Palestinian Protesters set fire to tomb; Turkey shoots down drone; Brazil intelligence chief dies; Afghan government welcomes troop extension

Palestinian Protesters set fire to Joseph’s tomb in Nablus

Hundreds of Palestinian youth threw Moltov cocktail bombs at Joseph’s tomb complex on Friday morning. Some of the rioters then broke in and began throwing the explosives inside. Palestinian security then took control, firing shots into the air and removing them from the sight. Israelis are outraged, declaring the scene “unforgivable.”

The tomb is located in the West Bank City of Nablus and is revered as that of the biblical figure, Joseph. Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the violence and said the site would be repaired. Earlier in the week, Abbas had claimed that Israel had executed a 13 year old Palestinian boy. Israeli PM Netanyahu quickly responded, accusing Abbas of “lies and incitement.”

Also on the West Bank, a Palestinian disguised as a news photographer stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier, the attacker was later shot dead.

Turkey Warplanes shoot down drone near Syria, US suspects Russian origin

Turkey shot down an unidentified drone in Turkish airspace near Syria. US officials say that they believe it was of Russia origin. The Turkish military says that its jets shot down the aircraft after it continued on its trajectory after three warnings. The Russian defense ministry says that all of its planes in Syria had safely returned to base and that all drones were operating as planned. Russian jets violated Turkey’s airspace on two other occasions this month. Turkey has warned that it will respond if the instances are repeated.

Brazil ex-army intelligence Chief Dies  

Brazil’s former head of army intelligence, Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, has died at the age of 83. The retired army Colonel had previously been accused by human rights activists of ordering the illegal arrest and torture of 500 left wing activists. He lead the Doi-Codi intelligence service from 1970-1974. Ustra never apologized for his activities against the left-wing, rather stating that he was “fighting terrorism.”

Ustra said that the current Brazilian President, Rousseff, belonged to four terrorist organizations. She was arrested in 1970 for her political activities. Ultra said that he was never in charge and only followed orders from superiors. Conflicting reports state that he was personally in charge of two torture centers. A judge found Ustra guilty in 2012 of human rights violations and ordered him to pay compensation to a journalist who was abducted by the secret police 30 years ago.

Afghan government welcomes troops extension

The Afghan government has welcomed the US’s decision to extend its military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2016. The US announced on Thursday that it would maintain 5,500 troops in Afghanistan until early 2017, a shift from the plans to remove most by late 2016; the Taliban has vowed to continue attacks on troops to force them out.  Currently there are 9,800 troops in Afghanistan, the US had planned to remove all but a small embassy based force of 1,000.

The Afghan government says the shift shows a “renewal of the partnership” and vows to step up anti-terror efforts. The Taliban has said in a statement that the removal of troops will not change their mission and attacks will increase. Last week US military commander in Afghanistan, Gen Campbell, stated that an enhanced military presence would be needed if the Taliban were to be expelled. These statements followed the Taliban’s brief capture of the northern city of Kunduz, marking their most significant gain since 2001. The Taliban maintains that this is an “unwinnable war” and that they will continue to step up their campaign.

Afghan forces have struggled to contain the insurgency and are relying on allies for support. The US fears the continual growth of the Islamic state in Afghanistan, as well as a rapid collapse of President Ghani’s government.

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