Taliban fighters have seized control of a strategically-important district headquarters in Afghanistan’s Helmand province despite American air strikes. Musa Qala, once a key Nato position, is the second town in northern Helmand to fall to the Taliban in recent weeks. Source BBC
Eight Turkish military aircraft on Tuesday carried out 34 violations of Greek national airspace in the northeastern, central and southeastern Aegean, according to defense sources who reported one mock dogfight between Greek and Turkish aircraft. Source: Ekathimerini
An Islamic State offshoot has amassed around 5,000 militants in northern Afghanistan on the border of post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, the director of Russia’s FSB has warned, adding that many of them have fought in Syria. “Especially worrying is re-deployment of terrorist groups into northern provinces of Afghanistan,” Alexander Bortnikov told chiefs of ex-Soviet intelligence services in Dushanbe. He warned that ‘Wilayat Khorasan’, a local Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) affiliate, had managed to gather 5,000 fighters in the area. Source: RT
Junior justice minister Mark Harbers has indicated he expects to resign, following the publication of police figures which ‘hid’ the number of asylum seekers suspected of serious crimes. Harbers said in a written statement to MPs that the mistake was his responsibility and that he wishes to debate the issue in parliament before ‘drawing his own conclusions’ – a euphemism for stepping down. It is unclear when the debate will take place. Source: Dutch News
