat Director General of Police P C Thakur said.

"The curfew was imposed following large scale arson and rioting by members of the Patidar [or Patel] community in different cities of the state late on Tuesday," Thakur told the AFP news agency.

"There was heavy stone pelting of police vehicles and torching of police stations in Unjha and Kalol towns," he said.
Hardik Patel, 22, appealed for calm after his release overnight on bail but also called for a new strike on Wednesday.
Al Jazeera's Nidhi Dutt, reporting from the Indian capital New Delhi, said the 'Patel Movement', as it's being described, "raises some important questions about the delicacy of domestic Indian politics.

"It also raises questions over the age old 'reservation' system which guarantees members of minority communities government jobs ... the concern is the Patel's protest may prompt other groups across India to seek similar rights," our correspondent said.

As many as 100 buses were torched and property damaged in the violence in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Mehsana cities and the towns of Unjha and Visnagar, local officers said.

About half a million Patels rallied in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, paralysing the city, to demand preferential treatment.
Schools said they would remain closed on Wednesday, but it was unclear how many businesses would follow the strike call.
Gujarat's chief minister, Anandiben Patel, urged members of her own community to maintain the peace.

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Related: India lower caste still removing human waste

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India sets aside a proportion of government jobs and university places for Dalits, known as "untouchables", and for so-called "other backward castes" under measures intended to bring victims of the worst discrimination into the mainstream.
She has said that giving into the demands of the Patels was not possible because India's Supreme Court has mandated that state governments can set aside only 50 percent of jobs and school seats for "backward castes" and that existing low caste groups already fill those spots.
The Patels, one of the state's most affluent castes, who make up around 20 percent of Gujarat's 63 million population, say they are struggling to compete with less privileged castes for jobs.
The move to secure preferential treatment was launched at a rally in Visnagar, in northern Gujarat on July 6. It has since become a mass movement as thousands have taken to the streets of Surat, Vadodara, Mehsana and Ahmedabad to press for quotas.

As many as 100 buses were torched and property damaged in the violence in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Mehsana cities and the towns of Unjha and Visnagar [Reuters]

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

 

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India caste protests turn violent despite curfew

At least four dead and scores injured as members of the Jat farming community protest in support of caste-based quotas.

 

The Jats are demanding quotas in government jobs and institutions of higher education for their caste [AP]

Violent protests in northern India over caste-based quotas in jobs and education have left four people dead and nearly 80 injured, officials said.
Members of the Jats farming community have been protesting in Haryana state with mobs setting fire to vehicles, buses and shopping malls, despite curfews overnight Friday and an army presence.
The Jats are demanding quotas in government jobs and institutions of higher education for their caste.

One person was killed when police opened fire on protesters on Friday in Rohtak city, the epicentre of the protests. Three more people had died in the hospital overnight, state official DK Behera said.

"The situation is really tense with the clashes raging for the second day and protesters setting shops on fire in marketplaces," Behera said.
Army brought in
Protesters also set a railway station on fire in Jind city and targeted petrol pumps in several other towns.
The army used helicopters to bring in troops to the worst-hit districts, including Rohtak, Jhajjar and Bhiwani, where a curfew was imposed.

The agitation had reached Delhi with protests being reported on some colleges as protestors also blocked a highway that links the national capital to some northern cities.

Talks between community leaders and the state government failed on Friday with the leaders adamant on continuing the agitation until legislation was passed that met their demands.

Haryana chief minister ML Khattar appealed to the Jats to end the protests saying the violence was creating disharmony in the society.

India has an affirmative action policy which includes quotas for the lowest castes who have faced discrimination for centuries.
Over the years, the government has expanded the quotas to include other communities that are economically or socially disadvantaged.

Protesters run some with sticks during a pro caste quota protest in Rohtak [AP]

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'In five years there won't be any Yazidis left here'

Many members of the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq, fearing persecution, are choosing to migrate to Germany.

 

According to human rights workers, Iraq was originally home to 800,000 Yazidis, but just 450,000 remain today [Taylor Smith/Al Jazeera]

Lalish - Deep in the mountains of Iraq's Kurdish region lies a sanctuary for the Yazidis, a religious minority that has been viciously persecuted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Lalish, which means both silence and listen, is the oldest Yazidi temple in the world. Usually quiet and peaceful, the temple has more recently become a refuge for internally displaced Yazidis who fled ISIL's advance on the city of Sinjar in 2014.
Although Kurdish forces have expelled ISIL from Sinjar, many Yazidis displaced from the city have no plans to return.
"In five years there won't be any Yazidis left here," said Najim Aleas Abdi, a Yazidi general fighting with the Peshmerga, a Kurdish armed group battling ISIL.

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READ MORE: Yazidis long for home as Sinjar operation stalls

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According to the Yazidi Human Rights Organisation, Iraq was originally home to 800,000 Yazidis, but just 450,000 remain today.

