Iraq's PM said his country's relationship with coalition forces would change as the US military and Iran-backed militias up their airstrikes on each other.
Iraq's government is working on bringing an end to the presence of soldiers from a US-led coalition in the country, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Thursday.
The Iraqi premier's announcement comes amid heightened tensions and an escalation in attacks between the US military and Iran-backed militias, with the latter group insisting that the Iraqi government should set out a clear timetable for the withdrawal of coalition troops.
Speaking in a joint conference with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who visited Iraq on Thursday, al-Sudani said his government was committed to reconfiguring its relationship with the coalition forces, who went to Iraq in 2015 to fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
"With the presence of capable Iraqi forces, the Iraqi government is heading towards ending the presence of the international coalition forces," Sudani said.
Sudani condemned strikes on bases hosting coalition troops in the country, which have increased substantially since US ally Israel launched its brutal war on Gaza in October.
But with the US conducting retaliatory strikes in Iraq on the Iran-backed groups that are attacking the bases, Sudani said foreign forces must stick to their role of training and advising Iraqi security forces.
"Engaging in military operations beyond these limits is viewed as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and is unequivocally rejected."
The US this week conducted three airstrikes in response to an attack that wounded three US soldiers at Harir airbase near Erbil, the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Iraqi government on Tuesday condemned US airstrikes on the headquarters of armed factions within the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) that killed one person and wounded 20 others.
Spain has more than 300 soldiers in Iraq, as part of the international anti-IS coalition and NATO's mission in the country. Sanchez said during the press conference said that he supported Iraq's "sovereignty and stability".
The US has 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 more in neighbouring Syria, on a mission to advise and assist local forces in fighting IS, who in 2014 seized swathes of territory in both countries.
The US-led coalition helped territorially defeat IS in Iraq in 2017 and Syria two years later, but sleeper cells of the extremist group still carry out attacks in both countries.
Iraq's parliament asked the government to set a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign troops based in the country back in March 2018.
All designated targets have been hit as a result of the strikes that were conducted as part of the ongoing Russian special military operation.
The Russian Armed Forces have carried out a spate of missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian military targets, including military-industrial complex facilities, military airfields, arsenals, and weapon depots, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
"Between December 23 and December 29, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation conducted 50 group and one massive strike with high-precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex facilities, military airfield infrastructure, arsenals, as well as storage sites: artillery ammunition, unmanned boats, weapons and fuel for military equipment," the ministry said, adding that all designated targets have been destroyed.
In addition, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, nationalist formations and foreign mercenaries have been hit, according to the ministry.
Similarly, the ministry said ten warplanes and two helicopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were shot down over the past seven days.
"Russian aviation and air defense systems downed ten enemy aircraft and two helicopters in a week. These include one MiG-29 [fighter jet], three Su-27 [fighters], three Su-24 [tactical bombers], three Su-25 [attack aircraft], as well as two Mi-8 helicopters of the Ukrainian Air Force."
The ministry said that Russian forces had also intercepted 33 rockets launched by Ukraine’s HIMARS and Hurricane multiple launch rocket systems, four HARM anti-radar missiles, a JDAM guided bomb, a Neptune anti-ship missile and 251 drones.
Drone Wars: How Russia Can Crack New Ukrainian UAV Tactic
Ukrainian forces have developed a new drone strike strategy, but Russian troops are responding by bolstering their defense and reconnaissance capabilities.
According to DPR military sources working on the Avdeevka Front, a major influx ("in abundance") of FPV attack drones to the UAF in Avdeevka has resulted in new and dangerous tactic being employed by UAF/NATO drone operators against DPR/RF soldiers. The high volume of attack drones delivered to the remaining UAF Special Forces and Western mercenaries in Avdeevka now allow them to launch hunter/killer drones in pairs, a new tactic, which makes them more dangerous and effective.
The drones, and the operators, work in close proximity, which allows real time communication between the operators, and much more effective detection and destruction of identified targets by two attack drones instead of one. If you have plenty of attack drones, the previous tactic of one recon/observation drone working with one attack drone becomes obsolete. Which now appears to be the case.
This "abundance" of attack drones and skilled UKR/NATO pilots has the following results - If one attack drone finds a target, they inform the second drone operator and attack. The first one hits the target, then the second one finishes off the target, usually repeating the trajectory of the first attack, or waiting a few minutes until help arrives for those hit by the first drone, and then targeting them again.
This new tactic is aimed at:
Increasing the probability of detecting, hitting and destroying the target.
Hitting targets behind protective barriers (the first one breaks the barrier, the second one passes through the broken barrier and hits the target.)
Reducing flight time to the target of the second UAV and the chances of taking cover or closing a gap in the defense against the second drone attack.
