The soldiers were part of a southern African peacekeeping mission sent to help government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo fight M23 rebels. Mortar fire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed three Tanzanian soldiers who were part of a Southern African peacekeeping mission sent to help government forces fight M23 rebels, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said on Monday. "This unfortunate incident happened after a hostile mortar round had fallen near the camp they were staying at," the 16-member bloc said in a statement. Three other Tanzanian soldiers were wounded, it added. The statement added that another South African soldier on the SADC mission had died while receiving treatment for unspecified health problems at a hospital in the provincial capital, Goma. It was not clear if that death was related to the mortar round. The force includes soldiers from regional military heavyweights South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi.  The SADC mission suffered its first losses in mid-February, when two South African soldiers were killed and three wounded by a mortar bomb. What is the SADC mission doing in DRC? After several years of dormancy, the predominantly Tutsi M23 (March 23 Movement) group took up arms again in late 2021. It has seized large swaths of DR Congo's North Kivu province, which has been wracked by violence in the decades since regional wars in the 1990s. The Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations and Western countries accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebels in a bid to control the region's vast mineral wealth, a charge Rwanda denies. The regional bloc SADC sent soldiers to North Kivu province in December to help the government tackle instability and armed groups in the restive eastern region. The SADC mission was to take over from an East African peacekeeping force, whose mandate was ended by the DRC, which accused it of colluding with the rebels instead of fighting them. Meanwhile, the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) is also winding down. The 15,000 UN troops began leaving in February at the request of the DRC government, which considers them ineffective.  

A vehicle containing explosives rammed into the military post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. At least seven soldiers have been killed in Pakistan after militants attacked a military post in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. "The terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks, which led to [the] collapse of [a] portion of a building," the statement said. Five soldiers were killed in the initial blast and another two in the ensuing gun battle. The military said six attackers, some wearing bomb vests, were also killed in the firefight. A newly formed militant group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and paid tribute to the troops who were "martyred." Attacks by militant groups in its border regions with Afghanistan have been on the rise, ever since the Islamist militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) withdrew from a cease-fire in 2022. Islamabad many of the attacks were launched from Afghanistan. The Taliban in Afghanistan has repeatedly denied this.

