Suspected Islamist rebels killed at least 10 civilians in an attack on Friday near the city of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities and a U.N. source said.

The assailants fired guns at people working in fields in Mulekera commune outside Beni, Mulekera Mayor Ngongo Mayanga said on Saturday.

Seven bodies have been collected so far, including those of three women, with further five victims reported elsewhere, he said.

"Certainly there are other bodies that we will find as the search continues," he said by phone, blaming the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group.

A source in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo said 10 people were killed.

The ADF originates from neighbouring Uganda. Now based in eastern Congo, it has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups are active.

A witness to the latest attack said he was working in a field when he heard the sound of bullets shortly after parting from his daughter-in-law.

"My daughter-in-law went in the opposite direction, but unfortunately that's when she was killed," he said, describing how he fled into the forest and spent the night there out of fear of the attackers.

Decades of conflict between the army and numerous rebel groups have destabilised eastern Congo and fuelled a long-running humanitarian crisis.

Attacks have intensified over the past year and the number of people displaced by the violence stood at 7.1 million at the end of March, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA.

Suspected Islamist rebels killed at least 10 civilians in an attack on Friday near the city of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities and a U.

Suspected Islamist rebels killed at least 10 civilians in an attack on Friday near the city of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities and a U.N. source said. The assailants fired guns at people working in fields in Mulekera commune outside Beni, Mulekera Mayor Ngongo Mayanga said on Saturday. Seven bodies have been collected so far, including those of three women, with further five victims reported elsewhere, he said. "Certainly there are other bodies that we will find as the search continues," he said by phone, blaming the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group. A source in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo said 10 people were killed. The ADF originates from neighbouring Uganda. Now based in eastern Congo, it has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups are active. A witness to the latest attack said he was working in a field when he heard the sound of bullets shortly after parting from his daughter-in-law. "My daughter-in-law went in the opposite direction, but unfortunately that's when she was killed," he said, describing how he fled into the forest and spent the night there out of fear of the attackers. Decades of conflict between the army and numerous rebel groups have destabilised eastern Congo and fuelled a long-running humanitarian crisis. Attacks have intensified over the past year and the number of people displaced by the violence stood at 7.1 million at the end of March, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA.

Suspected Islamist rebels kill at least 10 in eastern Congo

French forces have killed a top jihadist leader, Yahya Abou El Hamame, in an operation in Mali, Defence Minister Florence Parly said Friday.

The Algerian, a commander in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was reputedly responsible for kidnapping a number of Westerners in North and West Africa.

A ministry statement issued in Paris said he was "the mastermind and financier of several attacks".

El Hamame was killed Thursday when French land and air forces ambushed a column of vehicles he was travelling with north of Timbuktu, Parly said.

He reportedly served as AQIM's "governor" in Timbuktu when the city was held by Islamist rebels from April 2012 to January 2013.

A number of other "terrorists" were "neutralised", Parly added.

El Hamame was believed to be second in command of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), also known as Nusrat al-Islam, led by Iyad Ag Ghali.

The group was formed by the merger of Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Front, Al-Mourabitoun and El Hamame's Saharan branch of AQIM.

The operation was announced as Parly, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian were due to visit Mali, where some 4,500 French troops have been deployed since 2014 to reconquer the north of the country after it fell to jihadist fighters.

French forces have killed a top jihadist leader, Yahya Abou El Hamame, in an operation in Mali, Defence Minister Florence Parly said Friday. The Algerian, a commander in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was reputedly responsible for kidnapping a number of Westerners in North and West Africa.

French forces have killed a top jihadist leader, Yahya Abou El Hamame, in an operation in Mali, Defence Minister Florence Parly said Friday. The Algerian, a commander in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was reputedly responsible for kidnapping a number of Westerners in North and West Africa. A ministry statement issued in Paris said he was "the mastermind and financier of several attacks". El Hamame was killed Thursday when French land and air forces ambushed a column of vehicles he was travelling with north of Timbuktu, Parly said. He reportedly served as AQIM's "governor" in Timbuktu when the city was held by Islamist rebels from April 2012 to January 2013. A number of other "terrorists" were "neutralised", Parly added. El Hamame was believed to be second in command of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), also known as Nusrat al-Islam, led by Iyad Ag Ghali. The group was formed by the merger of Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Front, Al-Mourabitoun and El Hamame's Saharan branch of AQIM. The operation was announced as Parly, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian were due to visit Mali, where some 4,500 French troops have been deployed since 2014 to reconquer the north of the country after it fell to jihadist fighters.

France says kills top Al-Qaeda commander in Africa's Sahel region

Islamist rebels and jihadists in Syria are guilty of war crimes, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday, accusing them of &quot;a chilling wave of abductions, torture and summary killings&quot;. 
 
The London-based rights group named five Syrian anti-regime factions operating in northern Syria: Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, hardliner Ahrar al-Sham, Nureddin Zinki, the Levant Front and Division 16. 
 
The groups have detained and tortured lawyers, journalists, and children, among others, for criticising them, committing acts seen as immoral, or being minorities, the report said. 
 
