Iran and US hit tankers in biggest wave of attacks on shipping since war began

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By Enas Alashray, Idrees Ali and Jana Choukeir Reuters Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war. The attacks sent the price of ‌oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing. The ‌incidents follow a month of relative calm, during which the U.S. has sought to pressure Iran through economic means. Iran said it had fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Jordan said it intercepted 18 missiles, with the remaining two ​falling harmlessly in unpopulated areas. A U.S. official said all American troops were accounted for. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would sharply escalate its response to any further attacks, and said I...
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Colombia says 57 soldiers kidnapped by civilians

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 Colombia’s army said on Sunday that 57 soldiers were kidnapped by civilians acting under pressure from FARC dissidents in a mountainous area of the country’s southwest.

The region, near El Plateado in the Cauca department, is a key zone for cocaine production and remains one of the most tense in the country’s ongoing conflict.

It says 31 soldiers were seized on Saturday while the rest were abducted on Sunday by a group of more than 200 people.

The military says the civilians are acting under pressure from dissidents of the Farc rebel group which agreed a peace deal with the government in 2016.

The mountainous region is a key zone for cocaine production and remains one of the most tense in the country’s ongoing conflict with rebel groups.

In a video statement on social media, Brig Gen Federico Alberto Mejia said four non-commissioned officers and 53 soldiers had been seized over the weekend.

“This is called kidnapping,” he said.

Reports in local media suggest that the EMC rebel group – the largest offshoot of the Farc – may have ordered the kidnappings.

The EMC has not commented on the issue.

The Micay Canyon is used for transporting cocaine to Pacific ports, and drugs are then illegally shipped to other countries.

SOURCE: BBC AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/xlYAmdQ

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