Latest news with #IdreesAli
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Pakistan, India close to completing border troop reduction, senior Pakistani general says
By Idrees Ali and Raju Gopalakrishnan SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop build up along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbours this month, a top Pakistani military official told Reuters on Friday, although he warned the crisis had increased the risk of escalation in the future. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire was announced. The spark for the latest fighting between the old enemies was an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. On May 7, India launched missiles at what it said were "terrorist infrastructure" sites across the border and as Pakistan responded with its own attacks, both countries built up additional forces along the frontier. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels. "We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation... we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now," said Mirza, the most senior Pakistani military official to speak publicly since the conflict. India's ministry of defence and the office of the Indian chief of defence staff did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the remarks by Mirza. Mirza, who is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, said while there was no move towards nuclear weapons during this conflict, it was a dangerous situation. "Nothing happened this time," he said. "But you can't rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different." He also said the risk of escalation in the future had increased since the fighting this time was not limited to the disputed territory of Kashmir, the scenic region in the Himalayas that both nations rule in part but claim in full. The two sides attacked military installations in their mainlands but neither has acknowledged any serious damage. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan this month that New Delhi would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border again if there were new attacks on India. 'DANGEROUS TREND' The two countries have fought three major wars, two of them over Kashmir, and numerous armed skirmishes since both were born out of British colonial India in 1947. India blames Pakistan for an insurgency in its part of Kashmir that began in 1989 and has killed tens of thousands. Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination. "This (conflict) lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to (the) whole of India and (the) whole of Pakistan," Mirza said. "This is a very dangerous trend." Reuters has reported that the rapid escalation of hostilities ended in part because of behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving the U.S., India and Pakistan, and the key role played by Washington in brokering peace. India has denied any third-party role in the ceasefire and said that any engagement between India and Pakistan has to be bilateral. But Mirza warned that international mediation might be difficult in the future because of a lack of crisis management mechanisms between the countries. "The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less, and I would say that damage and destruction may take place even before that time window is exploited by the international community," he said. Pakistan was open to dialogue, he added, but beyond a crisis hotline between the directors general of military operations and some hotlines at the tactical level on the border, there was no other communication between the two countries. India's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday "talks and terror don't go together" in response to a question on the possibility of dialogue with Pakistan. Mirza said there were no backchannel discussions, or informal talks, to ease tensions. He also said he had no plans to meet General Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defence staff, who is also in Singapore for the Shangri-La forum. "These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations, on the table. They cannot be resolved on the battlefield," Mirza said.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exclusive-US Army to change transgender soldiers' records to birth sex
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Army will alter the records of transgender soldiers to show only their sex at birth, according to internal guidance seen by Reuters that details a series of steps it will take as it pushes them out of the service. "Commanders will take immediate measures to update personnel records and administrative systems to reflect biological sex for all individuals," the 14-page memo stated. The Army considered a person's sex to be "unchanging during a person's life," it said, echoing a February 26 Pentagon memo. The Army document illustrates how President Donald Trump's administration intends to treat thousands of transgender troops after the Supreme Court's ruling this month cleared the way for the Pentagon to implement a ban on their service. Reuters first reported on May 8 the Pentagon's plans to start kicking out transgender troops who do not elect to leave on their own by June 6. On May 12, it detailed plans to halt gender-affirming healthcare for transgender troops. The Army could not immediately be reached for comment. The Army's latest memo detailed other steps beyond the records change to reflect the soldier's sex at birth, alterations it said would be carried out by the Army's Human Resources Command. The Army document said that pronoun use when referring to individuals "must reflect their biological sex." "In keeping with good order and discipline, salutations (e.g., addressing a senior officer as "sir" or "ma'am")," the document stated. It also stated that access to "intimate spaces" will be determined by an individual's biological sex. "Commanders will ensure all such shared intimate spaces will be clearly designated for either male, female, or family use," the document stated. There are 4,240 U.S. active-duty and National Guard transgender troops, officials have said. Transgender rights advocates have given higher estimates. 