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Hrant Dink: ‘Not Forgotten’: Protesters Seek Justice For Slain Turkish-Armenian Journalist

January 19, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

By Fulya OZERKAN

Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday outside the former offices of Agos newspaper in Istanbul where Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was murdered 13 years ago, a killing which sent shockwaves across the country.

Dink was shot dead with two bullets to the head in broad daylight in central Istanbul on January 19, 2007, by a then 17-year-old jobless high-school dropout.

The 52-year-old Dink was editor-in-chief of Turkish-Armenian bilingual weekly Agos and a fierce advocate of reconciliation between Turks and Armenians.

His death became a wider scandal after it was discovered that security forces were aware of the murder plot, but failed to act.

“For Hrant, for justice,” the crowds chanted in Istanbul. “We have not forgotten and we will not let it be forgotten.” Top articles2/4READ MORE Law On Compulsory Receipts Sets Germans Grumbling

A giant picture of Dink was hanging outside the former building of Agos weekly, embellished with slogans reading: “It is not late to be ashamed” and “This case will not be over before we say it is over.”

Hakan, one of the supporters who joined the mourning, lamented that the murder had remained unsolved for 13 years.

“Hrant was killed here 13 years ago. For 13 years they haven’t shed light on his death,” he told AFP.

“We won’t stop following Hrant’s murderers. Whether they shed light on this or not, as Hrant’s brothers, we will continue to be here.”

Another supporter, Seyit Dogan, said: “There are courthouses in this country but there is nothing in the name of justice.”

Turkish police heightened security and blocked the street where the commemoration was being held to traffic.

After the ceremony, carnations were laid on the sidewalk where Dink was shot dead.

“Your hope and dreams are our legacy” was the headline of Agos on the 13th anniversary of Dink’s assasination. The newspaper also published letters from Turkish businessman Osman Kavala, well-known author Ahmet Altan and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas — the three of them are in jail, in memory of the late journalist.

“Me and those who have been unfairly put behind bars have lost our freedom for a while; Hrant has lost his life because of what he wrote and what he said,” Kavala said in his letter.

“On our own and together, we will keep demanding justice for Hrant, for the murdered honorable people of this country and for everyone,” he said.

A respected intellectual and a philanthripist, Kavala charged with overthrowing the government is chairman of the Anatolian Culture Foundation, which seeks to bridge ethnic and regional divides through art, including with neighbouring Armenia, with which Turkey has no diplomatic ties.

Altan accused of ties to the 2016 attempted coup plotters, wrote: “Some people decided in secret rooms that he was ‘guilty’. The first biggest crime of Hrant was that he told Turkey an Armenian was a human and an Armenian was as acceptable as a Turk.”

Kavala, Demirtaş and Altan wrote for Hrant Dink from prison, Kavala, Demirtaş ve Altan, hapishaneden Hrant Dink için yazdı

January 18, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

Turkish Crime Against Humanity

Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş and Ahmet Altan wrote a letter for Hrant Dink from the prison for the 13th year of his murder.

The newspaper Agos appeared in the 13th year of the murder of Hrant Dink with the headline “Inheritance of hope and dreams to us”.

Due to the anniversary of the death of Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Osman Kavala, the only defendant in the Gezi Resistance case, Osman Kavala, former Co-chairman of HDP, and arrested journalist Ahmet Altan, writing articles for the newspaper. took.

13 years in search of justice

The newspaper used the following expressions in her headline when she included the photograph of Hrant Dink taken by Sebati Karakurt:

“It has been 13 years since Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of our newspaper, left us with a racist murder. These 13 years have passed, especially with the search for justice for the murder case. Unfortunately, there has been no significant development in 13 years, especially for those who plan this dark murder in the state.

“The trial of public officials could begin exactly nine years after the murder. Even if some relations are exposed in the case that has been going on for about four years and even if the smoke screen has been opened a little, a comprehensive investigation is still not carried out.