Attacking soldiers providing assistance, finish off shell-shocked or immobilized soldiers, and target doctors and medics.
However, Russian soldiers in the field are already taking countermeasures of their own, such as additional layers of anti-drone (metal/nylon barriers) protection, moving on foot in a more dispersed column (15 meters apart, instead of 5), enhanced audio recon (listen for the sound of flying mopeds), and the use of thermal imagers (motors and batteries are hot and can be detected against the sky).
The effectiveness of this new Ukrainian tactic can be further reduced by deploying more drone detectors, anti-drone rifles, thermal imagers, and enhanced listening devices to the frontlines. Additionally, if Russia continues increasing the delivery of its own attack drones, then our pilots can employ the same technique against the Ukrainians.
Enemy drone operators and launching sites should be made priority targets by official doctrine.
These new tactics have just recently been employed by the enemy in the Avdeevka combat zone, but there is no doubt they will be employed in other areas along the Front, very soon, if not already. We must respond accordingly, and immediately. Our guys' lives depend on it.
Russian Army aviation crews of Mi-28N helicopters wiped out Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk direction in the special op zone.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage showing Mi-28N helicopter pilots launch unguided missiles and hit Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
The crews successfully struck all the targets and returned to a safe airfield upon completing the combat mission.
In the course of the special military operation, the Russian army aviation has performed missions escorting military convoys, demolishing armored vehicles, delivering troops and military cargo, and providing air support for Russian military units, the MoD added.
Foto: Ledakan di Bangkalan memicu kebakaran hebat. (Tangkapan layar)
Bangkalan – Ledakan terjadi di sebuah bangunan rumah di Desa Banyuaju, Kecamatan Kamal, Kabupaten Bangkalan, Madura, Jawa Timur, Jumat, 29 Desember 2023. Ledakan tersebut menyebabkan kebakaran dan empat rumah di sekitarnya rusak parah.
Ledakan yang menyebabkan kebakaran memicu asap hitam pekat itu terjadi di salah bangunan yang dijadikan bengkel – beberapa sumber lain menyebut tempat barang rongsokan. Sejumlah orang dikabarkan mengalami luka-luka.
Ledakan terjadi di bangunan tersebut itu terjadi sekitar pukul 09.00 WIB, sebanyak dua kali dan terdengar hingga radius sekitar satu kilometer lebih
Titik ledakan bersumber dari tempat penampungan barang rongsokan yang membuat sejumlah rumah warga rusak. Lokasi titik ledakan berjarak sekitar 300 meter dari Pelabuhan Kamal tersebut.
Meski dihantui ketakutan, banyak warga nekat mendekat sumber ledakan untuk mengetahui penyebab kejadian. Selain itu warga juga membantu beberapa orang yang menjadi korban. Keempat korban korban luka dan korban meninggal ini dibawa ke RSUD Syarifah Ambami Rato Ebuh.
Nurul warga setempat mengatakan, atap rumahnya langsung berjatuhan saat ledakan tersebut.
"Bunyinya seperti bom. Saya kaget langsung lari dan lihat ada asap hitam dari sumber ledakan. Ada dua kali ledakan," ujarnya.
Warga dan saksi di sekitar lokasi sempat mengira gudang besar dekat permukiman mereka yang ambruk. Namun saat diperiksa, ternyata bunyi ledakan berasal dari tempat penampungan barang rongsokan.
Sumber di kepolisian mengatakan dugaan sementara penyebab ledakan adalah mortir yang akan digergaji untuk diambil logamnya.
Foto dan video tentang barang menyerupai mortir di beberapa titik sekitar lokasi kejadian ledakan, di Desa Banyuajuh, Kecamatan Kamal, Madura, beredar di media sosial, Jumat (29/12/2023). Titik ledakan diduga dari sebuah tempat penampungan barang rongsokan di permukiman padat penduduk.
Sebuah mortir yang sebelumnya dianggap tidak aktif meledak, menewaskan dua warga dan melukai beberapa orang lainnya.
Warga setempat mengungkapkan bahwa mereka mengira mortir tersebut sudah tidak aktif.
"Dikira sudah tidak aktif, makanya digergaji mau diambil kuningannya, ternyata sih aktif. Satu meledak dan meluncur sampai sebrang jalan, satunya lagi meledak dan meluncur menuju arah pelabuhan timur," ucap seorang warga.
Korban-korban yang terkena dampak tragedi ini antara lain:
Gugus, KMP. Bedak Timur Ds. Banyuajuh, 55 tahun, meninggal dunia di Puskesmas Kamal.
Suryanto, 46 tahun, dari Ds. Banyuajuh, mengalami luka berat dan juga meninggal dunia di Puskesmas Kamal.
Riska, 17 tahun, Perum Cendana Putri Aiptu Joni Polairud, dirujuk ke RS Bangkalan karena mengalami luka berat.
