Region

ERBIL, Iraq — Two drone attacks targeted a military airport where troops of the US-led anti-extremist coalition are based, authorities in the autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan said on Thursday.

There were no injuries, the local authorities said.

Since October 17, US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted by drone or rocket attacks at least 40 times, injuring dozens of US personnel, according to an updated tally given by a US official.

Such attacks come after the Israel-Hamas war which began on October 7.

Overnight Wednesday-Thursday “two drones attacked” the coalition’s base at Harir airport in Erbil province, said a statement from the counterterrorism services in Iraqi Kurdistan, in northern Iraq.

The attacks came around midnight, it said, without specifying whether the drones had been shot down. Photos accompanying the statement showed metallic debris on the ground.

Most of the attacks — including the latest ones — have been claimed by a group known as “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, according to Telegram channels affiliated with Iraqi factions close to Tehran.

Around 2,500 American troops are deployed in Iraq and another 900 in Syria, as part of the international anti-extremist coalition that was established in 2014.

In Iraq, the coalition says its role is limited to advising and supporting local counterparts.

In a visit to Baghdad on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the attacks, which Washington has linked back to Iran, were “totally unacceptable”.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who was appointed by pro-Iran parties, has condemned the attacks and promised investigations to uncover the perpetrators.

On Wednesday US warplanes carried out a strike on an Iran-linked weapons storage facility in eastern Syria, in response to attacks against American personnel, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

WAD MADANI, SUDAN — Corpses littered the streets of a district of Sudan’s capital on Thursday, witnesses said, as the United Nations expressed alarm over escalating fighting in Darfur between the army and paramilitaries.

“The bodies of people in military uniforms are lying in the streets of the city centre after the fighting yesterday,” a witness in Omdurman, located across the Nile River from Khartoum, told AFP by telephone, an account confirmed by others.

Other witnesses said a shell slammed into Al Nau hospital in the north of Omdurman, the last operational medical facility in the area, “killing a female worker”.

Since April, forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan — Sudan’s de facto head of state — have been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Intense fighting continued in Khartoum and its surrounding areas, as well as the vast western region of Darfur, where some of the bloodiest clashes have taken place.

The RSF has claimed control of all but one major city in Darfur.

Their advance amid a communications blackout has triggered renewed fears of ethnically motivated mass killings.

“Hundreds of thousands of civilians and displaced people are now in great danger in El Fasher, North Darfur, with a fast deteriorating security situation, lack of food and water and very poor services,” the UN’s deputy humanitarian coordinator for Darfur, Toby Harward, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“If the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army fight for control of the city, it will have devastating impact on civilians,” he added.

The US embassy in Khartoum said it was “deeply disturbed by eyewitness reports of serious human rights abuses by the RSF and affiliated militias”.

This included “killings in Ardamata, West Darfur, ethnic targeting of the Masalit community leaders and members”, it said, referring to one of the largest non-Arab ethnic minorities in West Darfur.

Sudan’s ruling sovereign council reported the death of Masalit tribal leader Mohammad Arbab, saying he was “assassinated by the RSF’s rebel militias after attacking civilian homes in Ardamata”.

“His son and eight of his grandchildren were also killed in a heinous crime,” added the body, chaired by Burhan.

Since fighting broke out on April 15 between forces loyal to Burhan and Daglo, more than 10,000 people have been killed in Sudan, according to a conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

About six million people have been uprooted from their homes, according to UN figures.

NAIROBI — After making significant progress, Somalia’s offensive against the Al Shabaab group has stalled for months, raising concerns about the government’s capacity to crush the 16-year insurgency led by the Al Qaeda-linked militants.

Here are the key questions surrounding the offensive:

Why are operations on pause? 

The offensive was launched in August 2022, when the Somali government decided to wage “total war” against Al Shabaab, joining hands with local clan militias.

For six months, the army and clan militias — with air support from the African Union ATMIS forces, the United States and Turkish drones — recaptured territory in central Somalia, notably seizing bastions in Adan Yabal and Harardhere.

But progress stalled as the militants exploited factors in their favour.

These included the death in combat of a major army commander, the arrival of new, inexperienced battalions and the reduced involvement of the clan militias.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud travelled to the front line to relaunch operations, telling Somalis on August 18 that his government would “eliminate” the extremists by the end of the year.

But on August 26, Somali forces suffered a crushing defeat in the town of Cowsweyne, under unclear circumstances.

“There is no other place where government forces have suffered such a major loss,” Mohamud later admitted, without revealing the toll.

Analysts and government officials have suggested troop casualties ranging from several dozen to more than 100, with the militants also seizing armed vehicles, weapons and other equipment.

