logo
Remains of 3 missing people found in Syria, identities unknown

Remains of 3 missing people found in Syria, identities unknown

Fox News11-05-2025

The remains of three people were discovered at a site in northern Syria on Sunday, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The identities have yet to be confirmed, and it was not known if any were Americans.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for confirmation.
Syria has previously denied claims it abducted or held Americans, though the U.S. reportedly engaged in back-channel talks with Syria with the help of Lebanese intermediaries for years, including under the Biden administration, to no avail.
Rebels seized the capital city of Damascus in December, ousting Assad and renewing hope in the effort to free any potential captives.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says
Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says

Washington Post

time17 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — A Nigerian Catholic priest who recently served in the United States has been abducted by extremists along with other travelers in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, the church said. The Rev. Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on June 1 near the northeastern town of Gwoza, close to the border with Cameroon, by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of Maiduguri told The Associated Press on Sunday.

IAEA chief says information obtained by Iran 'seem to refer' to Israeli nuclear research site
IAEA chief says information obtained by Iran 'seem to refer' to Israeli nuclear research site

Associated Press

time27 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

IAEA chief says information obtained by Iran 'seem to refer' to Israeli nuclear research site

VIENNA (AP) — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday that the information Iran claimed it seized regarding Israel's nuclear program 'seems to refer' to the country's Soreq Nuclear Research Center, the first acknowledgment outside of Tehran of the theft. The office of Israel's prime minister had no immediate response on the remarks by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who spoke during a news conference in Vienna. The alleged theft comes at a time of renewed tensions over Iran's nuclear program, which enriches uranium a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels and looks poised to reject a U.S. proposal over a possible deal on its atomic program. 'We have seen some reports in the press. We haven't had any official communication about this,' Grossi told reporters. 'In any case, this seems to refer to Soreq, which is a research facility which we inspect by the way. We don't inspect other strategic parts of the program, but this part of the program we do inspect.' He did not elaborate on where he received his information, though the IAEA maintains a confidential reporting system for nations to report security incidents involving their nuclear programs. Soreq, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Tel Aviv, is a national laboratory for nuclear science established in Israel in 1958, engaged in nuclear science, radiation safety and applied physics. The IAEA has so-called 'item-specific safeguards agreements' with Israel, Pakistan and India, all countries that are not party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Under Israel's agreement, the IAEA monitors Soreq but has no access to Israel's nuclear facility at Dimona, believed to provide the fuel for Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons program. Over the weekend Iranian state television and later the country's intelligence minister claimed without offering evidence that Tehran seized an 'important treasury' of information regarding Israel's nuclear program. Israel, whose undeclared atomic weapons program makes it the only country in the Mideast with nuclear bombs, has not acknowledged any such Iranian operation targeting it — though there have been arrests of Israelis allegedly spying for Tehran amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib claimed thousands of pages of documents had been obtained which would be made public soon. Among them were documents related to the U.S., Europe and other countries which, he claimed, had been obtained through 'infiltration' and 'access to the sources.' He did not elaborate on the methods used. However, Khatib, a Shiite cleric, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2022 over directing 'cyber espionage and ransomware attacks in support of Iran's political goals.' For Iran, the claim may be designed to show the public that the theocracy was able to respond to a 2018 Israeli operation that spirited out what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a 'half ton' of documents related to Iran's program. That Israeli announcement came just before President Donald Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew America from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which greatly limited its program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. This week, Western nations are expect to go before the IAEA's Board of Governors with a proposal to find Iran in noncompliance with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. It could be the first time in decades — and likely would kick the issue to the U.N. Security Council. That could see one of the Western countries involved in the 2015 nuclear deal invoke the so-called 'snapback' of U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The authority to restore those sanctions by the complaint of any member of the original 2015 nuclear deal expires in October — putting the West on a clock to exert pressure on Tehran over its program before losing that power. ___ Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape:

Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says
Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says

Associated Press

time27 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian Catholic priest who recently served in the United States has been abducted by extremists along with other travelers in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, the church said. The Rev. Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on June 1 near the northeastern town of Gwoza, close to the border with Cameroon, by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of Maiduguri told The Associated Press on Sunday. Bakeni said that he spoke with the priest over the phone a day after the abduction. Afina, though exhausted from trekking, was 'sounding OK' and 'in good spirits' during the brief conversation, according to the bishop. The priest was traveling from the city of Mubi, where he is based, to Maidiguri, the capital of Borno, for a workshop when his convoy was ambushed by armed men while waiting for clearance at a military checkpoint, he said. A rocket-propelled grenade hit one of the vehicles, killing one person and wounding others, according to the bishop. Bakeni said it was difficult to determine if the priest was specifically targeted, given the number of travelers caught in the ambush. Other travelers were also abducted, he said, although it was unclear how many. Nigerian authorities haven't publicly commented on the abductions and didn't respond to requests for comment. Rev. Robert Fath, the vicar general of the diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, told the Anchorage Daily News on Thursday that he had received a phone call from Boko Haram confirming they had Afina. Afina served in Alaska from 2017 to 2024 before returning to Nigeria, where he works with the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, a Catholic social justice group. Nigerian authorities are struggling to stem rising violence in the north and central regions where armed groups, including Boko Haram, target rural communities, killing thousands and abducting people to ransom. The attacks sometimes target religious figures such as clerics. In March, a priest in central Nigeria was kidnapped and killed by unidentified armed men. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store