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Russian spy ship Yantar is being tracked north of Scotland after what British officials described as a recent incident in which lasers were directed at Royal Air Force pilots, the UK government said Thursday, prompting heightened naval surveillance and changes to rules of engagement. A government spokesperson said Defence Forces "are aware of how a known Russian ship is currently tracking" and that Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has been briefed. For operational and security reasons McEntee declined to comment…

Human Rights Watch says Israel’s expulsions from West Bank refugee camps amount to war crimes Human Rights Watch released a 105-page report alleging that about 32,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps during Israeli "Operation Iron Wall" in January and February. The rights group says the expulsions, destruction of homes and denial of return meet the thresholds for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report, titled "All My Dreams Have Been Erased," documents…

Somalia: Puntland State troops surround last ISIS stronghold Puntland State’s counter-terrorism push, known as Operation Hilaac, is moving into its final phase as forces close in on what they believe is the last major ISIS hideout in northeastern Somalia. Sources say militants have been pushed from several strategic areas and are now boxed into the Baallade Valley in the Cal-Miskaad mountains. Troops have encircled an area assessed as ISIS’s final main stronghold in Baallade Valley. Operation Hilaac has steadily…

Latest developments Somalia’s military said it has seized new ground from Al-Shabaab in coordinated operations across Lower Jubba and Bakool, underscoring a stepped-up campaign in the south and center of the country. In Jamaame, Lower Jubba, security forces reported a significant blow to the militants over the weekend. In Bakool, troops overran an Al-Shabaab camp in the Moora-Gaabeey area, about 37 kilometers from Xuddur. In Jamaame, the army says close to 60 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in an operation backed by…

Overview: Asbestos contamination in children's play sand forces school checks Authorities in New Zealand and Australia are investigating decorative play sand found to contain asbestos, prompting dozens of school and daycare closures as officials trace affected batches. The disruption has focused attention on imported classroom materials and the potential health risk to children and staff. Forty schools and daycare centres in New Zealand closed temporarily while decorative sand was located and removed. More than 70 schools…

Somalia: Allied forces report 56 al-Shabaab killed in Lower Juba operation Jubbaland State forces, the Somali National Army and U.S.-trained Danab commandos launched a coordinated sweep across Jamaame district on Sunday, striking multiple militant sites at once. Authorities described the multi-front push as a highly planned operation aimed at weakening al-Shabaab’s rural grip. Security officials said at least 56 al-Shabaab fighters were killed and 20 others captured alive. The allied units moved simultaneously to overwhelm…

Kenya’s elite unit thwarts Al-Shabaab IED plot in Garissa after community tip-off NAIROBI — Kenya’s Special Operations Group (SOG) says it disrupted a potentially deadly attack by Al-Shabaab militants in Garissa County after local residents alerted security forces to suspicious activity along a rural stretch of road. Officials reported that eight suspected militants were intercepted on the Welmerer–Yumbia road as they were attempting to assemble improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Security teams engaged the group,…

Somali businesses step in to turn displacement into livelihoods MOGADISHU — On a sun-baked morning in a sprawling camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the signs of lives interrupted are unmistakable: corrugated iron shelters clustered along dusty tracks, makeshift stalls selling tea and charcoal, children weaving between tents. For many inside, the question is no longer just where to sleep tonight but how to rebuild a future when formal jobs are scarce and public services thin. Into that breach this week stepped an alliance…

Somali forces arrest suspect said to be planting landmines in border town Beled Hawo, Somalia — Security forces in Somalia’s Gedo region say they have detained a man accused of attempting to lay two landmines along a busy route in the border district of Beled Hawo, averting what officials believe could have been a deadly attack on civilians and military convoys. The late-night arrest on Tuesday, confirmed by the Somali National Army’s media unit, came during a targeted operation as patrols swept through the district’s main…

Puntland State seizes foreign trawlers in weeklong crackdown on illegal fishing BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland State authorities said Thursday that their maritime police have rounded up several foreign fishing vessels and support boats in a weeklong operation aimed at stamping out illegal fishing off Somalia’s northeastern coast — a flashpoint that has long fuelled tensions between local communities and foreign fleets. Multiple vessels detained, crews moved to Bosaso The Puntland State Maritime Police Force (PMPF), working…