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Putin's warlord ally adds 3,000 former Wagner mercenaries to his forces: 'Fulfilling the task of the state'

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Putin's warlord ally adds 3,000 former Wagner mercenaries to his forces: 'Fulfilling the task of the state'

A Chechen warlord has added 3,000 former Wagner mercenaries to his growing forces, giving him control over a sizable force inside the Russian army. 

“One of the Wagner commanders with the call sign Ratibor will join the legendary Akhmat special forces,” Chechen commander Ramzan Kadyrov said. “With him, 3,000 former fighters of the Wagner PMC [private military company] will join the special forces.”

The Chechen commander, Maj. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, said the former mercenaries joining Ratibor will have previously served him while in service for Wagner. 

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Ratibor hailed the Chechen forces, insisting that the former Wagner troops “can once again prove our efficiency and that we are fulfilling the task of the state,” according to East2West.

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Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, left, with Maj. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, adds another 3,000 former Wagner mercenary fighters to a burgeoning armed force under his control. (East2West)

Kadyrov, the 47-year-old head of the Chechen Republic since 2007, proudly touted the “great news” that the much-feared mercenaries would bolster his army. While not giving clear indication as to how involved the Chechen military could be in the coming months, he said they could have a “significant impact” in Ukraine. 

Some have speculated that Kadyrov is keeping the force at the ready to defend Russian President Vladimir Putin against another potential coup – the first of which, ironically, Wagner had carried out under its founder and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, which led to the force’s dissolution. 

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Prigozhin died when his private plane exploded, killing him and some fellow passengers, along with both pilots. 

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Another theory suggested that Kadyrov may be waiting in case Putin should die, leaving Chechnya the chance to make a move to establish its independence and shore up power in the scramble to fill the vacuum Putin’s death would leave. 

Ramzan Kadyrov’s armed units raises questions about him building up his own army while claiming he arms men for Russia’s war with Ukraine. (East2West)

Kadyrov has proudly tried to integrate Wagner to his forces since the group’s dissolution, bringing in a large contingent of the mercenaries to train his Akhmat Special Forces, according to Reuters. 

“I am glad that today the ranks of the famous (Akhmat) unit have been joined by fighters who have excellent combat experience and have proven themselves as brave and efficient warriors,” Kadyrov wrote in a message on Telegram posted in Nov. 2023. “I am confident that in the upcoming battles they will fully live up to their reputation.”

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The new additions help to strengthen what some consider Kadyrov’s “personal army” on the Russian federal dime, according to Kavkaz Realii, an independent media outlet that is part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 

Formation of Ramzan Kadyrov’s armed units raises questions about him building up his own army while claiming he arms men for Russia’s war with Ukraine

Kadyrov’s approach to governance relies on highly repressive measures, including a ban on all music outside 80 to 116 beats per minute – a measure seen as generally helping to ban Western music and helping to align with the “Chechen mentality and musical rhythm” to help preserve “the future” of the Chechen people, Euronews reported. 

“(I) have announced the final decision, agreed with the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, that from now on all musical, vocal and choreographic works must correspond to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute,” Chechen culture minister Musa Dadayev said, according to the Russian state new agency TASS.

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United Nations human rights experts in 2017 also urged authorities to investigate allegations that gay men in the almost entirely Muslim republic were targeted, detained, tortured and murdered for their sexuality. 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

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Israeli Strikes Kill a Journalist and Injure Another in Lebanon

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Israeli Strikes Kill a Journalist and Injure Another in Lebanon

Israeli strikes killed one journalist and wounded another in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, rattling a tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said the Israeli military had targeted the journalists in the town of Tayri, where they took shelter in a nearby house after an airstrike struck a vehicle in front of the car they were traveling in. About an hour and a half later, a second strike hit the house they were hiding in, according to a statement by a Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which employed the journalist who was killed.

The Lebanese Red Cross said its teams came under fire while trying to evacuate the journalists from the house, forcing them to withdraw. The rescue crews were targeted by a warning strike and machine-gun fire, the Lebanese health ministry said.

Zeinab Faraj, a photojournalist, was rescued from the house. The other journalist, Amal Khalil, who was a reporter for Al-Akhbar, remained trapped under rubble for hours before emergency medics recovered her body, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.

