Breaking News
4 days ago
On Monday a mob of Turkish men attacked American soldiers who had been walking the streets of Izmir in southern Turkey, apparently as the US personnel were on liberty after the USS Wasp which they are attached to made port call. Social media video shows a group of men surrounding one US soldier and while violently constraining him. The Turkish men then stick a white bag over his head in an effort to humiliate and possibly kidnap the American and those with him. The brief clip then shows a couple more US troops jumping in to push the Turkish men off their fellow soldier. Reuters has confirmed of the incident, “A nationalist Turkish youth group on Monday physically assaulted two U.S. soldiers in western Turkey, the U.S. Embassy in Turkey and the local governor’s office said, adding that 15 assailants had been detained over the incident.” The same report says that a total of five other US soldiers quickly came to their fellow servicemember’s aid to fight off the attackers, after which local police quickly intervened. The US Embassy in Turkey has subsequently confirmed the American personnel are safe after the incident, “We can confirm reports that U.S. service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the […]
4 days ago
As the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion burns in the southern Red Sea, Iran-backed Houthi militants targeted two ships with missiles and drones in the critical maritime chokepoint on Monday. Reuters reports projectiles hit a Panama-flagged oil tanker and a merchant vessel. Security firm Ambrey confirmed the oil tanker was hit by two missiles, with sources indicating the tanker is named “Blue Lagoon I.” Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the tanker was hit by missiles about 70 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s port of Saleef. The merchant ship was hit about 50 nautical miles off Yemen’s Hodeidah. The security firm said it “assessed that the tanker was targeted due to company affiliation with a vessel calling Israeli ports.” Monday’s attack comes as the world braces for what could be one of the worst tanker spills this century. The Sounion tanker remains on fire and could be leaking oil. Maritime news outlet Splash 247 noted the parallels between the Sounion and FSO Safer incidents. In recent years, a projected oil spill map for the FSO Safer was published due to the risk of a leak from the tanker anchored in the Red Sea. Fortunately, the tanker was emptied last year, averting a spill. However, that spill map could […]
1 week ago
The Iran-aligned Houthis have agreed to allow salvage crews including rescue ships and tugboats to access an oil tanker that the Houthis hit with a missile in the Red Sea earlier this month. “Several countries have reached out to ask Ansarullah (the Houthis), requesting a temporary truce for the entry of tugboats and rescue ships into the incident area,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said. The Houthi movement has agreed to this request, “in consideration of humanitarian and environmental concerns,” the Iranian mission to the UN added. Reports last week said a tanker on fire was drifting in the Red Sea. It later emerged that the vessel had come under attack by armed groups traveling on small vessels some 90 miles from the Yemeni port city of Hodeida. The tanker was also reportedly struck by missiles or drones. “The vessel reports being not under command,” the UK Maritime Trade Operations office said at the time, likely meaning it lost all power. “No casualties reported.” The Greek-flagged oil tanker, the Sounion, had 25 crew members and was traveling from Iraq to Cyprus. The crew was rescued by a European warship and transported to Djibouti. Earlier this week, […]
2 weeks ago
A massive coordinated terror attack on several locations in southwestern Pakistan has left at least 70 dead over a 24-hour period of terror which started Sunday night. The attacks were the work of a separatist group called the Baluch Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed responsibility. It started with bombings and gunfire targeting a national military camp in Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province, which left at least one soldier dead. In the same area, gunmen stormed four police stations, setting vehicles on fire. By morning, a key bridge in the area was also attacked and destroyed. But the situation escalated when militants attacked a major highway in a town called Bela. They intercepted traffic and then proceeded to execute people, reports say. Several groups of BLA gunmen went on a rampage, and other motorways were targeted as well, seemingly at random, though authorities say in some instances the attackers were seeking to kill individuals of specific ethnic groups. “Vehicles travelling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot,” a regional report indicates. Many of the reported dead are the militants themselves, amid a heavy police and military response. A list of some of the major attacks are as follows: The country’s military said 14 soldiers and police, as well […]
2 weeks ago
A Syrian asylum-seeker has confessed to a knife attack at a “Festival of Diversity” that killed three and wounded eight, German authorities said on Sunday as they investigated the man’s apparent ties to the Islamic State terror group. The incident has intensified the country’s immigration debate as critical elections approach in September. Owing to German privacy laws, authorities have only identified the prisoner by his first name and last initial — “Issa Al H.” Prosecutors say he was motivated by “radical Islamist convictions,” and lashed out at people perceived to be non-believers, directing repeated stabs at their necks and upper bodies. The Friday-night attack took place at a town square in the western Germany city of Solingen, as festival-goers listened to a live music performance amid festivities being held on the occasion of the city’s 650th anniversary — rather than emphasizing German heritage and history, the organizers were seemingly determined to put “diversity” front and center. The event was supposed to last all weekend, but was cancelled shortly after the bloodshed. The Islamic State (IS) claimed the assailant was acting as the group’s “soldier,” and posted a video that purportedly shows the 26-year-old holding a long knife as he swears […]
4 weeks ago
