JEDDAH: A masked gunman set fire to a gaming room at a casino in the Philippine capital on Friday, igniting a toxic blaze that killed 37 people.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Philippine government insisted it was not terror-related.
The victims suffocated inside one of the main gambling venues of the upscale Resorts World Manila, while dozens of other people were injured in a panicked crush to escape, police said.
The gunman committed suicide by setting himself on fire about five hours after storming the casino with an M4 assault rifle and a bottle of petrol that he used to start the fire, police chief Ronald Dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa and other police officials said the assailant was not carrying out a terrorist attack as he did not shoot anyone. They said it appeared to be a bizarre robbery attempt by a “deranged” man.
“This is not an act of terror. There is no element of violence, threat or intimidation that leads to terrorism,” Dela Rosa told reporters.
Baker Atyani, a veteran journalist who has covered militant groups in the Philippines for two decades, said this was undoubtedly “a Daesh attack,” adding that it had issued an official statement claiming responsibility.
“They even named the attacker as Abul Kheir Al-Arkhebieli,” he told Arab News on Friday. “His aim was to inflict maximum damage and take as many lives as he could.”
The fact that he was able to kill 37 people indicates that he succeeded in his goal, said Atyani, adding that he would not classify the attack as an isolated incident.
“This was a well-planned, well-executed operation in the heart of the Philippine capital,” he said.
“If you see the CCTV footage and the images from the resort, it’s very clear that this man was heavily armed and well-equipped. He wasn’t some angry man with a gun who just barged into the hotel. This was a well-planned attack that was meant to cause maximum damage to human lives, and it did.”
This means Daesh has the wherewithal and a huge network of foot soldiers to move fast in Philippine cities and carry out such deadly attacks, Atyani said. “Before they were only confined to the south. No more.”
Local police chief Tomas Apolinario told AFP that 37 people died from inhaling smoke from a fire that spread quickly because of flammable carpet on the gaming room floors. Four of the victims were from Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese government.
The gunman initially disappeared into the chaos of smoke and running people, leading to a five-hour manhunt in the complex, which also includes a hotel and shops, said Dela Rosa.
He added that the assailant, who appeared to be a foreigner because he spoke English and looked Caucasian, was found just before dawn in a hotel room, having committed suicide.
“He lay down on the bed, covered himself with a thick blanket, apparently poured petrol on the blanket and burned himself,” Dela Rosa said.
Daesh’s Aamaq news agency carried a brief message in Arabic on Telegram, which said: “Daesh fighters carried out the attack in Manila in the Philippines on Thursday.”
In a later statement posted on Telegram from one of Daesh’s regular and authenticated accounts, the group provided the gunman’s nom de guerre and boasted of killing and injuring nearly 100 Christians during the rampage.
But Philippine officials were adamant it was not terror-related, and was the work of an individual.
“This particular situation in Manila is not related in any way to a terrorist attack,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.
Dela Rosa said the man, acting alone, walked into one of the gaming rooms and fired the rifle at a large television screen, then poured gasoline onto a gambling table and set it alight.
Atyani said Daesh militants — who have their back to the wall in the southern city of Marawi, where Philippine security forces have been pounding their positions and hideouts for the last 11 days — have tried to open another front to ease the pressure on them in Marawi.
“In Marawi, the security forces have almost succeeded in flushing out the militants, and they now seem to have dispersed into the jungles,” he said.
The Marawi operation was launched to capture Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, who has been named by the Daesh leadership in Raqqa, Syria, as its emir in the Philippines. “He seems to have escaped from Marawi and is believed to be in Mindanao,” said Atyani.
“The attack in Manila can be seen, from the perspective of Daesh, as revenge for the Marawi operation.”
On why the Philippine government is refusing to acknowledge the presence of Daesh in the country, Atyani said there is an element of denial.
“Even during the early days of the operation in Marawi, they said there was no Daesh in the Philippines,” he said. “They have to admit now that Daesh is there in their midst.”
The other reason for Daesh to carry out this attack in Manila was to frighten tourists away and hurt the Philippine economy, he added.
“If the government officially accepts the presence of Daesh, then tourists will think twice before coming to the Philippines,” he said. “An attack in the heart of Manila on a resort is bad news for the tourism industry.”
— With input from AFP
Deadly Manila resort blaze no doubt a 'Daesh attack’, expert tells Arab News
Deadly Manila resort blaze no doubt a 'Daesh attack’, expert tells Arab News
No ceasefire reply means Moscow wants to fight on: Zelensky
- Russia says ceasefire would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military
Kyiv, Ukraine/Moscow: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday the fact there was no “meaningful” response from Moscow to a 30-day ceasefire proposal from the United States meant the Kremlin wants to keep fighting in Ukraine.
“Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made. This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that US pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media.
Earlier a top Kremlin aide on Thursday criticized the US-Ukrainian proposal for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying it would just be a "breather" for the Ukrainian military.
