![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]() by AFP Staff Writers Berlin (AFP) April 16, 2021
France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States condemned attacks this week in Iraqi Kurdistan "in the strongest terms" in a joint statement on Friday. "Together, our governments will support the government of Iraq's investigation into the attacks to ensure that those responsible will be held accountable," they said. The Western powers said they were "united" in the view "that attacks on US and Coalition personnel and facilities will not be tolerated and reiterate our steadfast commitment to the fight against ISIS". An attack on Wednesday on an airport in Arbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, was carried out by drone, according to the Kurdish interior ministry, in an unprecedented escalation of the arms used to target US soldiers based there. No one was hurt in the blast but a building was damaged. A Turkish soldier was killed by rocket fire at around the same time at a military base 50 kilometres (30 miles) east in Bashiqa, Ankara said, but there was no immediate confirmation of any link between the two attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the airport drone attack. But a shadowy pro-Iranian group calling itself Awliyaa al-Dam (Guardians of Blood), which claimed responsibility for a similar attack at the airport in February, hailed the blast in pro-Tehran channels on the messaging app Telegram. Around 20 bomb or rocket attacks have targeted bases housing US soldiers or diplomats in Iraq since President Joe Biden took office at the end of January. Dozens more took place over the preceding 18 months, with Washington consistently blaming pro-Iran factions. Washington and Tehran are both allies of Baghdad, but remain sharply at odds over Iran's nuclear programme. Pro-Iran groups have been ratcheting up their rhetoric, vowing to ramp up attacks to force out the "occupying" US forces, over a year after the Iraqi parliament voted to expel the American troops. Washington last week committed to withdrawing all remaining combat forces from Iraq, although the two countries did not set a timeline for what would be the second withdrawal since the 2003 invasion.
![]() ![]() Armenia says wants more Russian troops on its soil, Turkish soldier killed by rocket fire in Iraq Yerevan (AFP) April 14, 2021 Armenia said Wednesday it will seek to expand the presence of Russian troops on its soil in a move that would further strengthen Moscow's role as the tiny Caucasus country's security guarantor. Russia helped broker a peace deal between Armenia and its arch-foe Azerbaijan in November which ended six weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that claimed the lives of some 6,000 people. Under the deal, Armenia ceded swathes of territories to Azerbaijan in the disputed enclave as w ... read more
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |