WASHINGTON: A Navy commander has been fired from his job as the executive officer of a warship because he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine as required and refused to be tested for the virus, Navy officials said Friday.
Cmdr. Lucian Kins was relieved of his duties Friday as second in command of the USS Winston Churchill, a destroyer, by Navy Capt. Ken Anderson, commander of Naval Surface Squadron 14. Officials said Kins was the first naval officer to be fired as a result of a vaccine refusal.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Jason Fisher declined to give the precise reason why Kins was relieved of command, citing privacy concerns. Fisher, who is spokesman for the Naval Surface Force Atlantic, said the reason for the firing was that Anderson lost confidence in Kins’ ability to perform his duties after he failed to obey a lawful order.
Other officials, however, said it was because Kins refused the order to get the vaccine, and refused testing to ensure he did not have the virus.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. One official said Kins has requested a religious exemption, which was denied. Kins is appealing that denial.
The Pentagon has made the vaccine mandatory for all service members, and Navy personnel had until late November to get their shots or request exemptions. Thousands of service members have asked for religious exemptions, but so far none of the military services have approved one.
Fisher said Kins has been reassigned to the staff of Naval Surface Squadron 14.
Lt. Cmdr. Han Yi, the ship’s plans and tactics officer, is temporarily serving as the Churchill’s executive officer until a permanent replacement is identified.
Navy commander fired over vaccine refusal
https://arab.news/89f49
Navy commander fired over vaccine refusal
- The Pentagon has made the vaccine mandatory for all service members, and Navy personnel had until late November to get their shots or request exemptions
Four cops killed as separatist militants launch ‘coordinated’ attacks in Pakistan’s southwest — police
- The attacks began in Balochistan’s capital of Quetta at around 6am with a powerful explosion, followed by intense gunfire
QUETTA: Separatist militants, affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have launched “coordinated” attacks in several cities of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and killed at least four policemen, officials said early Saturday.
The attacks in the provincial capital of Quetta began at around 6am with a powerful explosion, followed by intense gunfire that lasted for two hours along with multiple explosions.
Residents of Dalbandin and Nuhski said they heard explosions and gunfire in the districts early Saturday morning, while there were reports of similar attacks in Mastung, Gwadar, Pasni and Turbat.
A senior police official, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that the militants attempted to enter the provincial capital of Quetta but police and other law enforcement agencies stopped them.
“The terrorists attacked a police mobile at Sariab road which resulted in the killing of two policemen,” he said. “Police and other law enforcement agencies denied space to the terrorists in Quetta city and a clearance operation is still going on.”
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces and foreigners, and kidnap government officials.
Shahid Rind, the Balochistan chief minister’s aide for media and political affairs, said police and paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) had foiled the attacks and were chasing the assailants.
“After the killing of more than 70 terrorists at different places in Balochistan in the last two days, terrorists have attempted to attack at a few places in Balochistan, which have been foiled by timely action by the police and FC,” he said on X.
“At present, the pursuit of the fleeing terrorists is underway. More details will be revealed very soon.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, BLA said the group had launched ‘Operation Herof 2.0,’ which included a series of attacks in multiple cities of Balochistan.
Saturday’s attacks follow coordinated attacks carried out by the group in Aug. 2024 in various districts of Balochistan which killed dozens of people.
The separatists accuse the central government of stealing the region’s resources to fund development elsewhere in the country. The Pakistani government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan.
Pakistan Railways has suspended train service from Balochistan to other parts of the country for a day, following Saturday’s attacks.
“Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express, and Quetta-Chaman passenger trains have been canceled due to the prevailing security situation in Balochistan,” Muhammad Kashif, the railways controller in Quetta division, told Arab News.
At least four police officials in as many districts confirmed to AFP the situation was not completely under control yet.
“At least four policemen were killed in Quetta alone,” he added, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A senior military official based in Islamabad confirmed the attacks, adding they were “coordinated but poorly executed.”
