state

Lithuania declares state of emergency over Belarus-linked ‘smuggler balloons’ disrupting airspace VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania’s government on Monday declared a state of emergency in response to waves of weather balloons drifting in from Belarus and disrupting air traffic near the capital, a move it says is necessary to counter what it calls a hybrid operation by Minsk. The measure, which would grant additional powers to the armed forces to work alongside police and border guards to intercept the devices, has been sent to…

Mogadishu — Somali and U.S. forces are intensifying a joint campaign in northeastern Somalia to capture Abdulqadir Mumin, whom U.S. officials say now leads the Islamic State group, as his estranged wife in Britain says he abandoned the family more than a decade ago and has not contacted them since. Security officials say Mumin is believed to be hiding in the Cal Miskaad mountains in Puntland State, where Islamic State fighters have fortified camps and used remote valleys to evade detection. U.S. Africa Command has said the…

Mogadishu — U.S. Africa Command carried out seven new airstrikes in Somalia between Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, pushing this year’s total to at least 109 strikes — a record level of U.S. military activity in the country. The latest operations targeted ISIS-linked militants in Puntland State and an al-Shabaab site in southern Jubaland, AFRICOM said. The command described a rapid sequence of strikes focused on a remote mountain zone southeast of Bosaso, a longtime militant hideout, and a separate strike near the Kenyan border. It did…

Puntland State deploys fresh troops to Al-Miskaad mountains as anti-ISIS offensive enters final phase BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland State has begun deploying fresh troops across the Al-Miskaad mountain range in the Bari region as its year-long “Hillaac” campaign against Islamic State–linked militants enters a declared final phase, regional officials said Monday. Hundreds of newly assigned soldiers have been sent to the Baallade valley and surrounding highlands to relieve units that have operated in the rugged terrain for…

GAROWE, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni has offered condolences to families of those killed in days of violent protests in Borama and urged dialogue after North Western State of Somalia security forces opened fire on residents demonstrating against the planned launch of the Xeer Ciise book. “I express my condolences for the violence that occurred in Borama that resulted in deaths. It was truly an inappropriate matter. I call for a solution to be sought for everything without resorting to violence,”…

HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — North Western State of Somalia authorities on Sunday rejected claims from Somalia’s federal government that talks between the two sides are under way, declaring the long-running dialogue “formally ceased” and accusing Mogadishu of “blatant interference” in its internal affairs. In a statement posted on X, North Western State of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it wanted to “clarify that there are no ongoing talks with Somalia,” adding that Hargeisa “officially suspended…

North Western State of Somalia on edge as rival elders mobilize after Borama killings; military probes claims of foreign snipers HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Fears of clan conflict surged Sunday in North Western State of Somalia’s western regions after rival elders in Awdal and Salal declared they were prepared for war, while the military said it is investigating reports that “foreign shooters” may have killed civilians during unrest in Borama. The warnings followed the government’s decision to cancel the Issa…

Benin's government said its armed forces had foiled an attempted coup Sunday after a small group of soldiers briefly seized control of state television and announced they had taken power. At least eight soldiers, several wearing helmets, appeared on national TV in the early hours to say a military committee led by Colonel Tigri Pascal had dissolved national institutions, suspended the constitution and closed the country's air, land and maritime borders. "The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a…

HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Information Minister Ahmed Yasin Sheikh Ali Ayaanle resigned late Saturday, saying he was tasked with delivering a “bitter decision” to allow a book launch celebrating Xeer Ciise that preceded deadly unrest in the Awdal region’s Borama town. Ayaanle said President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi assigned him to announce the authorization for the ceremony, which triggered clashes between residents and security forces that left 10 people dead, according to local authorities and community…

Somalia says it maintains direct contacts with North Western State of Somalia, seeks political solution amid rising Horn of Africa stakes MOGADISHU — Somalia’s government is engaging in direct and regular contact with authorities in North Western State of Somalia and pursuing a negotiated political settlement, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar Balcad said in an interview published Saturday. Speaking to Doha News, Balcad reaffirmed the federal government’s position that North Western State of Somalia remains part…