[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Syria and Tunisia have announced in a joint statement on Wednesday that in response to Tunisian President Kais Saied’s initiative to appoint an ambassador for his country in Damascus, Syria decided to reopen its embassy in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador for it.
The statement read that in response to the initiative of Saeed to appoint an ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic, the Syrian government announced its immediate approval of this appointment, and decided to reopen the Syrian embassy in Tunisia, and to appoint an ambassador for it in the upcoming period.
"Out of both sides’ keenness to restore the Syrian-Tunisian relations to their normal track, consultation and coordination are ongoing between the foreign ministers of the two countries to further consolidate the deep-rooted ties of brotherhood binding Syria and Tunisia, and to uplift the values of solidarity between them serving the interests of their two brotherly peoples," the statement added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2023 00:00 ||
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ICYMI: Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrives in #SaudiArabia’s Jeddah, on the first such trip since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.#Syriahttps://t.co/fnPngS3gXX
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[REGNUM] In the United States, jokes have come into use about sending a harmful relative to rest in Acapulco - the resort from year to year replenishes the registers of the most dangerous cities not only in Mexico, but also in the world. The number of references to crimes that have recently made their way into the mainstream media has indeed increased. In this case, we are talking about those deeds that occur in the light of day.
On the eve of Easter, which this year fell on April 9, many Mexicans, as well as their northern neighbors, like to spend their holidays on the Caribbean coast. At the same time, drug cartels, which have long become a kind of hallmark of Mexico, are no longer too frightening for vacationers. But this year it's different.
Due to the sharp increase in cases of violent crime at popular resorts, the Mexican government decided to send a military contingent to protect tourists. How effective are such measures?
RESORT MILITARIZATION
The Mexican media, describing the militarization of local resorts, have already calculated that such “unprecedented” measures are designed to ensure that tourists are not afraid to spend the Easter weekend and, of course, bring revenue to the local budget.
It was expected that this year it could reach about eight million euros. And this is if we take into account only those who do business "in a white manner" and report on income.
More than 8,000 National Guard, Navy and Army troops are known to have been deployed to the coast. Of these, 3,800 people will go to ensure the security of transport infrastructure: roads, 14 airports, 42 bus stations.
The rest of the 4,724 military personnel were more fortunate - they were sent to patrol the beaches.
First of all, the most popular Cancun (Quintana Roo) and Acapulco (Guerrero). The resorts in Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Veracruz also received reinforcements.
The military contingent is planned to be used in this mode until April 16.
Tourists have already reported that now among the curvaceous senoritas one can meet cheerful personalities in khaki every now and then. They have a lot of work: it is necessary to keep an eye on the area with sun loungers, mini-bars, and the beach area, and beyond the sea - there were cases when members of the cartels came "to visit" on jet skis. And the corpses thrown ashore by the waves have become a local variation of the classics of a beach holiday.
"DRUG BLOCKADE" AND OTHER LOCAL CUSTOMS
The above measures are mostly focused on the day and evening. The nightlife of Mexican resorts is a separate sport with its own security measures, in which one can never be completely sure.
Previously, the owners of hotels of a certain class (luxury or those where foreigners stay) independently took measures to ensure security in their possessions.
The measures could include various things: an increase in the security staff, and “borrowing” a contingent from state law enforcement officers, and hiring PMCs, and, of course, negotiations with drug cartels.
The latter were accompanied by requests to “arrange a showdown” outside decent establishments, to resolve all issues quietly and not scare away tourists. Of course, all this was accompanied by significant financial bonuses. Also, some cartels even guaranteed the inviolability of the territories, the owners of which "repay all debts on time."
It is doubtful that all these touching "customs" that have developed over the past forty years will suddenly be abolished. At the same time, no one ever guaranteed the personal safety of tourists who decided to go on a night out, limiting themselves to a warning to return to the room before dark.
The protection of highways, to which almost half of the military contingent was sent, is a measure that is quite expected, given the specifics of the actions of local criminal groups.
In particular, in response to any state special operations (arrests, a series of searches and seizures), cartels often arrange a series of so-called drug blockades, blocking the main roads of the city with cars on fire and actually paralyzing traffic.
Often, at the same time, spikes and other sharp little things are scattered on certain routes, which are almost guaranteed to damage tires and provoke many accidents.
FRESH REPORTS FROM THE CRIMINAL FRONT
As the reason for the deployment of troops to popular resorts, the Mexican authorities cite a sharp deterioration in the crime situation. It's hard to argue with them.
