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The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a military checkpoint in Lamitan, a city in the Basilan province of the Philippines. At least 10 people were killed and several others wounded in the blast, according to initial press reports. The so-called caliphate has posted a picture of the bomber, who is identified as Abu Kathir al-Maghrebi (seen above). The suicide bomber’s alias indicates that he is from the Maghreb and likely a Moroccan. Indeed, pro-Islamic State Telegram channels said the “martyr” was from Morocco. According to CNN, military officials blamed the blast on the Abu Sayyaf Group. But this is not inconsistent with the Islamic State’s claim, as the Abu Sayyaf Group’s leaders and several of the group’s “battalions” previously swore their fealty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . The Abu Sayyaf Group, which was once part of al Qaeda’s international network, helped the Islamic State grow in Southeast Asia, providing the self-declared caliphate with access

The US State and Treasury Departments announced today that three Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) figures have been designated as terrorists. LeT has long been focused on fighting Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as executing terrorist operations inside India itself. The group’s most notorious attack came in Nov. 2008, when a team of jihadists laid siege to several sites in Mumbai. More than 160 people were killed in that raid. While LeT is primarily focused on Indian interests in South Asia, today’s designations highlight the global dimensions of its operations. One of the newly-sanctioned men has raised funds to send to Syria, where multiple jihadist outfits operate. Another was detained in Iraq and held for a decade before being transferred to Pakistani custody and released. The State Department was responsible for designating Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil , whom it describes as a “longtime member” of LeT. Dakhil “was an operational leader for LeT’s attacks in India between 1997 and

The Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency has released a short video purportedly showing the team of five jihadists who assaulted cyclists in Tajikistan’s Danghara district on July 29. A screen shot from the video can be seen above. FDD’s Long War Journal cannot immediately verify that the young men, or adolescents, were responsible for the attack. However, Amaq’s video is similar to the footage released by the so-called caliphate after small-scale operations in the past. According to the US Embassy in Tajikistan , the assailants “hit seven foreign cyclists with their vehicle, exited the car, and stabbed the cyclists with knives.” Four people, including two Americans, were killed. The other two victims have been identified as Swiss and Dutch nationals. This same crude tactic has been employed in previous attacks claimed by the Islamic State. For example, in Nov. 2016, Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove a car into pedestrians at Ohio State University before jumping out and wielding a blade. U

Japan said Monday it would spend some $4.2 billion over the next 30 years on installing and operating US radar systems to protect itself against North Korean missile threats. The move, announced by Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, is the latest step by Tokyo to upgrade its military. Japan says the North's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles pose a direct threat. US firm Lockheed Martin has offered to build the radars needed for a new ground-based Aegis Ashore missile defence system at a cost of roughly 134 billion yen ($1.21 billion) for one unit, Onodera told reporters. The combined expenditure for two units as well as maintenance and operational costs for the next 30 years was estimated at 466 billion yen ($4.2 billion), the defence ministry said. That does not include expected additional costs involved with the system that have yet to be outlined. "Our country's ballistic missile defence capacity will significantly improve," Onodera said. "The cost

US intelligence agencies have found that North Korea is building new missiles, based on satellite photographs taken in recent weeks and other new evidence, The Washington Post reported Monday. Just weeks after a high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang appears to be developing at least one or two liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Post said, citing officials familiar with the intelligence. The factory outside Pyongyang in Sanumdong where the work is underway produced the North's first ICBMs capable of reaching the United States. Following the Singapore summit in June, Trump had declared that Pyongyang was "no longer a Nuclear Threat," and touted his own diplomatic achievements. But Kim did not publicly promise to end work at the country's nuclear and missile facilities, instead speaking of eventual denuclearization. The reported new missile construction follows Secretary of State Mike Pom

Donald Trump seemed to jettison threats of impending war with Iran on Monday, saying he was willing to meet the country's leaders without precondition, a dramatic about-face by the enigmatic US president. Barely a week after warning Iran it would suffer untold "consequences," Trump said he would meet the country's leader Hassan Rouhani "any time" and without preconditions. "I would meet with Iran if they wanted to meet," Trump said at a joint White House press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, "I don't know if they are ready yet." "No preconditions," he added. "They want to meet, I'll meet. Any time they want. Good for the country. Good for them. Good for us. And good for the world." White House and administration officials rushed to place caveats on the president's seemingly open invitation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered his own interpretation of the "no preconditio

Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta and her Qatari counterpart, Dr. Khalid Bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, witnessed the first steel cut for the first of four corvettes ordered by Qatar from Italy’s Fincantieri. (Fincantieri photo). TRIESTE --- The steel cutting ceremony of the first “Doha” class corvette ordered to Fincantieri by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition programme, took place today at the Muggiano (La Spezia) yard, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State of Qatar for Defence Affairs, His Excellency Khalid Bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and the Italian Minister of Defence, Elisabetta Trenta, welcomed by the Chairman and the CEO of Fincantieri Giampiero Massolo and Giuseppe Bono. In the awarding of this prestigious contract, Fincantieri has prevailed over other competitors thanks to a project recognized as the most advanced and innovative of all. The presence of the two Ministers testifies the international value acquired by

The Washington Post is reporting that U.S. spy agencies are seeing indications that North Korea is constructing new missiles. The paper says intelligence officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say North Korea is likely constructing at least one and possibly two missiles at a large research facility in Sanumdong. The Post says new evidence, including satellite photographs, indicate the missiles are liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles and are being constructed at a factory that produced North Korea’s first such missile capable of reaching the United States. The paper says the new intelligence does not indicate that North Korea has expanded it capabilities, but rather that it is continuing to work on advanced weapons in the weeks following the Singapore summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Intelligence officials told the Post that while operations continue at the Sanumdong plant, work has come to a halt at the Sohae S

NEW DELHI --- In a major setback for the Indian security agencies, accused and middleman in AgustaWestland case, Christian Michel was granted bail by the Dubai Court. According to his local lawyer their Amal Alsubei, he has been granted conditional bail and has been asked to remain present before the court on August 26. As part of the conditions of his bail, Michel will have to submit a guarantor's passport in the court. In the event, that he does not appear for the hearing, then the guarantor will be liable to pay 500,000 Dirham (approximately Rs 94 lakh). Michel has been in detention in Dubai since June. He was placed under detention after India asked for his extradition through Dubai court. Local lawyers have said the process of his release will take about five hours, depending on the guarantor's passport. Michel made his applications on the grounds of his good conduct, lack of evidence against him and that he did not have any funds from the alleged kickbacks. Only writt

Subscribe to see past events Travelling abroad? Try our Travel Partner Agoda – attractive deals – recommended hotels Intersec – 20-22 January 2019 – Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) – 21-24 January 2019, Twickenham Stadium, London, UK. ShieldAfrica – 21-24 January 2019 – Ecole de Police d’Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Shot Show – 22-25 January 2019 – Las Vegas, NV, USA. DGI Europe – 28-30 January 2019, Royal Lancaster, London, UK. Surface Ships – 28-30 January 2019, Royal Lancaster, London, UK. Marine West 2019 -7-8 February 2019, Camp Pendleton, CA, USA. International Military Helicopters – 5-7 February 2019, London, UK. Aero India 2019 – TBA, February 2019 Bangaluru, Karnataka state, India. (Bangalore) SOLIC 2019 – TBA, February 2019 USA. Travelling abroad? Try our Travel Partner Agoda – attractive deals – recommended hotels Want to include your event in our list? Let's block ads! (Why?) from Defense Update

U.S. Marines conduct an M777 live-fire night fire mission during Exercise Alligator Dagger, DeC 2016 in Djibouti. / Photo by Lance Cpl. Zachery C. Laning In ten months, the Indian Army will be ready to raise its first new field artillery regiment since the infamous Bofors Scandal. After a three-decade freeze on any new howitzer inductions despite expansive and rolling plans, Livefist can confirm that the Army will be all set to raise its first regiment of M777A2 ultra-light howitzers by summer 2019. The guns are part of a $750 million deal signed by India in 2016 with U.S. government for 145 M777A2 guns, the first 25 of which would be supplied fully built by BAE Systems from the United Kingdom, while the remaining would be built at an Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT) facility formed as a partnership between BAE Systems and India’s Mahindra Defence. While the first two guns arrived last May and have since been involved in the generation of range tables in the Pokhran desert

The number of contested districts in Afghanistan has risen, according to the quarterly report released today by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). Resolute Support, NATO’s command in Afghanistan, meanwhile continues to soft-pedal the security situation and invent new classifications for the status of districts. Although Afghan forces succeeded in denying the Taliban insurgency control of new districts, the government forces also failed to control more districts themselves. The stalemate undermines confidence in the government and its legitimacy which ultimately favors the insurgent. Afghan security forces “failed to improve its control over Afghanistan’s districts, population, and territory since last quarter: instead, district and territorial control became slightly more contested between the government and the insurgency,” SIGAR noted. The assessment uses data provided by Resolute Support. In Resolute Support’s district-level assessment, four dist

