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Showing posts from April 12, 2020

UkrInform: Russian-made landmines prohibited by Ottawa Treaty found in Donbas

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"Today, in Luhansk region, the military counterintelligence officers of the Joint Forces documented under the procedural guidance of the Luhansk Region Prosecutor's Office yet another fact that the Russian Federation supplies arms to the illegal armed formations it backs in eastern Ukraine," the press service of the Joint Forces Operation informs. In particular, a fragmentation-barrier antipersonnel mine OZM-72 produced by the Russian Federation was detected during the mine clearance works near the Joint Forces positions. This ammunition is not in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the use of such landmines is prohibited by the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Treaty). The piece of evidence will be attached to the criminal proceedings investigated over the facts of the Russian Federation's aggressive war against Ukraine as well as violati

Russian-made landmines prohibited by Ottawa Treaty found in Donbas

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(MENAFN - UkrinForm) Yet another fact of the Russian Federation's involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine has been documented.  "Today, in Luhansk region, the military counterintelligence officers of the Joint Forces documented under the procedural guidance of the Luhansk Region Prosecutor's Office yet another fact that the Russian Federation supplies arms to the illegal armed formations it backs in eastern Ukraine," the press service of the Joint Forces Operation informs. In particular, a fragmentation-barrier antipersonnel mine OZM-72 produced by the Russian Federation was detected during the mine clearance works near the Joint Forces positions. This ammunition is not in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the use of such landmines is prohibited by the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Treaty). The piece of evidence will be attached to

The United Nations Security Council reaches agreement on how to counter violations of children’s rights in the Central African Republic

On the 15th of April, after months of negotiations lead by Belgium, the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict reached an agreement on recommendations on how to counter violations of children’s rights in the Central African Republic (CAR). The Security Council unanimously expresses its grave concern about the continued recruitment of child soldiers, the killing and maiming of children, abductions and attacks on schools and hospitals. Children’s inadequate access to humanitarian aid and sexual violence are also a source of concern. At the same time, the Security Council welcomes some armed groups adopting action plans to stop the violations, in cooperation with the United Nations. The adoption of a child protection law is another positive development in the CAR. “This proofs, as recalled b the Security Council itself, that the International Criminal Court can play an important role in the fight against children’s rights violations in the CAR”, according to Mini

US-backed militants escape al-Tanf base, defect to Syrian army

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Members of the last remaining US-backed militant group in Syria have fled an occupied American military base to government-held territory, defecting to the Damascus army that is on the verge of winning the war against Takfiri terrorists. Sources said Maghawir al-Thawra elements began defecting from the al-Tanf base in Syria’s Homs province this week, taking US arms and vehicles while heading to the city of Palmyra in the same province. In a video purporting to show the defection, the convoy of defectors could be seen heading to the area controlled by the Syrian army. It also shows US military machine guns, as well as other weapons on board the defectors’ vehicles. A Western military source with knowledge of operations in Syria confirmed that the vehicles appeared to carry US equipment. Earlier this month, a handful of Maghawir militants also defected to the Syrian government with their weapons, a source familiar with the matter told The Defense Post media outlet. The US trains anti-Dam

Afghanistan is fighting both terrorists and coronavirus at this moment

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The Afghan government has established a technical team that is working with the National Security Council and the Vice President of Afghanistan is leading the Coronavirus Task Force. Abdul Moqim Abdulrahimzai Written by |  Updated: April 17, 2020 11:44:06 am We anticipate the situation to worsen. We have to take action before it is too late. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar) As the world faces the  coronavirus   pandemic , Afghanistan is facing its own challenges. This is a complex moment, as we are fighting both  COVID-19  and terrorism simultaneously. The Taliban are not to be trusted and they have violated many promises, especially the agreement on the reduction of violence. Currently, they are fighting against the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) in different parts of the country — the Afghan security forces have repelled every attack so far. With the support of our international partners, especially NATO and the Resolute Support Mission (RS) in Afghanistan, the AN

Three CRPF Jawans Killed after Militants Attack Security Forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore

This is the third attack against the paramilitary in the Kashmir valley within a week. New Delhi:  At least three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and as many injured after militants attacked their group in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Saturday. The militants fired at a checkpost that was jointly being manned by troops of the CRPF's 179th battalion and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. According to sources, the militants fired at the party at Ahad Sahab bypass in Sopore, 50 km from Srinagar. The area has been cordoned and reinforcements have been brought in. A search operation has been started to nab the attackers. This is the third attack against the paramilitary in the Kashmir valley within a week. A CRPF trooper was injured on Friday after terrorists fired at a similar check post in Pulwama. Source:  https://www.news18.com/news/india/at-least-3-crpf-jawans-killed-after-militants-attack-security-forces-in-kashmirs-baramulla-2583307.htm

Hezbollah shifts attention from Syria fight to battle virus

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Shiite terrorist group says it is turning the resources it once deployed to fight Israel or in the civil war in neighboring Syria to battle the pandemic in Lebanon, which has so far recorded 480 cases and 12 deaths. In the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs, Hezbollah paramedics and volunteers on trucks and on foot sprayed disinfectants on shops and buildings. At a hospital where it once treated its wounded fighters, the group's medical staff set up beds for a center to deal with  coronavirus patients . Hezbollah says it is turning the organizational might it once deployed to fight Israel or in the civil war in neighboring Syria to battle the spread of the virus pandemic in Lebanon. Follow Israel Hayom on  Facebook  and  Twitter It wants to send a clear message to its supporters in Lebanon's Shiite community that it is a force to rely on in a crisis. The Iranian-backed guerrilla group and political powerhouse is under pressure to send that message after a seri

