The military chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started arriving in Manila Sunday to attend conferences to strengthen cooperation among ASEAN militaries in addressing common security challenges facing the region. Col. Edgard Arevalo, chief of the public affairs office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a statement that the military chiefs from the 10 ASEAN nations will attend the ASEAN Chief of Defense Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) and related meetings that will run from May 15 to May 19. He said regional issues such as maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, counter-terrorism, infectious disease management and peacekeeping will stay high in the agenda of the meeting. He said Gen. Eduardo Ano, the AFP chief of staff, will chair the five-day meetings. The ACDFIM is an informal networking and confidence building platform among ASEAN chiefs of defense forces. It has since developed into an important avenue for ASEAN militaries to build capacity and strengthen practical cooperation. Before the ACDFIM, he said, ASEAN senior operations and intelligence officers will convene for this year's ASEAN Military Operations Informal Meeting (AMOIM) and ASEAN Military Intelligence Informal Meeting (AMIIM). He said the meetings "encourage common perspectives and understanding for promoting and fostering strong relationships and security cooperation in the region." The Philippines is the chairman of ASEAN this year. The bloc groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. the wristband factoryflash drive wristbandfidget spinner braceletadjustable wristbandsband wristbandsthe wristband factorybatman wristbandcustom wrist sweatbands
A woman cries as she holds a lit candle for the victims of Wednesday's blast in Kabul, Afghanistan June 1, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] Xi condemns terror attack in message of condolence China strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, President Xi Jinping said in a condolence message sent to his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday. On behalf of Chinese government and people, as well as in the name of himself, Xi mourned deeply for the victims of the attack, and expressed sincere condolence to the injured and the victims' families. Noting that the truck bomb attack had caused huge casualties, Xi said China opposes all forms of terrorism. China would like to join hands with international community to support the Afghan government and people firmly to prevent and fight against terrorism and maintain national stability, Xi said. Premier Li Keqiang also sent a message of condolence to Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday, in which he strongly condemned the terrorist attack. China opposes all forms of terrorism, Li said, adding that China will provide persistent and firm support to Afghan government's continuous efforts to safeguard national security and stability and fight against terrorism. Afghans mourned the loss of family members, friends and colleagues on Thursday, a day after the massive truck bomb exploded in the capital leaving at least 90 people dead and more than 450 others wounded in one of the worst extremist attacks since the drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan in 2014. The city's acting mayor said the explosion damaged property as far as 4 kilometers away from the blast site and scores of people waited in hospitals to learn the status of family and friends wounded in the attack. The bomber drove into Kabul's heavily guarded diplomatic quarter during the morning rush, leaving behind chaos and destruction. Most of the casualties were civilians, including women and children, but the dead also included Afghan security guards. There was no claim of responsibility. Afghanistan's intelligence agency has blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for the attack, but the Taliban have denied they were involved. White House is considering sending thousands more soldiers to break the deadlock in the battle against the Taliban. The device was hidden in a truck used to clean septic tanks, according to Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the interior minister. The trucks are common in Kabul, a city of nearly 4 million people with no sewage system that mostly depends on septic tanks, and where open sewers are common. The blast gouged a crater about 5 meters deep in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, where foreign embassies are protected by their own security personnel as well as Afghan police and National Security Forces. The nearby German Embassy was heavily damaged. Also in the area is Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, the Presidential Palace and its intelligence and security headquarters, guarded by soldiers trained by the US and its coalition partners. The lights of the Eiffel Tower were switched off on Wednesday night to honor the scores of victims. The landmark had gone dark on Tuesday after suicide blasts in Baghdad killed 42. AP contributed to this story. [email protected]
