News – January 2026


  • Bangladesh: Man dies in blast ‘while making’ crude bomb in Shariatpur’s Zajira

    January 8, 2026

    A man has been killed in a crude bomb explosion in Zajira Upazila of Shariatpur. Police believe the man died while making a crude bomb when it exploded early Thursday in the Mulai Beparikandi area of Bilaspur Union. The victim has been identified as Sohan Bepari, 32, son of Delwar Bepari of the nearby Satgariya Kandi ...

  • UK: Man who blew up cash machine jailed for eight years

    January 8, 2026

    A would-be robber who blew up a cash machine with explosives has been jailed for eight years, police have said. Detectives investigating the attempted theft of cash from an ATM in Powburn, Northumberland, in May found explosive devices when they raided Kristopher Follos’s home. Dramatic CCTV images showed the 45-year-old trying to blast his way into ...

  • Cambodia: China Donates Tools to Support Demining Operations

    January 8, 2026

    China has donated various equipment to support Cambodia’s demining efforts, in the form of metal detectors, tools, equipment and vehicles that will aid the Kingdom’s goal of becoming landmine free. During a ceremony on January 8, Ly Thuch, First Vice-President of Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA), and Wang Winpin, Chinese ambassador in Cambodia, attended a ceremony ...

  • Azerbaijan: Mine explosion injures deminer in Jabrayil district

    January 7, 2026

    A man has been injured in a landmine incident in Azerbaijan’s Jabrayil district, officials have said. The explosion occurred on January 7 in the village of Mehdili, in territory recaptured by Azerbaijan following years of occupation. According to the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), the blast happened while a 40-year-old employee of a private ...

  • Ukraine moves to digital planning of humanitarian demining

    January 7, 2026

    In 2026, humanitarian demining of Ukraine’s deoccupied territories will be planned using a new approach – leveraging modern digital solutions. This was discussed at the final meeting of the National Mine Action Authority, chaired by Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Mykola Shevtsov. A key innovation was the presentation of a digital platform developed ...

  • Lebanon: Chinese peacekeepers obtain UN mine clearance, EOD qualifications

    January 7, 2026

    BEIRUT, Jan. 7 — A total of 69 members of the 24th Chinese peacekeeping force to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) successfully passed the assessment by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and obtained the UN mine clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) qualifications on January 5, 2026. The mine clearance and ...

  • Israel: Defense Ministry clears old minefields as work expands on Jordan border security barrier

    January 7, 2026

    The Defense Ministry says it has expanded work on a new security barrier along the Jordanian border, with authorities destroying hundreds of old landmines in the area. According to the ministry, the Mine and Unexploded Ordnance Clearance Authority carried out controlled detonations yesterday to clear three minefields, destroying some 500 anti-tank mines laid in the area ...

  • U.S. Navy’s new fitness test for SEALs, EOD techs and other combat jobs

    January 6, 2026

    Navy SEAL trainees and other sailors hoping to join one of a handful of hard-charging Navy jobs have to pass many brutal fitness tests. But beginning this year, fully qualified SEALs and others in combat roles must now pass a specific, Navy-wide Combat Fitness Test every year to keep those jobs. Sailors in the Navy’s four ...

  • UK: ‘Wartime bomb’ discovered near Birmingham New Street line

    January 6, 2026

    Train services heading out of Birmingham have been disrupted following the discovery of a ‘wartime bomb’ near the railway, impacting CrossCountry services, according to traffic monitoring service Inrix. West Midlands Police has confirmed that an old mortar device has been found at Duddeston Mill Trading Estate in Washwood Heath. An evacuation has been carried out, with a ...

  • Thailand: 120 artillery shells cleared from Buri Ram farmland

    January 6, 2026

    Bomb disposal teams say they have found more than 120 shells from the recent Thai-Cambodian border conflict, mostly in rubber plantations, as operations continue to make agricultural areas safe in Ban Kruat district of this northeastern border province. The shells were remnants of clashes along the frontier between Dec 7 and 27, when a ceasefire was ...

  • German prosecutors launch terrorism probe into far-left attack behind Berlin blackout

    January 6, 2026

    A far-left group claimed responsibility for an arson attack on Berlin’s power grid, causing a blackout for tens of thousands of households. Repairs are expected by Thursday. German federal prosecutors on Tuesday launched an investigation on terrorism charges into an arson attack on high-voltage cables that caused a power blackout impacting 45,000 Berlin households. The service ...

