Relations between President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have swung sharply from open confrontation to cautious engagement over the past year, setting the stage for a pivotal White House meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

Once considered a model partnership in the Western Hemisphere, U.S.–Colombia ties are now being tested by deep disagreements over drug policy, security cooperation and migration.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the visit, President Donald Trump suggested the tone between the two leaders has shifted in recent weeks, while underscoring that drug trafficking will dominate the talks.

"I mean, he’s been very nice over the last month or two," Trump said during a press availability. "They were certainly critical before that. But somehow after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice. He changed his attitude. Very much so."

LATIN AMERICA FRACTURES OVER TRUMP’S MADURO CAPTURE AS REGIONAL ALLIES SHIFT RIGHT

Trump said he is looking forward to meeting Petro in person, while making clear that narcotics remain a central concern. "He’s coming in. We’re going to be talking about drugs because tremendous amounts of drugs come out of his country," Trump said. "And I look forward to seeing him. We’re going to have a good meeting."

Colombia has long been one of Washington’s closest partners in South America, particularly on counternarcotics and security. Bilateral cooperation expanded dramatically under Plan Colombia beginning in 2000, with U.S. military and law-enforcement assistance playing a central role in Colombia’s fight against insurgent groups and drug trafficking networks. That cooperation helped stabilize the country and eventually led the United States to designate Colombia a major Non-NATO ally. U.S. officials and analysts say that foundation has eroded in recent years amid diverging priorities and growing mistrust.

Tensions first erupted in January 2025, when Petro initially refused to allow U.S. deportation flights carrying Colombian nationals to land. The standoff prompted Trump to threaten tariffs, travel bans and visa restrictions before Colombia reversed course and agreed to accept the flights. The episode marked the first major rupture between the two leaders following Trump’s return to office.

Relations deteriorated further in September 2025, when Petro traveled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, participated in protests and publicly urged U.S. soldiers to "disobey the orders of Trump." The remarks prompted the U.S. State Department to revoke Petro’s visa on Sept. 27, 2025. The following month, the Trump administration announced punitive measures targeting Petro and members of his inner circle, citing concerns about drug trafficking and security cooperation.

Colombian officials denounced the moves as politically motivated. Trump publicly labeled Petro a "drug leader," suspended U.S. aid and threatened additional punitive measures, pushing relations to what observers described as their lowest point in decades.

TRUMP WARNS 'SICK' SOUTH AMERICAN LEADER, REITERATES 'WE NEED GREENLAND' FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

Signs of de-escalation emerged last month when the two leaders spoke by phone for the first time since the diplomatic breakdown. Trump later described the call as a "great honor," saying he appreciated Petro’s tone and looked forward to meeting him in person. Both sides agreed to restart dialogue on contentious issues, including counternarcotics, migration and trade. Colombia subsequently resumed U.S. deportation flights as part of broader efforts to stabilize relations, paving the way for Tuesday’s face-to-face meeting.

Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative at the America First Policy Institute, said the visit highlights how much is now at stake for both countries.

"Colombia remains the most important U.S. partner in South America, but that status is conditional, and lately it’s been under real strain, largely because of President Gustavo Petro’s tolerance for criminal networks that threaten both Colombian sovereignty and American security," Maldonado told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP SIGNALS LONG ROAD AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS BOLDEST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET

She said the Trump administration’s objectives heading into the meeting are likely focused on restoring what she described as "real cooperation" on counternarcotics and security after years of drift.

"Counternarcotics and security cooperation will likely dominate the conversation," Maldonado said, pointing to record cocaine production and what she described as growing tolerance within parts of the Colombian state for criminal networks. She argued that Washington has increasingly treated Colombia as failing to meet U.S. expectations in the fight against illegal drugs.

Maldonado said the administration has signaled it is no longer willing to accommodate governments it believes enable narco-criminal ecosystems.

"What to watch going forward is whether Colombia chooses to course-correct or continues drifting toward the model next door, which blurred the line between the state and organized crime," she said. "Colombia earned its status as a major Non-NATO Ally through decades of sacrifice. That trust has been badly damaged, but it is not beyond repair if Colombia demonstrates genuine resolve against cartels, rejects political cover for criminal groups and realigns clearly with the United States on hemispheric security."

She added, "This visit should make one thing unmistakable: the United States wants a strong, sovereign Colombia. It is in America’s best interest. However, it will not tolerate ambiguity when it comes to narco-terrorism, regional security or the safety of the American people," Maldonado said.  

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. is mounting an increasing blitz of air attacks and military missions against Islamist terrorists in Somalia to reduce the threat of jihadi attacks on the U.S. homeland.

The terrorists are said to be mainly affiliated with Islamic State (ISIS) or al Qaeda. This is according to U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, the second highest-ranking officer at U.S. Africa Command, who talked exclusively last week to Fox News Digital.

Brennan, a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, confirmed, "There's ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the United States homeland as well as Europe. So that's kind of the nexus of the threat."

AFTER TRUMP STRIKES ISLAMIST TERRORISTS, US GENERAL TRAVELS TO NIGERIA WITH MILITANTS 'ON THE RUN'

"So think," Brennan said, "American citizens on social media get recruited to do bad things inside America. And then there's ISIS lead and ISIS resource cells that are capable of larger-scale attacks. We've stopped, over the history since 9/11, a lot of those from happening, because of what we do overseas, so we're playing the away game."

He continued, "When you give a terrorist organization that has resourcing like ISIS time and space to plot and plan, those ISIS and terrorist-led attacks can happen. If they're on the run, and they're constantly worried about surviving, they can't be as effective at planning and plotting."

The U.S., with strikes and intelligence capabilities, is on an aggressive campaign to smash terror’s hold on Somalia, and stop the country from being what the State Department described in 2017 as "a terrorist safe haven".

In 2025, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), working with Somali and other partners, carried out 124 airstrikes on ISIS-Somalia (Islamic State) and al-Shabab jihadi terrorists and their facilities in Somalia, 12 times the amount of missions flown under the Biden administration in 2024. 

In the first month of 2026, the U.S. has staged another 26 attacks – 2½ more than the 10 that were carried out in the whole of 2024.

The focus of Islamist terror has moved from the Middle East to Africa, and specifically to Somalia, Brennan told Fox News Digital. "The caliph — absolute leader — of the global ISIS network, Abdulqadir Mumin, is a Somali, and he is in the (Somali) Golis Mountains along with a lot of his key leaders. And from that location they direct terrorist activities, not just across Africa. He is directing global ISIS operations that go to the Far East, Europe and the U.S."

President Donald Trump, referring to Somalia in February 2025, posted on his Truth Social account, "The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’"

Asked by Fox News Digital this week whether U.S. forces are hunting the ISIS leader Mumin, Brennan replied, "Yes, absolutely. We want to make sure he has no safe space anywhere. History has shown that the ISIS caliph ends up getting killed by us at some point."

"We’re on no. 4 right now," he added. The most notorious, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hunted down in Syria.

In Somalia, the Islamic State is represented by ISIS-Somalia. "We've had a lot of success targeting that network, ISIS-Somalia," he said.

"We've taken large swathes of terrain back — our partners have. We've just enabled with intel sharing ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and fires — airstrikes. About well over half the territory that ISIS Somalia once maintained up in Puntland — an autonomous state in North-Eastern Somalia — is now under the control of the Puntland Defense Forces."

"They've conducted a massive amount of clearing operations, taking back terrain, capturing a great number of ISIS operatives, as well as a lot of their material. But again, our main mission is to secure the homeland — make sure that none of this threat migrates back to our shores. I think we've been pretty successful at that and if the PDF can continue what they're doing, ISIS Somalia may cease to exist before too long. That's our ultimate goal," he said.

SOMALIS LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR, DANGER AS DISTURBING REALITY HOVERS OVER THEIR DAILY LIVES

Al-Shabab, the local al Qaeda affiliate, is, however, still a problem in Somalia. He said, "In the south you have al-Shabab, and that threat has definitely morphed over the last year or so, as they are coordinating with the Houthis."

"Not as much (an) external operations threat," the general continued, "but in fact, al-Shabab is, I think, the strongest, largest, most well financed part of the al Qaeda global franchise and their desire is to take over Mogadishu and turn Somalia into an al Qaeda caliphate."

The U.S. role in Somalia in 2026 is increasingly "remote advise and assist," with most of the Somali troops using their own ground assault vehicles, Brennan said, adding that on occasion they provide them "with a ride to work" — transporting them to raids on U.S. helicopters and providing airstrike support.

AFRICOM provides advanced intelligence capabilities. Brennan said, "We've given them tools that allow them to see what the ISR aircraft are seeing. We can show them things on a moving map that they're carrying on their chest."

Ambassador Robert Scott, a senior career diplomat who was brought in by the State Department in 2023 to serve as deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement with AFRICOM, told Fox News Digital that governments around Somalia have been able to share the burden with AFRICOM — "not only Kenya and Ethiopia and Uganda, but also Somaliland, Puntland especially (and) also Jubaland. So (we are) finding partners who are willing to engage in the fight against both ISIS and al Shabab. I think it's been very effective."

