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U.S.-South Korea military exercises to resume next month

in ASIA/DEFENCE by

Seoul and Washington said the United States and South Korea next month will resume joint military exercises, that will go ahead despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Foal Eagle field exercise is scheduled to begin on April 1 and go on for a month, while the computer-simulated Key Resolve will be held for two weeks starting in mid-April. The South Korean and U.S. militaries usually stage the two drills in March for about two months but the period of this year’s field exercise was cut by half, mainly due to the Olympics.

The exercises will be of a “scale similar to that of the previous years” and are meant “to improve our readiness against various North Korean threats”, a South Korean military official told reporters.

The Pentagon said the North Korean military had been notified about the schedule for the drills by the United Nations Command. “Our combined exercises are defence-oriented and there is no reason for North Korea to view them as a provocation,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan said.

 

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Lebanese oil a deterrent for Israeli hostility

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST by

The chances of an Israeli aggression against Lebanon have become minimal due to internal political confusion in Israel, but also because of its willingness to protect the oil-digging platforms adjacent to Lebanon from any possible attack. One of the Western ambassadors said that the possibilities of Israeli military aggression are very weak, so Lebanon should not be afraid. Since Israel began excavating oil from fields adjacent to Lebanon, the oil weapon that has become a deterrent. In fact, a $ 10,000 Katyusha rocket, possibly owned by Hezbollah, could destroy $ 200 million worth of oil rigs.

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Gabon announces its retreat from the mission of the UN in CAR

in AFRICA/DEFENCE by

BANGUI – Gabon has announced, on Thursday 8 March, his intention to withdraw his 450 soldiers from the mission of the United Nations in Central African Republic, Minusca, according to what brought by a relationship of the Council of ministers. Gabon, that has 444 soldiers unfolded in the Minusca, has participated in the strengths U.N. in CAR since 2014.

The soldiers of Gabon in CAR has been quoted in cases of accusations of sexual abuses. At the end of 2016, the gabonese government has announced the opening of investigations after the identification from the United Nations of fifteen soldiers suspected to have committed sexual violences in 2014 and in the 2015.
On Monday, the president of central Africa, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, has come to Libreville to discuss of the “bilateral cooperation” among the two countries.

“The United Nations respect the choice of the government of the Gabon; we have held some discussions on the withdrawal within a reasonable term” answered to AFP Herve Verhoosel manager of the communication of the mission of the United Nations in Bangui. Verhoosel has remembered that the appointment of States members in an operation of maintenance of the peace it is “a voluntary exercise” and that the contribution of the Gabon has been “very appreciated.”

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China unhappy with US aircraft carrier’s visit to Vietnam, state media says

in ASIA/DEFENCE/FAR EAST/PRESS RELEASE by
The Global Times said Beijing is “unhappy” with the visit of a US aircraft carrier to a Vietnamese port and is monitoring developments. But the USS Carl Vinson’s visit is unlikely to alter the balance of power in the South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety and has been fortifying with military structures on man-made islands; the visit “will not generate any special tools to pressure China”, while the US sending warships to the South China Sea will “only waste money”, Global Times  said.
 Vice-Admiral Phillip Sawyer, commander of the US 7th Fleet, said the port call was a sign of the United States’ commitment to the region and US-Vietnam ties. The visit by the USS Carl Vinson with more than 5,000 crew marks the largest US military presence in Vietnam since the Southeast Asian nation was unified under Communist leadership after the war ended in 1975.

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Algeria: arrest of a support element for terrorist groups in Bouira

in AFRICA/DEFENCE by

As part of the fight against terrorism a detachment of the National People’s Army(ANP)arrested, on February 9, in Bouira / 1 ° RM, an element of support for terrorist groups, while some homemade bombs were destroyed in Tipaza / 1 ° RM.As part of the fight against smuggling and organized crime, a detachment of the ANP seized at In Guezzam / 6 ° RM, a truck loaded with 42,3 tons of foodstuffs for contraband, while another detachment and elements of the National Gendarmerie apprehended 05 drug traffickers, and seized 50 kilograms of processed kif and 03 vehicles at Oran / 2 ° RM.In addition, a detachment of the ANP intercepted in Ouargla / 4 ° RM, three individuals in possession of two firearms, while 26 illegal immigrants of different nationalities were arrested in Bechar, Adrar and Tebessa.

