Latest news with #BorderGuards
Egypt Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Photos: Egypt's Border Guards seize drone after foiling cross-border drug smuggling attempt
CAIRO – 24 May 2025: Border Guards have seized control of a drone that crossed into Egyptian territory, thwarting an attempt by criminals to smuggle drugs, announced Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman Gharib Abdel Hafez on Saturday. The Border Guards also apprehended several individuals in possession of various types of weapons and ammunition as part of efforts to combat threats to national security. In addition, they seized quantities of narcotics, including hashish, hydro, opium, and illegal pills, during security checks on ferries, tunnels, and various roads. The Border Guard forces continue their 24/7 security and inspection operations, conducting patrols and raids to prevent any attempts that threaten the security and stability of Egyptian society, the spokesman emphasized.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
What we know about the UK-EU e-passport plan
Travel Correspondent The UK government says a new deal with the EU will allow British travellers to use more e-gates at European airports, reducing wait times. Currently, UK passport holders face longer queues than EU citizens due to additional checks and stamping requirements. The proposed solution involves expanding the use of e-gates, either dedicated ones for third-country nationals or allowing UK citizens to use existing EU e-gates with subsequent checks by border guards. The expansion of e-gates was already underway, and it does not mean UK travellers will be rejoining the fast-track passport queues. The EU 's new entry-exit system, set to launch in October, will initially increase processing times for non- EU citizens but may eventually lead to smoother travel once fully operational. The 90-day rule for UK travellers remains unchanged.
Saudi Gazette
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Saudi Gazette
Border Guards in Qunfudhah rescue 10 Egyptians after their boat runs aground
Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Search and rescue teams from the Border Guards in the Qunfudhah governorate in the Makkah Region have rescued 10 Egyptian residents after their boat ran aground on coral reefs off the coast in the Red Sea. The rescue teams provided them with the necessary assistance. The General Directorate of Border Guards called on the public to comply with the maritime safety guidelines, including monitoring weather conditions, and ensuring the seaworthiness of vessels before sailing. It also urged to call over the number 911 in the regions of Makkah and the Eastern Province or 994 in the rest of the Kingdom's regions in case of emergency.
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Forbes
Unique Ukrainian Drone Bomber Mission Rescues Prisoners
Still from the drone video showing Ukrainian captives led by a Russian soldier under trees Ukrainian drone operators carried out an unusual rescue mission recently, using precision strikes to free three soldiers who had been taken captive. A video of the operation makes interesting viewing, showing how the drone operators carried out a mission remotely which would previously have needed boots on the ground. Clearly this particular operation was cherry-picked for propaganda purposes and shows a 'best case' outcome, but it gives a valuable glimpse into the current state of the art of multi-drone close-quarter action. The mission is described in a news release from Ukraine's Border Guards, credited to Roman Tkach, press officer for the Sumy border detachment. He states it took place 'the other day' in the Sumy region. 'Border patrol operators of reconnaissance drones discovered an enemy group with three captured Ukrainian defenders,' according to Tkach. The video from a recon drone shows the group moving through light forest in single file, with three Russian soldiers leading, followed by the three prisoners, with two more Russians bringing up the rear. Because of the spring foliage individuals can only be seen intermittently through the greenery. The drones have thermal imagers as well as daylight cameras, and these can see through leaves to some degree, but cannot distinguish uniforms or whether somneone is armed. 'To help the border guards, to intercept and destroy the enemy, several UAV crews of the 1st Separate Tank Siversk Brigade immediately flew out,' states Tkach. Thermal imaging view as a drone-dropped grenade falls towards a Russian sheltering under a tree The drone operators carried out a joint operation, with the Border Guards scout drones guiding the Tank Brigade team's light bombers. These appear to be Mavic-type drones armed with hand grenades. 'They managed to separate the enemy from Ukrainian soldiers and force the enemy to flee with the help of [grenade] drops. The drops were so accurate that the enemy had no chance, he left the prisoners and retreated,' states Tkach. We see six grenades dropped. The time taken to fall, of 4-5 seconds, suggests they are being dropped from 250-400 feet, and land a few feet from the aim point. One Russian appears to be injured. While hand grenades like the F1 and the M67 were commonly dropped from drones early on in the war they have now been largely superseded by purpose-made munitions. As soon as the grenades start coming down, the men below start running and taking cover. At some point (1:30 on this video) the captives make a break for it and run away, presumably towards Ukrainian lines. A Russian soldier holds on to a tree to avoid drone bombs We get a zoomed-in close-up from vertically above a Russian solder, who is clinging to a tree (at 2:16 in this video). He knows that the trees gives some cover from observation, and the branches can deflect or prematurely explode falling grenades. When the drone drops a grenade, he must hear it coming down through the tree, as he