News – August 2023


  • Swedish cities hit by four residential explosions in an hour

    August 31, 2023

    Bomb squad experts have been called in after Swedish cities were rocked by four explosions in an hour, police have said, with the country struggling to rein in a rise of gang-related violence. Just after 1am local time (midnight BST), police in Gothenburg received reports of two explosions at separate addresses, 10 minutes apart. An hour ...

  • Nigeria: We Need Help As Bandits Use Explosive Devices For Operations, COAS Tells UN Rep

    August 31, 2023

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja has sought help from the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism, to tackle increasing threats in the country as he said bandits have morphed their methodology and now use explosive devices in their operations. Lagbaja made this known on Thursday when he received the Under Secretary General, United ...

  • China: PLA Army to participate in “Pure Homeland-2023” multinational joint demining operation in Cambodia

    August 31, 2023

    According to the consensus reached by the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group (EWG) on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA), the Chinese PLA Army will send a task force to Cambodia for the multinational joint demining operation code-named “Pure Homeland-2023” from the end of August to late September, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, ...

  • Enhanced detonators detection in X-ray baggage inspection by image manipulation and deep convolutional neural networks

    August 31, 2023

    The detection of dangerous objects in X-ray images of baggage has become important, particularly due to rising crime rates. The performance of screening devices is strongly influenced by the target visibility, image display technology, and the security officers’ knowledge. However, visual inspection of these images is highly challenging due to the low prevalence of targets, variability ...

  • Ecuadorian police arrest six after car bombs explode in Quito

    August 31, 2023

    Police in Ecuador have arrested six suspects after a car bombing in a commercial area of the capital, Quito, as the South American nation grapples with a surge in violence that authorities say is linked to drug trafficking. The explosion late on Wednesday did not cause any casualties, police said. Read more… Source: Al-Jazeera  

  • Ukraine mines could exceed 1 million, says UN expert

    August 31, 2023

    United Nations mine experts working on the ground in Ukraine have told CGTN that the number of unexploded devices in the country could be in excess of 1 million. CGTN has spoken to Alexander Lobov, a military engineer and mine action expert working with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in his home country. “Taking into consideration ...

  • Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer tackles new challenges in US Space Force

    August 30, 2023

    A senior U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer who spent decades tackling one of the most prevalent threats on the modern battlefield has set his sights on a new warfighting domain. U.S. Space Force Col. Dorian C. Hatcher made the leap from combatting explosives to transforming space acquisition to outpace global competitors in the U.S. Space ...

  • Pakistan: Torghar Levies chief escapes IED blast

    August 30, 2023

    The chief of Torghar Levies escaped unhurt from a bomb blast in Judbah Mera area of the district on Tuesday morning. An improvised explosive device went off outside the house of Gulfaraz when his vehicle drove past it, according to district police officer Bilal Ahmad. He told reporters that the explosion left a crater on the ...

  • Joint-Service EOD Training: Operation Solar Flare

    August 30, 2023

    ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait — U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians from across Kuwait completed a large-scale detonation during Operation Solar Flare at Udairi Range, Kuwait, Aug. 24, 2023. Solar Flare is a 5-day, joint-service field training exercise developed and hosted by the 386th and 332nd Expeditionary Civil ...

  • Israel: Four IDF soldiers wounded in Joseph’s Tomb terror explosion

    August 30, 2023

    An IDF officer and three soldiers were injured after a large explosive device was detonated by Palestinian terrorists as Israeli forces entered Nablus to secure the entry of Jewish worshippers to Joseph’s Tomb on Wednesday night, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. One soldier was in moderate condition, while the officer and the other two soldiers ...

  • Global support for Cambodia’s landmine, UXO clearing efforts

    August 29, 2023

    In a recent gathering that highlighted the global commitment to eliminating landmines, all 164 signatory states of the Ottawa Convention expressed their support for Cambodia’s newly-appointed Prime Minister, Hun Manet. The meeting, held on August 28, emphasised the leader’s dedication to resolving ongoing landmine issues in the Southeast Asian nation. Juan Carlos Ruan, director of the ...

  • India: NIA arrests two wanted criminals in Rajasthan terror conspiracy case

    August 29, 2023

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said they have arrested two wanted absconding accused, including the kingpin, in the 2022 case relating to the seizure of explosives and IED material from Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district which was part of the IS-inspired terror conspiracy of the ‘SUFA’ terrorist outfit. The accused were identified as Mohammad Yunus Saki ...

