Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | A surprise UAE troop drawdown in war-torn Yemen aims to restore the Gulf country’s reputation, but may strain ties with key ally Saudi Arabia at a time of heightened tensions with Iran, experts say. “The political, reputational and operational risks Abu Dhabi incurred in …
Read More »US orders new troops to Middle East to counter Iran ‘threat’
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States announced Friday it was deploying 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East in response to what the Pentagon called an “campaign” of recent attacks approved by Iran’s top leadership. The escalation of the US military presence follows a decision in early …
Read More »US begins withdrawing gear from Syria, but not troops
Washington, United States | AFP | The US military has begun moving non-essential gear out of Syria but is not withdrawing troops for now, defense officials said amid uncertainty over America’s planned exit from the war-battered nation. President Donald Trump last month claimed the Islamic State group had been defeated in Syria and said all …
Read More »Trump plans full withdrawal of US troops from Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States will withdraw its troops from Syria, a US official told AFP on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump said America has “defeated ISIS” in the war-ravaged country. The move will have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications and throws into question the fate of US-backed Kurdish …
Read More »UN Peacekeeping chief honours Tanzanian troops in Zanzibar
Zanzibar, Tanzania | UN | A year on from the brutal killings of 15 United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the head of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) paid a visit to some of the victims’ families on Friday, to honour the memory of the soldiers …
Read More »Italy to send troops to Niger to stem migrant flow: PM
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy will be sending 470 soldiers to Niger to help the west African nation stem the flow of Europe-bound migrants, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday. Agadez, the main city in central Niger, has become a revolving door for economic migrants seeking to reach Europe via …
Read More »Thousands more US troops arrive in Afghanistan: general
Washington, United States | AFP | Approximately 3,000 additional American troops have now deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump’s revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Pentagon had previously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at about 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an …
Read More »UPDF confirms 12 dead in Somalia ambush
Mogadishu, Somalia | THE INDEPENDENT & AFP | Uganda has confirmed that 12 of her solidiers, part of the African Union (AU) troops in Somalia, were killed in an ambush by Shabaab militants on Sunday. “From the battlefield, it is now confirmed that UPDF lost 12 gallant soldiers with 7 …
Read More »Manchester terror attack: What we know
Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain has raised its terror alert to the maximum level and ordered troops to protect strategic sites after 22 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Manchester pop concert. Here is what we know so far about Monday’s attack, the deadliest …
Read More »UN Security Council renews call for more troops in South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council stepped up calls Monday for regional troops in South Sudan, to help a UN contingent already there stem ongoing violence and stave off a brewing humanitarian crisis. Olof Skoog, UN ambassador from Sweden, which holds the rotating Security Council …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price