“But the words of Hrant Dink, his dreams are growing day by day. 13 years both in Turkey and abroad as more and more people are cut off the ear of Hrant’s words carefully, knows her world, visiting the drop-Spatial Memory hemhal is happening to him last year. Hrant’s hopes and dreams lead us all. ”

Kavala: ‘We will continue to demand justice’

Speaking to the readers of Agos from Silivri Prison, where he was detained for Hrant Dink, Osman Kavala said that he will not be with the people who came to commemorate the 19 January commemoration for the third time this year:

“This year, on January 19, I will not be with you, Hrant’s Friends, in front of Agos . I will remember Hrant by thinking about the photo of dear Hrant appearing together with the seagulls and watching the seagulls flying over me.

“Commemorating Hrant, how easily a person can do evil to his fellows, citizens, human brothers, this painful fact strikes our face.

“But thinking about Hrant gives us more power to stand up to what we’ve experienced and resist hope. I and those who were unjustly imprisoned have lost our freedom for a while; Hrant died of what he wrote and said.

“As long as we live, we will be able to demand justice and hope, alone and together. We will continue to demand justice, alone and together, for Hrant, for the dignified people of this country, and for all. I wish 2020 to be a year that strengthens our hopes. ”

Demirtaş: ‘Someone is worrying about you being an Armenian’

Selahattin Demirtaş, former Co-Chair of HDP, who was detained in Edirne F Type Prison, wrote a letter for Hrant Dink.

Demirtaş, who said in his letter, “We hear things that increase hope inside,” wrote Demirtaş, “There is resistance where there is persecution, and if there is resistance, there is hope.”

Speaking of a memory that he had with Hrant Dink in 2001, Demirtaş briefly told Dink’s story of coming to the conference in Diyarbakır with these words:

“Dear friend, I don’t know if you remember, you came to Diyarbakır in 2001 for a conference. The state of emergency continued, it had not been removed yet. The panel was very difficult to get conference permission. Nevertheless, the permission for that conference was broken. We barely convinced you.

“At that time, the population registration samples, residence notes and criminal records of all speakers had to be submitted to the police headquarters before the event. I was dealing with bureaucratic procedures. We called and asked you for these documents. You were a warrior first. You said, ‘Does that happen?’ We barely convinced you. We wanted you to be our guest in Diyarbakır and attend the conference because.

“As for the documents of all the speakers, we went to the Police Department to apply. The police chief looked at the documents and said, “Are you calling an Armenian too?”

“I always forgot to tell you after that day. Then I realized that someone does not see your humanity, he is worried about being an Armenian. ”

Altan: ‘The eyes of death’

Ahmet Altan is located in Silivri Prison inmate “A Murder, A Funeral” in the article published under the title role in the murder of Hrant Dink penned in Turkey’s undertaking.

“Hrant saw the face of death before he was killed,” said Altan, saying:

“In the court he was on trial, when some dark men in the state suddenly appeared and stared at him, he realized that it was the eyes of death. He wrote the mood of pigeon anxiety to explain that he saw death. One last scream of writing disappeared before he could find a voice that would answer his voice in a deaf space. There were reasons why that murder, which we learned from the news that came out later, was targeting Hrant. Someone decided that he was ‘guilty’ in secret rooms. Hrant’s first major ‘crime’ was to explain to the country that an Armenian is a human being, and the more a Turkish person admits, the more an Armenian is. ”

Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş ve Ahmet Altan, katledilişinin 13’üncü yılı dolayısıyla Hrant Dink için hapishaneden birer yazı kaleme aldı.

Agos gazetesi, Hrant Dink’in katledilişinin 13’üncü yılında “Umudun ve hayallerin bize miras” manşetiyle çıktı.

Gazetenin kurucusu ve yayın yönetmeni olan Hrant Dink’in ölüm yıldönümü dolayısıyla, Gezi Direnişi davasının tek tutuklu sanığı olan iş insanı ve insan hakları savunucusu Osman Kavala, HDP’nin önceki Eş Genel Başkanı Selahattin Demirtaş ve tutuklu gazeteci Ahmet Altan, gazete için birer yazı kaleme aldı.

Adalet arayışıyla geçen 13 yıl

Gazete, manşetinde Sebati Karakurt’un çektiği Hrant Dink fotoğrafına yer verirken şu ifadeleri kullandı:

“Gazetemizin kurucusu ve genel yayın yönetmeni Hrant Dink’in ırkçı bir cinayetle aramızdan ayrılışının üzerinden 13 yıl geçti. Bu 13 yıl bilhassa cinayet davasına dair adalet arayışıyla, talebiyle geçti, geçiyor. 13 yılda bu karanlık cinayeti bilhassa devlet içinde planlayanların açığa çıkması adına ne yazık ki çok önemli bir gelişme olmadı.

“Kamu görevlilerinin yargılanmasına cinayetten tam dokuz yıl sonra başlanabildi. Yaklaşık dört yıldır süren davada bazı ilişkiler açığa çıksa ve sis perdesi çok az da olsa aralansa da hala kapsamlı bir soruşturma yürütülmüyor, cinayete giden yolu açanlar, Dink’i hedef haline getirenler yargı önüne çıkmıyor, devlet hâlâ direniyor.

“Ancak Hrant Dink’in sözleri, hayalleri gün geçtikçe büyüyor. 13 yıldır hem Türkiye’de hem de yurtdışında daha fazla insan Hrant’ın sözlerine dikkatle kulak kesiliyor, onun dünyasını tanıyor, geçtiğimiz yıl açılan Hafıza Mekânı’nı gezerek onunla hemhal oluyor. Hrant’ın umudu ve hayalleri hepimize yol gösteriyor.”

Kavala: ‘Adalet talep etmeye devam edeceğiz’

Hrant Dink için tutuklu bulunduğu Silivri Cezaevi’nden Agos okurlarına seslenen Osman Kavala, bu yıl üçüncü defa 19 Ocak anmasına gelen insanlarla birlikte olmayacağını ifade ederek şunları söyledi:

“Bu yıl da, 19 Ocak’ta sizlerle, Hrant’ın Arkadaşlarıyla beraber, Agos’un önünde olamayacağım. Sevgili Hrant’ın martılarla birlikte göründüğü fotoğrafı düşünerek ve üzerimden uçarak giden martıları seyrederek Hrant’ı anacağım.

“Hrant’ı anmak, bir insanın hemcinslerine, yurttaşlarına, insan kardeşlerine ne kadar kolaylıkla kötülük yapabildiğini, acı veren bu gerçeği, yüzümüze çarpıyor.

“Ama, Hrant’ı düşünmek, yaşadıklarımıza katlanmak ve umut etmekte direnmek için daha fazla güç veriyor. Ben ve haksız yere cezaevinde bulunanlar bir süreliğine özgürlüğümüzü kaybettik; Hrant, yazdıklarından ve söylediklerinden ötürü hayatını kaybetti.

“Yaşadığımız sürece, tek başımıza ve birlikte, adalet istemek ve umutlu olmak imkanımız olacak. Tek başımıza ve birlikte, Hrant için, bu ülkenin öldürülen namuslu insanları için ve herkes için adalet talep etmeye devam edeceğiz. 2020 yılının umutlarımızı güçlendiren bir yıl olmasını diliyorum.”

Demirtaş: ‘Birileri Ermeni olmanı kendine dert ediyor’

Edirne F Tipi Cezaevi’nde tutuklu bulunan HDP’nin önceki dönem Eş Genel Başkanı Selahattin Demirtaş, Hrant Dink için bir mektup kaleme aldı.

Mektubunda “İçeride umudu büyüten şeyler de duyuyoruz” diyen Demirtaş “Zulmün olduğu yerde direniş de vardır, direniş varsa umut da vardır” diye yazdı.

