ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

An armed U.S. drone was shot down in western Yemen on Sunday, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. The incident involving a MQ-9 Reaper is under investigation, Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said in a statement to The Hill. The Pentagon uses the Reaper “to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, including to track terrorist networks,” according to the statement. “We aren't going to talk specifics due to operational security reasons; the U.S. has security interest in Yemen and works very closely with the Government of Yemen to counter terrorism,” Rankine-Galloway said.  Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for shooting down the drone in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa,  multiple outlets reported . The rebel group’s news agency SABA first posted a photo of the flaming drone after it was shot down. A  video posted later showed the drone falling from the sky. Yemen is in the midst of a civil war ...

S-400. FILE IMAGE: Dmitry Vinogradov/RIA Novosty Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy Russian S-400 air defense missile system, the Saudi television station al-Arabiya reported on Thursday. State-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) added that the sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on the issue that would help Riyadh to develop its defense industries.  The report came amid a visit by Saudi King Salman to Russia. According to SAMI, the memorandum is signed in the context of contracts to procure the S-400, the Kornet-EM system, the TOS-1A, the AGS-30 and the Kalashnikov AK-103. The procurement was “based on the assurance of the Russian party to transfer the technology and localize the manufacturing and sustainment of these armament systems in the Kingdom”. No additional info about timeframe or the number of each system was provided. The S-400 is an advanced Russian long-range anti-aircraft missile system. It can c...

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke against Palestinian National Authority’s continued reconciliation efforts on October 3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel won’t accept the appeasement where the Palestinian side is reconciling at Israel’s expense, adding that anyone who discusses a peace process must recognize Israel as a Jewish state,  Haaretz  reports. According to the Prime Minister, the prerequisites for Palestine to reconcile can be summarized as follows: recognize the State of Israel, dismantle Hamas’ military wing and cut ties with Iran. The Prime Minister’s statement comes hours after Education Minister Naftali Bennet called for Israel to stop the transfer of tax revenue to Palestinians, liking it to Israel “acting as ATM for terrorism.” “Transferring funds to a ...

A screenshot from the video Lieutenant Colonel Roman Labusov has defected from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), according to a  video  published by the DPR Ministry of Information. He was the head of the SBU’s cypher office. During a press conference Labusov cited loyalty to the military oath of enlistment as one of the main motives of his defection. The oath states that a soldier will serve and protect the people of Ukraine. He also added that he defected in order to expose the crimes of the Ukrainian high ranking officers. Labusov claims to possess incriminating SBU documents, and plans making them public, Donetsk News Agency  reports . The current Kiev government does not look any interest of the Ukrainian people. The officer was pushed to defect from the SBU because he understood that there was no more nationhood in the area where he had been serving. It’s hi...

GAO, Mali — The migrants arrive by coach. Diadie picks them out from the other travelers by their swollen backpacks and their apprehensive looks. Up until this point, most of their journeys’ have been legal. They come from Gambia and Senegal, Guinea and parts of southern Mali, and, as such, they hold passports that permit them visa-free travel within the 15-country regional bloc of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The moment they make a deal with Diadie, however, they become illicit human cargo on one of the most dangerous smuggling routes on Earth. Diadie, who asked to be identified by only his first name, organizes transport for dozens of Europe-bound migrants each week. Wearing a black leather jacket and a maroon scarf wrapped around his head so that only his eyes and the bridge of his nose are visible, the 30-year-old  coxeur  — a middleman, or agent, who links migrants and smugglers — says Arab and Tuareg drivers crossing the Sahara to Algeria tel...

FILE IMAGE: the US Navy There was a combined change of command and squadron establishment of the Submarine Development Squadron 5 (DEVRON 5) at Naval Undersea Warfare Center on September 26. Capt. Stephen Mack, from Silver Spring, Maryland, relieved Capt. Robert Gaucher, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as commodore during the ceremony held at Barb Hall, according to  the US Navy website . Gaucher’s next assignment will be as the chief of staff for Commander at Submarine Force Atlantic in Norfolk. Gaucher assumed command of DEVRON 5 on March 23, 2016. He oversaw the successful deployments of the Seawolf-class fast attack submarines and their maintenance. Under his leadership, the command supported the development and launch of the Navy’s first unmanned undersea vehicle squadron. It is fitting then, that in addition to welcoming a new commodore, Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron (UUVRON) 1 was established. Gaucher called this a historical day for the Navy. “ Tod...

Government troops near Hawija. Click to see the full-size image On Wednesday, the Iraqi Army and  the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)  captured the strategic Fatha and al-Harariat areas southwest of Hawija town according to the PMU media wing. Iraqi government forces also captured the following 14 villages in Hawija area: Hawd 7, Yassen Taha, al-A’aliah, Khalaf al-Asuad, al-Safra, al-Rafia’a, Nayif Ibrahim, al-Sa’ay diyah, Rbiyda, al-Jaburiyah, al-Nafylah, Kazan Qarha, al-Dibs, al-Ghaziyah. Government forces also besieged ISIS fighters inside the strategic al-Riyad town east of Hawija town. Moreover, according to the PMU media wing dozens of ISIS fighters were killed, and 6 VBIEDs of ISIS were destroyed by government forces on Wednesday. Iraqi forces cross the Zab river: Meanwhile, the PMU Intelligence reported that ISIS leader in Hawija area threatened ISIS fighters with death if they kept withdrawing from the villages around Hawija town. According to the...

FILE IMAGE: AP/Emrah Gurel On October 3, the Turkish authorities announced that security forces arrested ISIS commander Abu Yousef, also known as Khaider Kareem, during a security operation in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Abu Youssef is an Iraqi citizen; Iraqi authorities declared before that he was killed. Abu Youssef had been an active member of al-Qaeda terrorist group since 2011. He defected from al-Qaeda in 2014 and joined ISIS. After joining ISIS, Abu Youssef became one of ISIS commanders in al-Anbar governorate in Iraq. Turkish authorities said that the Special Investigations Office of Sakarya province Public Prosecution Office received information that Abu Youssef was alive and living in Ankara city. Based on the investigation of the Special Instigations Office, Turkish counter-terrorism force raided Abu Youssef house and arrested him. Turkish counter-terrorism units also found 40 fake ID cards in Abu Youssef house. Abu Youssef was handed over to Sakarya province ...