Syria on Saturday called on the US Forces to stop bombing Syrians, stop supporting Kurdish “separatist militias,” and immediately withdraw from Syrian territory. A statement issued by the Syrian Foreign Ministry said: “US warplanes, with the support of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) militia, launched several raids in Deir Ezzor, Hasakah, and Qamishli, targeting innocent civilians defending their families, villages, and properties.” Earlier, a Syrian security source told Sputnik that US helicopters bombed several villages in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, enabling the SDF to regain the villages and towns they lost two days ago after violent battles with Syrian government-backed tribal forces. The statement added: “The SDF, which is an agent of the American occupation, launched criminal attacks on our people in Deir Ezzor, Hasakah, and Qamishli, in addition to other villages in the eastern and northeastern regions. These barbaric attacks led to the martyrdom of a number of Syrian citizens, including women and children.” The US military began partnering with the Kurdish (YPG) People’s Protection Units in 2014. An offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the YPG later changed its name to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Together, the US and SDF occupy Syria’s northwest, including […]
4 weeks ago
Three huge concerts by superstar pop singer Taylor Swift Concerts have been cancelled in Vienna after authorities on Wednesday announced they’d arrested two men alleged to have been plotting a terrorist attack. Three more suspects are reportedly at large. “Both [arrested] suspects had become radicalized on the internet and had taken concrete preparatory actions for a terrorist attack,” said Austria’s interior department in a press release. As is so frequently the case in Europe, details on the suspects — and especially their demographics — are scarce at this point. Officials did say that one suspect is a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who’d recently made an online pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State terror group. “During our investigations, we identified preparatory actions and noted that the 19 year-old suspect had a particular focus on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” said Austrian director general for public security Franz Ruf at a press conference. He added that police who raided the man’s home in Ternitz — about 80 miles south of Vienna — found chemical substances, though it’s not clear what they were or if they were to be used in an attack. While the suspected plot against Swift has been neutralized, […]
2 months ago
One Indian man and four Pakistanis were killed by gunfire near a mosque in Oman, the respective countries’ embassies said on Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry of Oman confirmed the deaths to these authorities. The Indian Consulate in Muscat announced the death of one national and reported one injury. The embassy offered its condolences and said it was “ready to offer all assistance to the families”. The Pakistani foreign ministry confirmed that four people were also killed in the “attack” in Wadi Al Kabir, in the governorate of the capital city Muscat. In a statement, the Pakistani authorities said, “Our Embassy in Oman remains in contact with Omani authorities for identification and repatriation of the mortal remains of the two Pakistanis who perished in the attack. It has also opened a helpline to respond to queries from the community and to facilitate them in Oman.” “Pakistan has offered all possible assistance to Omani authorities in the investigation and to bring to justice those responsible for the heinous attack.” Ambassador Imran Ali visited local hospitals to inquire about the well-being of injured Pakistanis. Earlier in the day, Imran Ali, took to X earlier to urge citizens in the country to avoid travelling […]
2 months ago
The Poland-Belarus border crisis has intensified over the past month, following the death of a Polish border guard at the hands of a spear-throwing migrant. The death of 21-year-old border guard Sgt Mateusz Sitek on June 6th garnered national and international attention, after days prior to his succumbing to his wounds a sharp spear was hurled from the fence where he was on patrol. The Telegraph has described that the mostly Middle East/North African (MENA) migrants on the Belarusian side are growing violent and more aggressive. “Dozens of illegal migrants on the Belarusian side of the border with Poland hurled a volley of makeshift spears at Polish border guards through the five-metre-high steel fence,” the report said. “Some fell short of their targets and as the security forces picked them up they saw what appeared to be a tree branch with a steel blade taped to the top.” In the attack, “Several were injured in the bombardment and one – Sgt Mateusz Sitek, a 21-year-old from the village of Nowy Lubiel – lost his life.” The stabbing happened on May 28, leaving the guard critically injured. Video of the immediate aftermath showed migrants trying to kill another soldier who was […]
2 months ago
The increasing number of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden attacks on commercial vessels by Yemen’s Houthi rebels is a wake-up call to not just the global maritime industry but to commodity traders and macro observers due to the ongoing risks of supply shocks as one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints has been under threat for at least six months. In recent weeks, Houthis launched a new kamikaze boat drone campaign, already sinking Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned-and-operated Tutor in the Red Sea last week. Over the weekend, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two attacks. The first ship, Transworld Navigator, had been targeted in the Red Sea by what the Houthis describe as a boat drone, while the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said a “suspected uncrewed aerial system.” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Transworld Navigator was targeted with an uncrewed surface boat “The first of which targeted the ship (TRANSWORLD NAVIGATOR) with a drone boat for the second time in the Red Sea,” Saree said in a statement posted on X. بيان القوات المسلحة اليمنية بشأن تنفيذ عمليتين عسكريتين أولاهما استهدفت سفينة ( TRANSWORLD NAVIGATOR ) بزورق مسير للمرة الثانية في البحر الأحمر، والأخرى استهدفت […]
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