For Iraq's Yazidis, horrors of past refuse to go away

Much of this is due to emigration. Abdi's oldest son lives in Germany, and he plans to take the rest of his family there soon. "No family is complete here. Everyone has brothers and sisters in Germany," Abdi told Al Jazeera.
The dream is shared by many Yazidis.
"I will either be eaten by the fish or make it to Germany," said Ziad Shangar, who is originally from Sinjar. Shangar said he planned to cross the Mediterranean Sea next month, and travel onwards to Germany. For the time being, he works as a volunteer at the tomb of Sheikh Adi, a Yazidi saint.
Shangar says he has found a German woman on Facebook who is willing to marry him, and he is confident it will all work out.
It is estimated that 50,000 Yazidis are living in Germany.
"The Yazidis aren't fleeing just Iraq; they are fleeing their homeland, where their holy city, Lalish, is located -which to them is the equivalent of Saudis having to flee Mecca," said Kyle Msall, a University of Chicago PhD candidate with expertise on the crisis facing Yazidis.
Yazidi culture is so intertwined with their religion that it seems "unfathomable" for them to leave this area, where their religion has been for centuries, Msall said.

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READ MORE: A year after ISIL attack, Yazidis 'will never forget'

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Over scalding tea in Lalish's mountainside temple, which is used for worshipping the sun, four Yazidi men discussed the possibility of a better life in Germany and their concerns about returning to Sinjar.

I will either be eaten by the fish or make it to Germany. Ziad Shangar, Iraqi Yazidi

Luqman Mahmood, a native of Mosul, now works as a teacher at a high school in Sheikhan, Iraq. He said most of his students refuse to shake his hand because they liken his religion to devil worship.
This misconception stems from the link between the devil and Tausi Melek, the Peacock Angel believed to have been created by God to reign over the universe. The Peacock Angel is identified as a fallen angel, but is not the devil in Yazidism.
Mahmood said that on one occasion, students appreciative of his help pulled him aside after school to offer a sign of their gratitude. They told him that he would go to hell for being Yazidi, but that they would help him convert to save his soul.
"We don't have a problem with people. But people have a problem with us," Mahmood told Al Jazeera.
The persecution of Yazidis predates the rise of ISIL, but has increased in recent years. In 2007, two Yazidi communities were reduced to rubble by bombings that killed 500 people and displaced more than 1,000 families.
"When families feel their children will have no future, that's when they choose to leave. The aggregate situation for all children in Iraq is extremely troubling - including Yazidis," said Karim Elkorany, a spokesperson for UNICEF's Iraq branch.

Qasim Hussein, a local Kurdish translator, has applied to go to Germany legally. Asked whether he would consider himself a refugee, he vehemently shook his head, saying Iraq is still home. "But if you get slaughtered and killed, what's the point? We have to let go," he said.
According to Msall, "Many individual Yazidis believe that everyone wants the Yazidis gone from the Middle East, so the option for Europe seems like best-case scenario in their opinion."
After tea, the Yazidi men walked through Lalish towards a baptismal pool. Only Yazidis may enter the room surrounding the baptismal pool, and an old woman guards the entrance to enforce this rule. She said that 10 families had visited the holy site on a recent day before making the dangerous journey to Europe.
In colder weather, the price charged by smugglers to bring families to Europe drops by thousands of dollars, and families who previously could not afford the risky journey have been jockeying to secure spots.

 

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Syrian war: Opposition groups set new ceasefire terms

Assad's opponents want ceasefire to be accompanied by lifting of sieges, prisoner releases and aid access across nation.

 

A halt in hostilities failed to materialise on Friday despite diplomatic talks [Alexander Kots/Komsomolskaya Pravda via AP]

A number of Syrian opposition groups have declared that they agree to the "possibility" of a temporary truce if the Syrian government and its allies respect several conditions, including halting fire.
The groups on Saturday said they would agree provided there were guarantees that the Syrian government forces and its allies would respect a ceasefire, sieges were lifted and aid deliveries permitted across the country.

Turkey calls on allies to fight Syrian Kurdish fighters

The announcement came as fighting continued on the ground despite a Friday deadline for cessation of hostilities.
Russian fighter jets are repeatedly striking rebel targets, particularly in Aleppo, backing government forces as they push towards Syria's second city.
The opposition factions "expressed agreement on the possibility of reaching a temporary truce deal, to be reached through international mediation", a statement from the High Negotiations Committee said.
It said the UN must guarantee "holding Russia and Iran and sectarian militias ... to a halt to fighting".
All sides should cease fire simultaneously and the government should release prisoners, the statement said.
The UN is struggling to deliver aid to about 4.5 million Syrians who live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in besieged areas.
The fighting in Syria started as an unarmed uprising against Assad in March 2011, but has since expanded into a full-on conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people, according to UN estimates.

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READ MORE: The politics of war crimes in Syria

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Meanwhile, Russia said UN-led talks planned for Saturday between major international players on establishing a ceasefire in Syria had been postponed, as disagreement between the various sides continued.
Maria Zakharova, foreign ministry spokeswoman, told Russian news agencies the meeting in Geneva had been put back to an unspecified later date as "consultations" between key nations continued.

Military and diplomatic officials from Russia and the US held talks on Friday to try to finalise the details of a possible ceasefire, as a hoped-for halt in hostilities on the ground failed to materialise.
That gathering was supposed to pave the way for a broader meeting after the 17 key international players involved in negotiations to end the Syrian conflict agreed on January 12 that a ceasefire should come into force within a week.
The truce failed to take effect on Friday as fighting continued in Syria, with Kurdish-led forces backed by US-led air power seizing a key town from the Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
Russia is currently flying a bombing campaign in Syria to back up forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, while the US is leading a coalition against ISIL, which has seized territory in Syria and Iraq.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

 

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Cyclone Winston hits Fiji's main island Viti Levu

The most powerful storm to hit Fiji has made landfall on the Pacific nation's main island, Viti Levu.

