threats

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni has placed the region’s security forces on full alert, citing a mix of threats that he said range from terrorism and piracy to infiltration from within. Addressing senior officers and troops on Monday in Qardho district, Deni said Puntland State was fighting what he called a “just war” to protect its people and its territory. “Puntland State is waging a just war to defend its people and its land,” Deni said. “We will not give our forces wrong…

In a call to action, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is pressuring Nigerian officials to prioritize civilian safety in high-risk areas and to improve early warning systems in response to the tragic bombings that recently shook Maiduguri. The deadly attacks on March 16, 2026, targeted bustling public spaces—including a market, a post office, and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital—resulting in the loss of 23 lives and leaving 108 others injured. HRW highlighted that the indiscriminate nature of these…

Leaders in Iran, Israel and the United States vowed to press on as the Middle East war neared the two-week mark, with missile exchanges, mounting civilian deaths and fears of a prolonged shock to global energy supplies pushing oil to $100 a barrel. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first remarks — read by a television presenter — pledging to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and urging neighboring countries to close U.S. bases or risk being targeted. “I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the…

Al-Azhar warns of Ramadan terror escalation as Al-Shabaab executes 10, Kenya says Nairobi plot foiled The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism has warned of escalating terrorist threats along the Somali-Kenyan border during the holy month of Ramadan, citing what it called a “bloody strategy” by the militant group Al-Shabaab to intimidate civilians and step up cross-border attacks. In a statement Monday, the Cairo-based observatory said the latest surge began Saturday night, when Al-Shabaab militants executed 10…

Sweden warns Russia stepping up ‘hybrid’ threat activity, raising risk in Baltic region Russia has intensified hybrid threat activities and is demonstrating a greater willingness to take risks around Sweden, the head of Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST) said as the agency released its annual threat review. “Russia has, in certain cases, stepped up actions and increased its presence, and perhaps with a greater risk appetite, in our vicinity,” MUST chief Thomas Nilsson said. He added he expects the…

Somali police seize control of parliament; lawmakers report threats of lethal force MOGADISHU, Feb. 7 — Armed police units took control of Somalia’s Federal Parliament main hall on Saturday, paralyzing proceedings as lawmakers said officers threatened to open fire on anyone attempting to speak and a female representative was physically assaulted during a chaotic standoff. Witnesses and parliamentary sources said police deployed inside the House of the People imposed extraordinary restrictions that blocked members of…

The United States has sharply escalated airstrikes and partner operations in Somalia, pushing the fight against the Islamic State group and al-Shabab deeper into militant strongholds to blunt plots aimed at the U.S. and Europe, according to Lt. Gen. John Brennan, deputy commander of U.S. Africa Command. Brennan, a former Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, said the tempo is designed to deny militants time, space and capability to plan attacks. “There’s ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the…

Tallinn’s Slava Ukrainia restaurant was meant as a refuge for people displaced by the war next door. One winter morning, it became a crime scene. CCTV captured two men outside: one filming, the other setting the blaze that would gut the Ukrainian-themed eatery. Within weeks, a cross-border investigation had tracked the suspects — Moldovan nationals — to Italy. By summer, an Estonian court had convicted one of arson in the interests of a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors said he worked for Russia’s military…

Europe’s leaders condemned U.S. President Donald Trump after he questioned the value of NATO allies and floated military options over Greenland, a one-two punch that further rattled the transatlantic alliance and revived legal and sovereignty concerns from Brussels to Copenhagen. In an interview Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, Trump downplayed allied sacrifices in Afghanistan and cast doubt on whether NATO partners would aid Washington if needed. “We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them,” he told…

DOHA, Qatar — Somalia’s defense minister vowed a firm response to any threats against the country’s sovereignty, saying Mogadishu will not accept military or diplomatic actions that undermine its territorial integrity or national dignity. Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, speaking to Al Jazeera Net during a visit to the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) 2026, said the federal government has suspended all agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after what he described as…