U.S. strike kills key al-Shabab leader
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The U.S. military said Tuesday that it has killed a high-ranking leader of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group with an airstrike in Somalia.
A statement by U.S. Africa Command said Yusuf Jiis was one of three extremists killed in Thursday's airstrike near Bush Madina in the Bay region.
The U.S. called Jiis a "foundational member" of al-Shabab, which controls parts of central and southern Somalia and frequently carries out attacks in the capital, Mogadishu.
"While we might like to pause our operations in Somalia because of the coronavirus, the leaders of al-Qaida, al-Shabaab and ISIS have announced that they see this crisis as an opportunity to further their terrorist agenda so we will continue to stand with and support our African partners," said Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of U.S. Africa Command.
The U.S. said in a separate statement that an airstrike on Monday killed five al-Shabab members near Jilib.
The statement said the U.S. was aware of reports alleging that the airstrike killed civilians but that U.S. Africa Command assesses none was killed.
128 tests positive on ship off Uruguay
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- Nearly 60% of 217 people -- many from Australia, Europe and the United States -- on board a cruise ship off the coast of Uruguay have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the ship's operator said Tuesday.
"There are currently no fevers on board and all are asymptomatic," said Aurora Expeditions, the Australian operator of the Greg Mortimer ship that is working to disembark the crew and passengers and arrange flights to their home countries.
The Greg Mortimer departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and south Georgia that was titled "In Shackleton's Footsteps," a reference to the polar explorer who led British expeditions to the region and died there in 1922.
Of 217 people tested on the vessel, 128 were positive for the virus that causes the covid-19 disease and 89 tested negative, Aurora Expeditions said.
The people on the ship are calm but they are eager to go home, said Marcelo Girard, a doctor at a Uruguayan medical facility where two people from the Greg Mortimer are being treated.
Australian passengers, and possibly those from New Zealand, are likely to fly home on Thursday or Friday.
It's hoped that U.S. and European passengers who tested negative will be able to depart later in the week, after a second test and permission from the Uruguayan government, Aurora Expeditions said. Those who tested positive must wait until they test negative before flying home.
Ex-Ecuadorian president guilty of graft
QUITO, Ecuador -- An Ecuadorian court found former President Rafael Correa guilty of corruption Tuesday and sentenced him to eight years in prison, further sullying the legacy of one of the nation's most enduring political leaders.
Judge Ivan Leon said prosecutors had proved the existence of a "structure of corruption" led by Correa and 19 other high-profile politicians and business leaders accused of participating in the bribery scheme.
The decision could end any aspirations by Correa to return to politics, as the sentence bars him from running for office for 25 years.
Correa has denied the charges against him, calling them a political witch hunt.
Prosecutors state that the former president oversaw a plot in which foreign and local businesses made cash payments to his PAIS Alliance political party in exchange for lucrative public-works contracts. The payments purportedly were made between 2012 and 2016, years that overlap with Correa's time in the presidency.
His vice president, Jorge Glas, already jailed in a separate corruption case, and 16 others were found guilty of bribery and sentenced to eight years behind bars.
25 Mali soldiers slain in attack on camp
BAMAKO, Mali -- Armed men attacked an army camp in Mali's north, killing at least 25 soldiers, the army said Tuesday.
"Yesterday, our camp in the town of Bamba in the Gao region was attacked" and six others were wounded, said army spokesman Col. Maj. Diarran Kone.
The army was in control of Bamba as of Tuesday, he added.
The attack has not been claimed but bore the mark of armed groups linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State group that are present in the Gao region.
This is the second major attack since the beginning of the year against army positions in the Gao region. More than 30 soldiers were killed near the end of March in an attack on the village of Tarkint.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 04/08/2020