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Iran Army Drills

The Iranian Army’s Ground Forces have launched a massive drill in the country’s northwestern region, near the border with Azerbaijan.

The drills, codenamed ‘Conquerors of Khaybar’, kicked off earlier on Friday. Artillery, drone, and electronic warfare units with aerial support from the army’s Airborne Division are participating in the exercise. Army Ground Force Commander, Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari is leading the drills. He says the purpose of the maneuver is to clear the area of Daesh terrorists who flocked to the region during last year’s Azerbaijan-Armenia war. He added, Iran also does NOT tolerate the presence of Israeli elements in the region.

US military suicide

An annual Pentagon report shows the suicide rate among US military personnel increased by over 41-percent between 2015 and 2020. 

According to data from the report, there was an increase of over 15-percent suicide rate among active duty service members from 2018 to 2020. The figure is alarming for National Guard members that increased by nearly 32-percent in 2020. The report suggests that some 580 members of the military, including active duty, reserves and National Guard members committed suicide last year alone. In a statement, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin called the findings troubling, adding that the trends are not going in the right direction. The document shows many of those committed suicide had returned from combat missions such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Senior military figures say suicides remain a significant challenge for the army.

Ethiopia US

Ethiopia has asked seven senior UN officials to leave the country, accusing them of meddling in its internal affairs. 
In a statement, the foreign ministry said UN officials, including the local head of the UN children's agency have been declared persona non grata. It said, all of them must leave the Ethiopia within the next 72 hours.

The UN Chief has expressed shock over the decision, which has also ratcheted up worries about the humanitarian response to the war-torn Tigray region. The Security Council is set to hold a closed-door meeting over the issue. The expulsions come ahead of a new government formation by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed next week. Ethiopia's Tigray region has been mired in conflict since November, when Abiy sent troops there. In July, the UN warned that 400-thousand people in Tigray had crossed the threshold into famine.
 

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