US STARTED CONDUCTING AIRSTRIKES AGAINST ISIS IN SOMALIA

On November 3, the US Army Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced in an official statement that American warplanes conducted two airstrikes against positions of ISIS in Somalia. AFRICOM said that several ISIS fighters were killed in the two airstrikes.

“U.S. forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect Americans and to disable terrorist threats. This includes partnering with AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces (SNSF); targeting terrorists, their training camps and safe havens throughout Somalia, the region and around the world,” AFRICOM said in its statement.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Qandala town, Jama Mohamed Qurshe told Voice Of America Agency that six missiles hit a base of ISIS in Buqa village, 60 kilometers south of Qandala town in the. Furthermore, a US official revealed to the CNN the strikes were carried out by an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).

The Somali National News Agency said that this the first time the US conduct airstrikes against ISIS in the country. Perversely, the US conducted dozens of airstrikes in Somalia against the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab group.

The US airstrikes in Somalia could be linked to US president Donald Trump statement on November 3, when he promised that the US Army will hit ISIS “10 times harder” as a respond to Manhattan attack on October 31.

The US may also seek to boost its presence in the African Horn in order to expad its control over the strategic Gulf of Aden. The influence of the US and the Saudi-led block are steadily decreasing there because of a failed military campaign in Yemen and the growing Chinese military presence in the region.

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

Search This Blog