North Korean HS-14 ICBM Can Strike Targets in Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon
North Korean HS-14 ICBM Can Strike Targets in Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon
On the terrorism front, Canada announced that the Trudeau Liberal government was apologizing to Canadian Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr for his time in captivity, abuse, and awarding him 10.5 million dollars in compensation. Khadr, a member of an infamous Canadian terror family close to the al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership killed an unarmed US medic, Christopher Speer, in a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002, and gravely wounded another soldier. Note: Khadr’s father, Egyptian-born, Ahmed Said Khadr, a senior al-Qaeda financier called al-Kanadi was released from Pakistani custody through the efforts of then former Canadian Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien and was killed fighting for al-Qaeda in 2003. It was later revealed that he had funded the bombing of the Egyptian embassy in Pakistan after Canada had already arranged for his release.
In Brussels, Belgian security forces seized weapons and explosives on anti-terror raids at a biker club.
The German Intelligence Services have warned of more terrorist attacks in Germany as ISIS unravels in Syria and Iraq.
It was reported that Russian has brought in two private security/mercenary companies to back up the Syrian Army, Evro Polis, that in exchange for its services gets profits from oil and gas wells it seizes from ISIS, and Stroytransgaz, which signed a phosphate-mining deal for a site under militant control in exchange for a 25 percent interest in the operation.
Today, Russian Tu-95MS Bear strategic bomber aircraft conducted an air strike on ISIS targets using Raduga Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles targeting three strategic ISIS weapons stores and a command center in the provinces of Hama and Homs, in Syria. The Kh-101 strategic air-launched LO (Low Observable) cruise missile was launched 1000 kilometers from its targets and features a Circular Error Probability (CEP) of less than 30 feet.
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have breached the old fortified wall of the ancient city of Raqqa. An Iraqi commander has said that all that is left of ISIS in Mosul is 300 terrorists in a 500-meter square are of the city.
The US military conducted a drone strike Sunday in Somalia against al-Qaeda’s third largest affiliate, al-Shabab.
Foreign Ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain met in Egypt's capital on Wednesday and called Qatar’s rejection of their demands to avoid isolation and to stop supporting terror as “not serious.”
Expelled Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa has been fingered by India intelligence as the first commander of the al-Qaeda in India. Reportedly, an engineering graduate from Chandigarh Engineering college, Zakir Musa hails from Noorpora in Tral in south Kashmir and his real name is Zakir Rashid Bhat.
The Philippines recovered the beheaded bodies of two kidnapped Vietnamese sailors taken by the ISIS-affiliate Abu Sayyaf near Sumisip, Basilan.
Meanwhile, in terms of the international security environment, Mexican authorities have reported at least 26 people have been killed in a clash of armed groups in northern Mexico.
In Venezuela, 100-armed pro-government activists stormed the Parliament and physically beat legislators and reportedly set off an explosive.
A Russian Oscar II-class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, Smolensk, part of Russia’s North Fleet, test-fired a P-700 Granit/SS-N-19 anti-ship cruise missile hitting a target 400-kilometers away in the Barents Sea. Just last week, the North Fleet nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), Yuri Dolgoruky, fired a Bulava Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) from the Barents Sea to its target in the Kura test range in Kamchatka.
It was reported that the Russia FSB is actively seeking to 'isolate and liquidate' key witnesses to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines MH17 over Ukraine, killing 298 people.
Not unexpectedly, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday urged the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to, "work on missiles as much as you can," following the success of North Korea’s ballistic missile program.
North Korea followed up their successful launch of the Hwasong-14 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on July 3rd by announcing that they had perfected a miniaturised warhead and re-entry vehicle. The Hwason-14 ICBM was lofted to a height of 2802 kilometers for a 39-minute flight before touching down 930 kilometers away in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Hwasong-14 ICBM is believed to have a range greater than 6700 kilometers putting Alaska within its reach. South Korea estimated the range at over 8000 kilometers which puts Canada’s northern territories and British Columbia within its strike zone. South Korea has warned that North Korea’s long-awaited sixth nuclear test or thermonuclear test could come at any moment. Scattered unconfirmed reports have suggested that North Korea may have fired a second missile last night.
The US called a meeting of the UN Security Council and warned of a military response. North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un warned of war and said the ICBM launch was a July 4th gift for the “American bastards” and warned that there would be more. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, warned against any military option to deal with North Korea. While President Trump appeared to suggest that he was giving up on China trying to reel in the North. US UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, further warned that China was risking its trade with the US if it violated UN sanctions on North Korea. The missile launcher vehicle used in the Hwasong-14 launch appears to be of Chinese military design. Chinese trade with North Korea is up almost 40 percent in the first fiscal quarter. China is believed to have strongly supported the Russian position excluding use of force to deal with North Korea.
