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From Washington, this is VOA news.
The Islamic State is now claiming responsibility for Saturday night's deadly terror rampage in London, killing seven and wounding 48. ISIS made its claim of a "security detachment" carrying out the attack on its Amaaq news agency webpage. A van driver ran over pedestrians on the London Bridge. Three men jumped out of the van and stabbed people in a nearby market. British Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday that three terrorist attacks in Britain in the last three months are "bound together by the evil ideology of Islamist extremism." "In terms of their planning and execution, the recent attacks are not connected. But we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face, as terrorism breeds terrorism. We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are. Things need to change, and they need to change in four important ways. First, while the recent attacks are not connected by common networks, they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division, and promotes sectarianism." British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Sunday that police believe the three who were shot dead by police were the only perpetrators but police immediately spread out looking for possible accomplices. Twelve people have been arrested as of late Sunday. But the British government has no plans to raise the country's terror threat level from severe to the top level "critical." This is VOA news. Officials in Pakistan say counterterrorism forces have destroyed a major suspected Islamic State stronghold in the country's southwest, killing, in their words, 12 "hardcore terrorists." A military statement Sunday said the intelligence-led raid targeted the militant hideout in the hilly Mastung district in Baluchistan province and the ensuing gunfight that lasted for two days injured five security force members, including two officers. The statement said, "Terrorists were hiding inside a cave for planning, coordination and execution of terrorist activities in Baluchistan." It also said the successful operation foiled attempts to undertake terrorist activities in the province, particularly in its capital city of Quetta. Afghanistan's Taliban said it had attacked a key northern district, Imam Sahib, early Sunday and are reported to be moving closer to the district center after inflicting heavy casualties on government forces and overrunning surrounding villages. But district governor Imamuddin Qureshi told VOA that Afghan forces are fighting back and reinforcements have arrived from the provincial capital of Kunduz to assist them. He confirmed the clashes killed at least six soldiers and 10 insurgents. Separately, officials in southern Kandahar province confirmed two policemen shot dead six of their colleagues and wounded many others at a security installation early Sunday. The assailants were suspected Taliban infiltrators. They were killed by Afghan troops as they tried to flee. The Taliban confirmed the attackers were its members and that they had joined the police just to carry out such an attack. The American billionaire and former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is on a mission to ensure the U.S., which is one of the world's top polluters, upholds its commitments to the Paris climate agreement even if it is not formally part of it. Last week, President Trump announced the U.S. will withdraw from the agreement. He said it was too costly and would cause American businesses to lose 7 million jobs by 2025. Bloomberg says he will give up to $15 million to the U.N. agency that helps countries implement their commitments to the Paris Agreement. That money is the amount the U.N. stands to lose from the United States withdrawal, according to a statement on Bloomberg's website. The New York Times reports Bloomberg is also heading an effort by American cities, states and companies to submit a plan to the U.N., pledging to meet the greenhouse gas emissions targets. That's news for now. There is more at voanews.com. That's the latest world news from VOA. |