21 killed, dozens missing after attack in central Mali

BAMAKO, Mali - Twenty-one people were killed in an attack overnight on a village in central Mali, the government said Friday, in an apparent spate of ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region.

The attack occurred in Ogossagou, a village mainly inhabited by Fulani people where 160 died last March 23 in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen. 

About 30 gunmen carried out the new attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP. 

Malian government spokesman Yaya Sangare said that 21 people had been killed in the attack, according to a provisional tally, and that others were missing. 

"Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away," he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators.

A local government official, who requested anonymity, said that 28 people were missing.

He blamed the attack on a traditional Dogon hunters' group -- an assertion that could be not be verified independently.

The official and village chief Aly Ousmane Barry both said the attackers moved in several hours after government troops had pulled out of the area. 

Central Mali became gripped by ethnic violence after a jihadist revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012.

The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso. 

Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists. 

Led by a firebrand Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa, a militia called the Katiba Macina recruited members from among the Fulani and became accused of ethnically-motivated attacks.

Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon began to form self-defense groups that in turn became accused of reprisal massacres. 

In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January.

Around 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani militants.

"EPICENTER" OF VIOLENCE

Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's "epicenter" of violence. 

It said over 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, "the deadliest year for civilians" since the jihadist insurgency began.

Reflecting the chronic instability in the centre, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted.

On Friday, one soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro, security officials said. 

It had already been hit before -- as part of a joint raid by militants that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers. 

On January 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more. 

The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the widely lawless north. 

Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence. 

Regular forces returned to the town accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement. 

The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.

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At least 20 wounded, many feared dead in Kabul wedding blast

KABUL - At least 20 people were wounded in a blast at a Kabul wedding late Saturday, a local hospital said, while a witness told AFP he had seen many dead bodies at the scene.

The explosion came just as the US and the Taliban are widely expected to sign off on a deal that would see American troops begin to depart Afghanistan in return for various security assurances from the insurgents.

"#Kabul #Afghanistan explosion in a hotel during a wedding party, about 20 patients arrived up to now at our hospital #masscasualty," the Italian-run Emergency hospital of Kabul said on Twitter. 

Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the blast occurred in a west Kabul wedding hall around 10:40 pm (1810 GMT).

He shared on Facebook photos showing several apparent bodies inside a dining area.

Afghan weddings are epic and vibrant affairs, with hundreds or often thousands of guests celebrating inside industrial-scale wedding halls where the men are usually segregated from the women and children.

Mohammad Farhag, who had been at the wedding, said he had been in the women's section when he heard a huge blast in the men's area. 

"Everyone ran outside shouting and crying," he said.

"For about 20 minutes the hall was full of smoke. Almost everyone in the men's section is either dead or wounded. Now, two hours after the blast, they are still taking bodies out of the hall."

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

LITTLE SECURITY 

Government spokesman Feroz Bashari said the blast was "a clear sign that terrorists can't see Afghans express happiness."

"You can't make them bow by killing them. The perpetrators of tonight's attack shall be held responsible," he wrote on Twitter.

Insurgents have periodically struck Afghan weddings, which are seen as easy targets because they frequently lack rigorous security precautions.

On July 12, at least 6 eople were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding ceremony in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. The Islamic State group, which has a growing footprint in the region, claimed the blast.

Expectations are rising for a deal in which the US would start withdrawing its approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan after a two-decade war that has turned into a stalemate.

US President Donald Trump has said since the start of his presidency that he wants troops out of the country where Washington has spent more than $1 trillion on military operations and reconstruction since 2001.

In return for the US departure, the Taliban would commit to various security guarantees, including that the Islamist hardliners who long harbored Al-Qaeda would not allow Afghanistan to once again become a jihadist safe haven.

On Friday, Ahmadullah Azkhundzada, brother of Afghan Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, was among 4 people killed in a blast at a mosque in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan, a senior official with the provincial government said.

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Case dropped against US actor accused of hate attack hoax

CHICAGO - Chicago authorities on Tuesday dropped the charges against a US television actor accused of fabricating a hate crime, in a shock move that enraged the city's police and mayor, who dismissed it as a "whitewash."