Hrant Dink’le 2001’de yaşadığı bir anıdan bahseden Demirtaş, Dink’in Diyarbakır’da konferansa geliş hikâyesini özetle şu sözlerle anlattı:

“Değerli dostum, hatırlar mısın bilmiyorum 2001’de Diyarbakır’a gelmiştin bir konferans için. OHAL devam ediyordu, kaldırılmamıştı daha. Panel, konferans izni almak çok zordu. Yine de o konferans için izin koparılmıştı. Zar zor ikna etmiştik seni.

“O zamanlar, bütün konuşmacıların nüfus kayıt örneklerinin, ikametgah senetlerinin ve sabıka kayıtlarının etkinlikten önce emniyet müdürlüğüne verilmesi gerekiyordu. Bürokratik işlemlerle ben uğraşıyordum. Arayıp senden de bu evrakları istemiştik. Yadırgamıştın önce. ‘Öyle şey mi olur’ demiştin. Zar zor ikna etmiştik seni. Diyarbakır’da misafirimiz olmanı, konferansa katılmanı çok istiyorduk çünkü.

“Tüm konuşmacıların evrakları gelince de başvuru için Emniyete gitmiştik. Polis amiri evraklara şöyle bir bakıp ‘Bir Ermeni’yi de mi çağırıyorsun’ demişti.

“Ben sana söylemeyi hep unuttum o günden sonra. O zaman fark etmiştim ki birileri senin insanlığını görmüyor, Ermeni olmanı kendine dert ediyor.”

Altan: ‘Ölümün gözleri’

Silivri Cezaevi’de tutuklu bulunan Ahmet Altan ise “Bir Cinayet, Bir Cenaze” başlığıyla yayımlanan yazıda Hrant Dink’in öldürülüşünde Türkiye’nin üstlendiği rolü kaleme aldı.

“Hrant, daha öldürülmeden gördü ölümün yüzünü” diyen Altan, şu ifadelere yer verdi:

“Yargılandığı mahkemede, devletin içindeki bazı karanlık adamlar aniden ortaya çıkıp gözlerini ona diktiklerinde, kendisine bakanın ölümün gözleri olduğunu anlamıştı. Ruh halimin güvercin tedirginliği yazısını, ölümü gördüğünü anlatmak için yazmıştı. Son bir çığlık olan o yazı, sağır bir boşlukta sesine cevap verecek bir ses bulamadan kayboldu. Neredeyse devletin bütün katmanlarının haberdar olduğunu, daha sonra çıkan haberlerden öğrendiğimiz o cinayetin Hrant’ı hedef almasının nedenleri vardı. Birileri, gizli odalarda onun ‘suçlu’ olduğuna karar vermişti. Hrant’ın ilk büyük ‘suçu’ bir Ermeni’nin bir insan olduğunu, bir Türk ne kadar makbulse bir Ermeni’nin de o kadar makbul olduğunu bu ülkeye anlatmasıydı.”

Flurry of Greek diplomacy before summit on Libya, due to destabilizing actions by Turkey

January 18, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

In a culmination of the government’s flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of Sunday’s Berlin conference on Libya, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke on the phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, expressing his displeasure that Greece has not been invited.

According to government sources, Mitsotakis also raised Greece’s mounting concern about security in the Eastern Mediterranean region due to destabilizing actions by Turkey – not least the memorandums it signed with the Tripoli-based government which, he said, are “invalid.”

He also invited Merkel and European Union representatives participating in Sunday’s conference to implement the decision of the last European Council, which declared the Turkey-Libya pact illegal.

The same sources said Mitsotakis also reiterated that Greece will veto any decision regarding the Libya crisis unless the Tripoli-Ankara memorandum is canceled.

Mitsotakis had said in a television interview on Thursday that if the accord is not canceled, Greece will veto any decision on Libya at the next European summit.

