Turkish Drone Bombs the Vicinity of Erbil

A destroyed building in the aftermath of missile attacks on Erbil (Archive-Reuters)
A destroyed building in the aftermath of missile attacks on Erbil (Archive-Reuters)
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Turkish Drone Bombs the Vicinity of Erbil

A destroyed building in the aftermath of missile attacks on Erbil (Archive-Reuters)
A destroyed building in the aftermath of missile attacks on Erbil (Archive-Reuters)

A Turkish drone has bombed the vicinity of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, according to the German Press Agency on Saturday citing an Iraqi source.

The bombing targeted a “hideout of members of the Kurdistan Labor Party (PKK), early this morning, in the Sidekan sub-district of Soran in Erbil,” Iraqi media said quoting the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The bombing was carried out by a drone,” added the source “but the magnitude of losses has not yet been identified.”

On Friday, fires broke out in the pastures of two villages in the Amadiya district, north of Dohuk, as a result of the bombing carried out by Turkish military helicopters," stated the agency.



China Says Philippine Plan to Deploy Midrange Missiles Would Be 'Extremely Irresponsible'

A Chinese national flag flutters on a financial street in Beijing. (Reuters)
A Chinese national flag flutters on a financial street in Beijing. (Reuters)
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China Says Philippine Plan to Deploy Midrange Missiles Would Be 'Extremely Irresponsible'

A Chinese national flag flutters on a financial street in Beijing. (Reuters)
A Chinese national flag flutters on a financial street in Beijing. (Reuters)

China said a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions.
The Philippines top army official told reporters in Manila earlier on Monday that the military plans to acquire a midrange system to defend the country’s territory amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
“Yes, there are plans, there are negotiations, because we see its feasibility and adaptability,” Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said.
The US deployed its Typhon midrange missile system in the northern Philippines in April and troops from both countries have been training jointly for the potential use of the heavy weaponry.
China opposes US military assistance to the Philippines and has been particularly alarmed by the deployment of the Typhon system. Under President Joe Biden, the US has strengthened an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, including in any confrontation over Taiwan.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that deployment of the weapon by the Philippines would intensify geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.
“It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history and people of itself and the whole of Southeast Asia, as well as for the security of the region,” she told a daily briefing.
The Philippines would not necessarily buy the Typhon system, Galido said.
The army is working not only with the United States but with other friendly countries on a long list of weapons platforms that it plans to acquire, he said.
The Philippines defense plan includes protecting its exclusive economic zone, which reaches 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers).
“It is paramount for the army to be able to project its force up to that extent, in coordination, of course, with the Philippine navy and the Philippine air force," Galido said.