Global defense news, analysis and opinion

Taliban kill 6 Pakistan police in Balochistan checkpoint attack

At least six Pakistani police officers were killed in a checkpoint raid in Balochistan province in the latest Taliban-claimed attack in the area

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US Africa Command disputes rights group’s allegations of civilian casualties in Somalia

Amnesty International has accused U.S. forces of killing several civilians in Somalia as they “dramatically increased” the number of air strikes in the volatile country, but the U.S. military denied the deaths. U.S. Africa Command said it had carried out 110 strikes by drones and manned aircraft in the past two years in Somalia, killing over 800 people, but insisted every death was that of a “terrorist.” But Amnesty researchers who investigated five air strikes in detail reported at least 14 civilians had been killed, raising fears the total dead in the scores of attacks may be far higher. “The attacks appear to have violated international humanitarian law, and some may amount to war crimes,” Amnesty said in a Wednesday, March 20 report, titled “The Hidden U.S. War in Somalia.” The study is based on 150 interviews including witnesses, family members of those killed and security experts. Their reports were corroborated by satellite imagery, photographs of the deep craters of the explosions, as well as munition fragments collected from the sites. U.S. strikes, which included missiles fired by manned aircraft as well as drones, targeted Somalia’s Al-Qaeda linked jihadist insurgent group, Al-Shabaab. Amnesty said that since April 2017, the U.S. …

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EU allocates €525 million for defense projects including Eurodrone

The European Union will allocate €525 million to fund defense industrial and research projects in 2019 and 2020, including €100 million for the development of the Eurodrone

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Canada extends Ukraine training mission until 2022

Canada will extend its security force training mission in Ukraine for three years until March 2022, the defense ministry said

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Nigeria: Boko Haram blamed as roadside bomb kills 8 near Gwoza

Eight people were killed in Warabe near Gwoza in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, near the border with Cameroon when a vehicle hit a roadside mine

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Roadside bombs kill Burkina Faso police and military personnel in the Gourma

Five members of the security forces were killed in roadside bomb attacks in Burkina Faso's East region at the weekend, officials said

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Netherlands police say ‘possible terrorist attack’ in Utrecht tram leaves 3 dead

Several people were killed and injured in what police in the Dutch city of Utrecht say is a possible terrorist attack after a person opened fire on a tram

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US denies plans to leave 1,000 troops in Syria

The US denied that it intended to leave almost 1,000 troops in Syria, adding plans for a 200-strong 'peacekeeping' force had not changed

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23 Mali soldiers dead as militants attack Dioura camp in Mopti region

Militants killed 23 Malian soldiers in a raid on an army camp in central Mali after a dawn attack that the armed forces believe was led by a deserter

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New Zealand court charges Brenton Tarrant with murder over mosque attacks

Brenton Tarrant was charged with murder in connection with a deadly mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques

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