Greek firefighters battle wildfire on island of Crete

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By DEREK GATOPOULOS AP A rapidly spreading wildfire on the  Greek island of Crete  triggered early Thursday evacuations of hotels and homes as it bore down on coastal areas. Authorities said evacuations were ordered at three sites outside the port of Ierapetra on the island’s south coast. Homes were reported damaged as flames swept through hillside forests, fanned by strong winds. “It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press. “The tourists who were moved out are all okay. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island,” he said. Authorities said more than 1,500 people so far had been moved out of homes and hotels, with the number expected to increase overnight. The Fire Service and a civil protection agency issued localized mobile phone alerts for the evacuations and app...
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Mali’s army says 80 militants killed after coordinated attacks on its posts

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Mali’s armed forces have killed 80 militants in response to a series of simultaneous and coordinated attacks on military posts across the country, according to a video statement released by the army on Tuesday.

“The enemy suffered significant losses in every location where they engaged with the security and defense forces,” Souleymane Dembele, the army’s spokesperson, said in a special bulletin broadcast on the armed forces’ television channel, as visuals of fallen insurgents, their weapons, motorbikes, and vehicles were displayed.

Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) earlier claimed responsibility for “coordinated and high-quality attacks,” saying it had taken control of over three barracks and dozens of military positions.

Mali’s armed forces said the attacks took place in seven towns in the central and western regions of the West African country.

The incidents bore the hallmarks of other recent operations by the militants, who have conducted similar assaults on military positions in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Mali, governed by a military junta since 2020, has for more than a decade fought insurgent groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda, while contending with a longer history of Tuareg-led rebellions in the north.

Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) earlier claimed responsibility for “coordinated and high-quality attacks,” saying it had taken control of over three barracks and dozens of military positions.

Mali’s armed forces said the attacks took place in seven towns in the central and western regions of the West African country.

The incidents bore the hallmarks of other recent operations by the militants, who have conducted similar assaults on military positions in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Mali, governed by a military junta since 2020, has for more than a decade fought insurgent groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda, while contending with a longer history of Tuareg-led rebellions in the north.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/SyfE3D6

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