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After conflict’s won, what happens next?
In the wake of the coordinated, well-planned savage attack mounted by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which stunned Israel on 7 October, a seething Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the total annihilation of Hamas. A “mighty vengeance” is what he promised against what he described as a “cruel enemy, worse than ISIS.” Likewise enraged by the slaughter of scores of Israelis, including over 200 revelers who were mowed down by armed paragliders and foot soldiers as they made merry at an electronic music festival outside the Re’im kibbutz, about 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers) from the wall that separates Gaza from southern Israel, Netanyahu’s words were echoed by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who declared, “We will wipe this thing called Hamas, ISIS-Gaza off the face of the earth. It will cease to exist.” Hamas didn’t spare any of the nearly 1,500 Israelis they felled —men, women, children, old people — they also took with them over 200 hostages. Within a week of the attack, Israel retaliated with an intense bombing of Central and Northern Gaza, with Israel striking over 7,000 targets, including rocket launchers, command centers, munitions factories, and leaders of Hamas. It has been nearly three weeks since the 7 October attack by Hamas, and it remains unclear if or when Israel will conduct a ground invasion of Gaza. Even as Israel continues to blast enemy targets, Western leaders and the UN are pleading for a pause to give aid a chance to get through the blockade and into Gaza and for the safe release of the hostages in Hamas’s hands. On Thursday, Israel said it had briefly sent tanks into Gaza to “prepare the battlefield ahead of the next stages of combat.” Again, on Wednesday, Netanyahu vowed Israel would exact a price for the terrorist assault, which killed over 1,400. Despite these statements by Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister to decimate Hamas to kingdom come, there is no exact clarity as to when Israel will begin its ground invasion. For sure, the challenges of a ground war are gargantuan. If or when such a ground invasion is finally mounted, what awaits the Israeli defense force will be sustained urban warfare in enemy territory in pursuit of an objective that, other than the total demolition of Hamas, leaves so many other vital matters hanging in the air. The Israelites will confront at least four critical challenges in carrying out a major ground offensive. For Council for Foreign Relations expert Max Boot, these include urban fighting, an inherently different form of warfare where buildings provide positions for defenders, and the multiplication of difficulties for Israeli combatants due to the presence of a large number of Palestinian civilians and even the hostages seized by Hamas who could be used as human shields. Then there are all the underground tunnels built by Hamas over the years, enabling them to hide from Israeli troops and emerge at unexpected moments. There, too, is the challenge of a possible second front, with the Hezbollah in Lebanon poised on Israel’s northern border. The Hezbollah has an estimated arsenal of some 150,000 missiles and rockets. So far, Hezbollah has not mounted a major assault on Israel, but analysts fear it could do so once Israeli ground forces get into Gaza. “A two-front conflict would be a nightmare for Israel,” says Boot. A third critical challenge consists of post-combat stabilization operations. Known in the US military as “Phase IV,” this is where US efforts in both Washington and Iraq foundered badly for lack of preparation. Israeli media have reported that the Israeli government has been struggling to develop a Phase IV plan of its own and, Boot points out, “no wonder because there are no good options.” If Israel simply attacks Hamas and then leaves — as it had done in the past — the terrorist group would just regenerate itself. If to prevent that from happening, a Palestinian Authority government would be established in place of Hamas, with help from Arab states, that could be an option. But if that fails, Israel may have no choice but to re-occupy Gaza — a situation that could leave Israeli soldiers vulnerable to a grinding guerrilla war of the kind they faced in Lebanon in the early 1980s all through 2000. Even as they do get into Gaza, there are many unknowns, according to Boot: how will Israel deal with the Hamas tunnel network; how skillfully will Hamas fight; will a toll on civilian lives in Gaza force Israel to suspend its offensive; will Hezbollah join the war; will this war spread across the region and draw into the fray Hamas’s biggest supporter, Iran? If Hamas is indeed physically decimated — what then should be done to stabilize Gaza after the enemy has been vanquished? Who takes over Gaza once the guns have been stilled and the smoke of war clears? What happens next? Israel’s leaders say those matters, for the moment, are not of immediate concern to them. But at a certain point, they will become unavoidable; Israel will have to grapple with complex questions and carve out a workably resolute path through the din for its continued survival. The post After conflict’s won, what happens next? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel says tank fire ‘accidentally’ hit Egyptian post