  • Iraq hangs three over ISIS-claimed blast that killed hundreds

    August 29, 2023

    Iraq has hanged three people convicted for a 2016 bombing that killed more than 300 people in a Baghdad shopping district. A car bomb that caused fires in the Karrada district on July 3, 2016, killed 323. The area was full of people shopping in preparation for the Eid Al Fitr festival. ISIS claimed responsibility for ...

  • Cambodia: Educational efforts reduce landmine risks

    August 28, 2023

    Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), emphasised on August 25 the vital role of education in mitigating the risks posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). He highlighted the ongoing commitment of the CMAA, along with mine action operators and stakeholders, to raise public awareness ...

  • Pakistan: CTD dismantles terrorist network

    August 28, 2023

    The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Malakand has successfully dismantled a terrorist network responsible for a devastating attack on former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Malik Liaqat Ali in the Dir Lower district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). In a press conference held in Peshawar, AIG CTD Shaukat Abass provided detailed insights into the operation, shedding light on the ...

  • Pakistan: IED blast injures 2 policemen in Kurram

    August 27, 2023

    Two police personnel were wounded after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near a police vehicle, followed by an exchange of fire between suspected militants and the police on Saturday. Station House Officer Sadda Khalil Khan reported that a police van was patrolling in the area when the IED went off. He added that two police ...

  • Ireland: Investigation underway following the discovery of a pipe bomb in Clogherhead

    August 27, 2023

    Gardaí are investigating the discovery of a pipe bomb in County Louth. It was found at the front door of a house in the Callystown area of Clogherhead around lunchtime yesterday. A Defence Forces spokesperson has confirmed to LMFM News that following a request from An Garda Síochána for EOD assistance, an army bomb disposal team ...

  • Pakistan: Two injured in Bajaur IED explosion

    August 26, 2023

    Two people, including son of a tribal elder of Mamond tehsil, were injured when an improvised explosive device went off here on Friday evening, the police and local residents said. They said that the explosion occurred near Larkholozo Hospital. The residents said Hijad Ali, son of elder Malik Sultan Zeb, along with some friends and relatives ...

  • Cyprus: Molotov cocktails thrown at mosque in Limassol

    August 26, 2023

    An attack on a mosque in Limassol occurred at midnight on Friday, with police mobilized. The incident reportedly happened around 1:10 p.m., when a person threw two Molotov cocktails towards the mosque and immediately fled. There were no injuries from the incident, while there was damage to the entrance of the mosque. Read more… Source: Φilenews  

  • Turkish soldier succumbs to injuries from terror attack in northern Iraq

    August 26, 2023

    A Turkish soldier has died after being injured in a terror attack in Türkiye’s anti-terror operation zone in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish National Defense Ministry on Saturday. The soldier, Erkan Selcuk, who was injured Friday, died from injuries sustained from an explosion of an improvised explosive device positioned by terrorists on Türkiye’s Operation Claw-Lock ...

  • UNSC: Terrorist Groups Remain Significant Threat in Conflict Zones, Neighbouring States

    August 25, 2023

    Despite the threat level remaining low in non-conflict areas, Da’esh and its affiliates continue to constitute a serious threat in conflict zones and neighbouring countries, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, underscoring that the use of force alone — with no backing of a clear strategy — can be counter-productive, creating ...

  • What’s next for security in Somalia after the AU mission ends?

    August 25, 2023

    In a dusty military compound in Somalia’s coastal town of Adale, soldiers from the African Union peacekeeping force and the Somali National Army gathered in a makeshift building. The AU commander gave signed documents to his Somali counterpart, marking the handing over of the military base, approximately 150km from Mogadishu, to the Somali Army. Since the ...

  • Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Navy Divers Complete Large Scale Exercise 2023

    August 25, 2023

    VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Navy Divers from EOD Mobile Unit 6 (EODMU 6), Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 (MDSU 2), and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12 operated with the United States Navy and Marine Corps across the East Coast and the Atlantic Ocean during Large Scale Exercise ...

  • More Afghan children fall victim to unexploded war remnants – UNICEF

    August 24, 2023

    On Thursday, the organization said on social media X that 85% of the victims affected by unexploded ordnance are children. This alarming statistic highlights these remnants’ disproportionate impact on the younger population, shedding light on a profoundly concerning issue in Afghanistan. UNICEF highlights urgent collective action for Afghan children’s safety amid unexploded remnants, stressing coordinated clearing ...