South Bloc Reports

🇦🇫🇷🇺 Soviet/Russian P-18 "Spoon Rest D" VHF Mobile Early Warning Radar System now with the Taliban P-18 radar can scan the skies up to 360 kilometers away. The unique feature of the P-18 is that it operates on a VHF meter length frequency band. Because its radio waves are so long, it is historically highly effective at detecting low flying objects and aircraft that try to evade modern microwave radars. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇮🇶⛽🇺🇸 In a direct bid to sever Iraq's energy dependence on neighboring Iran, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods during visit to Texas. Iraq is seeking comprehensive Western capital and technical expertise to overhaul its domestic supply chain, focusing heavily on expanding crude extraction and commercializing captured associated gas. Iraq currently loses nearly 18 billion cubic meters of gas annually to routine flaring while concurrently spending $4 billion per year on sanctioned Iranian energy imports to keep its domestic power grid functional. Prime Minister al-Zaidi’s administration has set a target of 2028 to achieve complete energy independence by converting flared gas into domestic electricity. During the wider tour, the Iraqi delegation delivered a unified message to U.S. giants including Chevron, Shell and Baker Hughes: help Iraq scale up domestic gas output to systematically replace Russian, Chinese and Iranian energy entities. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

The original deal required India to buy Japanese Shinkansen trains. However, Japan revealed it wouldn't be able to deliver its newly developing E10 series trains until the early 2030's. Instead of waiting, India decided to manufacture our own high speed trains domestically to launch the first section of the track on time. This caused the entire frustration and attack from Hideki Makihara Follow: @SouthBlocReports 2/2

🇯🇵🚄🇮🇳 Hideki Makihara - Former Minister of Justice and member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party took to social media and launched a blunt attack against Indian officials regarding the bullet train project: His accusation - Indian officials "just don't keep promises, no matter what," alleging they frequently flip their positions at the last minute and purely chase their own self interest. Here's the Reality: ​Makihara’s outburst was triggered by an opinion piece written by Isao Tsujimura - Veteran Japanese Railway Engineer based in Delhi. The article piece revealed that India has quietly rewritten the rules of the deal and stripped out key Japanese systems.. India rejected Japan’s proprietary and highly expensive DS-ATC signalling ecosystem. Instead, India opted for the European Standard ETCS Level 2 Systems. The Japanese are furious because this breaks their technological monopoly on the project. Follow: @SouthBlocReports 1/2

India's Concern Regarding This Strike: The collapsed tower at Shahid Kalantari housed the essential radar, Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and transponder receivers used to guide large container ships safely into the harbor. Without this safe docking maneuvers for deep draft vessels becomes nearly impossible. US Central Command explicitly targeted and destroyed five major transit bridges in the region. Strikes hit the Bandar Khamir Railway Station. For India, where we have spent years coordinating with Iran to link Chabahar to the Zahedan railway line, this damage to the southern rail network puts the entire multi modal transit on hold indefinitely. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇮🇳🇮🇷🇺🇸 Inputs - India signed a 10 year bilateral agreement in May 2024 to lease, equip and operate the commercial Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar. The specific tower destroyed by the U.S. military belongs to the adjacent Shahid Kalantari terminal, which has been utilized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for maritime tracking and coastal surveillance. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇮🇳🇬🇧 In a Reflection of Strengthening India-UK Defense Relations: ✍️Six Indian Armed Forces officers have successfully completed elite professional military education programs in the United Kingdom: Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS): Graduated Brig Krishnan, Cmde Choudhury, and Air Cmde Deshpande. Joint Services Command & Staff College (JSCSC): Completed the Advanced Command & Staff Course by Lt Col Prateek Kumar Gupta, Lt Cdr Sangram Kshirsagar, and Sqn Ldr Shaminder Singh Bassi. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇮🇷🇮🇶🇸🇾🇱🇧 Border and customs officials at the Al-Tanf border crossing stopped a suspicious oil tanker truck entering Syria from Iraq. ✍️A thorough search revealed a hidden compartment packed with military hardware, including over 100 first-person-view (FPV) drones, long-range cruise missile components, guided anti-tank missiles and factory prepared warheads. ✍️ The vehicle carried paperwork listing the Syrian coastal port city of Baniyas as its destination.. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇮🇳🤝🇦🇫 The Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) met with the Ambassador of India to advance economic and investment cooperation. 🗣️Discussion included: Trade Operations Mobility Sector Focus Engagement Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇬🇧🇵🇰 UK PM Elect Andy Burnham Views and Polices Towards Pakistan ✍️ Andy is heavily focused and invested on Domestic Issues, so Andy will likely view relations with Pakistan through a domestic and community-centric lens. - ​Having governed Greater Manchester, which is a region with massive politically influential British-Pakistani diaspora communities - hence Burnham is tuned to subcontinent demographics. - Just days before taking leadership, he aggressively condemned threats against local Islamic gatherings, emphasizing his focus on domestic safety for minority diasporas. - Burnham has historically maintained warm, active ties with the large Pakistani diaspora in Northern England. - Climate Adaptation Finance - an issue critical to Pakistan that aligns with the Global South frameworks Burnham’s cabinet has hinted at supporting.. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