Cyclone Winston brought winds of over 320 kph (200 mph), torrential rain and waves of up to 12m (40ft).
Flights have been cancelled, evacuation centres activated and a nationwide curfew put in place.
The category five storm - the highest level - is expected to move westwards over the main island overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning.
Before it landed, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama warned that Fiji was facing "an ordeal of the most grievous kind".
"We must stick together as a people and look after each other. Be alert and be prepared," he said.
Cyclone Winston has already brushed some of Fiji's smaller islands, but the extent of the damage is unclear.

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EU referendum: Cameron sets June date for UK vote

The UK will vote on whether to remain in the EU on Thursday 23 June, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

The prime minister made his historic announcement in Downing Street after briefing the cabinet.
He said he would be campaigning to remain in a reformed EU - and described the vote as one of the biggest decisions "in our lifetimes".
Ministers immediately divided up into the leave and remain camps as the campaigns got under way in earnest.

• Follow rolling reaction to the Brussels deal as UK cabinet meets
• The UK's EU vote: All you need to know
• Remain v Leave: Where Conservative ministers and MPs stand

Home Secretary Theresa May heads the list of those who announced they will campaign to stay - but Justice Secretary Michael Gove has signed up to the leave campaign.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who was not at the cabinet meeting, has yet to declare where he stands.

'Source of instability'

The referendum announcement comes after a reformed deal renegotiating Britain's relationship with Europe was finalised on Friday night after intense wrangling at a two-day summit in Brussels.
In his statement, Mr Cameron warned that leaving the EU would be a "leap in the dark" as he urged voters to back his reform deal.
"The choice is in your hands - but my recommendation is clear. I believe that Britain will be safer, stronger and better off by remaining in a reformed European Union."

Image copyright Vote Leave

Image caption Ministers nail their colours to the Vote Leave campaign

Mrs May said the EU was far from perfect but "for reasons of security, protection against crime and terrorism, trade with Europe, and access to markets around the world" it was in the national interest to remain in.

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Read more

• UK and the EU: Better off out or in?
• High stakes and missed meals - how the EU summit unfolded
• Nick Robinson: Why EU vote is about you
• Katya Adler: A hard-headed calculation to avoid Brexit

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Mr Gove said it had been the most difficult decision of his career to go against the prime minister but he believed "our country would be freer, fairer and better off outside the EU". He added: "Far from providing security in an uncertain world, the EU's policies have become a source of instability and insecurity."
Commons leader Chris Grayling, another leave campaign backer, told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: "I actually believe the EU is holding this country back. We cannot control our borders, limit the number of people who come here do trade deals.
"I do not believe we can take decisions in the national interest when we are part of the European Union."

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Media captionChris Grayling: "I believe the European Union is now holding this country back"

He said the prime minister had "put in a Herculean effort to try to deliver change" to Britain's relationship with the EU, but the "concessions" he had brought back from Brussels did not "give us the opportunity to take decisions in the national interest" without consulting Brussels.

'Special status'

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers and employment minster Priti Patel, who is not a full cabinet member but attends meetings, have also joined the leave campaign.
Energy minister Andrea Leadsom - who is not a member of the cabinet - will also back the leave campaign.

Image copyright BSIE

Image caption Britain Stronger in Europe has released a video attacking leave campaigners

The rest of the cabinet joined Mr Cameron in the remain camp, including Business Secretary Sajid Javid - previously seen as a potential leave supporter.
Mr Cameron claims his EU reform deal will give Britain "special status" within the bloc - tackling concerns over migrants getting "something for nothing" from the benefit system and exempting the country from the EU drive for "ever-closer union".
But critics say it does nothing to tackle high levels of immigration or take back powers from Brussels.
UKIP Leader Nigel Farage said: "The 23rd is our golden opportunity, let battle be joined. Mr Cameron keeps on telling us that Britain would be better in a 'reformed Europe'. But he fails to point out that there is no reformed European Union on offer here. The prime minister's EU deal is pathetic."
Britain Stronger in Europe released a campaign video accusing leave campaigners of "utter hypocrisy" for attacking Mr Cameron's deal, claiming that many of them have been calling for the same reforms.
The key points of Mr Cameron's reform deal are:

• an "emergency brake" on migrants' in-work benefits, with payments phased in during their first four years in a new country, when there are "exceptional" levels of migration. The UK will be able to operate the brake for seven years
• child benefit for the children of EU migrants living overseas will now be paid at a rate based on the cost of living in their home country - applicable immediately for new arrivals and from 2020 for the 34,000 existing claimants
• The amending of EU treaties to state explicitly that references to the requirement to seek ever-closer union "do not apply to the United Kingdom", meaning Britain "can never be forced into political integration"
• The ability for the UK to enact "an emergency safeguard" to protect the City of London, to stop UK firms being forced to relocate into Europe and to ensure British businesses do not face "discrimination" for being outside the eurozone

The Labour Party is officially campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU, although a small group of the party's backbenchers have joined the leave campaign.
Leader Jeremy Corbyn voted for Britain to leave the European Economic Community, as the EU was then known, in 1975 but has since changed his mind, arguing that "it brings investment, jobs and protection for British workers and consumers".
He branded Mr Cameron's negotiations a "sideshow" aimed at appeasing critics in the Conservative Party and said he had missed an opportunity to protect jobs and "stop the spread of low pay".
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a statement the SNP will be "leading the positive case to keep Scotland in the EU".

