Denmark will send up to 285 military personnel to NATO’s non-combat training operation in Iraq, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofoed said on Thursday. Copenhagen takes over leadership of the mission training Iraqi security forces from Canada by the end of 2020. “By strengthening our contribution to the stabilization of Iraq we …
Read More »Kosovo ready for dialogue with Serbia: President
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci said on Monday that the government is ready for dialogue with Serbia, and the process should not be delayed. Thaci’s remarks came during a press conference in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. He said Kosovo should move quickly in that direction such that it could join …
Read More »Trump to withdraw US troops from Germany
US President Donald Trump has approved a plan to withdraw 9,500 American troops from bases in Germany by September, US media say. Trump, who has long complained that European members of Nato should spend more on their own defense, reportedly wants US troop levels capped at 25,000. Troops would either …
Read More »Another black day in Afghanistan as women, kids die in bombing
Nine civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion targeting a small bus in southern Afghanistan. Jamal Nasir Barekzai, the spokesman for the Kandahar Police, said five others were also wounded when the bomb tore through the vehicle in Afghanistan district of the province on …
Read More »Spain to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
The Spanish authorities decided to close one of their military bases in Iraq and withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, El Pais reported. Troops serving at the Bismayah training camp in Iraq are expected to return to Spain by the end of July. Currently, there are 350 Spanish troops at this …
Read More »Afghan President orders troops to resume offensive against Taliban
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered the military to move to an “offensive mode” against the Taliban and other armed groups after dozens of people, including newborn babies, were killed in two separate attacks in the war-ravaged nation. “I am ordering Afghan security forces to switch from an active defense …
Read More »Ankara threatens to target Haftar’s forces if they continue to attack Turkey’s interests
Turkey has warned that it would deem the rebel forces of Libya’s renegade General Khalifa Haftar “legitimate targets” if they continue to attack Turkey’s interests and diplomatic missions in the violence-wracked North African country. “If our missions and our interests in Libya are targeted, we will deem Haftar’s forces legitimate …
Read More »Why a coup in Qatar could be a game-changer in the Middle East
If rumors about a coup in Qatar this week turn out to be true, who could benefit from it and what would the possible consequences for the region be? Social media users may have seen recent footage of an alleged attempted coup d’etat in Qatar – footage rife with shooting …
Read More »Multiple casualties as bomb attack hits near Afghan capital
A bomb attack has left three people dead and 15 others injured near the Afghan capital, Kabul. “A suicide bomber detonated his explosives among civilians in the Reshkhor area of Char Asiab district of Kabul on Wednesday morning,” Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said. Char Asiab is approximately 11 …
Read More »Violence surges in Afghanistan instead of peace after US-Taliban deal – UN
More than 500 civilians killed and over 700 injured during the first three months of the year, according to UNAMA’s quarterly report. Violence surged in Afghanistan in the weeks after the United States and the Taliban signed a deal supposed to pave the way for a peace process, a UN …
Read More »Afghanistan’s Taliban reject call for Ramadan ceasefire
The Taliban have rejected an Afghan government call for a ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and to let authorities focus on tackling the coronavirus, raising new concern about prospects for a fragile peace process. Hopes for an end to Afghanistan’s decades of war were raised in late …
Read More »US may scale back CIA presence in Afghanistan to save peace deal
The United States is considering the withdrawal of CIA operatives from bases in Afghanistan, as part of an effort to further reduce violence in the war-ravaged Asian country, according to The New York Times. The paper reported on Friday that the discussions over CIA’s presence in Afghanistan are part of …
Read More »Taliban to free 20 Afghan government prisoners: Spokesman
The Taliban militant group in Afghanistan says it plans to release 20 prisoners of the Afghan government in what would be the first handover since the beginning of a fragile peace process. “Today, 20 prisoners of the Kabul administration will be released,” Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said in a …
Read More »Major US airbase in Afghanistan comes under Daesh attack: NATO
US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan say five rockets have hit a major American airbase in the country and that the attack, claimed by the Daesh terrorist group, left no casualties. “Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning,” the NATO-led mission, Resolute Support, said in a post on …
Read More »NATO says plans to expand mission in Iraq
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance has decided to expand its mission in Iraq by training personnel for the Iraqi army and security forces. Stoltenberg made the announcement on Thursday during a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers where the alliance’s response to the …
Read More »NATO says plans to expand the mission in Iraq
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance has decided to expand its mission in Iraq by training personnel for the Iraqi army and security forces. Stoltenberg made the announcement on Thursday during a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers where the alliance’s response to the coronavirus …
Read More »Czech Army withdraws from Iraq
The Czech military withdrew soldiers from Iraq, citing a restriction of operational tasks over security threats and the coronavirus epidemic, along with a planned restructuring of the mission. The group of 30 soldiers returned to the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening, informed General Staff of Czech Armed Forces spokeswoman Magdalena …
Read More »US began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, 1,500 prisoners will be released
The US began to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan as part of a peace agreement with the Taliban, according to Associated Press, citing an official representative of American troops in Afghanistan. The United States will reduce the number of its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next …
Read More »Airstrike in Afghanistan kills eight civilians: Officials
An airstrike in Afghanistan has killed at least eight civilians, officials said Saturday, as the war-torn country prepares for a “reduction in violence” under a deal between Taliban militants and the United States. The incident took place in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Friday when a vehicle carrying civilians …
Read More »NATO Resumes Military Operations Without Iraq’s Consent
Without the approval of the Iraqi authorities, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will resume its training operations in the Middle Eastern nation after they were suspended more than a month ago, following the U.S. assassination of Iraqi PMF Leader Abu Mahdi Almohandis and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The operations …
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