Ika, KMP Baru Ds. Kamal, 35 tahun, mengalami luka ringan dan mendapatkan perawatan di Puskesmas Kamal.
Siti Hamamah, 46 tahun, KMP Baru Ds. Kamal, mengalami luka ringan dan juga mendapatkan perawatan di Puskesmas Kamal.
Selain itu, istri Aiptu Joni Polairud juga dirujuk ke RS Bangkalan karena mengalami luka sesak nafas dan trauma akibat kejadian ini.
"Lalu satu korban lain yakni istri anggota Polairud mengalami sesak nafas dan luka sudah dirujuk ke RSUD Syamrabu Bangkalan," tambahnya.
Tak hanya korban jiwa, juga terdapat kerusakan rumah akibat ledakan tersebut. Setidaknya terdapat 5 rumah rusak berat dan juga sejumlah kaca mobil mengalami pecah.
"Termasuk juga peralatan bengkel hancur dan rusak akibat ledakan tersebut," pungkasnya.
Pihak berwenang sedang melakukan penyelidikan lebih lanjut terkait kejadian tragis ini. Kami akan terus memberikan pembaruan seiring berjalannya penyelidikan. Semoga keluarga korban diberikan kekuatan dalam menghadapi cobaan ini.
Netherlands should prepare for war with Russia, said the Army Chief, this was a statement to parliament, that the Netherlands asked for an increase in its military budget, not for war. Because there is nothing in history to prove that the Dutch won in open war. The Dutch did not have the courage to fight without or with weapons
The Netherlands should urgently get ready to face a security challenge posed by an “increasingly assertive” Russia, the nation’s Land Forces commander, Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen, said on Thursday. Amsterdam should strengthen the military and help the society adapt to the potential hardships of war, he added.
Moscow supposedly has designs on the Baltic States – the former Soviet Republics, which have since joined NATO and the EU – after it is done with Ukraine, the general claimed.
“The Netherlands should not think that [its] safety is guaranteed just because we are 1,500 kilometers away,” Wijnen warned, adding that “Russia is getting stronger.”
Wijnen told De Telegraaf newspaper on Thursday that the Netherlands “must work on [its] operational readiness, ensure that we have enough deterrence to deprive any adversary of the courage to [attack] us.”
He also claimed that “there is only one language that Russia understands,” and that is the one “of robust Armed Forces.”
The general, who has led the Royal Netherlands Army since 2019, also described the Dutch military as “crippled by budget cuts,” according to De Telegraaf. The Netherlands, which abolished conscription back in 1997, is now facing a “glaring personnel shortage,” the paper said.
Wijnen spoke about the need to increase the army's size and warned that it could not afford to take any battle casualties.
“If we start to suffer losses, who will replenish them?” the general asked. “We used to have options for that, but not anymore,” he added, noting that the Dutch would not get a choice on whether to fight or not in case of an “imposed conflict.”
“The Netherlands must learn again that the entire society must be ready when things go wrong,” Wijnen said.
While his words do not mean that everyone would have to “wear a helmet tomorrow,” the Dutch people got “too accustomed to the idea that there is always peace,” the army chief added.
The Dutch military is currently running a campaign called “service year,” which encourages young people to enlist in the army voluntarily for 12 months. According to Wijnen, the idea has supposedly been a huge success, though he admitted that only around 600 people joined the program this year, when “that should be between two and three thousand.”
Wijnen also urged the Dutch society to improve its “resilience,” storing “supplies, food and drinking water” in the basements so it could “take the blow” when the time comes. Dutch companies should also be ready to provide for the needs of the military if the need arises, he added.
Amsterdam has been one of the most ardent supporters of Kiev in its ongoing conflict with Moscow. The Netherlands was one of the few countries to pledge the delivery of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that his government has started preparations for the delivery of the first 18 planes to Kiev.
The US, which is by far Ukraine’s biggest single military aid donor, has long been reluctant to supply Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets. Washington only gave permission for Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16 jets and signaled that it was ready to approve a third-party transfer of the aircraft to Kiev this summer, adding that the training should be completed first.
Moscow has never mentioned any plans to attack any NATO nations. It has only repeatedly warned that continued military supplies by the US and its allies to Kiev make them de facto parties to the conflict and increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led military bloc.
The Russian battlegroup West repelled six Ukrainian attacks near Sinkovka and Ivanovka in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation.
Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past day, according to the bulletin.
Kupyansk area
"In the Kupyansk area, units of the battlegroup West, acting skillfully and supported by artillery fire and air strikes, repelled six attacks by assault groups from the Ukrainian 30th, 43rd and 60th mechanized brigades, 57th motorized infantry brigade, 10th mountain assault brigase and 95th airborne assault brigade in the areas of the settlements of Ivanovka and Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region. The enemy lost up to 55 servicemen, three motor vehicles, and a D-30howitzer," the ministry said.
