World

US special forces hunted down high-ranking jihadists in a rare airborne raid in northwestern Syria on Thursday, killing 13 people in an operation the Pentagon described as “successful”.

The operation was thought to be the biggest of its kind by US forces in the jihadist-controlled Idlib region since the 2019 raid that killed Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The targets of the latest operation around the town of Atme, which residents and other sources said lasted around two hours, were not immediately clear.

Names circulating on social media and among local residents suggested the US raid was not aimed at IS operatives but at members of rival jihadist group Al-Qaeda.

The Pentagon stopped short of revealing its target in the nighttime raid but said more information would be provided later.

“US Special Operations forces under the control of US Central Command conducted a counterterrorism mission this evening in northwest Syria,” spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

“The mission was successful. There were no US casualties,” he added, without elaborating.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven civilians were among at least 13 people killed in the operation, which saw elite US forces make a perilous helicopter landing near Atme.

“13 people at least were killed, among them four children and three women, during the operation,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

AFP correspondents were able to visit a home on the outskirts of Atme which appeared to be one of the main targets of the US special forces.

– Fierce battle –

The two-storey building of raw cinder blocks bore the scars of an intense battle, with torn window frames, charred ceilings and a partly collapsed roof.

In some of the rooms, blood was splattered high on the walls and stained the floor, littered with foam mattresses and shards from smashed doors.

US special forces have carried out several operations against high-value jihadist targets in the Idlib area in recent months.

The area, the last enclave to actively oppose the government of Bashar al-Assad, is home to more than three million people and is dominated by jihadists.

The region is mostly administered by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group led by former members of what was once Al-Qaeda’s franchise in Syria.

In recent years, it has tried to cast itself as a more moderate player focused only on Syrian matters and condemning international terrorism.

HTS has carried out military sweep operations to weed out more radical jihadist groups, such as Hurras al-Deen, which has more organic links with Al-Qaeda.

Atme is home to a huge camp for families displaced by the decade-old conflict and which experts have warned was being used by jihadists as a place to hide among civilians.

On October 23, the US military announced the killing of senior Al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid Al-Matar.

“Al-Qaeda uses Syria as a safe haven to rebuild, coordinate with external affiliates, and plan external operations,” said Central Command spokesman Army Major John Rigsbee in a statement at the time.

Syrian government forces and their main military backer Russia have carried out repeated attacks against jihadist and rebel groups in the Idlib region.

However a ceasefire deal which was brokered by Moscow and Ankara, the two main foreign powers in the area, almost two years ago is still officially in place.

Assad has long insisted his goal was to recapture the whole of Syria, including Idlib province, but the contours of the jihadist-run enclave have remained largely unchanged since early 2020.

Skeleton racer Kim Meylemans said Thursday she was “safe” and back in the Beijing Olympic Village having been released from a Covid isolation facility following a tearful post on Instagram.

“It seems like the video and the efforts of my Olympic committee have really paid off,” the 25-year-old Belgian said in a video message.

“At 11.35pm there was a knock on my door and I was escorted to the Olympic Village.

“I am now in a wing that’s just isolation, but at least I am back in the village. I feel safe.

“I will be able to train a little better here, thank you all,” said Meylemans, who is due to race next week in the skeleton heats but tested positive for Covid after arriving in Beijing.

She was quickly moved from the Olympic Village, in the mountains north of the Chinese capital, and kept in an isolation facility, from where she was transferred after a few days following several negative test results.

However, rather than return to the athletes’ village as she had hoped, Chinese officials initially moved Meylemans by ambulance to another isolation centre.

In an emotional video posted Wednesday on Instagram, the Belgian vented her frustrations, saying, “This is obviously very hard for me,” with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Following her plea, Meylemans is now back in the village, but remains in isolation.

The Belgian Olympic Committee says she will be “closely monitored” over the next seven days.

She “will still be able to train on the track, but in isolation. In the village, she will be isolated in a separate room and will be tested twice a day during this period.”

Meylemans could still compete at her second Winter Olympics with the women’s skeleton heats starting February 11 at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre.

The International Olympic Committee said they were relieved to hear she is back in the Olympic Village.

“We are glad that all the efforts led to the successful resolution of this situation,” IOC spokesman Christian Klaue wrote on Twitter.

Myanmar’s junta suffered a fresh diplomatic blow Thursday as regional bloc ASEAN barred its top diplomat from attending an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers.

Cambodia, which currently holds the bloc’s rotating chairmanship, said there had been too little progress on a “five-point consensus” agreed by leaders last year to try to defuse the crisis gripping Myanmar.

The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government a year ago, with more than 1,500 civilians since killed in crackdowns on anti-junta protests, according to a local monitoring group.

