by Mike Eckel, RFE/RL In the Sudanese capital, civilians cower behind interior walls, fearing flying window glass and stray bullets. Commerce in Khartoum has ground to a halt. Water and electricity outages are widespread. Pitched battles have broken out near the airport and other parts of the city of 5 …
Read More »National Guard Hazardous Response Team Called In as Overdoses Sweep Through Washington Jail
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, …
Read More »Wagner Group’s Prigozhin Tells Moscow to End Its War on Ukraine
The head of the Wagner Group wants Russia to get out of Ukraine, and to recognize that the war has solidified Ukraine’s identity. The time has come for a “firm end” to the war in Ukraine, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin posted on Telegram on Friday. “Russia has achieved the results …
Read More »US Charges ‘Chapitos’ and Sinaloa Cartel Members With Trafficking Fentanyl
The Justice Department on Friday announced charges unsealed against 28 members of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the sons of drug trafficker Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, as part of an extensive investigation into fentanyl trafficking. “Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most …
Read More »Inside the ‘Barrio 18’ Street Gang, Where Members Cannot Leave
It started as a small-time street gang in 1950’s Los Angeles, and took its name from where it was based: 18th Street, in the city’s Rampart District. It evolved over the years, until the 18th Street Gang – also known as “Barrio 18” – became one of the largest youth gangs …
Read More »The Weapons of Finland: Here’s What NATO’s Newest Member Brings to the Alliance
Finland brings a significant collection of materiel to NATO, including one of Europe’s largest artillery contingents. Here are some of Helsinki’s most specialized military hardware. F/A-18 HornetThe Finnish Air Force has 62 of these American-made aircraft in service. The aging jets are set to be replaced with 64 latest-generation F-35s, …
Read More »Russia Gains Momentum in Brutal Battle for Bakhmut
The Wagner fighting group and Russian military commanders may briefly have reached a truce, enabling their forces jointly to make headway in Ukraine. Russian forces have regained some momentum in the battle for the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, according to the latest intelligence from the United Kingdom. This is in …
Read More »A Hair-Raising Ride in Pleiku: ‘I Scared the Shit Out of My Boss and Didn’t Get Fired’
by James Donzella, The War HorseSomewhere between my 14th and 15th birthdays, my dad taught me to drive a stick shift. He thought it was important that I knew how. My first car was a stick-shift Ford—fast. It earned me several tickets. A few years later, drafted into the Army, …
Read More »The ‘Shining Path’ Guerrilla Group Emerges Again in Peru
by Jose Campos A fog descends over the mountain I’ve climbed previously while while trekking Peru. Now, on my fourth expedition to Machu Picchu, the fog imparts a chill. I feel it as a message, a warning I can’t shake off. The chill is being felt throughout the country, my …
Read More »Video Shows Cartel Assassins Training to Fight Inside Close Quarters
Men who appear on video conducting a close quarters combat drill are assassins from a Mexican criminal group, according to a writer who tracks cartel activity. “Assassins from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) find themselves conducting Close Quarters Battle (CQB) training inside a structure,” noted the writer, “Sol Prendido,” …
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