Task force seizes 2,357kg of hashish off Oman coast
By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Muscat – A New Zealand-led naval task force in the Middle East has made its first drug bust of the year off the coast of Oman.
Working as a part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, the United States Coast Guard cutter Emlen Tunnell was last week patrolling off the coast of Oman when crew observed a suspicious dhow transiting a well-known drug smuggling route.
The boarding team conducted a search of the vessel and discovered 2,357kg of hashish on board.
The Royal New Zealand Navy's Commodore Rodger Ward is the Commander of CTF 150, a role he took up in January.
'Our command is a small cog in a system focused on interdicting illicit trafficking on the high seas. This is a team effort and this bust would not have been possible without the support of the 47 nations which make up the Combined Maritime Force (CMF),' Commodore Ward stated in press release issued by the New Zealand Defence Force. 'We are very pleased to have achieved our first successful bust after only a few weeks in command. Every bust we make reduces the flow of finances to terrorist organisations. This is why we're here, to contribute to maritime security,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Muscat Daily
18-06-2025
- Muscat Daily
Kenya: Officer held after man shot at anti-brutality rally
Nairobi, Kenya – A Kenyan police officer has been arrested following the shooting of an unarmed civilian during Tuesday's rally to protest the death of a blogger in police custody. DW's Nairobi correspondent, Felix Maringa, witnessed and filmed the man being shot in the head at close range. His video shows two policemen repeatedly striking the man on his head before one of them fired at him with what appeared to be a shotgun. Police say the man was taken to hospital to be treated for his wounds. Jonah Kariuki, the father of the shooting victim, said his son is currently on life support in the ICU. He initially received word that his son had died, but later learned he had survived and was being treated in hospital. The shooting happened as a group of whip and club-wielding motorcyclists – known in Kenya as 'goons' – assaulted protesters who were calling for an end to police brutality and demanding the resignation of a senior officer they blame for the death of blogger Albert Ojwang on June 8. 'Police siding with attackers' In a post on X, Amnesty International's Kenya chapter reported the presence of dozens of motorbikes carrying hooded passengers, who were seen whipping protesters and members of the public. 'The goons attacked us. They cornered us and beat us with whips and the police were just watching them do it,' Hanifa Adan, one of the leading voices from last year's massive Gen Z-led protests in Kenya, told the AFP news agency. 'Police, shame on you, stop siding with the goons, side with the citizens who pay your salary through our taxes,' one protester told Reuters. Pictures taken by press photographers show counter-protesters running alongside police officers as they disrupted the demonstrations over Ojwang's death. Blogger's death in custody Ojwang, a blogger, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly defaming the country's deputy police chief, Eliud Lagat. Police initially claimed he died 'after hitting his head against a cell wall'. However, an autopsy revealed injuries consistent with assault as the likely cause of death. Since then, President William Ruto has acknowledged that Ojwang died 'at the hands of the police'. Two officers were arrested last week in connection with the death, but the investigation is ongoing. On Monday, Lagat announced he had temporarily stepped down from his position as investigations into Ojwang's death continue. The protests over Ojwang's death reflect broader public concerns that little has changed since more than 60 people were killed during demonstrations last year, which were initially sparked by proposed tax increases. DW
Observer
16-06-2025
- Observer
LA curfew to continue for ‘couple more days'
LOS ANGELES: A nightly curfew in Los Angeles will continue for "a couple more days," Mayor Karen Bass said, the ninth day of protests that have seen US President Donald Trump launch a military-backed crackdown. Demonstrators began protesting on June 6 against immigration raids launched by the Trump administration to round up undocumented migrants in the heavily Latino city in Democrat-led California. Bass issued an overnight curfew on June 10 on the downtown area at the heart of the protests to stop incidents of vandalism and looting. On Sunday she said she is hoping that the number of people behind the violent incidents "will taper off". "So I know the curfew will be on for at least a couple more days," she said in a televised interview with local news channel KTLA, adding that she cannot predict how many more days exactly. "We don't know how many raids are going to happen, we don't know what the character of the raids will be, and every time that happens it really generates a lot of anger in the city," she said. — AFP
Observer
02-06-2025
- Observer
UN calls for probe into deaths near Gaza aid site
GAZA: UN chief Antonio Guterres called on Monday for an independent investigation into the killing of dozens of Palestinians near a US-backed aid centre in Gaza after rescuers blamed the deaths on Israeli fire and the military denied any involvement. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people and wounded 176 near the aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, with photos showing civilians at the scene carting away bodies and medics at nearby hospitals reporting a deluge of gunshot wound victims. The Israeli military, however, denied its troops had fired on civilians in or around the centre, and both it and the aid site's administrator accused Hamas of sowing false rumours. "I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday. It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food," Guterres said in a statement, without assigning blame for the deaths. "I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable." The Israeli government has cooperated with the group running the site, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), to introduce a new mechanism for distributing aid in Gaza that has bypassed the longstanding UN-led system. The UN has declined to work with the group out of concerns about its neutrality, with some aid agencies saying it appears designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. An eyewitness from the scene in Rafah, Sameh Hamuda, 33, had said he was headed towards the aid site amid a crowd of other Palestinians when "quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting". "Several people were killed right in front of me," he said. Another witness, Abdullah Barbakh, 58, also said that "the army opened fire from drones and tanks". Following the reports, the Israeli army said an initial inquiry found its troops "did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site". Army spokesman Effie Defrin said in a video message that "Hamas is doing its best, its utmost, to stop us from" distributing aid, and vowed to "investigate each one of those allegations" against Israeli troops. "I urge you not to believe every rumour spread by Hamas," he added. Israel has come under increasing international pressure to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza following a more than two-month blockade on aid that was only recently eased. The UN has warned the entire population of the territory is facing the risk of famine. It has also reported recent incidents of aid being looted, including by armed individuals. After the two sides failed to agree on a new ceasefire proposal last week, Hamas said it was ready to "immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention". Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, said he had told the army "to continue forward in Gaza against all targets, regardless of any negotiations". Since a brief truce collapsed in March, Israel has intensified its operations to destroy Hamas. On Monday, Gaza's civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 14 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza, "including six children and three women, in addition to more than 20 missing individuals still under the rubble". "This house has been bombed before... and people were martyred previously," resident Mousa al Bursh said. "The house primarily belongs to the Al-Bursh family, but it shelters many others, more than one family, and we don't know the number of victims inside." The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,201 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,470, mostly civilians. — AFP
