US bombers fly close to North Korea in show of force
Pentagon says the flight was aimed at demonstrating Washington's military options available to 'defeat any threat'.
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The flight followed a war of words between the leaders of the two countries [FILE: Reuters]The flight followed a war of words between the leaders of the two countries [FILE: Reuters]
US bombers escorted by fighter jets have flown close to North Korea's east coast, according to US officials, in a display of military strength after an escalating war of words between the two countries.
The Pentagon said Saturday's flight was the farthest north of the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber has flown this century.
It said the operation over international waters showed the seriousness with which Washington took Pyongyang's "reckless behaviour", amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear tests.
READ MORE: Russia tells US, North Korea 'hot heads' to calm down
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, calling North Korea's nuclear weapons programme "a grave threat".
Insults fly as Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un continue war of words
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies."
Bellicose rhetoric
The B-1B Lancer bombers took off from Guam and the US Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan.
The flight came after days of heightened rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang, with US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un trading insults.
Trump called Kim a "madman" on Friday, a day after the North Korean leader dubbed him a "mentally deranged US dotard" in retaliation for the US president saying Washington would "totally destroy" the Asian country if it threatened the US or its allies.
Later on Saturday, North Korea's foreign minister said Trump's remarks against Pyongyang and Kim will make the US mainland an "inevitable" target for rocket strikes.
"Through such a prolonged and arduous struggle, now we are finally only a few steps away from the final gate of completion of the state nuclear force," Ri Yong Hong said at the United Nations General Assembly, an annual gathering of world leaders at the body's headquarters in New York.
Scott Snyder, director of the programme on US-Korea policy of the Council on Foreign Relations, said Washington's latest move was aimed at putting further pressure on Pyongyang.
"The growing intensity of activity is designed to send a message to Kim Jong-un that the US wants North Korea to turn in a different direction and that the US has the power to retaliate against him if he persists," he told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC.
"It is not clear Kim Jong-un is receiving that message."
INFOGRAPHIC: North Korea - All you need to know explained in graphics
North Korea, a country of 26 million people, says it needs a strong nuclear deterrent to protect it from the US, and its government has made militarism a central part of its national ideology.
Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on September 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year, and has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.
Earlier on Saturday, officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Korea's nuclear test site was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its last one.
rump insults make rocket attack 'inevitable': N Korea
Remarks by Pyongyang's foreign minister come hours after US flies bomber jets near North Korea's coast in show of force.
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Ri Yong-ho's threat came hours after Pentagon said it flew bombers near North Korea [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]Ri Yong-ho's threat came hours after Pentagon said it flew bombers near North Korea [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]
North Korea has warned that US President Donald Trump's bellicose remarks against the Asian country and its leader will make the US mainland an "inevitable" target for rocket strikes.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Hong's remarks on Saturday in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly came hours after the US flew bomber jets near North Korea.
"Through such a prolonged and arduous struggle, now we are finally only a few steps away from the final gate of completion of the state nuclear force," Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders in New York..
READ MORE: Trump signs new order to expand North Korea sanctions
Trump responded on Twitter by once again insulting North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, calling him "little rocket man" and saying him and Ri "won't be around much longer".
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Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!
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Tensions between the US and North Korea have risen in recent weeks.
Earlier this week, Trump called the North Korean leader "rocket man" and a "madman".
Kim hit back, dubbing him a "mentally deranged US dotard" who would face the "highest level of hardline countermeasure in history" in retaliation for the US president saying Washington would "totally destroy" the Asian country if it threatened the US or its allies.
"It is a war of words with a very dangerous edge," Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said.
Insults fly as Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un continue war of words
"We are talking about two potentially nuclear powers coming into a confrontation being edged on by a level rhetoric seldom seen and certainly not heard within the confines of the UN General Assembly," he added.
'Suicide mission'
Trump announced new US sanctions on Thursday that he said would allow targeting of companies and institutions that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea.
In response, Ri said on Saturday that "it is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces".
INFOGRAPHIC: North Korea - All you need to know explained in graphics
Earlier this month the UN Security Council unanimously adopted its ninth round of sanctions on Pyongyang to counter its nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes.
Ri, who said Pyongyang's ultimate goal was to establish a "balance of power with the US", retorted that Trump himself was on a "suicide mission" after the US president said Kim was on such a mission.
The US bombers' flight was the farthest north of the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
Kim Jong-un calls Donald Trump 'deranged'
Ri warned Pyongyang was ready to defend itself if Washington showed any sign of conducting a "decapitating operation on our headquarters or military attack against our country".
Richard Ponzio, director of the Just Security 2020 Program at The Stimson Center, said "this past week's troubling war of words certainly has the potential to get out of hand and result in a regrettable situation for all parties".
Speaking from Washington, DC, Ponzio told Al Jazeera that actions such as the US bombers' flyover and the talk of more rockets launces by the North Koreans "is certainly not helping the situation".
"Pressures need to be brought down and dialogue needs to commence - and this is the proper role for the UN, not what we heard this past week by many leaders on many sides," he said
Turkey extends troops' deployment in Iraq and Syria
Renewal of bill comes two days before scheduled independence referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
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MPs in Turkey vote to approve the renewal of a bill allowing the military to intervene in Iraq and Syria [Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images] [Getty Images]MPs in Turkey vote to approve the renewal of a bill allowing the military to intervene in Iraq and Syria [Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images] [Getty Images]
Turkey's parliament has approved the extension of a mandate that allows the deployment of troops in Iraq and Syria if faced with national security threats.
The move on Saturday came two day before an independence referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region - a vote denounced by Ankara as a "mistake" and a threat to its security and regional stability.
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The motion was backed by members of parliament (MPs) from the ruling Justice and Development Party, as well as the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party. MPs from the People's Democratic Party (HDP) voted against it.
OPINION: Kurdish independence vote - A historical perspective
The mandate had previously allowed the Turkish military to carry out cross-border operations from October 2, 2016, until October 31, 2017.
The motion said that Turkey places great importance on the protection of Iraq's territorial integrity, national unity and stability.
The bill read in parliament listed combating Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant armed group as national security requirements for Turkey.
It also emphasised the importance of Iraq and Syria's territorial integrity and said "separatism based on ethnicity" poses a threat to both Turkey and regional stability.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to hold the referendum on support for independence in three governorates that make up the region in northern Iraq, and in some disputed areas, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and parts of Nineveh province.
Baghdad is vehemently opposed to the vote, which has also alarmed neighbouring Turkey, which has a large Kurdish minority. Iran and Syria also worry that the vote will encourage secessionist ideas among their own Kurdish minorities.
KRG President Masoud Barzani reiterated on Saturday that any postponement of the vote is out of question.
"Holding a referendum is the decision of the people," Barzani said as he met with French ambassador to Iraq Bruno Aubert at his residence in Erbil, according to a statement issued by his office.
The poll would not be postponed but be held on schedule, he added.
OPINION: Regional implications of the Kurdish independence vote
Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blasted the referendum as "adventurism" that puts Turkey at risk.
"With our 80 million citizens and the 780,000 square kilometers of our homeland, we will never tolerate any adventurism for our country's security or the welfare of our nation," he told reporters in the central Anatolian province of Kirsehir.
Calling the referendum the "wrong decision," Yildirim added: "As a neighbouring country, Turkey has given the necessary warning in a friendly way since the beginning. But we see that these warnings have not been heeded."
