Us Military

Turkey seeks to broker talks between US-Iran to avert military escalation

Turkey is attempting to bring US and Iranian officials to the negotiating table in hopes of easing the threat of US military action against Iran. Neither the US nor Iran has confirmed whether they plan to take part in any negotiations. Two Turkish officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Turkey is trying to organize a meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian leaders. The meeting could take place as soon as the end of the week, one of the officials said. The US military has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers into the Middle East, but it remains unclear whether US President Donald Trump would decide to use force against the Iranian government, as he has suggested he might do in retribution for their devastating crackdown on last month's protests and as he presses for a deal on Iran's nuclear program. "We have talks going on with Iran, we'll see how it all works out

Europe cannot defend itself without US support: Nato chief Mark Rutte

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte insisted on Monday that Europe is incapable of defending itself without US military support and would have to more than double current military spending targets to be able to do so. "If anyone thinks here... that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can't," Rutte told EU lawmakers in Brussels. Europe and the United States "need each other," he said. Tensions are festering within NATO over US President Donald Trump's renewed threats in recent weeks to annex Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump also said that he was slapping new tariffs on Greenland's European backers, but later dropped his threats after a "framework" for a deal over the mineral-rich island was reached, with Rutte's help. Few details of the agreement have emerged. The 32-nation military organisation is bound together by a mutual defence clause, Article 5 of NATO's founding Washington trea

Death toll from US strikes on suspected drug boats rises to 126 people

The death toll from the Trump administration's strikes on alleged drug boats is up to 126 people, with the inclusion of those presumed dead after being lost at sea, the US military confirmed Monday. The figure includes 116 people who were killed immediately in at least 36 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, US Southern Command said. Ten others are believed dead because searchers did not locate them following a strike. Eight of the presumed dead had jumped off boats when American forces attacked a trio of vessels accused of trafficking drugs on December 30, the military said. The number was not released previously, though the military said when announcing those strikes that the US Coast Guard had searched for survivors. The two other people presumed dead were on boats that were attacked on October 27 and last Friday. President Donald Trump has said the US is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America and has justified the

Why Greenland has drawn America's strategic interest for over a century

From Cold War defence pacts to Trump's annexation threats, the Arctic island has often found itself at the centre to Washington's strategic calculations

US Army issues standby orders for a possible Minneapolis deployment

The US Army has ordered several dozen additional active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minneapolis if needed, a defense official said Wednesday, amid protests over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement crackdown. The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, confirmed that members of an Army military police brigade who are stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. If deployed, the troops would likely offer support to civil authorities in Minneapolis, according to the official, who stressed that such standby orders are issued regularly and they do not necessarily mean that the troops would end up going. About 1,500 active-duty soldiers from the Army's 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska also have received similar standby orders. President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used 19th century law that would allow him to use active-du

Prez Sheinbaum addresses concerns over US military activity near Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum quelled concerns on Monday about two recent movements of the US military in the vicinity of Mexico that have the country on edge since the attack on Venezuela. On Friday, the US Federal Aviation Administration urged US aircraft operators to exercise caution when flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing military activities. The president said her administration waited a couple hours until the US government provided written assurance that there would not be any US military flights over Mexican territory. She said the US government had not given Mexico a heads up about any military operations. The US government provided precise coordinates for where it was operating and Mexican authorities issued a statement saying the FAA advisory had no implications for Mexico. Then, images of a US military transport airplane on the tarmac at Toluca's airport about 63 kilometres west of Mexico City began

US sends aircraft to Greenland base amid tensions over Trump's takeover bid

NORAD routinely conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defence of North America, through one or all three NORAD regions (Alaska, Canada, and the continental US)

Venezuela crisis unlikely to hit India oil prices in near term: Crisil

On January 3, the US launched a large-scale operation in Venezuela's capital Caracas and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores

Why Havana Syndrome is back in focus after a 'secret device' test by the US

A covertly acquired device by Pentagon that emits pulsed radio waves is under US testing, reopening questions around Havana Syndrome even as officials say evidence of a foreign attack remains limited

Venezuela holds funeral in Caracas for soldiers killed in US operation

Venezuela's military held a funeral in the capital Wednesday for some of the dozens of soldiers killed during the US operation that captured then-President Nicols Maduro. Music from a military orchestra echoed over the cemetery as family members and soldiers marched behind a row of caskets. Men carried the wooden caskets cloaked in the Venezuelan flag past rows of uniformed officers. Thank you for letting them embrace a military career, a military commander, Rafael Murillo, said to families surrounding him at the cemetery on the city's south side. The men were honored with a gun salute as the caskets were lowered into the ground and their loved ones wailed. Armed National Guard members patrolled parts of the cemetery for hours before and during the ceremony that followed an emotional wake. The funeral came a day after acting President Delcy Rodrguez declared a seven-day mourning period for the fallen officers. Venezuela's military has said at least 24 Venezuelan officers were kill