Chinese Investment in Bangladesh during Sheikh Hasina Era [2009 - 2024] = $20.6 Billion Chinese Investment in Bangladesh in the first 5 Months of Tarique Rahman = $9.0 Billion Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇨🇳💰🇧🇩 Private Chinese Investment In Bangladesh Post-Tarique Rahman 1. Mega Industrial Plant Agreement Partners: Deshbandhu Group & Chemtex Bangladesh jointly with China National Chemical Engineering Co. CNCEC. Amount of Investment: $400 Million. Place: Mongla Economic Zone - Allocated across 33 acres of land. 2. FinTech Agreement Partners: Nagad Bangladesh & Huawei Technologies China. Amount: $50 Million. 3. Capital Market Agreement Partners: Dex Bangladesh Tech Ltd & Huawei Technologies. Amount: $20 Million. 4. Renewable Energy - Solar Infrastructure Agreement Partners: Billion10 Communications Ltd Bangladesh & Ningbo Sun East Solar Co. Ltd China. Place: Sylhet Division. 5. Silicon Raw Materials Agreement Partners: Billion10 Communications Ltd & HeSheng Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. Ltd China. 6. Green Technology & Heavy Machinery Agreement Partners: Billion10 Communications Ltd & Zhongke Guorui Zhuhai New Material Technology Co. Ltd China. 7. Electric Vehicles & Lithium Agreement Partners: Nitol Niloy Group Bangladesh & ZP Technology Anhui Co. Ltd China. 8. Industrial Automotive Projects- Tyres Agreement Partners: Nitol Niloy Group & Zhengzhou Dongfeng Mid-South Enterprise Company China. 9. Construction Materials Agreement Partners: Nitol Niloy Group & Shandong Sunite Machinery China. 10. Urban Transit Integration Agreement Partners: EB Solution Ltd Bangladesh & Hongji Intelligent Transport Co. Ltd China. Place: Dhaka Metropolitan Area. 11. Agricultural Logistics Agreement Partners: EB Solution Ltd & Ningbo Shering New Energy Technology Ltd China. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

Who is the "Newly Formed Group"? - The attack was claimed by a new armed opposition front calling itself "Sepahiyan-e Mihan" - Soldiers of the Homeland. This group is primarily composed of former Afghan National Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel who served under the pre-2021 republic. 🇦🇫 Taliban's Response? - Taliban immediately sent their military commander, Army Chief Fasihuddin Fitrat, directly from Kabul to Badakhshan to personally oversee the counter-operation. ✍️ first time in nearly five years since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, that a district headquarters has temporarily fallen out of their control. Follow: @SouthBlocReports 2/2

🇦🇫 ​On the early morning of Friday, July 17, 2026, anti-Taliban insurgent group launched a surprise assault on Yaftal-e-Paeen (Yaftali Sufla) district in Badakhshan province, trying to take it away it from Taliban control. Breakdown: ✍️At approximately 2:00 AM on Friday, dozens of heavily armed anti-Taliban fighters stormed the Yaftal district headquarters. ✍️The insurgents successfully disarmed the stationed Taliban forces, took control of the administration buildings, seized a stockpile of weapons and military equipment, and raised their own blue flag over the compound. ✍️After occupying the district center for roughly two to three hours, the insurgent fighters collected the captured military hardware and voluntarily withdrew into the surrounding rugged mountains before Taliban reinforcements could block them. Follow: @SouthBlocReports 1/2

🇮🇱🇮🇳 Israeli Ambassador to India - Reuven Azar calls for Indian Companies to Build Airports in Israel Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇺🇸👮‍♂️U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed along the northern border apprehended fugitive Nitish Kaushal in Vermont yesterday. Kaushal was wanted under the "Operation Hardball" federal indictments issued in Los Angeles for his suspected ties to a transnational syndicate called the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group (“Bhagwanpuria OCG”). Originally based in Punjab, India, the enterprise expanded its criminal operations into Southern California and other regions. Federal authorities allege that Kaushal executed violent enforcement actions for the group, specifically including kidnappings and physical assaults. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇮🇳🛢️🇺🇸 After India Reportedly Exported around 42,000 metric tons of gasoline to Russia via ship-to-ship transfers, now Russia seems more Gasoline from India. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇦🇫🇮🇳 After CIA claims now, spokesperson from an anti-Taliban Afghan opposition group National Resistance Front (NRF) claims that: Taliban receive covert financial aid from Indian sources and then re-route those funds directly to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist groups to bankroll operations inside Pakistan. Follow: @SouthBlocReports

🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦 List of Foreign Mercenaries Killed Fighting for Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine Frontlines: 🇨🇴 Colombia 678 [+177] 🇺🇸 United States 115 [+14] 🇧🇷 Brazil 99 [+48] 🇬🇪 Georgia 91 [+4] 🇧🇾 Belarus 58 [+6] 🇷🇺 Russia (Anti-Kremlin volunteers) 56 [+4] 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 49 [+4] 🇫🇷 France 30 [+4] 🇵🇱 Poland 23 [+2] 🇨🇦 Canada 20 [+2] 👨‍💻Data - LostArmour Follow: @SouthBlocReports