ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Click to see the full-size image On January 3, a unit of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Somalian group al-Shabaab crossed the border into Kenya and attacked a vehicle of the Kenyan Police in the northeastern Mandera county on the Kenyan-Somali border, according to Reuters. Daniel Bundotich, the deputy country commissioner for Mandera South, told Reuters that four Kenyan policemen and a civilian were killed in the al-Shabaab cross-border attack. Bundotich added that al-Shabaab fighters destroyed a vehicle of the Kenyan Police during the attack. “The militants also set on fire a police lorry … The police officers were on patrol along Elwak-Kutolo when they were ambushed,” Bundotich told Reuters. Lately, the al-Shabaab group launched dozens of attacks against the Kenyan Police from its positions in the areas of El Adde, Busar and Cows Qurun in southwestern Somalia near the Kenyan-Somali border. Reuters said that dozens of Kenyan policemen were killed in these attacks. Map By: Po...

An Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration. (photo credit: AMIR COHEN – REUTERS) Last night, the Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes on what it described as “major terror infrastructure” in the Gaza Strip. “ In response to the 3 rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday from Gaza, IAF fighter jets targeted a significant terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip ,” the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. “The IDF will continue and will proceed with all the tools at its disposal above and below the ground to thwart attempts to harm Israeli citizens. We are prepared and ready for a range of scenarios and we will act against every attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.” According to reports, southern Israel was shelled with 3 rockets on January 3. However, mortars and rockets caused no damage or injuries. The shelling hit Eshkol Regional Council located close to the Gaza border fence. Reports also...

The  “huge story”,  as Graticule’s Adam Levinson called it,  will, it appears, be a  “wake up call” for the West  that seems to happily be ignoring this  potential bombshell that is China’s looming launch of domestic oil futures trading. Additionally, Levison warns Washington  that besides serving as a hedging tool for Chinese companies, the contract will aid a broader Chinese government agenda of increasing the use of the yuan in trade settlement… and thus  the acceleration of de-dollarization and the rise of the Petro-Yuan. “I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re going to see use of the renminbi in reserves go up substantially” China has been planning this for a number of years  and given rising tensions, now seems like a good time for China to flex a little. The Shanghai International Energy Exchange, a unit of Shanghai Futures Exchange, will be known by the acronym INE and  will allow Chinese buyers to lock in oil prices an...

A screenshot from the video Yemeni forces have seized a US-made REMUS 600 autonomous underwater vehicle belonging to the Saudi Navy, according to pro-Houthi sources. The vehicle was seized inside the Yemeni territorial waters in the Red Sea. The REMUS 600 is often used to detect sea mines and to conduct reconnaissance in coast waters.

Illustrative image An intense fighting between government forces and Ahrar al-Sham is ongoing in the Armoured Vehicle Base area in Damascus’ Eastern Ghouta. The base is located near the town of Harasta. Ahrar al-Sham, supported by some units of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched a new offensive on positions of the Syrian Army in the area on December 29. Since then, the sides have been clashing for control over this strategic facility. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) had repelled a major part of militant attacks and remained in control over the base. However, militants were able to capture some points in its vicinity. Some pro-militant media outlets even claimed that the base was fully encircled and separated from the rest of the government-held area. However, these reports were not confirmed. On January 1, reports appeared that the Syrian military had decided to deploy reinforcements to the area in order to stabilize the situation there. It’s important to note that Ahrar al-Sham r...

FILE IMAGE: MIM-23 HAWK missile system The Turkish military has deployed air defense systems near the town of Afrin in northern Syria. Afrin is controlled by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkish forces deployed at least one MIM-23 HAWK missile system and radars near the town of Dar al-Izzah. Dar al-Izzah is now de-facto controlled by the Turkish military and its local proxies. Some sources describe the Tukrish decision as a part of preparations for military operation against the SDF.

There is no doubt that the United States has dedicated, well-trained first responders who bravely risk their own lives when disaster strikes. We have only to view  images of the tragic events of 9/11  to realize how brave these men and women truly are. Nonetheless, a disturbing study by researchers from the  University of Georgia  recently found that the majority of U.S. first responders have received no training in how to deal with the aftereffects of a nuclear attack, and that many are so frightened of radiation that they would be unwilling to assist in the event of such a disaster. The study was published in the journal  Frontiers in Public Health . News Wise  reports  that experts have warned that “a radiological or nuclear event is inevitable,” and as such, it is vitally important that emergency workers be trained and ready to deal with this when it happens. The New Yorker  recently warned  that America’s relations with Nort...

North Korea has released stamps celebrating the November 28 launch of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). According tothe North, the ICBM is capable of reaching the US mainland. During the November 28 test launch, the missile reportedly reached an altitude of 4,475 km and flew 950 km. The flight lasted 53 minutes. The stamps were released by the State Stamp Bureau of North Korea. Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image