New Report Links Humanitarian Aid to Global Arms Trade
A report released this month by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) details the role of air cargo carriers in conflicts throughout Africa. From Darfur to eastern Congo and northern Uganda to eastern Chad, air transport is the method of choice for small arms traffickers. The European Union estimates that 80 percent of all small arms and light weapons (SALW) shipments are delivered by air. In addition to bringing small arms in, these air cargo carriers transport goods and minerals out of conflict zones. In eastern Congo, for example, carriers are used to lift mass quantities of cassiterite (a ...
The First U.S. Citizen Suicide Bomber
On October 29th, 2008 the State Department issued a press release condemning the day’s terrorist attacks in Somaliland and Puntland. Little did it know that a U.S. citizen, a 27 year-old college student from Minneapolis, Shirwa Ahmed, was one of the suicide bombers that killed 24 people. Ahmed is said to be the first U.S. citizen suicide bomber. Ahmed’s actions have sparked the interest of the intelligence and homeland security communities. The October 29th bombings were attributed to al-Shabaab, a group with links to al-Qaeda and, as of February 2008, a State Department designated terrorist group. Analysts worry that this ...