The rout marked a turning point.

“The government’s response to the attack was so muddled that other forces withdrew in protest from many towns that had been captured. The morale of the forces was very low,” a source with knowledge of security matters told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Since the pullout from key towns such as El-Dheer, Galcad and Masagaway, the offensive has been at a standstill. 

Is Al Shabaab weaker? 

It’s hard to say, with no independent assessment available as both sides engage in a communications war. 

The government has highlighted its capture of vast swathes of land.

However, “using territorial gains to measure success against Al Shabaab is an insufficient metric for a group waging a guerrilla-style war,” said Omar Mahmood, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG). 

Despite losses, Al-Shabaab, whose numbers were estimated at between 7,000 and 9,000 men by ATMIS in 2022, has retained its ability to hit civilian and security targets.

“The group has managed to increase its pace of operations, including complex attacks,” a UN panel of experts on Somalia said in its latest report.

The panel listed 14 such “complex attacks”, where a bombing precedes a ground assault, between January and August this year — compared to four in 2022.

In one of the most high-profile attacks, militants stormed an ATMIS base in Bulo Marer in May, killing at least 54 Ugandan soldiers.

Somali intelligence recently reported internal tensions within Al Shabaab — between supporters of Ahmed Diriye, the “emir” of the group, and his second-in-command Mahad Karate. 

But analysts urge caution.

“Militarily, they have not let on that there is an internal crisis, they are conducting their offensives seamlessly and effectively, on the battlefield they are united,” said Samira Gaid, executive director of the Hiraal Institute, a Somalia-based security think tank. 

“This is a narrative that’s often been used and played up” by the authorities, the ICG’s Mahmood said. 

What does 

the future hold? 

Despite the setbacks, the government plans to initiate the second phase of its offensive in southern Somalia, historically a jihadist stronghold.

But observers fear that the push to expand operations will come at a cost.

“A rushed second phase of the offensive likely puts the success achieved thus far at risk,” the UN panel warned.

The redeployment of forces from central to southern Somalia would leave the former region “vulnerable and without sufficient protection”, the report said.

Gaid told AFP that the authorities’ reasoning is “that if you split the fronts, then Al Shabaab will be weaker. But so will the government”. 

Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti had earlier pledged to join Somalia in executing “Operation Black Lion” but their participation remains uncertain.

The difficulties have already postponed the planned drawdown of 3,000 ATMIS troops in September after Somalia requested a 90-day delay, citing “several significant setbacks” in its fight against Al Shabaab.

The October-December rains, amplified by the El Nino phenomenon, will “force a pause” on the battlefield, said Gaid.

“Al Shabaab is getting time to recuperate, but the government also has an opportunity to reorganise itself and develop a proper strategy to complete the offensive.” 

BEIRUT — Israeli air strikes killed three pro-Iran fighters on Wednesday as they hit sites belonging to the powerful Lebanese Hizbollah group near the Syrian capital Damascus, a war monitor said.

Israel has struck Syria several times in the past month as regional tensions simmer over the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip.

"Three non-Syrian pro-Iran fighters were killed in Israeli strikes on farms and other sites belonging to Hizbollah near Akraba and Sayyida Zeinab," said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

Akraba houses a military airport, the monitor said, more than 10 kilometres from Damascus International Airport.

Israel also struck Syrian air defence sites in the country's southern Sweida province, said the monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.

Syrian state media said Israeli air strikes had hit military sites in southern Syria, causing material damage.

"At approximately 22:50 pm today, the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the direction of Baalbek in Lebanon, targeting some military points in the southern region, causing some material losses," official news agency SANA said, quoting a military source.

Last month, Israeli strikes had put Syria’s two main airports in Damascus and Aleppo out of service several times in two weeks.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbour, primarily targeting Hizbollah fighters and other Iran-backed forces as well as Syrian army positions.

Israel rarely comments on individual strikes on Syria, but it has repeatedly said it won’t allow arch-foe Iran, which backs President Bashar Assad’s government, to expand its presence there.

GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territories — Thousands of Palestinians fled heavy combat on Thursday between Hamas and Israel in Gaza City as Israeli and US spy chiefs met in Qatar for talks on a possible humanitarian pause in the fighting.

Washington announced Israel had agreed to a daily four-hour military halt in northern Gaza to allow civilians out after for more than a month of war sparked by the October 7 Hamas surprise attacks on Israel.

The limited pauses build on north-south "evacuation corridors" the Israeli forces had promised would remain safe and which were used by tens of thousands to flee in recent days.

CIA Director Bill Burns and David Barnea, head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, were in Doha for talks on a potential "humanitarian pause" that would include hostage releases and more aid for Gaza, an official told AFP.