For example, in Cancun, a week before the holidays, a group of unknown people in Hawaiian shirts shot and killed four people relaxing on sun loungers. It is assumed that the dead were connected with the drug trade and did not share with their "colleagues" (for which they were punished). Information about the successful capture of intruders in the information field did not appear.
Later, in Puerto Morelos (near Cancun), an American tourist caught a bullet. A few days later, four corpses were found in the hotel zone of one of the beaches of Cancun - the nationality and causes of death of these persons were not made public.
At the same time, almost immediately, the US State Department warned American citizens about the need to be prudent and cautious in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. In particular, it was recommended to return to hotels before dark.
In parallel, in Acapulco, assassins opened fire on one of the beaches, frightening tourists and provoking panic. As a result, at the hands of the cartel members, not only the one whom they were hunting, but also at least one person who was simply walking behind, died. Another four vacationers received injuries of varying severity.
Before that, there were stories about a taxi driver who was shot in the head, as well as about plastic bags with parts of human bodies that suddenly popped up right among the bathers.
ON THE CREST OF A NEW WAVE OF VIOLENCE
All of the above, especially in terms of the “seafood” constantly appearing on the coast, is practically a local norm. It is not for nothing that jokes about sending a harmful relative to rest in Acapulco have come into use in the United States - the resort from year to year replenishes the registers of the most dangerous cities not only in Mexico, but also in the world.
True, no matter how conventional this “norm” is from the point of view of the criminal chronicle, the number of references to crimes that have recently appeared in the mainstream media has really increased. At the same time, we are talking about those acts that occur in the light of day, a large number of people and can hardly be hidden.
What can it say?
About the growth in the number of small “new wave” gangs that are not controlled by large cartels. Members of such criminal gangs are distinguished by their “indecently open” nature of their actions, they have little regard for the old-timers and have not yet acquired connections and motives that would allow them to resolve most of the disagreements and other issues “quietly”.
With the raging “youngsters”, issues are usually resolved radically: some of the troublemakers are punished as severely as possible, making sure that as many “colleagues” as possible find out about their fate. From the latter in the future require complete submission.
As for the deeper problems of the growth of crime (social and economic), at the moment in Mexico hardly anyone is really concerned about solving them.
The seasonal militarization of resorts undertaken by the Mexican authorities will not fundamentally improve the situation.
For example, already on April 10 - after Catholic Easter - on the coast of the state of Nayarit (which is located between Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, where they deployed a military contingent), members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel staged a series of nightly drug blockades in response to the seizure of a ton of cocaine and an attempted arrest one of the leaders of the criminal gang.
Dozens of cars belonging to tourists burned down, and none of the members of the cartel was ever caught.
"PEPPY ALTERNATIVE TO THE MALDIVES"
The news about the introduction of troops into the territory of the resorts immediately made many think about how dangerous holidays are on distant shores.
It is important to note here that Mexican resorts are primarily popular with the local population and foreigners, among whom the Americans are predictably in the lead. In 2021 and 2022, Mexico became the number one tourist destination for American citizens, according to the US Department of Commerce (more than six million people visited the country in the first half of 2022 - and that's just by air).
Often, tour operators in other countries do not recommend compatriots to fly to the same Cancun during American public holidays - and for these dates everything has been booked for a long time.
As for the Russians, for most of our compatriots, Mexico is not among the popular holiday destinations: the high cost of such a trip also affects, and last year also the lack of direct flights.
True, in recent times the number of Russian tourists in Mexico has been growing, but has not even reached 100,000 people a year.
At the same time, among the representatives of the so-called creative class (of course, with an income above the average), Mexican resorts have gained some popularity. One of the first to try the local service was Ksenia Sobchak, who lived in Tulum for some time and recorded a couple of video interviews here.
Ksenia not only advertised the resort as a “cheerful alternative to the Maldives”, but also unwittingly confirmed the rumors about the local color: near the hotel where the TV presenter lived, the cartels staged a shootout, getting rid of one of their former “employees”. Luckily, no one else was hurt then.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Chechen law enforcers detained a resident of IngushetiaRamazan Babuev last night, who helped residents of Ingushetia put on the wanted list after the shelling of a traffic police post to escape, sources said.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that tonight Ramzan Kadyrov reported that Chechen security forces had detained "a member of the bandit underground" in the village of Gvardeiskoye, Nadterechny district. Later, Kadyrov added that a participant in armed attacks on security forces in Ingushetia had been detained.
