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Exercises
US, South Korea to set Olympic-delayed drills date in March
A date for the start of delayed U.S. and South Korean Foal Eagle and Key Resolve military drills will be announced soon after the Paralympics end next month, Seoul's defence minister said
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Middle East
UN draft calls for ‘measures’ over Iranian missiles to Yemen
The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would condemn Iran for violating the arms embargo on Yemen and call for measures to address this violation
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Middle East
Three Egyptian soldiers killed in Sinai campaign
Egypt said Monday three of its soldiers had been killed in the Sinai Peninsula during a wide-ranging operation against the local branch of the Islamic State group.
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Middle East
Syrian troops find mass grave west of Raqqa
Syrian troops have uncovered a mass grave containing the remains of more than 30 people killed by Islamic State in Raqqa province, state media reported
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Europe
Russia’s Kalashnikov becomes majority private-owned
Private investors have for the first time gained a majority share of Russia's Kalashnikov arms manufacturer, producer of the famed AK-47 assault rifle, the company said
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Middle East
Record number of Afghan civilian casualties in attacks in 2017, UN says
Nearly 2,300 civilians were killed or wounded in suicide bombings and attacks in Afghanistan in 2017, more than any previous year of the conflict on record, a UN report said
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Europe
US concerns over EU PESCO defense pact cloud NATO talks
Brussels (AFP) – NATO defence ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss Washington’s concerns over the European Union’s new plans to deepen defense ties between its members, and increasingly strained U.S.-Turkey relations. Washington and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday warned it was detracting from the fight against the Islamic State group. The two-day meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels is expected to approve changes to the alliance’s command structure. It aims to meet the challenges of warfare in the 21st century, particularly cyber attacks and other novel “hybrid warfare” tactics, as fears grow about Russian assertiveness. But a working dinner with E.U. diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini later Wednesday has taken on greater significance after senior US officials voiced fears about the impact the bloc’s new landmark defence pact could have on the balance of power in NATO. The E.U.’s so-called permanent structured cooperation on defence agreement, known as PESCO, has projects in view already to develop new military equipment and improve cooperation and decision-making. But on Sunday a senior official working with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …
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Asia Pacific
Pakistan Taliban says deputy chief killed in US drone strike
The deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed in a US drone strike, the militant group said in a statement, as Washington continues to intensify attacks along the Afghan border region.
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Middle East
Iraq jails Turkish woman, Syrian man for life over ISIS ties
An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced a Turkish woman and a Syrian man to life in jail over ties to Islamic State, a judicial spokesman said.
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Asia Pacific
Philippines’ Duterte cancels Canada Bell helicopter deal
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte abruptly cancelled a US$235 million contract to buy 16 helicopters from Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government ordered a review over human rights concerns.
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