Eurasia

Libya reopens Benghazi port after 3 years

Benghazi port in east Libya reopened Sunday for the first time in three years after being forced to cease operations because of clashes in the cradle of the 2011 revolution. Commercial operations at the port had ended in 2014 when armed movements, including the Islamic State group, occupied the North …

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UN says Libya rivals made progress in Tunis talks

UN says Libya rivals made progress in Tunis talksRepresentatives of Libya’s rival authorities have made progress on amending a deal on a political transition for the North African country, the special UN envoy said on Sunday. The UN envoy Ghassan Salame opened new talks in Tunisia between the rival Libyan …

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US, NATO pledge support for Afghanistan in fight against terror

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States have said they will not abandon Afghanistan. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Defense Secretary James Mattis at the news conference after holding closed door meeting, and reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to Afghanistan, saying …

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India, Afghanistan review bilateral relations

India and Afghanistan reviewed their bilateral relationship during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday. “Strengthening strategic partnership with a close neighbour,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

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14th India-EU summit to be held on October 6

India and the European Union will hold their 14th summit talks on October 6 during which both sides are expected to discuss a host of key issues including ways to remove hurdles for the long pending free trade agreement. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MAE) said the president of …

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Iraq starts 2nd phase of anti-Daesh operations in Kirkuk

Iraqi forces on Friday recaptured four villages and cut a supply route used by Daesh terrorists in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk, according to an Iraqi military source. “Federal Police units and the Hashd al-Shaabi [a unit of the Iraqi army] have liberated the villages of Al-Awasi, Hamad al-Suwaid, Al-Amoudiya …

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US opens new military base in Iraq’s Nineveh province

The U.S. has built a new military base in the Makhmour district of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, according to a high-ranking Peshmerga officer. “U.S. forces are transferring supplies from the Qayara Base [near Mosul] to the new base to support forces now fighting to retake Kirkuk’s Hawija district from Daesh,” …

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UN seeks more peacekeepers for CAR

The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic (CAR) is requesting about 750 more troops to help fill a “security vacuum” worsened by the withdrawal of US special forces as violence surges again, according to a confidential cable obtained by The Associated Press. The additional troops are needed …

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Somali: army base attacked by Shabaab jihadists

Shabaab jihadists attacked a Somali army base early Friday in the southern town of Barire, killing at least eight soldiers and stealing equipment, officials and witnesses said. The assault on the Somali National Army military camp in Barire, around 40km west of the capital Mogadishu, began with two suicide attackers …

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Libya strongman asks Europe for helicopters to fight migration

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar asked Europe for helicopters and drones to fight rampant migration on the southern border of the war-wracked country. The request came after the commander, who backs a Tobruk-based administration that controls much of the east and south of Libya, travelled to Rome and Paris to …

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