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Tag: drones

  • Govt deploys drones, military to combat Walewale highway attacks 

    Govt deploys drones, military to combat Walewale highway attacks 

    Government has intensified security efforts along the Walewale-Bolgatanga Highway by deploying military personnel and drones to curb rising attacks on passenger buses.

    Minister for the Interior, Mr. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, made this known in Parliament on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, while responding to concerns raised by the Member of Parliament for Walewale regarding escalating robberies and vehicle burnings in the North East Region.

    According to Mr. Muntaka Mubarak, although Walewale has seen a steady decline in armed robbery cases—from 30 incidents in 2022 to 18 in 2024—the attacks targeting passenger buses remain a pressing concern.

    He linked the recent surge in highway violence to the ongoing Bawku chieftaincy conflict, explaining that the unrest was spilling over into surrounding areas and contributing to insecurity along the route.

    To address the situation, the government imposed a curfew on Walewale and its environs on February 15, 2025, while also reinforcing security operations in the area.

    In addition to the military deployment, extra police officers have been dispatched from Tamale to support the Walewale District Command. The government has also increased logistical support, including the provision of more patrol vehicles.

    Furthermore, three police bases have been established in Walewale, Janga, and Gombiliga, each manned by 30 officers to enhance security patrols. To protect traders, police escorts have been introduced for market women traveling to and from Walewale’s markets.

    Despite these interventions, Mr. Muntaka Mubarak acknowledged that no arrests had been made in connection with this year’s robbery incidents. He noted that tracking suspects had been challenging due to the widespread use of motorbikes in the area but remained optimistic about the impact of the new surveillance measures.

    “I will continue engaging the police, and with drone surveillance now in place, I believe we will see improvements. But as of now, I have no information on arrests,” he said.

    Authorities remain hopeful that these enhanced security measures will restore safety along the highway and deter further attacks.

  • No drone flights during Mahama’s presidential inauguration – National Security Ministry

    No drone flights during Mahama’s presidential inauguration – National Security Ministry

    The Ministry of National Security has announced a complete ban on drone operations during President-elect John Mahama’s inauguration ceremony on January 7, 2025, at the Black Star Square in Accra.

    In a statement released on Thursday, January 2, the Ministry emphasized that the restriction applies to all types of drones, including both recreational and commercial devices, as part of enhanced security protocols for the high-profile event.

    “The restriction is essential to maintain a secure environment during the inauguration,” the statement noted, stressing the need to safeguard dignitaries, guests, and the public attending the ceremony.

    The Ministry further appealed to drone operators to comply with the directive and avoid flying drones in restricted areas during the event.

    Reassuring the public of its commitment to safety, the Ministry stated, “We are committed to providing a safe and secure atmosphere for the inauguration,” and urged full cooperation from citizens with the implemented security measures.

  • Drones disrupt efforts to contain wildfires close to Fort McMurray

    Drones disrupt efforts to contain wildfires close to Fort McMurray

    A warning was given on Sunday for the small town of Saprae Creek Estates in northern Alberta. It is located southeast of Fort McMurray.

    The Alberta Emergency Alert was sent out at 3:50 pm to warn people in the hamlet about a wildfire that could come towards their community.

    Everyone in the area was told to be prepared to leave quickly if needed.

    “If you live in Saprae Creek Estates, be aware and do what emergency workers tell you,” the message said.

    A couple of hours later, the RCMP said that drones flying near the fire were getting in the way of the firefighters trying to put out the fire.

    The police said that the drones were stopping the helicopters from fighting the fire.

    The RCMP said that this behavior is a big problem for public safety because helicopters are very important for fighting fires and keeping them from spreading. “Please stop flying drones near forest fires and anywhere helicopters are flying. ”

    In Canada, only drone pilots with permission can fly over a forest fire or within 9. 3 kilometers of a forest fire. Not doing what you’re supposed to could result in getting fined or going to jail.

    At 7:15 pm, the Alberta Wildfire dashboard showed a big fire burning southeast of the community, just west of the Christina River.

    Saprae Creek Estates is about 25 kilometers to the southeast of Fort McMurray.

  • Monitoring 2024 elections with drones is baseless – Kabila to NDC

    Monitoring 2024 elections with drones is baseless – Kabila to NDC

    A member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) James Kwabena Bomfeh popularly known as Kabila, has rubbished the decision by the National Democratic (NDC) to monitor the 2024 elections with drones.


