Sunday Oc 27, 2024 {HMC} Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Moscow will use “a range of responses” if the United States and its NATO allies allow Ukraine to use Western long-range weapons to strike inside Russia, according to remarks published on Sunday.

“[The Russian defense ministry] is thinking about how to respond to the possible long-range strikes on Russian territory, it will offer a range of responses,” Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin in video remarks published on Zarubin’s Telegram messaging account.

Meanwhile, Russia’s air defense destroyed or intercepted 51 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defense ministry said early Sunday.

Eighteen of the drones were intercepted over the Tambov region, about 450 kilometers southeast of Moscow, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. Another 16 were destroyed over the Belgorod border region and the rest over the Voronezh, Oryol and Kursk regions in Russia’s south.

One woman was injured as a result of the drone attack on Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram. He added that a few cars were also damaged.

The Russian defense ministry reports only how many drones its units destroy, not how many Ukraine launches. Russian officials also rarely disclose the full scale of damage inflicted by the attacks, especially when they involve military or energy infrastructure.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Russian forces have advanced further into several eastern Ukrainian towns, bringing them closer to capturing the strategic city of Pokrovsk, Russian and Ukrainian bloggers reported late Saturday.

“The enemy advanced in Selydove,” DeepState, a group with close links to the Ukrainian army that analyzes combat footage, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. It posted a map indicating Russian troops in the town’s southeast.

Source Voa News

Sunday Oc 27, 2024 {HMC} Israeli strikes on northern Gaza have killed at least 22 people, mostly women and children, Palestinian officials said Sunday, as the offensive in the hard-hit and isolated north entered a third week and aid groups described a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service said that 11 women and two children were among those killed in the strikes late Saturday on several homes and buildings in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. It said another 15 people were wounded and that the death toll could rise. It listed the names of those killed, who mostly came from three families.

The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike on militants in a structure in Beit Lahiya and took steps to avoid harming civilians. It disputed what it said were “numbers published by the media,” without elaborating or providing evidence for its own account.

Israel is still carrying out daily strikes across Gaza, even as it wages an air and ground war with the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. An Israeli airstrike on a southern neighborhood of Beirut sent flames and smoke climbing into the air early Sunday.

On Saturday, Israeli warplanes attacked military targets in Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah — both U.S.-designated terror groups — in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack earlier this month.

The cascading conflicts have raised fears of an all-out regional war pitting Israel and the United States against Iran and its militant proxies, which also include the Houthi rebels in Yemen and armed groups in Syria and Iraq.

‘Horrific circumstances’

Israel has been waging a massive air and ground offensive in northern Gaza since October 6, saying that Hamas militants had regrouped there. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled to Gaza City in the latest wave of displacement in the yearlong war.

Israel says its strikes on Gaza only target militants, and it blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militants fight in densely populated areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

Aid groups have warned of a catastrophic situation in northern Gaza, which was the first target of Israel’s ground offensive and had already suffered the heaviest destruction of the war. Israel has severely limited the entry of basic humanitarian aid in recent weeks, and the three remaining hospitals in the north — one of which was raided over the weekend — say they have been overwhelmed by waves of wounded people.

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Sunday Oc 27, 2024 {HMC}The Somali government condemned Israel’s overnight attacks on Iran, describing the action as a breach of sovereignty and a violation of international laws and customs.

In a statement released Saturday, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its opposition to further escalation in the Middle East, warning that widening the conflict threatens regional security and stability.

“Somalia renews its demand to the international community and the Security Council to bear their responsibilities in halting practices that threaten the region’s future,” the statement read. “It also stresses the need for serious measures to secure regional stability and peace in line with international laws and treaties.”

The Israeli military launched strikes on military bases in Iran, hitting about 20 sites over several hours in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran. The Iranian army confirmed four soldiers were killed after it said the attacks on Saturday targeted military bases but resulted in only “limited damage”.

Iranian military officials had previously warned that any attack from Israel would provoke a “harsher response,” raising concerns over further tensions in the region.

Source Hiiraan Online

Sunday Oc 27, 2024 {HMC} Somali Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Abdirisaaq Omar Mohamed accused Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni of obstructing oil exploration activities in Puntland.

Speaking to the media in Mogadishu on Saturday, Minister Mohamed stated that President Deni attempted to bring in a company he personally chose to conduct oil exploration, which the federal government ultimately rejected.

“President Deni seeks to politicize the government’s efforts toward oil production and development,” stated Mohamed, adding that Deni referenced an image of a map that was unintentionally displayed at the Mogadishu event to cast a negative light on the government’s goals for financial independence through oil production.