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Al-Shabab intelligence chief killed: Kenyan army

Armed group denies Mahad Karate and 10 other commanders died in air strike, saying top official is "safe and sound". 

 

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a purported bomb attack on a Daallo Airlines passenger plane in Somalia earlier this month [AP]

Kenya's army has said it killed al-Shabab's intelligence chief and another 10 of the armed group's commanders in an air strike in Somalia.
Al-Shabab, however, denied the claim, saying Mahad Karate, a top commander also responsible for the group's internal security, and his colleagues were "safe and sound" and that the air strikes did not happen.

Kenya commemorates troops killed in Somalia conflict

Kenyan troops, who are part of an African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM) fighting al-Shabab, claimed to have killed Karate in a strike at an al-Shabab training camp on February 8.
"The Kenya Defence Forces, under AMISOM operations, would like to confirm that Mahad Mohammed Karate... and 10 other middle-level commanders were killed in a major KDF strike in southern Somalia," a Kenyan army statement said on Thursday.
"The killing ... is a major blow to the terrorist group," the statement said.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the deaths but al-Shabab described the Kenyan report as "lies".

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"The person they claimed they killed is safe and sound. None of our camps have been attacked in any way. They are telling lies to please their people after we killed their troops in El-Adde," the group's military operations spokesman, Abdiaziz Abu Mus'ab, told Al Jazeera.
Al-Shabab's intelligence wing has been involved in suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other surrounding countries. It provides logistics and support for the group's operations throughout the Horn of Africa.
The US government had placed a $5m bounty on Karate.
A US Rewards for Justice wanted notice said: "Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of the Shabab responsible for assassinations and the April 2, 2015 attack on Garissa University College."
The armed group aims to overthrow Somalia's central government and establish a state based on its interpretation of Islamic law.
The group was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

 

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Pakistani Taliban kills security forces in twin attacks

Pakistani Taliban faction claims responsibility for attacks that kill at least nine in country's northwest. 

 

Pakistani Taliban fighters have attacked and killed paramilitary officials in the area in the past [File: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters]

Taliban gunmen have killed at least nine members of security forces in twin attacks in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, officials have said.
Taliban fighters opened fire at a police checkpoint early on Thursday in the Pandyali area of Mohmand district, bordering Afghanistan, where they killed seven men.
A separate group also attacked a solar-powered well in Michni area of the same region, where they shot dead two guards.
The number of Taliban casualties is not yet known.
"The Taliban targeted our checkpost in the middle of the night. Our forces did their best to retaliate and fight them back, however we don't have any figures [of the number of Taliban killed] at the moment as the investigation is still ingoing," Naveed Akbar, political administrator in the region, told Al Jazeera.

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READ MORE: Pakistan attack: 'My son died protecting his guests'

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"We are grieving for our colleagues. The Taliban however, will not succeed in their motives."
A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
"Jamaat-ur-Ahrar accepts responsibility for both attacks with this vow that until the imposition of sharia [Islamic law] our attacks will remain ongoing, God willing," spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email statement.
Pakistan's army intensified its offensive in the region after the Taliban massacred 144 people, mostly children, in Peshawar in December 2014.
Overall, the level of rebel violence has dropped dramatically, with 2015 seeing the fewest deaths among civilian and security forces since 2007.

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READ MORE: No end to Pakistan school's truma, one year on

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But the threat posed by the Taliban remains, particularly in the country's northwest.
Last month Taliban gunmen stormed a university in the northwestern town of Charsadda, killing 21 people.
Pakistan has been fighting homegrown rebel fighters since 2004, when the Taliban, displaced by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, began a campaign in border tribal areas.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

 

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Turkey blames Syria's YPG group for Ankara blast

Ahmet Davutoglu calls on countries to pick a side after blast kills at least 28 people in central Ankara.

 

Davutoglu called on the US to end its co-operation with the YPG and list it as a terrorist group [AP]

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has blamed Syria's PKK-linked YPG group for a blast in the capital, Ankara, that killed at least 28 people.
The Turkish leader used the speech on Thursday to call on the country's allies to pick a side.
Davutoglu blamed the suicide attack on a Syrian Kurd with links to the YPG, adding nine others linked to the attack were arrested after the bombing.
The Turkish prime minister called on the US and other allies to end co-operation with the YPG in Syria and list it as a terrorist group.
"We cannot continue to accept these dual standards. We are looking forward to a uniform stance against them [YPG]," Davutoglu said.
"We call on all the countries to take a clear stance against those terrorist organisations...either stand by the side of Turkey as a state or take side with terrorists."

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OPINION: Turkey is sinking into the quagmire of Syria

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Speaking shortly after Davutoglu, Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said his country would reveal evidence proving the YPG's involvement in the attack, adding: "Those who support them will be judged by history."
Turkish jets carried out air strikes against PKK targets in northern Iraq shortly after the attack, killing 70 of its members, the Turkish leader said.
The YPG denied its members carried out the attack in a statement issued on Thursday.
"Despite all the provocations and attacks by the Turkish army on the border of Rojava [Syrian Kurdish area] we have not responded and acted in a historic responsible manner," the statement said.
"We have conducted no military attack and the ones who know it the best are the Turkish army and AKP government."
Turkey considers the YPG an off-shoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting Turkish security forces in the country's Kurdish areas.
Hardened public opinion
Mehmet Celik of the Daily Sabah newspaper told Al Jazeera the attacks would increase support for Turkish military intervention in Syria, adding that any action would extend beyond fighting the YPG.
"The ground operations will be against all terror groups, will support the moderate opposition and secure humanitarian aid," Celik said, adding that any action would not be taken by Turkey alone.
"It will not be unilateral and Turkey is pushing for it to be done in a coalition."