Brennan also says the U.S. military activity in Somalia could lead to huge trade potential. "There's natural resources in Somalia that, because of the security situation, the Somalis have not benefited from," he added. "Now the Somalis are realizing they may have critical minerals."

"There's LNG (liquified natural gas) off the coast of Mogadishu, so that our biggest weapon system, if you will, from an African perspective, is our private sector economy. If we can get that in there with private sector investment similar to other countries in Africa, that is a guarantor of security."       

A Russian drone strike hit a bus carrying miners in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Sunday, killing at least 12 people.

Ukrainian emergency services later reported the death toll had risen to 15 in one of the deadliest single attacks on energy workers since the start of the war. 

The attack Sunday came a few hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia had been postponed.

A spokesperson for DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy firm, which employed the workers, told Fox News Digital that drones had targeted the bus as it traveled "roughly 40 miles from the front line in central and eastern Ukraine."

The DTEK spokesperson also described the incident as a "terrorist attack on civilian infrastructure."

"This strike was a targeted terrorist attack against civilians and another crime by Russia against critical infrastructure," the spokesperson added.

RUSSIA UNLEASHES MAJOR DRONE, MISSILE ATTACK ON UKRAINE AS US DIPLOMATIC TALKS CONTINUE

The bus was transporting miners after the end of their shift when it was hit by a Russian drone, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine also confirmed.

At least seven workers were injured, and a fire sparked by the impact was later extinguished by emergency crews.

"The epicenter of one of the attacks was a company bus transporting miners from the enterprise after a shift in the Dnipropetrovsk region," the company also said in a statement.

Zelenskyy condemned the strike late Sunday, calling it another deliberate attack on civilians.

RUSSIA SAYS UKRAINE PEACE TALKS 'PROCEEDING CONSTRUCTIVELY,' AS KREMLIN LAUNCHES DEADLY STRIKE ON ODESA

Earlier in the day, he announced that the next round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. would now take place Feb. 4-5 in Abu Dhabi, after originally being expected for Sunday.

"Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war," Zelenskyy said on X, adding that the delay had been agreed to by all sides.

The delay followed a surprise meeting Saturday in Florida between Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s special envoy and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

The talks in Abu Dhabi are now expected to include representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the U.S., according to The Associated Press.

UKRAINE RACES TO BOLSTER AIR DEFENSES AS PUTIN’S STRIKE PAUSE NEARS END

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy warned Russia is stepping up its aerial campaign against civilian and logistical targets. 

"Over the past week, Russia has used more than 980 attack drones, nearly 1,100 guided aerial bombs, and two missiles against Ukraine," he wrote on X on Sunday. "We are recording Russian attempts to destroy logistics and connectivity between cities and communities."

In a statement, DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko also explained the bus attack marked the company’s "single largest loss [of] life of DTEK employees since Russia's full-scale invasion."

"We can already say with certainty that this was an unprovoked terrorist attack on a purely civilian target, for which there can be no justification," Timchenko said.

The attack marked "one of the darkest days in our history," he added. "DTEK teams are working with emergency services on the ground in Dnipropetrovsk region to ensure the injured, and families who have lost loved ones, get all the care and support they need. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten," he added.

Iran’s regime released staged images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attempt to show strength and boost a military under strain, according to opposition groups operating outside the country.

The photographs, published by Iranian state media Jan. 31, marked Khamenei’s first public appearance in weeks and showed him praying at the tomb of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as regime officials issued new threats against the U.S. and Europe.

Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the images were aimed less at reassuring the public than at boosting morale among the regime’s weakening security forces.

"The images of Ali Khamenei were pure propaganda," Safavi told Fox News Digital. "He wanted to show that he is not afraid of dying, but at the same time he is desperately trying to boost the morale of his demoralized forces."

TRUMP SAYS IRAN CALLED 'NUMEROUS' TIMES TO MAKE DEAL AS CARRIER ENTERS MIDDLE EAST WATERS

Safavi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remains the backbone of the regime’s power but is showing signs of strain after weeks of suppressing nationwide protests.

"These images are intended to project strength and shore up the repressive forces," he said. "But underneath, the regime is reeling from the reality that its criminal clique cannot break the will of the people and Khamenei knows the situation will never return to what it was before Dec. 28."

The release of the photos coincided with calls from the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

HUNDREDS RALLY OUTSIDE IRANIAN UN AMBASSADOR'S FIFTH AVENUE RESIDENCE CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE

"The IRGC is the backbone of this regime," Safavi said. "Its disintegration can only occur after a fundamental shift in the balance of forces and with the presence of organized resistance on the ground. Only then do defections at lower levels of the military become meaningful."

Tehran reacted angrily to the European move with Iranian lawmakers appearing in IRGC uniforms in a highly choreographed show of solidarity, according to reports.

A banner reading, "The Revolutionary Guard is the largest anti-terrorism organization in the world," was displayed at the speaker’s podium, and the IRGC flag was prominently featured, according to the Times of Israel.

US MILITARY WARNS IRAN IT WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY 'UNSAFE' ACTIONS AHEAD OF LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

"We saw the same thing when the U.S. designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization in 2019," Safavi said.

"More than half of these lawmakers are former IRGC commanders," he added. "The IRGC dominates Iran’s economy and permeates the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as educational institutions."

After the U.S. dispatched a naval strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, Khamenei also warned Sunday in comments reported by Iranian state media that any military action would trigger a wider regional conflict.

"We are not the ones who start a war," Khamenei said . "But if America attacks or harms Iran, the Iranian nation will deliver a strong blow — and any war started by America will spread across the region," he said per reports.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program, "we’ll find out" whether Khamenei’s warning proves correct.

"Doing business with Iran means doing business with the IRGC," Safavi said. "The IRGC is the regime — even the clerics."

Iranian lawmakers chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” while dressed in the uniforms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during a Sunday parliamentary session, according to footage broadcast by state-linked media.

The post WATCH: Iranian Lawmakers Don IRGC Uniforms to Threaten U.S. — ‘Death to America!’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Two Mexican soldiers were kidnapped by a convoy of more than two dozen cartel gunmen in the Mexican state of Hidalgo after the troops stopped a tractor‑trailer hauling stolen fuel. The brazen daylight abduction left one serviceman dead and the other hospitalized.

The post Cartel Commandos Abduct Two Mexican Guardsmen Over Fuel‑Theft Load, Kill One appeared first on Breitbart.

Der Kult-Slogan wird zur Hetze umgedreht: Die linke NGO „Campact“ versucht Müller-Milch mit Millionen Aufklebern und Plakaten zu boykottieren. Eine Hassmethode wie „Kauft nicht bei Juden“, nur linksgrün im neuen Kleide. Ein Skandal!

„Campact“ überschwemmt Deutschland mit 2,2 Mio. Aufklebern und 28.000 Plakaten gegen Theo Müller: „Alles AfD oder was?“, weil er Weidel mag. Das ist Boykott-Terror am Regal wie in dunklen Zeiten. Ab April 1933 hat man den Hass an Schaufensterscheiben gemalt, um Kunden vom Kauf abzuhalten.

Linker Boykott-Terror im Supermarkt  

„Alles Müller, oder was?“, der alte Werbe-Ohrwurm wird von Campact zur Waffe: „Alles AfD oder was?“ prangt auf 28.000 Plakaten in 14 Städten und 2,2 Millionen Stickern, die Verbraucher auf Müller-Produkte kleben sollen. Ziel: Kauft nicht bei Müller! Weil der Milliardär AfD-Chefin Alice Weidel als „Freundin“ bezeichnet, mit ihr posiert (Bayreuth, Cannes) und die AfD nicht verteufelt. Beweise für Spenden oder Mitgliedschaft? Fehlanzeige! Trotzdem: Diffamierung als „Unterstützer der AfD“. Das Traurige: „Kauft nicht bei Juden“ wird heute zurecht verurteilt, hier taucht die Methode wieder auf, nur gegen politisch Andersdenkende.

Mit Steuergeld finanzierte Hetze

Campact tarnt sich als NGO, pumpt aber Millionen in die Kampagne. Pikant: eng verflochten mit HateAid (50 %-Beteiligung). Deren Chefs Anna-Lena von Hodenberg und Josephine Ballon sind seit Dezember 2025 mit einem US-Einreiseverbot, als „radikale Aktivisten“ und Zensur-Treiber gebrandmarkt. HateAid kassierte 2024 über 699.000 € vom Familienministerium. Das ist unser Steuergeld in Kampagnen gegen die AfD.

Theo Müller schlägt zurück  

Der 86-Jährige lässt das nicht auf sich sitzen: Via Anwalt Christian Schertz Unterlassungsaufforderung an Campact  Die AfD, seit sechs Monaten in Umfragen vor der CDU, wird im Supermarkt bek#mpft,. Und nun wird der Wahlkampf ans Joghurt-Regal verlagert: Wer nicht links ist, soll boykottiert werden. Wenn das durchgeht, ist morgen jeder dran, der Fleisch von Bauern aus Thüringen, Sachsen oder Sachsen-Anhalt kauft. Sind dann im nächsten Schritt auch die Brauereien am Pranger?

