Russia vows ‘tangible’ response against US missiles on its territory

Russia says the use of US long-range missiles by Ukraine will lead to “an appropriate and tangible” response.

Such an attack inside Russian territory “would represent the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in hostilities against Russia”, a foreign ministry statement said.

President Joe Biden approved the use of the missiles on targets in Russia in a major change of US policy – two months before he is due to leave the White House.

It is not clear if his successor, President-elect Donald Trump, was consulted or whether he will stick by the decision, having promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ukraine has had US ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) with a range of 300km (190 miles) – as well as French and British Storm Shadow missiles of a similar range – but the Western allies had barred Kyiv from hitting Russia with them.

Biden’s decision to lift that condition is a significant moment in the war, which marks its 1,000th day on Tuesday.

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Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Moscow has now intensified attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as the sides appear to have reached a stalemate on the battlefield.

Russia vows ‘tangible’ response against US missiles on its territory

FBI arrests mastermind of Borno terrorist attack on Nigerian soldiers

The federal law enforcement officials in the United States have announced the arrest of Anas Said, who was linked to a terrorist attack on Nigerian soldiers at the Borno checkpoint last year.

Federal Bureau of Information last Thursday said Mr Said was arrested when he attempted to carry out a possible terrorist attack in Houston., Texas.

An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Texas also indicated that Mr Said, 28, was charged last month with attempting to provide material support to the terrorist group ISIS.

Mr Said had been posting pro-ISIS messages on various social media platforms since 2017, according to court papers.

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In July last year, Mr Said posted videos of an attack against Nigerian soldiers manning a checkpoint in Borno to Islamic State-affiliated websites. It was unclear how many Nigerian soldiers were killed during the attack.

Apart from the charges for his offence against the Nigerian state, he was also involved in terrorism in Damascus and Homs in Syria.

Mr Said now risks up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if found guilty as charged.

The Nigerian Army’s spokesperson, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, did not respond to Peoples Gazette’s request seeking comments on Mr Said’s arrest.

FBI arrests mastermind of Borno terrorist attack on Nigerian soldiers

We’ll use military for mass deportation – Trump

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he intends to declare a national emergency concerning border security, a move that will involve utilizing the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

Immigration has been a central issue throughout his election campaign. Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and to restore order at the U.S.-Mexico border, which saw record numbers of illegal crossings during President Joe Biden’s administration.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump amplified a recent post by a conservative activist that said the president-elect was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”

Alongside the repost, Trump commented, “True!”

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Trump sealed a remarkable comeback to the presidency in his November 5 defeat of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

He has been announcing a cabinet featuring immigration hardliners, naming former Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting chief Tom Homan as his “border czar.”

Homan appeared at the Republican National Convention in July, telling supporters: “I got a message to the millions of illegal immigrants that Joe Biden’s released in our country: You better start packing now.”

Authorities estimate that some 11 million people are living in the United States illegally. Trump’s deportation plan is expected directly to impact around 20 million families.

While the US government has struggled for years to manage its southern border with Mexico, Trump has super-charged concerns by claiming an “invasion” is underway by migrants he says will rape and murder Americans.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly railed against undocumented immigrants, employing incendiary rhetoric about foreigners who “poison the blood” of the United States and misleading his audiences about immigration statistics and policy.

Trump has not elaborated on his immigration crackdown in any detail but during his election campaign repeatedly vowed to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to speed up deportations.

Critics say the law is outdated and point to its most recent use during World War II to hold Japanese-Americans in internment camps without due process.

The number of US border patrol encounters with migrants crossing from Mexico illegally is now about the same as in 2020, the last year of Trump’s first term, after peaking at a record 250,000 for the month of December 2023.

We’ll use military for mass deportation – Trump

(AFP)