The Israeli military said Sunday that one of its tanks had "accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian post" near the border with Gaza as the army bombards the Palestinian enclave. The Egyptian military said the blast had caused "minor injuries" but did not give details. "The IDF (Israeli military) expresses sorrow regarding the incident" near the Kerem Shalom area, an army statement said. "The incident is being investigated and the details are under review," the statement added. The Egyptian army said Israel had "immediately expressed its regret over the unintentional incident and an investigation is underway". Egyptian media said the Israeli strike would not disrupt the passage of aid to Gaza, citing witnesses. Since Saturday, 37 trucks carrying vital supplies have crossed to Gaza through its Rafah border post with Egypt, which lies around three kilometers (two miles) from Israel. Crossings between Gaza and Israel have been shut since the outbreak of war on 7 October. The United Nations has estimated about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet the needs of Gaza, where more than 4,650 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas government. The bombardment follows attacks by Hamas militants which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. The post Israel says tank fire ‘accidentally’ hit Egyptian post appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ethnic cleansing fear drives Karabakh exodus
More than 13,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have arrived in Armenia Tuesday and more are leaving the breakaway territory of Azerbaijan fearing ethnic cleansing under Azeris who have taken over the enclave in a lightning offensive over the weekend. Hundreds of vehicles also were heading to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday, an Agence France-Presse team at the scene said. The flow of vehicles was continuous, with families piling their belonging on top of their cars and stopping only a few seconds at the last Azerbaijani checkpoint before entering Armenia along the so-called Lachin Corridor, AFP reporters said. Refugees were seen crowding into a humanitarian hub set up in a local theater in the city of Goris to register for transport and housing. Amid the exodus that started Sunday, officials of the separatist government in the self-proclaimed republic said a fuel depot explosion on Monday had killed 20 people. They said 13 bodies were found at the scene of a fuel depot blast and seven more people had died of their injuries. Another 290 people had been hospitalized and “dozens of patients remain in critical condition,” they added. Armenia’s health ministry said it had sent a team of doctors to the rebel stronghold of Stepanakert by helicopter. The Azerbaijani presidency said Baku had also sent medicine to help the wounded. In Brussels, envoys from Baku and Yerevan prepared to meet in the first such encounter since Azerbaijan’s swift defeat of separatist forces last week. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars in the last three decades over the majority ethnic Armenian enclave within the internationally recognized border of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s operation on 19 September to seize control of the territory forced the separatists to lay down their arms under the terms of a ceasefire agreed the following day and brokered by Russia. with AFP The post Ethnic cleansing fear drives Karabakh exodus appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’: UN rights chief
Climate change is sparking human rights emergencies in numerous countries, the UN rights chief said Monday, stressing the need to fight the impunity of those who "plunder our environment". Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council, Volker Turk pointed to recent examples of the "environmental horror that is our global planetary crisis". He described visiting Basra, Iraq, where date palms once lined canals, but now "drought, searing heat, extreme pollution and fast-depleting supplies of fresh water are creating barren landscapes of rubble and dust". "This spiraling damage is a human rights emergency for Iraq, and many other countries," he said in his address opening the 54th council session in Geneva. "Climate change is pushing millions of people into famine. It is destroying hopes, opportunities, homes and lives. In recent months, urgent warnings have become lethal realities again and again all around the world," Turk said. "We do not need more warnings. The dystopian future is already here. We need urgent action now." Turk was speaking after the G20 at the weekend failed to commit to a phase-out of fossil fuels, something he said was desperately needed. - 'Nonchalance' at migrant deaths - At a time when the ravages of climate change are forcing more and more people to leave their homes, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said he was "shocked by the nonchalance" seen towards surging numbers of migrant deaths. "It is evident that far more migrants and refugees are dying, unnoticed," he said, pointing to the more than "2,300 people reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean this year, including the loss of more than 600 lives in a single shipwreck off Greece in June." He also highlighted migrant deaths in the English Channel, the Bay of Bengal, in the Caribbean, along the US-Mexican border, and at the Saudi border, where he said his "office is seeking urgent clarification about allegations of killings and mistreatment". The UN rights chief also highlighted a wide range of other concerning situations around the world, including in Russia, Pakistan and the Palestinian territory. On China, he reiterated concerns raised in a report by his office a year ago about the situation in the far-western Xinjiang region, which cited possible crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. "As my Office highlighted a year ago, the concerns in the Xinjiang ... requires strong remedial action by the authorities," Turk said Monday, also voicing concern at "continued detention of human rights advocates". - 'Ecocide' - Turk also spoke about