Afghanistan
US bombs Pakistan —again
US drones killed 21 presumed Taliban militants in two separate strikes in Pakistan’s tribal region of North Waziristan. Ten drones were seen hovering over the area.
Afghanistan
Red Cross confirms secret Bagram prison: BBC
The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed the existence of a secret US detention facility at Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, where several inmates were apparently tortured.
Afghanistan
Afghan girls targeted in suspected gas attack —again
Dozens of schoolgirls in Afghanistan were hospitalized after two apparent poisonous gas attacks on their schools, the latest in a spate of similar incidents.
Iraq
Iraqi “resistance” scores heroic blow against textile workers
Textile workers leaving their factory shift in Hilla were among hundreds of Iraqis injured and 85 killed in a series of bomb attacks across the country on the bloodiest day this year.
The Andes
Colombia: FARC frees Moncayo and Calvo
Two Colombian soldiers, Sgt. Pablo Emilio Moncayo and Pvt. Josué Daniel Calvo, returned to their hometowns following their release by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Mexico
Mexico: women’s groups call for Cancún boycott
An association of 90 groups held a rally in Mexico City to call for a boycott of the seaside resort city of Cancún as a protest against Quintana Roo state’s anti-choice policies.
The Caribbean
Haiti: phone company privatized —to Vietnamese
The Vietnamese telecommunications company Viettel formally acquired 60% of the shares in Haiti’s state-owned phone company, Télécommunications d’Haiti (Haiti Téléco).
The Caribbean
Haiti: opposition protests “emergency law”
The Haitian Senate approved an 18-month extension of the state of emergency President René Préval decreed after the Jan. 12 earthquake devastated the capital area—sparking opposition protests.
Mexico
Mexico extradites ex-governor as cartel crackdown widens
Mario Ernesto Villanueva Madrid, ex-governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, was extradited to the US to face charges of accepting some $20 million in bribes from the Juárez Cartel.
Mexico
Mexico: army exonerates itself in Tamaulipas atrocity
A Mexican military investigation found that three children killed on a highway in Tamaulipas were caught in the crossfire of rival narco gangs—but survivors say soldiers fired without cause.
Central America
Honduras “truth commission” starts investigation
A Honduran truth and reconciliation commission began investigating the June 2009 coup that removed Manuel Zelaya from power—as a wave of killings of journalists has terrorized the country.
The Andes
Peru: Sendero establishes new command for Upper Huallaga
Sendero Luminoso, thought to be confined to a small pocket of high jungle known as the Apurimac-Ene River Valley, launched an attack on a coca-eradication team in the Upper Huallaga Valley.