“Since there has been little progress in carrying out ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, the ASEAN member states did not reach a consensus to invite Myanmar SAC’s foreign minister [Wunna Maung Lwin] to participate in the upcoming foreign ministers’ retreat,” Cambodia foreign ministry spokesman Chum Sounry told AFP. 

Myanmar’s military government calls itself the State Administration Council, or SAC.

“We have asked Myanmar to send a non-political representative instead,” Chum Sounry said.

The snub comes after the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took the unprecedented step of barring junta leader Min Aung Hlaing from a summit in October.

It represented a rare rebuke from ASEAN, long seen as a toothless talking shop, but which has sought to lead diplomatic efforts to tackle the Myanmar crisis.

Myanmar is increasingly isolated on the international stage, with Cambodian strongman ruler Hun Sen’s January visit the first by any foreign leader since the generals seized power.

But violence has continued, with anti-junta groups clashing regularly with the military, and the World Bank has warned Myanmar’s economy likely contracted by almost a fifth last year.

In a statement on Wednesday, ASEAN called for an immediate end to violence and for its special envoy to be allowed to visit the country soon.

The Taliban are inching closer towards international recognition but any concessions Afghanistan’s new rulers make will be on their terms, the regime’s foreign minister said in an interview with AFP.

In his first interview since returning from talks with Western powers in Oslo, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also urged Washington to unlock Afghanistan’s assets to help ease a humanitarian crisis.

No country has formally recognised the government installed after the Taliban seized power in August as US-led forces withdrew following a 20-year occupation.

But Muttaqi told AFP late Wednesday that Afghanistan’s new rulers were slowly gaining international acceptance.

“On the process of getting recognition… we have come closer to that goal,” he said.

“That is our right, the right of the Afghans. We will continue our political struggle and efforts until we get our right.” 

The talks in Norway last month were the first involving the Taliban held on Western soil in decades.

While Norway insisted the meeting was not intended to give the hardline Islamist group formal recognition, the Taliban have touted it as such.

Muttaqi said his government was actively engaged with the international community — a clear indication, he insisted, of growing acceptance.

“The international community wants to have interaction with us,” he said. “We have had good achievements in that.”

– Under pressure –

Muttaqi said several countries were operating embassies in Kabul, with more expected to open soon.

“We expect that the embassies of some of the European and Arab countries will open too,” he said. 

But Muttaqi said any concessions the Taliban made in areas such as human rights would be on their terms and not as a result of international pressure.

“What we are doing in our country is not because we have to meet conditions, nor are we doing it under someone’s pressure,” he said.

“We are doing it as per our plan and policy.”

The Taliban have promised a softer version of the harsh Islamic rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 until 2001.

But the new regime has been swift to bar women from most government jobs and close the majority of girls’ secondary schools.

Still, despite clear evidence to the contrary, Muttaqi insisted the new regime had not sacked any employees of the previous US-backed government.

“None of the 500,000 employees of the previous regime, men or women, have been fired. They all are getting paid,” he said.

But on the streets of Kabul and elsewhere in the country, thousands of people say they have lost their jobs or that they have not been paid for months.

– Conditional aid –

Long dependent on international aid, Afghanistan’s economic crisis has been made worse by Washington freezing nearly $10 billion in state assets held abroad.

With poverty deepening and a drought devastating farming in many areas, the United Nations has warned that half of the country’s 38 million population faces food shortages this winter.

Washington and much of the global community insist any financial aid is conditional on the Taliban improving their rights record — especially regarding women.

The militants have forcefully dispersed women’s protests, detained critics and beaten Afghan journalists reporting on anti-regime rallies — something Muttaqi also denied.

“Until now we have not arrested anyone who is against the ideology of this system or this government, and we have not harmed anyone,” he said.

Still, the United Nations and Amnesty International blamed the Taliban for detaining, then releasing, two Afghan journalists snatched from outside their office this week.

Two women activists have also been missing since protesting in Kabul two weeks ago.

The Taliban have denied knowledge of their whereabouts and say they are investigating.

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At least twelve people were injured on the French Indian Ocean territory of La Reunion Thursday as tropical cyclone Batsirai skirted the island, hitting it with torrential rains and powerful winds and leaving all residents confined to their homes.

The island was placed on red alert on Wednesday, forcing its 860,000 inhabitants to barricade themselves indoors, with the eye of the intense cyclone expected to pass nearly 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the coast early Thursday.

“The worst is not over,” said La Reunion’s Prefect Jacques Billant, warning the island will be hit with heavy rainfall as the storm bears down.

Of the injured, 10 “had carbon monoxide poisoning”, a firefighter was “electrified” attending a roof fire and another was injured after “a fall from a roof”, he told a press conference.

The Meteo-France weather agency confirmed to AFP Thursday the cyclone remained on course to pass around 180 kilometres off La Reunion’s coast, but was to hit later than expected “during the morning” Thursday as it had slowed overnight.

