Tag Archives: military

In 2009, Nigerian police forces fighting Boko Haram in the northern city of Maiduguri lost about 30 officers in a violent firefight. The next day, they executed many of the men they had rounded up and detained as suspected Boko Haram fighters. The retaliatory killings often happened right outside police headquarters in full view of the public. Bodies piled up …

Thailand’s army in a military coup on Thursday seized power of the country, and ordered rival protestors off the streets of Thailand. The Thailand army deposed the government, hoping to end several months’ worth of political bloodshed in the country. On Tuesday, the army had declared martial law, sparking rumors of an imminent coup. General Prayut Chan-O-Chaa announced the coup …

The joint mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemicals had announced on Tuesday that Syria had destroyed its entire stockpile of isopropanol, a component used in the preparation of Sarin nerve gas. In a statement, the UN-OPCW mission said, “Now 7.2 percent of Syria’s chemical weapons material remains in country and awaits swift removal …

On Monday, Russia brought to an end its military exercises near the Ukrainian border, days ahead of a vital Presidential vote in Ukraine which aims to end the crisis in the country. The office of Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had ordered several thousand Russian soldiers stationed near the Ukrainian border to return to their barracks as the …

The Syrian Air Defense Chief General Hussein Ishaq was killed on Sunday in a military offensive against rebels near Damascus. General Ishaq was wounded on Saturday during the military’s assault on the town Mleiha to the east of Damascus, and succumbed to his wounds on Sunday. The military offensive aims to increase the area near the capital under the President’s …

UK based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that 850 people have been killed in Syrian security forces facilities and prisons this year. The monitoring group said that the victims lost by executions, torture, due to poor conditions or maltreatment. Six women and 15 children were among the victims, the group added. The monitoring group, …

Nigerian lawmakers on Wednesday began debating President Goodluck Johnathan’s request for a six-month extension on the state of emergency imposed a year ago in three north-eastern states most affected by lethal violence. The international community watches on in eager anticipation of Nigerian action as more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram have been in captivity for over a month …

Pakistan late on Tuesday asked the two Indian journalists stationed in Islamabad to leave the country within a week. The Indian government has criticized the move, calling it a retrograde step which would affect any confidence-building measures between the two rivals and nuclear-armed neighbors. The civilian government in Pakistan has been having a strenuous relationship with its powerful military regarding …

One wonders how much further the United States will allow itself to be dragged down into the deepening abyss that is today’s Egypt. Those in the Obama administration and Congress who favor continued U.S. military aid to the dictatorship in Cairo insist that although such aid may run counter to American ideals, it does serve American interests. I would argue …

Eleven people were killed in violence as the Iraqi Armed Forces on Friday launched an operation to regain control of areas in the proximity of the militant-held city Fallujah. Anti-government forces have been in control of the city, not far from Baghdad, and parts of the provincial capital Ramadi, since January. The operation is being considered as preparation for a …