ANKARA: Turkish police on Sunday fired tear gas to break up a women’s rights march in Ankara with some 15 protesters reportedly detained.
The protesters, mainly from the Ankara Women’s Platform, a NGO promoting women’s rights, had gathered in the Turkish capital for the march called ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
“We are getting stronger in solidarity,” read one banner as riot police moved in and fired tear gas after the group ignored calls to disperse, AFP photographers at the scene said.
Fifteen women were detained by police, the private Dogan News Agency reported.
In Istanbul Sunday, a group of around 1,500 women rallied in the Bakirkoy district on the European side of the city, an AFP journalist reported.
The group was protesting Turkey’s military operation in Syria targeting Syrian Kurdish militia, considered a terror group by Ankara.
“There is a war on our border. We cannot remain indifferent,” one woman protester Meltem said.
Turkey riot police break up women’s rights march
Turkey riot police break up women’s rights march
Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations
- Bomber kills soldier in Aleppo, detonates explosives injuring 2 others
ALEPPO, DAMASCUS: The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had thwarted a Daesh plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo.
The ministry said in a statement that, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and careful monitoring of Daesh cells in cooperation with partner agencies, it had received intelligence indicating plans for suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations in several provinces, particularly Aleppo, with a focus on churches and civilian gathering areas.
The ministry added that it took preemptive measures, including reinforcing security around churches, deploying mobile and fixed patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city.
During operations at a checkpoint in Aleppo’s Bab Al-Faraj district, security forces intercepted a suspected Daesh member who opened fire. One internal security soldier was killed, and the attacker detonated explosives, injuring two others.
Daesh recently increased its attacks in Syria, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
On Dec. 13, two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in an attack Washington blamed on a lone Daesh gunman in Palmyra.
In retaliation, American forces struck scores of Daesh targets in Syria.
Syrian authorities have also carried out several operations against Daesh since then, saying on Dec. 25 they had killed a senior leader of the group.