The warning came after Batsirai left thousands of homes without power in Mauritius to the east Wednesday, but passed over the island without inflicting major damage despite cyclone winds bringing life to a standstill.

The cyclone passed within 130 kilometres (80 miles) of the popular holiday destination, bringing heavy downpours and winds of 120 kilometres per hour before it moved on with La Reunion in its sights.

At 6:30 am (0230 GMT), the storm remained an “intense tropical cyclone” as it approached La Reunion, located around 200 kilometres from the island and moving at nine kilometres per hour, the prefecture of La Reunion said.

The red alert — the third degree of four in the scale of hurricane alerts — for the island “remains in full force”, it said.

It left the island’s airport closed, shops shuttered and major roads shut for residents as they hunkered down and waited for the cyclone to pass.

– Heavy rain ‘to come’ –

Batsirai remains “very concentrated” but will release significant amounts of rain with the weather set to deteriorate even though the night had passed “relatively well”, Meteo-France said.

“The bulk of the precipitation is still to come because it is at the rear” of Batsirai’s formation, it said.

Strong winds of up to 150 kmh have been reported on the island, according to the agency, compared to intense gusts of 260 kmh at sea.

Heavy rain has hit the island since midday Wednesday, with the majority falling to the south, including a metre within 24 hours in the uninhabited region of Piton de la Fournaise, Meteo-France said.

The island is regularly threatened by tropical cyclones. One caused heavy flooding in 2018, while the last devastating cyclone to hit the island came in 2007, killing two people and causing extensive damage. 

After passing La Reunion, Batsirai is set to touch the east coast of Madagascar in southern Africa by the end of the week, Meteo-France forecast, potentially at the level of an “intense tropical cyclone” which could cause a “major” impact for the region.

Other tropical storms and torrential rains have wreaked havoc in southern Africa in recent days, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Tropical Storm Ana claimed the lives of 86 people in Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi last week.

Only four Taiwanese athletes will compete at the Winter Olympics, in frosty temperatures rivalling Beijing and Taipei’s relations — which have plunged to their lowest point in years.

China views self-ruled democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

The last time Beijing hosted the Olympics, in 2008, ties were much warmer.

But Chinese President Xi Jinping has ramped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on the island in recent years.

At Friday’s opening ceremony, when Olympic squads will march into the stadium in order, observers of the island’s geopolitical struggle will be listening closely to how Taiwan is announced, and where it is placed.

Since 1981, Taiwan has competed in international sports events under the deliberately ambiguous name of “Chinese Taipei” — “Zhonghua Taipei” in Mandarin — in a compromise with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Athletes cannot fly the Taiwanese flag or use the island’s anthem.

But at a press conference last week, a Chinese spokesperson said “Zhongguo Taipei” when referring to the island — which translates more to “China, Taipei” and hints at Beijing’s sovereignty claim.

The minuscule language change prompted a strong reaction from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the island’s top China policy-making body. 

“We urge the organisers this year to abide by the rules of the Olympic Charter and not to interfere with the event with political factors to suppress and belittle our side,” spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng said.

Chiu accused Beijing of “intentionally” using a different name.

“These tactics to belittle (Taiwan)… will not achieve any result and will only disgust Taiwanese people.”

– Parade placement –

Modern Taiwan — officially known as the Republic of China — was formed at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists were defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communists and set up a rival government on the island.

At each Olympics, China and Taiwan’s historic tussle is highlighted.

During the Tokyo Summer Games last year, a local news anchor introduced Taiwanese athletes as coming from “Taiwan” in Japanese during the Parade of the Nations — delighting many fans in Taiwan but sparking huge anger online in China. 

The team was also called out to march in order of Japan’s 50-tone phonetic system, joining the line at the “ta-” for Taiwan, instead of the “chi-” for “Chinese Taipei”.

Taiwanese news outlet Liberty Times reported last week that the Beijing 2022 opening ceremony could see the island called out with Hong Kong and Macau, both Chinese territories.

That placement in a globally televised event would showcase Beijing’s claim that the island is part of “One China”, a stance Taiwan’s current government rejects.

– ‘Please cheer us on’ –

Some Taiwanese had called for the island to boycott the Beijing Olympics.

At a protest in Taipei last week, activists held up Olympic rings that they had handcuffed to their wrists.

“The Beijing regime damages human rights and the rights of its own athletes,” said lawmaker Fan Yun of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, who attended the protest. 

“It’s not qualified to host the Olympics.”

Taiwan has not joined the US-led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games over China’s human rights record.

No government officials will attend the opening and closing ceremonies “due to precedent”, its governing sports body said Tuesday. Beijing has cut off official communication with the current government in Taipei since 2016.