&quot;Many civilians live in constant fear of being abducted if they criticise the conduct of armed groups in power or fail to abide by the strict rules that some have imposed,&quot; said Philip Luther, head of Amnesty&#39;s Middle East and North Africa programme. 
 
&quot;In Aleppo and Idlib today, armed groups have free rein to commit war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law with impunity,&quot; he added. 
 
The report is based on 24 accounts of abduction by anti-regime groups between 2012 and 2016 and another five cases of torture. 
 
Halim, a humanitarian worker, was kidnapped and tortured by Nureddin Zinki rebels in Aleppo city until he confessed to a crime. 
 
&quot;When I refused to sign the confession paper, the interrogator ordered the guard to torture me,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;He then started beating me with cables on the soles of my feet. I couldn&#39;t bear the pain so I signed the paper,&quot; Halim said. 
 
Jihadist and hardline religious groups operate their own religious courts which punish crimes such as apostasy or adultery with death. 
 
Saleh was held by Al-Nusra in late 2014, and was told by his guard that five women accused of adultery would &quot;only be forgiven by death.&quot; 
 
He said he later watched a video showing Al-Nusra militants publicly killing one of the women execution-style. 
 
Amnesty said it documented violations in Idlib, which is held by Al-Nusra and its allies, and Aleppo. 
 
Syria&#39;s conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since broken down into an all-out war, leaving more than 280,000 people dead. 
 
Rights groups have accused both the regime of Bashar al-Assad and anti-government factions of indiscriminate attacks, torture and detention. 
 
Amnesty called on world powers to &quot;pressure armed groups to end such abuses and comply with the laws of war&quot;. 
 
The report said regional powers must also stop providing weapons or other forms of support to any factions involved in war crimes or other violations. 
 
It said some of the accused groups &quot;are believed to have the support of governments such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

The report is based on 24 accounts of abduction by anti-regime groups between 2012 and 2016 and another five cases of torture

Islamist rebels and jihadists in Syria are guilty of war crimes, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday, accusing them of "a chilling wave of abductions, torture and summary killings". The London-based rights group named five Syrian anti-regime factions operating in northern Syria: Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, hardliner Ahrar al-Sham, Nureddin Zinki, the Levant Front and Division 16. The groups have detained and tortured lawyers, journalists, and children, among others, for criticising them, committing acts seen as immoral, or being minorities, the report said. "Many civilians live in constant fear of being abducted if they criticise the conduct of armed groups in power or fail to abide by the strict rules that some have imposed," said Philip Luther, head of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme. "In Aleppo and Idlib today, armed groups have free rein to commit war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law with impunity," he added. The report is based on 24 accounts of abduction by anti-regime groups between 2012 and 2016 and another five cases of torture. Halim, a humanitarian worker, was kidnapped and tortured by Nureddin Zinki rebels in Aleppo city until he confessed to a crime. "When I refused to sign the confession paper, the interrogator ordered the guard to torture me," he said. "He then started beating me with cables on the soles of my feet. I couldn't bear the pain so I signed the paper," Halim said. Jihadist and hardline religious groups operate their own religious courts which punish crimes such as apostasy or adultery with death. Saleh was held by Al-Nusra in late 2014, and was told by his guard that five women accused of adultery would "only be forgiven by death." He said he later watched a video showing Al-Nusra militants publicly killing one of the women execution-style. Amnesty said it documented violations in Idlib, which is held by Al-Nusra and its allies, and Aleppo. Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since broken down into an all-out war, leaving more than 280,000 people dead. Rights groups have accused both the regime of Bashar al-Assad and anti-government factions of indiscriminate attacks, torture and detention. Amnesty called on world powers to "pressure armed groups to end such abuses and comply with the laws of war". The report said regional powers must also stop providing weapons or other forms of support to any factions involved in war crimes or other violations. It said some of the accused groups "are believed to have the support of governments such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US". (AFP)

Syrian rebels, jihadists guilty of war crimes: Amnesty report

Two medics were among at least 20 people killed on Saturday in Syrian government shelling of a rebel-held town northeast of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.&nbsp; 
 
The bombardment struck the town of Jayrud, 60 kilometres (35 miles) from Damascus, where the army says Islamist rebels killed a pilot they captured after he was forced to eject on Friday.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) &nbsp;

The bombardment struck the town of Jayrud, 60 kilometres from Damascus

Two medics were among at least 20 people killed on Saturday in Syrian government shelling of a rebel-held town northeast of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The bombardment struck the town of Jayrud, 60 kilometres (35 miles) from Damascus, where the army says Islamist rebels killed a pilot they captured after he was forced to eject on Friday. (AFP)

Syria regime shelling leaves 20 dead, including 2 medics

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Suspected Islamist rebels kill at least 10 in eastern Congo

France says kills top Al-Qaeda commander in Africa's Sahel region

Syrian rebels, jihadists guilty of war crimes: Amnesty report

Syria regime shelling leaves 20 dead, including 2 medics