At least 10 civilians have been confirmed dead in an attack by militants on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an official said, as security forces continued to battle gunmen holed up inside.
Fighters from the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab group stormed the popular Hayat Hotel on Friday evening in a hail of gunfire and bomb blasts.
Sporadic gunfire and loud explosions could still be heard early Saturday, many hours after the start of the assault.
It is the biggest attack in Mogadishu since Somalia's new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in May after many months of political instability.
The terrorist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia's fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility.
Security challenge
Earlier this week, the United States announced that its forces had killed 13 Al Shabab militants in an air strike in the central-southern part of the country as the gunmen were attacking Somali forces.
The US has carried out several air raids on the group in strikes in recent weeks.
In recent weeks, Al Shabab militants have also waged attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy.
Armed attackers have taken control of a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu following two car bomb blasts and gunfire pic.twitter.com/dn4z4QADiJ
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 19, 2022
Al Shabab terrorists were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside and frequently strikes civilian and military targets.
Somalia's new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said last month that ending Al Shabab's insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would negotiate with the group only when the time is right.
Al Shabab militants were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside.
It continues to wage deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with hotels a quite frequent target.
READ MORE: Ethiopian government calls for formal ceasefire with Tigray rebels
Source: AFP
At least eight people have been confirmed dead as security forces battled Al Shabab terrorists who stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a security commander said.
"The security forces continued to neutralise terrorists who have been cordoned inside a room in the hotel building, most of the people were rescued but at least eight civilians were confirmed dead so far," Mohamed Abdikadir said early on Saturday.
The assault on the Hayat Hotel on Friday triggered a fierce gunfight between security forces and the terrorists who are still holed up inside the building.
The Al Qaeda-linked group, which has led an insurrection against Somalia's central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility.
Security challenge
Earlier this week, the United States announced that its forces had killed 13 Al Shabab militants in an air strike in the central-southern part of the country as the gunmen were attacking Somali forces.
The US has carried out several air raids on the group in strikes in recent weeks.
In recent weeks, Al Shabab militants have also waged attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy.
Al Shabab terrorists were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside and frequently strikes civilian and military targets.
Somalia's new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said last month that ending Al-Shabab's insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would negotiate with the group only when the time is right.
Al Shabab militants were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside.
It continues to wage deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with hotels a quite frequent target.
Source: AFP
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Six killed in Russian strikes on eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut
Russian strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut have killed at least six people and left three others injured, the regional governor said.
"The Russians bombed the city with a multiple rocket launcher, hitting a residential area.
According to initial information, 12 residential buildings have been damaged and four are on fire," Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram.
First Ukrainian wheat shipments expected next week: UN
The first wheat since the conflict should ship next week from Ukraine under a landmark deal also signed by Russia aimed at tackling the global food crisis, a top UN official has said.
The first 12 ships to leave the three Black Sea ports designated by the agreement were carrying 370,000 tonnes of corn and foodstuffs, according to Frederick Kenney, interim UN coordinator at the joint centre in Istanbul overseeing the deal.
The ships have been docked in Ukraine since Russia began its offensive in February. Once all the ships carrying corn and foodstuffs leave their ports, new ones can come in to pick up wheat that has accumulated with this year's harvest, Kenney said.
Georgia troops return after deploying amid conflict in Ukraine
More than 3,800 army soldiers are returning to Georgia five months after their rapid deployment to Europe after Russia started its offensive in Ukraine.
The soldiers from Georgia went to Germany to train alongside NATO allies in a show of force intended to deter further Russian aggression in Europe. Fort Stewart commanders say the rest of the 1st Brigade should be home by the end of August.
The US military is sending another unit to take its place - the 3rd Armored Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says the war can only end with the liberation of Crimea pic.twitter.com/pGWcUZwdxJ
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 10, 2022
Estonia protests Russia's 'unacceptable' violation of its airspace
Estonia has summoned the Russian ambassador and formally protested the violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said.
"Estonia considers this an extremely serious and regrettable incident that is completely unacceptable," the ministry said in a release, saying the helicopter had flown over a point in the southeast of the small Baltic nation without permission.
Estonia made an identical complaint to Moscow in June.
Ukraine's creditors agree to payment freeze on international bonds
Ukraine's overseas creditors have backed its request for a two-year freeze on payments on almost $20 billion in international bonds, according to a regulatory filing, a move that will allow the war-torn country to avoid a debt default.
With no sign of peace or a ceasefire on the horizon nearly six months after Russia's offensive began on February 24, bondholders have agreed to postpone sovereign interest and capital payments for 13 Ukrainian sovereign bonds maturing between 2022 and 2033.
The government in Kiev launched a consent solicitation, which is a formal request to agree with creditors on changes to sovereign debt contracts, on July 20.
Sergey Markov claims Russia is liberating Ukraine, but Peter @zalmayev hits back accusing Moscow of destroying the country.
