Morocco launches military operation in Western Sahara

The Moroccan military has intervened in a U.N.-patrolled border zone in the disputed Western Sahara to clear a key road it said was being blockaded for weeks by supporters of the pro-independence Polisario Front.

Moroccan forces set up a security cordon overnight in the Guerguerat buffer zone on Western Sahara’s southern border with Mauritania, “in order to secure the flow of goods and people through this axis,” the General Staff of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces said in a statement Friday.

It said they intervened because about 60 people supervised by Polisario were blocking a road connecting Morocco with Mauritania, and called it a “non-offensive operation” that would involve use of arms “only in the case of self-defense.”

FILE - In this Jan.5, 2011 file photo, weapons discovered by Morocco's police in Western Sahara are placed in Laayoune. The Moroccan military has intervened in a U.N.-patrolled border zone in the disputed Western Sahara to clear a key road it said was being blockaded for weeks by supporters of the pro-independence Polisario Front. Moroccan forces set up a security cordon overnight in the Guerguerat buffer zone on Western Sahara's southern border with Mauritania, "in order to secure the flow of goods and people through this axis," (AP PhotoAbdeljalil Bounhar, File)

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry said the road has been blocked for more than three weeks.

There was no immediate comment from the Polisario or the U.N., which has peacekeeping forces in the Guerguerat buffer zone enforcing a 29-year cease-fire.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits, in 1975. The Polisario Front fought for independence and the U.N. brokered a cease-fire in 1991, and established a peacekeeping mission to monitor the truce and help prepare a referendum on the territory’s future that has never taken place.

FILE - In this Feb.27, 2011 file photo, pro-independence Polisario Front rebel soldiers pray after sunset in the Western Sahara village of Tifariti. The Moroccan military has intervened in a U.N.-patrolled border zone in the disputed Western Sahara to clear a key road it said was being blockaded for weeks by supporters of the pro-independence Polisario Front. Moroccan forces set up a security cordon overnight in the Guerguerat buffer zone on Western Sahara's southern border with Mauritania, "in order to secure the flow of goods and people through this axis," (AP PhotoArturo Rodriguez, File)

Friday’s action came after the Polisario Front reportedly suggested earlier this week it would reconsider its engagement in the U.N.-led political process, threatening to withdraw from the cease-fire if any Moroccan civilian or military personnel enters the buffer zone.

Last month, the U.N. Security Council extended the mandate of the peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, for another year. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front criticized the resolution, calling it “unacceptable.”

FILE - In this photo taken Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, Western Saharan women confront riot police in Laayoune, the capital of the disputed territory of the Western Sahara. The Moroccan military has intervened in a U.N.-patrolled border zone in the disputed Western Sahara to clear a key road it said was being blockaded for weeks by supporters of the pro-independence Polisario Front. Moroccan forces set up a security cordon overnight in the Guerguerat buffer zone on Western Sahara's southern border with Mauritania, "in order to secure the flow of goods and people through this axis," (AP PhotosPaul Schemm, File)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A gas cylinder explosion early Sunday after a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital killed at least eight people, including the bride and groom, police and officials said.

The blast occurred as guests who had gathered to celebrate the couple were sleeping at the house, causing part of the house to collapse, according to the Islamabad police. Seven people were injured.

In a statement, police said the explosion occurred in a residential area in the heart of the city. A government administrator, Sahibzada Yousaf, said authorities were alerted about the blast early Sunday and officers are still investigating. He said some nearby homes were also damaged.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the victims’ families, according to a statement from his office. He directed health authorities to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment and ordered a full investigation.

Many Pakistani households rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure, and such cylinders have been linked to deadly accidents caused by gas leaks. Police said investigations were ongoing.

Government officials survey the damage of a home caused by a gas cylinder explosion hours after a wedding reception, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)