United Nations, June 1
UN Security Council today condemned the Israeli attack on a flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists to the Gaza strip, with the powerful world body seeking “full explanation” from the Jewish state and an impartial investigation into the incident.

“The Security Council deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force during the Israeli military operations in international waters,” a statement passed by the Security Council said after an emergency session that lasted more than 12 hours.

The statement condemned the bloody attack on the flotilla of six ships that were heading towards the Gaza strip with aid for the Palestinians that resulted in the death of at least 10 passengers.

The statement also called for impartial investigations into the incident, lifting the Gaza blockade, release of the ships and allowing detained civilians access to their consulates.

“The Security Council took note of the statement of the UN Secretary-General on the need to have a full investigation into the matter and it calls for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards,” the statement said.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has already underlined his support for investigations. “I condemn this violence. It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation,” Ban said.

While the majority of the council appears to be in favour of an external probe, the US objected to having independent investigations carried out by the UN. “We have every confidence that Israel can conduct a credible and impartial and transparent, prompt, investigation internally,” US deputy envoy to the UN Alejandro Wolff said.

Facing mounting international criticism, the Israelis said the convoy was not a humanitarian mission but its main objective was to push past the Gaza blockade. “Although portrayed in the media as a humanitarian mission delivering aid to Gaza, this flotilla was not a humanitarian mission,” said Dan Carmon, deputy head of Israel’s mission to the UN.

“What kind of peace activists use knives, clubs and other weapons to attack soldiers who board a ship in accordance with international law?” he added. — PTI

Washington, June 1
Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the third highest ranking al-Qaida commander, outfit’s banker and the man who threatened India with more Mumbai-style attacks, was killed along with his entire family in an American missile strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas in the last two weeks.

Yazid, 54, also known as Sheikh Sa’id al Masri, considered to be a relative of Osama bin Laden, was killed along with his family in a drone attack, US officials said.

His death was confirmed by the al-Qaida through jihadist websites. The message on jihadist forums said his wife, three of his daughters, his granddaughter, and other men, women, and children, were killed.

Yazid had appeared in video last year warning India of more Mumbai-style terror attacks, if it tried to attack Pakistan. “India should know that it will have to pay a heavy price if it attacks Pakistan,” Yazid, who had been named as al-Qaida’s chief operational commander and ranked behind No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, had said in a 20-minute video in Arabic.

“The Mujahideen will sunder your armies into the ground, like they did to the Russians in Afghanistan... They will target your economic centres and raze them to the ground,” he had warned.

The US officials described his death as the “hardest blow so far” to the al-Qaida, adding the organisation’s fighting capability had been degraded to a high extent by drone attacks.

“Al Masri was the group’s chief operating officer with a hand in everything - from finances to operational planning,” a US official was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times.

The al-Qaida message, carried by the SITE group which monitors jihadist websites, did not give any details about the circumstances of his death, other than to say “he had attained martyrdom”. “His death will only be a severe curse on the life of the infidels. The response is near,” the message said. — PTI

Monrovia: A Liberian ship with the capacity to carry at least 30 passengers sank off the port of Harper 700 kilometres south of the capital early today, the port manager said.

“We do not know yet how many persons have perished in this incident because the rescue team is still working,” the manager, Patrick Dunor, told AFP. Officials said they had no information on survivors or on what had caused the Liberian-owned M/V Hevea to sink. “M/V HEVEA was heading to my port when it sank. It is difficult now to say how many people died and how many survived but the passengers were travelling from Monrovia to Harper,” Dunor added.

Harper has Liberia’s third-largest sea port and is the provincial capital of Maryland county. — AFP