At least 44 killed in twin bombing in Baghdad, Iraq
Swap deadline passes with no word from ISIS on Japanese journalist, Jordanian pilot; Sissi cuts short Ethiopia visit after deadly Sinai attack.
11:55 A.M. At least 44 killed in twin bombing in Baghdad, Iraq
A twin bombing targeting a market in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Friday killed at least 44 people, Iraqi media reported.
Around 70 were wounded in the back-to-back bomb explosions in the market of al-Bab al-Sharqi district in central Baghdad, independent Iraqi broadcaster Sumaria News said, citing an unnamed police official.
The victims included security personnel who were in the market that sells used military outfits, according to the official.
No one has claimed responsibility.
The attack comes as Iraqi government troops, backed by a US-led coalition, are battling the militant Islamic State group, which controls swathes of Iraq. (DPA)
10:22 A.M. Sissi cuts short Ethiopia visit after deadly Sinai attack
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi cut short a visit to the Ethiopian capital for an African Union summit, following a wave of deadly attacks on Thursday night in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula claimed by Islamic State's Egypt wing.
Sissi's office said in a statement emailed on Friday morning that Sisi was heading back to Cairo to follow the situation. At least 26 security personnel were killed late on Thursday in four separate attacks in North Sinai, in some of the worst anti-government violence in months. (Reuters)
8:57 A.M. Prisoner swap deadline passes with no word from ISIS on Japanese journalist, Jordanian pilot
Families of a Japanese journalist and Jordanian military pilot remained in limbo Friday, a day after the latest purported deadline for a possible prisoner swap passed with no further word from the Islamic State group holding them captive.
Japanese officials had no progress to report after a late night that ended with the Jordanian government saying it would only release an Al-Qaida prisoner from death row if it got proof the airman was alive.
"There is nothing I can tell you," government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. He reiterated Japan's "strong trust" in the Jordanians to help save the Japanese hostage, freelance journalist Kenji Goto.
Suga said the government had been in close contact with Goto's wife, Rinko Jogo, who released a statement overnight pleading for her husband's life.
"I fear that this is the last chance for my husband, and we now have only a few hours left," Jogo said in a statement released through the Rory Peck Trust, a London-based organization for freelance journalists.
An audio message purportedly posted online by jihadis said the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, would be killed if Sajida al-Rishawi, the Al-Qaida prisoner, was not delivered to the Turkish border by sunset on Thursday, Iraq time. It was not clear from the recording what would happen to Goto if the Iraqi woman was not returned by the deadline.
The authenticity of the recording could not be verified independently by the AP. But the possibility of a swap was raised Wednesday when Jordan said it was willing to trade al-Rishawi for the pilot. (AP)
5:57 A.M. U.S.-led airstrikes hit 6 Islamic State targets in Syria, 12 in Iraq
The United States and coalition partners launched six airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, and 12 more in Iraq as they kept up pressure on the insurgent group, the U.S. military said on Thursday.
Among the strikes, which occurred between 8 A.M. local time Wednesday and 8 A.M. on Thursday, were five near Kobani, striking an Islamic State fighting position, three tactical units and a large unit, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.
The Pentagon said this week the militants had been driven out of 90 percent of Kobani, a city near the border with Turkey where fighting has raged for four months.
The airstrikes in Iraq, where Islamic State has captured a swath of territory, hit near Al Asad, Ar Rutbah, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, hitting targets including Islamic State tactical units, buildings, vehicles and a weapons storage facility, the task force said. (Reuters)
Comments