    Speaking on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrookoo’ morning show Kabila, explained that flying drones on an election ground in a quest to monitor the procedures could incite chaos if other political parties decide to follow suit.

    He questioned if the NDC party does not have confidence in its agents that will be present on the day of election.


    Kabila advised the NDC to allow its representatives and the Electoral Commission (EC), to conduct free and fair elections.

    “What will be the essence of flying drones on election grounds? Kwame there’s one State security agency, security and intelligence agency. We can’t have a parallel security intelligence agency. If there’s any monitoring to be done by citizens. A political party cannot just wake up and do that on their own. If you go and do it and another party follows suit, it won’t go well.

    “It could cause chaos. Are the party agents enough to monitor or they don’t trust them,” he added.
    Kabila’s comment comes after the NDC indicated that it will employ drones to monitor the upcoming December 7 polls specifically, in the Greater Accra Region.


    According to the Regional Chairman of the party, Ashie Moore, this is to safeguard the security of over two million votes for the NDC, and enhance surveillance mechanisms to avoid any potential irregularities.

    Mr Moore added that comprehensive plans are already in progress, including the training of personnel designated to operate the drones.
    Meanwhile, the flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, has emphasized the need for heightened vigilance among party members in Accra.
    During his ‘Building Ghana Tour’ in Accra, Mahama attributed the NDC’s loss in the 2020 elections to various irregularities.

    He urged executives to carefully select capable agents to represent the party during the polls.

  • We will not infringe on voters’ privacy by using drones – NDC tells EC

    We will not infringe on voters’ privacy by using drones – NDC tells EC

    Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has reassured the Electoral Commission (EC) that the drones the party plans to use for monitoring the upcoming general election will not violate voters’ privacy.

    The Electoral Commission has expressed concern, stating that the use of drones would infringe on voters’ electoral privacy and breach security protocols.

    However, Gbande emphasized that the party would strictly adhere to all electoral rules by flying the drones outside the voting perimeter. He emphasized that this measure is aimed at contributing to a free and fair election process.

    Gbande made these remarks during an interview on JoyNews’ Election Brief on March 12.

    “My assurance to the Electoral Commission is that the drone strategy in the Greater Accra region will not include the voting and polling station perimeters, where nobody is supposed to walk or move within.

    “When you go to a voting centre or a polling station, there is a certain perimeter that is cordoned that no one is supposed to move.

    “The purposes of having that perimeter is for the safety of the voter and then the assurance of secrecy of the voting process. They can be rest assured that it will not affect the perimeter of voting,” he said.

    Mr. Gbande emphasized that the party’s preparations are based on lessons learned from the 2020 elections. He stated that in the upcoming polls, the drones will be used to detect any electoral misconduct.

    “Beyond that, we can even monitor when people are using election materials. We were in this country in 2020 when they printed excess ballot papers. We knew that. So if we intend to monitor even the EC’s activity going into 2024 to ensure that nobody moves fake materials into any area for the purposes of rigging an election, we believe it is our strategy and it does not flout any law,” he added.

    The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC added that the drone will only be deployed in the Greater Accra region.

  • US destroyer destroys drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen

    US destroyer destroys drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen

    The United States military ship destroyed drones and a missile launched by rebels from Yemen in the Red Sea. The Indian navy also released pictures of the ship fighting a fire on a container ship that was targeted by the rebels.

    The attack on Tuesday was aimed at the USS Carney, a type of warship called an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. This ship has been helping the United States in their fight against rebels who are fighting against Israel in the Gaza Strip.

    The Houthi attack used drones with bombs and one missile against a ship, according to the U. SThe military’s Central Command stated.

    The United States of America Later, they used an airstrike to destroy three missiles meant for attacking ships and three drone boats carrying bombs, according to Central Command.

    Brig – person with a high rank in the military. Decode this text. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, admitted the attack, but said their forces aimed at two American warships without giving more details.

    The Houthis say they will keep fighting until the attack stops and the blockade on the Palestinian people in Gaza ends.

    Saree did not recognize the U. SAirplanes dropping bombs on targets. The Houthis have not said how much damage the American-led strikes have caused them since January, but they have mentioned that at least 22 of their fighters have died.

    Since November, the rebels have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and nearby waters because of the Israel-Hamas war. Some ships have carried things to Iran and the Houthis, and one ship carried aid to an area controlled by the Houthis.

