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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Sunday, November 11,2018 5C
53 die in capital bombing
IS captive says son died in her lap
BY ALBERT AJI
Associated Press
DAMASCUS, Syria - A
Syrian woman captured by
Islamic State militants said her
8-year-old son died in her lap
after the extremists shot him
and his cousin during a mili
tary operation to liberate them
more than 100 days after they
were kidnapped.
Najwa Abu Ammar, 35,
was kidnapped with her two
sons and daughter and nearly
two dozen others in July from
southern Sweida province in a
bloody attack on their villages
in which the militants killed
over 200 people.
When a military operation
began to liberate them Thurs
day, the children panicked dur
ing the gunfire, she said. Her
son Rafaat and his 13-year-old
cousin Qusay ran and the mili
tants fired at them.
“We were in the open air at
the bottom of a valley as the
clashes raged between the
army and gunmen,” she said.
“When my son tried to run, (IS
militants) shot him. He was in
my lap when he died.”
His cousin Qusay bled to
photo courtesy SYRIAN OFFICIAL NEWS AGENCY I Associated Press
Mourners carry the coffin of Rafat Nashat during a mass funerals
in Sweida province, Syria, Saturday, Nov. 10.
death after nearly five hours,
Abu Ammar said.
“I am very very sad,” she
told The Associated Press in a
telephone interview through a
crackling line from her remote
village of Shbiki. “I am tired.”
A large funeral procession
for the two children set out Sat
urday from the national hospi
tal in Sweida to their village,
about 18 miles to the east.
“What is the sin of those
innocent children, who should
now be in their classrooms,”
Monzer al-Shoufi, a resident
of Sweida who took part in
the procession, told AP by
telephone.
The family of Abu Ammar
suffered another loss in the
kidnapping — Rafaat’s grand
mother was killed on the day of
the abductions.
Nashaat Abu Ammar,
Rafaat’s father, said his mother
was among those kidnapped by
the militants, who forced the
elderly, sick woman to walk
about 2.5 miles. When she
failed to continue, they shot
her dead.
The militants kept their own
injured who fell fighting with
government troops in the hide
outs with the hostages, another
freed woman, Mashaal Saeed
told reporters.
“Two days ago there were
airstrikes and they suffered
a lot. Many were injured and
killed. They buried their dead
while some lost their limbs.
They put them right there
with us,” Saeed told reporters
in a video posted online. “This
really scared the kids.”
Saeed said they were also
held in a cave, and in a desert,
finally using a vehicle for the
hostages to sleep in it, “under it
and next to it,” creating a sec
ond level as sleeping quarters.
The rare attacks in the
province populated mainly
by minority Druze included
several suicide bombings. The
violence on July 25 devastated
the community and shattered
the region’s calm. At least 216
people were killed and the
militants walked away with the
captives.
Erdogan: Officials heard Khashoggi tapes
Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey — Officials from
Saudi Arabia, the United States, Ger
many, France and Britain have listened
to audio recordings related to the killing
of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at
the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul,
Turkey’s president said Saturday,
in the first public acknowledge
ment of the existence of tapes of
the slaying.
President Recep Tayyip Erdo
gan also told reporters that Saudi
Arabia had to “act fairly” and
disclose those responsible for
the Oct. 2 killing of The Washing
ton Post journalist to rid itself of
“suspicion.”
“We gave them the tapes. We gave
them to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the
Germans, the French, to the British, to all
of them,” Erdogan said before departing
for Paris to attend ceremonies marking
the 100th anniversary of the end of World
War I.
“They (Saudi officials) also listened to
the conversations and they know. There
is no need to distort this. They know for
certain who among the 15 is the killer or
are the killers,” he said.
He was referring to an alleged 15-mem-
ber assassination squad that Turkey
believes was sent to kill Khashoggi at the
consulate where he had arrived
to obtain papers to marry his
Turkish fiancee.
CIA Director Gina Haspel,
who visited Turkey last month
for information on the investiga
tion, is reported to have heard
the audio recordings of the kill
ing. The existence of the record
ings was leaked to the media but
never openly confirmed until
now.
Turkey says Khashoggi, who was criti
cal of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman, was strangled and dismem
bered at the consulate as part of a pre
meditated killing. Media reports have
suggested that his body could have been
chemically dissolved.
Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18
suspects who have been detained in Saudi
Arabia, so they can be put on trial in Tur
key. They include the 15 members of the
alleged assassination squad.
Saudi Arabia had insisted for weeks
after Khashoggi disappeared that he had
walked out of the consulate, before chang
ing its account to say he died in a brawl.
Last month, Saudi Arabia acknowl
edged that Turkish evidence indicates
that Khashoggi’s killing was premedi
tated, shifting its explanation in an appar
ent effort to ease international outrage
over the death.