Libya war opens new ground for Israeli-Arab connivance

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As the UN and international humanitarian organizations are urgently calling for a halt in violence in Libya, Israel is providing arms and training to loyalists of renegade General Khalifa Haftar. United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Thursday condemned Haftar's so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) for "indiscriminate bombardment of the capital Tripoli with rockets, many of which had landed on civilian neighborhoods, resulting in casualties".  In Tripoli, heavy bombardment could be heard into the evening on Wednesday. Following an attack last Monday, water supply was cut to more than two million people in Tripoli and nearby towns. Now fierce battles are raging to the west of the Libyan capital. UN denounces water cuts to millions in Libya's Tripoli The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord blames the cuts on Haftar Since mid-2014, Libya has been mired in civil war, pitting the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli against a ri

Libya's LNA says captured fighter doesn't 'represent' Kurds after Peshmerga rejects affiliation

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Libyan National Army (LNA) on Wednesday said that a man their forces had captured while he was fighting alongside pro-Turkish militants in Libya did not "represent" Kurds. The LNA appeared to be retracting a previous claim that the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga trained the combatant. Libya has been plagued by civil war since the 2011 uprisings that spread across North African and Middle Eastern nations, ultimately leading to the fall of multiple regimes. A NATO campaign against then-Libyan dictator Muammar Ghaddafi toppled his government and incapacitated his army. In a protracted and convoluted conflict that in many ways parallels the one in Syria that began in similar circumstances, various armed groups dominate the Libyan battlefield. At the same time, foreign governments provide support for either of the two main sides going head to head in a lengthy stand-off that has further impoverished the war-torn nation. Led by veteran military commande

United Nations Envoys In The Middle East Push For Immediate Ceasefire

The United Nations envoys for the Middle East are calling for an immediate ceasefire in the region. This appeal aims to redirect focus to addressing and responding to the growing threat of COVID-19. The region has been ravaged by various ongoing conflicts, which have resulted in serious damage to health care systems and infrastructure. As a result, the capacity of many countries in the Middle East caught up in conflict to respond to COVID-19 is severely compromised. In response to this, the United Nations envoys have made an appeal for parties to conflict to put down their weapons. Instead, warring parties have been urged to redirect their attention to the threat they are all collectively facing – the coronavirus pandemic. The appeal was made on Saturday by the United Nations envoys for Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their appeal emphasized that solidarity in tackling this pandemic is imperative. However, this is impossible “if the guns of war and vio

Now joining the fight against coronavirus: The world’s armed rebels, drug cartels and gangs

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Newly freed Taliban detainees are processed out of Bagram prison, north of Kabul. (National Security Council of Afghanistan/Reuters) April 14, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. GMT+5:30 In Afghanistan, the Taliban has dispatched health teams to far-flung provinces to confront the  coronavirus . In Mexico, drug cartels are offering aid packages to those feeling its economic impact. In Brazil and El Salvador, gangs enforce curfews to prevent its spread. As governments around the world have responded to the coronavirus, so too have armed insurgents and terrorist groups and drug cartels and gangs, a parallel underworld of public health policy and strategic messaging. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com

YPG/PKK terror group wants 2M people killed in NW Syria

Some 2 million people in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib are “terrorists” and should be killed, according to a so-called press officer of the YPG/PKK terrorist group. The World Health Organization providing the people of Idlib with medical aid to fight the coronavirus pandemic amounts to support for terrorists, the terror group’s Ibrahim Ibrahim claimed on opposition Syria TV late Tuesday. He asserted that most of the people living in Idlib are terrorists and at least 2 million people living there should be killed. When pressed by the TV presenter over these sweeping claims, he said: “Yes, there are 4 million terrorists. If not 4 million, at least 75% or 50% are terrorists. Others are oppressed people.” When asked by the presenter, "Do they have to be killed?" he insisted, saying: "Yes, they have to be killed. If there are 4 million people there, 2 million of them are terrorists. I stand behind what I say.” In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, t

Turkey neutralizes 18 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

Turkish fighter jets neutralized 18 PKK terrorists as part of a counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq, the country’s National Defense Ministry said on Friday. The terrorists, who were detected by reconnaissance and surveillance activities, were neutralized in the Qandil region, the ministry said on Twitter. "Our operations will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized," said the statement. Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured. PKK terrorists often take shelter in northern Iraq to plan cross-border terrorist attacks in Turkey. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot. Source:  https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkey-neutralizes

Cartels, gangs and rebels around the world join coronavirus fight

In Afghanistan, the Taliban has dispatched health teams to far-flung provinces to confront the coronavirus. In Mexico, drug cartels are offering aid packages to those feeling its economic impact. In Brazil and El Salvador, gangs enforce curfews to prevent its spread. As governments around the world have responded to the coronavirus, so too have armed insurgents and terrorist groups and drug cartels and gangs, a parallel underworld of public health policy and strategic messaging. It is hardly the first time such groups have attempted to fill the role of government. But few crises in modern times have tested the limits of the world's nation-states as the coronavirus has, providing an opening for armed groups to step in where presidents, police forces and parliaments have failed. Some groups have attempted to weave governments' failures to control the virus into their own propaganda narratives. In Somalia, al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab fighters say the pandemic was spread "by the