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FARC Rebels Kill 13 Colombian Soldiers

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – Thirteen Colombian soldiers have been killed in an ambush by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the eastern province of Arauca, the country’s army said in a statement. Two sergeants and 11 soldiers were killed.

US ambassador says ex-Marine held by Colombia rebels not part of US mission Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). (Photo Courtesy of GETTY)

Another soldier was injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment, the military said. The wounded soldier was transported to a hospital in the area. Last month, 15 soldiers were killed by the rebel group in the same region.

Army commander Gen. Juan Pablo Rodriguez traveled to the area to oversee the operation to track down the FARC guerrillas who carried out the attack. The FARC is Colombia’s main guerrilla and are estimated to have about 8,000 fighters, according to the defense ministry.

Even though FARC rebels and the Colombian government have been holding peace talks in Cuba, both sides are continuing to target each other militarily. The Colombian government and the FARC rebels have been holding peace talks in Havana, Cuba since November of 2012.

On August 23rd, the FARC announced a “pause” in the talks and the government subsequently withdrew its team of negotiators. The FARC announced a “pause” in order to study a proposal that any peace deal must be put to a referendum.

The chief government negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, said both sides would be back at the table on August 26th to continue peace talks. As of now, the two sides have reached an agreement on land reform, the first of six points on their agenda.

Current talks are now focused on political rights for the rebels, including the insurgents’ insistence that none of them be sentenced to prison. The FARC have also demanded seats in Congress and their own news media, but it has also for the first time acknowledged shared responsibility for the country’s suffering and a willingness to make amends to the victims.

The FARC has been at war with the Colombian government since the 1960s, making it the longest running insurgency in Latin America. The Colombian government has made fighting the FARC a top priority and has obtained billions in U.S. aid for counterinsurgency operations.

A recent study by Colombia’s National Centre for Historical Memory estimated that 220,000 people have died as a result of the five decades of conflict.

The FARC is on both the U.S. and EU lists of terrorist groups. The FARC’s operations are financed through drug trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.

For more information please see:

CNN – 13 Colombian soldiers killed by rebels – 25 August 2013

ABC News – 13 Colombian Soldiers Killed, Talks to Resume – 25 August 2013

The Telegraph – Farc kills 13 Colombian soldiers ahead of talks – 25 August 2013

Fox News Latino – FARC rebels kill 13 soldiers near Colombia’s border with Venezuela – 25 August 2013

BBC – Colombian soldiers killed in ambush in Arauca province  – 24 August 2013

Suspected Boko Haram Attack in Northeastern Nigeria kills 13

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria — A suspected Boko Haram attacked carried out late Thursday night in Damboa Village, about 52 miles north of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, is believed to have killed as many as 13 people.

A group of Boko Haram members ( photo courtesy of PressTV)

Witness report that about 50 Boko Haram fighters arrived  by car and motorcycle in Damboa at about 7:30 pm local time. The militants first attacked the Damboa police station but were successfully repelled by officers. The militants then tried to attack a military post also located in the village but were again repelled by soldiers. Witnesses  confirmed that while one group was attacking the police and military another group was attacking villagers, setting fire to homes, and looting.

“About 20 houses including that of the local government chairman and several shops were burnt down. The terrorists had also looted most of the shops and filled a truck with food items, but they were not lucky to escape with the loot as the laden vehicle got stuck in the muddy road.”Ayamu Gwasha, who represents Konduga in the Borno State House of Assembly told Premium Times.

A farmer, Mustapha Aji, reported to Premium Times  that villagers had to flee from their houses and spend the night in the bush. He said he believed that foreign mercenaries were among the terrorists who attacked.“The shooting was too much; it started immediately after the Isha (late night) prayers. The shooters came in several cars and began to shoot and burning houses and shops. Some of them are aliens, because they were speaking Arab fluently. They were carrying big, big guns, some were throwing bombs. Everywhere was on fire I had to run for my life,” Aji told Premium Times.

An attack was anticipated by residents and officials of Damboa because the village borders Konduga, where 44 people were killed early this past Sunday. Beefing up Security in Damboa was being discussed before the last night’s attack.

