Word: militiaization
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...formula for keeping the Gaza-Egypt border permanently open. Haniyeh said Hamas was prepared to set up joint control of the border with the President's forces, bringing an end to a hostilities between the two factions that erupted last July when Hamas militants chased the President's Fatah militia out of Gaza...
Smillie testified that Sierra Leone has far more "and better quality" diamonds than Liberia. He said that when he met with Taylor in October 2000 as part of the U.N. investigation, Taylor told him that diamonds obtained by the Sierra Leone RUF militia, which Taylor is accused of supporting, probably came through Liberia, but that the President claimed to have had "no control" over the flow of illegal gems. Smillie said Taylor also told him that that "Liberia's name was misused" by diamond-smugglers. In the late 1990s, large numbers of diamonds sold in Antwerp, Belgium, were certified...
While Al-Qaeda in Iraq is now surrounded by enemies and has seen its base of support dry up, there has been no corresponding decline in the fortunes of militias like the Mahdi Army. Sadr declared a cease-fire at the end of August after his militia took the blame for fighting in the holy city of Karbala. But it retains its ability to fight other militias in southern Iraq. It is also still active in Shi'ite neighborhoods of Baghdad, even though its leaders have held back from fighting American troops for control of the streets. In fact...
Meanwhile, Sadr's militia may be asserting mafia-like control over the poor Shi'ite areas where it has long provided the services and security the government has not. "What you do have is, the Mahdi Army, Inc.," said Petraeus, backing up an earlier assessment by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. The militia has come to dominate not simply by force, but also by controlling staples like fuel and electricity...
Thus, in contrast to AQI, the Mahdi Army enters 2008 with its military capability and its base of support largely intact. If the political or military dynamic changes in 2008, the militia's leadership could just as easily choose to once again unleash its fighters. By mid-summer the surge will be over, and U.S. troop strength will be back where it was in late 2006. So, if the cease-fire does end, the U.S. will not be fighting with the 30,000 reinforcements that contributed to the gains of 2007. It will also face an adversary with strong support...