Category: Conflict

Source: New York Times By David E. Sanger and William J. Broad North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases that have been identified in new commercial satellite images, a network long known to American intelligence agencies but left undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s… Continue reading IN NORTH KOREA MISSILE BASES SUGGEST A GREAT DECEPTION

Source: Balkan Insight By Die Morina Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday during an official visit to Kosovo that Vienna will support any agreement that is reached between Pristina and Belgrade, even if it includes what Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has described as a ‘border correction’. “I have a clear stance – the federal… Continue reading AUSTRIA WILL NOT OPPOSE KOSOVO-SERBIA BORDER CHANGES

Source: Middle East Monitor Turkish forces bombarded Kurdish YPG militia positions on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, Reuters reports. The move comes two days after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan issued what he said was a “final warning” to those who would endanger Turkey’s borders, saying Ankara was determined to focus… Continue reading TURKISH FORCES BOMBARDED YPG MILITIA POSITIONS EAST OF EUPHRATES

Source: Military Times By Kyle Rempfer A U.S. patrol came under fire in the Syrian region of Manbij, allegedly from Turkey’s local proxy forces. American officials with Operation Inherent Resolve confirmed to Military Times that coalition forces exchanged fire with an unknown armed group on Oct. 15 near Manbij — a region in northern Syria… Continue reading US TROOPS IN SYRIA TAKE FIRE FROM TURKISH PROXY FIGHTERS

Source: Defence World The armed forces of Taiwan yesterday conducted large-scale air, land and sea exercises from 5am to 8am on Monday as a response to a simulated Chinese invasion. The drill put into practice air and anti-air components of the ‘war plan,’ which the armed forces have drawn according to experience derived from past… Continue reading TAIWANESE MILITARY DRILL TESTS “WAR PLAN” AGAINST CHINESE INVASION

Source: Foreign Affairs By Eric Gordy In August, political leaders in Kosovo and Serbia proposed to resolve long-standing tensions by exchanging territory: Serb-populated municipalities in the north of Kosovo would come under Belgrade’s administration, while Albanian-populated towns in the south of Serbia would be yoked to Pristina. Politicians and specialists weighed in on what remained… Continue reading WHY BORDERS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM OR THE SOLUTION FOR SERBIA AND KOSOVO

Source: Gcaptain gCaptain has just obtained photos showing a confrontation involving the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur and a Chinese Navy warship in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend. The U.S. Navy confirmed the incident on Tuesday, accusing China’s navy of conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” that nearly led to a collision… Continue reading PHOTO SHOW CONFRONTATION BETWEEN USS DECATUR AND CHINESE NAVY WARSHIP

Source: The Aviationist By Tom Demerly & David Cenciotti In the hours following the downing of a Russian military Il-20M “Coot-A” surveillance and control aircraft off the Syrian coast with 15 personnel on board, the leaders of Israel and Russia have expressed regret over the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Russian President Vladimir… Continue reading EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE RUSSIAN Il-20M SHOT DOWN BY A SYRIAN S-200 SAM

Source: Proto Thema Russian President Vladimir Putin dubbed the downing of a Russian military plane, which cost the lives 15 people on board on Monday, a “tragic accident. He said the event was a “chain of tragic accidental circumstances”. “It rather looks like a chain of tragic accidental circumstances,” Putin told reporters, rejecting any comparisons… Continue reading PUTIN SAYS DOWNING OF RUSSIAN PLANE NOT ISRAEL’S FAULT

Source: The Drive By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick Syrian air defense forces may have accidentally shot down a Russian Il-20 Coot electronic intelligence aircraft during an attempt to respond to apparent Israeli air strikes against targets in Syria’s coastal Latakia governorate. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims that a French frigate may have been… Continue reading RUSSIAN IL-20 SURVEILLANCE PLANE DOWNED OFF LATAKIA DURING ISRAELI MISSILE ATTACK