Prosecutors said they had shelved all 16 felony charges against "Empire" star Jussie Smollett in exchange for an agreement that he carry out community service and forfeit a $10,000 bond payment.

But Smollett's lawyers claimed there was no such agreement, and that the actor was the victim of a rush to judgment. 

"There is no deal. The state dismissed the charges," attorney Patricia Holmes said as the actor celebrated with family, whose claim that Smollett had been vindicated was flatly rejected by the police.

The 36-year-old, one of the main cast members on Fox musical drama "Empire" alongside Taraji P. Henson, was accused of masterminding a hoax attack in downtown Chicago to gain publicity and secure a bigger paycheck. 

He reported to police that he was attacked in the middle of the night in January by two masked men while walking near his home. 

Smollett maintained his innocence in the face of a damning public account from authorities' of their case against him.

They accused him of sending himself a threatening letter and hiring 2 acquaintances to stage the attack, complete with homophobic and racial slurs, while invoking Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

"I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one," Smollett, who is black and gay, said at a brief news conference. 

"This has been an incredibly difficult time," he added, "Honestly, one of the worst in my entire life."

Chicago's police chief and mayor, both visibly angry, denounced the decision to drop the case and countered Smollett's insistence of his innocence. 

"This is a whitewash of justice," Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman and White House chief-of-staff, told a hastily-arranged news conference. 

"Mr. Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department. How dare (he)?" the mayor added.

'WE DID NOT EXONERATE'

The prosecutor's office offered little explanation at first for suddenly reversing course before finally characterized its decision as a routine one carried out in thousands of cases. 

"This is not a new or unusual practice. An alternative disposition does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities with the case or the evidence," the Cook County State Attorney's office said in a statement. 

"We stand behind the Chicago Police Department's investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case. We did not exonerate Mr. Smollett." 

Authorities have said there is enough evidence to back up their case, including surveillance camera footage, text messages, phone records, and a cashed check Smollett wrote to brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo, both of whom worked on "Empire," to carry out the alleged plan.

"I think this city is still owed an apology," Chicago police chief Eddie Johnson said Tuesday.

"They chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system," he said. "I stand behind the detective's investigation."

Holmes, Smollett's lawyer, acknowledged that the brothers had admitted carrying out the attack, but accused police of using "the press to convict people before they're tried in a court of law."

"We believe that it was the correct result in this case. We are very happy with this result," she said. 

The initial news of the attack had prompted widespread sympathy for Smollett and outrage over the nature of the alleged crime. 

But the star was written out of the last 2 episodes of the most recent season of "Empire" -- which is set in New York but filmed in Chicago -- amid uproar over the accusations against him. 

Smollett said he wanted "nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life." 

His family described him as "an innocent man whose name and character has been unjustly smeared" in a statement published by the ABC News. 

Fox producers said Tuesday they were "gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed" but would not comment on whether he would return to the show.

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UK police probe Manchester knifings as 'terrorist' attack

MANCHESTER - A British police probe into a triple stabbing at a Manchester railway station on New Year's Eve which injured 3 people is now being treated as "a terrorist investigation", the city's top officer said on Tuesday.

Counter-terrorism police have arrested a 25-year-old man who remains in custody, and are searching an address where he recently lived in the northwestern English city, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said.

The suspect reportedly shouted "Allah" during what Hopkins called a "horrific attack" on three people, including a police officer, at Manchester Victoria station on Monday evening.

A man and a woman, both in their 50s, are still being treated in hospital after sustaining "serious" injuries, while the officer was stabbed in the shoulder, Hopkins added.

"We are treating this as a terrorist investigation which is being led by counter-terrorism officers with support from Greater Manchester police," he told a briefing.

"They were working through the night to piece together the details of what happened and to identify the man who was arrested."

Hopkins said counter-terrorism officers were searching an address near the city center "which is believed to be where the man had most recently been living".

Prime Minister Theresa May thanked emergency services for their "courageous response" in swiftly tackling the suspect.

