Briefly

MALI

30 soldiers killed in extremist attack

Around 30 Malian soldiers were killed and five more injured in a suspected extremist attack on Thursday in the north of the country, the army said. Though responsibility for the attack has not yet been claimed, it bears the marks of al-Qaida-linked groups in the region. The attack took place early on Thursday at a military camp in Tarkint, north of Gao. It is the deadliest attack on the Malian army in four months. A French-led military operation ousted extremists from power in northern Mali in 2013, though they dispersed and regrouped. They have also been pushing farther south. Last year saw a surge of deadly assaults on Mali's military posts. The extremists add to their weapons stockpile with each raid.

IRAN

Sanctions have made nation 'self-sufficient'

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a live speech on state TV for the start of the Persian new year, said on Friday that US sanctions have forced the country to become self-sufficient as he called on Iranians to preserve unity. Friction between Teheran and Washington has increased since 2018 when US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Teheran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions on the country, crippling its economy.

UNITED STATES

Doctor arrested on terrorism charge

A Pakistani doctor and former Mayo Clinic research coordinator was arrested on Thursday in Minnesota on a terrorism charge, after prosecutors say he told paid FBI informants that he had pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group and wanted to carry out lone wolf attacks in the United States. Muhammad Masood, 28, was arrested at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Thursday by FBI agents and was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Agencies - Xinhua