English
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 08:07
The protection and safety of U.S. citizens is a top priority for the Department of State. The security situation on the ground in Yemen has limited the ability of many foreign governments to provide direct assistance to their citizens remaining in Yemen and all on-the-ground consular services for U.S. citizens in Yemen continue to be suspended. U.S. are monitoring the situation closely, and are providing regular updates to the U.S. citizen community in Yemen including up-to-date information about opportunities to depart Yemen.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 07:14
Hardly a week goes by without Moroccan security services announcing the arrest of members allegedly linked to the terrorist Islamic State (IS) organization. Since the official announcement of the establishment of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), the dismantlement of a number of jihadist cells that are ideologically linked to IS was also announced. The Moroccan authorities are certain that the terrorist threat has reached their territory, particularly following the Bardo Museum attack in neighboring Tunisia.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 07:11
After months of planning and delays, American Special Operations troops have started training a small group of Syrian rebels in Jordan, with the goal of creating a politically moderate force with the fighting prowess to take on the seasoned and well-armed extremists of the Islamic State, senior Pentagon officials said Thursday.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 07:07
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday said he opposes an effort in Congress to directly arm the Kurdish peshmerga and Sunni tribal fighters in their fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syri (ISIS).
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 06:54
Venezuela’s economic woes started long before the current downturn in oil prices and the start of Maduro’s administration. The blame for recession, inflation, dwindling foreign reserves, debt, and shortages must be laid on the nature of the country’s regime, which disincentivized its leaders from competently managing the oil boom, and is now crippling the government’s ability to respond to the downturn.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 06:34
U.S. and Colombian authorities are investigating allegations that more than 50 children may have been sexually abused by U.S. military personnel or contractors from 2003-2007, even as questions about the veracity of those allegations began to surface.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 06:23
The US is being sucked back into the war against the Taliban despite the official end of NATO combat operations because Afghan forces are suffering unprecedented casualties. The U.S. “training and assistance” military mission is scheduled to end in 2017. President Barack Obama agreed to allow 9800 US troops serving in Afghanistan to stay until the end of this year, with a gradual pullout next year.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 06:14
Afghanistan’s police have long been a target of militant attacks. With the Afghan state still taking small steps toward self-sufficiency, the Taliban has used suicide bombings, green-on-blue attacks, and infiltration within the ranks of Afghan security forces to stir up dissent and decrease morale for the underpaid, overworked, and overstretched hand of Kabul’s law enforcement.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 06:11
In the Afghan province of Kunduz, it appears that the Taliban and ISIS have buried their differences enough to work together. The evidence is from an examination of dead bodies of militants fighting security forces in Kunduz. Many of the fighters are foreigners, including some women from Chechnya, and some villages under rebel control are flying both the white flag of the Taliban and the black flag of ISIS.
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 05:50
A three-day training on international best practices in hazardous waste management concluded on May 7 at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.More than 25 government officials from relevant ministries and government agencies as well as representatives of civil society were informed of best practice in the disposal of hazardous waste and the securing and monitoring of hazardous waste sites.