live U.S. clears way for $2.7 billion sale of air-defence development upgrades to Ukraine
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgr...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, was killed in an operation conducted by U.S. and Nigerian forces.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” Trump said on Truth Social.
He identified Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS globally, saying he was targeted in Africa after intelligence tracking his movements.
Trump did not disclose the exact location of the operation in his post.
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the former Biden administration in 2023, according to the U.S. Federal Register.
Trump thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the operation. Nigeria, however, has consistently denied allegations of religious discrimination, saying its forces target armed groups attacking both Christians and Muslims.
The U.S. had earlier carried out strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria in December. Since then, Washington has deployed drones and around 200 troops for training and intelligence support to Nigerian forces.
U.S. officials say the deployment remains in a non-combat role, focused on supporting local counterterrorism operations against ISIS- and al Qaeda-linked groups spreading across West Africa.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Russian air strikes injured 13 and damaged buildings in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and in the Black Sea port city of Odesa in the early hours of Thursday, officials said on the Telegram messaging app.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped the war against Iran was nearing its end and that Tehran wanted to reach a deal, but Iran dismissed his comments as “mixed signals” as the conflict approaches its seventh month.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Cuba's electrical grid suffered a total collapse on Friday, plunging the nation into darkness and leaving millions without power amid a U.S. pressure campaign that has largely blocked oil from reaching the Caribbean's largest island.
A China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine boat on a refueling mission in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said, in the latest confrontation between the two countries in disputed waters.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland on Friday that would significantly expand Washington’s military presence on the Arctic island and give the United States what he described as permanent authority over its security.
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