Africa
Niger

US military kicked out of Niger

Niger’s junta revoked a security agreement with the US military shortly after a large American delegation visited the country. Junta officials said they were angered by the “condescending attitude” of the US diplomats, who wanted to convince Niger not to deepen ties with Russia and Iran, and to transition the country to civilian rule. The US has some 1,000 troops in Niger and a drone base near Agadez. It has used the base to surveil jihadist fighters but has not accompanied Nigerien forces on operations targeting militants. The junta’s decision is part of a broader pushback against Western militarization in the Sahel. French troops were told to leave Niger last year, having previously been booted out of military-ruled Burkina Faso and Mali, which are also facing jihadist insurgencies. (Map: PCL)

Afghanistan
afghanistan

Taliban pledge retaliation for Pakistani air-strikes

Pakistan is accused of killing eight civilians in air-strikes on Afghanistan. Islamabad says the strikes were conducted in retaliation for a deadly suicide attack on an army base at Mir Ali, North Waziristan district, by a cell of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant group that was operating out of Afghan territory. Afghanistan’s Taliban government has denied the charges and promised retaliation for the killing of what it says were mostly women and children in the provinces of Khost and Paktika. This marks the latest escalation between the neighbors since Pakistan enacted a policy that has led to the expulsion of more than 500,000 Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan. (Map: Perry-Castañeda Library)

Watching the Shadows
Krasnogorsk

Podcast: conspiracy theory and the Moscow terror

The deadly terror attack in a concert hall outside Moscow was immediately claimed by ISIS-K, the Islamic State network’s Afghanistan franchise. But just as quickly, the Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services accused each other of being behind it—the latter saying it was organized as a “provocation” to expand Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Putin’s rise to power, including his recent rise to outright autocratic power, as well as his various military adventures, have indeed been lubricated every step of the way by terror attacks. But who was actually behind the Crocus City Center attack may not really matter overmuch. If 9-11 was a “Reichstag Fire” for the hyper-interventionist aims of Dubya Bush, that analogy may prove to apply even more closely to the concert hall carnage serving the war aims and totalitarian domestic agenda of Vladimir Putin. Bill Weinberg discusses in Episode 219 of the CounterVortex podcast. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. (Photo: governor of Moscow Oblast via Wikimedia Commons)

Watching the Shadows
Crocus

Moscow terror: ISIS, Ukraine or ‘false flag’?

A group of armed men opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb, killing at least 133 people and injuring scores more. ISIS-K, the Islamic State network’s Afghanistan franchise, quickly took credit for the attack. But just as quickly, the Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services accused each other of being behind it—the latter saying it was organized as a “provocation” to expand Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Putin’s rise to power, including his recent rise to outright autocratic power, as well as his various military adventures, have indeed been lubricated every step of the way by terror attacks. But who was actually behind the Crocus City Center attack does not really matter overmuch. Just as 9-11—whoever was behind it—served the hyper-interventionist aims of Dubya Bush and his administration, we may be reasonably certain that the concert hall carnage will serve the war aims and totalitarian domestic agenda of Vladimir Putin. (Image: Wikipedia)

Syria

UN calls for urgent action on escalating Syria violence

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria released a report concerning the most severe escalation of violence in the country since 2020. Explosions during a military academy graduation ceremony in Homs triggered the escalation, which began in October, leading to a series of indiscriminate attacks by Syrian and Russian forces on opposition-held areas. The commission emphasizes that these attacks may constitute war crimes, targeting hospitals, schools, markets, and displaced persons camps. (Photo: Alex Madred/Pixabay)

Syria
Hama

Syrian ex-VP Rifaat al-Assad indicted for war crimes

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of Switzerland indicted former Syrian vice president Rifaat al-Assad, referring him to the Federal Criminal Court for trial. The OAG accuses al-Assad of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving as commander of a military operation in the city of Hama in February 1982. Al-Assad is charged with ordering homicides, acts of torture, cruel treatment and illegal detentions against civilians during the operation, which came to be known as the Hama Massacre. Government forces had been deployed to Hama to suppress the Islamist opposition, particularly a faction of the Muslim Brotherhood. The OAG estimates the month-long operation led to between 3,000 and 6,000 deaths in the city, the majority civilians. (Photo of Hama via TRIAL International)