    Even though the United States and its allies have been bombing for over a month and a half, the Houthi rebels are still able to carry out big attacks. Last month, a cargo ship called the Rubymar sank after being attacked and a drone worth a lot of money was also shot down.

    At the same time, the Indian navy shared a video of its sailors from the INS Kolkata battling a fire on the MSC Sky II ship. The ship was attacked by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. Smoke came out of a container on the ship, and there were burn marks from a missile hit by the Houthi.

    The Mediterranean Shipping Co. , a company from Switzerland, said a missile hit the ship while it was going from Singapore to Djibouti.

    The missile started a small fire, but it has been put out and no one was hurt, the company explained.

  • US says that Russia and Iran are heading toward a ‘full defense partnership’

    White House has reported that Russia and Iran are forming a full-fledged defense alliance to support Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.

    John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, claimed that Russia is once more looking to Iran to replenish the Russian military with drones and surface-to-surface missiles.

    “Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a fully-fledged defence partnership,” Mr Kirby said.

    “I think it’s important for us to be clear this partnership poses a threat not just to Ukraine, but to Iran’s neighbours in the region.”

    Concerns about new weapon sales to Russia come after Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russian over the summer.

    The Biden administration recently unveiled sanctions against Iranian firms and entities involved in the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia for use in Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

    In October, the White House accused Tehran of sending Iranian troops to Crimea to support Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s power stations and other key infrastructure,

    The White House and British government said the relatively small number of Iranian personnel deployed to Crimea, a part of Ukraine unilaterally annexed by Russia in contravention of international law in 2014, were there to assist Russian troops in launching Iranian-made drones against Ukraine.

    “Supports flowing both ways,” said Mr Kirby.

    “Russia is seeking to collaborate with Iran on areas like weapons development and trade. As part of this collaboration, we are concerned that Russia intends to provide Iran with advanced military components.”

     

     

  • Azerbaijan arrests five people accused of spying for Iran

    Baku says the five Azerbaijani nationals had been gathering information about the military and its drones.

    Azerbaijan has arrested five of its nationals for spying for Iran after a rise in tensions between the neighbours, which regard each other with mutual suspicion.

    The announcement of the arrests came on Monday after Baku and Tehran accused each other last week of hostile rhetoric.

    Baku’s security services said the arrests were made as part of “measures aimed at countering intelligence-disruptive activities carried out by Iranian secret services against Azerbaijan”.

    It said the five people had been gathering information about the military, including the procurement of Israeli and Turkish drones and the country’s energy infrastructure.

    Earlier this month, the Baku authorities arrested 17 men they said belonged to an “illegal armed group set up by Iran on Azerbaijani territory”.

    ‘Threatening rhetoric’

    On Friday, Azerbaijan summoned the Iranian ambassador to complain about “threatening rhetoric” coming from Tehran.

    The day before, the Iranian foreign ministry had handed Azerbaijan’s envoy a note of protest over “anti-Iran” comments by Baku officials.

    Iran, home to millions of ethnic Azerbaijanis, has long accused its smaller northern neighbour of fuelling separatist sentiment on its territory.

    Baku has also been angered by its ambitions to set up a transport link along the Armenian-Iranian border, which would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhichevan and Turkey.

    Baku wants to limit Armenian jurisdiction over the so-called Zangezur land corridor, a project that would end its dependence on Iran for access to the Nakhichevan exclave.

    The exclave is separated from Azerbaijan by the Armenian region of Zangezur.

    The issue has emerged as the primary sticking point between Azerbaijan and Armenia, who fought two wars – in the 1990s and in 2020 – over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region to the east of Zangezur.

    “Iran will not permit the blockage of its connection route with Armenia,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in October.

    He said that “to secure that objective”, Iran had staged large-scale military drills in October on its border with Azerbaijan.

    Relations between Baku and Tehran have been traditionally sour, as Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan is a close ally of Iran’s rival Turkey.

    Iran is also suspicious of Azerbaijan’s military cooperation with Israel – a significant arms supplier to Baku – saying Tel-Aviv could potentially use Azerbaijani territory as a bridgehead against Iran.

    Source: Aljazeera.com 

  • Ukraine: Iran will supply Russia with over 200 drones this month

    Ukraine’s defence ministry has announced, Iran intends to send over 200 drones to Russia at the start of this month.

    The ministry said the drones include the Iranian-made Shahed-136, dubbed “kamikaze drones” because they fly at a target and detonate, plus the Mohajer-6 and Arash-2s.

