Iraq strikes kill IS chief's aide: general
Kirkuk, Iraq (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
Air strikes in northern Iraq on Thursday killed the top aide of jihadist Islamic State (IS) chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the country's ranking army officer said.
"Iraqi warplanes carried out a security operation today, resulting in the killing of... Abu Hajr al-Suri," General Babaker Zebari told AFP.
Zebari said the strikes in Nineveh province were "based on accurate intelligence informat ...
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China makes rare admission of naval near-miss
Beijing (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
China has honoured a submarine captain for averting an underwater "emergency" after his crew reportedly saved the vessel from sinking into waters thousands of metres deep, in a rare disclosure of a near-disaster.
Beijing has been increasing its naval might and reach in recent years, and it is an unusual admission for China's military, which President Xi Jinping regularly urges to strengthen ...
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France 'still building' controversial warship
Paris (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
France may have frozen the delivery of the controversial "Mistral-class" helicopter gunship to Russia, but its construction is still ongoing, a well-informed source said on Thursday.
President Francois Hollande announced on Wednesday that the time was not right to deliver the high-end warship to Russia given the situation in Ukraine.
But a source close to the issue said that Hollande's o ...
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Time pressing on Afghan troop accords: NATO head
Newport, United Kingdom (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
Time is pressing for Afghanistan, without a new president since June elections, to sign accords allowing NATO to carry out its post-2014 military training mission, alliance head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday.
"Time is of the essence," Rasmussen said as he arrived for a two-day NATO summit in Newport, Wales.
"We need to know very soon whether (the accords) will be signed," he said, ...
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NATO leaders accuse Russia, aid Ukraine
Newport, United Kingdom (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
NATO leaders on Thursday accused Russia of failing to take "a single step towards peace" in Ukraine even as President Petro Poroshenko voiced "careful optimism" about forging a ceasefire with pro-Moscow rebels.
The leaders gathered at a summit of the Western military alliance in Newport, Wales agreed to set up new funds to help Ukraine's military effort and treat wounded soldiers in a five-m ...
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World powers, Iran to meet in New York on September 18: EU
Brussels (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
Six world powers and Iran will hold new talks in New York on September 18, EU officials said Thursday, as efforts intensify toward clinching a nuclear deal ahead of a November deadline.
The talks involving the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany and led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton "will continue in New York as of September 18", Ashton spokesman Michael M ...
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US, S. Korea set up wartime unit to destroy North's nukes: report
Seoul (AFP) Sept 04, 2014 -
South Korea said Thursday it would create a joint military unit with the United States, as a report suggested the contingent would target North Korea's weapons of mass destruction if a full-scale conflict broke out.
The mechanised unit led by a US major general will be set up in the first half of next year, the South's defence ministry said, as part of elaborate preparations for any future w ...
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