Gegen 9,5 Milliarden Euro Jahrsumsatz kann niemand anstinken

Das ist kein Protest, das ist roter Mob 2.0!. Theo Müller, der in Deutschland 33.000 Menschen an 20 Produktionsstandorten beshäftigt, kämpft nicht nur für seine Milch, er kämpft für deine Freiheit, frei zu denken, frei zu kaufen. Buttermilch im Magen soll ja die geistige Klarheit fördern. Ein Werbegag wäre, wenn Campact 10.000 Flaschen Buttermilch vor die Bürotür gestellt bekäme. Ob man sie wegschütten oder an bedürftige SPD-Genossen verschenken würde?

Was sagt ihr: Ist das noch Demokratie oder schon DDR- und Nazi-Methoden?  

President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Thursday they believe Hamas will disarm under a U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire plan as it enters its second phase.

But as regional analysts warned the terror group has no intention of disarming and could ultimately block Trump’s Gaza plan, Hamas officials also pushed back on Trump's claim.

Speaking during his 10th Cabinet meeting of his second term, Trump appeared confident the Palestinian Islamist militant group would throw down their weapons.

"And now we want to get Hamas, no guns, right? To disarm," Trump said before adding, "A lot of people said they’ll never disarm. It looks like they’re gonna disarm."

WALTZ HAILS ‘NIGHT-AND-DAY’ MIDDLE EAST SHIFT AS TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN RESHAPES REGION

Witkoff echoed Trump’s assessment and told the president the process was already underway.

"We’ve got the terrorists out of there, and they’re going to demilitarize. They will, because they have no choice," Witkoff said. "They’re going to give it up. They’re going to give up the AK-47s."

Regional analysts warned the terror group has no intention of disarming and could even block Trump’s Gaza plan altogether.

National security analyst Kobi Michael said Hamas "doesn’t intend to disarm itself and never intended to."

"Hamas will do all the possible and creative maneuvers and manipulations in order to keep its power and influence in the Gaza Strip," professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital.

He added that "they don’t really talk to each other and do not really understand each other," suggesting gaps between the two sides.

AFTER TRUMP DECLARES ‘WAR IS OVER,’ HAMAS EXECUTES RIVALS IN GAZA TO REASSERT CONTROL

"The Israel Defense Forces are the only entity that can disarm Hamas," Michael said, noting that "no one besides Turkey is willing to send its troops to the International Stabilization Force in order to fight Hamas," referring to the planned force authorized by the United Nations to oversee security and demilitarization in Gaza.

Senior Hamas officials flatly contradicted the White House narrative Thursday, according to The Times of Israel.

Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said the group "never agreed to disarm; no one’s raised it with us directly," stressing that Hamas remains firmly in control in Gaza.

The outlet also reported that Abu Marzouk indicated Hamas retains a de facto veto over appointments to a newly formed technocratic committee meant to govern the Strip.

The committee, announced as part of Phase Two of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, is intended to oversee Gaza’s civilian affairs and manage reconstruction once the ceasefire stabilizes.

US SEEKS UN AUTHORIZATION FOR GAZA INTERNATIONAL FORCE LASTING THROUGH 2027 UNDER TRUMP PLAN

Witkoff said, "We are in the second phase now… we’ve stood up, for the first time, Mr. President, on your behalf, a technocratic, all-Arab government."

The body is expected to provide basic services to Gaza’s more than 2 million residents, even as the United Nations estimates reconstruction costs will exceed $50 billion.

But Michael warned the new structure is vulnerable to Hamas manipulation, with the group likely to exploit any new setup.

"They will use the existing bureaucracy that will be operated by the technocrats to control and influence the way this government will actually operate — the Hezbollah model," he said.

He added that Hamas has already "demanded more time, Israeli troop withdrawals and immediate reconstruction while quietly preserving its military capabilities."

"Trump may conclude that nobody can disarm Hamas but the Israel Defense Forces," Michael said. "Then it will become clear that Hamas is the ultimate spoiler and is a major obstacle in Trump’s Gaza plan."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

A Muslim activist who served a prison sentence for his role in an overseas terror plot is now seeking elected office in Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city, as local elections approach amid heightened communal tensions.

Shahid Butt was convicted by a Yemeni court in 1999 and sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of forming an armed gang and conspiring to bomb the British consulate in Aden, an Anglican church and a Swiss-owned hotel in Yemen. At the time, Yemeni prosecutors said the group had been sent to carry out violence by Abu Hamza, the extremist preacher who was the father of one of the convicted men.

He is now standing as a candidate for the newly formed Independent Candidates Alliance in the May 7 Birmingham City Council elections.

Butt maintains his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced through torture, and that evidence against him was planted, The Daily Telegraph reported.

FANS OF ISRAELI SOCCER TEAM BARRED FROM MAJOR UPCOMING GAME IN UK OVER ‘SAFETY’ CONCERNS

He will contest the Sparkhill ward, an area where nearly two-thirds of residents are of Pakistani background, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Butt’s candidacy comes as Birmingham — home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.K. — has faced renewed strains over foreign policy, identity politics and public order. Those tensions came into sharp focus last November when Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv played Aston Villa in a Europa Conference League match.

Ahead of the game, Butt used social media to call on Muslims from around the country to travel to Birmingham to show solidarity with Palestinians and to prevent the Israeli team’s supporters from, in his words, "desecrating" and "dirtying" the city. In one post, he referred to the visiting fans as "IDF babykillers," according to Birmingham live.

UK PRIME MINISTER SLAMMED FOR WELCOMING HOME FREED EGYPTIAN PRISONER AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS RESURFACE

Authorities ultimately barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the match, citing security concerns, after large-scale protests were planned.

In a video posted from a protest connected to the fixture, Butt made comments that critics say crossed from political speech into the endorsement of violence. "Muslims are not pacifists," Butt said in the video. "If somebody comes into your face, you knock his teeth out — that’s my message to the youth."

Emma Schubart, a researcher at the Henry Jackson Society, said the developments reveal deeper fractures within British society. "Shahid Butt, a convicted terrorist, is standing for election in a ward that is around 80% Muslim. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from the second-largest city in the U.K. which is now nearly a third Muslim," Schubart said.

"Politically," she added, "These events foreshadow a likely Muslim sectarian sweep in the local elections, since candidates like Butt are poised to erode Labour’s hold on seats throughout Birmingham."

The Independent Candidates Alliance was founded by activists Akhmed Yakoob and Shakeel Afsar, both of whom ran unsuccessfully in Birmingham constituencies during the 2024 general election on a pro-Gaza platform. The group is expected to field candidates in around 20 wards across the city.

President Donald Trump appealed to Iraqis on Tuesday to not reinstate the controversial former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to a new term because of his alleged corruption and severe mismanagement of the country’s economy and security situation.

Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform: "I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister. Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!" 

A parliamentary session was slated for Tuesday to elect a president, who would then appoint the prime minister. The meeting was canceled because of a lack of a quorum.

IRAQI STATE BANK ACCUSED OF PROCESSING PAYMENTS FOR HOUTHI TERRORISTS WHO DISRUPT RED SEA COMMERCE

Al-Maliki fired back at Trump on Wednesday, stating, "We reject the blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and consider it a violation of its sovereignty."

The Trump administration vehemently opposes al-Maliki attempts to secure a third term because of his close ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran — a state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department.

Al-Maliki’s previous premiership (2006 to 2014) was plagued by sectarian violence, including his reported failure to form an inclusive government that did not discriminate against Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Muslims in favor of Shiite Muslims.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told caretaker Prime Minister al-Sudani on Sunday that the U.S. was concerned about a pro-Iran government seizing control of the Iraqi state.

"The Secretary emphasized that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, or advance the mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

MYSTERY SURROUNDS VISIT TO DC OF IRAN-BACKED IRAQI JUDGE WHO ISSUED WARRANT FOR TRUMP’S ARREST

Al-Maliki ended his second term in 2014 after the Obama administration’s growing frustration with his security blind spots that saw the rise of the Islamic State in the same year across a large swathe of Iraqi and Syrian territory. 

Al-Sudani secured the most seats in November’s parliamentary elections but withdrew his candidacy this month. The 75-year-old al-Maliki, from the  Shiite Islamist Dawa Party, tossed his hat in the political ring and won the support of the Coordination Framework, a collection of Shia parties that is the largest parliamentary bloc.

Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, told Fox News Digital that "Iran has exercised tremendous influence over Iraq. Ayatollah Khamenei personally ‘blessed’ Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination. Even if Maliki is ultimately dropped, Iran will simply nominate another candidate who is secretly acceptable to Washington. That individual may even be given leeway to say the right things publicly in order to appease the U.S., while remaining fully aligned with Tehran behind the scenes."

Qanbar, who worked as a civil engineer in Iraq, added, "As for the Iraqi elections, the process itself has been systematically engineered to ensure that Iran’s proxies win without meaningful resistance. These elections are not contests between Iranian-backed factions and genuine alternatives; rather, they are mechanisms to divide votes among groups already approved by Iran. Any real dissent has been banned, imprisoned, or eliminated."

