Category: Middle East

At Least 20 Dead in Central Afghanistan Floods

KABUL—At least 20 people have been killed in flash floods in central Afghanistan over the last 48 hours, a disaster management official said on Monday, with heavy rain destroying thousands of homes and damaging agricultural land. The country has been reeling from natural disasters this year, including a drought and a massive earthquake that killed…


Turkey: Crashes at Emergency Sites Kill at Least 35 People

ISTANBUL—Turkish authorities on Sunday investigated a pair of secondary crashes at emergency sites that killed at least 35 people the previous day. In both cases, first responders tending to earlier collisions were among the dead. Saturday’s tragedies happened just 250 kilometers (155 miles) apart in southern Turkey. The first happened on the highway between Gaziantep…


Turkey, Israel to Swap Ambassadors Amid Regional Normalization Drive

ANKARA – Turkey and Israel this week announced plans to exchange ambassadors after four years of downgraded diplomatic relations. The move will effectively normalize ties, despite ongoing differences between the two countries over the issue of Palestine and the blockaded Gaza Strip. According to Turkish political analyst Oytun Orhan, the move is part of a…


Market Blast in North Syria Kills 15 People, Wounds Dozens

BEIRUT—A rocket attack on a crowded market in a town held by Turkey-backed opposition fighters in northern Syria killed 15 people on Friday and wounded dozens, an opposition war monitor and a paramedic group said. The attack on the town of al-Bab came days after a Turkish airstrike killed at least 11 Syrian troops and…


Bus Collision at Accident Site Leaves 15 Dead in Turkey

ISTANBUL—A passenger bus collided Saturday with emergency teams handling an earlier road accident in southern Turkey, leaving at least 15 people dead and nearly two dozen injured, officials said. Three firefighters, two paramedics, and two journalists were among those killed on the highway between Gaziantep and Nizip, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu wrote on Twitter. The…


ISIS ‘Beatle’ Gets Life in Prison Over Killing of American Hostages

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A U.S. federal judge on Friday sentenced a member of an ISIS terrorist cell known as “The Beatles” to life in prison for involvement in a hostage-taking plot that led to the killings of American journalists and aid workers in Syria. Families and friends of the four Americans killed looked on as District Court…


ISIS ‘Beatle’ Who Beheaded Americans Sentenced to Life in Prison

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A U.S. federal judge on Friday sentenced a member of an ISIS terrorist cell known as “The Beatles” to life in prison for involvement in a hostage-taking plot that led to the killings of American journalists and aid workers in Syria. Families and friends of the four Americans killed and of other hostages previously…


Turkey Shocks Markets by Slashing Rates Despite Soaring Inflation, Currency Tumbles

The Turkish central bank is plowing ahead with more cuts to the national interest rate, even as the inflation of the Turkish lira continues to accelerate to unforeseen levels. On Thursday, Turkey shocked markets when it announced a new interest rate cut that would reduce the benchmark to only 13 percent, after seven months in…


Huge Explosion Hits Kabul Mosque, at Least 21 Dead

KABUL—A blast that tore through a Kabul mosque during evening prayers on Wednesday killed 21 people, Kabul police said on Thursday, as the United Nations expressed concern over a growing number of civilian casualties from explosions. Police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said that another 33 people had been injured in the blast, which witnesses told Reuters…


Syria Denies It Is Holding American Journalist Austin Tice

DAMASCUS, Syria—Syria denied on Wednesday it is holding U.S. journalist Austin Tice or other Americans after President Joe Biden accused the Syrian government of detaining him. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Damascus “denies it had kidnapped or is holding any American citizen on its territories.” “The U.S. issued last week misleading…