France yesterday announced that it will send arms to the Kurds in Iraq “in the coming hours” to help them defend their territory against fighters from the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The announcement by French President Francois Hollande’s office came as the US said it was also stepping up its role, with the Pentagon to send 130 more military advisors — US marines and special ops troops — to Iraq to assess the humanitarian crisis.
It is believed that the advisors’ main goal is to organize a land escape route for up to 30,000 civilians, mostly of the Yazidi religious sect, who are trapped on Mt Sinjar near the Syrian border, hemmed in by Islamic State militants who have threatened to kill them.
Photo: AFP
“In order to respond to the urgent need expressed by the Kurdistan regional authorities, the president has decided, in agreement with Baghdad, to deliver arms in the coming hours,” Hollande’s office said in a statement.
British Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday in Portugal to return to Downing Street and decide on further steps the UK can take to assist the Kurds and Yazidis. Britain is already airlifting Jordanian military vehicles to Iraqi Kurdistan and taking part in air drops on Mt Sinjar.
In Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stuck to his guns yesterday and refused to step down. However, his hold on power appears tenuous after both Washington and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, a long-time al-Maliki ally, publicly backed his replacement.
Taking to state TV as acting prime minister, al-Maliki said the Iraqi Supreme Court must rule on Iraqi President Fouad Masoum’s decision to ask al-Maliki’s Shiite Islamist party colleague Haidar al-Abadi to form a new government — a change that Iran, the US and many Iraqis see as vital to halt the advance of Sunni militants.
Al-Maliki has complained to the Iraqi Federal Court that, as leader of the largest bloc in the new parliament, he must by right be given the first chance to form a new government. The appointment by of al-Abadi is a breach of the constitution, he said.
Yet while the loyalty of at least some Shiite militia and government forces remains uncertain, there were further signs that al-Maliki, blamed for alienating the Sunni minority during his eight years in power, is isolated, even among fellow Shiites.
In a show of the escalating sectarian violence around Iraq, five Sunnis were killed yesterday in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, when Shiite gunmen stormed a mosque and shot them as they prayed, security sources said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old