In addition to Ms. Khalil, the two people in the car in front of her were killed in the strikes, Al-Akhbar reported.

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Amid the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon, Israel has continued strikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, citing its right to self-defense. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia group, said that it had fired rockets and drones into Israel on Tuesday in response to what it said were violations of the cease-fire. Earlier on Wednesday, the Lebanese News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike killed one person and wounded two others in another part of the country.

The Lebanese health ministry called the strikes in Tayri a “blatant double breach, involving both the obstruction of rescue efforts for a civilian known for her media and humanitarian work, and the direct targeting of an ambulance clearly marked with the Red Cross.”

The Israeli military denied in a statement that it had prevented rescuers from reaching the injured journalists, and said the incident was under investigation.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military said Israeli forces had spotted two vehicles emerging from a military building used by Hezbollah. The military observed the vehicles cross what the spokeswoman called the forward defense line, determining the move to be a violation of the truce agreement.

The spokeswoman confirmed that the Israeli military had struck one of the vehicles and the building some of the occupants of the second vehicle had taken shelter in.

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Ms. Khalil had covered southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah exercises strong control, since at least 2006. In a tribute to Ms. Khalil, a colleague from Al-Akhbar said she embodied the resilience of the southern Lebanese through her relentless reporting, refusing to leave the front lines of war where thousands of Lebanese had been displaced.

“As with every act of aggression, wearing a press vest did not protect those who wore it from the treachery of the Israeli enemy,” Al-Akhbar said in a statement. “Instead, it has become a danger to journalists’ lives, as part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at silencing anyone who seeks to expose the crimes and practices of the occupation.”

In a forceful statement on social media, Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese prime minister, accused the Israeli military of war crimes for targeting journalists and obstructing access to medical aid. He said that Lebanon would pursue action to ensure Israel is held accountable with international bodies.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said that it was outraged by the attack, and that it raised serious concerns of deliberate targeting.

“The repeated strikes on the same location, the targeting of an area where journalists were sheltering, and the obstruction of medical and humanitarian access constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

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Former Mexican beauty queen found shot dead as investigators examine possible family involvement: reports

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Former Mexican beauty queen found shot dead as investigators examine possible family involvement: reports

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A former Mexican beauty queen was found shot to death in her Mexico City apartment, with investigators examining the possible involvement of her mother-in-law, according to local reports.

Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, was found dead inside an apartment in the Polanco neighborhood, one of the city’s most affluent areas, Reporte Índigo, a Mexico-based news outlet, reported. 

Authorities said the death is being investigated as a homicide, after initial findings indicated she suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency responders were called to the scene, where paramedics confirmed she showed no signs of life.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Flores Gómez’s mother-in-law, Erika María, as well as a man described in reports as her partner or husband, may have been involved in her death.

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Carolina Flores Gómez was found shot dead in her luxury apartment April 15 in Mexico City. Her mother-in-law has been named the main suspect in the suspected homicide. (Jam Press)

The man, identified as Alejandro, accused his mother of killing Flores Gómez, Mexican news outlet Azteca Guerrero reported.

The outlet also reported that the woman’s mother-in-law was present at the scene when the gun was fired and that authorities are looking into the timeline of when the incident was reported.

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Mexican prosecutors have opened a homicide with intent case in the death of former beauty queen Carolina Flores Gómez.  (Jam Press)

Preliminary reports cited by Mexican news outlet Diario Puntual indicate that a security guard at the building did not hear gunshots, adding uncertainty about how the crime occurred.

Authorities in Baja California, Mexico, also responded to the case, Diario Puntual reported.

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Former beauty queen Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, was found dead in her Mexico City apartment. (Jam Press)

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Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda expressed solidarity with the victim’s family and called for the case to be clarified. 

State prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez also said there is coordination with Mexico City authorities to support the investigation.

Flores Gómez previously competed in beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Teen Universe Baja California in 2017.

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The case has drawn attention in Mexico amid ongoing concerns about violence against women, with advocacy groups calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

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The investigation into the matter is open and ongoing.

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‘Blockade and threats’: Iran blames US siege of ports for stalled talks

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‘Blockade and threats’: Iran blames US siege of ports for stalled talks
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