"It would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military," Yuri Ushakov told state media after speaking by phone to US national security advisor Mike Waltz.
He said President Vladimir Putin would “probably make more specific and substantive assessments” on Thursday.
Ushakov also said that Russia was aiming for a "long-term peaceful solution" that would secure Russia’s “legitimate interests”.
“That is what we are striving for,” he said.
“Any steps that imitate peaceful action are I believe not needed by anyone in the current situation,” he said.
US negotiators travelled to Russia on Thursday to present their plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, as Washington pushed Moscow for an "unconditional" pause to the three-year conflict.
Deporting Mahmoud Khalil from US would fuel wider expulsion campaign against Arabs, Muslims: Attorney
- Columbia University student, son of Palestinian refugees, was arrested on March 8
- Real aim ‘is to shut everybody up’ from criticizing Israel, David Chami tells Arab News
CHICAGO: Deporting green-card holder Mahmoud Khalil from the US would fuel widespread persecution and targeting of Arabs and Muslims who “dare to criticize” Israel, a civil rights attorney told Arab News.
David Chami represented 22 of 27 students who were expelled from Arizona State University after being accused of trespassing and damage to property.
But he said neither his 22 clients nor Columbia University student Khalil committed any serious offense that would justify any form of punishment.
“Without a doubt, what ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the government are doing violates the Constitution and the fundamental laws of this country,” Chami added.
Khalil’s case “could open the door to thousands of expulsions if they want to continue targeting and harassing students.
“I mean, if you start alleging that your opinions about Palestine or Israel are enough for me to associate you with supporting terrorism, all of a sudden everyone’s out, right? Because anyone who’s anti-genocide, who’s against Israeli policies, becomes a target.”
The real aim “is to shut everybody up,” Chami said, adding that under US law, Khalil or any green-card holder would have to be convicted of a “serious crime” before being deported.
“They’re just going to try to throw Mahmoud Khalil out of the country extra-judicially,” Chami said. “If that happens, all of a sudden you’ll start to see green-card holders becoming targeted for their speech, things they said online on social media, and not even being at a protest at all.
“What’s next? They might target former green-card holders who are now American citizens, and people who weren’t born here. They might try to undo their citizenship.”
Chami said green-card holders, who are one step away from becoming official citizens, can only be deported after being convicted of very specific crimes under US immigration laws.
“They include crimes of moral turpitude like fraud, theft, violence, or lying on your application,” he added.
“They’d have to commit some sort of aggravated felony like murder, or drug trafficking, or some other drug offense.
“You could be accused of a crime, but that still wouldn’t provide a basis for deportation. You’d have to be convicted first. … But they aren’t trying to prosecute or convict him.”
Khalil, the son of Palestinian refugees, was born in Syria and holds Algerian citizenship. After earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Lebanese American University, he enrolled at Columbia University in 2022, studying in the School of International and Public Affairs. He completed his studies last December and was scheduled to graduate in May.
Khalil was arrested at his home on March 8 by ICE officers. His attempted expulsion has fueled an atmosphere of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia that is being parroted by American traditional and social media, Chami said.
Although US District Judge Jesse Furman on Wednesday extended an order that temporarily blocks Khalil’s deportation, Chami said he is concerned that ICE could expel him without completing the judicial process. “The question is, where would they expel him to?” Chami asked.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee called Khalil’s arrest “an extreme and blatant act of political retaliation for his First Amendment-protected advocacy.”
Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, said the arrest “is of enormous concern to academic freedom and freedom of speech.”
Fears grow of renewed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray
- Tigray was the scene of one of the most devastating wars of the century between 2020 and 2022
- War pitted local forces against the federal government and allied militias, as well as the army of Eritrea
ADDIS ABABA: Tensions were rising between rival factions in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray on Thursday, as France warned against travel there.
Tigray was the scene of one of the most devastating wars of the century between 2020 and 2022, estimated to have claimed as many as 600,000 lives.
That war pitted local forces against the federal government and allied militias, as well as the army of neighboring Eritrea.
Despite a peace agreement in November 2022, the region has not found stability and disputes between rival factions have intensified in recent months.
The federal government placed veteran Tigray politician Getachew Reda as head of an interim regional administration but he has been challenged by his former ally, the head of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Debretsion Gebremichael.
On Tuesday, forces loyal to Debrietson took control of Adigrat, Tigray’s second largest city.
“The town is under renewed tension, the population fears a return to the bad old days of the war,” a local resident said on condition of anonymity.
Getachew ordered the suspension of three generals of the Tigray Defense Forces, accusing the rival faction of trying to “take over the whole of Tigray” in an interview with Tigrai Mass Media Agency.
“Given the ongoing internal clashes in Tigray, particularly in Adigrat and in the regional capital, Mekele, all travel throughout the Tigray region is now formally discouraged,” the French foreign ministry warned on Wednesday.
It also called on French nationals in Tigray to “stock up on emergency supplies (food, water, medicine, and possibly fuel) and to exercise utmost caution.”
