BEIRUT – A senior Egyptian al-Qaida figure fighting in Syria was killed in a U.S. drone strike this week, the latest to be killed in such attacks in Syria, a Syrian opposition monitoring group and relatives said Friday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Rifai Ahmad Taha was killed in a strike Tuesday in the northwestern Idlib province.
Before joining al-Qaida, Taha was a top figure in Egypt’s notorious militant group Gamaa Islamiya, which massacred 58 foreign tourists in the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor in 1997. He was also allied with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said several al-Qaida members, including Taha, were killed in Tuesday’s strike. He said one of the dead was identified as Abu Omar al-Masri.
DIKILI, Turkey – Greece on Friday resumed deportations of migrants to Turkey after a four-day pause, despite mounting desperation among refugees and attempts by activists to stop the two boats from leaving Lesbos with 124 people onboard.
Before the first boat left the island, four activists jumped into the sea to try to obstruct the operation, swimming to the front of the chartered ferry and grabbing the anchor chain.
They were detained by the coast guard. The second boat made the journey without incident.
One of the migrants, however, was refused by Turkey and sent back to Lesbos, Europe’s Frontex border agency said. It did not elaborate on the reason.
The EU-Turkey deal, which aims to deter illegal migration, has faced several setbacks and sharp criticism in its first week of implementation and has left many would-be migrants in limbo along the coast of Turkey.
Associated Press