For her part, Merkel reportedly said that the EU remained committed to its previously stated positions on the Ankara-Tripoli maritime zones agreement, but insisted that the Berlin summit would not deal with matters relating to maritime zones in the East Med.

Earlier on Friday, talks between Greek government officials and Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar in Athens yielded the commander’s clear opposition to the Tripoli-Ankara memorandums.

According to sources, the Libyan military leader is prepared to seek the annulment of those agreements while also being open to talks that would lead to the delineation of maritime zones between Greece and Libya.

During his 40-minute meeting with Mitsotakis, Haftar briefed the premier on his plans ahead of Sunday’s conference. Arriving for the meeting, Haftar was quoted as saying: “We are pacifists. We have come here to talk about peace.”

Sources in Mitsotakis’ office said Haftar stressed the unproductive role of external interventions in his country and condemned the intervention of Turkey, adding that the maritime borders pact is invalid as it violates international law and was signed with a government that is not legitimate.

Mitsotakis stressed the need for a political solution to the Libyan crisis and urged Haftar to assume a constructive approach at the Berlin summit. A ceasefire is the necessary first step, he said.

Following his talks with Haftar earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said the Greek government had urged the Libyan commander to participate in the Berlin summit with a “constructive spirit” that would secure a ceasefire, restore security in Libya and recognize “the non-validity” of the maritime borders deal.

He said Greece is prepared to provide help with “the day after” in Libya, either by sending Greek forces to support a peace mission or by joining a European operation that would enforce the arms embargo and end mercenary involvement in Libya.

Armenia Investigative Committee: Former NSS director’s body was found by his wife

January 17, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

YEREVAN. – Now the scene of the incident is being examined, as a result of this action I will be able to answer your questions. Artur Melikyan, Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, said this in a conversation with journalists today, referring to the circumstances behind the death of Georgi Kutoyan, former Director of the National Security Service (NSS).

“When we came to the scene, there were his wife and father,” he said. “Initially, what the operative officers told us was that the wife had found the body. We haven’t talked to the neighbors yet. The area is fully equipped with video cameras so that we don’t lose evidence. We also work on the suicide theory.”

Melikyan added that there was a gun at the scene but could not say if it was legal because he had not seen it.

“Forensic doctors are participating,” he said. “We will find out how many injuries there are.”

Artur Melikyan added that the remaining questions will be able to be answered in about 1-1.5 hours.

As reported earlier, Georgi Kutoyan was found dead today in a Yerevan apartment, and with a gunshot wound.

According to the Hraparak daily, when the police entered the apartment, they found an empty brandy bottle next to the corpse, as well as Kutoyan’s personal pistol. The shot was fired from that very weapon, and in the mouth.

According to the website, it is not known yet whose house the body of the former NSS director was found in, as according to Kutoyan’s declaration of property and assets, he had only one apartment and it was somewhere else in Yerevan.

Kutoyan was 39 years old, married, and had a 4-year-old child.

Warnings by former national security chief ‘signal threat of autocratic rule’ in Armenia – ARF-D member

January 16, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

Artur Vanetsyan’s concerns over the situation around the Constitutional Court (CC) warn of imminent threats of establishing an autocratic regime in the Republic Armenia, according to Armenuhi Kyureghyan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun’s (ARF-D) Supreme Body.

In an interview with Tert.am, the politician shared her comments upon the statement released by former National Security Service (NSS) chief, considering his call absolutely adequate in the light of the current developments.

″Behind the veil of this feigned democracy today, the constitutional principles for the separation of, and mutual checks and balances among, the legislative, executive and judiciary [branches of] power are being violated. The political authorities have embarked on a process of seizing the independent judiciary from the legislative and the executive, not restraining themselves to the choice of methods to achieve that. They have even moved to the elaboration and implementation of projects and strategies running counter to the Constitution and the principles of rule of law. This kind of concentration in eseence – of the executive, legislative and judiciary authorities in one place – contributes virtually to an emerging autocracy in Armenia. This, by definition, is a national security threat; hence the statement by the former NSS director needs to be considered in that context,″ she noted.

