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

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 ...

Burkina Faso’s junta dissolves all of country’s political parties, saying they cause divisions

 Burkina Faso’s military junta has dissolved all the political parties in the country and scrapped the laws governing them, according to a decree approved by the government on Thursday.

The dissolution of political parties and similar groups follows similar measures that activists say have targeted civic freedom and the opposition since military authorities took power in a 2022 coup.

Activities by political parties have long been suspended in the country under the junta. The new decree requires the assets of the parties to be transferred to the state, the government-run news agency said.

Minister of Territorial Administration Emile Zerbo said the dissolution comes after authorities found that the parties have deviated from the guidelines establishing them.

“The government believes that the proliferation of political parties has led to excesses, fostering division among citizens and weakening the social fabric,” he said after Thursday’s Council of Ministers meeting where the measure was approved.

Draft laws that will guide the establishment of future political parties and groups will be submitted to the legislature “as soon as possible,” the minister said.

Burkina Faso is among a growing number of countries in West and Central Africa that have been hit by a surge in coups and delays to the return of democratic rule.

Since taking power in a 2022 coup, its military leaders have launched sweeping reforms, including postponing elections that were expected to restore civilian rule and dissolving the country’s independent electoral commission.

SOURCE: AP



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/XW24PKp

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