DefenceTalkA fresh gunbattle erupted Sunday at the Indian air force base attacked by suspected Islamic militants a day earlier with the loss of 11 lives, police said. Officers said they believe up to two gunmen were still hiding inside the base. Seven soldiers including a senior officer and four attackers have so far been confirmed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/fresh-gunfire-at-indian-air-force-base-in-punjab-police-66231/

DefenceTalkPakistan military courts have sentenced nine men to death for terrorism-related offenses or attacks on minority Shiites, the army said Friday. Pakistan has hanged more than 300 people since lifting a moratorium on the death penalty in December 2014, many of them convicted in closed military courts which critics say fail to meet fair trial […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-army-courts-sentence-nine-militants-to-death-66228/

DefenceTalkQUETTA: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif said on Friday the nation would get rid of terrorism this year. He was addressing tribal elders of Gwadar, Talar and Turbat areas of Makran division. “The new year will be the year when terrorism will end,” he said. Gen Sharif, however, stressed the need for the entire nation […]https://www.defencetalk.com/terrorists-to-be-vanquished-this-year-says-pakistans-general-sharif-66193/

DefenceTalkA ceasefire in Yemen that has been frequently violated was due to be extended Monday night, as fighting persisted in the north and rebels vowed more missile attacks on Saudi targets. The truce was set to be renewed for one week, a day after the Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed rebels wrapped up peace talks in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/yemen-truce-fragile-as-rebels-threaten-saudi-arabia-66177/

DefenceTalkDamascus: The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, captured a rebel stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo on Sunday, driving out the Islamists, a monitoring group said. State news agency SANA also said that army units and other pro-regime forces had seized control of Khan Tuman and neighbouring farms. Khan Tuman was the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/syrian-army-makes-strategic-gain-in-north-66152/

DefenceTalkMoscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin fired off an angry tirade against Turkey on Thursday, ruling out any reconciliation with its leaders and accusing Ankara of shooting down a Russian warplane to impress the United States. In comments littered with crude language, Putin dismissed the possibility that the downing of the warplane over the Turkey-Syria border […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-rules-out-reconciliation-with-turkey-66131/

DefenceTalkWashington: A group of US special operations troops who had traveled to Libya to “foster relationships” was kicked out of the conflict-torn country soon after they arrived, the Pentagon said Thursday. A Facebook page belonging to the Libyan air force posted photographs of the men, who were dressed in rugged civilian clothing, including plaid shirts, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-special-ops-troops-kicked-out-of-libya-66122/

DefenceTalkThe French air force used its first cruise missiles against Islamic State group targets in Iraq on Tuesday, the defence ministry said. “Launched from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, the raid was made up of a dozen fighter planes equipped with cruise missiles and bombs,” the French ministry said in a statement. The jets […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-uses-first-cruise-missiles-against-isis-66115/

DefenceTalkThe overall security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated in the second half of 2015, with an increase in insurgent attacks and higher casualties among both Taliban and national forces, a Pentagon report stated Tuesday. This month marks a year since the US- and NATO-led mission in Afghanistan transitioned into an Afghan-led operation, with allied nations assisting […]https://www.defencetalk.com/afghan-security-worse-in-second-part-of-2015-pentagon-66109/

DefenceTalkWashington: A coalition air strike killed an Islamic State finance chief in Iraq last month, the US military said Thursday, hailing it as another scalp in its bid to shatter the extremists’ financial network. Abu Saleh was killed in late November, US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a videoconference from Baghdad, calling him […]https://www.defencetalk.com/isis-finance-chief-killed-in-iraq-air-strike-us-66033/