Kyureghyan also warned of the constitutional security threats stemming from the controversial law proposing early retirement mechanisms to the CC judges.

″The maintenance of the constitutional order is a fundamental national security issue, with the Constitutional Court being the main guarantor of the judiciary authorities’ independence and constitutional security. Any arbitrary crackdown on constitutional security is a threat to the country’s security, and hence the Constitutional Court deals directly with the issue by virtue of being a key security guarantor″ she added.

Armenia: “None of us can figure out what this is” – Unusual clouds in Yerevan skies baffle meteorologists

January 15, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

Unusual but extremely beautiful clouds have appeared in the skies of Yerevan and the neighboring province of Ararat Wednesday afternoon, with some believing they might be contrails.

Chief meteorologist Gagik Surenyan posted a photo of the clouds on his Facebook page, and said: “An unusual cloud has appeared in the skies of Yerevan. None of us was able to figure out what this is”.

The news went viral on social media. Some believe the clouds are actually contrails. Others think it was intentionally “painted” by some pilot.

Gagrulelive: Meet Professor Georgi Chaltikyan, MD, Ph.D. Focus on Digital Medicine, education, and research, Interviewed by Wally Sarkeesian Video.

January 13, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

By Wally Sarkeesian

Yerevan: It was great pleasure meeting Professor Georgi Chaltikyan At WCIT 2019 International Technology Conference in Yerevan, Armenia.

Georgi Chaltikyan, MD, PhD

Professor and Expert in Digital Health (WHO Roster of Experts); Physician, Surgeon, Health ICT Specialist.

Pfarrkirchen, Bayern, Deutschland

Medicine and healthcare professional, trained as a general and laparoscopic surgeon, with ca 20 years of experience in clinical practice, medical and healthcare education and research, healthcare project management. Current primary focus: Healthcare ICT, Digital Health (use of IT and telecom to make healthcare better, safer and accessible for all), Cross-Border and Global Healthcare, Healthcare Information Management. Professor at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) of Technical University of Deggendorf (THD), Bavaria, Germany. Founding President of Armenian Association of Telemedicine (AATM).

Specialties: Digital Health, Telemedicine, eHealth, Health ICT, Clinical Medicine, Global Health, Healthcare Administration, (Cross-Border) Healthcare Management, Medical and Health Education and Research.

Turkish soldier who killed fellow Armenian serviceman Sevak Shahin Balikci sentenced to 17 years

January 13, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

A Turkish court has announced the verdict over the murder of serviceman Sevak Shahin Balikci at a military unit in Turkey on April 24, 2011.

As reported Istanbul’s Agos Armenian Weekly, the Turkish Civil Court has ruled to sentence accused-on-trial Kvanc Agaoglu to 16 years and 8 months of imprisonment.

Kvanc Agaoglu was detained in the courtroom.

Earlier, the Military Court had sentenced Kvanc Agaoglu to only 4 years in prison and had released him from the courtroom.

After Sevak’s parents’ appeals, the case was transferred to the Civil Court, which launched a new examination.

On the morning of April 24, 2011, Sevak was murdered by his fellow serviceman Kvanc Agaoglu. In relation to the murder, the gendarmerie had declared that Agagolu had accidentally fired the shot while joking with Balikci. However, Sevak’s parents claim that their son was killed because he was Armenian.

2 prominent flu strains are hitting kids and the young particularly hard this season

January 10, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

It’s too early to know how effective this season’s vaccine is, but “run, don’t walk” to get a flu shot, one expert said.

By Erika Edwards

This season’s flu continues to hit children and young adults particularly hard, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting Friday that there have been twice as many pediatric flu deaths so far this year than at the same time last year.