The controversy intensified following the recent arrival of Turkey’s research vessel, the Oruc Reis, in Somali waters to conduct seismic surveys for oil and natural gas. A map displayed at the welcoming ceremony in Mogadishu showed disputed boundaries, sparking backlash from Puntland and Hirshabelle States and igniting public criticism on social media.

In response to the outrage, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources apologized, clarifying that the incorrect map was displayed by mistake.

“We apologize for the technical error that occurred, including the map presented at the ship’s reception,” the ministry stated, explaining that the company responsible for the event design unintentionally used a map sourced from the internet.

The Oruc Reis will conduct three-dimensional seismic surveys in three licensed areas off Somalia’s coast, each covering approximately 5,000 square kilometers (1,931 square miles). The seven-month mission aims to gather seismic data for oil and gas exploration, which will later be analyzed in Ankara to determine potential drilling sites.

Earlier this year, Somalia and Turkey signed agreements that granted Turkish Petroleum licenses to explore three offshore areas. These surveys mark a significant step in Somalia’s efforts to tap into its energy resources, hoping to advance economic development and financial self-reliance.

Source Hiiraan Online

Sunday Oc 27, 2024 {HMC} Turkey’s foreign minister will travel to Djibouti next week to attend a Turkey-Africa ministerial meeting and discuss improving cooperation between Ankara and the continent, officials from his ministry said.

NATO member Turkey has ramped up its presence and influence in Africa in recent years, increasing trade nearly eight-fold, giving diplomatic and military support to some countries, and inking deals in various fields.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Djibouti meeting would evaluate a previous conference held in 2021 and discuss possible moves to deepen cooperation.
The meeting will be held on Nov. 2-3 and will be attended by representatives from 14 African countries, along with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the officials added.

It comes amid Turkish mediation efforts to resolve a dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over a deal that Ethiopia agreed to lease a stretch of coastline from Somaliland, and at a time when West Africa struggles with surging terrorism.

The officials said the mediation was difficult due to the lack of trust between the parties, but that Ankara hoped for good news in coming days.

On Tuesday, Turkey inked a cooperation agreement with Niger on mining, after having signed a similar cooperation deal with the West African nation on oil and gas in July.

Asked about the accord, the officials said Turkey’s Mineral Research and Exploration authority had three gold mining fields in Niger, protected by Niger security forces, and planned to start production there by the end of the year.

Turkey is competing with major powers like France, Russia and China for a foothold in Africa, forging partnerships with several nations and providing armed drones to Somalia, Ethiopia and others.

The officials said Turkey’s provision of defence equipment and military training aimed to strengthen “national capabilities” and support counterterrorism.

“Countries that have acquired Turkish drones have increased their ground control in their countries,” said an official, citing Burkina Faso’s doubling the level of its control over the state to 65% using Turkish drones.

On Tuesday, Tuareg rebels in Mali said a drone strike using a Turkish drone had killed eight people and wounded 20 others.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Lisa Shumaker

Source Hiiraan Online

Sunday 27, Oct, 2024 {HMC} The National Dialogue Commission on Sunday gathered agenda in the Somali region of Ethiopia, according to a report by BBC Amharic.

Government structure, constitutional amendment, flag. Official language and interpretation of Ethiopia’s history are among issues that were raised during the session. Agenda items related to boundary disputes were also raised.

In a session organized at the Jijiga University hall, representatives from political parties, regional government, influential figures, associations and other stakeholders were present. As many as 1200 representatives have attended the session.

The agenda that was proposed by most participants, as reported by BBC Amharic, was “authentic federalism.”

Government and configuration of the federal regions were dominant agenda items, based on the news report from BBC Amharic.

There were views that criticized practices (including “intervention”) in the implementation of federalism. Many of the participants seem to hold the view that the Federalism practice in the past was “problematic.”

BBC Amharic report also highlighted that there were some groups who proposed a confederation form of government to be part of the agenda item for the national dialogue. About 25 percent of the participants entertained the “confederation” idea.

There was also a view that seems to be accusatory that there is “interest among some groups to return to unitary form of government.”

The tendency among many of the participants is one that defends ethnic Federalism. There has been extensive criticism for several decades now that ethic based governance structure glossed over citizenship rights, rightly, to the extent that Ethiopians essentially alienated if they happen to be in an ethnic regional state that is presumed to be not their ethnic region.

On the issue of constitutional amendment, there were views that advocated for the sanctity of article 39 which grants the right to secede from Ethiopia. This constitutional provision has been the most controversial article.

For the majority of Ethiopians ethnic politics and the right to secede are dangerous combinations and a national security risk that invited external actors to meddle in the affairs of Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, there were reports this week that the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) withdrew itself from the National Dialogue process citing issues of “neutrality.”

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