“I forced her to go to school”, Nigerian mother cries after mass school abduction
Kaduna, Nigeria Reuters Seven-year-old Safiya Kuriga complained she was feeling feverish but her mother still made her attend class on Thursday. Within two hours, gunmen entered her school and kidnapped Safiya and some 300 other students in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state. “I forced her to go to school that morning despite her complaining to me […]
Suspected Boko Haram kills 15 farmers in north-east Nigeria
Maiduguri, NigeriaReuters At least 15 rice farmers were killed and several others feared abducted in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state after suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked three villages, a local farmers’ leader said on Monday. The attack occurred in the villages of Koshebe, Karkut, and Bulabulin in the Mafa local government area in the state, about […]
Suspected Boko Haram kills at least 40 in Nigeria’s Yobe state, police say
Maiduguri Nigeria Reuters At least 40 people were killed in Nigeria’s Yobe state between Monday and Tuesday after suspected Boko Haram militants shot at villagers and set off a land mine, in the first major attack on the north-eastern state in 18 months, the police said on Wednesday. The attack happened at about 8:30pm on […]
US troops attacked in Iraq, Syria and on alert for more strikes
Washington DC, US Reuters US troops have been repeatedly attacked in Iraq and Syria in recent days, US officials said on Thursday, as Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups with regional tensions soaring during the Israel-Hamas war. President Joe Biden has sent naval power to the Middle East in the past […]
Brussels gunman who killed two Swedes shot dead by police
Brussels, BelgiumReuters A Tunisian gunman suspected of killing two Swedish football fans in Brussels died on Tuesday after being shot by police in a cafe, hours after an attack which Sweden’s prime minister said showed Europe must bolster security to protect itself. The 45-year-old, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed […]
Updated: Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels, Belgium raises terror alert to top level
Updated: 11:30am (AEDT)Brussels, BelgiumReuters Two Swedish nationals were shot dead and a third wounded in central Brussels on Monday night, and a man who identified himself as a member of Islamist State claimed responsibility in a video posted online. The suspected assailant fled the scene after the shooting as a football match between Belgium and […]
Iraq’s ancient sites, fragile stability spur new trickle of tourists
Baghdad, IraqReuters When Jacob Nemec’s family heard he was planning to go on holiday in Iraq, they pleaded with the 28-year-old American to reconsider. “I got a text from my grandma for the first time in five years saying – being your grandmother and to respect me – I would appreciate if you don’t go. […]
UN seeks $US1.3 billion for Nigerians affected by insurgency
Lagos, Nigeria Reuters The United Nations on Thursday appealed for $US1.3 billion to provide assistance to six million Nigerians who are suffering the impact of a long-running Islamist insurgency in the north-east of the country. The militant Boko Haram group and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have been fighting Nigerian security forces in […]
Dozens killed as jihadist groups clash in eastern Mali
Bamako, Mali Reuters Dozens of civilians have been killed and hundreds displaced over several days of heavy fighting between rival Islamist groups in Mali’s restive east, local government officials said on Thursday. Jihadists linked to Islamic State have been clashing with local al-Qaeda affiliates over territory in the regions of Gao and Menaka, where insurgents […]
UN seeks urgent support for refugees after deadly Burkina Faso attack
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, called on Friday for urgent support to some 16,000 newly displaced people who fled one of Burkina Faso’s deadliest militant attacks last weekend that left at least 100 people dead. Soldiers have recovered 86 bodies since the attack on Saturday night in the northern province of Seno, the […]