Suicide bomber, gunmen attack security post in northwest Pakistan, killing 15 security personnel

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By Associated Press | Posted by TOE A  suicide bomber backed by gunmen attacked  a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, killing 15 members of the security forces, the military said Friday. In a statement, the military said troops repelled the overnight assault in Tank, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and killed 12 militants. The military blamed the attack on the  Pakistani Taliban , known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies. There was no immediate comment from the group. According to the military, the attackers attempted to storm the checkpoint but were pushed back by security forces before ramming an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall, triggering a powerful blast that severely damaged the checkpoint. The military said those ...
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Israel declares Gaza’s largest city a combat zone and halts humanitarian pauses

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BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and JULIA FRANKEL, Associated Press

Israel’s military has suspended mid-day pauses to fighting, which had allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, saying on Friday that the city was now “a dangerous combat zone.”

The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The “tactical pauses” applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The suspension came as Israel prepared to widen its offensive in the city, days after it reported strikes in key neighborhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists.

Israel’s military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups of the impending declaration ahead of the 11:30 a.m. announcement.

Israel has in the past called Gaza City a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids.

The city also is home to some of the territory’s critical infrastructure and health facilities. The United Nations said Thursday the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.

The suspension of the pause also comes one week after the world’s leading food security authority declared Gaza City was being gripped by famine after months of warnings.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said hunger has been driven by fighting and Israel’s blockade on the majority of aid and magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production.

Norwegian Refugee Council, which coordinates a coalition of aid groups active in Gaza, said Israel’s preparation for its large-scale ground offensive has made deliveries challenging.

“We have faced unprecedented access and movement restrictions,” spokesperson Shaina Low said Friday. “Intensified military operations are going to further hinder our ability respond.”

UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said the looming offensive could further displace 1 million people, including many who were previously displaced.

“Any further escalation would deepen suffering and push more people toward catastrophe,” the agency said in a post on X.



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

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