Watching the Shadows
anti-semitism

Podcast: Blood Libel in a time of genocide

Calling out the “Blood Libelrhetoric and imagery in anti-Israel invective would certainly be a lot easier if Israel were not actually killing children, in large numbers, with leading voices openly calling for genocide of the Palestinians. And if pro-Israel (and MAGA) propaganda did not cynically conflate anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Yet from Manhattan to Cincinnati to Dallas to Berkeley and Santa Barbara, slogans and graffiti have tarred Jews as Zionists and “baby-killers”—playing into the hands of Israel’s propagandists. Bill Weinberg discusses the dilemma in Episode 218 of the CounterVortex podcast. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.(Image: frgdr.com)

Europe
Belarus

UN report sees ‘crimes against humanity’ in Belarus

The UN Human Rights Council released a report on the situation in Belarus during and since the country’s presidential election in 2020. It concludes that the crime against humanity of “persecution” may have been committed in the country. The report presents evidence on a wide range of issues, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearance, torture, and discrimination on grounds of political opinion. In particular, the report highlights the wave of arrests in the period from Aug. 9-14, 2020, when contested presidential election results sparked mass protests. The report says that at least 550 civil society organizations have been forced to close for fear of persecution or violence. (Photo Libcom.org)

Europe
Noon Against Putin

Russia: protesters detained amid ‘farce’ election

Russian human rights monitor OVD-Info reported that at least 65 people in 16 cities were detained in connection with the “Noon Against Putin” protest, an initiative organized by the opposition, calling for voters to cast their ballots against incumbent President Vladimir Putin at noon. Russians gathered at the appointed time on election day outside several polling stations. Independent news outlet Mediazona also reported attacks on polling stations, with protesters setting fire to ballot boxes or spilling paint over them. Two women were jailed in connection with these acts. Additionally, a protestor was arrested for allegedly writing the slogan “NO TO WAR” on her ballot, while an election monitor was detained for wearing a t-shirt with the image of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. (Image via Twitter)

Palestine
Rafah

What fate for Rafah civilians as Israeli invasion looms?

As Israel presses toward an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are trying to find shelter, the Israeli military says it plans to direct a “significant” number of them toward zones in the center of the Gaza Strip. Referring to the areas as “humanitarian islands,” Israel’s chief military spokesman did not provide details on how or when civilians would be moved when he made the announcement. Any Israeli invasion of Rafah could trigger an even larger humanitarian catastrophe in the densely crowded area, aid groups have warned for weeks. An invasion will complicate efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies, as Gazans continue to suffer from disease and face starvation. (Photo: Yousef Hammash/NRC)

The Andes
congresso

Peru: ‘impunity’ bill for crimes against humanity

The Constitutional Commission of the Peruvian Congress approved Bill No. 6951/2023-CR, which establishes that no one may be prosecuted, sentenced or punished for crimes against humanity or war crimes committed before July 1, 2002. As a result, emblematic cases from the period of internal conflict in Peru between 1980 and 2000, which are still awaiting a judicial response, could be closed. The bill is next to be debated in the Plenary of the Peruvian Congress for final approval. If passed, the bill will be sent to President Dina Boluarte for enactment within 15 days. (Photo: Protontorniyo via Wikimedia Commons)

Southeast Asia
Montagnard Support Group

Vietnam lists Montagnard groups as ‘terrorist organizations’

Vietnam announced that it has listed two pro-separatist Montagnard groups based in the US as “terrorist organizations.” The term Montagnard refers to various highland ethnic minorities, also collectively known as the Dega, that are distinct from the country’s majority Viet population. Under the “terrorist” designation, anyone found by Vietnamese authorities to have engaged with or aided the organizations may face criminal charges. The Montagnard Support Group and Montagnards Stand for Justice both call for an independent Dega homeland in what are today the Central Highlands of Vietnam. (Photo: Montagnard Support Group)