Af Urur followup – some interesting details
In the course of researching the al-Shabaab attack on Puntland Security Forces at Af Urur on 8 June 2017, a couple of interesting little details emerged.
Why the South African Air Force’s C-47TPs were grounded and why it matters
All eight of the South African Air Force 35 Squadron’s C-47TP transport and maritime surveillance aircraft were grounded for much of 2016, leaving a severe gap in the country’s coverage of its oceans. The cause was the discovery of a corrosion problem in the alloy used for the aircraft’s control cables.
The Strange Tale of the Georgians in the DRC
Evidence from the crash of two MI-24 helicopters in the DRC in January 2017 points to Georgian pilots flying more that simply training missions in the country. ALBERTO FITTARELLI investigates.
Finding Af Urur – Al-Shabaab’s latest target in Puntland
On the morning of 8 June, Al-Shabaab militants attacked a military base at Af Urur in Bari Region in the semi-autonomous Puntland State. Local officials claimed that the militants killed around 38 people, mostly soldiers. Al-Shabaab claimed that it overran the base...
Rethinking South African Arms Sales to the Persian Gulf
With the recent announcement that South Africa intends to sell Iran weaponry worth R1.5 billion, including the Umkhonto surface-to-air missile, the country may contend that it is time to change its foreign military sales policy towards the Persian Gulf region. A Long...
The Kulbiyow attack uncovered
What was the mindset behind the KDF’s blanket denials of the authenticity of the imagery?