the situation in Lebanon, decrying a total lack of accountability for the 2020 Beirut port blast, that killed more than 220 people, urging "an international fact-finding mission to look into human rights violations related to this tragedy." And he mentioned the situation in Iran, one year after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody after her arrest for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women. Turk voiced concern at a bill that would impose harsher penalties for breaching the dress code, and "renewed deployment of the morality police." Climate change and environmental degradation played a role in a number of the rights situations he mentioned, including in Africa's Sahel region. Turk insisted on the need to "counter the impunity of people and businesses who severely plunder our environment", welcoming a proposal to recognize "ecocide" as an international crime. Amid the towering problems facing the world, Turk decried "politics of deception". "Helped by new technologies, lies and disinformation are mass-produced to sow chaos, to confuse, and ultimately to deny reality and ensure no action will be taken that could endanger the interests of entrenched elites," he said. "The most apparent case of this is climate change." nl/apo/yad © Agence France-Presse The post Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’: UN rights chief appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bomb blast kills 11 Pakistan laborers
Eleven laborers were killed when a bomb attached to their vehicle exploded in northwestern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan Saturday evening, a local government official said Sunday. Rehman Gul Khattak, senior government official for North Waziristan, said in a statement that the victims were working at an under construction post for the Pakistan army. In a post on X, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar condemned the senseless violence that Amir Muhammad Khan, a senior police official in the area, called a terrorist attack. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing but militants are suspected. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan’s home-grown Taliban group, Tehreek's e-Taliban Pakistan, has waged a growing campaign against security officials, including police officers. The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil — a charge Kabul denies. WITH AFP The post Bomb blast kills 11 Pakistan laborers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
11 laborers killed in bomb attack in Pakistan
Eleven laborers were killed in a bomb blast in northwestern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan, a local government official said Sunday. The device exploded after being attached to the vehicle they were traveling in on Saturday evening, Rehman Gul Khattak, a senior government official for North Waziristan, said in a statement. "The laborers were working at an under-construction post for the Pakistan army," Khattack said. Amir Muhammad Khan, a senior police official in the area, confirmed the bomb blast and the number of casualties to AFP. “Heartbreaking to know about the terrorist attack in North Waziristan which claimed the lives of 11 innocent laborers. Strongly condemn this senseless act of violence and stand in solidarity with the families affected," caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post 11 laborers killed in bomb attack in Pakistan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Suicide bomber attacks political gathering, kills 44
A suspected suicide bomber attacked a political rally in northwesst Pakistan on Sunday killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 100 others. “There was utter confusion, with human flesh, limbs, and body parts scattered throughout the area, alongside lifeless bodies,” witness Abdullah Khan said after the attack on 400 supporters of the the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F party in the town of Khar, near the Afghan border. “I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh,” Sabeeh Ullah, a 24-year-old party supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast, said. Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances. Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakht unkhwa province — told Agence France-Presse late Sunday that the bomber detonated himself in close proximity to the stage. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast Sunday on social media, offering condolences to the victims and vowing to punish those responsible. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said Monday their initial investigation suggested that the local chapter of the Islamic State was behind the bombing, according to Geo News. District Police Officer Nazir Khan said three suspects had been arrested, Geo News reported. The JUI-F is a major ally of the coalition government of Sharif, which is preparing for the November national elections. Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military. WITH AFP The post Suicide bomber attacks political gathering, kills 44 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Monday for a suicide bomb blast in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children, at a political party gathering ahead of elections due later this year. The blast has raised fears Pakistan could be in for a bloody election period following months of political chaos prompted by the ousting of Imran Khan as prime minister in April last year. Around 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party -- a key government coalition partner led by a firebrand cleric -- were waiting Sunday for speeches to begin when a bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings near the front stage. "I was confronted with a devastating sight -- lifeless bodies scattered on the ground while people cried out for help," Fazal Aman, who was near the tent when the bomb went off, told AFP. Shaukat Abbas, a senior official with the counter-terrorism department (CTD) told AFP that 54 people had been killed, including 23 under the age of 18. On Monday the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. "A suicide attacker from the Islamic State... detonated his explosive jacket in the middle of a crowd" in Khar, the jihadist group's news arm Amaq said in a statement Monday. The attack occurred in the town of Khar in the northwestern Bajaur district, just 45 kilometers from the Afghan border, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Parliament is likely to be dissolved after it completes its term in the next two weeks, with national elections to be held by mid-November or earlier. The local chapter of the jihadist Islamic State group has in the past targeted JUI-F rallies and leaders. Shattered family On Monday, blood-stained shoes and prayer caps littered the site, along with ball bearings and steel bolts from the suicide vest. Pieces of human flesh could still be seen, blasted 30 meters (100 feet) from the stage where the bomber detonated his device. Thousands of mourners attended the first funeral ceremonies, including for two young cousins aged 16 and 17. "It was not easy for us to lift two coffins. This tragedy has shattered our family," said Najib Ullah, the brother of one of the boys. "Our women are profoundly shocked and devastated. When I see the mothers of the victims, I find myself losing my own courage." JUI-F's leader, cleric Fazl-ur-Rehman, started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner, and while his party continues to advocate for socially conservative policies, he has more recently forged alliances with secular rivals. He has operated in the past as a facilitator for talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a rival of the jihadist Islamic State group. Last year, IS said it was behind attacks against religious scholars affiliated with JUI-F, which has a huge network of mosques and schools in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses the JUI-F of hypocrisy for being a religious party while supporting secular governments and the military. JUI-F officials hit out at the government for failing to provide security in areas where militants operate. "The state has not fulfilled its responsibilities. I think the state has failed regardless of who is in power," said Shams uz Zaman, deputy general secretary of its Bajaur branch. "For God's sake take notice of the situation." While Rehman's party never musters more than a dozen or so seats in parliament, they can be crucial in any coalition and his ability to mobilize tens of thousands of religious school students allows him to punch above his weight. "It is important to consider why workers of a religious inclined political party could have been subjected to such bestial violence," Dawn newspaper said in an editorial Monday. "However ultra-conservative the JUI-F's worldview, the party has chosen to contest power and operate within the parameters set by the Constitution of Pakistan." A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the blast was "an attempt to weaken democracy". Rise in attacks Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. In January, a suicide bomber linked to Pakistan's Taliban blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers. The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil -- a charge Kabul denies. Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban. The blast coincides with a visit to the country by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who arrived in the capital Sunday evening. The post Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nine killed in Thai firework warehouse blast
A powerful explosion ripped through a firework warehouse in Thailand on Saturday, killing nine people and injuring more than 100, a senior official said, as several nearby homes were leveled or damaged. The blast in the town of Sungai Kolok in the southern province of Narathiwat is thought to have been caused by welding during construction work on the building. "A warehouse storing firecrackers in Sungai Kolok exploded this afternoon, the latest number is nine dead and 115 injured," Narathiwat governor Sanan Pongaksorn told AFP. "The fire is now under control. Preliminary investigation suggests the cause is a technical error during the steel welding process, as the building is under construction." Footage on local media showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the air and numerous shops, homes, and vehicles badly damaged by the force of the blast -- some ablaze and some with their roofs blown off. AFP photos from the scene show the warehouse reduced to rubble and twisted metal. Broadcaster Thai PBS reported that as many as 500 houses were damaged by the explosion in the border town on the frontier with Malaysia. "I was playing with my phone inside the house then suddenly I heard a loud, thunderous noise and my whole house shook," eyewitness Seksan Taesen, who lives 100 meters (110 yards) away from the warehouse, told AFP. "Then I saw my roof was wide open. I looked outside and I saw houses collapsing and people lying on the ground everywhere. It was chaos." A video shot by Seksan showed a scene of turmoil at a local market, with dazed locals wandering around and emergency services rushing to help. Broken glass, roof tiles, and other debris litter the ground. Thailand has a poor safety record in the construction sector and deadly accidents are common. Last month two people were killed when a bridge under construction in Bangkok collapsed into traffic. The post Nine killed in Thai firework warehouse blast appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Blast rocks Russian city as fighter jet loses ammunition
