The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has declared a two-week ceasefire in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the war-torn country, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The ceasefire in the five-year conflict was set to begin Thursday, according to coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki. SPA said the move was prompted by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a pause of hostilities in the country in order to counter the spread of Covid-19.

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Insurgents made a major attack in Muidumbe district, Cabo Delgado this week.

They also reoccupied Bilibiza on Monday (6 April), and at a meeting told local people that Islamic practices would now be followed.

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Afghan forces announced they have arrested the leader of the country’s ISIL (ISIS) affiliate along with 19 other fighters.

Two high-ranking commanders were among those arrested in addition to the leader of the Islamic State of the Khorasan Province (ISKP), Abdullah Orokzai, also known as Aslam Farooqi, a statement by the Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) said on Saturday.

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The Saudi-led Arab coalition launched a series of airstrikes on several areas controlled by the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Tuesday, a government official told Xinhua.

The airstrikes were launched in support of the pro-government Yemeni forces who are battling the Houthi rebels on the ground, according to the official who preferred to remain anonymous.

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The Turkish-backed militants in northeastern Syria were involved in a deadly firefight with one another on Sunday, resulting in several dead and wounded, Kurdistan 24 reported.

According to the publication, at least eight Turkish-backed militants were killed during the firefight, with many more reportedly wounded as a result of the violence in the Al-Hasakah Governorate town of Ras Al-‘Ain.

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