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Russia announced on Monday that its “volunteer” ground forces would join the fighting in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he will not send Russian soldiers to Syria, but the plan to deploy irregulars parallels Russian operations in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. The news comes as Russia intensified airstrikes it began last week. Russia claims its bombs are directed at the Islamic State, but most have hit other rebel groups, which oppose the government of President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally. Russia has also begun launching rockets from warships stationed in the Caspian Sea. Russia’s support appears to have enabled Bahsar’s government to embark upon a major offensive in western parts of the country. Some of Russia’s military aircraft have strayed into Turkish airspace, and on Tuesday NATO, which had criticized the deviations into Turkey, rejected Russia’s claim that the incursions were accidental. The same day, Russia offered to reopen talks with the United States about managing operations in Syrian airspace, even as Russian warplanes bombed Islamic State positions in Palmyra. Salam al-Saadi argues in an essay for the Carnegie Endowment that Russia’s goals in Syria involve both strengthening its position in Syria and challenging Western military power across the globe.
Americas
Federal prosecutors in the United States filed criminal corruption charges against a former president of the United Nations General Assembly and four others. The charges allege that John Ashe, formerly an ambassador to the UN from Antigua and Barbuda and president of the UNGA, accepted over $1.3 million in bribes from Chinese businessmen. One of the businessmen, developer Ng Lap Seng, allegedly paid Ashe more than half a million dollars through intermediaries, including Francis Lorenzo, who was once a deputy UN ambassador from the Dominican Republic. The criminal complaint also claims that Ashe kicked back some of the bribe money to Antigua’s prime minister. One of the prosecutors involved in the case indicated that the corruption might be widespread and may involve more people than the five charged on Tuesday.
President Barack Obama’s administration is talking with Pakistan on a variety of issues, including limiting Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. America is apparently asking Pakistan to consider restricting its nuclear weapons to numbers appropriate to repel an attack from India. In return, the United States might support Pakistan’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The NSG forbids nuclear trade with countries that have not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,though the United States has already indicated its support for India’s participation in the NSG. Neither India nor Pakistan has signed the Nonproliferation Treaty.
Africa
General Gilbert Diendéré, the leader of a military coup that briefly toppled Burkina Faso’s interim government last month, has been charged with 11 crimes, including threatening state security and murder. Former Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole has also been charged, though he denies involvement in the coup. All told, the coup resulted in 24 deaths and 251 injuries. It also prompted the interim government to disband the Presidential Security Regiment, the military body under General Diendéré’s control that carried out the coup.
Al Jazeera warns that fish stocks are drying up along Somalia’s coast, as a result of foreign fishing boats. The collapse of Somalia’s government have left few options for its people, and fishing was a way to survive for people living in coastal cities. They may be forced to return to piracy as a means of survival if the fish do not return.
Asia
The American military acknowledged that an airstrike in Kunduz, a city in Afghanistan captured by the Taliban last week, hit a hospital. The bombing killed 19 civilians at the hospital. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the action called for a “thorough and impartial investigation.” An American commander said that incident was a mistake that occurred despite rigorous safeguards. The commander also called for revision of America’s current plan to reduce its troop strength in Afghanistan from 9,800 to 1,000 by the end of next year.
Middle East
Two bombs exploded at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey, on Saturday. The bombs killed 97 and injured 246. The protesters were calling for an end to violence between Turkish security forces and Kurdish separatists. Officials described the attacks as the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Turkish history, though there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has repeatedly committed terrible war crimes. But a report from CNN this week reveals more details about ISIL’s use of rape as a weapon of war. Meanwhile, ISIL militants in northern Syria have destroyed the Arch of Triumph in the city of Palmyra. The arch was built about 2,000 years ago. Al Jazeera has an interesting piece on the notion of radicalization, as it applies to Westerners joining groups like ISIL. Time reports on a Yezidi woman’s testimony before America’s Congress about ISIL’s practice of sexual slavery.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that he wanted to avoid escalation of violence with Israel. Unrest has prompted fears of a new Palestinian uprising. Over the past twelve days, four Israelis and 21 Palestinians were killed in Jerusalem. Israeli security forces shot and killed two Palestinians, aged 12 and 15 during protests along the border fence with Gaza on Saturday. In recent weeks, two Palestinians cousins killed four rabbis and a policeman in an attack on a synagogue, and another Palestinian drove a bulldozer into a bus, killing one Israeli and wounding others. All three were shot and killed by police. On Tuesday, Israel razed the homes of the attackers’ families.
On Tuesday, a new Yemeni affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks in the city of Aden. Four suicide bombers killed at least 15 people in a series of attacks aimed at Saudi, Emirati, and Yemeni troops.