Browsing Tag

military

U.S. Military Intensifies Airstrikes Against ISIS and al-Qaida-Linked Militants in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United States has stepped up its air campaign in Somalia at a striking pace, carrying out nearly 50 strikes in just the first three months of 2026, according to U.S. Africa Command, a sign of expanding pressure on militant groups in the Horn of Africa. In its latest statement, AFRICOM said the most recent strike hit Al-Shabaab fighters roughly 80 miles northwest of Kismayo, pushing the year’s total to 49 airstrikes. The command said the operations were carried out in close coordination with the…

Russian military plane crash in Crimea kills 29, defense ministry says

A Russian An-26 military transport plane slammed into a cliff in Crimea, killing all 29 people on board, with a possible technical malfunction emerging as the likely cause, according to Russia’s ⁠defence ministry as cited by news agencies. TASS news agency, quoting the ministry, said contact with the aircraft was lost at about 6pm local time (4pm Irish time) while it was carrying out a planned flight over Crimea. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Crimea is marked by sweeping mountain ranges that descend…

Report: US military assets worth billions damaged or lost in Iran war

Iclal TuranSaturday March 28, 2026 US military hardware worth billions of dollars has been damaged or destroyed since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, with Iranian missile and drone attacks responsible for much of the destruction, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Friday. In the opening three weeks of fighting, losses are estimated at between $1.4 billion and $2.9 billion, Elaine McCusker, a former Pentagon budget official now with the American Enterprise Institute, told the newspaper. Among the incidents…

Somali forces kill 42+ al-Shabaab militants, including two ringleaders, in operations

Mohamed DhaysaneSaturday March 28, 2026 Somali forces, backed by international partners, carried out coordinated strikes on Thursday that killed more than 42 al-Shabaab fighters, including two senior figures, while leaving several others injured across operations in Middle Juba and Lower Shabelle, officials said. In one of the joint actions, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said it killed Abdihamid Ali Abdullahi Macalin, an al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab commander responsible for handling international…

Ugandan Military Court Charges Three UPDF Officers Over Aircraft Loss in Somalia

Saturday March 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) - Three senior officers of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) will face a Ugandan military court after prosecutors alleged misconduct connected to the disappearance of a military aircraft during operations in Somalia, according to officials. The General Court Martial at Makindye, Kampala, on Tuesday formally charged Col. George Buga Andruca, Maj. Benjamin Kashumbusha, and Lt. Henry Gygenda with one count of wrongful acts tied to the loss of an aircraft. Each of the officers entered…

Military Activity in the Irish AOR in Southern Lebanon

Irish peacekeepers are still deployed in southern Lebanon, even as Israel steps up operations and signals an intention to seize control of territory aimed at establishing what it calls a buffer zone. In recent days, Israeli actions have included strikes on bridges, ground operations and evacuation orders—developments taking place inside the UN-monitored area where Irish troops are stationed. The Defence Forces said Irish UN peacekeepers remain in place as Israel implements plans to take the area through military force.…

Kenya considers military escorts for export ships bound for Middle East

by Frankline Oduor Thursday March 26, 2026 Kenya Navy officers conducting a joint maritime operation in the Western Indian Ocean, March 18, 2025. Photo KDF As fighting in the Middle East continues to unsettle major sea lanes, the government is weighing a tougher response: using military-supported maritime security to protect Kenyan exports bound for the region. Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana said in an interview on NTV on Tuesday that the State is considering special escort arrangements for cargo vessels…

Uganda to Join Iran War on Israel’s Side, Military Chief Warns

Uganda’s top military commander signaled Wednesday that Kampala could be pulled into a wider Middle East war — and would back Israel — even as he urged an immediate end to the fighting. “We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war — on the side of Israel,” Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chief of defense forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, wrote on the US social media company X. His warning comes as regional tensions…

Iranian military rejects Trump’s negotiation call as Israel, Iran launch airstrikes

Airstrikes flew between Israel and Iran as Tehran’s unified military command dismissed President Donald Trump’s assertion that Washington was negotiating an end to the conflict, bluntly saying the United States was “negotiating with itself.” The rebuke — issued by the joint command dominated by the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — came amid reports that the US had transmitted a 15-point proposal to Tehran for discussion. “Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you (Trump) negotiating with…