Afghanistan claims foreigners led attack
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan’s presidency says its spy agency believes a foreign intelligence service, and not the country’s main militant groups, was behind the attack on a Kabul hotel last week killing nine people, including two children and four foreigners.
A statement from President Hamid Karzai’s office said the spy agency briefed Afghanistan’s top security officials. In that briefing the agency said: “The attack on the Serena Hotel was a direct attack by an intelligence service outside the country.”
It did not specify which country was purportedly responsible for the assault, but Afghanistan routinely accuses Pakistan of sending militants across the border to wage attacks. Pakistan did not immediately comment on the allegations.
Turkish jet downs Syrian warplane
ISTANBUL – Turkish fighter jets shot down a Syrian warplane Sunday after it violated the country’s airspace, Turkey’s prime minister said, in a move likely to ramp up tensions between two countries already deeply at odds over Syria’s civil war.
A spokesman for Syria’s military confirmed the incident, denouncing it as a “blatant aggression.” The unnamed spokesman quoted on Syrian state TV said the plane was hit while pursuing gunmen near the border, and the pilot safely ejected from the aircraft.
Syria’s official SANA news agency quoted the pilot as saying he was shot down while 5 miles inside Syrian airspace.
Turkey, a NATO member once enjoying good ties with Syria, has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Syrian President Bashar Assad and is now one of the main backers of the 3-year-old rebellion against him.
Turks’ leader says he shutdown Twitter
ISTANBUL – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed he gave the orders to shut down Twitter in Turkey.
At a campaign event in Istanbul Sunday ahead of March 30 municipal elections, he said he had given the order because Twitter was not obeying Turkey’s laws. Previously, the Turkish government said the telecommunications authority had blocked Twitter on court orders. However, the move came shortly after Erdogan threatened to “rip out the roots” of the website.
He said Twitter was applying double standards, shutting down accounts when the U.S. or the U.K demand it but defending freedom when Turkey, Ukraine or Egypt have concerns. He said: “This isn’t a banana republic!”
Associated Press
