military

Tuesday March 24, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — After days of rising political and military strain between Mogadishu and Baidoa, traditional elders in Southwest State say they have brokered a key understanding aimed at stopping further escalation and preventing bloodshed, following three days of intensive consultations. Speaking at a press conference in Baidoa on Monday, Ugaas Shire Ugaas Warsame said the elders held separate meetings with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur (Madoobe),…

A Colombian Air Force Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 transport plane crashed just after takeoff in the country's southern Amazon, killing at least 34 of the 125 people on board, authorities said. "Unfortunately, the information is of 34 deaths," Luis Emilio Bustos, the mayor of the nearby ‌town of Puerto ⁠Leguizamo, told journalists. Jhon Gabriel Molina, governor of the Putumayo department, told local news outlet Caracol Noticias that 34 people had died and 21 remained unidentifed. The accident occurred as the aircraft…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A sharp new dispute between Somalia’s federal government and Southwest State is spilling into the security arena, with regional authorities warning that fresh troop deployments could ignite wider conflict and compound an already precarious humanitarian situation. In a statement released Monday from Baidoa, Southwest State officials said the arrival of Somali National Army forces in the region amounts to a military escalation rooted in political disagreements—issues they argued should be…

A Colombian Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130 military transport carrying 125 people crashed shortly after takeoff in the southern Amazon, leaving one person dead and 77 others in hospital, officials said. President Gustavo Petro confirmed one fatality and said 77 people had been admitted to medical facilities following the accident. The defence ministry identified the aircraft as a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 that went down during departure procedures. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez said the plane went down as it lifted…

Trump delays planned strikes on Iranian power grid for five days WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Monday he has directed the US military to hold off for five days on planned strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, citing “good and productive conversations” with Tehran. “I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the…

Sunday March 22, 2026 A Qatari military helicopter went down in Qatar’s territorial waters, killing all seven people on board — among them three Turkish nationals — according to authorities in Doha and Ankara. In statements issued Sunday, the Qatari and Turkish defence ministries said the aircraft suffered a technical malfunction before crashing. Qatar’s Defence Ministry said the failure occurred during a “routine duty”. Four of the dead were Qatar Armed Forces personnel, one served with the Qatar-Turkey joint forces and…

BAIDOA, Somalia — South West State authorities on Monday ordered senior military and security officers not to leave Baidoa, imposing an immediate travel ban that underscores rising tension with Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu. The emergency directive, issued by the South West State Ministry of Internal Security, requires all designated security officials to remain in the regional capital “until further notice.” The ministry framed the measure as necessary to “guarantee general security and stability” amid reports…

Taiwan reports return of large-scale Chinese air force activity after two-week lull TAIPEI — Taiwan on Sunday said Chinese military flights around the island have resumed at scale after an unexplained pause of more than two weeks, with 26 People’s Liberation Army aircraft detected in the previous 24 hours, the defense ministry reported. The sorties — concentrated in the Taiwan Strait — mark the largest single-day tally since Feb. 25, when Taipei tracked 30 aircraft as Beijing carried out what it called a “joint combat…

Somalia warned Thursday that its territory cannot be used for foreign military operations, pushing back against reports that Israel is exploring an installation in North Western State of Somalia, the self-governing region across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. “Somalia does not want to see its territory pulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilise an already sensitive region,” Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera. The statement followed reports by…

U.S. strikes hit military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, President Donald Trump said, warning he will consider targeting the country’s oil infrastructure if Iran continues to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s crude. Trump said in a social media post the U.S. military “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on Kharg Island while leaving oil facilities intact. He added that if Iran, or “anyone else,” interferes with the “Free and Safe Passage of Ships” in the strait,…