A burning vehicle seen after the explosion in Ankara, Turkey [AP]

Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Ankara, said the Turkish government would most likely launch more air strikes and attacks against the PKK and YPG in Syria and Iraq.
"The Turkish population, regardless of how polarised it is on domestic issues, on the Kurdish issue they are united...that the Kurdish groups fighting Turkey should be dealt with with force," Elshayyal said.
Turkey is concerned that the YPG is trying to create an autonomous region in northern Syria on its southern border.
Davutoglu also accused the YPG of being in league with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and fighting the Syrian opposition groups that Turkey backs.
The country has previously experienced attacks by the PKK and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

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Ankara blast: Five dead after explosion in Turkish capital

                              An ambulance arrives at the scene of explosion in the Turkish capital 

A large explosion in the Turkish capital, Ankara, has left at least five people killed and 10 injured, the city's governor says.

Local media reported that the blast happened next to a passing military vehicle, in an area close to parliament and Turkey's military headquarters.
Photos on social media showed large plumes of smoke rising from the area.
A spokesman for the ruling AK party said the explosion was an "act of terrorism".
Ankara's governor, Mehmet Kiliclar, reportedly said the explosion was caused by a car bomb, but the Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said the cause was still under investigation.
Turkey has been hit by a serious of attacks recently, including a suicide bomber that killed 10 people in Istanbul last month. Officials said the attacker had links with the so-called Islamic State (IS).
Last October, an attack at a peace march left at least 99 people dead in Ankara.
There have been increasing concerns that the country could be targeted by another big attack, the BBC's Selin Girit in Istanbul said.
Turkey has faced security threats from different groups, including IS and the outlawed

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Libya's litmus test with ISIL

The emergence of ISIL in Libya appears to have tipped the balance in the war-torn country.

 

A North African from Brussels, Paris or Amsterdam would have much more in common with someone from Libya rather than in Syria or Iraq, writes Guitta [Reuters]

About the Author

Olivier Guitta

Olivier Guitta is the Managing Director of GlobalStrat, a geopolitical risk and security consultancy firm.

@OlivierGuitta

While Syria and Iraq may have grabbed the headlines over the past few years, another country has been preying on the mind of some Western officials. In private, French, Italian, British and United States defence officials and diplomats have expressed their huge concern about Libya. Now that the likelihood of a military intervention has increased, 2016 may turn out to be the year of Libya.
Back in November 2013, former Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan warned that the "international community cannot tolerate a state in the middle of the Mediterranean that is a source of violence, terrorism and killings." Only a handful of nations listened to him.
In a May 2014 interview, I stated that the US, French and Algerian special forces had been allegedly conducting operations against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) since early that year.
In August 2014, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia were on high alert after an alleged US tip-off that Libyan jihadists were planning to fly planes into buildings in these countries, in attacks similar to that of September 11.

World leaders push for Libya peace to counter ISIL

Taking the threat seriously, Morocco mobilised 70,000 soldiers across the country and installed anti-aircraft batteries in Casablanca, Marrakesh and Tangier to shoot down any civilian plane that might have been taken by terrorists.
Algeria took similar measures. In 2014, it had reportedly conducted operations for almost two months inside Libya involving up to 5,000 soldiers to root out jihadists.
As the joint Egypt-United Arab Emirates air strikes in Libya showed in 2014, regional powers are not going to sit idly by as dark clouds gather nearby, which could mean that Libya becomes the most dangerous place, not only for North Africa but for Europe. It could even shift the focus from Iraq and Syria.

A new Syria?

Libya has the largest stockpile of loose weapons in the world - according to some reports, even larger than the British army's arsenal - plus about 4,000 surface-to-air missiles and 6,400 barrels of uranium concentrate powder, known as "yellowcake", that could pass into the hands of terror groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), AQIM or al Mourabitoun which controls large swaths of territory in the south.
While the worsening situation in Libya failed to trigger an international military intervention in 2015, the emergence of ISIL in Libya appears to have tipped the balance.

Libya is ISIL's second largest 'market' after Iraq and Syria, and as it was extensively featured in the September issue of ISIL magazine Dabiq, it has the potential to become a popular training ground for European recruits.

While Italy, for example, has said that it will not attack ISIL in Syria, it has indicated that it might attack in Libya, which could mean air strikes as well as special forces on the ground. Italy has now taken the lead over France when it comes to "fixing" Libya, which isn't surprising when one considers Italy's colonial past in Libya, its commercial interests there, and the fact that Rome has been repeatedly threatened by ISIL.
Another nation, Canada, is actually withdrawing its fighter jets from the coalition in Iraq and Syria, so that it is ready to take part in a military operation in Libya.
Britain is actually preparing to send up to 1,000 troops and special forces to Libya. This should not come as a surprise following the June terror attack in Tunisia, in which 30 British citizens died, because the attacker was an ISIL operative trained in Libya. At the time, David Cameron, the British prime minister, said that he was ready to launch "immediate" air strikes against terrorists in Libya.
Russia could also get involved in Libya after General Khalifa Haftar reached out to them for support.
The new Saudi-led coalition against ISIL could also see more action in Libya than Syria or Iraq because of both Egypt and the UAE's interests there. Finally, both France and the US have recently been preparing public opinion for an imminent intervention.
Once initiated, the air strikes are likely to focus on ISIL's stronghold in Sirte and possibly the two large ISIL training camps in Hun, 200 kilometres south of Sirte.

