8 die in Syria after missile hits school
BEIRUT -- A missile struck a school building in northwestern Syria on Tuesday morning, killing eight civilians, opposition activists said, as government forces captured a key village held by al-Qaida insurgents in the war-torn country's last rebel stronghold.
Syrian government troops also surrounded a Turkish observation post in the area, the activists said. They said the village of Jarjanaz was captured from al-Qaida late Monday.
Syrian forces launched a wide ground offensive last week into the northwestern province of Idlib, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. The offensive follows weeks of bombardment that has displaced tens of thousands of people.
The United Nations estimates that about 60,000 people have fled from the area, heading south, after the bombings intensified earlier this month. Thousands more have fled further north toward the Turkish border in recent days, where the U.N. has warned of the growing risk of a humanitarian catastrophe. Idlib province is home to about 3 million civilians.
Afghan troops die in Taliban attack
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taliban targeted an army checkpoint in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least seven Afghan soldiers, the defense ministry and the insurgents said.
The ministry said in a statement that the "enemy" attack in northern Balkh province, in the district of Dawlat Abad, also wounded six other members of the security forces -- three soldiers and three intelligence agents. An investigation was underway, the statement added.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying also that the insurgents captured four Afghan troops and seized weapons and ammunition from the checkpoint.
The Taliban now control or hold sway over practically half of Afghanistan but continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces, as well as government officials -- even as they hold peace talks with a U.S. envoy tasked with negotiating an end to the 18-year conflict, America's longest war. Scores of Afghan civilians are also killed in the crossfire or by roadside bombs planted by militants.
On Monday, an American soldier was killed in combat in northern Kunduz province. The Taliban claimed they were behind a fatal roadside bombing that targeted American and Afghan forces in Kunduz.
Christmas typhoon strikes Philippines
An intensifying storm struck the Philippines on Christmas Eve, disrupting holiday travel plans in Asia's largest Catholic nation.
Typhoon Phanfone, called Ursula locally and upgraded from a tropical storm, hit the central Philippines on Tuesday, stranding thousands of travelers and prompting authorities to advise residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to leave their homes.
Phanfone made landfall in Eastern Samar province at 4:45 p.m. local time, according to the weather bureau Pagasa. The 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, it packed sustained winds as fast as 75 mph and gusts as strong as 93 mph, the bureau said.
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air have canceled dozens of domestic flights and the coast guard banned sea travel on the storm's projected path, according to their social media posts and local reports. About 24,000 passengers were stranded in various seaports, with Filipinos traditionally leaving for their hometowns to be with their families at Christmas.
A Section on 12/25/2019