    It added: “It is known that the UAVs will be delivered via the Caspian Sea to the port of Astrakhan. Drones will arrive in a disassembled state. In the future, on the territory of the Russian Federation, they will be collected, repainted, and applied with Russian markings, in particular.”

    Shahed-136 drone

    Ukraine claims Russia has already used more than 400 “kamikaze drones” for its war in Ukraine, despite initially denying this was the case.

    It is thought Vladimir Putin may have ordered as many as 2,400.

    While Iran has continuously denied supplying Russia with Iranian-made drones, the UK and other Western allies have condemned their actions.

     

  • Iranians demonstrate in Kyiv against the delivery of drones to Russia

    Iranians, who live in Ukraine, have been pictured protesting against Iran’s government and deliveries of Iranian drones to Russia, in Kyiv.

    Protesters held signs featuring pictures of Iran’s leader and Russia’s president, alongside the Ukrainian flag.


    Iranian-made drones have been used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine.

    However, Iran has denied Ukrainian and Western accusations that it is supplying drones to Russia.

    Source:Skynews.com

     

  • Ukrainian minister has demanded that Iran stop supplying weapons to Russia

    Ukrainianian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had received a call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday.

    Within it, Mr Kuleba said he had demanded that Tehran stop sending weapons to Russia.

    Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Iran of sending “kamikaze” drones to Russia – which have then been used to devastating effect.

    Iran denies the charge, which relates to attacks in major Ukrainian cities.

    “I demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” he saidUkrainian minister demands Iran stop ‘supplying weaponry to Russia’
    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had received a call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday.

    Within it, Mr Kuleba said he had demanded that Tehran stop sending weapons to Russia.

    Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Iran of sending “kamikaze” drones to Russia – which have then been used to devastating effect.

    Iran denies the charge, which relates to attacks in major Ukrainian cities.

    “I demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” he said

    Source: Skynews.com 

     

  • Ukraine war: In two days, Russia deploys dozens of drones – Zelensky

    President Volodymyr Zelensky says, Russia has launched over 30 drone attacks on Ukraine in just two days.

    He went on to say that Moscow had carried out 4,500 missile strikes and over 8,000 air raids in total.

    Mr Zelensky, speaking from Kyiv and standing next to what appeared to be a downed Iranian Shahed drone, pledged to “clip the wings” of Moscow’s air power.

    Western officials believe Iran has supplied a large number of drones to Russia, but Moscow and Tehran deny it.

    It comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Russia’s aggressive use of drones “appalling”.

    The top US diplomat accused Russian commanders of using the devices to “kill Ukrainian civilians and destroy the infrastructure they rely on for electricity, for water, for heat” during a visit to the Canadian capital Ottawa.

    “Canada and the United States will keep working with our allies and partners to expose, to deter, and to counter Iran’s provision of these weapons,” Mr Blinken said.

    In recent weeks, Russian attacks have targeted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, damaging the country’s electricity and water supply just as temperatures begin to drop.

    Western countries say Iran is supplying its domestically developed drones to Moscow and that Iranian military experts are on the ground in Russian-occupied Crimea to provide technical support to pilots.

    Kyiv has identified the drones used in some attacks on its infrastructure as Iranian Shahed-136 drones. They are known as “kamikaze” drones because they are destroyed in the attack – named after the Japanese fighter pilots who flew suicide missions in World War Two.

    Ukraine says around 400 drones have already been used by Russia, from a total order of roughly 2,000 weapons.

    But Tehran has repeatedly denied that it has struck any arms deal with the Kremlin, and Moscow also denies using Iranian drones.

    On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called the accusations “baseless” and urged Ukraine to “present any evidence supporting the accusations”.

    “If… it becomes clear to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will definitely not be indifferent about this issue,” he added.

    Tehran’s regional adversary, Israel, has also attacked Iran over the alleged exports. During a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, President Isaac Herzog slammed the regime’s activities.

    “The fact that Iran, following its activities in killing its own citizens, in working towards nuclear weapons endlessly, endangering the entire world and the region — and now killing innocent civilians in Ukraine, clearly that gives you a picture of what Iran is all about,” Mr Herzog said.

    Prior to the visit, he had pledged to share “proof” with Mr Biden that Iran was supplying the weapons.

    Meanwhile, US officials have said they will supply Ukraine with an additional $275m (£237m) of military aid, according to the Associated Press.

