DEATH TOLL FROM KABUL SUICIDE ATTACK RISES TO 13 – OFFICIALS

KABUL, Afghanistan: The death toll from an Islamic State- claimed suicide attack in Kabul has risen to 13, officials said on Friday, adding to the carnage caused by the militant group in the Afghan capital. Thursday evening’s blast targeted police as they clashed with angry protesters following a raid on shopkeepers accused of illegally peddling drugs and alcohol. Kabul Police Spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid said the suicide bomber detonated himself among the crown, killing and injuring dozens. All of the dead were police. Among the 18 wounded were 16 officers and two civilians, deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told reporters. Rahimi added that the bomber came from among the protesters and targeted the police forces. Thursday’s assault was the first major attack carried out by IS militants in Kabul this year, but follows a series of deadly ambushes in the capital in recent weeks. The IS group has gained ground in Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015 and has scaled up its attacks in Kabul, including on security installations and the country’s Shiite minority.

TWO MINOR QUAKES ‘ WRONGLY TRIGGER’ JAPAN’S ALERT SYSTEM

TOKYO: Millions of people in Tokyo received a loud alert Friday that a “strong” earthquake was about to hit—but it proved to be a false alarm apparently triggered by geological chance. Text messages and whooping alarms were sent to the phones of millions in and around the Japanese capital, warning: “A quake has occurred off Ibaraki. Prepare for strong jolts.” But officials suspect the early alert, issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency, was triggered by two minor earthquakes hitting the archipelago at nearly exactly the same time. A 4.4-magnitude quake struck off Ibaraki, northeast of Tokyo, in the Pacific at 11:02 a.m. (0202 GMT). And nearly simultaneously, a 3.9-magnitude tremor hit Toyama prefecture, some 350 kilometers (217 miles) west of the one off Ibaraki. The warning forced train and subway operators in the capital to suspend services temporarily, while elevators— including those of Tokyo Tower—stopped, local media reported. Japan launched the world’s first earthquake early warning system in 2007, giving residents vital extra seconds before a major quake hits.