He noted that "I have often used the analogy that Iraqi elections resemble a soccer match with only one goal, no goalkeeper and only one team allowed on the field," and warned, "the United States fails to see these structural manipulations."

An Iraqi Kurdish official also echoed the view that Iran has gained greater control of Iraqi power politics. The official told Fox News Digital that, "Under Sudani’s government, Iran’s proxies have doubled on the state payroll and receive over $3 billion a year. He established the Muhandes company — the PMF’s investment wing, securing public contracts and buying weapons."

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an umbrella organization of Shiite militias loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The PMF wields enormous power in Iraq.

The Iraqi Kurdish official said, "Economically, Iran’s oil blending in Basra has been formalized with official state support. Financially, Iraq’s state and private banks have funneled billions in U.S. dollar bills into Iran under Sudani, bringing Tehran critical relief against U.S. sanctions."

The official added, "Iran, of course, has always been ahead of the curve in Iraq. When the pro-Western candidate Ayad Allawi beat Maliki in the 2010 elections, it was the Americans who handed Maliki a second term — an odd moment of alignment with Iran against their own preferred outcome." He said he hopes the U.S. won't make the same mistake again.

Nicht jeder Vergleich ist passend, doch einige sind notwendig, um zu verstehen, wie Trump Caracas angreifen konnte. 

Der Beitrag Wie 20 Jahre „War on Terror“ den Überfall auf Venezuela ermöglicht haben erschien zuerst auf .

Der Rücktritt von NRW-Fluchtministerin Josefine Paul wird von den Altparteien als Akt politischer Größe verkauft. Laut Tagesschau gesteht die Grünen-Politikerin Fehler bei der Aufarbeitung des Terroranschlags von Solingen ein und erklärt ihren Rückzug mit der „zunehmenden politischen Polarisierung“ im Untersuchungsausschuss. Ministerpräsident Hendrik Wüst bedankt sich demonstrativ für die „gute Zusammenarbeit“, SPD und FDP sprechen von Respekt – und lenken zugleich vom eigentlichen Problem ab.

Wüst lobt Pauls angebliche Sachlichkeit und Kollegialität und vermeidet jede Selbstkritik. Dabei stand die Ministerin monatelang unter Druck, weil zentrale Informationen verspätet oder gar nicht an den parlamentarischen Untersuchungsausschuss weitergegeben wurden. Dass eine wichtige SMS erst spät auftauchte und der Verdacht der Urkundenunterdrückung im Raum steht, wird von der Staatskanzlei ebenso ausgeblendet wie die politische Verantwortung des Innenministeriums.

Auch die SPD nutzt den Rücktritt vor allem für parteipolitische Manöver. Zwar spricht sie von massivem Vertrauensverlust, schiebt die Verantwortung aber pauschal der Landesregierung zu, ohne Konsequenzen für das eigene jahrelange Mittragen der Migrationspolitik zu benennen. Die FDP wiederum erklärt den Rücktritt für „überfällig“, reduziert das Problem jedoch auf persönliche Fehler der Ministerin – und schützt damit CDU-Innenminister Herbert Reul, dessen Ressort bei Sicherheit und Abschiebungen seit Jahren versagt.

Für die AfD-Fraktion im nordrhein-westfälischen Landtag ist der Rücktritt daher kein Zeichen von Aufklärung, sondern ein gezieltes Bauernopfer. Der Fraktionsvorsitzende Dr. Martin Vincentz erklärt, Josefine Paul sei die Definition einer Fehlbesetzung gewesen und ihren Aufgaben zu keinem Zeitpunkt gewachsen. Ihr Rücktritt sei unausweichlich gewesen – ändere aber nichts am strukturellen Versagen der Landesregierung.

Auch die migrationspolitische Sprecherin der AfD-Fraktion NRW, Enxhi Seli-Zacharias, weist die Darstellung der Altparteien zurück:

„Josefine Pauls Rücktritt ist ein Ablenkungsmanöver, um Schaden von CDU-Innenminister Herbert Reul abzuwenden. Es geht nicht nur um persönliche Verfehlungen, sondern um strukturelles Staatsversagen. Wir fordern: Der gesamte Bereich Ausländerrecht inklusive Behörden und Abschiebungen muss wieder zurück in das Innenministerium überführt werden.“

Nur mit klaren Zuständigkeiten, echter Kontrolle und politischem Willen könne verhindert werden, dass Behördenversagen weiter mit wohlklingenden Rücktrittserklärungen kaschiert wird.

Quellen: Tagesschau / Stellungnahmen der AfD-Fraktion NRW

Wenn linksextremistischen Vereinen in Deutschland die Konten gekündigt werden, ist der Aufschrei groß. Offene Briefe, Solidaritätsbekundungen, Empörung über angebliche Willkür. Wenn jedoch rechte oder konservative Personen, Medien und Organisationen seit Jahren systematisch vom Bankensystem abgeschnitten werden, herrscht bemerkenswerte Stille. Genau diese Doppelmoral legt der aktuelle Fall der “Roten Hilfe” offen.

Der linksradikale Verein, der seit Jahrzehnten militante Linksextremisten juristisch unterstützt und dafür bundesweit Spenden sammelt, verlor seine Konten bei der Sparkasse Göttingen und der GLS-Bank. Der Grund dafür: Die Trump-Regierung setzte die “Antifa Ost” auf eine US-Terrorliste und drohte Unterstützern mit Sanktionen. Deutsche Banken reagierten entsprechend, kündigten Konten und beriefen sich auf regulatorische Pflichten. Dass ausgerechnet linke Gruppen plötzlich jene Mechanismen zu spüren bekommen, die sonst vor allem konservative und rechte Personen, Medien und Gruppen treffen, sorgt nun für Nervosität im eigenen Milieu.

Die GLS-Bank rechtfertigt sich mit BaFin-Vorgaben, Geldwäscheprävention und persönlicher Haftung von Mitarbeitern. Alles korrekt, alles formal. Dass diese Argumentationslinie seit Jahren exakt so verwendet wird, um unliebsame rechte und konservative Kunden loszuwerden, wird dabei geflissentlich ausgeblendet. Dort hieß es stets: Einzelfälle, Geschäftsrisiken, interne Bewertungen. Nie politisch. Nie ideologisch. Nie systematisch. Natürlich nicht.

Dabei ist das Phänomen des “Debanking” keineswegs neu. Das Magazin “Multipolar” dokumentiert seit Jahren Fälle, in denen Oppositionelle, Journalisten und Medien ohne Begründung ihre Konten verlieren. Betroffen sind linke Verlage, kritische Journalisten – aber eben überproportional häufig rechte, konservative oder regierungskritische Akteure. Alternative Medien, patriotische Vereine, EU-kritische Initiativen oder schlicht missliebige Privatpersonen kennen das Spiel: Konto weg, Zahlungsverkehr lahmgelegt und die wirtschaftliche Existenz unter Druck.

Im Falle der “Roten Hilfe” ist die Sachlage jedoch klar: Wer Gruppen unterstützt, die auf US-amerikanischen Terrorlisten stehen, muss mit entsprechenden Konsequenzen rechnen. Egal ob linksextrem, rechtsextrem, islamistisch oder sonst etwas. Denn hierbei geht es nicht um das Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung oder um die Pressefreiheit, sondern um gewaltbereite Strukturen und Organisationen. Das ist ein qualitativer Unterschied.

Die Linken mögen nun aufheulen, doch im Gegensatz zur “Roten Hilfe” haben die vom Debanking betroffenen konservativen bzw. rechten Personen und Medien keine Terroristen unterstützt und sind nicht auf US-amerikanischen Terrorlisten gelandet.

Nach dem gezielten Brandanschlag auf die Stromversorgung im Südwesten Berlins fahndet das Bundeskriminalamt öffentlich nach den Tätern – und setzt dabei auf eine drastische Maßnahme: Bis zu eine Million Euro Belohnung für entscheidende Hinweise aus der Bevölkerung. Wie aus einer offiziellen Mitteilung hervorgeht, waren am frühen Morgen des 3. Januar 2026 mehrere Starkstromkabel in Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Brand gesetzt worden, was massive Stromausfälle für rund 45.000 Haushalte, tausende Betriebe sowie Krankenhäuser und Pflegeeinrichtungen zur Folge hatte.

Der Anschlag traf die Stadt empfindlich. Ganze Ortsteile wie Nikolassee, Wannsee, Zehlendorf und Lichterfelde waren teilweise tagelang ohne Strom. Selbst Notrufnummern und Telefonnetze funktionierten zeitweise nur eingeschränkt. Ziel des Angriffs war offenbar die Stromzufuhr eines Heizkraftwerks in Berlin-Lichterfelde. Eine militante Gruppe, die sich „Vulkangruppen“ nennt, reklamierte die Tat in einem Bekennerschreiben für sich und sprach offen von „Sabotage“ gegen die fossile Energieversorgung.

