From Iran's missile accident to attacks in Afghanistan: the non-coronavirus news you may have missed

Amnesty International has accused Syria and Russia of war crimes in Idlib and 20 have died in attacks on Niger villages

In this photo made available by the Iranian Army office on December 28, 2019, a view of warships during joint Iran-Russia-China naval drills in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. AFP PHOTO / HO / Show more

Iranian navy vessel 'mistakenly hits another with missile' killing 19

Iran's army said on Monday that 19 people were killed in an "accident" involving a warship hit by a friendly fire missile during exercises in the Gulf of Oman.

"On Sunday afternoon, during an exercise by a number of the navy's vessels in Jask and Chabahar waters, the Konarak light support vessel had an accident," the army said on its website.

"The number of this accident's martyrs is 19 and 15 have also been injured," it said. The vessel had been towed ashore.

Child among four wounded in Kabul bombings

Four bombs exploded in northern Kabul on Monday, wounding four civilians including a child, Afghan officials said.

The roadside bombs were spaced within 10 to 20 metres of one another, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz. The wounded child is a 12-year-old girl, he said, and added that the police were searching the area where the explosions happened.

There was no claim of responsibility for the bombings and their targets were unknown. Both the Taliban and ISIS are active in Kabul and its surroundings and both frequently target the military and civilians.

Syria and Russia accused of war crimes in Idlib by Amnesty

Amnesty International on Monday said it has documented 18 attacks in northwest Syria carried out by government and Russian forces over the past year that amounted to "war crimes".

Russia-backed forces have, since April 2019, waged two deadly military campaigns against Syria's last major rebel bastion of Idlib, home to about three million people.

A ceasefire has largely held since March, but hundreds of thousands remain displaced and dependent on aid even as the militant-dominated region braces for a possible outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Twenty killed in attacks on villages in western Niger

At least 20 people were killed in attacks by unidentified gunmen on several villages in the Tillaberi region of western Niger, the area's governor said on Sunday.

Ibrahim Tidjani Katchella told national radio Saturday's attacks were carried out by bandits on motorcycles, but gave no further details.

Last January, Niger authorities restricted motorcycle traffic to crack down on terrorists operating in the region.