'History will reveal traitors': Maduro's son after US takes Venezuelan Prez

Maduro Guerra, a lawmaker from La Guaira state and a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said the party would remain united despite the recent developments

India voices concern over US action in Venezuela, calls for peace talks

India on Sunday voiced "deep concern" over the US' capture of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a military operation and called for a peaceful resolution of the issues to ensure stability in the region. In its first reaction to the unprecedented American action in Venezuelan capital Caracas early on Saturday, New Delhi also reaffirmed its support for the well-being of the people of the oil-rich South American country and said it is closely monitoring the unfolding developments. The United States brought Maduro and his wife, Lady Cilia Flores, to New York to face drug trafficking-related charges. Venezuela, denouncing the US action, has announced a state of national emergency. "Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela," it added. New Delhi also called upon "all ..

World leaders react to US operation in Venezuela, call for de-escalation

European Union President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised respect for international law and the UN Charter, while EU High Representative Kaja Kallas ensures EU citizens' safety

US military strikes 3 suspected drug-smuggling boats, killing three at sea

The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck three more boats that were allegedly smuggling drugs, killing three people while others jumped overboard and may have survived. The statement by U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks occurred. Previous attacks have been in the Caribbean Sea and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. A video posted by Southern Command on social media shows the boats traveling in a close formation, which is unusual, and the military said they were in a convoy along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. The military did not provide evidence to back up the claim. The military said three people were killed when the first boat was struck, while people in the other two boats jumped overboard and distanced themselves from the vessels before they were attacked. Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search and rescue .

China's rapid military expansion raises security risks for US: Pentagon

The Pentagon said China's rapid military expansion poses security risks to the US, even as Washington looks to keep ties stable through dialogue and communication

China's military buildup makes US vulnerable, says Pentagon report

The congressionally mandated report, posted on the Pentagon website Tuesday, is the first version issued during the second Trump administration

SC keeps Trump's National Guard deployment blocked in Chicago, for now

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area to support its immigration crackdown, a significant defeat for the president's efforts to send troops to US cities. The justices declined the Republican administration's emergency request to overturn a ruling by US District Judge April Perry that had blocked the deployment of troops. An appeals court also had refused to step in. The Supreme Court took more than two months to act. Three justices, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, publicly dissented. The high court order is not a final ruling, but it could affect other lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump's attempts to deploy the military in other Democratic-led cities. At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois, the high court majority wrote. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he agreed with

One killed as US strikes another alleged drug-smuggling boat in Pacific

The US military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. In a social media post, US Southern Command said, Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Southern Command provided no evidence that the vessel was engaged in drug smuggling. A video posted by US Southern Command shows splashes of water near one side of the boat. After a second salvo, the rear of the boat catches fire. More splashes engulf the craft and the fire grows. In the final second of the video, the vessel can be seen adrift with a large patch of fire alongside it. Earlier videos of US boat strikes showed vessels suddenly exploding, suggesting missile strikes. Some strike videos even had visible rocket-like projectiles coming down on the boats. The Trump administration has said the strikes we

US military strikes on alleged drug boats kill 5 in eastern Pacific

The US military said Thursday that it had conducted two more strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people. US Southern Command posted on social media, Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations, though it did not provide evidence. It posted videos of each boat speeding through water before being struck by an explosion. The military said three people in one vessel and two in the other were killed. The attacks brought the total number of known boat strikes to 28 while at least 104 people have been killed, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels. The administration is facing increasing scrutiny from

US Coast Guard removes references to swastikas, nooses being 'divisive'

References in US Coast Guard policy calling hate symbols potentially divisive" were removed Thursday, and a US senator said she was lifting a hold she had placed on a nomination for the service's top job. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees the Coast Guard, said on social media that the latest changes were made so no one can misrepresent the branch's position. The pages of superseded and outdated policy will be completely removed from the record so no press outlet, entity or elected official may misrepresent the Coast Guard to politicize their policies and lie about their position on divisive and hate symbols, Noem said. The move appears to cap off back-and-forth revisions to Coast Guard policy on swastikas, nooses and other hate symbols, which has sparked an uproar. The Department of Homeland Security has said there was never a downgrade' in policy language. Noem's announcement came a day after Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said she was holding u