Der Generalbundesanwalt beim Bundesgerichtshof ermittelt inzwischen wegen schwerster Vorwürfe – darunter Brandstiftung, verfassungsfeindliche Sabotage und der Verdacht der Mitgliedschaft in einer terroristischen Vereinigung. Die Ermittler gehen davon aus, dass der Anschlag Teil einer ganzen Serie ist: Seit 2011 kam es in Berlin und Brandenburg immer wieder zu Attacken auf kritische Infrastrukturen, insbesondere Bahn- und Energieanlagen, zu denen sich dieselbe Gruppierung bekannte.

Das BKA ruft nun Zeugen auf, verdächtige Beobachtungen, Fotos oder Videos zu melden. Hinweise können anonym über das Hinweisportal oder telefonisch abgegeben werden. Wer bis zum 24. Februar 2026 entscheidende Informationen liefert, die zur Ermittlung der Täter führen, kann mit einer Belohnung von bis zu eine Million Euro rechnen.

Hier geht es zum Hinweisportal >>>

More and more brutal evidence of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on its own people is circulating online, as the true number of those killed in Iran’s protests remains hotly contested amid internet blackouts and state intimidation. Estimates range from the thousands confirmed dead to the tens of thousands feared killed, according to activists, media reports and medical data.

Fatemeh Jamalpour, an Iranian journalist who has covered every major protest movement over the past two decades, said the latest crackdown represents a turning point in the regime’s use of force. "The regime’s level of violence has increased dramatically, and with the internet crackdown, it is difficult to know the true scale of the killing."

"The new thing I have seen in these protests, something we have not seen before, is that starting on the night of January 8, the regime issued shoot-to-kill orders to the IRGC, the Basij and the riot police, authorizing direct fire," Jamalpour told Fox News Digital.

INSIDE TRUMP’S IRAN WARNING — AND THE UNEXPECTED PAUSE THAT FOLLOWED

"In previous protests, military-grade weapons were used mainly in minority provinces such as Kurdistan and Baluchestan," she added. "This time they were used across the entire country… Health Ministry officials told us they ran out-of-body bags for the dead."

The most widely cited baseline comes from the Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, a U.S.-based group that tracks deaths by name and location.

As of January 25, HRANA reported 5,848 people confirmed killed. Of these, 5,520 were protesters, 77 were children under 18, 209 were government-affiliated forces and 42 were non-protesters or civilians. The number of deaths still under investigation stands at 17,091.

The group has emphasized that its confirmed tally reflects only cases that could be independently documented, and that its overall figures are expected to rise as information continues to emerge.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian authorities have offered only one official count, 3,117, and have not updated it publicly in the last five days. Authorities have not released names, locations, or documentation to support that figure.

Beyond human rights tallies, a separate medical working paper reviewed by Fox News Digital suggests the death toll may be far higher.

US AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN AT EMERGENCY UN MEETING THAT TRUMP IS 'MAN OF ACTION,' 'ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE'

The report by Munich Med Group, authored by professor Dr. Amir-Mobarez Parasta, compiles hospital-registered fatalities from multiple Iranian cities and applies what the author describes as a conservative extrapolation model to account for underreporting during the communications blackout.

Using that methodology, the paper estimates a nationwide death toll of approximately 33,130 people as of January 23. The author stresses the figure is not a verified count, but a lower-bound estimate based on partial medical data and stated assumptions.

Iran International published its own investigation, claiming it reviewed documents indicating that more than 36,500 people were killed during two days of protests on January 8 and 9 alone. The outlet said the documents were provided by sources inside Iran, but the claims have not been independently verified.

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

The wide gap between confirmed counts and higher estimates reflects not only the scale of violence, but also the conditions under which it occurred.

According to Jamalpour, despite the internet shutdown, doctors and medical workers attempted to document what they were seeing using limited satellite connections.

"Many doctors and medical staff tried to send us their accounts and documentation through small Starlink connections," she said. "Medical workers say protesters were often shot in the head and neck, with intent to kill. Many were killed by multiple bullets. Some were shot from behind while trying to flee."

Jamalpour said the victims she documented reflected a generation the regime appeared determined to crush. "Among the dead are children and a 67-year-old man, but most are young people under 30," she said. 

TRUMP THREATENS IRAN WITH CRUSHING RESPONSE AS TEHRAN DENIES HALTING PROTEST EXECUTIONS

Jamalpour described the killing of Mehdi Khanmohammadi, a 67-year-old retired army colonel and pilot. "He was killed on Friday, January 9, in Saadat Abad by two bullets," she said. "In a video, his daughter stands over his lifeless body and says, ‘Can you open your eyes and wake up?’"

She said scenes like that have left the country in collective mourning. "These days, Iranians are in shock," Jamalpour said. "There is grief everywhere."

At the same time, she warned that the crackdown is far from over. "Lawyers and human rights organizations are deeply concerned about more than 20,000 protesters who have been detained and are at risk of execution," she said.

Yet even amid the fear, Jamalpour said she hears something new inside Iran. "In my conversations from inside the country, I hear people’s hope for Trump’s help in freeing Iran," she said. "And a determination to change the regime, now intertwined with anger and grief."

Weltreiche kommen und gehen, Völker tauchen auf und verschwinden wieder, jede Kultur dämmert nach ihrer Blütezeit dem Untergang entgegen. Das geschieht zwangsweise mit oder ohne Beteiligung dunkler Hintergrundmächte, und wenn sich eine Entwicklung zuspitzt, markiert dies das Ende einer Epoche. Und an so einem Punkt befinden wir uns jetzt. Vieles spricht jedenfalls dafür.

Nichts geht mehr. Was in Gang gesetzt worden ist, lässt sich nicht mehr aufhalten. Wer sich an die Vergangenheit klammert, gerät mit ihr in den Strudel der Vergessenheit. Was schleichend begann, kann sich plötzlich an einem einzigen Tag wandeln und wirkt dann wie ein singuläres Ereignis. Bevor es zum Ersten Weltkrieg kommen konnte, mussten die späteren Kriegsparteien erst einmal kräftig aufrüsten und begeistert die neuen Technologien in die Kriegsmaschinerie aufnehmen. Vom ersten Motorflug (1903) der Geschichte, der ganze 12 Sekunden dauerte, bis zum Ausbruch des Ersten Weltkriegs vergingen gerade einmal elf Jahre, in denen die Militärs die Fliegerei entsprechend gefördert hatten und erste Aufklärer und Jagdflieger einsetzen konnten.

Heute sind es autonome Drohnen und erste Robotereinheiten, die besonders im Ukrainekrieg erprobt und beständig weiterentwickelt werden. Polizeiroboter auch im Inneren sind keine Science-Fiction mehr, aber die Technik steckt noch in den Kinderschuhen. Wie schnell wird sie ihnen aber entwachsen und Kriege, aber auch Konflikte im Inneren, entsprechend verändern? Wir können uns das Ausmaß wahrscheinlich noch gar nicht richtig vorstellen. Im Ersten Weltkrieg musste die Zivilbevölkerung noch keine flächendeckenden Bombardements fürchten, das Wort Luftschutzbunker war noch gar nicht erfunden. Gerade einmal zwei Jahrzehnte später wurde der Horror real, den der Autor H.G. Wells 1897 in seinem Fortsetzungsroman „Krieg der Welten“ angedeutet hatte, jedoch nicht durch blutrünstige Marsianer, sondern aus der Hand von ganz irdischen Menschen. Die Marsianer, die mit ihren dreibeinigen Maschinen Großbritannien verwüsten, sind im Roman kurz davor, „Flugmaschinen“ zu bauen, deren Einsatz das Ende der Menschheit bedeutet hätte, als sie von Bakterien dahin gerafft werden, gegen die sie nicht immun sind. Zum Zeitpunkt der Entstehung der Geschichte hatte wohl selbst der visionäre Autor keine echte Vorstellung davon, wie nur wenige Jahre später der Luftraum erobert werden würde, und blieb deshalb bei seiner Beschreibung sowohl der angedeuteten Fluggeräte als auch der „Raumschiffe“, mit denen die Marsianer zur Erde kommen, sehr vage.

Wenn wir die Augen aufmachen und unsere ideologischen Brillen beiseite lassen, könnten wir zumindest eine Ahnung davon bekommen, was gar nicht mal so unsichtbar und nicht sehr weit hinter den Kulissen erprobt wird. In den USA setzen die ICE-Beamten der Einwanderungsbehörde Apps auf Mobilgeräten ein, mit denen sie gezielt illegale Migranten aufspüren sollen. Die Software stammt aus dem berüchtigten Hause Palantir, auf das auch die deutsche Polizei immer mehr vertraut. Palantir ist dabei, eine zentrale Datei zu erstellen, in der alle (!) US-Bürger erfasst sind, mit all ihren Daten, wie Wohnort, Arbeitsplatz usw.. Exklusiven Zugriff hat das Weiße Haus.