Source:- Russia may supply India warships armed with lethal Kalibr cruise missiles Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov has said that Indian Navy may get Russian-made warships armed with the lethal 3M-14 Kalibr land attack cruise missile (LACM) capable of hitting the enemy 2,500 kilometres away. Borisov said on Monday that Russia’s Project 22800 corvettes codenamed Karakurt are likely to be supplied to India, Vietnam, China and other countries of the Asia-Pacific Region. “These ships are very successful: they have a big tonnage, good armament, and Kalibr is the most important thing. The corvette has an acceptable price, it is small, compact and fast. I believe that it has a good export potential for a number of countries, especially from the Asia-Pacific Region – Vietnam, China, India and others,” Russian news agency ITAR TASS quoted Borisov as saying. Borisov added that the first three vessels of Project 22800 corvettes (Karakurt) are being built at the Eastern shipyard, whi

  The Met Fifth Avenue July 17–November 12, 2018 Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863). Göetz von Berlichingen Being Dressed in Armor by His Page George , 1826–27. Watercolor and bodycolor with gum arabic. 8 3/8 x 5 5/8 in. (21.3 x 14.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Thomas P. Campbell, 2014 Renowned as a giant of French Romantic painting, Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) was equally a dedicated and an innovative draftsman. Opening July 17, Devotion to Drawing: The Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix will explore the central role of drawing in the artist’s practice through more than one hundred works—from finished watercolors to sketchbooks, from copies after old master prints to preparatory drawings for important projects. As the first North American exhibition devoted to Delacroix's drawings in more than 50 years, it will introduce a new generation to th

Israel’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) producer Aeronautics announced today the award of a contract worth $27 million from an Asian government to supply Dominator XP Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) UAS. The Dominator XP is based on the Austrian Diamond DA-42 twin star aircraft converted by Aeronautics into an unmanned platform. The aircraft has a gross takeoff weight of 1,910 kg, including 373 kg in payload weight. Its mission endurance is 20 hours. A few years ago only a handful of nations in Asia had access to MALE UAS, considered to be strategic systems offered only by the USA and Israel, namely the American Predator and Reaper, and Israeli Heron I, Hermes 450/900 and Dominator XP. The countries that were operating those drones in the region included Australia, Singapore, South Korea and India. The introduction of Chinese drones has changed the picture. In recent years two Chinese MALE platforms have entered the market – Wing Loong 2 and CH4, these robust, and simple to o

The Council of Ministers has approved the rescheduling of the annuities that affect the Special Program for the Modernization of the Armed Forces corresponding to the S-80submarine, so as to adapt the financing to the current payment schedule. With this action, the cost ceiling of the S-80 submarine program is raised to 1.771.703.930,42 euros. Special Programs have particular financing characteristics that imply the realization of continuous adaptations during their development. Currently, the Ministry of Defense has the need to reprogram the calendar of annuities corresponding to the submarine program S-80, which aims at the design and construction of four high-tech, non-nuclear submarines with superior capabilities to others in service. ( EDITOR’S NOTE: The S-80 submarine program, designed by the Spanish Navantia shipyards group, which is also building the four boats, has a particularly troubled history. First, it was discovered that the first boat was too heavy to be able to re

NEW DELHI --- Bit by bit, India is working towards making its national Capital more impregnable against military or 9/11-like terror attacks from aircraft, missiles and drones. The measures underway include getting a new missile shield to replace older air defence systems, reconfiguring the VIP no-fly zone and refining the protocol to shoot down rogue planes. Sources say the defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has approved the "acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the acquisition of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) worth around $1 billion from the US. Simultaneously, as part of the overall Delhi Area Air Defence Plan, work is on to further realign the "VIP-89 area" over New Delhi, which includes Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament, North and South Blocks, as well as shorten the decision-making loop to shoot down planes that may have been hijacked or commandeered for use as "missiles against s

TOKYO --- Japan said on Monday it had picked Lockheed Martin Corp to build a powerful new $1.2 billion radar for two ground-based Aegis ballistic missile defense stations meant to guard against North Korean missile strikes. “By using this new radar, we will increase our ability to cope with missiles on lofted trajectories raising the level of ballistic missile defense,” Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera told reporters. The decision is the latest sign that Japan is forging ahead with plans to reinforce its defenses despite a North Korean pledge to denuclearize. The purchase could also help Tokyo ease trade friction with Washington as its key ally threatens to impose tariffs on Japanese auto imports. The two radars will cost around 130 billion yen ($1.17 billion) each, with maintenance and other operational costs putting the estimated budget at the two sites over 30 years at 466 billion yen, according to a Ministry of Defence news release. Other outlays, including for miss