What’s more, a second strain of the virus that more commonly infects younger people is becoming widespread, the CDC reported Friday.

But experts tell NBC News that this year’s flu season could end up being less severe overall, based on two indicators of severity: hospitalizations and deaths. That’s because this season’s prominent virus strains are typically hitting younger, healthier people.

The flu season so far has distinguished itself from previous years with an early rise in a strain of the virus called B/Victoria. That strain typically does not pop up until the end of flu season, in early spring. The flu season typically lasts from October through April, but activity can last as late as May, according to the CDC.

“Flu B has a predilection for striking children,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University and medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “We’re seeing lots of children and more young adults at the present time. That’s a reflection of the dominance of flu B.”

Another strain of flu — the influenza A strain H1N1 — is also starting to circulate. This strain also typically hits young people harder, said the CDC.

“We’re definitely seeing more than the average number of flu cases this year,” Dr. Seema Shah, medical director of the emergency department at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, told NBC affiliate KNSD.

Her department has been so inundated with patients, she’s advising families in her area to seek care at urgent care facilities, rather than automatically taking children with milder illnesses to the emergency room.

This past week, the CDC received five new reports of children who died from the flu, bringing the number of pediatric flu deaths to 32 so far this season. At the same point during the 2018-2019 season, there had been 16 pediatric flu deaths.

The agency estimates that at least 9.7 million people have had the flu this season, with 87,000 hospitalizations and 4,800 deaths reported so far.

Forty-nine states, plus Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories are reporting either regional or widespread flu activity, up from 48 last week, with Hawaii as the sole exception.

U.S. Military Unsuccessfully Targeted Second Iranian Official

January 10, 2020 by administrator Leave a Comment

The failed airstrike in Yemen was aimed at Abdul Reza Shahlai, an official with Iran’s Quds force and key financier for Iran’s proxy wars.

By Eric Schmitt

WASHINGTON — The American military unsuccessfully tried to kill a senior Iranian in Yemen on the same day a drone strike took out Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, one of Iran’s most important commanders, according to American officials.

The disclosure of a second mission indicated that the Trump administration was attempting to target a larger set of Iranian military and paramilitary leaders than was previously known.

The unsuccessful airstrike in Yemen was aimed at Abdul Reza Shahlai, an official with Iran’s Quds Force, a potent paramilitary organization. He was known as a key financier for Iran’s proxy wars.

President Trump approved the strike against Mr. Shahlai at the same time as he authorized the strike against General Suleimani, although it is unclear if the American attack in Yemen occurred at precisely the same time.

Mr. Shahlai and General Suleimani were two of several officials the Trump administration considered striking in an effort to halt Iranian attacks on American embassies and to deter Iran from ramping up aggression in the region.

The Yemen strike was first reported Friday by The Washington Post.

The mission to kill Mr. Shahlai shows that the Trump administration was seeking to hit multiple officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which includes the Quds Force. Both organizations direct Iran’s proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

The successful strike in Iraq and the unsuccessful attack in Yemen were meant to knock the Guards Corps back on its heels, and some senior military and intelligence officials believed a drastic strike against the group would effectively damage Iran’s ability to direct its proxy forces.

But other officials, including intelligence officials, believed strikes against senior commanders were risky, and might have the effect of inciting the broader conflict the Trump administration said it was trying to avoid.

Members of Congress have also raised questions about intelligence the administration has used to justify the strikes on General Suleimani.

The Pentagon declined to confirm the strike. But Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman, noted that Yemen “is long understood as a safe space for terrorists and other adversaries to the United States.”

The United States had offered a $15 million reward for information about Mr. Shahlai. The announcement of the reward accused him of having a long history of involvement in attacks on American allies, including a failed 2011 plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States.

Mr. Shahlai was based in Yemen, where Iran is supporting the Houthi rebels, who are fighting forces backed by Saudi Arabia.