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Tuesday, 23 February 2021 10:47 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 23 February 2021 10:47 AM ]

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Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri.

Here is the latest top stories from Press TV on February 23, 2021.

Soleimani murder accountability

Iran says all those involved in the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani must be held accountable. Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri said Soleimani’s killing was an obvious crime and an act of state terrorism. He said Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait assisted the US in its assassination of Soleimani. Bagheri stressed that all those who helped Washington commit such crime must be held accountable. He said American planes targeted Soleimani’s vehicle with armor-piercing weapons. General Soleimani and senior Iraqi commander were killed in a US drone attack near Iraq’s capital Baghdad in January last year.

Afghan civilian casualties

The United Nations says civilian casualties in Afghanistan escalated sharply after peace talks began last year. According to an annual report by the UN mission to Afghanistan, civilian casualties stood at more than 8,800 in 2020. That was 15 percent lower than the previous year. However, the report suggests a sharp uptick and historically high civilian casualties in the final three months of 2020. Casualties for the fourth quarter were up 45 percent compared with the same period in 2019. The Afghan government and Taliban militants began peace talks in September last year. The talks were stalled for weeks and were just resumed on Monday. There’s uncertainty over whether international forces will leave Afghanistan by May as originally planned.

Boeing troubles

Dozens of Boeing 777 planes have been grounded worldwide following a Saturday incident involving a United Airlines’ flight in the US. The flight out of Denver quickly returned to the airport after part of the engine caught fire and broke off. No one was injured. But, aviation experts said the incident raised questions about the type of the engine and its maintenance. Boeing says nearly 130 aircraft with the same engine have now been grounded in several countries. The Denver incident is seen as a setback for the US plane manufacturer. That’s because, Boeing has just recently resumed deliveries of another model, namely 737 MAX. The aircraft was grounded across the world last year following two fatal crashes.

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