US Airstrikes Kill 13 Civilians, Including Children, in Afghanistan

Attacks killed a village doctor and his family

On Saturday, US airstrikes against the village of Naser Khil in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province destroyed two houses. The houses belonged to the village’s only doctor, and his brother, and killed both of them along with their families.

That was 13 civilians in all: two men, their wives, and nine children. The provincial government had claimed a Taliban commander was also slain, but there appears to be no confirmation that this is actually the case.

NATO confirmed that the airstrikes took place, but did not comment on the civilian deaths that were already confirmed, saying only that they were looking into the matter, and emphasizing the attacks were “self-defense.”

How blowing up a doctor’s house counts as self defense isn’t entirely clear, though a NATO spokesman claimed that the attack meant to target a Taliban operations center. Clearly, it did not.

https://news.antiwar.com/2019/03/10/us-airstrikes-kill-13-civilians-including-children-in-afghanistan/

Arms Sales to Middle East Have Increased Dramatically: US Top Exporter

Arms flows to the Middle East have increased by 87 percent over the past five years and now account for more than a third of the global trade, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report on Sunday.

The defense think-tank’s annual survey showed that Saudi Arabia became the world’s top arms importer in 2014-18, with an increase of 192 percent over the preceding five years. Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq also ranked in the top 10 list of global arms buyers. Sipri measures the volume of deliveries of arms, not the dollar value of deals. The volume of deliveries to each country tends to fluctuate, so it presents data in five-year periods that offer a more stable indication of trends.

The new report shows how the United States and European nations sell jets, jeeps and other gear that is used in controversial wars in Yemen and beyond, SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman told Middle East Eye.

“Weapons from the US, the UK and France are in high demand in the Gulf, where conflicts and tensions are rife. Russia, France and Germany dramatically increased their arms sales to Egypt in the past five years,” Wezeman said.

The growth in Middle Eastern imports was in part driven by the need to replace military gear that was deployed and destroyed in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya, he said, adding that it was also driven by political tensions and a regional arms race.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and ‘Israel’ are readying for a potential conflict with Iran, the 12-page report said. Also, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others have been involved in a diplomatic crisis with Qatar since 2017.

In 2014-18, Saudi Arabia received 94 combat jets fitted with cruise missiles and other guided weapons from the US and Britain.

Over the next five years, it is set to get 98 more jets, 83 tanks and defensive missile systems from the US, 737 armored vehicles from Canada, five frigates from Spain, and Ukrainian short-range ballistic missiles.

In 2014-18, the UAE received missile defense systems, short-range ballistic missiles and about 1,700 armored personnel carriers from the US as well as three Corvettes from France, the report says.

Qatari weapons imports increased by 225 percent over the period, including German tanks, French combat aircraft and Chinese short-range ballistic missiles. It is set to receive 93 combat aircraft from the US, France and Britain and four frigates from Italy.

Iran, which is under a UN arms embargo, accounted for just 0.9 percent of Middle Eastern imports.

For Wezeman, “the gap is widening” between Iran and its foes across the Gulf, which have obtained more advanced weapons.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/71538/arms-sales-to-middle-east-have-increased-dramatically-us-top.html

US Government Has Gone Rogue - Criminal In Fact

US Sanctions Russia-Based Bank for Aiding Venezuela’s State-Run Oil Firm

The U.S. Treasury Department on March 11 sanctioned a Russia-based bank for attempting to circumvent restrictions previously placed against Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA.

The bank “Evrofinance Mosnarbank,” which is jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies, was sanctioned for its support of PDVSA. Evrofinance’s net assets grew over 50 percent during 2018 as the Treasury continued to escalate the use of sanctions.

PDVSA is itself an entity that has long been a “vehicle for corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering by Maduro and his cronies,” the Treasury Department noted.

“The illegitimate Maduro regime has profited off of the suffering of the Venezuelan people,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin in a statement.

“This action demonstrates that the United States will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela.”

A ‘Lifeline’ For Maduro

The Treasury Department noted that Maduro is feeling “increasing isolated” and desperate for “lifelines from Russia” as the United States and over 50 countries now recognize Venezuela’s interim president, Juan Guaidó, as the legitimate leader of the country.

Russia, in particular, is known for being a longtime ally of Venezuela, dating back to Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Chavez bought a 49 percent stake in Evrofinance through the Venezuelan National Development Fund in 2011. At that time, Russia’s Gazprombank and Russia’s state bank, VTB Bank—the country’s second-largest bank—each owned a 25 percent stake in Evrofinance.

Evrofinance was created as a “bi-national bank to fund joint Russia-Venezuela oil and infrastructure projects,” according to the Treasury Department.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-sanctions-russia-based-bank-for-aiding-venezuelas-state-run-oil-firm_2833274.html

Only psychopaths act without any conscientious of their own actions