Suicide bomber kills 19 at Saudi mosque
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A suicide bomber killed at least 19 people Friday in a blast inside a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia as worshippers commemorated the 7th century birth of a revered figure, residents and officials said.
Loyalists of the extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack – the second against Shiites in the kingdom in six months. In November, the extremist Islamic State group was accused of being behind the shooting and killing of eight worshippers in the eastern Saudi Arabian village of al-Ahsa.
Islamic State begins purge in Palmyra
BAGHDAD – Islamic State group militants searched through the Syrian town of Palmyra for government troops and fighters, using lists of names and informers to track them down and shooting some in the head on the spot, activists said Friday, estimating at least 150 have been killed in the past two days.
The purge was part of a clampdown by the extremist group to solidify its grip on the town since overrunning it late Wednesday. The militants have also imposed a curfew from 5 p.m. until sunrise.
Colombian rebels ending cease-fire
BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombia’s largest rebel group Friday called off a unilateral cease-fire in reaction to a military raid on a guerrilla camp that killed 26 of its fighters, further straining negotiations to end a half-century-old conflict.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said in a statement Friday that it hadn’t wanted to lift the truce, which was aimed at facilitating the peace talks but that the constant military pursuit of the rebels made it necessary.
Associated Press