Die Staaten und Städte, die einen laxen Umgang mit illegaler Einwanderung pflegen, sollen durch die Maßnahmen der Trump-Regierung dazu gebracht werden, an der Erstellung dieser Daten mitzuwirken, damit US-Bürger besser vor Terror geschützt werden, so die Begründung. Der Staat soll somit in die Lage versetzt werden, jeden einzelnen Bürger zu durchleuchten und jederzeit seinen Standort abzurufen. Wer nicht erfasst ist, gilt dann automatisch als illegal. Auf dieser Logik soll die aktuell verwendete Software der ICE-Beamten jetzt schon basieren. Wenn wie von Elon Musk bereits angekündigt, Roboter bald in großen Stückzahlen für Privathaushalte verkauft werden sollen, die immer mehr menschliche Tätigkeiten übernehmen, wird die Entwicklung wohl nicht an den Behörden vorbei gehen. Wie wird das dann aussehen? Festnahme durch Roboter, wenn möglich assistiert durch die Smart-Technologie in Haus, Auto und Mobilgeräten? Oder kommt gleich ein fliegender KI-Arzt vorbei, der oppositionelles Verhalten per Gehirn-OP eliminieren kann? Ich weiß es nicht, das Potential der neuen Technologien ist jedenfalls so immens, wie damals zur Jahrhundertwende 1899/1900.

Wir müssen uns in dieser neuen Welt zurechtfinden oder wir gehen mit der Vergangenheit unter. Und es macht keinen Unterschied, ob wir uns rechts oder linksherum den Strudel hinab bewegen. Unser Schicksal ist besiegelt, wenn wir darein geraten sind. Liebe Freunde, lasst uns in diesen stürmischen Zeiten, immer wieder einen Schritt beiseite treten, statt blindlings in unser Unglück zu rennen. Passt auf euch auf und danke für alles!

A video showing a Syrian militiaman holding what he claims to be a severed braid belonging to a Kurdish fighter killed in Raqqa has sparked outrage as Damascus moves to assert control in northeastern Syria amid a fragile ceasefire.

In the video, the man holds up what appears to be a cut braid. He is said to tell the person filming that he took it from a woman he claims was affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

When asked why, he responds, "She’s already gone, what will she do?" according to London-based news outlet New Arab.

The video prompted an online campaign and protests where Kurdish women braided their hair in solidarity.  Outrage continued to grow as control in northeastern Syria began to shift, AFP reported.

TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS

"The video highlighted the fears many Kurds have about what Syrian government control could mean for their communities," Syria analyst Nanar Hawach told Fox News Digital.

"The Damascus-affiliated fighter held up a severed braid, claiming he cut it from a YPJ fighter killed in Raqqa, but he later claimed it was ‘artificial’ and ‘a joke.’ The woman’s identity and fate remain unverified," Hawach, of International Crisis Group, said

"The response matters more than the video though," he added, noting that the braid carries "cultural significance in Kurdish tradition and has become a symbol of women’s resistance."

US STRIKE ELIMINATES AL QAEDA OPERATIVE CONNECTED TO ISIS AMBUSH THAT KILLED 3 AMERICANS IN SYRIA

The incident comes as Damascus, under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, pushes to expand its reach and authority into areas long governed by the SDF, the U.S.' main partner in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

Raqqa, once the Islamic State group’s de facto capital, has also seen fighting emerge across the region between Syrian government forces and Kurdish units, prompting a U.S.-brokered cease-fire on Jan. 18.

The truce followed diplomatic efforts by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who met SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in Erbil on Jan. 17 before traveling to Damascus to meet al-Sharaa, Reuters reported.

"This new 15-day ceasefire extension has created a real diplomatic window, but postpones rather than resolves the fundamental dispute," Hawach said.

ISIS FIGHTERS BREAK FREE FROM SYRIAN JAIL AMID CHAOTIC GOVERNMENT HANDOVER

"For Syria’s Kurds, the extension offers temporary relief but perhaps little certainty about what comes next," he said. "The fundamental disagreement remains: Damascus insists on individual integration, while the SDF views organizational dissolution as political erasure."

The ceasefire extension was also tied to security concerns surrounding ISIS prisoners held in northeastern Syria.

Damascus has taken control of several detention sites. As previously reported by Fox News Digital, prisoners escaped amid the transfer of control before U.S. Central Command began moving detainees to Iraq on Jan. 21, with the operation ongoing.

ISIS FIGHTERS STILL AT LARGE AFTER SYRIAN PRISON BREAK, CONTRIBUTING TO VOLATILE SECURITY SITUATION

"Washington is racing to transfer detainees before the security situation deteriorates further," Hawach said.

"Washington’s goal is to prevent this standoff from producing two outcomes: violence against Kurds, or an Islamic State resurgence from detention facilities," he said.

"The U.S. is trying to ensure this transition doesn’t end in violence along ethnic lines or an Islamic State resurgence," Hawach added.

"The fundamental dispute over integration between the SDF and Damascus remains unresolved. If they cannot bridge that gap, renewed fighting is possible when this new 15-day ceasefire expires," he said.

EXCLUSIVE: As Israeli bulldozers razed structures at the UNRWA headquarters on Tuesday after Israel enacted legislation last year banning the agency’s operations on Israeli territory, a new documentary sheds light on the controversial U.N. agency for its close relationship with Hamas terrorists, and its lax controls of allowing antisemitism to be taught to generations of its students.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini condemned the move against the UNRWA buildings, calling it a violation of international law, while Israeli officials said the compound had not been in active use and that the demolition was carried out in accordance with Israeli law.

The development comes weeks after the United Nations General Assembly voted to renew UNRWA’s mandate through 2029, despite growing opposition and abstentions from several Western countries. The renewal followed months of controversy surrounding the agency after Israeli authorities provided videos that show UNRWA employees participating in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. Those allegations remain under investigation, and UNRWA has said it dismissed several staff members following the claims.

TRUMP ADMIN WEIGHS TERRORISM SANCTIONS AGAINST UN PALESTINIAN AID AGENCY OVER HAMAS ALLEGATIONS

During the war in Gaza, the Israeli military has also discovered weapons, tunnel shafts and other Hamas infrastructure in UNRWA facilities, including schools.

Fox News Digital reported last week that UNRWA USA acknowledged reports that the Trump administration is considering designating UNRWA as a foreign terrorist organization and that agency officials urged congressional staffers to oppose the move.

Last October, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, talking to reporters in Israel, reiterated the Trump administration's policy to the U.N. and UNRWA. "The United Nations is here. They’re on the ground. We’re willing to work with them if they can make it work, but not UNRWA. UNRWA became a subsidiary of Hamas."

The new documentary titled "UNraveling UNRWA" is now drawing renewed attention to the agency’s structure, history and political role.

The film examines UNRWA from its establishment in 1949 to its operations today. It features interviews with refugees, Arab and Israeli voices, as well as former UNRWA officials.

Participants in the film argue that UNRWA has long promoted U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194, a 1948 measure Palestinians interpret as granting refugees and their descendants the right to return to homes inside Israel, an idea the documentary shows has helped perpetuate refugee status rather than resolve it.

Zlatko Zigic, former director of the U.N. migration agency from 1997 to 2017, says in the film that "the problem of UNRWA is the concept of endless struggle of Palestinians to return," adding that maintaining a right of return to Israel has "become a tool to perpetuate the conflict."

The documentary also includes scenes filmed inside UNRWA schools, showing classroom lessons in which children are taught that they will one day return to land inside Israel. In one scene presented in the film, Jews are referred to as "the wolves," and a teacher asks elementary school students, "What did the Jews do to us?" before telling them they were expelled and deported, that their families were killed, and they should be grateful to UNRWA, who built refugee camps for them.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, former UNRWA legal adviser James Lindsay, who also appears in the film, said that dynamic lies at the heart of what he believes is a systemic problem.

"The main problem in oversight has to do, I’m pretty sure, likely at the ground level where the local authorities, in this case we’re talking about Gaza, so we’re talking about Hamas," Lindsay said. "The people who work for UNRWA are subject, yes, to UNRWA, but they are even more importantly subject to the local authorities," in this case Hamas.

RUBIO SLAMS UNRWA AS A 'SUBSIDIARY OF HAMAS,' VOWS IT WILL NOT 'PLAY ANY ROLE' IN DELIVERING AID TO GAZA

Lindsay said that while donor governments may see detailed paperwork and reporting, the reality on the ground can look very different.

He said UNRWA leadership historically did not attempt to bar Hamas members from employment, arguing that the organization viewed Hamas as part of Palestinian political life.

"UNRWA has made no effort to keep Hamas out," Lindsay said. "The position for the commissioners-general has been that UNRWA does not have a problem with Hamas."

He described an environment in which local staff and contractors faced severe pressure from Hamas, creating incentives to comply with demands rather than risk retaliation.

ISRAEL SAYS UN MISLEADS WORLD AS GAZA AID STOLEN AND DIVERTED FROM CIVILIANS

"If Hamas comes to you and says, we would like maybe 5% of the concrete you’re using, or maybe you need to show 5% more food was distributed than actually was, you’re not going to say no," he said. "If you don’t do what Hamas says, you’re not going to get fired. You’re going to have very bad things happen to you."

Lindsay said those realities rarely reach senior international staff, who make up only a small fraction of UNRWA’s workforce in Gaza.

"In Gaza you’re talking about maybe 12,000 -13,000 total staff members, of whom maybe 25 are actual internationals," he said.

He said that over time, many humanitarian workers developed what the U.S. State Department refers to as "clientitis," a phenomenon in which aid organizations begin to identify politically with the populations they serve.