    The assistance is expected to be used to restock ammunition for Ukrainian artillery systems, including the HIMARS launchers that Kyiv’s forces have used to great effect.

    On the ground, fighting has slowed in recent days, with a much anticipated Ukrainian advance on the southern city of Kherson stalled due to poor weather.

     

  • Reports: Swedish speed cameras are allegedly being utilised in Russian home-built drones

    Reports from a news source indicate that Sweden’s speed cameras are disappearing and ending up in Russian-made drones in Ukraine.

    According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, more than 100-speed cameras have been destroyed and looted around the country since the end of August.

    It is suspected that Russia uses the equipment in drones being deployed in Ukraine.

    Swedish police told the newspaper: “We are aware of rumours that the equipment is being used in Russian home-built drones, but cannot go into detail about our intelligence work.”

    The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has previously posted a video online of a crashed Russian drone being taken apart.

    It showed a Canon camera (similar to that used in Swedish speed cameras) attached to the drone with Velcro.

     

  • US: Iranian drone trainers are assisting Russian soldiers in Crimea

    The US says Iranian military trainers are in Crimea teaching Russian soldiers how to utilise Iranian-made drones to attack targets in Ukraine.

    “We can confirm that Russian military personnel based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs and using them to conduct kinetic strikes across Ukraine, including in strikes against Kyiv in recent days,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price told a daily briefing with reporters.

    “We assess that … Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations,” Price said.

    He added “we do have credible information,” but did not provide evidence.

     

  • Ukrainian military: 37 Russian drones have been destroyed since Sunday

    Ukraine’s military says to have destroyed 37 Russian drones since Sunday evening, accounting for around 85 percent of aircraft participating in the strikes.

    Russian drone strikes killed at least three civilians in central Kyiv early Monday.

    The airstrikes came exactly one week after Russia unleashed its heaviest aerial bombardment on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities since the start of the war.

     

  • Zipline medical drones deployed to flood-affected areas of the North

    The General Manager of Zipline Ghana, Mr Daniel Marfo has disclosed that drones carrying essential medical supplies have been deployed to flood-prone communities in Northern Ghana.

    Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the Vobsi medical drone delivery Centre, Mr Marfo said Zipline is using that facility to deliver essential medical supplies to health facilities in some of the Northern belt areas of Ghana.

    “Several other communities such as Sakogu and Fumbisi, who during the rainy season have no access to medicines because of the state of their roads, for the first time in years, now have access to blood and medical products from our delivery site. As at 12 pm on Saturday, the Vobsi centre had already delivered 40 packages these cut-off areas, for that day only,” Mr Marfo said.

    The Vobsi Centre, which is already in operation was officially commissioned by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Saturday, September 12, 2020.

    Movements in parts of the North East region have been restricted due to floods caused by weeks of torrential rains coupled with the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.

    He also disclosed that Gbintiri and Zorko health centres are two examples of communities which without the services of the Zipline drone would not have access to medical supplies as they have been cut off.

    Mr Marfo also stated that Zipline has delivered a total of 122,000 units of medical commodities, including blood to over 1,000 health facilities across all four distribution centres in the country using the technology.

    The company, he noted, has also delivered COVID-19 samples, sanitizers and PPE to testing centres as well as some health centres in the country during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • Fugitive on run for 17 years found living in cave by a drone

    Chinese police have arrested a fugitive who’d been on the run for 17 years, after they used drones to spot his cave hideout.

    The 63-year old, named Song Jiang by the police, had been jailed for trafficking women and children but escaped from a prison camp in 2002.

    He had been living in a tiny cave cut off from human interaction for years.

    Yongshan police received clues about Song’s whereabouts in early September, they said on their WeChat account.

    Read:China says its drone can hunt like Spiderman

    Those clues led them to the mountains behind his hometown in Yunnan province in south-west China.

    After regular searches failed to find anything, authorities sent additional drones to help the officers.

    The drones eventually spotted a blue-coloured steel tile on a steep cliff as well as traces of household rubbish nearby.

    Police then moved in on foot and found Song in a small cave where he’d been hiding for years.

    Read:Drones hit 2 Saudi Aramco oil facilities, cause fires

    According to the police, the man had been living in seclusion for so long that it was difficult for him to communicate with the officers.

    Can a fugitive remain on the run forever?

    The fugitive caught as he met his wife at airport
    State media said the man had used plastic bottles to get drinking water from a river, and had used branches of trees to make fire.

    He has been sent back to jail.

    Source: bbc.com