North Korea warns the US against shooting down missile tests

A US Air Force B-52H bomber (bottom) flying over the western sea of the Korean Peninsula with two South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter jets during a joint air drill in South Korea Monday. Pic/AFP

North Korea said any move to shoot down one of its test missiles would be considered a declaration of war and blamed joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea for growing tensions, state media KCNA said on Tuesday. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, warned in a statement that Pyongyang would see it as a "declaration of war" if the U.S. took military action against the North's strategic weapon tests. She also hinted that the North could fire more missiles into the Pacific Ocean.

Also Read: Food shortage in N Korea worsens amid Covid-19

The US and its allies have never shot down North Korean ballistic missiles, which are banned by the United Nations Security Council, but the question drew new scrutiny since the North suggested it will fire more missiles over Japan. "The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominium of the U.S. or Japan," Kim said. In a separate statement, the chief of the Foreign News Section at North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of "aggravating" the situation by conducting a joint air drill with a B-52 bomber on Monday and planning U.S.-South Korea field exercises. The two countries will conduct more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises known as the "Freedom Shield" drills starting next week.

Pentagon chief goes to Iraq

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced trip to Iraq on Tuesday in a visit aimed at showing that Washington was committed to keeping its military presence there nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever