An attack on Iran's southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country's Defence Council said on Monday, according to state media. The US is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios. "Any attempt to attack Iran's coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf (...) to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast," the statement read. "In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz for a long time (...) One should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines." The Defence Council recalled that non-belligerent states can only pass through the Strait of Hormuz by coordinating passage with Iran...
Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Malakand chapter commander Talha Swati was killed in the Asadabad area of Afghanistan's Kunar province, sources confirmed on Saturday. Swati – associated with the Fazal Ullah group belonged to Swat. He was gunned down in broad daylight after Friday prayers. The TTP commander was linked to the intelligence group and worked as intelligence chief in Barikot area. As per reports, the slain terrorist was reporting on Jammat Ul Ahrar activities to South District Taliban, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and his close aide Noor Wali Mehsud. There were conflicting reports surrounding the commander's death. Some reports suggested he was killed by ISKP, while others stated he was killed by a rival faction due to some internal rifts. The Swati group, following the commander's death, demanded punishment for the killers. Read TTP group confirms senior commander's killing in Waziristan clashes Earlier this month, a most-wanted commander of the outlawed TTP was among three terrorists killed in two separate encounters with the security forces in the Khyber and North Waziristan districts of K-P. The commander, identified as Hazrat Ali alias Gagga, was killed in a ground offense by the military in the Tirah Valley of the Khyber district. The operation was aimed at eliminating the remnants of the Lashkar-e-Islam outfit, who tried to settle in the Tirah Valley while coming from neighbouring Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Islam was led by Mangal Bagh, who was later killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan over three years ago. Gagga was stated to be the main operational commander of the terrorist outfit, which had sided with the TTP. Last month, on March 18, Pakistan carried out what it termed "intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations" in the border regions inside Afghanistan in a significant escalation in tensions between the two neighbours. Pakistan accuses certain elements in the Taliban government of patronizing the banned TTP.
from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/JAWkHex
from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/JAWkHex
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