Security forces during a special operation in the village of Gvardeyskoye, Nadterechny district of Chechnya, detained a resident of Ingushetia, Ramazan Babuev, the News_ingushetii Telegram channel reported today, citing operatives.
According to the source, after the small arms attack of a police post on the border of Ingushetia and North Ossetia, residents of Ingushetia declared wanted came to Babuev's house in the village of Aki-Yurt in the Malgobek district of Ingushetia. They asked to be sheltered, after which Babuev took them to an abandoned koshara on the outskirts of Malgobek. On April 3, the security forces discovered the group, a shootout began, but all five managed to escape. Babuev was wounded in the hand and, in order to temporarily hide, moved to his cousin in Chechnya.
When the Chechen security forces arrived at the village of Gvardeyskoye for detention, Babuev tried to escape and received another light wound. In the department, he gave confessions about how he helped members of the bandit group. Security forces found ammunition on him, and a criminal case was opened against Babuev for illegal possession of weapons, the report said.
During the operation in Gvardeisky, Chechen security forces surrounded the house and offered Babuev to surrender, he tried to escape through neighboring land plots, but was wounded by law enforcement officers and detained, the Directorate4 Telegram channel informed today.
Ramazan Babuev is a friend of Movsar Kottoev, Babuev helped the residents of Ingushetia put on the wanted list, but did not participate in the shootings, the Telegram channel 1adat*, which is in opposition to the Chechen authorities, said today.
The ingterpol_news Telegram channel published a photo of Babuev's passport, from which it follows that he is 32 years old, a native of Malgobek, but received a passport in Chechnya. At the same time, Babuev's name is given as Ramzan in the passport photo.
The "Caucasian Knot" cannot confirm the authenticity of the statements of the telegram channels about the identity of the detainee in Gvardeisky and about the details of the operation. Officially, the name of the detainee has not yet been released. The Directorate of the Sledkom of Russia for Chechnya on their website and the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov on their pages in social networks by 18.30 Moscow time did not name the detainee, nor did they provide details of the special operation.
Recall that on April 5, during the counter-terrorist operation, the Ingush security forces discovered a group of alleged militants in the village of Zyazikov-Yurt. During the shootout, three police officers were killed and eight security officials were injured. The alleged militants managed to escape. The police of Ingushetia promised a reward for their help in the search for four residents of Ingushetia - Mikail Moshkhoev, Amir Bokov, Amirkhan Gurazhev and Adam Ozdoev.
On April 7, Amir Bokov surrendered to the security forces, the next day it became known about the detention of Mikail Moshkhoev. The losses of the security forces in the skirmish became the largest in terms of the number of casualties per day among the security forces in Ingushetia after August 2012, the "Caucasian Knot" calculated.
The security forces put Moshkhoev, Bokov, Gurazhev and Ozdoev on the wanted list after the March 27 attack on a traffic police post on the border with North Ossetia. Ramazan Eldiev and Movsar Kottoev were also put on the wanted list. Eldiev was found dead on the morning of March 29, and on April 5 it became known that another wanted man, presumably Kottoev, was found dead.
On April 3, the security forces found a group of alleged participants in the attack on a traffic police post on a farm in Malgobek, but the suspects opened fire on the security forces, wounded one of them and fled. The details of this series of incidents are collected in the "Caucasian Knot" report " Activation of the armed underground in Ingushetia in the spring of 2023 ".
[IsraelTimes] Local police investigating; use of phrases could be criminal offense under Germany’s post-World War II hate speech laws
Berlin police are investigating a pro-Paleostinian rally where demonstrators allegedly chanted "Death to the Jews" and "Death to Israel," phrases that if verified could be criminal offenses under Germany’s strict post-World War II hate speech laws.
Hundreds of people showed up in the Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighborhoods on Saturday at a rally organized in response to the police festivities with Moslem worshipers at the Temple Mount and al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last week.
In video captured by a watchdog called Democ, many were also shown praising Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",, the terrorist group that rules the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip.
Some additionally chanted "Tel Aviv, the answer will come."
In the aftermath, authorities have launched investigations into incitement of hate and have been scouring videos of the event. Iris Spranger, the Berlin city government’s interior senator, condemned the antisemitic statements in a tweet on Monday, writing "Hate has no place in our society."
