Mexican Governor Seeks Federal Help Against Vigilantes

MORELIA, Mexico – The governor of the western Mexican state of Michoacan appealed to President Enrique Peña Nieto for federal help to impose order on three towns dominated by vigilantes.

Michoacan’s people must move from the culture of guns to the culture of peace to avert further bloodshed, Gov. Salvador Jara said as he reflected on a Dec. 16 clash between rival vigilante groups that left 11 people dead.

He announced that he had requested support from the army, the Federal Police and other federal bodies to detain all armed civilians in three towns, including La Ruana, the scene of last week’s battle.

“It is unacceptable for there to be armed civilians in Michoacan,” the governor said. “We will not tolerate it and we will act to begin the disarmament of any person or group.”

The Dec. 16 battle began when more than 80 vigilantes led by Luis Antonio Torres, known as “el Americano,” attacked a barricade manned by followers of Hipolito Mora, founder of the militia movement that arose in Michoacan nearly two years ago to protect communities from the Caballeros Templarios drug cartel.

One of Mora’s sons was among those killed in the confrontation.

Peña Nieto sent troops and Federal Police into Michoacan in January to suppress the conflict between the Templarios and the militias.

On March 7, two reputed Templarios gunmen who had infiltrated Torres’ organization were found slain.

Torres pointed the finger at Mora, who was arrested but ultimately released due to lack of evidence.

Many members of Michoacan militias, including the followers of both Mora and Torres, have signed up for a government-sanctioned rural security force.

Earlier this month, however, authorities notified 300 members of Torres’ faction that they had been disqualified from serving in the new organization.

The Torres group responded by blocking roads.

Residents of the area around La Ruana say the 300 Torres associates rejected by the rural security force have links to the Viagras, a group of hired guns who worked for the Templarios.

At Least 1,171 Killed in Syria Since Start of Coalition Strikes

CAIRO – At least 1,171 people have been killed in Syria in airstrikes of the U.S.-led international coalition that began targeting the Islamic State jihadist group on Sept. 23, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Tuesday.

SOHR explained that 1,046 IS fighters, most of them foreigners, were killed in the international coalition’s air raids on areas such as Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Deir al-Zour, al-Hasakah and al-Raqqa.

At least 52 civilians were among the dead, including eight children and five women, in attacks in the provinces of al-Hasakah, Deir al-Zour, al-Raqqa, Aleppo and Idleb.

Meanwhile, at least one member of another Islamist insurgent brigade who was held captive by the IS, was killed in an airstrike against the radical organization’s headquarters in the town of Madan, in the countryside near the city of Al-Raqqa.

SOHR said the airstrikes have also affected refineries and oil fields, mills and a factory.

Another 72 militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front were also killed in Aleppo and Idleb.

The London-based NGO said it believes the real death toll of IS combatants might well be higher, since the terrorist group has imposed absolute secrecy on the casualties it sustains, and due to the difficulty in accessing areas subjected to attacks and bombings.

IS proclaimed in late June a caliphate in territories under its control in Iraq and Syria.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since 2011, according to the United Nations.

Ukraine to Mobilize 50,000 Soldiers in January

KIEV – Ukraine will begin to mobilize 50,000 conscripts and reservists on Jan. 20, amid the truce signed between the nation’s army and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country, Viktoria Kushnir, a spokeswoman for the defense ministry, said on Tuesday.

“Mobilization will begin on Jan. 20. Officers and military specialists in the reserves will be called up. They will undergo training at Ukraine’s Armed Forces training bases for 25 days. Then all will undergo team training,” Kushnir said at a press conference.

The spokeswoman declined to answer when asked if the new batch of troops would be sent to the conflict-torn eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where fighting between pro-Russian separatists and government forces has halted since the signing of a ceasefire agreement.

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine decided on Saturday to convene a new wave of military mobilizations, which will be divided into three stages: January, April and July 2015.

Ukraine resorted to conscription due to a shortage of volunteers to join the armed forces to fight against the more experienced pro-Russian militants, volunteers, and mercenaries coming from Russia.

The Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Stepan Poltorak, announced in mid-December that his ministry was planning to mobilize 40,000 soldiers and 10,500 contractors.

Three Gunned Down at Bar in Northern Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Three people were killed and 13 others wounded when gunmen opened fire at a bar in the northern municipality of San Nicolas, Mexican authorities said Monday.

The attack occurred after midnight Sunday during a Christmas party hosted by Grupo Paca, owner of the bar and other establishments in the state of Nuevo Leon.

