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Mali Forces Kill Senior Figure in ISIS Affiliate

Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie
Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie
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Mali Forces Kill Senior Figure in ISIS Affiliate

Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie
Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie

Malian forces killed Abu Huzeifa, a commander for a West African affiliate of the ISIS group, during a large-scale operation in the northern region of Menaka, the Malian authorities said in a statement read on state television on Monday.
Huzeifa's death on Sunday had been confirmed after the operation in the region's Indelimane sector, they said, but did not give further details.
The US State Department's Rewards for Justice program offers a bounty of up to $5 million for information on Huzeifa for his alleged participation in a 2017 attack in neighboring Niger that killed four US and four Nigerien soldiers, Reuters reported.
Over the past decade, attacks by groups linked to al Qaeda and ISIS have killed thousands of people in Mali, Niger, and neighboring Burkina Faso, destabilizing West Africa's central Sahel region.
As of March, the protracted security and humanitarian crisis had displaced over 3 million people in the region, according to the International Organization for Migration.

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World

Iranian Delegation Due in Islamabad ahead of US Talks

Demonstrators flags of Iran and Lebanon during a protest against US military action in Iran near the White House in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
Demonstrators flags of Iran and Lebanon during a protest against US military action in Iran near the White House in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
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Iranian Delegation Due in Islamabad ahead of US Talks

Demonstrators flags of Iran and Lebanon during a protest against US military action in Iran near the White House in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
Demonstrators flags of Iran and Lebanon during a protest against US military action in Iran near the White House in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

An Iranian delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad late Thursday ahead of Pakistan-brokered talks with the United States, Iran's envoy said.

Pakistan has been preparing for talks involving representatives from the US and Iran over the Mideast war, with the White House saying Vice President JD Vance would lead negotiations in Islamabad "this weekend".

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said in a post on X that "despite skepticism due to repeated ceasefire violations by (the) Israeli regime" Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has welcomed an Iranian delegation for "serious talks".

"Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran," Moghadam added.

The development came as authorities in the Pakistani capital declared on Wednesday local holidays across Islamabad for the next couple of days, said AFP.

While no specific reason was provided, holidays or restrictions are often issued for security reasons ahead of high-profile diplomatic events in the region.

Offices providing essential services will remain open during this period, including police, hospitals and power and gas utilities.

"Essential services will remain operational," the deputy commissioner's office said in a statement posted on X on Wednesday, advising residents to "plan their activities accordingly".

World

Trump Says US-Iran Talks Will Be Behind Closed Doors

US President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Says US-Iran Talks Will Be Behind Closed Doors

US President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said talks on the Iran crisis would be held behind closed doors, and that "only one group of meaningful 'POINTS'" were acceptable to the United States, ‌but gave ‌no other details about ‌the ⁠negotiations.

"These are the ⁠POINTS that are the basis on which we agreed to a CEASEFIRE. It is something that is reasonable, and can easily be dispensed with," he ⁠said in a social ‌media post.

Trump ‌separately told ABC News in ‌an interview that he expects talks ‌to begin on Friday and to move very quickly.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier on Wednesday said ‌US and Iranian delegations would be arriving in Pakistan ⁠on ⁠Friday after the two nations accepted a two-week ceasefire.

Trump in his online post also threatened a federal probe into unnamed individuals he accused--without providing evidence--of circulating various correspondence that he said were not the basis for the ceasefire agreement.

World

France Unveils Rearmament Boost to Face Russia Threat

France's Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks during the press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 8, 2026. (AFP)
France's Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks during the press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 8, 2026. (AFP)
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France Unveils Rearmament Boost to Face Russia Threat

France's Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks during the press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 8, 2026. (AFP)
France's Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks during the press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 8, 2026. (AFP)

France is to ramp up explosive drone stocks by up to 400 percent by 2030, draft legislation showed Wednesday, as the country seeks to accelerate rearmament to face an aggressive Russia.

The military spending bill was presented after France's top commanders said the country must be ready in the next few years for a clash with Russia and that NATO should adapt to produce more weapons and faster.

The government on Wednesday presented its updated military planning law, adding another 36 billion euros ($42 billion) to France's defense spending between 2024 and 2030, on top of the 413 billion euros ($483 billion) already allocated.

"Our armed forces must be capable of responding to a major engagement within a timeframe that none of us can predict," Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said following a meeting of top defense and security officials.

According to the revised legislation, which is due to be presented to parliament, the annual budget would reach 76.3 billion euros in 2030, representing 2.5 percent of gross domestic product, compared with 57.1 billion euros for this year.

The legislation does not foresee an increase in the size of France's armed forces, which remains at 210,000 active-duty personnel, 225 combat aircraft and 15 first-rate frigates.

The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have prompted a particular focus on stocks of missiles and shells. NATO commanders say the military bloc must respond to challenges such as Russia and Iran mass-producing drones.

According to the draft legislation, an additional 8.5 billion euros will be allocated to boost stockpiles of ammunition between now and 2030, bringing the total to 26 billion euros.

While stock levels are confidential, they are set to rise by 400 percent for all types of remotely operated munitions such as explosive drones, and by 85 percent for Scalp cruise missiles.

Stocks of torpedoes are to go up by 230 percent and those of surface-to-air missiles by 30 percent.

An additional two billion euros will be allocated to procurement of drones of all types, bringing the total investment to 8.4 billion euros.

The French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), a top think tank, warned in November that Europe could struggle to quickly produce enough weapons in case of a direct confrontation with Russia.