Watch the full episode: https://t.co/r0ku9OxmJh pic.twitter.com/62ZdEXM0OS
— The Newsmakers (@The_Newsmakers) August 9, 2022
Ukraine says nine Russian warplanes destroyed in Crimea blasts
Ukraine's air force has said that nine Russian warplanes were destroyed in massive explosions at an air base in Crimea amid speculation they were the result of a Ukrainian attack that would represent a significant escalation in the conflict.
Russia denied any aircraft were damaged in Tuesday's blasts — or that any attack took place.
Ukrainian officials have stopped short of publicly claiming responsibility for the explosions, while poking fun at Russia’s explanation that a careless smoker might have caused munitions at the Saki air base to catch fire and blow up.
Russian oil shipments to central Europe expected to resume
Oil shipments from Russia through a critical pipeline to several European countries should resume soon after a problem over payments for transit was resolved, Slovakia’s Economy Minister Richard Sulik has said.
“I expect the oil shipments to resume in hours,” Sulik said. Russian state pipeline operator Transneft cited complications due to European Union sanctions for its action on August 4, saying its payment to the company’s Ukrainian counterpart was refused.
Sulik said the payments would be made Wednesday by Slovak refiner Slovnaft after both the Russian and Ukrainian sides agreed to the solution. Slovnaft is owned by Hungary’s MOL energy group.
Denmark to train Ukrainian soldiers in UK
Denmark will send military instructors to Britain to help train Ukrainian soldiers and also offer to train Ukrainian officers on its soil, the Danish defence ministry has said.
The announcement preceded a conference in Copenhagen on Thursday when British, Danish and Ukrainian defence ministers are expected to discuss long-term support for Ukraine, including military training, mine clearance and weapons supplies.
"Denmark will support a British-led training project with 130 Danish soldiers and at the same time offer to train Ukrainian soldiers in Denmark," a ministry statement said.
Supply of Russian oil to Central Europe via Druzhba pipeline has been halted due to payment issues caused by sanctions.
Although it is expected to resume soon, disruption in oil flow once again shows how much European nations are dependent on Russia for energy pic.twitter.com/I89RS9giKA
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 10, 2022
Deadly Russian strikes hit Dnipropetrovsk - local governor
At least 13 civilians have been killed by Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, the local governor says.
"It was a terrible night. 11 people were killed," Governor Valentin Reznichenko wrote on Telegram, adding in a later post that two more people had died of their injuries overnight.
Reznychenko initially put the casualties at 21, with 11 killed in the district of Nikopol and 10 in Marganets, but said in a subsequent message on the Telegram messaging app that 11 was the total number, without clarifying which initial details were incorrect.
G7: Russian control of Ukraine nuclear plant endangers region
The Group of Seven industrialised nations has condemned Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and called on Moscow to immediately hand back full control of the plant to Ukraine.
Ukrainian staff operating the plant "must be able to carry out their duties without threats or pressure. It is Russia's continued control of the plant that endangers the region," the G7 foreign ministers said in a statement.
Philippines cancels Russia helicopter deal over US sanctions
The Philippines has scrapped an order for 16 Russian military helicopters, an official confirmed, following reports former president Rodrigo Duterte decided to cancel it due to US sanctions on Moscow.
Manila — a longtime Washington ally — agreed in November to pay $228 million for the Mi-17 helicopters, as it seeks to modernise its military hardware.
The United States and its allies imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow in the wake of its attacks on Ukraine.
The UN's nuclear watchdog says it has no way of safely accessing Ukraine's Zaphorizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Russia says inspectors are welcome to see the site, but it won't agree to a ceasefire to facilitate the visit pic.twitter.com/JJeFbLMpIY
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 10, 2022
Ukraine: Russia trying to connect Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Crimea
Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeast Ukraine are preparing to connect to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and are damaging it by reorienting its electricity production, Ukrainian operator Energoatom has warned.
"The Russian military present at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is implementing the programme of (Russian operator) Rosatom aimed at connecting the plant to the Crimean electricity grid," Energoatom president Petro Kotin told Ukrainian television.
"To do this, you must first damage the power lines of the plant connected to the Ukrainian energy system. From August 7 to 9, the Russians have already damaged three power lines. At the moment, the plant is operating with only one production line, which is an extremely dangerous way of working," he said.
"When the last production line is disconnected, the plant will be powered by generators running on diesel. Everything will then depend on their reliability and fuel stocks," Kotin warned.
Russian airbase explosions could be the work of 'partisan saboteurs'
A senior Ukrainian official has suggested a series of explosions at a Russian air base in Crimea could have been the work of partisan saboteurs, as Kiev denied any responsibility for the incident deep inside Russian-occupied territory.
The adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also suggested Russian incompetence as a possible cause of Tuesday's blasts. They killed one civilian and injured eight, according to the health department in Russia-annexed Crimea.