However, the island’s Olympic delegation will be present for both ceremonies — a decision made because the IOC was “requiring” their attendance.

Taiwan’s Olympians have steered clear of the geopolitical minefield, focusing instead on the competitions.

Lin Sin-rong, who will compete in the luge women’s singles, said the Winter Games were “very special” for her. 

“I can spend the Lunar New Year and compete in Asia,” she wrote in a recent Facebook post. 

“Please cheer us on.”

At least 20 people died and 74 more were hospitalized in a Buenos Aires suburb after consuming cocaine cut with a toxic substance, possibly opioids, Argentine authorities said Wednesday.

Officials said they were working quickly to determine what the cocaine was mixed with, but warned those who bought the drug over the last 24 hours to dispose of it.

Sergio Berni, the security chief for Buenos Aires province, told the television channel Telefe that authorities were trying to locate the toxic substance “to remove it from circulation.”

“There is a key ingredient that is attacking the central nervous system,” Berni said.

About 10 people were arrested after police raided a house in the poor Tres de Febrero neighborhood where they believe the cocaine was sold.

Packets of cocaine similar to those described by the victims’ families were seized. The drugs were taken to a laboratory in La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires province, for analysis.

Authorities issued an urgent warning early Wednesday after three separate hospitals reported several deaths and serious cases of poisoning.

Several of those being treated told doctors they had taken cocaine together.

Beatriz Mercado told AFP she had found her 31-year-old son, one of the victims, lying face-down on the kitchen floor.

“He was almost not breathing, his eyes were rolling back,” she said. She took him to the hospital, where he was on life support as of Wednesday evening.

“I hope in God, nothing else. A miracle.”

An initial toll of 12 deaths and 50 hospitalizations kept rising — with victims admitted to eight different hospitals, a Buenos Aires province government spokesperson told AFP.

Earlier reports said the victims suffered convulsions and sudden heart attacks.

Health authorities said at least four of the victims were men aged between 32 and 45.

– Cut with harmful substance –

Berni’s office said late in the day that emergency services were reporting new patients in “critical condition” being brought to hospitals.

He said: “Every dealer that buys cocaine cuts it. Some do it with non-toxic substances such as starch. Others put hallucinogens in it, and if there is no form of control, this kind of thing happens.”

On this occasion, however, the drug was cut with a harmful substance as part of a “war between drug traffickers,” Berni added.

The San Martin public prosecutor, Marcelo Lapargo, told Radio Mitre that authorities’ main concern “is to be able to communicate, so that those who are in possession of this poison know that they should not consume it.”

Investigators fear the toll could rise, with some people who bought the cocaine unable to reach a care center in time.

Lapargo said that this case was “absolutely exceptional.” He added that the idea of a battle between drug traffickers was “conjecture” at this point.

Police clashed briefly with residents in a part of Tres de Febrero who were protesting the arrest of local young people in the drug raid.

The wreck of Captain James Cook’s famed vessel the Endeavour has been found off the coast of the US state of Rhode Island, Australian researchers said Thursday.

Their research partners in the United States, however, have described the announcement as premature.

The Endeavour, which the British explorer sailed in an historic voyage to Australia and New Zealand between 1768 and 1771, was scuttled in Newport Harbour during the American War of Independence.

For more than two centuries, it lay forgotten.

“Since 1999, we have been investigating several 18th-century shipwrecks in a two-square-mile area where we believed that Endeavour sank,” Kevin Sumption, director of the Australian National Maritime Museum, told a Thursday media briefing. 

“Based on archival and archaeological evidence, I’m convinced it’s the Endeavour.”

But the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project said it was too early to draw that conclusion.

In a statement, project executive director DK Abbass said the announcement was a “breach of contract”, adding that “conclusions will be driven by proper scientific process and not Australian emotions or politics”.

A spokesperson for the Australian museum said Abbass was “entitled to her own opinion regarding the vast amount of evidence we have accumulated.”

The museum does not believe it is in breach of any contracts.

Sumption was among a team of archaeologists that announced in 2018 they believed the Endeavour’s remains were at the Rhode Island site, but said then more analysis had to be done. 

The Endeavour was the ship Cook sailed from England to Tahiti and then New Zealand before reaching Australia in 1770 and charting the continent’s east coast.

By the time the ship sank in Newport Harbor in August 1778, it had been renamed the Lord Sandwich and was being used by the British to hold prisoners of war during the American revolution.

The British scuttled the ship, along with others, to block a French fleet from sailing into Newport Harbour to support the Americans.

This was just a few months before Cook’s death in Hawaii in February 1779.

After two centuries at the bottom of the harbour, only about 15 percent of the Endeavour remains intact, according to the Australian National Maritime Museum. 

“The focus is now on what can be done to protect and preserve it,” Sumption said Thursday.