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Soldiers, security forces and local people work at the scene of a car-bomb attack in Semdinli, near the border with Iraq and Turkey, on Sunday.
Soldiers, security forces and local people work at the scene of a car-bomb attack in Semdinli, near the border with Iraq and Turkey, on Sunday.

Kurds set off car bomb; Turks retaliate

photo

AP

Israeli police secure the scene Sunday after a car driven by a Palestinian gunman was intercepted by police in Jerusalem.

ISTANBUL — Kurdish militants detonated a car bomb Sunday outside a military checkpoint in southeast Turkey, killing 10 soldiers and eight civilians, the prime minister said. Turkey immediately launched a military operation against the rebels in response.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim gave the death toll during a press conference in Istanbul and condemned the attack.

“For the stability of our country, we will continue doing everything we can to save our homeland and our nation from the forces of terrorism,” he said.

Cuneyit Orhan Toprak, governor of Hakkari province where the attack took place, told private news channel NTV that 27 others wounded in the attack were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, citing a statement by the Turkish Armed Forces, said the attack occurred outside a security checkpoint on the Semdinli-Yuksekova highway and was the work of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

8 die in Afghan military copter crash

KABUL, Afghanistan — Eight Afghan soldiers were killed early Sunday morning when a military helicopter crashed in northern Baghlan province, officials said.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said five crew members and three army soldiers were killed in the crash.

The crash took place in Dand Ghori district while the helicopter was supplying a military base, he said. Waziri blamed a technical problem with the aircraft and said he rejected any claims by insurgents to have downed the helicopter.

One helicopter was on the ground while a second was patrolling in the air above, when “suddenly a technical problem caused the helicopter to catch fire and hit the ground,” Waziri said.

However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement claiming responsibility for downing the helicopter, saying the aircraft was shot down by fighters.

Samsung suspends Note 7 production

SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Electronics has temporarily halted production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported early today, after reports that replacements for the phone, which had been catching fire, were also overheating.

Citing an unnamed official at a Samsung supplier, Yonhap reported that the tech giant took the measure for consumer safety. Samsung Electronics did not respond to a request seeking confirmation.

The Note 7 was hailed by critics as one of the best Android phones when it made its debut in August. But consumers reported that dozens of the smartphones overheated or caught fire, in some cases damaging property or causing injuries.

Samsung announced a global recall two weeks after the phone’s launch and promised consumers to replace their existing phone with a new Note 7 with a green battery icon that shows it is safe to use.

But last week, authorities had to evacuate a Southwest Airlines flight in Kentucky when a replacement phone began emitting smoke.

Gunman dies after killing 2 in Israel

JERUSALEM — A Palestinian militant carried out a drive-by shooting near the national headquarters of the Israeli police in Jerusalem Sunday, killing two people and wounding five others before being shot dead after a frenzied chase through the streets of the holy city, Israeli police and emergency services said.

The attack, carried out in broad daylight by a member of the Hamas militant group with a long police record, was one of the bloodiest during a yearlong spate of Palestinian assaults. Israel had beefed up security in recent weeks, warning that the potential for violence could rise during the current Jewish high holiday season.

Police spokesman Luba Samri said the attacker sped toward a busy stop of the city’s light rail and opened fire, hitting a 60-year-old woman. He continued driving and shot another woman who was seated in her car before speeding off toward an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem.

Samri said police officers on motorcycles chased the assailant, who eventually stepped out of his vehicle and opened fire at them. A separate police force ultimately shot and killed the attacker, Samri said.

The Israeli national rescue service, Mada, said two people were killed. Police identified one of the dead as a 29-year-old officer, Yosef Kirma. The 60-year-old woman, identified as Levanah Malichi, also died.

A Section on 10/10/2016

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