Security

American forces conducted an airstrike on al-Shabaab militants Friday in Somalia, according to U.S. Africa Command. The strike destroyed weapons and equipment “unlawfully taken by al-Shabab fighters,” the U.S. Africa Command said over the weekend. The command did not report where the weapons and equipment were stolen from. READ MORE …

They look like a cross between a cheap Halloween costume and a shorn teddy bear, but these cartel carpet shoes are not for play. Our correspondent Heath Hansen spotted a set of “Special Forces” slippers recently along a remote region of the U.S.-Mexico border, where he monitored cartel activity – …

In a nod to the treasure that is HUMINT, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency published a video on Tuesday aimed at well-connected Russians who love their country but not what its leaders are doing. The cinematic, evocative video features a fictional well placed Russian government worker who loves both country and family. …

Here’s one more strike against snakes. The virtual kind, that is. The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday that it took down a global network of malicious software called “Snake,” that Russian agents used for nearly 20 years to spy on the United States and its allies. Investigators turned the …

As cartel rivalries heat up inside northeastern Mexico, independent protection squads have surfaced in the south, with men from both sectors making videos to warn off “scumbags” and challengers. Writer “Sol Prendido” of Borderlands Beat chronicles their efforts, below. Chiapas: “We Are Not a Cartel, We’re a Self-Defense Group” A …

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who was rumored to be ill in March, has resurfaced to say he envisions creating an international private army that would be motivated not by money but by “order.” The prospective altruistic force would fight anywhere in the world in order to protect what Kadyrov called …

by Heath Hansen Soldier of Fortune correspondent Heath Hansen has written about his missions with Arizona Border Recon (AZBR), a volunteer group that gathers intelligence along the US-Mexico border, and shares the information with federal authorities. Over the years, AZBR has provided intelligence that has led to the apprehension of …

Federal police raided the office of a high ranking intelligence official with the Department of Homeland Security, and escorted the man from his Washington, D.C. office for questioning, according to a report published on Wednesday. The official reportedly heads the homeland security office that tracks cartel activity, fentanyl smuggling, human …

by Susan Katz Keating A hazardous response team from the National Guard was brought in last month to help deal with a rash of fentanyl overdoses that swept through a county jail in Washington state. The drug overdoses killed two inmates and overwhelmed four others who had to be revived, …

by Susan Katz Keating In the wake of the “Digileaks” documents case, the Pentagon told top defense officials this week to refrain from leaking classified material – and brought smirking commentary from those who shared copies of the lengthy memo. “Don’t turn me in for sending you this,” one contact …