Russia said one of its fighter jets lost ammunition over Belgorod near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, after local authorities reported a blast that injured two people and left a huge crater in the city. Russian jets have regularly flown sorties over Belgorod since the launch of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. On Thursday evening, local officials reported a massive explosion in Belgorod, saying the blast had left a crater in the city centre and injured two women. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the region of Belgorod, said the blast had sent a shock wave that damaged four apartments and four cars and downed power line poles. "An explosion took place," Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that investigators and representatives of the emergencies ministry were at the scene. He said that as a result of the explosion, a "huge" crater some 20 meters wide (65 feet) had appeared in the city center. Gladkov and Belgorod's mayor, Valentin Demidov, posted pictures of damage on social media. One picture showed grim-looking locals huddling outside an apartment building, with one woman holding a small dog, and a fire engine nearby. Other images showed apartment interiors wrecked by the blast. Local authorities did not say what caused the blast, but the Russian defense ministry released a statement saying a fighter aircraft had lost ammunition over Belgorod. "During the flight of the Su-34 aircraft of the aerospace forces over the city of Belgorod, an abnormal descent of aviation ammunition has occurred," the ministry said. The statement carried by Russian news agencies added that the incident had taken place at 22:15 local time. Citing preliminary information, Gladkov said one woman was hospitalized with a head injury, while another woman was treated at the scene. Demidov said residents of the damaged buildings would be temporarily moved to hotels. The region of Belgorod has been repeatedly shelled since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. In January, Gladkov told Putin that 25 people had been killed and more than 90 injured in the region since the start of the offensive. In October 2022, an SU-34 jet crashed into a residential building in the southern city of Yeysk, also near the border with Ukraine, killing 16 people, including several children. The post Blast rocks Russian city as fighter jet loses ammunition appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
10 hurt in Lebanon gas depot blast
At least 10 people were injured Sunday when an explosion rocked a warehouse storing gas canisters near Lebanon's border with Syria, the Lebanese Red Cross and the army said......»»
Army troops kill BIFF training officer in Maguindanao clash
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 25 March) – Philippine Army troops killed an alleged ranking member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) during an encounter in Maguindanao del Sur last Friday. Brig. General Jose Vlademir Cagara, commander of the Army’s 1st Brigade Combat team, said troops killed Abu Halil, a training officer of the […].....»»
Lebanon s displaced celebrate Ramadan amid fears that border conflict might become the new normal
Lebanon s displaced celebrate Ramadan amid fears that border conflict might become the new normal.....»»
Nesthy leaves fate to God
Kapit kay Lord” was what Nesthy Petecio said when asked if she felt pressure heading to her make-or-break bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics against Turkey’s Esra Yildiz in Busto Arsizio, Italy, last week......»»
Mt. Apo closed from Mar 20-30
Mount Apo, located at the border of Davao del Sur, North Cotabato and Davao City, is temporarily closed to the public.....»»
BI nabs fake Interpol agent at NAIA
A female trafficking victim pretending to be an Interpol agent was nabbed by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the departure area of the NAIA Terminal 3. In his report to BI chief Norman Tansingco, immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) Bienvenido Castillo III said the 34-year-old victim was intercepted while departing last March […].....»»
Xinhua world news summary at 0830 GMT, March 10
ISLAMABAD -- Two people were killed and another injured on Sunday morning in a blast near a market in Pakistan's northwest Peshawar city, rescue service reported. The blast took place early in the morning on Nasir Bagh road near Board Bazaar, a local market in Peshawar, the capital city of the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, resulting in casualties, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, public relations offic.....»»
Xinhua world news summary at 0830 GMT, March 10
ISLAMABAD -- Two people were killed and another injured on Sunday morning in a blast near a market in Pakistan's northwest Peshawar city, rescue service reported. The blast took place early in the morning on Nasir Bagh road near Board Bazaar, a local market in Peshawar, the capital city of the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, resulting in casualties, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, public relations offic.....»»
ASEAN cross-border remittance service to go live by 2026 – BSP
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas along with other central banks in the region aims to operationalize multilateral cross-border fund transfers by July 2026......»»
Palestinians fleeing Gaza for Egypt pay thousands to broker
Cross-Border Fleeing from Gaza Becoming More Difficult With rising death toll and the threat of a ground operation by Israel, escaping from Gaza has become.....»»