On Wednesday, Getachew’s administration asked the Ethiopian government to “provide necessary assistance,” without specifying what it needed.
Federal authorities in the capital Addis Ababa have not yet commented.
In February, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed lamented that Tigrayans “still live in fear and terror amid rumors of war.”
France also urged “the avoidance of all unnecessary travel” to the northern Afar region, which borders Eritrea, at a time when tensions are high between the two Horn of Africa neighbors.
At least 25 bodies retrieved from Pakistan train siege
- The assault was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) one of a number of separatist groups
- Security forces said they freed more than 340 train passengers in a two-day rescue operation that ended late on Wednesday
Mach: The bodies of at least 25 people, including 21 hostages, killed in a train siege by separatist gunmen in Pakistan were retrieved from the site on Thursday ahead of the first funerals, officials said.
Security forces said they freed more than 340 train passengers in a two-day rescue operation that ended late on Wednesday after a separatist group bombed a remote railway track in mountainous southwest Balochistan and stormed a train with around 450 passengers on board.
The assault was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of a number of separatist groups that accuse outsiders of plundering natural resources in Balochistan near the borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
Death tolls have varied, with the military saying in an official statement that “21 innocent hostages” were killed by the militants as well as four soldiers in the rescue operation.
A railway official in Balochistan said the bodies of 25 people were transported by train away from the hostage site to the nearby town of Mach on Thursday morning.
“Deceased were identified as 19 military passengers, one police and one railway official, while four bodies are yet to be identified,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
A senior local military official overseeing operations confirmed the details.
An army official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, earlier put the military toll at 28, including 27 off-duty soldiers taken hostage.
Passengers who escaped from the siege said after walking for hours through rugged mountains to reach safety that they saw people being shot dead by militants.
The first funerals are expected to take place on Thursday.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was also expected to visit Balochistan, his office said.
“The Prime Minister expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of security personnel and train passengers during the operation,” it said in a statement.
'Our women pleaded'
The BLA released a video of an explosion on the track followed by dozens of militants emerging from hiding places in the mountains to attack the train.
Attacks by separatist groups have soared in the past few years, mostly targeting security forces and ethnic groups from outside the province.
Muhammad Naveed, who managed to escape, told AFP: “They asked us to come out of the train one by one. They separated women and asked them to leave. They also spared elders.”
“They asked us to come outside, saying we will not be harmed. When around 185 people came outside, they chose people and shot them down.”
Babar Masih, a 38-year-old Christian laborer, told AFP on Wednesday he and his family walked for hours through rugged mountains to reach a train that could take them to a makeshift hospital on a railway platform.
“Our women pleaded with them and they spared us,” he said.
“They told us to get out and not look back. As we ran, I noticed many others running alongside us.”
Security forces have been battling a decades-long insurgency in impoverished Balochistan but last year saw a surge in violence in the province compared with 2023, according to the independent Center for Research and Security Studies.
Putin, in military fatigues, orders swift defeat of Ukrainian forces in Kursk
- A lightning Russian advance over the past few days has left Ukraine with a sliver of less than 200 square km in Kursk
- It was down from 1,300 square km at the peak of the incursion last summer, according to the Russian military
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in military fatigues, ordered top commanders to defeat Ukrainian forces in the western region of Kursk as soon as possible after the United States asked him to consider a 30-day ceasefire proposal.
Ukrainian forces smashed across the Russian border on August 6 and grabbed a slice of land inside Russia in a bid to distract Moscow’s forces from the front lines in eastern Ukraine and to gain a potential bargaining chip.
But a lightning Russian advance over the past few days has left Ukraine with a sliver of less than 200 square km (77 square miles) in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km (500 square miles) at the peak of the incursion last summer, according to the Russian military.
“Our task in the near future, in the shortest possible timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region,” Putin told generals in remarks televised late on Wednesday.
“And of course, we need to think about creating a security zone along the state border.”
The remarks by Putin, dressed in a green camouflage uniform, came as US President Donald Trump said he hoped Moscow would agree to a ceasefire and said that if not then Washington could cause Russia financial pain.
Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s General Staff, told Putin that Russian forces had pushed Ukrainian forces out of over 86 percent of the territory they had once held in Kursk, the equivalent to 1,100 square km (425 square miles) of land.
Gerasimov said Ukraine’s plans to use Kursk as a bargaining chip in possible future negotiations with Russia had failed and its gambit that its Kursk operation would force Russia to divert troops from its advance in eastern Ukraine had also not worked.
He said Russian forces had retaken 24 settlements and 259 square km (100 square miles) of land from Ukrainian forces in the last five days along with over 400 prisoners.
Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Ukraine’s top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv’s troops will keep operating in Kursk as long as needed and that fighting continued in and around the town of Sudzha.
The US on Tuesday agreed to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.
The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was carefully studying the results of that meeting and awaited details from the US.