The appeal for ISIL

ISIL is believed to have between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters in Libya, but that number could rise quickly for two reasons: Firstly, some of the fighters leaving Syria could join ISIL in Libya; and, secondly, new recruits are expected to swell their ranks.

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OPINION: Libya, extremism and the consequences of collapse

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Libya is ISIL's second largest "market" after Iraq and Syria and featured extensively in the September issue of ISIL's magazine Dabiq. It has the potential to become a popular training ground for European recruits. In November 2015, two Frenchmen were arrested in southern Tunisia - reportedly on their way to join an ISIL training camp.

A North African from Brussels, Paris or Amsterdam would have much more in common with someone from Libya rather than in Syria or Iraq, making it more appealing to recruits. And while entry to Syria is getting more difficult, Libya is now seen as a possible springboard to destabilise neighbouring Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. 
And while ISIL would be the main target in Libya, it is interesting that it was a recent AQIM video that called on Libyans to rise up against the invaders from Italy, France, the US and Britain.
Given the situation in Libya - a failed state with three governments, no real army, a plethora of militias and several seasoned terror groups - any international military intervention force will have its work cut out..
Olivier Guitta is the managing director of GlobalStrat, a geopolitical risk and security consultancy firm with a regional specialisation on Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.

 

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ISIL's presence in Libya grows to 5,000 fighters

Number of fighters has reportedly dropped in Iraq and Syria while gaining "more ground and influence" in Libya. 

 

ISIL fighters parade along the streets in Syria's Raqqa province in June 2014 [Reuters]

ISIL fighters have streamed into Libya in recent months, heightening fears the fighters are gaining ground and influence in the divided north African country.
About 5,000 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters are now in Libya - double earlier estimates - while the number in Iraq and Syria has dropped, a security analyst said on Thursday.

The updated figures come as the US administration of President Barack Obama faces growing calls for the American military to step up action against ISIL in Libya, where fighters have already seized the city of Sirte and an adjoining length of Mediterranean coastline.
Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer now with The Soufan Group consultancy, said the US has few good Libya options, but there is growing consensus something must be done.
"They are just terrified of it getting much worse, fast," Skinner told the AFP news agency.
"Once [ISIL] takes something, it's really hard and really bloody and really expensive to take it back."
NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels next week to evaluate the ongoing US-led campaign against ISIL and to discuss ways of redoubling efforts.
No large-scale US military action is contemplated in Libya, senior US administration officials told the Associated Press news agency.
Military options under consideration include raids and advisory missions by US special operations forces and air strikes, the officials said on condition of anonymity. 
"The last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue," John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said on Tuesday.

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READ MORE: Iraq blames ISIL for deadly attacks on troops 

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Meanwhile, the US now says that there are between 19,000 and 25,000 ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria - down from a previous count of about 30,000.
But there are growing fears about the fate of Libya, which has been in chaos since the NATO-backed ousting of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, thanks largely to its air power. Since 2014, Libya has been split between two rival authorities, each backed by different militias and tribes.
Skinner pointed to the irony that Western leaders are now scrambling for solutions in Libya.
"The international coalition is going to air strike its way out of the chaos created by air strikes," he said. "That's actually what people are considering. Something has to be done. The horrible reality is: what is that something?"

 

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Libyan military jet shot down near Benghazi

The MiG-23 flown by forces loyal to Libya's recognised government is the second to go down in the past week.

 

A Soviet-made MIG-23 fighter seen during the Libyan Army Officers 5th Forum in 2015 [Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images]

A MiG-23 fighter jet flown by Libya's internationally recognised government was shot down as it carried out air strikes on opposition positions in the coastal city of Benghazi.
Nasser el-Hassi, spokesman for the government's forces, told AFP news agency the plane was shot down in Qaryunes, northwest Benghazi, as it bombed targets on Friday.
A military source said the pilot survived, having parachuted to safety, but his whereabouts were not immediately clear. It was the second military air crash this week.

Brigade General Saqr al-Jaroushi, a Libyan military official, also confirmed the incident to the Associated Press.

On Monday, another MiG-23 operated by forces loyal to Libya's recognised government crashed near the eastern city of Derna after attacking fighter positions.
The LANA news agency, which is close to the recognised government, blamed "technical problems" for the downing.
Before crashing, the fighter had carried out raids on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions about 15km from Derna.
Two administrations are vying for power in war-ravaged Libya, one based in the capital Tripoli backed by a coalition of fighters, and the recognised government, exiled in the east.
In early January, another MiG-23 came down in Benghazi, the main city in the east.
The air force answers to the internationally recognised government in the east of the country, where its soldiers have been fighting armed groups since 2014.
Chaos has engulfed Libya since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, and has fostered the rise of ISIL, which based itself in Sirte in eastern Libya.

