CARACAS -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Saturday severance of diplomatic and political relations with neighboring Colombia, following the latter's support for Venezuela's right-wing opposition and military defectors.

"I have decided to break off all types of political and diplomatic ties with the fascist government of Colombia," Maduro told a pro-government rally in Caracas.

Colombia's embassy staff must "leave within 24 hours," he added. (Venezuela-Colombia-Ties)

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ANKARA -- Some 311,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their homeland following military operations launched by Turkey in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

"So far, 311,000 of our Syrian brothers (refugees) have returned to the regions (Syria) secured by Turkey," Erdogan said during a rally in the southeastern city of Kahramanmaras, state-run Anadolu agency reported. (Syria-Turkey-Refugee)

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TRIPOLI -- UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame on Saturday pledged to provide support for the southern Libyan city of Murzuk.

Salame made his remarks during a meeting with representatives of Murzuk, some 900 km east of the capital Tripoli, the UN Mission said.

"Special representative of the UN secretary general received a delegation from Murzuk in southern Libya. They briefed him on the dire security and humanitarian conditions in their city," the Mission said in a statement. (UN-Libya)

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BAGHDAD -- Iraqi security forces received Saturday a second batch of 180 Islamic State (IS) militants captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in neighboring Syria, a security source told Xinhua.

"The Iraqi army received from SDF up to 180 terrorists from Daesh (IS) group, who are Iraqi nationals," an officer from al-Jazira Operations Command in Iraq's western province of Anbar, told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. (Iraq-IS-Capture) Enditem

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