Portal:Current events/2019 December 24

December 24, 2019 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Taliban insurgents ambush an Afghan National Army checkpoint, killing 15 members of the security forces. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War, Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020)
- The Syrian Army continues its offensive in southern Idlib Governorate towards the key rebel-held city of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, capturing several towns and villages, including Jarjnaz and Sarman. Around 30,000 civilians have fled the area in recent days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Channel News Asia)
- A war monitor reports that eight people—including five children—were killed after a missile struck a school in Jobas, Idlib District, used as a shelter for displaced civilians. Opposition activists blame Russia. (Al Jazeera)
Arbinda attack, Maghreb insurgency
- Thirty-five civilians are dead and six others are injured after jihadists stormed the town of Arbinda, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, and its military base, killing seven soldiers. Eighty militants were also killed. (BBC News)
Boko Haram insurgency
- Gunmen attack the Christian village of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria, killing seven Christians. It is believed the attack was targeted for Christmas. (VOA News)

Disasters and accidents

A bus plunges into a ravine in South Sumatra, Indonesia, killing at least 25 people. (Sky News)
At least 28 people are killed after the Typhoon Phanfone battered the Philippines. It led to the evacuation of more than 58,000 people. (BBC News)

International relations

United States–Zambia relations, LGBT rights in Zambia
- Sources report that the U.S. has recalled its ambassador to Zambia after a row over a conviction of men who were sentenced to prison in Zambia for consensual homosexual acts. President of Zambia Edgar Lungu declared ambassador Daniel Lewis Foote persona non grata because he had criticized the verdict while accusing Zambia of not actively prosecuting misappropriation of donor aid. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Iraqi protests
- The Council of Representatives passes a series of electoral laws to placate protestors. The laws will allow voters to select individuals rather than use party lists, and the candidates will represent electoral districts rather than provinces. (Reuters)
Thousands of Ethiopian Muslims march across the country in response to attacks last Friday that saw four mosques and multiple Muslim-owned businesses burned in the Amhara Region. (Al Jazeera)