"The rule of law must be applied consistently," said Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, in remarks to the Jewish community newspaper Judische Allgemeine.
The non-partisan Jewish Values Initiative group called on the Berlin police and interior ministry to explain why they allowed the march to continue despite the antisemitic slogans, and why there were no arrests on site. Elio Adler, head of the group, said the police’s failure to make arrests has done "immense damage."
Israeli police clashed with Ramadan worshipers at al-Aqsa Mosque last week, removing them with force after they barricaded themselves inside with improvised weaponry. In the days after, rockets were fired at Israel from Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , Syria and the Gaza Strip, and two terror attacks left three Israelis dead.
The German-Israel Society and the Jewish Values Initiative have also now demanded that authorities consider a federal ban on the Samidoun association, which advocates for the release of Paleostinian prisoners. Observers said the group was involved in organizing the demonstration.
"We have long been pushing for a ban on this supposed ’aid organization,’" Adler said in a statement.
"The several hundred demonstrators don’t represent all Moslems in Germany," he emphasized. "But their behavior is hardly unusual; and one hears far too little criticism of this hate from within their own community."
Manuel Ostermann, German police’s union deputy chairman, called the demonstration "the very image of shame."
For the third year in a row, Berlin authorities have banned the al-Quds Day march, a demonstration that protests the formation of Israel. Organizers had applied for a permit for some 2,000 participants to demonstrate next weekend in Berlin.
[IsraelTimes] A basketball game between Hapoel Jerusalem and AEK Athens Wednesday in the Greek capital descended into chaos when local fans burned an Israeli flag, launched fireworks and threw rocks at Israeli fans.
Basketball yobs being as vicious as soccer yobs? I suppose they should be congratulated on a foolish consistency...
Images showed a banner hung on the stands with the text “The capital of Palestine is Jerusalem,” referencing the historic dispute between Israel and the Palestinians over the holy city.
An official from Hapoel Jerusalem told Channel 12 news that some fans were lightly injured during the incident. The game was paused briefly due to the fireworks, and police did not allow fans to leave the arena.
“There is unprecedented chaos and a failure of security here,” the official said.
Fans said they were intimidated by the officers, who were aggressive toward them. Some of those in attendance told the Kan public broadcaster that police made no effort to arrest the rioters.
“From the start of the game there was a very hostile atmosphere against the Israelis,” Tal Hakim told Kan. He added there were “many Palestinian and Hezbollah flags and attempts to enter our stand and set the Israeli flag on fire.”
“A quarter of an hour after the game started, they began to throw bricks and rocks at us, and even injured some fans. We were confined to a small area to not get hurt. A quarter of an hour after that, they began to launch fireworks at us and burned the clothes of one of the fans.
“Everyone was waiting for the game to end so they could get home in one piece,” he said.
The game, the second in a FIBA Champions League quarterfinal series, ended in a 94-78 AEK victory.
The Israeli team said in a statement that it considered the incident “terrorism in every sense of the word.”
“We explored options to remove Israeli fans at halftime, but Greeks surrounded them and there were fears of a violent pogrom. The team won’t ignore these events and a complaint will be filed to FIBA,” it said in a statement.
#1
According to the Clarion Project and the Zachor Legal Institute, there is a significant overlap between Samidoun and SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine]; some are activists and alumni. Examples include Nerdeen Kiswani, also a co-founder of New York City SJP (which has since been rebranded as “Within Our Lifetime”); Katherine Azcona, an alumna of both the New York chapter and one at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice; and Nick Maniace, a former New York City-based activist with SJP.
Samidoun presents itself as fighting for innocent prisoners but neglects to mention that many of the prisoners for which they advocate have ties to terrorism.
[Dawn] Sweden has indefinitely closed its embassy in the capital citing the security situation as the reason.
"Due to the current security situation in Islamabad, the Embassy of Sweden is closed for visitors. The Migration Section is not, at the moment, able to handle requests of any kind. Also, we cannot send any documents to our consulates, Gerry´s, or to your home address. We understand that this will cause inconvenience however, the safety of our applicants and staff members are of highest priority," a notice placed on the embassy’s website reads.
It also stated that any questions about re-opening cannot be answered at the moment.
If you have questions regarding your case, please contact the Migration Agency. Closure of the embassy has upset a number of students aspiring to study in Sweden, who have already invested time and money in the process to meet the academic requirements and prepare applications for Swedish universities.
