USA
U.S.: Gang Members Arrested In Crackdown March 1, 2011 The United States arrested 678 gang members and associates, including 421 foreign nationals, tied to foreign drug traffickers in an operation dubbed “Project Southern Tempest,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said, Bloomberg reported March 1. The operation ran from December 2010 to February 2011, during which federal and local law enforcement in 168 U.S. cities arrested people from 13 gangs linked to Mexican drug organizations, Morton said. Authorities also arrested 164 people for criminal and administrative immigration violations, Morton added. CBS/AP reported that the arrested gang members are allegedly associated with drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Asia. During the arrests, agents seized 86 firearms, eight pounds of methamphetamine, 30 pounds of marijuana, one pound of cocaine, more than $70,000 in U.S currency and two vehicles.
EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ASIA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
RUSSIA
Germany: Russia Buys Field Camp For Armed Forces March 2, 2011
The Russian Defense Ministry has purchased a field camp in Germany made by Karcher Futuretech GmbH, a supplier of the U.S. army, an unnamed ministry source said March 2, RIA Novosti reported. Another purchase made within the framework of modernizing the Russian army, the field camp will be used by the Russian armed forces, according to the source.
Russia: Coastal Missile System To Be Deployed On Kuril Islands - Source March 1, 2011
Russia will deploy a Bastion mobile coastal missile system with Yakhont supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles on the Kuril Islands, a senior Russian General Staff representative said, Interfax-AVN reported March 1. Tor-M2 air defense missile systems will be stationed on the Kuril Islands, and a subunit of Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopters will be based on the Iturup Island, the official said. The representative added that plans to strengthen Russian troops on the Kuril Islands have been proposed to the Russian defense minister.
IRAN
Russia: Iranian Reactor Launch Delayed - FM March 1, 2011
Technical problems are delaying the launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, but will be solved within two or three months, Russian Foreign Minister Sergi Lavrov said, Interfax reported March 1. The “essence” of the problem is guaranteeing the “100 percent” safety of the reactor, Lavrov said.
Iran: Security Forces Deployed Ahead Of Rally - Opposition Website March 1, 2011
Iranian security forces were deployed to Tehran’s streets March 1 ahead of a planned opposition demonstration demanding that opposition leaders be released from house arrest, Reuters reported, citing opposition website Sahamnews. The forces were placed at main streets and a few city squares around noon, the website said. Tehran University students and professors canceled most classes on the morning of March 1 to join the rallies, opposition website The Green Voice of Freedom reported.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/28/report-iran-opposition-leaders-moved-prison/
Iran: 2 Warships To Pass Back Through Suez Canal March 2, 2011
Two Iranian warships that passed through the Suez Canal last month en route to Syria will pass back through the canal on a return trip on March 3, AFP reported, citing a Suez Canal Authority official. The Iranian frigate Alvand and the supply ship Kharg will be at Port Said at 0200 GMT to begin passage towards the Red Sea, the official said. The two ships first passed through the canal into the Mediterranean Sea on Feb. 22.
IRAQ
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ISRAEL
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Russian Parliament Ratifies U.S. Air Transit Deal March 2, 2011 The upper house of the Russian parliament ratified an agreement with the United States on air transit of supplies to Afghanistan, The Voice of hRussia reported March 2. The agreement, signed for a year with the possibility of extension, involves the air transit of military cargo, including weapons and personnel for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and will enhance stabilization efforts in Afghanistan, according to a statement released by the Russian parliament.
Afghanistan: War No Longer Stalemate - CENTCOM Chief
U.S. Central Command chief Gen. James Mattis said March 1 that the war in Afghanistan is no longer a strategic stalemate and that U.S. forces will target Taliban militants returning to Kandahar province after the winter ends, Reuters reported. Speaking to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Mattis said Gen. David Petraeus has sent a U.S. Army surveillance brigade to monitor the area between Kandahar and the Pakistani border, which he said will make it more difficult for Taliban militants to enter Helmand and Kandahar. Mattis added that if the Taliban do not believe they can win, it will enable reconciliation efforts, and said that only in the last year had U.S. and NATO forces deployed the correct resources, training and personnel, the results of which will be clear soon.
Afghanistan: Pakistan Shelled Goshta District - Officials March 1, 2011
Pakistan forces fired artillery shells on several areas in the Goshta district in the eastern Afghan Nangarhar province during the week of Feb. 27, firing at least nine artillery shells on the Alachi area in Goshta on Feb. 28, damaging a mosque and several homes, according to Afghan senior officials and Afghan Brig.Gen. Aminollah Amrakhel, Afghan Islamic Press reported March. 1. As the border police commander for Nangarhar province, Amrakhel said the Pakistani bombing raids and shelling caused around 600 families to flee the area and move to safe places.
MIDDLE EAST
Dispatch: The Complexity of Persian Gulf Unrest
Yemen: Anti-Regime Protest Starts In Sanaa March 1, 2011
Protesters gathered into three streets leading to a square near Sanaa University in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa for an anti-government rally called by the opposition, AFP reported March 1. While the protesters chanted anti-regime slogans, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called a press conference wherein he accused Israel and the United States of orchestrating the anti-government revolts in the Arab
UAE: Prices Slashed On Hundreds Of Essential ItemsMarch 1, 2011
Many retailers in the United Arab Emirates will reduce prices for nearly 250 essential commodities by 20 to 40 percent through the month of March, a government official said, Reuters, Gulf News and the Khaleej Times reported March 1. The cuts are part of the “national consumer protection day,” the UAE Economy Ministry’s consumer protection chief said. Cuts could be as high as 50 percent at some cooperatives, he said, and some supermarkets will offer a 30 percent discount after March. Some of the affected goods include flour, milk, tea, rice, sugar, oil, canned goods, coffee, pasta, flour, sauce, pickles and biscuits.
Oman: 15 To 20 Arrested Protesters From Other GCC Countries March 2, 2011
Around 15 to 20 protesters arrested for rioting in Sohar, Oman, are from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, a spokesman for the Omani Royal Police said March 2, Muscat Daily reported. Some of those arrested are naturalized citizens, while one of them reportedly holds the rank of captain in the armed forces of an undisclosed country.
Dispatch: Gadhafi's Influence in Africa | STRATFOR
Saudi Arabia: Facebook Activist Killed March 2, 2011
Saudi state security killed online activist Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahadwas who called for a “Day of Rage” on March 11, according to a group of Facebook activists, DPA reported March 2. Abdul-Ahadwas and the more than 17,000-member group called for nationwide protests and reforms, including election of governors and upper house of parliament members, release of political prisoners, greater employment and greater freedoms. Authorities took Abdul-Ahadwas’ body to “hide evidence” of the crime, the online activists stated.
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico: Roadblocks Reported In Several Nuevo Leon Municipalities March 1, 2011
Unidentified gunmen used five stolen vehicles on March 1 to block roads in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state Milenio reported. The roadblocks were reported on the Ruiz Cortines and Churubusco avenues between San Nicolas and Monterrey, on the Miguel Aleman and Acapulco roads between San Nicolas and Guadalupe in Apodaca and on the Juarez avenue in Guadalupe.
MISC
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
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