PKK urges Kurdish groups to unite against Iraq militants
Ankara (AFP) Aug 05, 2014 -
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which for years waged a deadly insurgency against Turkish authorities, called on all Kurdish armed groups Tuesday to unite against radical Islamist militants who have seized swathes of northern Iraq.
"Our efforts alone are not enough. There must be a joint (effort)" against the Islamic State (IS), the PKK's military leader Murat Karayilan said in ...
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Lebanon army urges France to speed up weapons delivery
Beirut (AFP) Aug 05, 2014 -
Lebanon's army chief General Jean Kahwaji urged France on Tuesday to speed up the delivery of weapons under a Saudi-financed deal, as his troops battle jihadists on the Syrian border.
"This battle requires equipment, materiel and technology that the army doesn't have," Kahwaji told AFP.
"That's why we need to speed up the delivery of the necessary military aid by finalising the list of w ...
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Army eyes lighter weight combat vehicles
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md. (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
The U.S. Army is looking to reduce the weight of its armored vehicles by 40 percent in years ahead and has reached out to industry and academia for help.
According to the Science and Technology Division at the Army Capabilities Integration Center, the weight equation translates to slower deployment times.
"The problem is the ability to deploy rapidly to turn the tide, to transiti ...
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Iraq air force backs Kurds against jihadists, scores flee
Baghdad (AFP) Aug 04, 2014 -
Baghdad's air force and Kurdish fighters from Syria joined forces with Iraq's embattled peshmerga Monday to push back jihadists whose latest attacks sent thousands of civilians running for their lives.
The Islamic State, or IS, raised its black flag in Sinjar on Sunday after ousting the peshmerga troops of Iraq's Kurdish government, forcing thousands of people from their homes.
The conqu ...
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Australia toughens terror laws on foreign fighter fears
Sydney (AFP) Aug 05, 2014 -
Australia will toughen laws to target home-grown terrorists and those who fight overseas over fears violent jihadist citizens in Syria and Iraq will return home, officials said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the terror threat to Australia had not subsided since the September 11, 2001 attacks and remained at the highest level it had ever been.
Officials have said up to 150 Austr ...
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Northrop completes UAV fuselage for NATO program
Brussels (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
NATO says the fuselage of the first Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aerial vehicle for the alliance has been completed by Northrop Grumman.
The fuselage was completed at a company facility in Mississippi and its being transferred to California, where production of the long-endurance aircraft will be completed.
"The UAVs will be equipped with a state-of-the-art, Multi-Platform Radar ...
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Fourth MUOS Communication Satellite Clears Launch-Simulation Test
Sunnyvale CA (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
The fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite in the launch order is progressing in its final testing phase, having successfully cleared acoustic tests. This evaluation used powerful sound waves to simulate vibrations the satellite will experience during launch. Now the satellite moves on to thermal vacuum testing, which is the last step in its environmental trials.
"MUOS-4 is s ...
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