"Many Pak students are applying for Swedish universities this year asking us about their status. We hope they can apply for visa soon. Education is an important aspect of our longstanding relationship and students bridge the two countries," Pakistain embassy in Sweden tweeted.
The Swedish embassy did not elaborate on the nature of the threat, but many believe the decision was linked with the recent incident of burning of the holy Koran in Sweden.
A Danish-Swedish far-right bully boy known for spreading anti-Moslem hatred burned a copy of the holy Koran in front of the Ottoman Turkish embassy in Stockholm on Jan 21 under the protection of Swedish police.
The incident had not only drawn condemnation from Moslems worldwide, but many non-Moslem leaders expressed their disapproval of it.
[Shafaq News] Over 100 ISIS hard boyz have reportedly beat feet from remote areas of Khanqin towards the outskirts of Jalawla and eastern Saladin adjacent to Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... a security official revealed on Wednesday.
Mazen al-Azzawi, a commander of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF), told Shafaq News Agency that "the coordination between security forces, intelligence agencies, and the deployment of PMF forces on the outskirts of Khanqin, as well as the closure of infiltration routes between the Hamrin basin and the outskirts of Saladin, restricted the movement of ISIS elements during the past year and the first quarter of this year, forcing them to flee towards the vacant areas that lack security presence in northern Jalawla, northeastern Qara Tapa, and eastern Saladin."
"The number of ISIS members in the outskirts of Khanqin has dwindled significantly, and the majority are hiding in remote hideouts away from security surveillance, which explains the disappearance of the almost-daily attacks against civilians prior to 2022."
"The ongoing coordination between Peshmerga and army forces in Khanaqin has blocked the infiltration routes of ISIS members and patrols, ending their presence almost completely," he concluded.
Located near Diyala's borders with Iran, Khanaqin has been a site of ongoing tensions and violence due to the complex ethnic and political dynamics in the area.
With various forces vying for control, including the Iraqi Army, Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and Iranian-backed PMF, ISIS exploited the region's instability to establish a foothold.
The group has been particularly active in the area since 2014. The remote and mountainous terrain in Khanqin has provided a suitable environment for ISIS to establish hideouts and launch attacks on both security forces and civilians.
ISIS activity in Khanqin peaked between 2014 and 2017, when the group controlled vast territories in Iraq and Syria. However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... following the military defeat of ISIS in 2017, its activities have diminished but not ceased entirely. The group has since transitioned to an insurgency, carrying out guerrilla-style attacks, including ambushes, bombings, and targeted liquidations.
Despite the efforts of the Iraqi Army, Peshmerga forces, and PMF, ISIS has managed to maintain a presence in the area, exploiting the poor coordination and occasional tensions between these forces. The group's ability to adapt and survive in the region has been further aided by a lack of adequate intelligence and surveillance, as well as local support from some disenfranchised Sunni communities.
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04/13/2023 03:17 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] PM’s office says there was unanimous support among security chiefs for decision; police minister Ben Gvir blasts move as ’serious mistake’ that risks further inflaming tensions
Jewish visitors will be barred from the Temple Mount from Wednesday until the end of Ramadan in ten days’ time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Tuesday, after a series of security consultations on the issue amid widespread violence linked to tensions at the holy site.
While the decision was in line with longstanding Israeli policy aimed at limiting friction during the holiday period, there had been speculation that the new hardline government would change course, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir pushing to allow Jews to continue ascending the Temple Mount through the end of Ramadan, particularly on Wednesday, the last day of Passover.
Continued on Page 49
[Shafaq News] Israeli intelligence officials have revealed that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... recently deployed hundreds of armed drones in Iraq, raising concerns about a potential attack on Israel.
In an interview with the Hebrew newspaper "Maariv," the officials warned that Iran aims to establish a base in Iraq, similar to the one in Syria, to use in an attack on Israel.
The officials also noted that Iran has dozens of affiliated companies in Iraq, through which it invests hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
While Israel is more concerned with the situation in Syria, the officials stressed that the Iranian presence in Iraq could be exploited to strike Israel in the future.
The officials also warned that Iran is close to the upper limit of uranium enrichment, a lever of tremendous pressure on the world and that nuclear weapons could be used in any future conflict. However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... the officials believe Iran is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons in the near term, estimating it could take two to three years.
The officials also noted the possibility of Hezbollah entering the battlefield in the event of a dramatic escalation between Iran and Israel.
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04/13/2023 03:16 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