"Talks have been progressing well towards a deal in the past few days," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

While fighting raged on Thursday, crowds walked south clutching children and small bags on the road leading away from the main focus of the war in Gaza City and its surroundings.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel attacked with an aerial bombing and ground offensive that the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says has killed more than 10,800 people, many of them children.

Some 50,000 people fled south on Wednesday, UN and Israeli officials said, and thousands more followed on Thursday as Israel allowed several-hour windows for civilians to move away from the heaviest clashes.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Israel would implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day.

“We’ve been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause [and] that this process is starting today,” Kirby said.

Oda Bikhet, a witness to the consequences of the latest bombardment in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, recounted the human toll.

“All of a sudden, an air strike hit the area, and we went out to check only to find children injured,” he said. “One child lost his arm, another lost an eye. Another old person was injured.”

Movement of civilians within Gaza has increased sharply from earlier this week, after the UN had estimated some 1.5 million people were already seeking safety in the south.

But hundreds of thousands of civilians remained in battle zones in the north, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Hamas on Thursday released images of its fighters, armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles, clashing with Israeli soldiers backed by armoured vehicles in the ruins of the besieged territory’s north.

The intense combat and the densely populated coastal territory being effectively sealed off have led to increasingly dire conditions for civilians.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged nations to “work towards a ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas, as he opened a conference in Paris on Gaza aid.

France’s foreign ministry said the Paris talks would include work on donations of goods such as food, fuel and medical supplies, financial support and humanitarian access.

‘Just a few trucks’ 

Any promises of aid risk ringing hollow while supplies are being held up at the Gazan border.

“We’re going to ask that aid enter Gaza because for now it’s just a few trucks each day,” Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, told broadcaster France Inter early on Thursday.

Gaza’s southern Rafah crossing with Egypt reopened on Thursday to allow a limited number of wounded people and foreigners to flee the war, a Palestinian official told AFP.

Crossings were suspended for the second time on Wednesday due to Israel refusing to approve the list of wounded people due to be evacuated, which had been sent by the Hamas government to Egypt.

That struggle with the crossing was brought into focus by Ahmad Mhanna, doctor at Al Awda hospital in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, who said the facility’s operations were severely curtailed due to generator fuel shortages.

“Inside the operation room of Al Awda hospital work is ongoing, but using primitive means, as the doctors are using head lamps and trying to perform surgical interventions with local anaesthesia,” Mhanna said.

Football fields become graveyards 

An Israeli military official insisted Gaza was not in a humanitarian crisis, even as he acknowledged the Palestinian territory faces several challenges amid the ongoing war.

“We bury the dead in football fields and other vacant lots because the proper burial grounds are full,” said Shihteh Nasser, 48, who had helped in the burials.

Bodies have piled up outside hospitals, on roads and in parks, in refrigerated trucks and even in a repurposed ice-cream van.

GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territories — Negotiations are under way for the release of a dozen hostages held by Hamas, including six Americans, in return for a three-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a source close to Hamas said on Wednesday.

"Talks revolve around the release of 12 hostages, half of them Americans, in exchange for a three-day humanitarian pause, to enable Hamas to release the hostages and to enable Egypt an extended [period of time] to deliver humanitarian aid," the source said.

"There's disagreement around the time period and around the north [of the Gaza Strip], which is witnessing extensive combat operations," the source said.

"Qatar is awaiting an Israeli response," they added.

Earlier Wednesday, a separate source briefed on the talks said Qatar was mediating negotiations in coordination with the US to free "10-15 hostages in exchange for a one- to two-day ceasefire".

Fighting has raged in Gaza for over a month following Hamas' shock October 7 attack.

In Gaza, 10,569 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel's retaliatory military campaign to destroy Hamas, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory has said.

Qatar has been engaged in intense diplomacy to secure the release of those held by Hamas, negotiating the handover of four hostages — two Israelis and two Americans — in recent weeks.

Following reports on the latest negotiations, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said it welcomed “the return of each and every hostage”.

Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, also hosts the political office of Hamas and is the main residence of its self-exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The wealthy Gulf emirate has been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and has open channels of communication with Hamas.

Amid repeated calls for a ceasefire, Qatar has lamented the escalating violence  on Gaza and its 2.4 million inhabitants, saying Israeli bombing undermines mediation efforts and de-escalation.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the Gulf state was “determined to continue its mediation”, despite difficulties “caused by the actions of the Israeli occupation”.

The G-7 grouping of economically advanced nations called on Wednesday for “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in the conflict but refrained from calling for a ceasefire during talks in Japan.