Ukraine to Get Its First F-16 Jets in June-July

FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
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Ukraine to Get Its First F-16 Jets in June-July

FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

Kyiv expects to receive its first F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies in June-July, a high-ranking Ukrainian military source said on Friday.

Ukraine has sought US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia's air superiority for more than two years of war. The source did not say which country would supply the jets.

So far, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Illya Yevlash, spokesperson for the air force, said this week that some Ukrainian pilots were completing their training to fly the warplanes.

The Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small fleet of Soviet-era jets as it has fought to hold back Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion.

With Russian forces slowly advancing in the eastern Donbas region and mounting a fresh assault in the northeast near the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials see the addition of the F-16 as a vital upgrade for its Air Force.



At Least 90 People Killed and 50 Injured after a Gasoline Tanker Explodes in Nigeria

A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)
A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)
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At Least 90 People Killed and 50 Injured after a Gasoline Tanker Explodes in Nigeria

A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)
A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)

More than 90 people have been killed and 50 others injured after a gasoline tanker overturned in Nigeria and sparked an explosion as dozens of people rushed to the vehicle to scoop up the fuel, police said Wednesday.

The explosion occurred past midnight in Jigawa state's Majiya town after the tanker driver lost control of the vehicle while traveling on a highway close to a university, police spokesperson Lawan Adam said.

Deadly tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where traffic regulations are not strictly enforced in many places and there is a lack of alternatives such as an efficient railway system to transport cargo.

It is also common for people to salvage fuel after such accidents, especially with Nigeria's soaring fuel prices.

Residents who heard about the latest accident rushed to the scene and were scooping up fuel, “sparking a massive inferno that killed 94 people on the spot,” Adam said.

Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed a massive fire stretching across the entire area, with what appeared to be bodies littered at the scene.