  • Nigeria: Nine soldiers killed in IED blast on Maiduguri – Gubio Road

    January 6, 2026

    Nine soldiers have been reported killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated along the Maiduguri–Gubio road in Borno State. Military and Civilian Joint Task Force sources confirmed the incident in Maiduguri yesterday, saying preliminary investigations showed the explosive was planted overnight by Boko Haram insurgents. The troops were travelling from Maiduguri through Gubio town for ...

  • Somalia: Roadside blast kills Puntland officer, soldiers on Bosaso-Dhaadaar road

    January 5, 2026

    A roadside explosion killed at least two soldiers and a military officer and wounded more than five others Sunday morning after striking a mine-sweeping vehicle operated by Puntland security forces on the new road linking Bosaso and Dhaadaar, officials said. The blast occurred as the forces were conducting a security operation along the route, according to ...

  • Pakistan: BLA terror bid foiled in Karachi; 2,000kg explosives seized

    January 5, 2026

    Security forces in Karachi foiled a major terrorism plot after recovering a suicide vehicle and massive quantities of explosive material during an operation in Raees Goth, preventing what officials believe could have been a large-scale attack. According to sources, the raid uncovered a mini-truck converted into a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) that had been concealed ...

  • Syria: Britain and France conducted a joint air operation to destroy suspected Islamic State underground arms site

    January 4, 2026

    Britain’s and France’s air forces conducted a joint operation on Saturday evening to bomb a suspected underground arms cache previously used by the Islamic State group in Syria, Britain’s defence ministry said. Western aircraft have been conducting patrols to stop a resurgence of the Islamist militant group that ruled parts of Syria until 2019. Intelligence analysis ...

  • UK: Controlled explosion after object found at Medmerry beach

    January 4, 2026

    A controlled explosion was carried out after a suspected piece of ordnance was found on a beach. Selsey Coastguard was called to Medmerry Beach at 6.21pm on Sunday, January 4, 2026, following reports of a suspicious object. The coastguard team took photos of the object and sent them to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team. On ...

  • Sri Lanka: Life in a land of landmines

    January 4, 2026

    Sri Lanka looks like a droplet frozen in time. That very shape is a haunting reminder of the tears shed during decades of civil war. The emblem of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which waged the war, was a tiger baring its teeth and claws, but the territory once claimed by it—the northern and ...

  • Somalia: Seven killed in Middle Shabelle in landmine blast targeting civilian bus

    January 4, 2026

    At least seven people were killed and four injured when a vehicle carrying civilians struck a landmine in the Kudkudaaleey area of central Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region, local sources reported Sunday. The vehicle was carrying nearly 20 passengers en route to Galgaduud region towns Mazagawaay and Ceel Dheer when the blast occurred late Saturday afternoon, ...

  • Afghanistan: Unexploded ordnance threatens lives in Maidan Wardak

    January 4, 2026

    Residents of Chak district in central Afghanistan say unexploded ordnance left over from years of conflict poses a serious threat to civilians, particularly children, and has disrupted daily life by damaging roads and access to healthcare. Villagers told Amu TV that mines and other unexploded devices are scattered along main roads, rural paths and residential areas, ...

  • Ukraine: Car explosion in Kyiv classified as terrorist attack

    January 4, 2026

    A car explosion that occurred in the courtyard of a residential building on Heroiv Dnipra Street in Kyiv on January 4, when the trunk was opened, has been classified as a terrorist attack, and a pre-trial investigation has been launched. As a result of the explosion, a serviceman sustained shrapnel wounds. A woman who was nearby ...

  • U.S. Has Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

    January 3, 2026

    Videos and images are emerging on social media showing what appears to be a large U.S. military operation now underway around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which includes multiple large explosions and the presence of American special operations helicopters. While there has been no official announcement of such an operation kicking off, this comes after months ...

  • North Carolina: FBI Disrupts Alleged New Year’s Eve Attack, Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

    January 2, 2026

    Today, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that a Mint Hill, North Carolina man that allegedly planned to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of the Islamic State ...

  • France and UNDP Partnering for Peace, Building Resilience in Lebanon

    January 2, 2026

    When Lebanon emerged from the November 2024 ceasefire, the country faced daunting challenges: over 113,000 people still displaced, 1,526 contaminated sites, and strained public services. Turning this fragile peace into lasting stability requires concrete solutions that restore trust, rebuild communities, and accelerate recovery. Thanks to the support from France’s contribution, UNDP supports the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

  • Iraq: Over 20 old mortar shells discovered in Sulaimani village

    January 2, 2026

    An old cache of mortar shells and mines dating back to the Iran-Iraq war has been discovered in the village of Kokoyi, Darbandikhan district of Sulaimani province. Authorities said the mine action directorate has been notified to arrange for the safe removal of the explosives. The shells were unearthed during construction work on a house in ...