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China's most-wanted terrorist suspect has been killed in a joint US and Pakistani military operation, according to Chinese state media. The death of Hasan Mahsum, a leader of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from China's mainly Muslim north-western region of Xinjiang, could not immediately be confirmed and the state media reports were removed from newspaper websites yesterday.However, if true, Mr Mahsum's demise would offer a big boost to Beijing's efforts to link its crackdown on pro-independence activity in Xinjiang to the wider US-led "war on terror".Earlier this month, China had put Mr Mahsum's name at the head of its...

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, DEC 15, SPA(Saudi Press Agency) -- A top Pakistani general has held meetings with Egyptian General Commander of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production Field Marshal Hussein Tantaway and Chief of Army Staff General Hawdy Wekaiba besides other senior officials, in Cairo, an official statement said. Vice Chief of Army Staff General Mohammad Yousuf Khan is presently on a visit to Egypt for holding talks on bilateral issues of defense cooperation. Khan's visit to Egypt precedes the formal yearly meeting of the Joint Military Cooperation Commission (JMCC) scheduled in January next year. The meeting...

WARPLANES: MiG-29s Battle F-15s Over Sardinia November 22, 2003: Last September, at the NATO training base in Sardinia, German MiG-29s fought simulated air battles with Israeli F-15Is (similar to two seater U.S. F-15Es) and single seat F-15Ds. The agile MiG-29s, with their "see and shoot" helmet systems, fought the well trained Israeli pilots to a draw. The German MiG-29 pilots are probably the best to ever fly that type of aircraft, as the Germans get much more air time than any other nation using the MiG-29. The Germans also brought along some of their F-4Fs, which were able to down...

India, US to hold larger joint military exercises Press Trust of IndiaNew Delhi, December 10 India and United States have agreed to hold joint exercises on a bigger scale next year as part of measures to enhance military to military level cooperation between the two countries.The decision to have larger scale exercises was taken at the eighth meeting of Indo-US army executive steering group which met at Southern Army Command headquarters at Pune on Tuesday and Wednesday, an army spokesman in New Delhi.Prior to the actual deliberations, the visiting US army delegation led by Lt Gen James L Campbell, Commanding...

MANILA: The Philippines and the United States on Wednesday began a 10-day joint naval exercise from a former US base, officials said. Both countries have about 1,400 sailors, marines and coast guard forces each participating in the exercise that will culminate in a mock amphibious assault, US military spokeswoman Leslie Hull-Ryde said at a press briefing at the former Subic base. Most of the training will take place at sea with the main focus on readiness for disaster relief efforts, she said. Five US ships and five Philippine ships are participating. Philippine military spokesman Lt Col Danilo Servando said US...

<p>Japan's navy began a major annual training exercise on Friday, including joint maneuvers with the U.S. Navy, mobilizing as many as 25,000 personnel, 80 ships and 170 aircraft around Japanese shores.</p> <p>During the 10-day maneuvers -- the largest this year -- the Maritime Self-Defense Force also will be joined by the Navy's Seventh Fleet to simulate anti-submarine, air defense and anti-ship warfare, according to Japan's Defense Agency.</p>

From correspondents in Manila October 27, 2003 NINE hundred United States marines were due to arrive in the Philippines next week for two weeks of joint manoeuvres, the Philippine military said today. The exercises, to be held at a former US air force base north of Manila, would begin on Monday and involve 800 Filipino troops. The Philippines is a staunch ally of the US in its global war on terrorism, and the exercises are part of President George W Bush's military aid package.

By Maj. James Law, USAF, and MSgt. Michael Farris, USAFStory and photos by Col. Steven B. Sboto, USA A mock terrorist jungle hideout in Mizoram, India. At a remote jungle hideout in Northeast India, “mock terrorists” hold five “role-play” civilian hostages. Combined Indian and U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) have formed a Joint Action Group (JAG) to raid the mock terrorist camp, rescue the hostages, and capture the terrorist leader. The terrorists have a heavily protected hideout and local security patrols. The Indian-U.S. JAG, however, has credible intelligence on terrorist operational procedures and the hideout’s layout. After boarding Indian...

Chinese, Pakistani naval forces conduct joint exercise SHANGHAI, Oct. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese and Pakistani warships carried out a joint rescue exercise Wednesday off the coast of the biggest city of China in the East China Sea. This was the first time for the Chinese naval forces to conduct a joint exercise with their foreign counterpart in a non-traditional security field. The exercise, code-named Dolphin 0310, was launched early in the afternoon in Shanghai, involving one Pakistani destroyer and asupply ship as well as a frigate and a supply ship on the Chinese side. The exercise was carried out against...

Indo-US Joint Naval exercises concludes off Kochi coast Press Trust of IndiaKochi, October 8 The three-day biggest ever Indo-US bilateral naval exercises off the ala coast, in which a nuclear submarine from the US Navy's seventh fleet participated for the first time, concluded on Wednesday evening.A variety of exercises of Anti-submarine warfare, Anti-air and Anti-surface warfare was held during the exercises, which began on October 6.Besides the Los Angeles class nuclear submarine USS Pasadena, two guided missile cruisers-- USS Chosin and USS Fitzgerald, an auxilary ship SS Chesapeake and P-3C Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft of the US navy participated in...

