Thursday May 14, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali commandos freed nine civilians from al-Shabab captivity during a military operation in the Middle Shabelle region, the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. According to the ministry, Danab special forces launched the planned raid Tuesday night in Gambole, where they killed five al-Shabab fighters, among them a local commander. The Defense Ministry said the civilians had been held hostage by the militant group. It did not immediately provide further details on their…

More than 200 civilians held by an armed group tied to the Islamic State in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been freed in a joint military operation, officials said, marking one of the largest recent rescues in the volatile region. Ugandan forces, operating alongside the Congolese army, struck a camp run by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant organization that originated in Uganda. The Ugandan People's Defense Forces (UPDF) said the raid targeted the ADF, a Ugandan group active in eastern Congo…

In a dramatic turn of events, the military announced the successful rescue of 31 worshippers who had been taken hostage during a violent assault on a church in northwestern Kaduna state. The attack unfolded in Ariko village, where both a Catholic and an evangelical church were targeted during Easter services. Tragically, seven individuals lost their lives, with the military reporting that five bodies were discovered at the scene. This horrific incident occurred despite a directive from the police chief for a "massive…

Return of Worshippers After Abduction in Kajuru In a significant development, 80 worshippers who escaped abduction during the attack on Kurmin Wali in the Kajuru Local Government Area have returned home after spending approximately two weeks hiding in neighboring villages. Village Head Ishaku Dan'azumi provided an update on the situation, revealing that while initial reports indicated 177 individuals were abducted, further investigations clarified that 80 had successfully fled to safety. Unfortunately, 86 worshippers…

Israel’s military said it has retrieved the remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, a development officials said fulfills a key condition in the initial phase of a U.S.-brokered plan to end the Gaza war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had “brought them all back,” after months of operations and negotiations to secure the release or recovery of the 251 people abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the return of the final Israeli hostage…

Hamas, Red Cross resume search in Gaza for body of last Israeli hostage, key to ceasefire talks Hamas officials said Tuesday that search operations have resumed in Gaza City for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the enclave, a move Israel has tied to the start of talks on the second phase of a fragile ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian group’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is working “accompanied by Red Cross teams” in the Zeitun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City after a two-week pause caused…

AFGOYE, Somalia — The Somali National Army rescued more than 30 civilians from Al-Shabaab detention sites during a targeted operation in Lower Shabelle, the Ministry of Defence said, marking one of the most significant hostage recoveries in recent months. The raid unfolded in Buula Madiina, a rural area in Afgoye district, where hostages were being held in makeshift camps, ministry officials said. Among those freed were at least two women. Somali forces killed three Al-Shabaab operatives guarding the compound and…

Bodies, borders and a bitter ceasefire: what the recent exchanges reveal about Gaza’s fragile pause The exchange of bodies and a single identified Israeli remains a grim marker of a ceasefire that is at once fragile and consequential. Over recent days, Israeli forces and Hamas have overseen the handover of human remains in a transaction that follows the contours of a wider, uneasy truce — one that has temporarily halted the fiercest fighting but has not ended the humanitarian catastrophe or the political tectonics that…

Twenty freed after two years: faces and small artifacts of a long national grief When word reached Tel Aviv that 20 living hostages had been released from Gaza under a ceasefire deal, the city's already taut air broke into song, sobs and the kind of relieved, stunned silence that follows long waits for a miracle. Families who had camped for months outside government offices embraced strangers. At a central square, a woman who had been at almost every protest sat down and laughed with disbelief. A radio blared an old pop…

The acting chief of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, recently expressed that any potential hostage-for-prisoners exchange deal with Israel hinges on the cessation of hostilities in the region. “A prisoner swap is off the table if the war continues,” Mr. Hayya articulated during a discussion on Al-Aqsa television. He reinforced the group's stance regarding the conditions necessary for the conflict's resolution. “If the aggression persists, why would Hamas, or any rational actor, relinquish a valuable bargaining chip while…