Insider attacks surge in Afghanistan army
Washington---Deadly insider attacks against the Afghan army jumped in the first quarter of this year as Taliban rebels took advantage of the coming American and NATO troop withdrawal, according to a US government report Friday......»»
Insider attacks surge in Afghanistan army
Washington---Deadly insider attacks against the Afghan army jumped in the first quarter of this year as Taliban rebels took advantage of the coming American and NATO troop withdrawal, according to a US government report Friday......»»
Taiwan thanks world, PLA shows simulated attacks in new year’s messages
China's People's Liberation Army puts out a new year's music video called 'You Only Win by Coming Home' and sung partially in Hokkien, widely spoken in Taiwan as well as the Chinese province of Fujian.....»»
Taiwan thanks world; PLA shows simulated attacks in new year’s messages
China's People's Liberation Army puts out a new year's music video called 'You Only Win by Coming Home' and sung partially in Hokkien, widely spoken in Taiwan as well as the Chinese province of Fujian.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 18
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan military said in a statement that the country had carried out effective strikes early Thursday morning against hideouts inside Iran used by "terrorists" responsible for recent attacks in Pakistan. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said that the precision strikes were carried out by "using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions, and stand-o.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 18
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan military said in a statement that the country had carried out effective strikes early Thursday morning against hideouts inside Iran used by "terrorists" responsible for recent attacks in Pakistan. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said that the precision strikes were carried out by "using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions, and stand-o.....»»
PH army’s new cyber defense group questioned over potential use for attacks
In 2018, several websites of progressive organizations and media outfits became victims of relentless DDoS attacks. A probe by Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation revealed that the attacks came from the Philippine Army, including activities linked to the Chief of Staff for Intelligence of the Philippine Army. The post PH army’s new cyber defense group questioned over potential use for attacks appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
NSC laments Reds’ order to intensify attacks
The National Security Council slammed yesterday the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front for calling on its armed members to launch fresh and bigger attacks against the government despite ongoing exploratory talks on possible peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway......»»
Iraqi religious leader demands closure of American embassy
Influential religious leader Moqtada Sadr called on the Iraqi government Friday to close the United States embassy in Baghdad because of Washington’s “unconditional support” for Israel in its war with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. “If the government and parliament do not respond, we will take a different position that we will announce later,” the Shiite cleric, who often criticizes the government, warned on X. On 22 October, Washington ordered all non-essential staff to leave its embassy in Baghdad’s high security Green Zone and its consulate in Arbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has criticized the “Zionist occupation” since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza, calling it a “genocide” of the Palestinian people. On 7 October, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, who were shot, mutilated, or burned to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials. Israel says around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the areas under attack. More than 7,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across Gaza in relentless Israeli bombardments in response to the attacks, according to the Hamas health ministry in the territory. Iraqis stage regular protests to condemn the Israeli bombing and in support of the Palestinians. Militia attacks All Iraqi political factions support the Palestinian cause, and like its neighbor Iran, Israel’s sworn enemy, Iraq does not recognize the Israeli state. US forces and their coalition allies in Iraq have been the target of attacks mostly claimed by the group “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” on Telegram channels tied to pro-Iran factions. On Thursday, the Pentagon said there had been 16 such attacks in Iraq and Syria this month, and blamed “Iranian-supported militias.” The Baghdad government is supported by parties that have close links with Tehran, but it is working to maintain relations with the US, which has 2,500 soldiers on Iraqi territory. On Monday, Baghdad called the attacks on American soldiers “unacceptable” and promised to investigate. WITH AFP The post Iraqi religious leader demands closure of American embassy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nearly 29,000 people flee southern Lebanon