The exact number of injured and dead is not know because Borno State is currently under a communications black out while the military battles the rebels. A state of emergency as been in effect in Borno State since May.

Boko Haram is fighting to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

 

For more information, please see:

APA — 11 killed in northern Nigeria attack — 17 August 2013

BBC News — Nigeria unrest: ‘Boko Haram’ in deadly attack on Damboa — 16 August 2013

Global Post — Boko Haram suspected in attack that kills 11 in Nigeria — 16 August 2013

Premium Times — 13 feared killed in latest Boko Haram attack in Borno — 16 August 2013

 

 

Heightened Terrorist Activity and Security Threats Cause Evacuation in Yemen

By Darrin Simmons, 
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen-Increased threats of terrorist activities have caused the evacuation of U.S. Citizens as well as other Western nations in Yemen.  Following an intercepted electronic message between al-Qaeda leaders, a total of twenty one embassies have closed down.

Police perform security checks on cars headed to the airport in Sana’a (photo courtesy of The Independent)

The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying: “U.S. citizens currently in Yemen should depart. As staff levels at the Embassy are restricted, our ability to assist U.S. citizens in an emergency and provide routine consular services remains limited…The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high.”

The statement also noted that attacks on the U.S. Embassy Compound in September 2012 and the death of a U.S. citizen in Taiz in March 2012 at the hands of al-Qaeda have caused additional reasons for concern.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a highly sophisticated al-Qaeda affiliate, has been operating out of Yemen for many years, planning and attempting to carry out massive attacks on the U.S. both locally and overseas.  AQAP was behind the “underwear bomber” who attempted detonation of a bomb on a plane over Detroit in December 2009.

U.S. officials have claimed that it is unclear and there is still no information pertaining to a specific target or location of a potential attack.  However, the extroardinary and unprecedented security measures were put in place as the potential threat in Yemen has been classified  as one of the most serious threats since 9/11.

Approximately one hundred U.S. government personnel were evacuated and carried out by an US Air Force C-17 at dawn on Tuesday morning.  The personnel were headed for Ramstein air base in Germany with some essential embassy staff staying behind.

The heightened security measures have been implemented in the aftermath of a U.S. drone strike that hit central Yemen on Tuesday.  The drone strike killed four suspected al-Qaeda members hiding in Yemen with none being considered to be in high leadership positions.

George Little, the Pentagon Press Secretary stated that “the Defense Department continues to have personnel on the ground in Yemen to support the U.S. State Department and monitor the security situation.”

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi criticized the U.S. decision to evacuate saying, “Unfortunately, these measures, although they are taken to protect their citizens, in reality they serve the goals that the terrorist elements are seeking to achieve.”

“Yemen had taken these threats seriously and had taken all the necessary measures to protect all the foreign missions in the country,” claimed al-Qirbi.

The U.K. also evacuated its embassy staff and “strongly” urged British citizens to leave immediately.  “If you don’t leave the country now while commercial carriers are still flying it is extremely unlikely that the British government will be able to evacuate you or provide consular assistance,” said the U.K. government.

Former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Michael Leiter, expressed his opinion that the activities in Yemen are “certainly nothing remotely close to the worst thing we have seen since 9/11.” However, he went on to say, “We have been wrong on stuff before.”

For more information, please see the following: 

Aljazeera – U.S. and U.K. urge citizens to leave Yemen – 6 August 2013

Guardian – Yemen security alert: US and British citizens told to leave  – 6 August 2013

Independent –  Yemen airlift: U.S. and U.K. fly staff out as al-Qa’ida terror threat level rises – 6 August 2013

NBC News – US personnel evacuated from Yemen; Americans urged to leave amid terror threat – 6 August 2013

 

 

 

 

Egypt Protesters Fortify Camps After Cabinet Threatens Dispersal

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Thousands of pro-Morsi supporters are defying warnings by the military-backed cabinet to cease protests across Cairo.  The government has authorized police to take “gradual steps” to remove the protesters but thus far no removal has occurred and does not appear imminent.

Protesters gathered in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

“The continuation of the dangerous situation in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, and consequent terrorism and road blockages are no longer acceptable given the threat to national security,” a statement from the interim government said on Wednesday, adding that it has told police to take “all necessary measures” to disperse crowds.

