Ksar El Kebir: Morocco on Saturday mobilized more firefighters and soldiers to tackle forest blazes burning for four days in the remote wooded regions in the north of the kingdom, local officials told AFP.
Half of the 4,660 hectares (11,500 acres) affected by the fires were in Larache province, where the biggest blaze is located and where one person has died.
More than 1,320 families have been evacuated from 19 villages in the region, said local officials.
Soldiers had been sent to help fight the fires in Ksar El Kebir, one of the most inaccessible regions.
Hundreds of hectares of woodlands had also been destroyed in the neighboring provinces of Ouazzane, Tetouan and Taza.
Temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and high winds have made fighting the fire that much more difficult.
But officials are hoping the reinforcements and a change in weather conditions expected on Sunday may give them some respite.
The North African nation, which is struggling under intense droughts, has in recent days been hit by soaring temperatures approaching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
On the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, fires are also raging in southern Europe, from Spain and Portugal to France and Greece.
More firefighters, soldiers sent to tackle Morocco’s forest blazes
https://arab.news/9pbtb
More firefighters, soldiers sent to tackle Morocco’s forest blazes
50,000 perform Ramadan Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Worshippers gather amid heightened tensions in occupied West Bank
- Hundreds of Jerusalemites ordered not to enter mosque during holy month
LONDON: About 50,000 Palestinian worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.
The crowds gathered despite Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Palestinians are observing the Muslim holy month, which began on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers and raids and arrests by the Israeli army.
More than 300 Jerusalemites recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to the mosque for children under 12, men over 55 and women over 50.
Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including at Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in the hope of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa.
