At least two Maoists including a woman were gunned down during an exchange of fire with a team of Special Operation Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) in a dense forest in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Thursday.

Based on the tiff off, the security personnel launched combing operation in the forest under Tumudibandha police limits in the district. As the security personnel approached their hideout, the Maoists opened fire and a gun battle ensued, leading to the death of the two rebels.

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Athens has reportedly set its naval fleet to a state of heightened readiness as both Greece and Cyprus tighten maritime security amid a growing dispute with Turkey over a contested sea shelf region, according to the AFP.

The navies of Greece and Cyprus issued a Navigation Telex (Navtex) high alert on Wednesday, in response to Turkey issuing a Navtex of its own the day before over planned drilling ship explorations in the area. The European Commission criticized Ankara’s Navtex over Turkish seismic surveys in the area, saying it conveys “the wrong message.”

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In a move likely to worsen tensions in North Africa, Egypt’s parliament on Monday approved a proposal authorizing military intervention in neighboring Libya, according to state media.

In a secret vote chaired by Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal, parliament authorized Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to “take all necessary measures to protect the country’s national security,” Al Gomhuria daily reported.

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Fighting between Nigerian troops and an armed group in the country’s northwest left at least 20 people dead, the military said.

Fatalities in the confrontation on Saturday in the Jibia district of Katsina state included three soldiers and 17 others described as cattle rustlers and kidnappers by Benard Onyeuko, the defense headquarters spokesman, in an emailed statement.

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The Somali National Army has announced killing four Al-Shabaab members in fighting near the southestern town of Dinsor in Bay region.

The commander of the 154th Unit of the SNA’s 60th Division, Ali Hassan Ali, said that the army killed the militants in an operation they carried out in villages near Dinsor, with support from South West state forces.

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Turkish-backed fighters allied to Libya’s United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) moved closer to Sirte on Saturday as a battle for the key strategic city looms, Reuters reported.

Witnesses and GNA military commanders said a column of about 200 vehicles moved eastwards from Misrata along the Mediterranean coast towards the town of Tawergha, about a third of the way to Sirte.

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Armenia and Azerbaijan forces fought Tuesday with heavy artillery and drones, leaving at least 16 people killed on both sides, including an Azerbaijani general, in the worst outbreak of hostilities in years.

Skirmishes on the volatile border between the two South Caucasus nations began Sunday. Azerbaijan said it has lost 11 servicemen and one civilian in three days of fighting, and Armenia said four of its troops were killed Tuesday.

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