Deadly Iran protests continue as Trump renews intervention threat

By JON GAMBRELL AP The death toll in violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said Tuesday, as the demonstrations showed no signs of stopping. The figure came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week. It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached over 250 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces, The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. A wave of protests sparked by Iran’s failing economy has continued for a ninth day, as President Donald Trump renewed his threat of US intervention. Trump warned on Sunday night that Iranian authorities would be “hit very hard” if more protesters died. “We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they ...

Mogadishu suicide bomber kills at least 10 at army recruitment drive

At least 10 people were killed on Sunday after a suicide bomber targeted a queue of young recruits registering at the Damanyo military base in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses told Reuters, in an attack claimed by militant group al Shabaab.

Teenagers were lining up at the base’s gate when the attacker detonated their explosives, they said.

A military captain who gave his name as Suleiman described the attack as he had seen it unfold.

“I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise,” he said.

Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber were visible at the scene.

Another witness, Abdisalan Mohamed, said he had seen “hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus”.

“Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties,” he said.

Medical staff at the military hospital told Reuters they had received 30 injured people from the blast and that six of them had died immediately.

Government forces quickly cordoned off the entire area.

In a statement on Sunday Islamist militant group al Shabaab said it was behind the attack and that it had killed as many as 30 soldiers and wounded 50 more. Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2007, and has recently been battling the army to extend gains in central Somalia.

The attack echoed a similar incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite the Damanyo facility.

Sunday’s attack followed the assassination on Saturday of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region, after local reports of al Shabaab militant infiltration into government and security forces.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/tW51LsN

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