Tag: troops

Biden reestablishes US troop presence inside Somalia

by Sebastian Smith Washington, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden has ordered the reestablishment of a US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities combat the Al-Shabaab militant group, a senior American official told reporters Monday. The move reverses an order from Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, who in late 2020 pulled nearly all US forces from the East African nation as he sought to wind down US military engagements abroad during his final […]

Russian airborne troops land in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv: army

  KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russian airborne troops landed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, the Ukrainian army said, adding that there were immediate clashes. “Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv… and attacked a local hospital,” the army said in a statement on messaging app Telegram. “There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians.” Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city near the Russian border, has a population of around 1.4 […]

Iraq warns of ‘collapse’ if Trump blocks oil cash

by Maya Gebeily BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi officials fear economic “collapse” if Washington imposes threatened sanctions, including blocking access to a US-based account where Baghdad keeps oil revenues that feed 90 percent of the national budget. US President Donald Trump was outraged by the Iraqi parliament voting on January 5 to oust foreign forces, including some 5,200 American troops, who have helped local soldiers beat back jihadists since 2014. If troops were asked to […]

Pompeo sees ‘real likelihood’ Iran will try to hit US troops

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that Iran will probably try to attack American troops after a US strike killed a top Iranian commander. “We think there is a real likelihood Iran will make a mistake and make a decision to go after some of our forces, military forces in Iraq or soldiers in northeast Syria,” he told Fox News in remarks aired Sunday. His comments came as […]

Iraqi MPs to meet on US troop ouster after Soleimani killing

  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraq’s parliament was expected to vote Sunday on ousting US troops from military bases, which are threatened by pro-Tehran factions after an American strike killed top Iranian and Iraqi commanders. Late Saturday, missiles slammed into the Baghdad enclave where the US embassy is located and an airbase north of the capital where American troops are deployed, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten strikes on 52 sites in Iran. The […]

Indonesia’s Papua hit by fresh unrest as troops deployed

  MANOKWARI, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s Papua was hit by fresh unrest Wednesday as more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the restive region after violent protests that saw buildings torched and street battles between police and demonstrators. Jakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory — where an insurgency against Indonesian rule has simmered for decades — following riots triggered by the detention of dozens of Papuan students at the weekend. On […]

Sison: NPA, gov’t troops reach “stand down” agreement; preliminary ceasefire agreement to start on June 21

(Eagle News) — The New People’s Army and government troops will be ordered to “stand down” on June 21 “to stimulate the resumption of formal peace talks.” This is according to Jose Maria Sison, chief political consultant to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, who issued a statement on Wednesday, June 13. According to Sison, the preliminary ceasefire agreement, which means that both sides will be required to “stay where (they) are” and to not shoot, […]

PNP to form new battalions to fight terrorists

By Mar Gabriel Eagle News Service President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa to form five more battalions that can help in the fight against terrorism. Dela Rosa said he received the instruction on Wednesday night. “So we will be adding …more battalions of Special Action Force,” Dela Rosa said, noting that one SAF battalion was composed of 500 people. According to the PNP chief, the additional men were apart […]

Thousands more US troops arrive in Afghanistan: general

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Approximately 3,000 additional American troops have now been deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump’s revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Pentagon had previously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an increase requested by the commander on the ground, General John Nicholson. “We’ve just completed a force flow into Afghanistan,” Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told […]

Pres Duterte visits Marawi for fifth time on Sept. 21 2017

LOOK: President Duterte visits Marawi for 5th time

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte visited Marawi on Thursday, his fifth visit since terrorists overran the city, prompting government forces to launch offensives against them. The media was not previously informed of Duterte’s visit, which was done also on the national day of protest. Earlier, Duterte said the crisis in Marawi was almost over. The President tried to visit Marawi  twice before he finally succeeded on July 20. On Aug. 4, he visited the […]

LOOK: President Duterte visits war-torn Marawi for third time

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte visited Marawi for the third time as martial law in Mindanao entered its fourth month. A statement from the Presidential Communications Operations Office said the President made a stopover at a “temporary patrol base,” where he  even “tried out a sniper rifle and fired it toward the direction of the enemies.” The media was not informed  of Duterte’s visit beforehand as in his previous visits to Marawi on July […]

President Duterte visits war-torn Marawi

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte  visited war-torn Marawi on Thursday, making good on his word to check up on government troops fighting Islamist militants in the area. Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, 1st Infantry Division spokesperson, said the President made the visit in Camp Ranao around lunchtime. There was no media coverage of the event, as they were only informed about the President’s visit after he left. Prior to this visit, Duterte had attempted to […]