U.S. Marines put Mongolian Armed Forces to the test last week during the final training phase of Khaan Quest ’03 in Five Hills, Mongolia. First Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment Marines set up a simulated logistics base for Mongolian forces to run from Sept. 13-15, according to a Marine Corps news release. They were also put through a mobility exercise to prepare for a February deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “We have specifically been showing the Mongolians how to do vehicle checkpoints and personnel checkpoints,” battalion operations chief Master Sgt. Robert Lowery said in the release. “We...

Mongolia, US hold joint military exercises ------------------------------------------ www.chinaview.cn 2003-09-14 20:41 ULAN BATOR, September 14 (Xinhuanet) -- About 50 US marines arrived in Mongolia and held joint field exercises with Mongolian troops, reported the UB Post paper on Sunday. The joint exercises, named The Khaan Quest 2003, were held at the Tavantolgoi training center, about 40 kilometers west of Ulan Bator. The exercises were mainly intended for US army training Mongolian troops in peacekeeping operations, reported the UB Post. About 200 Mongolian military servicemen left for Iraq at the end of last month, and the second group of the same number...

The first exercise of a new security alliance, including Britain, intended to intercept weapons of mass destruction on the high seas was attacked as a "US provocation" by North Korea yesterday. Exercise Pacific Protector culminated in a two-and-a-half-hour chase across the Coral Sea, east of Australia, and the capture of a United States naval vessel masquerading as a freighter carrying chemical weapons. Ten armed and masked men from the Japanese coastguard slipped down a rope from a helicopter on to the deck of the US navy support ship Private Franklin J Phillips. They were helped, watched and monitored by their...

Saudi Foreign Minister / Press Conference: Activate Arab League Against Israel [IMRA: The Saudis, who earlier held a joint airforce exercise with Egypt, now refuses to move its American made jets from Tabuk - near the Israeli border. The jets were supplied with the understanding that they would not be deployed near Israel.. While the Bush team has found the time to press Israel both in public and behind the scenes regarding Arafat's fate, there is no indication that they have done anything to address the jets challenge.] http://www.sana.org/english/headlines/13-9/saudi_foreign_minister.htm Riyadh / Sep.13 ( SANA-Official Syrian News Agency ) Saudi Foreign...

AARON FAVILA Associated Press SUBIC, Philippines - About 1,500 U.S. Marines arrived aboard three ships at a former American naval base Sunday for a weeklong exercise to bolster regional security, officials said. Their arrival at Subic Bay, northwest of Manila, is part of a series of planned bilateral military drills and is not connected with President Bush's visit next month, the officials said. "This is a regular exercise in preparation for any future contingency," Philippine navy Cdr. Geronimo Malabanan said. The United States has been working closely with the 120,000-strong Philippine military, which has been battling Muslim separatists and communist...

SEOUL, Sept 14 (AFP) - North Korea on Saturday condemned US-led exercises aimed at stemming the trade in weapons of mass destruction as a "blatant military provocation". The United States, Japan, Australia and France took part in the simulated pursuit and boarding of a vessel carrying illicit weapons in the Coral Sea off Australia's east coast this weekend. The manoeuvre has been interpreted as a veiled warning to North Korea, which is believed to make about a billion dollars a year in arms trading to prop up its collapsed economy. "Such moves of the United States are blatant military provocations...

LEH: Admitting that Chinese patrols do come across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region, a top army official has ruled out any "turbulence" on the India-China border in Jammu and Kashmir. "The Chinese Army is indeed under- taking patrols across Line of Actual Control in Ladakh due to difference of perception of real LAC in the past," Lt Gen Arvind Sharma GOC of the Leh-based strategic 14 Corps told reporters here yesterday. Sharma, who heads the world's most sensitive corps sharing bor- ders with China and Pakistan strategically, said "there are certain areas of difference the way...

<p>The Pentagon has quietly canceled an upcoming military exercise with Israel. Some senior officials say he move signals part of an effort to distance the U.S. military from the Israeli armed forces during the current crisis in the Middle East.</p>

Allies Show Off Maritime Security Skills Sunday September 14, 2003 1:09 AM By MIKE CORDER Associated Press Writer ON BOARD HMAS SUCCESS (AP) - Japanese coast guardsmen slid down ropes from a helicopter to a cargo ship Saturday, during a high seas exercise showing rogue nations that the world is serious about preventing the transport of weapons of mass destruction. The maneuvers on the Coral Sea allowed the United States, Japan and Australia to fine tune moves to intercept ships suspected of carrying the deadly armaments. The exercises served as a special warning to North Korea and Iran because of...

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - The first international air and naval exercise in a U.S.-led plan to stamp out global trade in weapons of mass destruction began Saturday off Australia's northeast coast, as North Korea branded the drill a "military provocation." The 11-nation operation, dubbed Exercise Pacific Protector, is the first by the signatories to the Proliferation Security Initiative proposed by President Bush in May to stop illegal weapons shipments by air, land or sea. About 800 military and security personnel - as well as aircraft and ships - from Australia, the United States, Japan and France are involved in the...