Embattled Syrian president makes rare appearance
BEIRUT – Syrian President Bashar Assad made a rare public appearance on Saturday by attending prayers for a key Muslim holiday at a mosque in the capital, Damascus, hours after the U.S.-led coalition carried out new airstrikes against Islamic State group militants in Syria.
The airstrikes targeted the militants’ positions on Friday night in the eastern town of Shaddadeh, a stronghold of the Islamic State group in the northeastern Syrian province of Hassakeh, activists said.
The airstrikes caused casualties, the activists said, with one group saying as many as 30 Islamic State fighters were killed. It was the first time Shaddadeh was struck since the U.S.-led campaign began nearly two weeks ago. There was no immediate confirmation from Washington.
2 Koreas meet for highest level talks in five years
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea’s presumptive No. 2 and other members of Pyongyang’s inner circle met with South Korean officials Saturday in the rivals’ highest level face-to-face talks in five years, a possible indication that both sides are interested in pursuing better ties after months of animosity.
There appeared to be no major breakthrough from the meeting that came as the North’s delegation made a surprise visit to the close of the Asian Games in the South Korean port city of Incheon. But the countries agreed to hold another round of talks between the end of October and the beginning of November, according to a South Korean statement. The specific topics of Saturday’s discussions weren’t immediately known.
Still, just the fact that North Koreans at the highest levels visited the South was significant, allowing valuable contact between confidants of North Korea’s authoritarian leader and senior South Korean officials after a year that has seen a steady stream of insults between the divided neighbors and an unusual number of North Korean missile and rocket test firings.
Biden apologizes to Turkey president in phone call
ANKARA, Turkey – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden apologized Saturday to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was angry about comments in which Biden said Erdogan had admitted that Turkey had made mistakes by allowing foreign fighters to cross into Syria.
Erdogan denied ever saying that and told reporters in Istanbul before Biden’s apology that he “will be history for me if he has indeed used such expressions.” Biden spoke with Erdogan by phone on Saturday, the White House said.
“The vice president apologized for any implication that Turkey or other allies and partners in the region had intentionally supplied or facilitated the growth of ISIL or other violent extremists in Syria,” the White House said, referring to an acronym for the Islamic State group.
Associated Press
