International Snippet
Two suspects linked to Bamako hotel attack arrested
Two people suspected of having links to the Bamako hotel attack on November 20 have been arrested in Mali, the country’s security ministry said.“There are two suspects arrested,” said Amadou Sangho, a spokesman for the ministry.The attack on the hotel in Mali’s capital claimed the lives of 20 people including French and Russian citizens as well as other foreigners.Italy seizes 800 shotguns bound for Belgium
Italian police seized almost 800 shotguns bound for Belgium from Turkey on a truck that arrived in the northeastern port of Trieste, Reuters reported. Customs rules had not been violated, but the Turkish truck driver did not have the licenses needed to transport the 781 Winchester SXP shotguns, the finance police, who are often in charge of port security, said on Thursday. Pump-action Winchester SXP rifles are made for hunting, but police said they had “substantially” increased their border inspections in the wake of the Paris attacks and subsequent alert in Belgium. “Given the delicate nature of the cargo, its origin and its destination, the documentation regarding the rifles was immediately examined,” according to the statement.Germany to send Tornado jets to Syria
Germany will deploy Tornado reconnaissance jets to support France in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants in Syria, a senior lawmaker for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives confirmed on Thursday.“Germany will be a more active contributor than it has been until now,” Reuters quoted Henning Otte, defense expert for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) as saying on Thursday. “Not only will we bolster our training mission in northern Iraq but we will, among other things, make a contribution to the fight against IS terror with Tornado reconnaissance jets.” Germany is also considering sending a frigate and refueling planes as part of the Syria mission, according to coalition sources.Afghan President Ghani sacks security officials over fall of Kunduz
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday dismissed national security agency officials who he said had neglected their duty to defend the northern city of Kunduz. Taliban militants briefly captured the city in September. “Even though there were many Afghan troops in Kunduz, we failed,” Reuters quoted Ghani as saying in the city, an important trade gateway to Central Asia. He said the National Directorate of Security, the intelligence agency, had not been successful. “I have issued an order to dismiss all NDS personnel who neglected their duties,” he said. The agency’s provincial chief was among those dismissed. Afghan forces wrested back control of the city after days of fighting in which a US air strike destroyed a hospital run by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) aid group, killing 30 people.Iraq cuts ‘last ISIS supply line’ into Ramadi, retakes Palestine Bridge
Iraqi forces have cut the last supply line of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) into the western city of Ramadi by seizing a key bridge, Reuters reported, citing officials. The government forces have effectively surrounded the city after capturing Palestine Bridge, straddling the Euphrates River in northwestern Ramadi. They will now move to clear the city of the Sunni militants one neighborhood at a time, the officials and a military officer said Thursday. The capital of Anbar province, Ramadi fell to IS in May, dealing the biggest blow in nearly a year to government forces.
RT news