Eight men with assault rifles approached the bar in the Monterrey suburb, neutralized the security guards and started shooting at guests, the Nuevo Leon state Attorney General’s Office said.

Two of the 13 people wounded remain hospitalized with serious injuries.

Nuevo Leon has experienced similar incidents at bars and other nightspots in recent years. Authorities have blamed the violence on turf wars among rival criminal groups.

US State Department issues worldwide travel warning

The U.S. State Department has issued a worldwide travel advisory during the holidays, warning Americans to be vigilant and take precautions following the attack in Australia.

"The lone wolf attack in Sydney, Australia... resulting in the deaths of two hostages, is a reminder that U.S. citizens should be extra cautious, maintain a very high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance their personal security," the State Department alert read.

The warning added analysis of past attacks and threat reporting "strongly suggests" a focus by terrorists to strike against public venues, churches, schools "among other targets", not just US government facilities.

"U.S. citizens abroad should be mindful that terrorist groups and those inspired by them can pose unpredictable threats in public venues," the alert said.

Arizona Governor tells " Federal Judge " to pound sand over Drivers Licenses

TUCSON, Arizona – Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vowed to keep up the pressure against issuing driver’s licenses to young undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” following a court decision ordering the state to do so starting next Monday.

The federal court judge in Phoenix, David Campbell, ordered Thursday that Arizona begin to award driver’s licenses to undocumented youths protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA.

The Republican governor said in a communique that “it is outrageous that Arizona is being forced to ignore long-standing state law and comply with a flawed federal court mandate that requires the state, at least temporarily, to issue driver’s licenses to individuals whose presence is in violation of federal law, as established by the United States Congress.”

Brewer said “I have instructed my legal team to move forward in pursuing a full review of this matter before the United States Supreme Court as soon as possible.”

“At stake in this case are the fundamental issues of constitutional law and state sovereignty. Arizona has the constitutional right and authority to enforce state statute. This right must be protected. It must be defended. And as long as I am governor, I will do exactly that,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dulce Matuz, activist and president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, told Efe that she was sorry about Brewer’s attitude, and said there is no argument about state’s rights, only about the governor’s wish to turn dreamers into “second-class residents.”

Gov. Brewer signed an executive order in 2012 that denied undocumented youths who were protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals any possibility of obtaining a driver’s license.

Rocker turned ISIS recruit lures girls, says life is ‘awesome’

Sunday, 21 December 2014

A British woman who travelled to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria earlier this year has been attempting to recruit young women to join the militant group, Britain’s the Sunday Times reported.

Speaking to fictional 17-year-old Aisha, created by the British weekly as part of an ongoing investigation on ISIS, Sally Jones said the teenager’s “sins would be forgotten.”

Jones, who now goes by the name Sakinah Hussain, also revealed during the exchange information on payment methods to possible recruits in the United Kingdom.

“At the end of the day if you’re Muslim you gave to get out of ul kufr [the land of the disbelievers] to please Allah if you can [sic],” she unsuspectedly told the Sunday Times in a message.

The first point of contact was Twitter before the correspondence was moved to messenger app Kik.

Aisha, according to the Times, expressed concerns over the true identity of a certain Abu Abbas al-Lubnani, a name provided by Jones who would set up the meeting in which Aisha would receive money to facilitate the travel of two girls to Turkey.

“U have [to] give the bros name to Western Union as the collector. Listen if he’s giving u money to help u make hijrah [holy migration] dw [don’t worry] sis. He needs ur passport pics to check u aint spys or police cos hed get in big trouble if u was so dw ok just meet his brother and get the money,” Jones told the Sunday Times reporters.

According to Jones, who said she did not know Lubnani, girls would often receive the money but would never travel.

Her remarks mirrored those of Lubnani who according to the Times said: “people send money to girls to make hijrah and they take the money but dont come my sis said.”

She explained to Aisha the reality of living the militant’s self-declared caliphate.

“Women dont have careers sis under sharia law . . . We are wives we are expected to look after our men.”

However, she described life under ISIS as “awesome.”

"They look after u. U will never want for money again u live a good life here. U need to get married to get a house im just being honest with u but there are loads of men.”

Western Union are monitoring transactions into and out of Syria and Iraq and are on the lookout for any illegal activity.

“People in these countries have a humanitarian need for our services, which is why we continue to operate there. We have suspended some of our agents in areas that appear to be Isis occupied,” a spokesperson told the Times.