Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan

Today's three stories you should know

Pakistan

Twelve people were killed in a suicide attack outside a courthouse in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, which Pakistani government ministers accused neighboring Afghanistan of being complicit in. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the incident had pushed the country into a “state of war,” and that Pakistan had “the full power to respond” to Kabul. Islamabad says Afghanistan’s Taliban government shelters Pakistani rebels, which the Taliban denies, and the two have clashed along their border recently. Peace talks have been unsuccessful.

More from Reuters here.

Iraq

Iraqis went to the polls today in a parliamentary election that failed to spark excitement with weary voters, particularly the young, viewing it as a sham designed to divide spoils between entrenched elites. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is seeking a second term and, according to analysts, his bloc is likely to secure the most seats. It may, though, fall short of a majority, which could lead to months of wrangling between Shia, Sunni and Kurdish parties. Iraq has been relatively stable in recent years but people are increasingly angered by corruption, crumbling infrastructure and failing public services.

More from Al Jazeera here.

Sudan

Women fleeing the city of el-Fasher in Sudan were killed, raped, and beaten, the U.N. agency for women said today. Survivors gave testimonies to the U.N. after fleeing the city — captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group last month — and reaching the town of Tawila, 50km away. Some women, though, traveled as far as al-Dabbah, 1,500km from el-Fasher — a nine-day journey. “There were many bodies on the roads, dead people everywhere, and many children in the streets who had lost their families,” one woman, Amina, said. Around 82,000 people have fled el-Fasher since the RSF took control, according to the U.N., with an estimated 200,000 still trapped inside.

More from Middle East Eye here.