"Humanitarian organizations have begun to identify with the people to whom they’re providing humanitarian aid," Lindsay said. "In that case, that means identifying with one strain of the Palestinian political scene, which is Hamas."

Lindsay said he initially believed UNRWA could be reformed but later concluded the agency’s structure made meaningful reform impossible.

"It can’t be reformed in the sense that it’s not allowed to reform by the governmental people in charge," he said. "It’s also difficult to reform UNRWA because the members of UNRWA have become what the State Department calls clientitis."

He also criticized the agency’s handling of educational content, saying teachers in UNRWA schools were subject to the same threats and coercion as other staff.

"What are people going to do under a murderous totalitarian government like Hamas?" Lindsay said. "They’re not going to take their chances."

Following the General Assembly’s recent vote to renew UNRWA’s mandate, Lindsay said the agency views the outcome as a vote of confidence but noted that opposition is growing.

"In 2022, there was one vote against renewing the mandate and 10 abstentions," he said. "Most recently, there were 10 votes against and 18 abstentions. The movement is against UNRWA because of the things that have been brought out over the last few years, particularly since Oct.7 of 2023."

He added that while UNRWA enjoys broad support among U.N. member states, those countries are not the agency’s primary funders.

"The vast majority of countries in the U.N. are anti-West and are certainly pro-UNRWA," Lindsay said. "But donors are the ones that count because the money all comes from voluntary donations, largely by Western countries, the same countries that are becoming nervous. And that is, I think, a real threat to the continuation of UNRWA."

FIRST ON FOX: In Nigeria, Fox News Digital has been told terrorists are ‘on the run’ following U.S. strikes last month aimed at stopping the killing of Christians in Africa’s most populous country, this as a senior official from U.S. Africa Command visited Nigeria this week.

According to the recently released persecution watchdog Open Doors World Watch List, three out of every four Christians killed for their religion worldwide have been murdered in Nigeria. It is said to average out that one Christian is killed there every two and a half hours.

Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump confirmed, "In Nigeria we’re annihilating terrorists who are killing Christians. We’ve hit them very hard. They’ve killed thousands and thousands of Christians."

CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPING CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA BY JIHADI HERDSMEN, EXPERTS SAY

This past week, the second-highest-ranking officer at U.S. Africa Command, a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. John Brennan, U.S. Army, was as a key member of a U.S. delegation to Nigeria. Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, Brennan detailed U.S. moves on the ground to combat Islamic State and other jihadi terror groups.

Brennan gave Fox News Digital insight into the U.S. military’s role now in Nigeria: "We are continuing to provide them (the Nigerians) intelligence support, airborne ISR, (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), things that will make them more accurate. And they had some success in Sokoto post-strike because of the activity that the strike generated across the network."

The general continued, "A lot of terrorists decided to flee the area, and it allowed the Nigerians the opportunity to arrest them." But he added, "We're all about enabling Nigerians to solve Nigerian problems. We want to ensure that they remain a security anchor for all of West Africa and they do too. And so it's in our mutual interest that we work together."

"They have a terrorist problem, Brennan said. "So we're trying to help create effects that will stop them and their borders from getting incurred by terrorist organizations," he concluded.

US LAUNCHES WAVE OF STRIKES IN SOMALIA TARGETING ISIS, AL-SHABAB TERROR THREATS

"I definitely have a good reason to believe that the target was hit," Illia Djadi, persecution analyst for sub-Saharan Africa at Open Doors, told Fox News Digital. He added, "and (when) I say target, I mean these armed men, people or groups, their camps have been hit, and eventually afflicting damage to them. They are on the run now. Fleeing in different directions. Some sources say some have fled, maybe to neighboring Niger and others south and in different locations across Nigeria."

Djadi continued, "All these years, they have been acting and attacking with relative total impunity. But this has changed now. They are scared now. They are hit, and they realize they can be hit again. So this is the symbolism."

He said, "The bombing resonated even beyond Nigeria's borders," Djadi added, "even across Nigeria’s neighbors, like Niger, Mali and other countries. People are watching because of what happened, (thinking) if this can happen to Nigeria, it can happen to countries like Mali, Niger or elsewhere. They are watching. They are taking note of that."

NIGERIA NAMED EPICENTER OF GLOBAL KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS OVER FAITH IN 2025, REPORT SAYS

On Thursday, in a plenary session with Brennan present, U.S. and Nigerian officials met to discuss cooperation following President Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a country of Particular Concern.

At the meeting, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker told those present, "Today we are here to  determine how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritizing counterterrorism and insecurity, investigating attacks, holding perpetrators accountable and reducing the number of killings, forced displacements and abductions of Christians."

The meeting took place in Abuja. Just over 80 miles away, four days earlier, the abduction of Christians continued, with over 160 worshipers kidnapped from three churches in northern Kaduna state, it is believed, during Sunday services.

In an interview with The New York Times earlier this month, President Trump said more strikes could be made against Nigeria, "If they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike."

This week, when asked if further strikes are possible, a U.S. defense official told Fox News Digital, "That's a question for the White House. But I can tell you our Nigerian partners are asking for more of our help. And so we're going to give it to them."

There are some American boots on the ground, but their numbers are not significant, Brennan said, adding, "a lot of assessment (is) going on. So we have a small team that the Nigerians invited in, and we're working with them to assess their needs, and to create opportunities that we can both capitalize on together."

ANOTHER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT RISK IN AFRICA AS EXTREMISTS AND WAR TAKE THEIR TOLL

Some military equipment is being shipped in from the U.S., Brennan said, but "it's nothing out of the ordinary. It's things they (the Nigerians) had already purchased, as far as ammunition, things that make to help them be more accurate in their operations against ISIS, West Africa Province and Boko Haram."

Rabiu Ibrahim, Nigeria’s special assistant to the minister of information and national orientation, told Fox News Digital, "Nigeria’s primary and unwavering stance is that terrorism, in all its forms, is a global scourge that requires a collective, yet sovereignly respectful, response. The U.S. military actions in our region are viewed through this lens. We acknowledge that any action which genuinely degrades the capability of terrorist groups threatening the stability of the Sahel and our own national security is a tactical component in a much larger strategic picture."

Ibrahim added, "We have noted, through our own intelligence and battlefield evidence, that such external kinetic actions can disrupt command structures, degrade logistics and create atmospherics of uncertainty among the remnants of groups like ISWAP and Boko Haram." "Our cooperation with the United States is robust, multifaceted and transcends mere rhetoric," Ibrahim continued, saying it is focused on key areas, including "capacity building and training: Nigerian units, particularly in intelligence, aviation and special operations, have received advanced training that directly enhances their operational effectiveness in theater."

Ibrahim said Nigeria also benefits from the U.S. through intelligence sharing and material and technical support, including night-vision capabilities, claiming "it is not a patron-client relationship, but a partnership where Nigerian leadership on the ground is augmented by specific, requested external support."

Bei einem Einsatz der US-Bundesbehörde ICE in Minnesota kam es erneut zu einem tödlichen Zwischenfall. ICE-Beamte erschossen einen linken Aktivisten, nachdem sie ihn bereits am Boden fixiert hatten. Hintergrund der Schussabgabe sei laut Behörden der Umstand, dass der Mann nach einer Waffe gegriffen hätte. Tatsächlich führte er eine Faustfeuerwaffe mit Zieloptik und zwei Extramagazinen mit sich – für das Vorhaben eines “friedlichen Protests” reichlich merkwürdig.

Linke Politiker und ihre Helfershelfer in den Medien überschlagen sich gerade wieder mit Schuldzuweisungen gegen die Abschiebe-Behörde ICE der US-Bundesregierung. Report24 hatte bereits genauer analysiert, dass Donald Trump die wenigsten Außerlandesbringungen unter allen Präsidenten seit 30 Jahren zustande bringt – dennoch explodiert die linke Hysterie weltweit in blindem Hass auf den konservativen US-Präsidenten.

In Minneapolis ereignete sich am 24. Januar 2026 ein weiterer tödlicher Vorfall im Rahmen der Maßnahmen der US-Bundesbehörde ICE unter Präsident Trump: Der 37-jährige US-Bürger Alexander „Alex“ Pretti wurde von US-Border-Patrol-Agenten erschossen. Während linke Medien behaupten, der Mann wollte friedlich an einer Kundgebung teilnehmen, filmen und den Verkehr regeln, sind andere Erklärungen weitaus wahrscheinlicher.

Pretti war in paramilitärischer Kleidung erschienen und habe sich gegenüber den Behörden aggressiv verhalten. Er führte eine Faustfeuerwaffe mit sich, für die er eine Lizenz zum verdeckten Tragen besaß. In Minnesota ist es nicht verboten, Waffen zu Kundgebungen mitzubringen. Allerdings führte er seine Trageerlaubnis nicht mit, was das Tragen der Waffe nach vor Ort geltendem Recht automatisch illegal machte.

