Regional
Clashes leave 16 dead along Afghanistan-Pakistan border
Pakistan claims a “large group of terrorists” stormed security outposts close to the Afghanistan border in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, prompting fierce clashes.
Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and 12 assailants died in the clashes at two separate outposts in the Kalash border valley, according to Pakistani officials.
The clashes took place when “a large group of terrorists equipped with the latest weapons, attacked two Pakistani military posts,” the military said.
Officials did not give any details about the insurgents, but suggested they have links to neighboring Afghanistan, Associated Press reported. The statement said Pakistan expects the Islamic Emirate government in Afghanistan “to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
According to a statement issued by the Pakistani military, soldiers repulsed the attack, noting the assailants were “equipped with [the] latest weapons.” It suggested that the militants had come across the border from Afghanistan.
The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for the raid earlier. The group said its fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani soldiers and seized their weapons while overrunning the posts.
Pakistani officials say TTP and other insurgent groups have fled and taken shelter in Afghanistan.
However, the IEA denies the charges, saying no one can use Afghan soil to threaten other countries, including Pakistan.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Friday on his first official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Geo News reported.
He was received by Prime Minister Sharif and senior officials, with his aircraft escorted by Pakistan Air Force jets upon entering Pakistani airspace. The UAE president is accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the visit aims to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that the country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, following visits to major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
Kim said the country’s missile and shell production sector is “of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrence,” according to KCNA.
The report said Kim ratified draft documents on the modernization of key munitions enterprises, which will be submitted to a major ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026. The congress is set to outline North Korea’s development plan for the next five years.
KCNA’s report follows Thursday’s disclosure that Kim oversaw the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, as well as the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Daesh members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Daesh members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X, Reuters reported.
The police raided 124 places in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
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