BAGHDAD: Iraq has repatriated 370 of its nationals from the Belarus border with Lithuania, a government source said Wednesday, after accusations that Minsk has been encouraging unauthorized arrivals of migrants to the EU.
Baghdad last week announced a suspension of flights to Belarus to stem the flow and “protect Iraqi citizens who have been victims of smuggling networks.”
Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahaf said a special flight returned to Baghdad from Minsk on Tuesday night with 240 Iraqis on board, a day after 130 others were flown back home.
Additional flights will be laid on to return more Iraqis stranded on the Belarus frontier with EU member Lithuania, he said, although their number was unknown “because the border is very long,” he told AFP.
The European Union on Tuesday reported a “significant decrease” in migrants crossing the border from Belarus since Iraq halted the regular Baghdad-Minsk flights.
Lithuania accuses Belarusian authorities of funnelling migrants to its border in retaliation for EU sanctions.
The sanctions have been imposed over President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on the opposition and protesters in the wake of a disputed ballot.
Parliament in Lithuania has passed a law giving the green light to the construction of a fence along its border with Belarus.
Lithuania, which has offered strong support and refuge to the Belarusian opposition, began turning back migrants this week, after more than 4,000 people entered the country from Belarus since the start of the year.
EU ministers are to hold crisis talks on the migration influx issue next week.
370 Iraqi would-be migrants to EU flown home from Belarus
https://arab.news/vxye3
370 Iraqi would-be migrants to EU flown home from Belarus
- Baghdad last week announced a suspension of flights to Belarus to stem the flow and “protect Iraqi citizens who have been victims of smuggling networks”
- EU ministers are to hold crisis talks on the migration influx issue next week
Drone-backed militants attack Nigerian army base, several soldiers dead
- The militants struck the Sabon Gari base before dawn
- The army regained control after reinforcements arrived
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria: Islamist militants backed by armed drones raided an army base in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, killing several troops in the early hours of Thursday, the military said, in the second assault reported there this week.
The use of drones by the fighters from Daesh West Africa Province (Daesh-WAP) in recent attacks has marked a significant escalation in the violence in the region, military spokesman Lt. Col. Sani Uba said.
The militants struck the Sabon Gari base before dawn, storming the perimeter and briefly breaching part of the facility, Uba said.
While they were fighting, their drone bombardment destroyed several military vehicles, including an excavator and a low-bed trailer, he added.
The army regained control after reinforcements arrived, repelled the attack and were pursuing the militants, Uba said.
Some soldiers and Civilian Joint Task Force members “paid the supreme price,” he said, without giving details on the numbers.
Two security sources told Reuters at least nine soldiers and two task force members were killed, with around 16 others wounded.
Nigeria’s military has pushed deeper into insurgent strongholds in the northeast this year as part of a renewed offensive against militant groups.
But despite repeated operations, Boko Haram and its splinter faction Daesh-WAP continue to mount large-scale attacks, exploiting difficult terrain, porous borders and a weak state presence across parts of the arid northeast. Borno, where Boko Haram and Daesh-WAP fighters have intensified attacks on military convoys and civilians, remains the epicenter of the 17-year Islamist insurgency.