Their original mission ended years ago, but US soldiers are still stationed in Syria and Iraq. As regional tensions mount, some are questioning ongoing US military presence in the Middle East. On Sunday, a one-way attack drone killed three US soldiers and injured some 30 others near the border between Syria and Jordan. US President Joe Biden has said his country will respond. According to the Pentagon, over the past four months, Iranian-backed militants have mounted over 150 attacks on bases occupied by US forces in Iraq and Syria. This has given rise to serious concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning of "further spillover" of the war in Gaza into the wider region. At the same time, the Gaza conflict is also forcing all parties — the Middle Eastern nations that host US bases and the US itself — to evaluate their security partnerships.   Syria: Competing international interests Sunday's attack took place near the al-Tanf base in Syria close to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. "Since 2016, [al-Tanf] has served as a launching point for counter-IS operations and training for Syrian opposition factions fighting the jihadist group," the political think tank International Crisis Group stated in a report on the area last week.  About 900 US troops are in Syria, ostensibly as part of the international coalition fighting the extremist group known as the "Islamic State," or IS. The IS group took control of large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014 but was considered to be largely defeated by 2019. More recently, observers have said there have been hardly any operations against the IS group. But the border area in this part of northern Syria is a puzzle of competing domestic and international interests, including those of Turkey, Russia, Iran and the US, alongside various Syrian and Syrian-Kurdish actors.   This is why US troops are still there. Al-Tanf is also used to "disrupt the activities of Iranian proxies in Syria … it also serves as leverage in the long-running negotiations over the country's future," analysts at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argued recently.  American soldiers also support what they call partner organizations in the area, including the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Syrian-Kurdish group that controls large parts of northeastern Syria.   Jordan: Tricky balancing act The suicide drone attack this weekend hit what is known as Tower 22, a logistics support base around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away from the al-Tanf base, crewed by around 350 US troops who are also supposedly there to combat the IS group. Tower 22 is actually in Jordan, although the Jordanian government appears to have tried to downplay this fact in news reports.   Jordan's royal family has been critical of the way the Israeli military offensive in Gaza is being conducted, and  Jordanian citizens have voiced opposition to Israel's role in the Palestinian conflict. The country's government and royal family must balance this with long-term cooperation and contact with the US and Israel. There are currently around 3,000 US troops in Jordan at the invitation of the Jordanian government. In particular, the US military has helped to fund and set up Jordan's border security. The US military regularly makes use of Jordanian air bases. But for example, the Jordanians have denied that US weapons for Israel are being transported over their borders.   Iraq: Against IS group? During and after the US invasion of Iraq that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, US troop numbers peaked at about 150,000. But over the last two decades that number has been reduced to around 2,500. These troops are also there as part of the international coalition fighting the extremist IS group. "If we're really honest, the debate [about US presence] has moved on from the anti-IS mission," Sajad Jiyad, a fellow at the Century Foundation, recently told DW. "Iraqis probably have enough capabilities to stop [the IS group] from relaunching a large insurgency." But there are other benefits to their presence, Jiyad noted, like training, reconnaissance, aerial support and intelligence sharing. In Iraq too, the US sees itself as a counterweight to growing Iranian influence in the country.   But this is also why attacks against US troops have been happening in Iraq for years: Iran-backed militias, who now also play a significant political role, are opposed to the US presence and have found many reasons to attack American bases there with rockets and drones. The Gaza conflict offers them more excuses. In the around two years starting in January 2021, there were about 60 attacks on US troops. Since mid-October in 2023, there have been closer to 160 in just four months. Iraq has recently initiated talks about whether remaining US soldiers, who are there at the invitation of the government to fight the IS group, will be asked to leave permanently.   Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait: Ally of small Gulf states By far, the largest US troop deployments are in smaller Gulf states. Altogether Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain host more than 30,000 American military personnel. All three countries are designated "major non-NATO allies." As the result of a military partnership that has grown since the late 1980s, Kuwait now has the fourth-largest US troop presence in the world. Even though Kuwait is small, "the country is strategically significant because of its key geographical location in the northeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula and astride the Europe-Asia air corridor," the Washington-based Middle East Institute explained in a 2022 report.   Kuwait itself is often neutral in regional disputes and depends on the US presence for its own defense. Unlike many other US allies in the region, it doesn't charge the Americans for use of its land. In Qatar, the al-Udeid Air Base hosts around 10,000 US personnel. It was the headquarters for US operations in Afghanistan and then the country's 2021 withdrawal from the country. Qatar and the US have had a military relationship since the early 1990s, and in early January extended their agreement on the air base for another 10 years. Observers have suggested the deal was not announced with any great fanfare because of sensitivities around the Gaza conflict.   Finally, the Americans' largest naval base in the Middle East is located in Bahrain, home to the US' 5th Fleet and over 9,000 military personnel. Bahrain was the first nation in the Middle East to host a major US military base and "strategically, Bahrain is the central node of the international maritime presence securing the world's most important choke points," Atlantic Council analysts explained in late 2023, after Bahrain signed a new strategic cooperation agreement with the US.

The case has put a spotlight on the problem of sexual violence and harassment within the Japanese military. A court in Japan on Tuesday found three former soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague and gave them suspended jail terms. The case of 24-year-old Rina Gonoi relates to a 2021 incident during her time in the army. After joining the Japanese Self Defense Forces in 2020, she said she experienced daily harassment. "When walking down the hallway, someone slaps you on your hip, or holds you from behind," she told AFP. "I was kissed on the cheek, and my breasts were grabbed." And then in 2021, during a drill, she said three of her colleagues pinned her to the ground, forced her legs apart and pressed their crotches against her in simulation of a sex act. She said other colleagues present at the time watched and laughed. Even though she complained to her superiors at the time, no action was taken, prompting Gonoi to leave the military. In 2022, Gonoi took to YouTube to share her account. After she went public, Japan's Defense Ministry issued a public apology to her and announced that five men connected to the incident had been dismissed and four others punished. Attracting recognition as well as vitriol Gonoi's decision to go public also grabbed public attention and put a spotlight on the issue of sexual assault and harassment in a society where women rarely hold positions in the upper echelons of politics, business and military. It also inspired others to file complaints about sexual harassment and bullying. In the military, for instance, over 1,400 women and men have submitted their allegations following a special inspection by the Defense Ministry. This June, Japan passed legislation redefining rape, including removing the requirement that victims prove they had sought to resist their attacker. Gonoi's battle has even attracted international recognition: Time Magazine named her on its list of 100 emerging world leaders while the British Broadcasting Corp included her among its 100 most influential women globally. But she has also been a target of online vitriol. "I have gotten many derogatory comments. But I know the world values what I'm doing," she told Reuters. Separately, Gonoi has lodged a civil case against her former peers and the government, seeking damages for the alleged assault and the subsequent inaction despite her complaints.