She wrote on Twitter: "My thoughts are with those who were injured in the suspected terrorist attack in Manchester last night."

'PURE FEAR' 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened at around 8:50 pm when many revelers in the city would have been enjoying New Year's Eve celebrations.

Witness Sam Clack, 38, a BBC radio producer, said the suspect shouted "Allah" before and during the attack.

He also quoted the perpetrator as saying: "As long as you keep bombing other countries, this sort of shit is going to keep happening."

The witness added he heard the "most blood-curdling scream" and looked down the platform to see the attack unfolding.

"He came towards me," he added. "I looked down and saw he had a kitchen knife with a black handle with a good 12 inch (30-centimeter) blade.

"It was just fear, pure fear."

Clack said police used a stun gun and pepper spray before "six or seven" officers jumped on the man.

Video footage of the incident shows him being overpowered by the officers.

The police said he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and officers had recovered two knives from the scene.

The woman suffered injuries to her face and abdomen and the man was wounded in the abdomen, while a British Transport Police officer sustained a stab wound to the shoulder.

Their injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.

'DREADFUL' 

The city's New Year celebrations went ahead in Albert Square despite the incident, with a firework display taking place as planned, though increased security was brought in.

British Transport Police said Tuesday its officers would be "highly visible through the national rail network".

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham paid tribute to the emergency services' response.

He added the "vile attack" had "all the hallmarks... of an isolated incident".

Manchester police Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said they were still trying to establish whether the suspect is a British national and how he came to be at the station.

"We are obviously considering his mental health given how frenzied the attack was, its random nature," he added. 

"There is wide reporting... about what the attacker allegedly said during the incident.

"However it's really important to stress we are retaining an open mind in relation to the motivation for this attack."

Police said investigators were considering its closeness to the Manchester Arena, where a suicide bomber struck in May 2017, as potentially significant.

The attack at a concert by the US singer Ariana Grande killed 22 people and wounded 139.

The perpetrator, Salman Abedi, 22, was born and raised in Manchester.

"That the incident happened so close to the scene of the terrorist attack on May 22, 2017 makes it even more dreadful," chief constable Hopkins said.

"Our work will continue to ensure we get to the full facts of what happened and why it took place."

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19 killed in Crimea attack

People lay flowers in downtown Simferopol on Wednesday evening, after nineteen people were killed and dozens more wounded, most of them teenagers, after a student opened fire today in a technical college in the Russian-annexed Crimea city of Kerch. 

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7 wounded including 2 British tourists in Paris knife attack

PARIS - Seven people including 2 British tourists were wounded Sunday in Paris after they were attacked by a man armed with a knife and an iron bar, according to police and other sources.

A source close to the inquiry said the suspect, believed to be an Afghan national, has been arrested.

"Nothing at this stage shows signs of a terrorist nature in these assaults," the source said, adding that the attacker had targeted "strangers in the street".

Of the seven wounded, four are in a critical condition, police said.

The incident took place just after 11:00 p.m. on the banks of a canal in the northeast of the capital.

A security guard at one of 2 cinemas on either side of the Bassin de la Villette, part of the Canal de l'Ourcq, said he saw a man who had already assaulted people being chased by two other men who tried to stop him.

"He had an iron bar in his hand which he threw at the men chasing him, then he took out a knife," he told AFP.

Another eyewitness, 28-year-old Youssef Najah, said he was walking along the canal near a bowling green when he saw a man running and holding a knife about 25-30 cm (10-11 inches) long.

"There were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing Petanque balls at him," Najah said, referring to the sport popular in France also known as boules.

"Around 4 or 5 balls hit him in the head, but they weren't able to stop him," he added.

According to the same witness, the attacker then dived into an alleyway, where the man "tried to hide behind two British tourists. We said to them: 'Watch out, he has a knife". But they didn't react".

The pair were then attacked, he said.

HIGH ALERT

A police investigation has been launched for attempted murder, according to a judicial source.

It is the latest of several knife attacks France has seen in recent months, with terrorism being ruled out in most cases.