Nearly 29,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon amid deadly exchanges between Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli army, a United Nations agency said Friday. A total of 28,965 people have been displaced, mainly in the country’s south, the International Organization for Migration said in an update, adding that the figure had risen by 37 percent since 23 October. Some have found refuge with family members elsewhere in the country, while those who can afford it have been able to rent apartments on a short-term basis. But with Lebanon in the grips of an economic crisis that has plunged most of the population into poverty, many are living in makeshift shelters in the south’s larger towns. Since Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, Lebanon’s southern border has seen tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally. At least 58 people have been killed in the cross-border exchanges of fire, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including at least four civilians, one of them Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah. Soldiers and volunteers on Thursday were battling a blaze on Lebanon’s southern border caused by Israeli bombing overnight, local officials said. Mayor of the border village of Alma al-Shaab, Jean Ghafari, said fire broke out after Israeli bombing late Wednesday. “The blaze reached the edges of the village after midnight” and is still burning, he told Agence France-Presse, adding that it “has come close to houses.” The municipality said some 70 percent of the village’s population had fled due to Israeli attacks. The post Nearly 29,000 people flee southern Lebanon appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israeli officer says he found beheaded baby in attacked kibbutz
A senior Israeli army officer said Friday that he had found the body of a decapitated baby in one of the kibbutz communities attacked by Hamas on 7 October. Colonel Golan Vach, head of the military search and rescue service, told Agence France-Presse he saw the body of a mother protecting a baby while searching debris at the Beeri kibbutz three days after the attacks. “When I pulled it over I saw a decapitated baby. I took it up with my hands and I carried it, and I put it in the body bag. I personally did it,” he said while on a media tour of another kibbutz organized by the military. Israel has said 1,400 people were killed and at least 229 taken hostage when Hamas militants attacked kibbutz commmunities, towns and military bases in southern Israel. It has said many of the dead were women and children, killed in shocking ways, but it has given no figures. Hamas has denied that its fighters killed infants during the cross-border raids. Allegations that children were beheaded first emerged in Israeli media reports and were at first supported by Israeli officials, though spokespersons later said it could not be confirmed. No verified photographs or video footage of beheaded babies have emerged since the attacks. Speaking on a tour of the Kfar Aza kibbutz, a community of 700 devastated in the attacks, the Israeli colonel told reporters he had been asked since making his gruesome discovery why there were no images. “People ask me how come you did not take a picture. I said: I’m sorry, I have children. I have limitations. I have limits. I do not take a picture of a decapitated baby,” Vach said. The colonel said a soldier had been “decapitated” at Kfar Aza. Military officials said it was not possible to say whether there were other cases of soldiers or civilians beheaded. WITH AFP The post Israeli officer says he found beheaded baby in attacked kibbutz appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
IS parcel bomb kills 4
The Islamic State jihadist group claimed on its Telegram channel Friday that it was behind a blast at a sports club that killed four people in the Afghan capital the night before. The Sunni Muslim extremist group said it had used a parcel bomb that “IS fighters placed in a room where Shiites gather.” The explosion occurred Thursday evening at a commercial center in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of Kabul, an enclave of the historically oppressed Shiite Hazara community, according to police. Police were still investigating the cause of the explosion, Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said on Friday afternoon in a message to reporters. He added that seven people were injured in the blast, revising the initial toll of two dead and nine injured. Taliban authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IS claim. The explosion ripped through a sports club several floors up in the commercial centre, blowing out all the sides of the space and shattering windows and causing damage throughout the block, Agence France-Presse journalists saw on Friday. An instructor at the club, which holds training in combat sports, told AFP the blast happened at the end of a busy boxing session that usually hosted some thirty people. “The explosion was extraordinarily strong. The walls fell, the metal doors, glass and windows were broken,” 26-year-old Sultan Ali Amiri, who was not in the club when the blast occurred, said. “There has been a lot of damage, punching bags and almost everything is destroyed.” AFP journalists saw several heavy bags used for combat sport training on the floor of the club, others still hanging and pocked with fragments from the blast. Afghanistan’s Hazaras have regularly faced attacks in the majority Sunni Muslim country. They have been persecuted for decades, targeted by the Taliban during their insurgency against the former United States-backed government as well as by IS. The IS group, which considers Shiites heretics, has carried out several deadly attacks in the same area in recent years targeting schools, mosques and gyms. WITH AFP The post IS parcel bomb kills 4 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN General Assembly calls for ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza
The UN General Assembly on Friday called by a large majority for an "immediate humanitarian truce" in Gaza, on the 21st day of the Israel-Hamas conflict as the Israeli army announced it was extending its ground operation into the shattered territory. The non-binding resolution, criticized by Israel and the United States for failing to mention Hamas, received 120 votes in favor, 14 against and 45 abstentions from UN members. Israel angrily dismissed the measure, and said the country would use "every means at our disposal" in confronting Hamas. "Today is a day that will go down as infamy. We have all witnessed that the UN no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance," Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan said, telling the assembly: "Shame on you." "Israel will continue to defend itself. We will defend our future, our very existence by ridding the world of Hamas's evil so that it can never threaten anyone else again," he said. Hamas meanwhile welcomed the call for a break in the conflict. "We demand its immediate application to allow the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for civilians," said a Hamas statement. The rival Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry said that as Israel's campaign "reaches a new peak of brutality," there was "a solid international position rejecting Israel's unhinged aggression". The text proposed by Jordan in the name of 22 Arab countries called for "an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities." An earlier version called for an "immediate ceasefire." Jordan's Ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud, just before the vote, stressed that: "It is not merely our responsibility, but a profound moral obligation to champion the cause of peace." Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 220 others, according to Israeli officials. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, in an update on Friday, said the Israeli strikes had now killed 7,326 people, mainly civilians and many of them children. The resolution co-sponsored by nearly 50 other countries centered largely on the dire humanitarian situation in sealed-off Gaza as Israel presses on with its bombardment. The document urges "immediate" provision of water, food, medical supplies, fuel and electricity and unhindered access for UN and other humanitarian agencies trying to help the Palestinians. The draft condemns "all acts of violence aimed at Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks" but it does not mention Hamas. The resolution exposed a division within Western countries, with France voting for the measure; Germany, Italy and Britain abstaining; while Austria and the United States voted against. "It is outrageous that this resolution fails to name the perpetrators of the October 7 terrorist attack," US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said. "Another key word missing in this resolution is hostage," she added. The post UN General Assembly calls for ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Our lives stopped’: Relatives plead for Israel hostages
Moran Betzer Tayar, wracked by anguish about the kidnapping of her nephew and his wife by Hamas fighters on October 7, summed up her feelings during a press conference: "On Saturday morning, our lives stopped." The 54-year-old, speaking in Paris on Wednesday, is on a European tour with other relatives of hostages snatched by the Palestinian militant group during a raid that killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians. Israel's retaliation has so far killed more than 6,500 people, including 2,704 children, Hamas says. The Islamists are still believed to be holding more than 200 hostages. It is the plight of these people that Betzer Tayar -- who says she is "worried sick" and cannot eat -- and her compatriots are desperate to keep in the public eye. She told a press conference organized by the Council of Jewish Institutions in France how her relatives were snatched from Kibbutz Nirim, where community members were reportedly besieged for nine hours in one of dozens of attacks staged on 7 October. 'They got me' Two sisters -- Shani and May Yerushalmi -- joined Betzer Tayar to describe how their sister, Eden, was taken from the bar where she was working. "She called us, screaming, saying that terrorists were shooting at them," said Shani Yerushalmi, describing the attack at a rave party where 270 people were killed. Eden hid among bodies of her friends in a car, her sister said, before trying to use a bush as cover. "She told us she could hear the terrorists coming," Shani Yerushalmi said. "We knew it was the last moment with her. Her last sentence was: Shani, they got me." She played the screams of her sister, recorded on her phone, to the gathered journalists. Another of the women on stage, Ofir Weinberg, described how her cousin Itay Svirsky was taken from Kibbutz Beeri, where Hamas fighters killed at least 100 people, according to Israeli authorities. Messages began to pour into the family WhatsApp group on 7 October -- the calls for help and the progress of the attackers documented minute by minute. "I can't even begin to describe the feeling you have when you feel like you're losing your family one by one," said Weinberg. The families have had no news of their loved ones since the Hamas attack. The Israeli army has confirmed only that they are among the hostages taken to Gaza. They are asking for the Red Cross to be allowed to visit their relatives to answer the most basic questions -- whether they are still alive, where they are, and whether they are hurt. But political questions remain taboo. Those caught in the middle of the tragedy decline to speculate on the best course of action for their loved ones: a ground invasion of Gaza or a ceasefire and negotiations. "We're not representing the country... We don't tell Israel what to do," said Ofir Weinberg. "I don't have the answers. I'm just a citizen." The post ‘Our lives stopped’: Relatives plead for Israel hostages appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Hands off our war!’
Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Ilan Fluss, stressed yesterday that his country does not want the United Nations to interfere in its war against the extremist group Hamas, which killed at least 1,400 people, mostly Israeli civilians, in an unprecedented attack last 7 October. In a roundtable discussion with DAILY TRIBUNE editors and reporters, Fluss accused the UN of having a long-standing anti-Israel bias as he brushed aside a UN Security Council call for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict. The UN was founded 78 years ago to the day today, on 24 October 1945. “We’re in a war against Hamas, which is like the war in Afghanistan (following the 11 September 2001 or 9/11 terror attacks against the United States),” said Fluss, describing the attack by Hamas as second only in barbarity to what Israelis faced during the holocaust. Hitler’s Nazi Germany exterminated about six million European Jews from 1941 to 1945 during the Holocaust in World War 2. The genocide would spur the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. “We will make sure that there’s no humanitarian crisis as much as possible, and we are trying hard to minimize the casualties there,” he said, explaining that the airstrikes in the Gaza Strip are targeting well-known Hamas enclaves. Israel, with about 300,000 soldiers and armor massed at its border with Gaza, has expressed an intent to launch a ground offensive to rout Hamas, without occupying the territory it left in 2005. Fluss pointed out that civilians in Gaza are being warned in advance of the attacks, with pleas made for them to relocate to its south, away from the fighting. War on terror “Our objective in this war is to ensure that Hamas will no longer be able to attack Israel like it did. We will remove their capability in a war that is solely against Hamas and not the Palestinians,” Fluss said. The envoy stressed that Israel is not against delivering humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, while stressing Israel’s right to protect its citizens against terrorist groups like Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Fluss said that nobody, not even the UN, can stop Israel from a war that it did not start, one that was “forced on us” by Hamas with the latter’s massacre of innocent Israelis, including women and children. Enemies of Israel He explained that while the Philippines enjoys recognition by all countries, Israel has for decades, if not centuries, been trying to be recognized as a state with the right to exist peacefully. But Fluss lamented that the UN has been passing resolutions — at least 20 every year — “which are anti-Israel, (resolutions) that take the Palestinian narrative.” “There is no recognition of the Israeli narrative. The bias against Israel in the UN is well-known,” he said. He said that the UN and its agencies, like the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, otherwise referred to as the UN Relief and Works Agency or UNRWA, have allowed themselves to be used by the enemies of Israel. Fluss cited as an example the use by Hamas of UNRWA facilities, supplies and even marked vehicles in attacking Israel. UNRWA had been accused in the past of perpetuating destabilizing events in order to have a perpetual supply of refugees to justify its existence and funding. It has over 18,900 staff working in 138 countries. Israel, as the lone Jewish state in the UN, is ranged against an automatic majority of countries that support the Palestinian initiatives. The Arab League has 22 members in the UN, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has 57 members. It may be recalled that a number of Arab countries had banded together to wage wars against Israel, including in 1948 during its founding. The UN has also accommodated Palestinians many times in the past. In October 1974, or 14 years before the Palestine Liberation Organization nominally forswore terrorism, the UN General Assembly voted to invite it to send a spokesperson to take part in its deliberations. No one who was not a representative of a government — except the Pope, and even he was the head of a quasi-state — had ever before been granted such a privilege. The vote to extend the invitation was overwhelming, 105 to 4, with only the United States, Israel, and two Latin American governments opposed. The assembled delegates heard Yasser Arafat proclaim the necessity of getting at the “historical roots” of the issue, namely, “the Jewish invasion of Palestine [that] began in 1881,” and addressing it with a “radical antidote,” rather than “a slavish obeisance to the present.” Expulsion try In 1975, the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference were determined to have Israel expelled from the UN. The PLO lined up support for this move at a meeting of the African states while training its sights on a ministerial meeting of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) scheduled a month later, in August 1975, in Lima, Peru. Washington then objected. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivered a major speech on the subject, with a thinly veiled warning that the United States might turn its back on the United Nations. In addition to Washington’s hard line, the drive to expel Israel was also slowed by disarray within the Arab’s ranks. The most decisive factor that disrupted the expulsion move was the surprising position of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who announced his opposition to it because “Israel must be present at the United Nations if it is expected to comply with its resolutions.” Israel’s enemies soon came up with an alternative that again targeted Israel through a resolution of the General Assembly, echoing Arafat and Soviet propagandists who declared Zionism to be “a form of racism.” In 1982, the body declared that Israel “is not a peace-loving member state and that it has not carried out its obligations under the Charter.” Likewise, the UN General Assembly has voted each year on 70 to 100 resolutions, including from 15 to 20 resolutions pejorative to Israel. Of all General Assembly resolutions that criticize a particular country, three-quarters apply to Israel. The relentless recitation of UN declarations reinforces the conviction in the Arab world that all right lies on the Arab side and that Israel is irredeemably evil. The post ‘Hands off our war!’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel says tank fire ‘accidentally’ hit Egyptian post
The Israeli military said Sunday that one of its tanks had "accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian post" near the border with Gaza as the army bombards the Palestinian enclave. The Egyptian military said the blast had caused "minor injuries" but did not give details. "The IDF (Israeli military) expresses sorrow regarding the incident" near the Kerem Shalom area, an army statement said. "The incident is being investigated and the details are under review," the statement added. The Egyptian army said Israel had "immediately expressed its regret over the unintentional incident and an investigation is underway". Egyptian media said the Israeli strike would not disrupt the passage of aid to Gaza, citing witnesses. Since Saturday, 37 trucks carrying vital supplies have crossed to Gaza through its Rafah border post with Egypt, which lies around three kilometers (two miles) from Israel. Crossings between Gaza and Israel have been shut since the outbreak of war on 7 October. The United Nations has estimated about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet the needs of Gaza, where more than 4,650 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas government. The bombardment follows attacks by Hamas militants which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. The post Israel says tank fire ‘accidentally’ hit Egyptian post appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pentagon amps up posture in Mideast in response to ‘escalations’
The United States warned against any "escalation" in the Middle East in the wake of Israel's war with Hamas, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday, hours after the Pentagon moved to step up military readiness in the region. The United States has seen a "prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops" in the region, Austin said Sunday, adding that the US military was preparing for "the ability to respond." "If any group or any country is looking to widen this conflict and take advantage of this very unfortunate situation that we see, our advice is: don't," he told ABC News. "We maintain the right to defend ourselves and we won't hesitate to take the appropriate action," he added. His comments came hours after the Pentagon said it was upping readiness in the region in response to "recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces." Austin ordered the activation of air defense systems and notified additional forces that they may be deployed soon. Austin did not say how many US troops would be added to those already in the region. The Pentagon's moves came after what Austin had earlier described in a statement as "detailed discussions" with President Joe Biden. "These steps will bolster regional deterrence efforts, increase force protection for US forces in the region, and assist in the defense of Israel," Austin said. The steps continued the Biden administration's response since Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip stormed Israel on October 7, taking more than 200 hostages and killing at least 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials. tensions rising Israel has since vowed to destroy Hamas, and says around 1,500 of the group's fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area initially under attack. Austin said he had activated deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and additional Patriot battalions "throughout the region." "Finally, I have placed an additional number of forces on prepare-to-deploy orders as part of prudent contingency planning, to increase their readiness and ability to quickly respond as required," Austin said. Tensions are rising along Israel's northern border with Lebanon after the Israeli army traded fire with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah amid fears of a new front opening as Israel battles Hamas. In south Lebanon on Saturday, Hezbollah said four of its fighters were killed. Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said one of its fighters was also killed. Armed factions close to Iran have threatened to attack US interests in Iraq over Washington's support for Israel. Multiple Iraqi bases used by US-led coalition troops have been targeted in several attacks in recent days. Israel's military said Saturday it would intensify strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza ahead of a planned ground invasion. The military has pounded Gaza with relentless strikes in response to Hamas's 7 October attack. The bombing campaign has killed more than 4,650 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and reduced swaths of the densely populated territory to ruins. A first trickle of aid entered the Palestinian enclave from Egypt on Saturday, but the 20 trucks permitted to cross have been described as a "drop in the ocean" given the needs of 2.4 million residents. The post Pentagon amps up posture in Mideast in response to ‘escalations’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN says peacekeepers’ ‘lives in danger’ in Mali
UN peacekeepers made an early withdrawal from their camp at Tessalit in northern Mali because their "lives were in danger", the United Nations mission said Sunday. Malian troops on Saturday took over the Tessalit camp, the army said on social media, the first handover in the Kidal region where clashes with armed groups have flared recently. The withdrawal of the UN stabilization mission in Mali (MINUSMA) after 13 years has ignited fears that fighting will intensify between troops and armed factions for control of the territory. The pullout was completed "in an extremely tense and degraded security context putting in danger the lives of personnel", according to a MINUSMA statement received Sunday. UN staff had previously been "forced to shelter in bunkers several times because of shooting", the statement said. It gave the example of October 19, when an incoming fire targeted a C130 transport plane on landing at Tessalit. No injuries or serious damage were recorded. Before quitting the base, MINUSMA said it took "the difficult decision to destroy, deactivate or put out of service expensive equipment such as vehicles, munitions, generators, and other items". The last convoy left Tessalit on Saturday by road heading for Gao, the biggest town in northern Mali. Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in 2020, had in June demanded the mission leave despite being in the grip of jihadism and raging crises. The withdrawal of around 11,600 soldiers and 1,500 police officers is due to continue until 31 December and has exacerbated rivalries between armed groups present in the north. The Coordination of Azawad Movements -- an alliance of predominantly Tuareg groups seeking autonomy or independence -- has carried out a series of attacks on army positions. The Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) has also increased attacks against the military. Before Tessalit, MINUSMA had transferred five other camps to the Malian authorities since August. But the evacuation of the camps in the Kidal region, and especially the town of Kidal, a separatist bastion, remains a major challenge. The separatists do not want the camps handed back to the Malian army, saying it would contravene the ceasefire and peace deals struck with Bamako in 2014 and 2015. The post UN says peacekeepers’ ‘lives in danger’ in Mali appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Casualties on Israel-Lebanon border as army trades fire with Hezbollah
Casualties were reported along the Israel-Lebanon border Saturday as the army traded fire with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah amid fears of a new front opening as Israel battles Hamas. Israel already ordered the evacuation of Kiryat Shmona, a border town which is home to some 25,000 people, as the border area has come fire from Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions. In Lebanon, Hezbollah said one of its fighters had been killed while in Israel, two Thai farm workers were wounded, emergency services said. A senior Hezbollah official warned that the movement stood ready to step up its involvement as Israel masses troops on the Gaza border, vowing to destroy Palestinian militant group Hamas in response to its shock cross-border attacks on October 7. "Let's be clear, as events unfold, if something comes up that calls for greater intervention by us, we will do so," said Hezbollah number two Naim Qassem. In northern