150 ISIS fighters
die in U.S. strike
U.S. military officials said American airstrikes in Syria on Saturday killed up to 150 Islamic State fighters in a command center in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.
The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State said the strikes were near As Shafah, which is north of Abu Kamal in eastern Syria. They targeted an Islamic State headquarters and were assisted by Syrian Democratic Forces who watched the area before the attack.
The coalition said there was a heavy concentration of fighters at the site and they appeared to be preparing to move. The large number of fighters killed in the attack underscores U.S. assertions that the Islamic State group continues to be a threat in Syria.
The coalition said only Islamic State fighters were killed in the strikes.
Venezuela pushes for early election
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday that he’s ready to face voters as the ruling socialist party pushes for an early election in a bid to consolidate its power in the face of a devastating economic crisis.
Maduro’s comments came a short while after the pro-government constitutional assembly ordered that the election be held by the end of April — months ahead of when presidential voting has traditionally taken place.
Maduro, 55, said he hoped the opposition would compete in the election even as ongoing negotiations in the Dominican Republic between the two sides have so far failed to reach an agreement. The opposition has been using those talks to push for guarantees that voting will be free and fair.
Speculation has been growing in recent weeks that elections would be held earlier to take advantage of divisions within the opposition. Nonetheless, opposition leaders say they will field a single candidate.
Car bombs kill 27 in Libyan mosque
BENGHAZI, Libya — Twin car bombs exploded as people left a mosque in a residential area of the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday night, killing 27 and wounding over 30 in an attack timed to cause mass casualties among first responders, officials said.
Capt. Tarek Alkharraz, spokesman for military and police forces in Benghazi, said the first explosion went off in the Salmani neighborhood around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday and the second bomb went off a half hour later as residents and medics gathered to evacuate the wounded.
Local health official Hani Belras Ali said at least 27 people died had died so far and 32 were wounded.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
The United Nations condemned the attack on social media, saying that direct or indiscriminate attacks on civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes.
Libya fell into chaos after the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and since 2014 it has been split between rival governments and parliaments based in the western and eastern regions.