US completes troop withdrawal from Niger
The US military has completed its withdrawal from Niger, a West African country, a US government official confirmed on Monday. A small group of military personnel will remain to provide security for the US Embassy, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.
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| US and Niger flags fly at Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. - Photo: AP |
The withdrawal comes after the Niger government terminated an agreement allowing US troops to operate in the country earlier this year. In September, both sides issued a joint statement saying the US military would complete its withdrawal by mid-month. Last month, the last military bases were handed over to the Niger government, but about two dozen US troops remained on the bases to perform related administrative duties.
Niger’s removal of the US military presence following a coup last year has had serious consequences for Washington, with the US military forced to abandon key bases for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel region, where terrorist groups affiliated with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State are active.
One of the region's most prominent groups, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), has expanded its operations in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, with plans to spread to Benin and Togo. Niger, previously seen as a strategic partner of the West in the fight against terrorism, has now distanced itself from its Western allies in favor of Russia for security assistance. In April, Russian military instructors arrived in Niger to help bolster the country's air defenses.
President Putin orders expansion of Russian army to 1.5 million active troops
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree expanding the size of the Russian military by 1.5 million active-duty troops, bringing the total number of servicemen to nearly 2.4 million. The decree, which took effect on December 1, includes an additional 180,000 soldiers. This is the third time since the war with Ukraine began in 2022 that Putin has ordered a troop increase.
Previously, in August 2022, Mr. Putin ordered an additional 137,000 troops, bringing the total to 1.15 million. In December 2023, Russia continued to increase by 170,000 troops, bringing the total to 1.32 million. This expansion comes in the context of the escalating war with Ukraine, especially after Ukraine entered Russia's Kursk region in early August, capturing miles of territory and capturing hundreds of soldiers.
Russia has responded by vowing to eliminate Ukraine’s presence in the Kursk region, while also issuing a strong warning of a possible escalation of the conflict if the West changes its policy. Recent reports suggest that US President Joe Biden could allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles, which Putin sees as a dangerous escalation by NATO.
"This will change the nature of the conflict," Putin stressed, warning that if NATO and Western countries directly engage in war with Russia, Moscow will make appropriate decisions based on new threats.
US provides moldy body armor and expired ammunition to Taiwan (China)
Moldy body armor and expired ammunition were among the “unusable” military equipment that the US recently transferred to Taiwan, prompting the island’s Ministry of National Defense to review the shipments, which were shipped between November last year and March this year through the US Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), according to the South China Morning Post.
According to the US Office of Inspector General (OIG), the equipment included more than 3,000 body armor plates and 500 tactical vests that were damaged by water and mold. This problem was reported by Taiwan and is under investigation.
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| Damaged pallets and moldy body armor panels shipped by the US to Taiwan. Photo: AIT |
Additionally, some of the 2.7 million rounds of ammunition delivered were of poor quality, manufactured in 1983, and expired, making it difficult to inventory and manage in Taiwan. The OIG also found six M240B machine guns haphazardly thrown in a cardboard box without any protective covering.
The OIG report last week highlighted that the Pentagon mismanaged the delivery of PDAs to Taiwan, resulting in substandard deliveries that not only made a bad impression on the partner, but also increased costs and caused delays in receiving and testing.
While the Pentagon has acknowledged the error, it said it is working to improve its processes to ensure that the equipment supplied to Taiwan is of sufficient quality and usable. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense also confirmed that it is working with the US to resolve the issue.
Ukraine to receive more F16 fighters from Denmark
The Danish government has pledged to deliver a second batch of F-16 fighters to Ukraine by the end of this year, after the first batch was delivered in July. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced on September 15 that Denmark will continue to supply F-16s but did not disclose the specific quantity and timing for security reasons.
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| Danish F-16 fighter jets perform at an air show in the UK in July. Photo: AFP |
Ukraine received its first batch of F-16s in July, after the US gave the green light to European allies to provide 79 aircraft to Kiev, including 19 from Denmark. Ukrainian media reported that it expected to receive 20 fighters this year. The F-16s are seen as a major step in upgrading the capabilities of Ukraine’s air force, which currently operates old Soviet-era aircraft.
However, a Ukrainian F-16 crashed in late August, causing huge losses in both manpower and morale. Russia announced that it would shoot down any F-16 and asserted that this weapon was not powerful enough to change the situation on the battlefield.
Israel aims to return civilians to northern border amid conflict with Hezbollah
Israel has said that the return of civilians to the northern border area with Lebanon is part of its war aims in Gaza, Reuters reported on September 17. Since the conflict in Gaza broke out in October 2023, Hezbollah forces in Lebanon have continuously launched cross-border attacks to show support for Palestine. The clashes have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the area.
The decision was made at an Israeli security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the night of September 16. Israel’s war objectives in Gaza include destroying Hamas’ military capabilities, repatriating all hostages, ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, and returning civilians to the northern border. Tel Aviv considers the conflict with Hezbollah to be part of the war in Gaza, even though the two areas are not geographically adjacent.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on September 16 that the possibility of a ceasefire was fading as Hezbollah continued to support Hamas. Gallant asserted that the only way for northern Israelis to return home was through military means.
Source: https://congthuong.vn/quan-su-the-gioi-ngay-179-my-cung-cap-ao-giap-moc-va-dan-het-han-cho-dai-loan-trung-quoc-346453.html
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