ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

FILE IMAGE: U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III South Korea has conducted a joint drill with a US supersonic B-1B strategic bomber. The North Korean state media said that the military exercises was “a nuclear bomb dropping role drill” and were held on Monday. However, Moon Sang-gyun, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman did not provide details on what was drilled during the exercises. The South Korea-USA military drill took place after North Korea tested a new shor-range ballistic missile. The missile traveled about 450km and landed in the Sea of Japan, some 300 kilometers from Japan’s islands. The fired missile was reportedly a North Korean modification of the Soviet Scud-type projectile. The North Korean media declared the launch a success on Tuesday, adding that it is “capable of making ultra-precision strike on the enemies’ objects at any area.” Photos of the ballistic missile test released by the North Korean st...

On Tuesday, clashes continued between ISIS terrorists and Philippines security forces in the city of Marawi. The Philippines government is using the army and the police, backed up by military equipment, warplanes and helicopters, against ISIS in the city.However, the battle is still ongoing. The government says that about 2,000 civilians are trapped in the ISIS-held area. According to the military, at least 65 ISIS-linked gunmen, 15 Philippine troops, and 19 civilians have been killed in the fighting so far. However, local sources argue that the civilian death toll is much higher. ISIS-linked gunmen entered Marawi and size large areas inside it including the Police Station and the jail last week. Since then, the fighting has been ongoing in the area. Click to see the full-size image

Reuters/Francois Lenoir Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has slammed US threats to use force the Syrian Army adding that the situation “is rather alarming as it directly affects Syria’s sovereignty.” “As you know, there have been not only threats, but a fact of using force in this area [Al-Tanaf],” Lavrov said, according to  the Russian state-run news agency TASS . “ I believe this situation is rather alarming as it directly affects Syria’s sovereignty. Certainly, these issues need to be solved, and our troops are doing this now. “ Lavrov added that the effort is now underway through a channel set up between the Russian Aerospace Forces and the US-led coalition. Thehe sides will reportedly discuss the results a next meeting on the Syrian crisis, which is due to take place soon in Astana.

SOURCE: EPA The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation  declared : We would like to draw attention to reports, which are received regularly, of “unidentified” aircraft that have been seen providing support to local ISIS militants in various parts of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA). In particular, this month, according to Jowzjan Province authorities, unmarked aircraft were spotted air-dropping consignments of weapons and other supplies to ISIS groups in at least three northern provinces of Afghanistan (Jowzjan, Faryab and Sar-e Pol). A representative of the Province of Gazni council in southern Afghanistan spoke publicly about the presence of unmarked helicopters in areas controlled by terrorists in the Waghaz and Khogyani districts. It is noteworthy that even amidst an anti-Russia campaign in some Afghan and Western media that aim to accuse Russia of supporting the Taliban, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Defence Intelligence A...