Der Mann, der von den linken Medien nur als “friedlicher Krankenpfleger” dargestellt wird, trug aber nicht nur eine einfache Faustfeuerwaffe zur Selbstverteidigung. Er hatte zur “friedlichen Kundgebung” außerdem eine Zieloptik auf seiner Waffe montiert und zudem zwei Extramagazine eingesteckt. Niemand benötigt zur Selbstverteidigung, die in der Regel in naher Distanz stattfindet, eine Zieloptik und Extramagazine. Es ist eher davon auszugehen, dass er die Konfrontation vorhatte und wie die US-Regierung betont, den mutmaßlichen Plan hegte, zu morden.

Der offizielle Bericht der Behörden (DHS und Border Patrol) zeichnet Pretti als aggressiven Angreifer: Er habe sich den Agenten genähert, eine 9-mm-Sig-Sauer-P320 gezogen und die Absicht gehabt, „maximalen Schaden anzurichten“. Erst nach vergeblichen Versuchen, ihn zu entwaffnen (Pfefferspray etc.), habe ein erfahrener Agent geschossen – angeblich in Notwehr.

Videoaufnahmen und Zeugenaussagen zeichnen hier aber ein anderes Bild, das nahelegt, dass die Geschichte der US-Behörden auch adaptiert werden muss: Pretti filmte in aggressiver Antifa-Manier mit dem Handy, half einer am Boden liegenden Frau und wurde von mehreren Agenten zu Boden gerungen, fixiert und geschlagen. Zunächst leistete er wohl keinen Widerstand, auch die Waffe war zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht gezogen.

Nachdem er bereits am Boden lag, riefen beteiligte Polizisten “Waffe” und entfernten diese von Pretti. Kurz darauf fielen mindestens zehn Schüsse, die wohl in seinen Rücken abgegeben wurden. In linken Medien zitierte Augenzeugen sprechen von einer regelrechten Exekution eines bereits überwältigten Mannes.

Während linke Medien und Aktivisten von „Staatsmord“ sprechen, verteidigen konservative Kreise die Agenten: Wer mit gezogener Waffe auf Bundesbeamte zugehe, dürfe sich nicht wundern, wenn es tödlich endet. Der Zeitpunkt, an dem die Waffe ins Spiel kam, dürfte für die Ermittlungen und eine mögliche Anklageerhebung entscheidend sein.

Fakt ist, dass der Mann schwer bewaffnet auf eine Demonstration gekommen ist – und man in den USA wissen sollte, dass es keine gute Idee ist, gegenüber Polizisten als tödliche Gefahr wahrgenommen zu werden. Wer nur einen friedlichen Protest bezweckt, benötigt weder Schusswaffen noch Zieloptik noch weitere Magazine zum Nachladen.

Es wird immer offensichtlicher, dass der Tod von Herrn Pretti die Folge der Hetzkampagne durch linke Politiker und Medien ist. Diese verhetzen permanent linke Aktivisten und geben ihnen das Gefühl, dass gewalttätiger Widerstand gegen die Regierung gerechtfertigt ist. Das ist im vorliegenden Fall definitiv nicht der Fall, denn die ICE-Aktion richtete sich gegen Jose Huerta-Chuma, einen illegalen Einwanderer mit einer kriminellen Vergangenheit, darunter häusliche Gewalt mit vorsätzlicher Körperverletzung. Der linke Krankenpfleger gab also sein Leben, um einen Mann zu beschützen, der zu Hause seine Frau verprügelt und schwer verletzt hat.

Die Vorfälle in Minnesota sind die Folge davon, dass der links regierte und schwer korrupte Bundesstaat nicht mit den Bundesbehörden hinsichtlich der Verhaftung krimineller Ausländer kooperiert. Dies ist der einzige Grund für den verstärkten Einsatz von ICE in der Region. Es handelt sich um vorsätzliche Gesetzlosigkeit – zum Schaden der US-Bürger. Minnesota ist zudem Schauplatz eines Milliardenbetrugs, den die somalische Minderheit unter Duldung und mutmaßlicher Mitwirkung der US-Demokraten durchführen konnte. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass Vorfälle wie jener mit Renee Good und Alex Pretti deshalb von den Linken besonders hochgespielt werden, um von dieser organisierten Korruption abzulenken.

Besonders interessant ist, dass linke Politiker in Deutschland und Österreich in ihrem blindwütigen Hass auf die Regierung Donald Trump den getöteten Aktivisten verteidigen. In ihren eigenen Ländern wollen sie aber jeglichen privaten Schusswaffenbesitz verbieten. Das passt nicht zusammen und entlarvt ihre heuchlerische Politik, die nichts anderes als anlassbezogener Populismus für die eigene Basis ist.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both issued dire warnings about the pressing need to protect the endangered Syrian Kurdish population under attack by government forces in the war-torn nation.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who earlier this month ordered his army, which reportedly has a large jihadist element in it, to conquer territory controlled for more than a decade by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF.)

Writing on the social media platform X on, Graham declared, "There is strong and growing bipartisan interest in the U.S. Senate regarding the deteriorating situation in Syria. There is strong consensus that we must protect the Kurds who were there for us in destroying the ISIS caliphate, as well as many other groups."

Pompeo responded to Graham’s post, stating, "Turning our backs on our Kurdish allies would be a moral and strategic disaster."

CHAOS IN SYRIA SPARKS FEARS OF ISIS PRISON BREAKS AS US RUSHES DETAINEES TO IRAQ

The Trump administration is facing criticism from its long-standing ally, the Syrian Kurds, who played a crucial role in the defeat of the Islamic State in the heartland of the Middle East, following a U.S. government announcement on social media that seemed to hint that the partnership had ended this past week with the Kurdish-run SDF in northern Syria.

The SDF formed as a bulwark against the rapid spread of the Islamic State’s terrorist movement in 2013. ISIS created a caliphate covering significant territory in Syria and Iraq. Al-Sharaa was a former member of the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department regarding U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the Special Envoy for Syria, for a response to his recent statement on X wrote that indicated the U.S. partnership with the SDF was over.

Barrack wrote, "The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurds, proved the most effective ground partner in defeating ISIS’s territorial caliphate by 2019, detaining thousands of ISIS fighters and family members in prisons and camps like al-Hol and al-Shaddadi. At that time, there was no functioning central Syrian state to partner with — the Assad regime was weakened, contested, and not a viable partner against ISIS due to its alliances with Iran and Russia."

He added, "Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), signaling a westward pivot and cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism."

TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS

Iham Ahmed, a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician, told Fox News Digital that, "We really wished to see a firm position from the U.S. The Kurdish people are at the risk of extermination. The U.S. does not give any solid or tangible guarantees."

Ahmed cast doubt on statements like Barrack’s, warning the "Syrian army is still consisting of radical factions that no one can trust. Alawites, Christians, Sunnis and Druze cannot trust these factions. We could face massacres, which happened in other Syrian cities."

When asked by Fox News Digital if the SDF wants Israel to intervene to aid the Kurds as it did to help the Syrian Druze and other minorities last year, Ahmed said, "Whoever wants to help us should do so – today is the day." She said that "the Islamic State is showing itself in the image of an official army. Everyone is threatened now."

She urged a "special status for the Kurdish region" in northeastern Syria.

Ahmed accused the Erdoğan government of nefarious involvement. "Turkey stands behind the attacks on our region. Turkish intelligence and small groups are leading attacks. Statements from Turkey are encouraging the extermination of our people," she claimed.

Fox News Digital sent a press query to the Turkish embassy spokesman in Washington D.C.

ISRAELI OFFICIAL ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER CHILLING SYRIAN MILITARY WAR CHANTS SURFACE

The influential president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, wrote on X that, "Sen. Graham is right. I’ve been discussing the situation in NE Syria with Republican House leaders.  It is not in America’s interest for Islamist forces to seize territory once governed by trusted U.S. allies who protected minorities and advanced religious freedom. Yet this is happening as Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces move into northeast Syria, displacing the Syrian Democratic Forces — our partners in the fight against ISIS, who lost thousands of fighters, guarded U.S. bases, and detained ISIS prisoners."

He continued, "Before we place trust in al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda insurgent who fought U.S. forces in Iraq and was held at Abu Ghraib, he has to show he is trustworthy.  So far, he is failing the test."

Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., had harsh words for the administration, telling Fox News Digital, "American officials continue to describe the SDF as a reliable partner in that narrow mission. Washington avoids framing the relationship as a political alliance. The U.S. never intended a long-term political commitment to the Syrian Kurds. It was a military partnership without political guarantees. From Washington’s view, that’s consistency. From the Kurdish view, that’s betrayal."

She added there has been an announcement of a 15-day extension of a ceasefire, "But both the SDF and outside observers noted continued [Syrian] government troop buildups near Kurdish-held areas, signaling that conflict could resume." She added, "The Kurds want to have peace and stability through negotiations."

Sie sollen an der Waffe geübt und auf den „Tag X“ gewartet haben: So lautet der Vorwurf gegen die „Sächsischen Separatisten“, wegen dem nun acht Männer vor Gericht stehen. Die JF war dabei.

Dieser Beitrag OLG Dresden Prozeßstart „Sächsische Separatisten“: Wer sind die Angeklagten? wurde veröffentlich auf JUNGE FREIHEIT.