Mohammad Amir Rashid, president of Dara Shikoh Foundation wrote a letter to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over Pakistan damaging walls of cultural Heritage site 'Sharda Peeth' located in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The President of Dara Shikoh Shikoh Foundation has written to the Director General of UNESCO demanding action against the Government of Pakistan for deliberately damaging some walls of Sharda Peeth for the expansion of a coffee house for Pakistani soldiers inside Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Mohammad Amir Rashid said "We have written a letter to the Director General of UNESCO, who has recently given the place of Vice President to Pakistan and the site was Sharda Peeth, which was declared a cultural heritage, yet the Pakistani government there has deliberately damaged some walls of Sharda Peeth for the expansion of a coffee house being built for Pakistani soldiers inside POK. while there is also a court order that it has to preserve the cultural heritage, despite that, the Pakistani army deliberately hurt the sentiments of the Indian people and especially the beliefs of the Hindu people across the country on the anniversary of 26/11." The president of Dara Shikoh Foundation also mentioned another temple in his letter to the UNESCO which has been systematically damaged. "This incident has been specifically carried out so that their radical thinking gets promoted somewhere and under the guise of a coffee house, they are damaging the Sharda Peeth despite the strict instructions of the Supreme Court. There is also Hinglaj temple there and within three-four weeks the temples have been systematically damaged," Mohammad Amir Rashid added. He further demanded that the UNESCO should take action in the matter and must take rehabilitation and conservation work in it's hand. "We have demanded in the letter that the UNESCO Director General should call the local representative and since UNESCO itself has declared it as cultural heritage, then rehabilitation and revival of Sharda Peeth should be done to conserve it," he added. Sharada Peeth is a ruined Hindu temple and ancient centre of learning located in the Neelum Valley of PoK. It is situated in the valley of Mount Harmukh, believed by Kashmiri Pandits to be the abode of Shiva. The reconstruction of Maa Sharda's temple in Kupwara is a necessary and important step in the direction of the discovery of Sharda civilisation and the promotion of Sharda-script. As one of the Maha Shakti Peethas, Hindus believe that it represents the spiritual location of the Goddess Sati's fallen right hand. Sharada Peeth is one of the three holiest sites of pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits, alongside the Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath Temple.   Source: ANI

Two persons were killed and 10 others, including three Pakistan army soldiers, were injured in a suicide attack on a convoy of security forces in the Baka Khel area of Bannu district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-based Dawn reported citing the military's media affairs wing. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that a "motorcycle-borne suicide bomber" detonated himself at a security forces convoy on Sunday. According to ISPR, the bomber was affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and "later identified as an Afghan national". According to ISPR, two civilians were killed while seven civilians and three soldiers were wounded in the attack. The ISPR said that a sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, according to Dawn report. The ISPR said that eight terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Sararogha area of Pakistan's South Waziristan, Dawn reported. Two soldiers were killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on a security forces convoy in the Razmak area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district. Notably, Pakistan has witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks in recent months, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan after the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the Pakistan government in 2022. In a report released in October, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said that 386 security personnel lost their lives in the first nine months of 2023, reaching an eight-year high, Geo News reported. In the third quarter of 2023, some 445 people were killed and 440 others were injured from 190 terror attacks and counter-terror operations, Geo News reported. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remained the prime centres for violence, reporting nearly 94 per cent of all fatalities and 89 per cent of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations recorded during this time. Source: ANI 

A powerful flash flood in India has led to the disappearance of 23 soldiers, following a cloudburst in the northeastern state of Sikkim, the Indian army said on Wednesday. "Due to sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, a flash flood occurred in the Teesta River... 23 personnel have been reported missing and some vehicles are reported submerged under the slush," the army said in a statement, adding that search operations were underway. Lhonak Lake lies at the base of a glacier in the snowy mountains that surround Kangchenjunga — the world's third highest mountain. "Some army establishments along the valley have been affected and efforts are on to confirm details," news agency ANI quoted a defense spokesperson as saying. India's weather department warned of landslides and disruption to flights amid predictions of heavy showers in some parts of Sikkim. The main highway linking Sikkim to West Bengal state was snapped and road access to Sikkim capital Gangtok was entirely cut off, according to army spokesperson Anjan Basumatary. Sikkim chief official urges people to limit travel  The head of Sikkim state, Prem Singh Tamang, urged calm and said he visited some of the affected areas in the state.  "I humbly urge all our citizens to remain vigilant and refrain from unnecessary travel during this critical time," he said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.  Rainfall in coming days India Meteorological Department warned of landslides and disruption to flights amid predictions of rainfall in some parts of Sikkim in the coming days. The department said that a low-pressure area moving eastward across several states was responsible for the cloudburst in Sikkim. The cloudburst over the lake caused the flooding in the Lachen valley, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Gangtok, Sikkim's capital. The main highway linking Sikkim to West Bengal state was snapped and road access to Sikkim capital, Gangtok, was entirely cut off, according to army spokesperson Anjan Basumatary. Besides Sikkim, several other states like Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal were also likely to see rainfall over the next few days.

