Russia to deploy more anti-aircraft missiles in Crimea
A military official says Russia will boost the defense of the occupied Crimean peninsula with more anti-aircraft missiles.
The Interfax news agency on Nov. 28 quoted Col. Vadim Astafyev, the top Defense Ministry official in Russia’s south, as saying that Russia will add one S-400 anti-aircraft missile system to the three already deployed in the peninsula.
The announcement comes three days after Russian border guards fired on three Ukrainian vessels and seized them and their crews. The first overt military confrontation between the two neighboring countries has raised the specter of a major conflict.
Ukraine said its vessels were operating in line with international maritime rules, while Russia alleged they had failed to get permission to pass. AP
New U.S. airstrike in Somalia kills 3 al-Shabab extremists
The U.S. military says it has killed three al-Shabab extremists with an airstrike in central Somalia as it continues to attack a new base of operations for the al-Qaida-linked fighters.
The U.S. Africa Command statement says the Nov. 27 airstrike was carried out “in the vicinity of Quy Cad near Debatscile: in the Mudug region.
The U.S. last week reported several airstrikes in Mudug killed 50 al-Shabab extremists. The group recently relocated to the region as a key training and planning base after the U.S. and allies increased pressure and surveillance further south.
The U.S. military has carried out at least 36 airstrikes this year against al-Shabab, one of Africa’s deadliest Islamic extremist groups, which continues to stage deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and other cities. AP