Mykhailo Podolyak, asked by the Dozhd online television channel whether Kiev was responsible, replied: "Of course not. What do we have to do with this?"
For live updates from Tuesday (August 9), click here
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched an investigation after the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, admitted that its troops killed two people in a shootout in a town on the border with Uganda.
“Two compatriots died and 15 were wounded following shots fired by peacekeepers from a contingent of the MONUSCO intervention brigade from Uganda,” said Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, the DRC's minister in charge of communication and media and government spokesman on Sunday.
He announced the opening of a joint investigation with MONUSCO to establish responsibility for the incident, learn the motivation behind it and to impose severe sanctions against the peacekeepers involved.
Katembwe said they are already under arrest, stressing that they can no longer be part of the contingents of the UN mission pending the outcome of a plan to withdraw MONUSCO from the DRC.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_9Ig-tYT2w[/embed]
'Serious incident'
In a statement, Bintou Keita, head of the mission, said she had learned with deep shock about the grave incident, which happened Sunday morning.
“During this incident, soldiers of the Intervention Brigade of the MONUSCO force, returning from leave, opened fire at the border crossing for unexplained reasons and forced their way through. This serious incident resulted in loss of life and serious injuries,” she said.
Footage of the incident posted on social media showed uniformed men advancing towards an immobilised UN convoy behind a closed barrier in the town of Kasindi in eastern DR Congo's Beni territory.
After a verbal exchange, the peacekeepers appear to have opened fire before opening the gate. They drove on and continued to shoot, scattering residents.
“The perpetrators of the shooting have been identified and arrested pending the conclusions of the investigation that has already begun in collaboration with the Congolese authorities,” added Keita.
The incident came days after demonstrators took to the streets in several towns in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province to demand the departure of the UN mission.
The protests claimed the lives of 19 people, including three peacekeepers.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, visited Congo on Saturday, where he held talks with Congolese authorities aimed at avoiding a recurrence of the tragic incidents.
The UN mission in Congo has been facing criticism for its perceived ineffectiveness at stopping fighting in the volatile east.
READ MORE: DRC's Tshisekedi accuses Rwanda of backing M23 rebels
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Fast News
Suspected rebels have killed twelve civilians in recent attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said.
The head doctor of a hospital in Oicha in North Kivu province on Thursday that he had received five bodies on Wednesday from a village that lies to the west of the town.
Another seven bodies arrived from another village to the west of Oicha on Thursday, head doctor Jerome Munyambete told AFP news agency.
"These people were killed by machetes and bullets," he said.
Darius Kasereka, a civil society representative in Oicha, confirmed the death toll and said in a statement that the twelve civilians had been "brutally slaughtered".
The area surrounding Oicha has been "invaded by ADF rebels," he added, referring to the Allied Democratic Forces group.
The ADF is among the most violent of the more than 120 militias that roam the DRC's troubled east.
READ MORE: More deaths as protests against UN spread in DRC
The group – which Daesh group claims as its central African branch – has been accused of massacring Congolese civilians as well as staging attacks in neighbouring Uganda.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi placed North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province under the administration of security forces last year in a bid to stem the violence.
But the measure has failed to stop attacks against civilians.
READ MORE: Assailants kill at least a dozen patients in eastern DRC clinic
Source: AFP
Fast News
At least 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed in coordinated "terrorist" attacks in Mali, the chronically unstable country's army said, the latest deadly violence to rock the Sahel state.
In Kalumba, near the Mauritanian border, "the death toll on the friendly side is 12, including three civilians from a road construction company", the army said Wednesday in a statement.
The army death toll in Sokolo, in central Mali, was six with 25 others wounded, five of them seriously.
The army claims to have killed 48 attackers and "neutralised three terrorist pick-up trucks 15 kilometres (10 miles) from Sokolo with (an) estimated fifteen fighters and their equipment" destroyed, the statement said.
A third attack, in centrally-located Mopti ended without casualties overnight.
READ MORE: Attack on Mali military base repelled, situation under control: Army
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1rgpd8mrSg[/embed]
Intensified anti-terror operations
Over the weekend, Mali's army said it had thwarted a new attack on a military camp in the centre of the country, two days after a deadly suicide attack in a strategic garrison town near the capital.
It was the first time since 2012 that such coordinated attacks have taken place so close to the capital.
The Malian army has intensified its anti-terror operations in recent months, relying on what it describes as Russian instructors.
READ MORE: Mali to suspend UN peacekeeping mission rotations
Source: AFP
ANKARA
At least four people have been wounded following a shooting in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the Los Angeles Fire Department said Sunday.
The incident was reported at or near a car show in Peck Par, on North Western Avenue just before 4 p.m. (2300GMT).
"The circumstances, total number of patients and precise nature of their injuries have yet to be confirmed," the statement said.
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