Krasny Liman area
"In the Krasny Liman area, units of the battlegroup Center, supported by artillery and heavy flamethrower systems, repelled three attacks by assault units of Ukraine’s 24th and 63rd mechanized brigades and a National Guard brigade in the areas of Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Grigorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
The enemy’s losses totaled up to 210 men, one tank, four infantry fighting vehicles and three other vehicles. Counter-battery strikes eliminated self-propelled artillery pieces М109 Paladin and Gvozdika.
Donetsk area
"Units of the battlegroup South, operating in collaboration with artillery, delivered strikes on the Ukrainian army’s 22nd, 28th and 92nd mechanized brigades near the settlements of Kleshcheyevka and Andreyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
The enemy’s loses in that area were up to 230 troops, three tanks, two armored fighting vehicles and five pickup trucks.
In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, two Akatsiya motorized artillery systems, a Msta-B howitzer and three D-20 howitzers.
South Donetsk area
"Active operations by units of the battlegroup East, strikes by ground assault and army aircraft and artillery fire inflicted damage on manpower near the settlement of Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said. "The enemy’s losses were up to 115 personnel and three pickup trucks."
In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed US-made M198 and UK-made FH70 howitzers as well as one Gvozdika motorized artillery system.
Zaporozhye area
"Russian units, supported by artillery and aviation, struck the enemy’s manpower and equipment near Rabotino and Verbovoye in the Zaporozhye Region. The enemy lost up to 80 servicemen, a tank, three armored fighting vehicles and two cars," the ministry said.
Ukrainian forces also lost a Msta-B howitzer, a Gvozdika howitzer and two D-30 howitzers.
Kherson area
"As a result of skillful actions of Russian units and artillery fire, the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces over the past day were up to 60 servicemen and four vehicles, as well as a US-made M109 howitzer, two Msta-B howitzers, a Gvozdika howitzer, and a D-30 howitzer," the ministry said.
Air Force and air defenses
Tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket forces and artillery hit a Ukrainian military fuel depot, as well as enemy personnel and vehicles in 138 areas.
"The Russian Aerospace Force fighter aircraft downed a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 jet near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
"Air defense forces downed two Su-25 fighter jets of the Ukrainian Air Force near the settlements of Novogrigorovka in the Zaporozhye Region and Tokarevka in the Kherson Region. Over the past day, seven HIMARS projectiles were intercepted. In addition, 33 Ukrainian drones were destroyed near the localities of Novodruzhesk, Verkhnekamenka and Zolotorevka in the Lugansk People’s Republic; Aleksandrovka, Verkhnetoretskoye and Staromikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic; and Verbovoye and Pshenichnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.
Tally of destroyed equipment
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed a total of 563 Ukrainian warplanes, 262 helicopters, 10,154 unmanned aerial vehicles, 442 surface-to-air missile systems, 14,355 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,189 multiple launch rocket systems, 7,550 field artillery guns and mortars and 16,785 special military motor vehicles.
Watch Russian Howitzers Demolish Ukrainian Command Post
Russian paratroopers wiped out a Ukrainian command post northwest of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in special op zone.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has released footage showing units belonging to the Airborne Forces from the Yug Battlegroup in active combat, successfully advancing through the area northwest of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).
Russian reconnaissance drones identified the movement of Ukrainian troops close to a dilapidated house in a settlement near Artemovsk (Bakhmut). Based on the intelligence data, Russian soldiers determined that the basement of the building harbored a Ukrainian command and control post.
Russian paratroopers then leveled the building using a high-precision Msta-B howitzer strike.
Watch Russian Lancet Drones Hammer Ukrainian Tank and Artillery
Since the start of special military operation, Russia has been actively using military drones to take out Ukrainian forces with precise surgical strikes. Most famous Russian drone has a name that speaks for itself – Lancet – referring to a knife used in medicine.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense published a footage that shows Russian airborne troops using Lancet kamikaze drones to obliterate Ukrainian tank and self-propelled gun, as well as military vehicle.
According to Ministry’s statement, airborne troops detected Ukrainian units in right bank of Dnepr while scouting the area with reconnaissance UAVs. In order to destroy them, Lancet kamikaze drones were used.
Earlier, numerous Western media outlets reported that Lancet drones became “worst nightmare” for Ukrainian forces.
Russian Air Defenses Destroy Two Ukrainian Drones Above Crimea
Russian air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over Crimea at night, the Russian Defense Ministry stated.
“During the night, attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation were stopped. Air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,” the ministry said.
Earlier, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said one drone had been destroyed by air defenses, adding that no damage to infrastructure had been registered.
