News archive: January 2014
9 January 2014
The removal of the most critical material for destruction began on 7 January 2014, a week after the deadline for its completion set by an agreement brokered by Russia and the United States under which Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined the 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons. ‘This movement is very important because it’s the first important step in an expected process of continued movement for the onward destruction out of country’ Sigrid Kaag, head of the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations told reporters after updating the Security Council on the accord, which set 30 June for the elimination of all materials. (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | Security Council expects Syria to meet June deadline for chemical weapons removal, official says
8 January 2014
The New York Times reports that Saudi Arabia, which supports the ousting of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, has become the main backer of the Syrian rebels, even when these include Islamists who fight alongside militants loyal to Al Qaeda. Also, at least a thousand of Saudies have travelled to Syria to fight with rebel forces. Even though Saudi Arabia officially bans their citizens from going to Syria for jihad, this ban is not enforced.
Source: The New York Times | Saudis Back Syrian Rebels Despite Risks
7 January 2014
A Reuters investigation revealed that Thai naval security forces were involved in the smuggling of Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar (also known as Burma) in growing numbers over the last year following outbreaks of religious violence in Myanmar. A smuggling network, centred on the west coast of southern Thailand, transported thousands of Rohingya mainly into neighbouring Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country the Rohingya view as a haven from persecution. In addition to the Royal Thai Navy, the coastal seas are patrolled by the Thai Marine Police and by militias under the control of military commanders. (more…)
Source: Reuters | Special Report: Thailand secretly supplies Myanmar refugees to trafficking rings
Source: Reuters | U.N., U.S. call for investigations into Thai trafficking of Rohingya
Source: Reuters | UPDATE 1-Thai navy denies allegation of Rohingya Muslim smuggling
Source: UN News Centre | UN human rights office concerned about Thai Navy defamation case against reporters
6 January 2014
The United States has sent dozens of Hellfire missiles and low-tech surveillance drones to Iraq to help government forces combat an violence by an Al-Qaeda-backed insurgency that is gaining territory in both western Iraq and Syria. The assistance was requested by the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The New York Times reports that American intelligence and counterterrorism officials say they have effectively mapped the locations and origins of the Al-Qaeda network in Iraq and are sharing this information with the Iraqis.
The Iraqi military has a very limited ability to locate and quickly strike Al-Qaeda militants. The combination of American-supplied Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, tactical drones and intelligence, supplied by the United States, is intended to augment that limited Iraqi ability.
Source: The New York Times | U.S. Sends Arms to Aid Iraq Fight With Extremists