Saudi officials characterize the killing
as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi
agents who exceeded their authority. Yet
some of those implicated in the killing
are close to the crown prince, including a
member of the prince’s entourage on for
eign trips who was seen at the consulate
before Khashoggi’s slaying.
Erdogan accused Saudi Arabia’s chief
prosecutor, who was sent to Istanbul last
month as part of a joint probe, of employ
ing “delaying tactics.”
“Saudi Arabia needs to accept that (the
killer) is among the 18 and needs to get rid
of the suspicion by responding to Turkey’s
good will and acting fairly,” Erdogan said.
NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali hospital and
police sources say the death toll from Friday’s
bombings outside a hotel in Mogadishu has risen
to 53 with over 100 injured.
Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior Somali
police officer, said many of the injured suffered
horrific wounds, raising fears that death toll
could rise further. The figure given by Hussein
is consistent with submissions from hospitals.
Ahmed Yusuf, a nurse at Madina hospital,
said that Mogadishu’s hospitals are coping to
treat the influx of wounded victims who contin
ued to come in Saturday.
Four car bombs by Islamic extremists
exploded outside a hotel in the capital, Moga
dishu, Friday afternoon. After the three explo
sions in front of the hotel, a fourth blast hit as
medics attempted to rescue the injured.
Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Sha-
bab, claimed responsibility for the bombs.
JORDAN
Jordan opens shelter as flash
flood death toll climbs to 12
PETRA — The death toll from flash floods
in Jordan rose to 12 on Saturday and the king
dom’s main tourist attraction, the ancient city
of Petra, was closed for cleanup after what local
officials said was the biggest deluge in the area
in decades.
Friday’s floods struck several areas of Jor
dan. Rescuers continued the search for missing
people around the Wala reservoir in central Jor
dan on Saturday. In the southern town of Maan,
authorities opened a shelter for dozens of people
whose homes were surrounded by water.
In all, 12 people were killed, including two
children and a diver who had been involved in
rescue efforts, according to state media and Jor
danian government spokeswoman Jumana Ghu-
neimat. Two of the bodies were found Saturday.
Separately, Israel’s public radio said contact
has been restored with six Israeli tourists who
could not immediately be accounted for after the
flooding. The Arabic-language Makan Radio said
some of the tourists had been touring the Wadi
Rum area, another major tourist attraction.
The torrents came two weeks after 21 people,
mostly children, were killed in flash floods near
the Dead Sea. The tourism and education minis
ters resigned over the flooding.
In Petra, the ancient trade hub carved into
rose-hued rocks, heavy rains began at around 1
p.m. Friday and last for about 40 minutes, said
Rafael Dorado, 41, a tourist from Spain.
At about 3 p.m., a torrent of water came gush
ing through the site’s steep and narrow access
canyon, flooding the area within minutes, he
said. Delgado said he was observing from a hill
top temple in the area, but saw other visitors
scrambling to higher ground. He said some visi
tors were later evacuated by trucks and others
made their way out on foot.
Suleiman Farajat, the chief administrator in
Petra, said the site would remain closed Satur
day, but would likely reopen Sunday. He said he’s
never seen flooding of such intensity in the area.
Associated Press
Erdogan
ATTENTION TEACHERS:
Duplicate this form as necessary to share with students in
your classroom!
2018 Love Light Chairs: Dr. Anup and Kathy Lahiry
• Children from Kindergarten to third grade are invited
to participate in the contest.
• Prizes will be awarded and announced at the Love
Light Tree Lighting Celebrations.
• Cut out along dotted line & return entries
before Nov. 28 to the information desk at the
hospital campus nearest you or your home.
NGMC Gainesville
39th Annual Love Light
Tree Lighting Celebration
Dec. 3, 7:00 p.m.
743 Spring Street
Gainesville, GA 30501
Auxiliary Love Light Garden
North Patient Tower Entrance
NGMC Braselton
4th Annual Love Light
Tree Lighting Celebration
Dec. 6, 7:00 p.m.
1400 River Place
Braselton, GA 30517
Auxiliary Love Light Garden
NGMC Barrow
2nd Annual Love Light
Tree Lighting Celebration
Dec. 10, 7:00 p.m.
316 N Broad Street
Winder, GA 30680
Outside of NGMC Barrow Entrance
Prizes will be awarded to 1st and 2nd
place winners at each location!
Presented by
The Medical Center Auxiliary
Love Light benefits Hospice of Northeast Georgia
Medical Center. Love Lights can be given for a
minimum of $10 donation and are a great gift for
teachers, pastors, friends and relatives. For infor
mation about giving Love Lights, Stars or Angels
visit nghs.com/lovelight or call 770-219-1830.