NATO on Sunday announced that it would be deploying some 600 additional troops to Kosovo to assist KFOR troops in the region after a recent deadly attack on a Kosovar police station amid rumors of a Serbian troop build-up. "The UK is deploying around 200 soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment to join a 400-strong UK contingent already exercising in Kosovo, and further reinforcements will follow from other Allies," announced NATO Spokesman Dylan White. "The decision follows the violent attack on Kosovo Police on 24 September, and increased tensions in the region," White added. He did not, however, refer to Washington's Friday statement warning of a Serbian military build-up on Kosovo's border. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday denied any such build-up of his country's troops, citing instead a "campaign of lies." The move comes in the wake of an attack in the former Serbian region that killed four people, including one Kosovar police officer and three heavily-armed Serbian militants. The attack was the most serious escalation in the region in recent years and has sparked concern of a new chapter to an ongoing conflict. NATO has called for calm and said that dialogue is "the only way to achieve lasting peace." Serbia refuses to acknowledge the independence of Albanian-majority Kosovo, which Kosovo declared in 2008.  Kosovo seeks NATO assistance as ethnic tensions rise

NATO on Sunday announced that it would be deploying some 600 additional troops to Kosovo to assist KFOR troops in the region after a recent deadly attack on a Kosovar police station amid rumors of a Serbian troop build-up. "The UK is deploying around 200 soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment to join a 400-strong UK contingent already exercising in Kosovo, and further reinforcements will follow from other Allies," announced NATO Spokesman Dylan White. "The decision follows the violent attack on Kosovo Police on 24 September, and increased tensions in the region," White added. He did not, however, refer to Washington's Friday statement warning of a Serbian military build-up on Kosovo's border. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday denied any such build-up of his country's troops, citing instead a "campaign of lies." The move comes in the wake of an attack in the former Serbian region that killed four people, including one Kosovar police officer and three heavily-armed Serbian militants. The attack was the most serious escalation in the region in recent years and has sparked concern of a new chapter to an ongoing conflict. NATO has called for calm and said that dialogue is "the only way to achieve lasting peace." Serbia refuses to acknowledge the independence of Albanian-majority Kosovo, which Kosovo declared in 2008.  Kosovo seeks NATO assistance as ethnic tensions rise

Soldiers of Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces are participating in the ongoing Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2023 in Mongolia.  Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) informed about the troops participation in the exercise in a tweet.  Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army)  tweeted, "Exercise #NomadicElephant 2023 Achieving Synergy & Interoperability. Troops of both the Nations in action during the Joint Exercise at #Mongolia." On July 16, Indian Army contingent comprising of 43 personnel reached Ulaanbaater  by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft. The exercise, which began on July 17, is being conducted at Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar. The exercise Nomadic Elephant-23 is due to end on July 31.  The exercise is an annual training event with Mongolia which is conducted alternatively in Mongolia and India. The last edition of Nomadic Elephant-23 was held at Special Forces Training School, Bakloh in October 2019. The scope of this exercise involves platoon level field training exercise (FTX).  Ministry of Defence in the press release said, "The aim of this exercise is to build positive military relations, exchange best practices, develop inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies.  The primary theme of the exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain under United Nations mandate." During the exercise, Indian and Mongolian troops will engage in various training activities designed to enhance their skills and capabilities. These activities include endurance training, reflex firing, room intervention, small team tactics and rock craft training. Soldiers from India and Mongolia will learn from each other’s operational experience.  According to press release, India and Mongolia have a shared commitment to regional security and cooperation. The exercise will be yet another significant milestone in the defence cooperation between the Indian Army and Mongolian Army which will further foster bilateral ties between the two nations.