The protesters have employed barricades and sand bags to fortify significant sit-in locations in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares in Cairo.  Additionally, thirty-three marches were planned around the city in support of ousted president Morsi.

On Friday, state television said that protesters would be allowed to leave safely, but that within forty-eight hours security forces would begin a “siege” at the camps in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares.  Essentially, authorities will begin preventing people from entering the squares, which is one step from beginning removal of the protesters.  Given the security forces history of excessive force, human rights groups are concerned that the situation could result in further violence.

International human rights groups, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called on the Egyptian government to refrain from using force against the protesters and allow for the peaceful demonstrations to continue.

“Given the Egyptian security forces’ record of policing demonstrations with the routine use of excessive and unwarranted lethal force, this latest announcement gives a seal of approval to further abuse,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty.

“The authorities as well as the security forces should start with an approach that avoids the use of force and is based on ‘methods of persuasion, negotiation and mediation’, as recommended by international standards,” she added.

“To avoid another bloodbath, Egypt’s civilian rulers need to ensure the ongoing right of protesters to assemble peacefully, and seek alternatives to a forcible dispersal of the crowds,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The police’s persistent record of excessive use of force, leading to dozens of deaths this month, and the density of the sit-ins mean that hundreds of lives could be lost if the sit-in is forcibly dispersed.”

According to Human Rights Watch at least 137 people have been killed by Egyptian security forces in the last month alone.  Other reports claim that at least 250 people have killed since Morsi was removed from power on July 3.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Morsi backers stage defiant rallies in Egypt – 2 August 2013

Human Rights Watch – Egypt: Do Not Forcibly Disperse Sit-Ins – 2 August 2013

Al Jazeera – Egypt police told to break up rallies – 1 August 2013

BBC – Egypt protesters defy cabinet threat to end sit-ins – 1 August 2013

Snowden Stranded in Moscow As US Congress Refuses to Limit NSA Surveillance.

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – Lawyers for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden said Wednesday that issues with his requests for asylum are expected to leave Snowden stranded in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Snowden requested temporary asylum in Russia last week after he was stopped from boarding a flight out of the country.

Snowden, 30, sparked a national debate about the legality and morality of secret mass surveillance programs targeted at US citizens. (Photo courtesy of NPR)

Snowden made headlines back in May when he released classified information detailing an NSA program designed to collect phone meta-data from users of Verizon’s phone service.

Snowden arrived in Moscow late last month, expecting only a short layover before traveling to South America. When Snowden arrived in Moscow on a revoked passport, however, bureaucratic measures prevented him from leaving the airport or boarding an outbound flight. Instead, lawyer for Snowden, Anatoly Kucherena, now says that he will remain in the airport until the Russian Federal Migration Services grants temporary asylum.

Back in the United States, Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a measure demanding the State Department coordinate with lawmakers in applying sanctions to Russia and any other country that offered asylum to Snowden. So far Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua have offered Snowden asylum.

The measure passed unanimously through the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday after it was included as an amendment to next year’s foreign operations bill.

This came just one day after the House of Representatives voted on a bill that proposed to curtail the NSA’s ability to conduct mass surveillance programs like the one Snowden exposed. The bill was the first opportunity for members of Congress to take a position on mass surveillance since details of the NSA’s program came to light.

The bill, which fell seven votes short of passing, saw the bi-partisan alliance of libertarian conservatives and liberal Democrats as strong proponents.

For more information, please see:

CBS News – Senate pushes sanctions on nations aiding Edward Snowden – 25 July 2013

Fox News – NSA leaker Edward Snowden stuck in a holding pattern at Moscow airport – 24 July 2013

LA Times – Edward Snowden turned back at Moscow passport control, official says – 24 July 2013

The Guardian – Edward Snowden plans to stay in Russia, says lawyer – 24 July 2013

The New York Times – House Vote 412 – Rejects Limits on N.S.A. Data Collection – 24 July 2013

The Washington Post – Edward Snowden, NSA leaker, could remain in Russia indefinitely – 24 July 2013