ASG ‘doctor’, 2 others surrender in Sulu

By Nonoy Lacson

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A man considered as a healer and imam by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and two close aides surrendered to the 45th Infantry Battalion (IB) at the Forward Operating Base of the Philippine Army at Barangay Tugas, Patikul, Sulu, and turned-over two high powered firearms.

Army 11th Division Commander Maj. Gen Corelito Vinluan said the three surrendered to soldiers on Friday, June 19, but declined to identify the alleged imam and his two cohorts.

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Source: news.mb.com.ph

Joint Egyptian-Spanish naval exercise conducted in Red Sea

CAIRO, 18 June 2020: Egyptian and Spanish naval forces have conducted a joint naval exercise in the Red Sea, Thursday.

The Egyptian frigate “Suez” and the Spanish frigate “SANTA MARIA” took part in the war game hosted by Berenice Military Base in the Southern Fleet’s zone.

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Source: egypttoday.com

Denmark Green Lights Frigate Deployment for Operation Agenor

Martin Manaranche

The Danish Navy (Søværnet) will deploy a Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate to the Hormuz Strait to join the French-led operation Agenor.

The decision was green lighted by the Danish parliement on June 11. From August, a Dutch Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate and a Seahawk helicopter will join the Hormuz Strait alongside their French allies.

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Source: navalnews.com

Sabah’s sea curfew extended for another two weeks until July 4

By STEPHANIE LEE

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s dusk to dawn sea curfew has been extended for another two weeks until July 4.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Zaini Jass said the extension of the 6pm to 6am curfew was needed due to continuous threats from cross-border criminals, including from kidnap-for-ransom groups.

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Source: thestar.com.my

Iran Tests New Naval Missiles in Indian Ocean Exercise

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Navy test-fired new homegrown cruise missiles on Thursday in a military exercise in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean to hit targets at a distance of 280 kilometers.

Iran’s Navy launched a naval combat war game in the Sea of Oman and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean on Thursday morning.

In the exercise, codenamed ‘Ramadan Martyrs’, the Navy tested new short-range and long-range cruise missiles manufactured by the Iranian Defense Ministry.

The long-range naval cruise missiles hit the targets at a distance of 280 kilometers. The range of the new homegrown missiles may be extended.

A variety of coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea missiles with short and long ranges were fired simultaneously from the coastal launchers and the deck of naval vessels, and they could successfully detonate the targets with great accuracy.

The Thursday war game was held on the fortieth day after the martyrdom of a number of Navy forces in an incident involving the Konarak vessel.

Nineteen Navy servicemen were martyred and 15 others injured in the accident on May 10 when a number of vessels were carrying a naval training exercise off the coasts of Jask and Chabahar in the Sea of Oman.

Source: tasnimnews.com

India looks to deploy naval liaisons at Madagascar, Abu Dhabi for information exchange

Dinakar Peri

After joining the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as Observer in March, India is looking to post Navy Liaison Officers at the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar and also at the European maritime surveillance initiative in the Strait of Hormuz for improved Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

“We are working closely with France who is a pre-eminent member of IOC to post a Naval LO at the RMIFC in Madagascar. We are also working on posting a Naval LO at the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) in Abu Dhabi,” a defence source told The Hindu. “This will be in the overall realm of improving linkages of the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram with other IFCs and become the repository for all maritime data in the IOR,” the source said. The LOs are expected to be posted in the next few months.

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Source: thehindu.com

Navy steps up sea patrols to curb illicit trade

His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta the President and Commander-in -Chief of the the Kenya Defence Forces at the officiall launch of the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) in 2018

By MOHAMED AHMED

The war on illegal sea trade has been heightened as navy officers step up operation at the Coast. The Kenya Navy has, together with the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), increased their patrols on the Indian Ocean to tame illicit trade. The security operation is targeting illegal fishing, drugs trafficking and sea pollution among others.

“As a part of a multi-agency collaboration, the Kenya Navy and the Kenya Coast Guard Services’ personnel today conducted a joint patrol at the South Coast’s brown waters to curb illegal trade,” said the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in one of its operation posts on Twitter.

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Source: businessdailyafrica.com

Abu Sayyaf ‘member’ killed, 3 others nabbed in anti-drug ops

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr

ZAMBOANGA CITY — An alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was killed while three others arrested in separate anti-drug operations in Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces, an official said Wednesday.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 9 (PDEA-9) Director Emerson Margate, identified the slain ASG member as Bensal Aradi, and the arrested individuals as Mahmud Ainal, 42; Najil Sangkula, 35; and, Madal Ladang.

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Source: pna.gov.ph

Exercise Imvubu underway in Richards Bay

The SA Navy’s Maritime Reaction Squadron (MRS) has set up camp in the northern KwaZulu-Natal harbour city of Richards Bay for a month-long exercise.

A three platoon MRS company is based at the harbour city’s Naval Island and will, according to SA Navy media liaison officer Commander Sam Khasuli, be testing maritime interdiction and coastal patrol standard operating procedures (SOPs). Exercise Imvubu (hippopotamus in Zulu) will see these SOPs rated when operating from a land base. Additionally, the exercise will evaluate ability and capability of the MRS to operate “a long distance” from the unit’s home base in Simon’s Town where the SA Navy fleet is headquartered.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

4 troopers, 2 Abu Sayyaf members killed in Sulu encounter

Roel Pareño

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Four Army Special Forces were killed while 17 others were wounded in a fight that erupted Friday as the government troops encountered 40 members of the Abu Sayyaf group in a jungle lair in Patikul town, Sulu, military official confirmed Saturday.

The military said two Abu Sayyaf members were also killed and others were wounded in the encounter.

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Source: philstar.com