International

‘Merchant of Death’ wants to join Ukraine invasion, thinks Russia should have done ‘this earlier’

Published

10 months ago

December 13, 2022

Russia’s ‘Merchant of Death’ who was just swapped for American WNBA player Brittney Griner may have plans to join the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer is also a former Russian Army Lt Col.

Russian state-sponsored outlet RT asked Bout about the invasion, to which he responded, “I never understood why we didn’t do this earlier.”

“I fully support the special military operation,” Bout said, using Russia’s nickname for the invasion of Ukraine. “If I could share the skills I have, I would readily volunteer.”

He accused the United States of “inhumane” treatment while he was in prison and said he “lost a lot of weight.”

Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiring to kill Americans and providing support to terrorists, including the Colombian FARC guerrilla army, reports Just The News.

Then-Attorney General Eric Holder said he was “one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers” whose “arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts have been a source of concern around the globe for decades.”

Related Topics:Featured merchant of death prisoner swap russia-ukraine

Click to comment

International

Mental health crisis spikes among Afghan women after Taliban regained control two years ago

Published

7 days ago

September 21, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

The women of Afghanistan are suffering a mental health crisis since the Taliban regained power two years ago. According to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday, approximately 70% of women experience feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.

The numbers continue to rise, as there has already been a significant jump between April and June of this year alone, with an increase from 57% the preceding quarter.

The report, conducted by U.N. Women, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, interviewed women online, in-person and in group consultations as well as individual telesurveys.

592 Afghan women in 22 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces took part in the study. The Associated Press reports:

They have barred women from most areas of public life and work and banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They have prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.

Opportunities to study continued to shrink as community-based education by international organizations was banned and home-based schooling initiatives were regularly shut down by the de facto authorities — a term use by the U.N. for the Taliban government.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education and the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The report also served as a vessel for Afghan women to send a message to the rest of the world: do not validate the Taliban government. Forty-six percent of women said international recognition of the Taliban government should not happen under any circumstances, while 50% warned that recognition should only occur under specific conditions contingent on improving women’s rights.

The report notes that the women expressed concern that recognition would only encourage the Taliban government to continue becoming stricter in their policies and practices against women and girls.

Afghan women had specific ideas and suggestions: they “urged the international community to continue political and economic sanctions against the Taliban, including by not granting exemptions to a travel ban. They urged an increase in engagement with the Taliban on gender equality and women’s rights, including by engaging community and religious leaders in awareness and advocacy efforts” writes the Associated Press.