On August 23, a man stabbed his mother and sister to death and seriously injured another person in a town near Paris before being shot dead by police.

The motive for the violence remained unclear despite a claim by the Islamic State (IS) group that it was an attack by one of its fighters responding to the terror organisation's propaganda.

Authorities said the 36-year-old had serious mental health problems and had been on a terror watch list since 2016.

That attack came days after an Afghan asylum-seeker was arrested in town of Perigueux for a drunken rampage with a knife in which four people were wounded, one seriously.

Police said investigators had "very quickly" dismissed a terrorist motive after the August 13 incident.

And on June 17, 2 people were hurt in another southern town when a woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife.

France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks in recent years, often by people who have become radicalized or claim to have acted in the name of the IS group.

More than 240 people have been killed by Islamic extremists since a massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015.

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Attacker in Japan stabs, kills 19 in their sleep at disabled center

SAGAMIHARA, Japan - A knife-wielding man stabbed and killed 19 people as they slept at a facility for the disabled in a town near Tokyo early on Tuesday, a senior government official said, Japan's worst mass killing in decades.

At least 25 other residents of the facility were wounded in the attack.

"This is a very heart-wrenching and shocking incident in which many innocent people became victims," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a scheduled news conference in Tokyo.

Police have arrested Satoshi Uematsu, 26, a former employee at the facility in Sagamihara town in Kanagawa Prefecture, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Tokyo, a Kanagawa official said. At least one media report said Uematsu had called for euthanasia of the severely disabled.

Uematsu had turned himself in, the Kanagawa prefecture official, identified only by his surname of Sakuma, told an earlier news conference carried on public broadcaster NHK.

Another 25 people were wounded, 20 of them seriously, Sakuma said.

Kyodo news agency said the dead ranged in age from 19 to 70 and included nine males and 10 females. Earlier media reports had said as many as 45 people had been wounded.

Staff called police at 2.30 a.m. local time (1730 GMT Monday) with reports of a man armed with a knife on the grounds of the Tsukui Yamayuri-En facility, media reported. The man wore a black T-shirt and trousers, reports said.

The 3-hectare (7.6 acre) facility, established by the local government and nestled on the wooded bank of the Sagami River, cares for people with a wide range of disabilities, NHK said, quoting an unidentified employee.

Residents of the small town of Sagamihara said the last murder in the area was 10 years ago.

A woman who said she used to work at the facility said many patients were profoundly disabled.

"They are truly innocent people. What did they do? This is shocking," she told Japanese television station TBS.

BAG OF KNIVES

Police had recovered a bag with several knives, at least one stained with blood, the Kanagawa prefecture official said.

Police said they were still investigating possible motives.

Asahi Shimbun reported that the suspect was quoted by police as saying: "I want to get rid of the disabled from this world." Other reports said he had held a grudge after being fired from his job at the facility.

Broadcaster NTV reported that the arrested man presented a letter to the speaker of the lower house of Japan's parliament in February calling for euthanasia of disabled people.

"My goal is a world in which, in cases where it is difficult for the severely disabled to live at home and be socially active, they can be euthanised with the consent of their guardians," it quoted the letter as saying.

At least 29 emergency squads responded to the attack, Kyodo reported, with those wounded taken to at least six hospitals in the western Tokyo area.

NHK reported that the facility is usually locked at night but the suspect broke into the building by smashing a window.

The facility's website said the centre had a maximum capacity of 160 people, including staff.

Such mass killings are extremely rare in Japan and typically involve stabbings. Japan has strict gun laws and possession of firearms by the public is rare.

Eight children were stabbed to death at their school in Osaka by a former janitor in 2001. Seven people died in 2008 when a man drove a truck into a crowd and began stabbing people in Tokyo's popular electronics and "anime" district of Akihabara.

A revision to Japan's Swords and Firearms Control Law was introduced in 2009 in the wake of that attack, banning the possession of double-edged knives and further tightening gun-ownership rules.

Members of a doomsday cult killed 12 people and made thousands ill in 1995 in simultaneous attacks with sarin nerve gas on five Tokyo rush-hour subway trains.

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