'The directives coming out are vindictive and aggressive. At the same time, they are being issued in a chaotic way that undoubtedly is harming military readiness," said Jennifer Levi, a senior director at the pro-LGBTQ legal group GLAD Law. Trump signed an executive order in January, after returning to the presidency, that reversed a policy implemented under his predecessor Joe Biden that had allowed transgender troops to serve openly. A Gallup poll published in February found that 58% of Americans favored allowing openly transgender individuals to serve in the military, but the support had declined from 71% in 2019. A former Fox News host, Hegseth has embraced conservative stances on culture war issues, including eliminating diversity initiatives at the Pentagon.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump, US Army birthday bash plans include 25 Abrams tanks
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twin celebrations of U.S. President Donald Trump's birthday and the Army's 250th anniversary will include as many as 25 tanks rolling through Washington in a celebration that will cost $25 million to $45 million, U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. U.S. military service branches take pride in their history and anniversary celebrations, called birthdays, across the United States and on bases around the world. The U.S. Army had long been planning to move troops and equipment to the National Mall in Washington on June 14 as part of its anniversary celebration. Plans now include a parade since that coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. Two U.S. officials told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, the eventual cost could be as high as $45 million. One of them said the cost included several million dollars more than it would have without a parade. The official added that the Army is planning on sending about two dozen M1 Abrams tanks for the celebration. The officials' latest estimates exclude costs the city of Washington would have to bear, like trash cleanup or road repairs for damage from the heavy tanks. Reuters has previously reported that the plan included more than 6,500 troops, about 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft moving to Washington. Critics have called such a parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially as Trump slashes costs throughout the federal government. During his first administration, Trump ordered the Pentagon to look into a display of military might after a 2017 trip to France where he and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed that country's defense forces marching down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris. That effort would have cost $90 million. Trump ultimately settled for a display of tanks and other armored vehicles during a July Fourth celebration in 2019 in Washington. Military parades in the United States are rare. Other countries usually stage them to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might. In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of President Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US military replaces B-2 bombers that were sent amid Middle East tensions
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is replacing its B-2 bombers with another type of bomber at a base in the Indo-Pacific that was seen as being in an ideal location to operate in the Middle East, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. The Pentagon deployed as many as six B-2 bombers in March to a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, amid a U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen and mounting tensions with Iran. Experts say that this had put the B-2s, which have stealth technology and are equipped to carry the heaviest U.S. bombs and nuclear weapons, in a position to operate in the Middle East. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the B-2 bombers were being replaced by B-52 bombers. The Pentagon said it did not comment on force posture adjustments as a matter of policy. Fresh talks between Iranian and U.S. negotiators to resolve disputes over Tehran's nuclear program ended in Oman on Sunday, with further negotiations planned. The fourth round of talks took place ahead of President Donald Trump's planned visit to the Middle East. Trump, who has threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails, has restored a "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran since returning to the White House in January. Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but ending its enrichment program or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among what the officials have called "Iran's red lines that could not be compromised" in the talks. Additionally, Trump announced last week that a deal had been reached to stop bombing Yemen's Houthi group. The B-2 bombers had been used to carry out strikes against the Iran-backed group.
Reuters
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pentagon upheaval
Follow on Apple or Spotify. Listen on the Reuters app. Pete Hegseth came into the job as U.S. defense secretary vowing reform. The unprecedented staff cuts he says are designed to maximize "strategic readiness" have instead created an air of fear and distrust, according to insiders. Some military experts warn they could handicap operations. Pentagon reporters Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart join the podcast to discuss the state of America's military. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit to opt out of targeted advertising. Further Reading Defense Secretary Hegseth to slash senior-most ranks of military Pentagon chief scraps program from first Trump term to boost women in security Order by Hegseth to cancel Ukraine weapons caught White House off guard US military to start kicking out transgender troops next month