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Afghanistan: 8 IS militants in Kabul

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST by

The national intelligence agency has arrested eight Islamic State operatives in the capital, Kabul. The arrests follow an assault by five heavily armed Islamic State suicide bombers on the Afghan military academy in Kabul that killed 11 soldiers. The suspects were recruiting Afghan youth and planning terror attacks in Kabul, the agency said. They were accumulating funds for subversive activities. Afghan security forces have since improved security around the capital and made raids against IS militant. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, acting on findings of a probe into the assault, fired seven army officers, including two generals, for ‘professional negligence”. The situation in Kabul is criticized and Ghani’s government is accused of failing to protect the city and Afghanistan.

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The drama of the exodus from Venezuela forces Colombia to reinforce the border

in AMERICAS/DEFENCE by

The massive exodus of Venezuelans fleeing to Colombia has become in recent months a humanitarian emergency that affects both countries, which share some 2,200 kilometers of border. It is under the regime of Nicolás Maduro, because of the structural shortage that hits the population. And it is on the other side of the Táchira or Arauca rivers, where the impact of migratory flows, which increased by 110% last year, is increasingly difficult to sustain, according to local authorities. Around 550,000 people, with visa and without papers, arrived with the intention of staying in Colombia. That figure, according to official estimates, can reach one million in July. The colombian president Santos explained that military control will be reinforced at border crossingsand on the trails, the most remote roads become the usual routes of contraband, crime and human trafficking. At the same time, the authorities seek to regulate the entry of Venezuelans in a “controlled, orderly and within the law” manner.

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EMI successfully launches first Bolivian missile for defense

in AMERICAS/DEFENCE by

The rector of the Military School of Engineering (EMI), Rommel Morón, reported that in November of last year the first missile was successfully launched, in the testing stage, manufactured by Bolivian scientists. There is the first prototype that is in the process of study and design. “We have launched a first rocket, a first Bolivian missile, elaborated, thought, made with scientists from the Military School of Engineering, teachers of the Military School of Engineering, in our Aerospace Development Center located in the city of Cochabamba”, said Morón, after signing a training agreement with the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN). Morón Romero said that military engineers contribute to the security and defense of the State, and that is why the EMI was made available to the Army. “A prototype that is still in the process of study and design; but we have already demonstrated the effectiveness of this device that has been developed, manufactured at the prototype level”, he said.

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Saudi activist detained after questioning Saudi-Israel ties

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST by

A UK-based rights group reports that a Saudi activist, who questioned the normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, has been detained in her home country, and could face up to five years in prison. The woman, Noha al-Balawi has reportedly been under detention in the northwestern region of Tabuk for more than two weeks, ALQST, a group advocating for human rights in Saudi Arabia, said on Thursday. According to ALQST, al-Balawi was asked to report to a police station in Tabuk on January 23, only to be arrested, and has been detained ever since. Authorities reportedly questioned al-Balawi about her social media activities, including posts questioning the normalisation of ties between her country and Israel, the rights group said.  In one video clip widely circulated on social media, Balawi declared, “Normalisation means accepting the occupation”, in reference to Israel’s continued control of Palestinian land. And again “Let me make it clear; we will never recognise Israel no matter what it will cost us. There is not a single benefit for Arabs when we normalise relations with Israel. It only serves the best interests of the Zionist state,”.  However, in recent months, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel have warmed up, with a flurry of diplomatic activities between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.  According to the report, the investigating officer had referred al-Balawi’s case for trial under the country’s cybercrime law. Article 6 of the law states that a person “who creates or transmits anything prejudicial to public order” could face up to five years in jail, and/or a fine of up to $800,000. The Human right group said Saudi authorities are trying to mislead the public by denying al-Balawi’s detention in what seems clearly an “obvious attempt” to silence public opinion. The group call for an immediate and unconditional release and for let her “restoring” her social media presence allowing her to express her opinions. It remains still unclear when and in which court al-Balawi will be judged.

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Nigeria to send troops to restive central states

in AFRICA/DEFENCE by

Major General David Ahmadu of Nigeria’s army, on Wednesday 7th of February, said it would send troops from February 15 into the country’s volatile central states to quell violence between farmers and herders that has killed hundreds in recent weeks, particularly in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa state.

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