Turkey recalls Vatican ambassador
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Sunday marked the 100th anniversary of the slaughter of Armenians by calling the massacre by Ottoman Turks “the first genocide of the 20th century” and urging the international community to recognize it as such. Turkey immediately responded by recalling its ambassador and accusing Francis of spreading hatred and “unfounded claims.”
Francis issued the pronouncement during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica commemorating the centenary that was attended by Armenian church leaders and President Serge Sarkisian, who praised the pope for calling a spade a spade and “delivering a powerful message to the international community.”
“The words of the leader of a church with 1 billion followers cannot but have a strong impact,” he told The Associated Press.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey, however, denies a genocide took place. It has insisted that the toll has been inflated, and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
Attacks in Sinai kill at least 14
EL-ARISH, Egypt – At least 14 people, mostly Egyptian policemen, were killed Sunday in separate operations when militants attacked a police station in the provincial capital of Egypt’s northern Sinai and detonated a roadside bomb against a passing armored vehicle, officials said.
Northern Sinai has witnessed a series of complex and successful attacks targeting Egyptian security forces, many of which have been claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group. Twitter accounts affiliated with the group claimed responsibility for the Sunday attacks.
By nightfall, Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar in Cairo said at least eight bodies were pulled from the rubble, while 45 people were injured, including some in critical condition.
Al-Qaida: Drones kill 2 leaders in Pakistan
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan – U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan killed two leaders of al-Qaida’s South Asia branch earlier this year, a spokesman for the militants said Sunday, confirming a major blow to the affiliate only months after its creation.
In an audio message, spokesman Usama Mahmood said a Jan. 5 drone strike in North Waziristan killed Ubaidullah, who was in charge of the group’s Afghan affairs, while a later strike killed deputy chief Raja Suleman. He said both had fought under aliases. His claim corresponds with the dates of previously reported U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal region near the Afghan border.
Mahmood also lashed out at Pakistan over a military offensive launched last summer in North Waziristan, along the Afghan border.
Reporter faces spy trial in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran – A Washington Post journalist detained in Iran for over eight months is accused of “espionage” and “acting against national security,” the semiofficial Fars news agency reported Sunday.
The report did not elaborate on the source of the information, but the agency is regarded as close to Iran’s hard-liners.
Iranian officials have previously said Jason Rezaian is facing “security” charges, and he will stand trial before the Revolutionary Court – which mainly hears sensitive cases involving national security.
Associated Press
