The Taliban maintained a five-day sustained assault on the eastern city of Ghazni, but the siege dulled on Wednesday when the Afghan government announced they took back control of the city.
The New York Times spoke to several civilians who endured the attack.
“It was 1 a.m. on Friday that the gunfire started in Ghazni. At first, it didn’t feel out of the ordinary — we are used to it in Ghazni. But it got heavy and heavier, and it continued until morning light,” said Mr. Ahmad, who has a 3-year-old daughter and 8-month-old son with Frozan. Like many women in Afghanistan, she goes by one name.
“I stayed inside for most of the day. In evening, I went out and there were 10 or 15 bodies on the street. I have never seen something like it before. The Taliban torched the telecom antennas and the situation got worse.”
Frozan said: “My daughter was screaming, and would not let her father go outside. She kept asking what the Taliban is, and why they kill people. I kept telling her they are humans, too.”
The civil war in Yemen rages on. “At least 450 Yemenis were killed in the first nine days of August alone,” according to Vice News. Vice reports that an international coalition backed by the United States is preparing to recapture the port city of Hodeidah.
The movement could have devastating consequences for the Yemeni people, because nearly three-quarters of imports enter through Hodeidah. Millions of people could go hungry or without adequate medical care, if the battle is protracted.
American tariffs are compounding economic turmoil in Turkey. Last week, President Trump announced “tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum, to 50 and 20 percent, respectively.” The relationship seems to be deteriorating.
From Bloomberg:
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said additional U.S. sanctions are ready if Turkey refuses to release an American pastor whom the Trump administration says is illegally detained.
President Donald Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday that Turkey has “not proven to be a good friend” to the U.S. He was unhappy that his administration secured the release of a Turkish citizen from an unnamed country on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s behalf.
We’ll also check on the status of North and South Korea’s relationship, as we send you into the weekend with an update on the international headlines from around the world.
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2018-08-17/friday-news-roundup-international
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