Israel, a strike in the Margaliot area of the border wounded two Thai farm workers, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said. One was wounded in the chest, the other sustained a limb injury, the service said. There are around 30,000 Thai labourers in Israel, many working in the agricultural sector. Since October 7, exchanges of fire across the border have killed at least four people in Israel -- three soldiers and one civilian. In southern Lebanon, at least 23 people have been killed. Most have been combatants, but at least four civilians, including a Reuters journalist, have also been killed. Saturday's exchanges came as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant visited the northern border, where he called on troops to remain "vigilant". "Hezbollah has decided to participate in the fighting, and is paying a price for it. We must be vigilant and prepare for every possible (scenario). Great challenges await us," Gallant said. The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement, Lebanon's only armed faction that did not disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war, fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006. That war left more than 1,200 dead in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 dead in Israel, mostly soldiers, in a conflict that left the border bristling with guns. The post Casualties on Israel-Lebanon border as army trades fire with Hezbollah appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Meta, Google quit tech summit over organizer’s Israel remarks
Meta and Google have pulled out of the Web Summit, one of the tech sector's biggest annual events, after the organizer criticized Israel's actions following the Hamas attacks, the companies said on Friday. A spokesman for Meta confirmed to AFP that it would not take part in this year's event, with Google telling the Irish Independent that it too would not be making the trip to Lisbon. Irish entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder of the Web Summit, wrote on social media platform X last week that he was "shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments." "War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are," Cosgrave wrote on October 13. Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials. Israel says around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area under attack. More than 3,700 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks by the Palestinian Islamist militant group, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza. The boycott by Meta and Google follows other exits by companies and tech figures, including Intel, Siemens and US comedian Amy Poehler and X-files actor Gillian Anderson. The Web Summit is due to host some 2,300 startups and more than 70,000 people on November 13-16 in Lisbon. Silicon Valley figure Garry Tan, of start-up backer Y-Combinator, initially kicked off the boycott and other big names in the industry quickly followed. Cosgrave issued an apology on Tuesday. "I understand that what I said, the timing of what I said, and the way it has been presented has caused profound hurt to many. To anyone who was hurt by my words, I apologise deeply," he said. "What is needed at this time is compassion, and I did not convey that," the statement said. Cosgrave said he "unreservedly" condemns Hamas's "evil, disgusting and monstrous" attack on Israel and "unequivocally" supports Israel's "right to exist and to defend itself." He also said that Israel should adhere to the Geneva Conventions, "ie, not commit war crimes." The post Meta, Google quit tech summit over organizer’s Israel remarks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Filipino reported injured in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA confirmed that a Filipino was reported injured in the ongoing war in Israel. This was confirmed by OWWA Deputy Administrator Arnell Ignacio in an interview adding that the injured Filipino is now recovering at a hospital. “These are purely reports, but I think you are referring to Joey Pasulingan. If I’m not mistaken, Joey is currently in the hospital. If you are referring to him, he was hit by a bullet and he is now recovering,” Ignacio said. Hamas launched its most severe attack on Israel on Saturday firing rockets and sending armed men to several Israeli cites. At least 22 people died in the said war. Israeli’s Home Front Command declared a “state of war alert” after the incident. As the army reported combat with the militants in several Israeli cities and military bases near Gaza, Israel claimed the Iran-backed group had declared war. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to take action in response. According to a report from Agence France-Presse, the number of those killed in the attacks increased to around 1,000 as claimed by the officials on both sides on Sunday. The post Filipino reported injured in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»