Two drones fell in Khurmala oilfield in Iraqi Kurdistan, counter-terrorism service says
Khurmala oilfield is located near the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell, an official body responsible for disseminating security information, said in a statement that no casualties were reported and only material damage was recorded.
An investigation into the incident was launched in coordination with security forces in Kurdistan, it added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Russia and Iran ‘trying to recruit British schoolchildren for espionage'
Hostile states are trying to recruit British schoolchildren to carry out acts of surveillance and sabotage in the UK, the head of counter-terror policing has warned. Detectives have identified several plots in which teenagers were allegedly recruited as criminal proxies by agents acting for Russia and Iran. At least one person in their mid-teens has been arrested and others have been investigated in recent months, according to Dominic Murphy, the head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command. The success of Britain's counter-intelligence work since the Salisbury Novichok attacks of 2018 has meant hostile states have increasingly been turning to criminal proxies to conduct their activities in the UK, it is believed. Earlier this month, five British men were convicted of carrying out an arson attack on behalf of the Russian Wagner terrorist group on a warehouse in east London with links to Ukraine. It later emerged that Dylan Earl, the ringleader, had been recruited online and had been offered money to carry out the attack. Counter-terrorism police have warned that young people, including school-age children and those who are feeling disillusioned, are particularly vulnerable to online recruitment and manipulation. Officers have urged parents and teachers to show the same sort of vigilance needed to prevent youngsters from becoming radicalised by extremists. Vicki Evans, counter-terrorism policing's senior national co-ordinator said: 'Our primary concern isn't that these other people are ideologically aligned to the views of state threats and people tasking that activity. 'But we are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they are encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they are being asked to do. 'Or they are offered some money and see it as a quick and easy way to get some money, not realising the consequences. Or they might be looking for the sort of notoriety in an environment where somebody is encouraging them and challenging them to do things.' She urged parents, teachers and other professionals to be 'inquisitive' and ask questions in order to avoid youngsters being 'inadvertently drawn into this sort of activity'. Ms Evans added: ' Espionage operations target our democracy, target our institutions, they threaten to fracture public trust here in our communities and threaten to target the things that underpin our daily life and our way of life.' Ms Evans said criminal proxies were 'disposable' to those tasking them and were often not even paid for carrying out activities that could lead to them being sent to prison for many years. She added: 'The reality is people are being targeted to conduct this work. They are then disposable to the individuals tasking them once they've been caught, and it will be the individual conducting the act who will be caught, and the handlers or the taskers will not come to their rescue or support them in any way. 'We are looking to raise awareness about this and make a direct appeal to people to think about what they might be being asked to do in these environments, who their tasking might be from, and what that could mean to them.' Mr Murphy said there had been a fivefold increase in work to tackle hostile state activity since 2018, and that a fifth of counter-terrorism policing's casework involved threats beyond traditional terrorism – primarily state-sponsored espionage, sabotage and targeted violence.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Five further arrests made over incident at Israeli defence firm's UK site
Five further arrests have been made over a pro-Palestine protest at an Israeli-based defence firm's site. The incident happened at the Elbit Systems UK building near Patchway in South Gloucestershire on August 6 last year. Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said a group of people forced their way into the building, causing 'extensive damage'. Employees of the company and two police officers were 'seriously assaulted', police added. Following a series of warrants at locations across the country on Tuesday, five people have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, police said. These are: a 66-year-old man from Bristol; a 20-year-old woman from Whitstable, Kent; a 19-year-old man from London; a 27-year-old man from London; and a 33-year-old man from London. They all remain in custody. Shortly after the incident last year, 10 people were arrested, with a further eight arrested in November 2024. They have all been charged with various offences and are awaiting trial.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Terrorists could exploit AI chatbots to spread hate and hatch plots, terrorism tsar warns
WANNABE jihadists could soon be coached to carry out atrocities by killer chatbots, Britain's terrorism tsar has warned. Extremists may exploit artificial intelligence to plan attacks, spread propaganda, and dodge detection with the help of persuasive bots, according to Jonathan Hall KC. 1 In his official 2023 annual report on terrorism, he said: 'Chatbot radicalisation is the most difficult problem.' Mr Hall warned some terrorist-themed bots are already being shared online, saying:'Terrorist chatbots are available off the shelf, presented as fun and satirical models but as I found, willing to promote terrorism.' He said much depends on what users ask the AI, explaining: 'Chatbots pander to biases and are eager to please and an Osama Bin Laden will provide you a recipe for lemon sponge if you ask.' He added: 'Even where a chatbot has had its restraining features (guardrails) removed, or is positively trained to be sympathetic to terrorist narratives, the output overwhelmingly depends on whether the bot is asked about cake recipes or murder.' He listed seven possible terrorism risks from generative AI, including attack planning, propaganda, evading online moderation, deepfake impersonation and identity guessing. Mr Hall said AI tools could make terrorist content faster and more powerful, arguing 'generative AI's ability to create text, images and sounds will be exploited by terrorists". He recommended the Government 'consider a new race-hatred based offence' to deal with potential cases that fall between terrorism and hate crime. But he warned against jumping to legislate too early: 'The absence of Gen AI-enabled attacks could suggest the whole issue is overblown.' He said there was only one known case of a chatbot engaging in a conversation about planning an attack. Jaswant Singh Chail took a crossbow into the grounds of Windsor Castle, intending to kill Elizabeth II, in 2021. It came after communication with a chatbot which sanctioned his attempt and he was jailed for nine years. Mr Hall's report also warned that online radicalisation remains a live threat on existing platforms. He highlighted the case of Mohammad Sohail Farooq, who attempted a bomb attack on St James's Hospital in Leeds in January 2023. The report stated this was 'a close-run thing' and that 'the facts suggest self-radicalisation via the internet (TikTok), personal grievances together with ideological and religious motives, a rapid escalation, and a near miss.' He argued that children and young people remain vulnerable to extremist content online. Mr Hall wrote that they are 'being seduced by online content into sharing material, expressing views, and forming intentions that can result in risk.'