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Libya: Gaddafi left behind a long, damaging legacy

Five years after the revolution, the Libyans' uprising has not yet been transformed into a new political order. 

Five years on, it is clear that the Libyan people have yet to enjoy the fruits of their major sacrifices during the 2011 revolution [Ismail Zitouny/REUTERS]

When the Arab uprisings began in Tunisia and quickly spread to Egypt, it was only inevitable that Libya, with a population that had been highly oppressed and deprived of its vast natural wealth, would follow suit.
On February 15, 2011, the Libyan revolution was sparked by a gathering crowd in Benghazi, the second largest city and a bedrock of opposition to Gaddafi's tyranny.
The peaceful uprising quickly spread from Benghazi to other cities and by the third day (February 17) the Libyan revolution was in full flow. 
Gaddafi's reaction was expectedly very brutal and violent. He ordered his security forces to shoot directly at demonstrators, hoping that this would squash the revolutionary dissent and keep him in power.
The international community was obliged to intervene on March 19 to drive back Gaddafi's huge military force that was sent to regain control of Benghazi.
Five years on, people are still debating whether the military intervention was justified and the right policy.
Some believed  the West intervened purely to secure future interests in Libya's vast wealth and natural resources. It has been argued that Western interventions did not take place in similar conflicts because there was no natural resources at stake and it did not serve their interests.
I strongly believe that the military intervention was correct and necessary to save thousands of civilian lives and to prevent a prolonged suffering for the Libyan population. The intervention was limited to air strikes, and no Western troops set foot on Libyan soil which could have been perceived as an invasion of Libya and a violation of its sovereignty.

The Libyan population was oppressed for long under Gaddafi [Getty]

The revolution intensified, along with the international community's military air campaign, which effectively neutralised Gaddafi's air force and destroyed most of his command and control centres and supply chains.

The end of his brutal era left a huge political and security vacuum in the country which was then filled by armed groups that were formed during and after the revolution.

This allowed the Libyan revolutionary fighters to make several gains on the ground by being able to match Gaddafi's remnant security forces.
The demise of the Gaddafi regime came on August 20, 2011, when the capital, Tripoli, was finally liberated and Gaddafi was then killed exactly two months later.
The end of Gaddafi's brutal era left a huge political and security vacuum in the country which was then filled by armed groups formed during and after the revolution.
The number of fighters during the revolution was put at around 25,000, yet after the liberation this number mushroomed tenfold to about 250,000.
This was owing to a policy put in place by the first transitional government in post-revolution Libya, to pay salaries to those who took part in the uprising and belonged to armed groups that were acting as the new security bodies.
These generous salaries encouraged unemployed Libyan young men to take up arms and set up their own militias or join existing ones. The proliferation of armed militias turned out to be one of the biggest problems after the revolution.
I believe that an alternative policy of concentrating efforts and resources to rebuilding a professional army and police force should have been implemented immediately after the end of the revolution.
With hindsight, a speedier transition to a new democratic state could have been achieved as a result of rebuilding security institutions sooner rather than later. In the present moment, militias and armed groups continue to be perceived as an obstacle to completing the political transition.

The number of fighters during the revolution was around 25,000, yet after the liberation, this number mushroomed tenfold [Getty]

In July 2012 Libya witnessed its first ever democratic elections, which led to a new transitional parliament called the General National Congress (GNC).
The GNC in turn appointed a new transitional government that was tasked with running the country. The GNC was supposed to oversee the transition up until a draft constitution was put to a referendum and final elections held to elect a permanent legislative body that would then take over power.
Yet the constitutional drafting assembly that was directly elected has not produced a draft until now.
However, the political parties that participated in the elections for the first time in Libya’s modern history did not live up to public expectations as they were continually seen as competing against one another to pursue their own narrow interests and agendas at the expense of national consensus and unity.
This created a negative perception about political parties in the eyes of most of the Libyan people, at a time where they were looking to them to provide stronger leadership showing real patriotism and upholding Libyan national interests.
The elections in June 2014 gave birth to the House of Representatives (HOR) which was to replace the GNC. By mid 2014, it was clear that the transition timetable set out by the interim constitutional declaration was not going to be met. This led to changes in the declaration to allow for elections to take place for a third transitional period.
However, an official power handover never took place, resulting in two competing parliaments operating in the country at the same time; the GNC in Tripoli and HOR in the eastern city of Tobruk.
During the same period, a retired general, Khalifa Haftar, had attempted to assume power through a military coup. In a televised statement, he announced the freezing of the constitutional declaration and termination of the GNC.
The coup was widely dismissed. Having failed to take over power in Tripoli, Haftar turned his attention to gaining support in the east of the country by claiming that he would rid Benghazi of terrorism under the banner of the Dignity operation.
Haftar's actions plunged Libya into practically two civil wars, one in the east and one in the west, which were fuelled by regional players who wanted to gain influence in the country through the opposing groups they supported.

