Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia said Friday that four Al-Shabaab militants were killed in an airstrike as part of the ongoing offensive against the jihadist rebels. The US Africa Command said the strike took place on Thursday in southern Somalia, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) …
Read More »N. Korea prepares grand military parade on eve of Olympics: report
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea is preparing a lavish display of its military strength in a parade on the eve of next month’s Winter Olympics in the South, despite a rare sporting detente with Seoul, it was reported Thursday. Pyongyang, which has rattled the international community with …
Read More »‘Don’t fear death’: China’s Xi urges blunt call to PLA
Shanghai, China | AFP | President Xi Jinping has issued a blunt call for China’s military to be ready for war and unafraid to die defending the country, as geopolitical tensions mount in Asia. Xi’s exhortation to the world’s largest fighting force, parts of which were revealed only late Thursday, …
Read More »US strike targets vehicle bomb in Somalia
Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia have conducted a strike against a bomb-laden vehicle that was going to be used against civilians in Mogadishu, the US military’s Africa Command said Wednesday. The strike against Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab militants occurred early January 2 about 50 kilometers (30 miles) …
Read More »Where’s Santa? US-Canadian military command tracking St Nick
Washington, United States | AFP | It’s the question every good little girl and boy asks on Christmas Eve: When is Santa coming? As it has done every year since 1955, a Canadian and American defense agency is tracking the jolly old man’s path around the globe in his reindeer-powered …
Read More »Nigerian soldier sentenced to death for killing civilians
Kano, NIGERIA | AFP | A Nigerian military court on Friday sentenced a soldier to death for killing five civilians rescued from Boko Haram. The soldier, Lance Corporal John Godwin, was convicted by the General Court Martial in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State for killing the civilians in Yamteke town. …
Read More »Trump signs US military defense bill worth nearly $700 bn
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald on Tuesday signed a massive defense policy bill that he said would help America bolster its military might and modernize the services. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) calls for nearly $700 billion of military spending for the coming fiscal year, but Congress …
Read More »US air strike destroys vehicle bomb outside Mogadishu
Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia conducted an air strike Tuesday against a bomb-laden vehicle outside Mogadishu that was deemed an “imminent threat” to the capital, officials said. The strike occurred about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Mogadishu and comes after as many as 512 people …
Read More »Tillerson plans Africa trip for early 2018
Ramstein, Germany | AFP | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met US military officers on Wednesday to prepare for a trip to better coordinate American security and diplomatic strategy in Africa. Tillerson plans to make the trip in the first quarter of 2018, the State Department said, after he dismissed …
Read More »UN envoy arrives in North Korea as nuclear tensions soar
Beijing, China | AFP | A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. Jeffrey Feltman’s visit — the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 — comes less than a week …
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