military

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,…

Friday March 13, 2026 Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11, 2026 The U.S. military is “not ready” to escort oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday, as Iran keeps the strategic waterway largely shut and global oil prices whipsaw. Wright told CNBC that the market shock is a “short-term disruption,” predicting the war would last “weeks, not months.” He cast the current squeeze as “short-term…

Thursday March 12, 2026 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — Israel is weighing the establishment of a strategic base in North Western State of Somalia to help counter Yemen’s Houthi movement, according to a Bloomberg report published Wednesday that cites unnamed North Western State of Somalia officials and people familiar with the talks. The exploratory assessments have focused on sites along North Western State of Somalia’s northern coastline, including elevated terrain west of the port city of Berbera — about…

Somalia: Jubaland president meets U.S. military officials to bolster war on Al-Shabaab KISMAYO, Somalia — Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam on Monday hosted Maj. Gen. Claude K. Tudor Jr., the commander of Special Operations Command Africa, for talks in Kismayo aimed at deepening joint efforts against al-Shabaab and reinforcing security operations across southern Somalia. The high-level meeting focused on strengthening strategic partnerships, accelerating coordinated counterterrorism operations and sustaining…

CANBERRA, Australia — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he cannot rule out Canada’s military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East, even as he reiterated that the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran launched last weekend appeared “inconsistent with international law.” Asked in a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese whether there was any scenario in which Canada would get involved, Carney called the question hypothetical but left the door open. “One can never…