There would have been dire consequences if the dialogue had failed and an agreement had not been reached  [Fadel Senna/AFP]

A few months into the civil war, the UN decided to intervene and initiate a national dialogue that would lead to a power-sharing agreement meant to stop the fighting and get Libya back on its transitional track.
After more than a year of various dialogue tracks and meetings held mainly in locations outside Libya, a political agreement was signed in the city of Skhirat, Morocco on December 17, 2015. The main signatories to this agreement were representatives of the two competing parliaments as well as political parties and other independent figures.
This agreement resulted in the appointment of a new presidential council, consisting of nine members headed by Fayez Serraj, which was to form a new government of national accord (GNA).
The political agreement may not be ideal and it will always have critics citing weaknesses in it. However, there can never be a perfect political agreement and solution.
Compromises have been made by all sides in the conflict and I believe it is the best outcome that could have been achieved considering the current circumstances, particularly the fragile economic and security situations.
There would have been dire consequences if the dialogue had failed and an agreement had not been reached.  

Libya stands today as a divided country with its population experiencing lack of stability and security [Getty]

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Libyan revolution, we look back and see that the comprehensive victory achieved by the Libyan people in 2011 has not yet been transformed into a new political and social order.

Inside story - Are Libyan groups forced to sign UN-brokered deal?

Many obstacles have appeared in the transitional period thus far, some being intrinsic to Libyan society and some due to detrimental intervention by various regional states.
It has become clear that Gaddafi has left behind a long, damaging legacy caused by his deliberate decimation of any forms of state institutions.
Gaddafi's legacy also included having no formal constitution or an independent judiciary system as well as the prohibition of political parties, civil society organisations and free press throughout his 42-year rule.
It became apparent that the culture of political pluralism and consensus within Libyan society was very weak or non-existent.
Libya stands today as a divided country with its population experiencing lack of stability and security as well as economic hardships owing to major falls in oil exports and prices. Alongside this, Libya is also experiencing an expanding terrorist threat from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) gaining footholds in cities such as Derna, Benghazi and, mainly, Sirte.
The newly appointed GNA will have to face the mammoth challenge of ending the civil war and reuniting the country and its main institutions, as well as providing safety and security and restoring better socioeconomic conditions.
Five years on, it is clear that the Libyan people have yet to enjoy the fruits of their major sacrifices during the 2011 revolution. Libyans were very successful in defeating and dismantling a brutal and totalitarian political regime. However, replacing it with a new political system based on justice, democratic institutions and rule of law proved to be much more difficult to achieve.
The key factors for achieving successful change for Libyans lie in instilling a new culture of tolerance, political consensus, reconciliation and a new social contract that ensures the fair sharing of power and wealth. 

 

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'Humanitarian catastrophe' unfolding in Yemen: UN

Humanitarian chief says more than 21 million Yemenis are in need of some form of aid and calls for unconditional access.

 

Yemen, even in non-war times, relies almost solely on imports and the conflict has slowed shipments to a trickle [EPA]

The UN humanitarian chief has said a "humanitarian catastrophe" is unfolding in Yemen with more than 21 million Yemenis in need of some form of aid.
Stephen O'Brien said on Tuesday that the situation was exacerbated by increased restrictions on efforts to respond to what he called the "staggering needs" of millions of people, including the diversion of a UN aid ship by Saudi-led coalition forces.
O'Brien said that more than 6,000 people had been killed since the beginning of coalition strikes against Houthi rebels in March 2015, of which about half were civilians.
He said more than 700 children had been killed and some 1,000 injured.
At least 7.6 million people were now "severely food insecure" and more than 3.4 million children were out of school, the official said.

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ANALYSIS: What went wrong in Yemen?

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O'Brien's briefing to the UN Security Council, which was requested by Russia, was the first that focused on the humanitarian crisis sparked by the war.

He said the Houthi rebels had been inconsistent in allowing access and movement of humanitarian goods and personnel, and that a recent warning by Saudi Arabia  about the safety of aid workers in "Houthi-controlled areas" had caused delays to key missions.

Is Saudi Arabia guilty of war crimes in Yemen?

The UN official urged the council to demand that all combatants facilitate unconditional humanitarian access to all parts of Yemen.
"UN agencies and NGO partners are delivering assistance under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous circumstances," O'Brien said.
"Just this last Sunday, a Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a building 200 metres away from the Diplomatic Transit Facility, accommodating UN and diplomatic personnel."
UN sanctions monitors said in a report last month that the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels have targeted civilians and that some of the attacks could be crimes against humanity.

 

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Three pulled from MSF hospital 30 hours after strike

Charity says three people were pulled from the rubble of a hospital hit by missiles in Syria's Idlib province.

 

Footage appeared to show a woman being pulled from the rubble of a building [YouTube/MMC]

Rescuers in Syria have pulled three survivors from the rubble of a hospital 30 hours after it was hit by a suspected air strike.
The charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which ran the hospital in Maraat al-Nouman, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that rescue operations were continuing for two members of its staff who were still missing.
Dramatic video of the recovery operation, which local activists posted on YouTube, showed a woman covered in dust and blood - but still concious - being dragged to safety.


* WARNING: The video below contains graphic content * ===>> https://youtu.be/KGerI2yRlvs


Five MSF staff members were among up to 50 killed in a series of raids carried out on hospitals and schools in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces on Monday.
The attacks were branded war crimes by Turkish and French officials. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the strikes violated international law.
Russia, which is conducting an aerial campaign against rebel groups in the area, has denied it was responsible for the strikes after accusations were levelled against it by Turkey and activists.
The country's health minister Veronika Skvortsova said its military only targeted the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and did not deliberately hit civilians.
While denying responsibility, Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafar, described MSF as a front organisation for the French intelligence service.
Over the last year,  MSF facilities in Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan have been hit by air strikes.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

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