runs away and escapes just before it hits. The Russians are now separated from their prisoners, and we a different type of drone in action, a heavy bomber or Baba Yaga, normally flown at night. This has a munitions display showing how many of its weapons have been used and the falling bombs are visibly larger, being converted mortar bombs or purpose-designed antipersonnel weapons. Thermal imaging view from a from the heavy drone bomber during the rescue 'The Russians were destroyed,' claims Tkach. It is not possible to confirm this from the video, but given that the survivors are being pursued by several drones which do not seem to have any difficulty following them, it is plausible. Meanwhile the escapees are being led to safety by a reconnaissance drone. We can see the navigation lights being turned on and off as a 'follow me' signal, and the soldiers are guided along a path to a wooden bridge. This technique has previously been used the other way, with 'non-contact surrenders' of Russians mediated by drones leading them to Ukrainian lines. Drone operations often require an extended planning process with targets precisely located and units assigned specific roles well in advance. Given the timing, this one seems to have been carried out on the fly, with at least four drones of three different types of drone operated by two different units. This suggests a high degree of professionalism and co-ordination. The speed of the drones also means they were able to intercept the moving group when a ground-based unit would have been too slow. The escaped Ukrainians (at top left) are led to safety The Russians clearly lack effective counter-drone armament. They do not even try to shoot down the drones bombing them. This seems to be typical. Hitting a small drone with an automatic rifle is challenging and makes the shooter an obvious target. A shotgun may be useful against FPVs at close range, but not so much against a bomber, especially through foliage. Portable 'trench jammers' effective against FPV attack drones typically have a range of 100 yards of less. That is enough to make the FPV operator lose control of their drone and force a miss. But it is not effective against a drone which can drop bombs from an altitude of more than 300 feet. More powerful jammers are available, but typically too heavy to be portable, especially with enough batteries for prolonged operations. Russian forces also have some radio-frequency anti drone guns, but these are rare, and their effectiveness is questionable. There is more than one video of a Russian pointing such a weapon at a drone with no effect right up until impact. Ukrainian DJI Mavic 3 used as a bomber with two improvised munitions On the other hand, anti-personnel drone bombing is, so to speak, a matter or hit-and-miss. It takes a lot of grenades to ensure a kill, but then this has always been true. The U.S. produced more than 50 million hand grenades in WWII, many times the number of German soldiers killed. FPVs may be more effective than 'drop drones' on a per-sortie basis, but drones which can return again and again may be more effective over the long run. Ukrainian drone unit Birds of Magyar say that their bombers carry out an average of 69 sorties before being lost. They can hit targets with greater precision than mortars or artillery and can keep attacking for as long as they have ammunition. This was a bold mission which could easily have gone wrong. There are numerous cases of Russians summarily executing Ukrainian PoWs, and after coming under attack the captors might have decided that shooting the prisoners was safer than guarding them. But the Ukrainians made the right call and rescued the captives. Ukraine is looking to increasing the number of drones and robots at the front line, keeping their human operators back out of danger. This example shows that even with existing technology, complex and demanding missions can be successfully executed from a distance.
Jordan Times
05-04-2025
- Jordan Times
Army foils drug smuggling, infiltration attempts
The Eastern Military Zone personnel thwart a narcotics smuggling operation along the eastern border with Syria (Petra photo) AMMAN — The Eastern Military Zone personnel on Saturday thwarted a narcotics smuggling operation along the eastern border with Syria. The source noted that Border Guards intercepted an attempt to smuggle large quantities of narcotics into the Kingdom, according to a Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) statement. "The contraband was seized and handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation," he said. Also on Saturday, the Southern Military Zone foiled a narcotics smuggling attempt using a drone on its western front. "Border Guards swiftly detected and tracked the drone, applying the rules of engagement." The drone was intercepted and brought down within the Jordanian territory, and the seized materials were handed over to relevant authorities. The source reaffirmed that the JAF remains steadfast in preventing infiltration and smuggling attempts, ensuring the security and stability of the Kingdom, another JAF statement said. Meanwhile on Friday, The Northern Military Zone thwarted an infiltration attempt by an individual attempting to illegally cross into Jordan from Syria, JAF added. The source added that Border Guards applied the rules of engagement, resulting in the arrest of the suspect during the attempted border breach, adding that the individual was subsequently transferred to relevant authorities for further investigation. Also on Friday, personnel of the Royal Jordanian Navy foiled an infiltration attempt into Jordan's territorial waters. The Maritime Operations Centre detected an individual attempting to swim illegally into Jordanian waters, the source said, adding that rapid-response naval boats were dispatched immediately, apprehending the individual and transferring him to the relevant authorities, the army said.
