Peruvian villagers face murder and intimidation from land traffickers 

 

shortly after sunset, along an isolated stretch of highway leading out of a dusty hamlet in northern Peru, a band of five weary farmers clad in reflective neon vests and armed with traditional whips made of bull penises set out on a solemn march.

The Ronderos – self-governing peasant patrols – are resuming their nightly rounds five months after the brutal killing of their lieutenant governor, Napoléon Tarrillo Astonitas.
“During all the years I’ve lived here, the situation has never been this threatening. The murder of the lieutenant governor in this hamlet made us organise in order to protect ourselves,” says Humberto Gonzales Núñez, head of Rondas Campesinas of El Mirador.
El Mirador and the surrounding hamlets remain deeply shaken by the murder last December, living in terror as invaders continue to seize their land within the Chaparrí ecological reserve, one of Peru’s most biodiverse forests.

  “This hurts so much –my husband was my only family,” Flor Vallejos, Tarrillo’s widow, says. “He was a lovely person. He liked to defend our environment, our lands, and our dry forest. The animals, he loved them.’’Land invaders turned their attention to Chaparrí six years ago when plans to build La Montería reservoir dangled the promise of water resources in a desert-like environment – raising the possibility of agricultural expansion in the protected area. To date, 28 individuals opposing the plans have been threatened, and last year 10 cases of suspicious forest fires were reported in Chaparrí. According to the head of Peru’s supreme court, Duberlí Rodríguez, more than 1,000 hectares of the area have been affected by land grabbers – deforested, burned and illegally cultivated. The location of La Montería reservoir has been a controversial matter, since it is within the borders of the protected area, going against a resolution made by the environment ministry in 2011.The head of Peru’s congressional environmental commission, María Elena Foronda, says the reservoir project has not been approved by the authorities governing protected areas, forests and wildlife, nor the environment ministry. “There have simply been acts of corruption,” she adds.An organised criminal network has its hold on the area, says Mar Pérez Aguilera, coordinator for the activist group National Coordinator for Human Rights, which is currently helping to keep Vallejos in hiding. She recounts four cases of murder tied to land grabbing in the area so far: that of Tarrillo, and those of three police officers in Salas two years ago.But the crimes are rarely prosecuted, and the perpetrators seldom face legal consequences. “Impunity is a message of support,” says Pérez. “We know that very powerful people are involved in this case, and that is making everything more difficult.”The case of Chaparrí is legally complex. According to Rodríguez, invaders have also infiltrated the community’s group of legal representatives known as the Administrative Directive, enabling an influx of nearly 500 new members during the past six years. Many of them do not meet the normal criteria to join the group, he says.“It is the Administrative Directive itself that is promoting the disappearance of Chaparrí; they are enemies of the reserve,’’ Rodríguez says.

“We have been very dedicated community members, but since the new directive came to power, the expulsions began, conflicts began, our voices were silenced – as if we did not exist,” she says.
Tonight, López hears familiar voices among the barks of dogs while the Ronderos pass her hut. Halfway up the road the men all stiffen and throw each other anxious looks as headlights of an approaching car are spotted. Blowing on plastic whistles, they flank the vehicle as it slows to pull over. There is a sudden, collective sigh of relief – this time they know the driver, and wave him on.

     Land invaders turned their attention to Chaparrí six years ago when plans to build a reservoir raised the possibility of agricultural expansion in the protected area. Photograph: Dante Piaggio D/El Comercio/Newscom/Alamy

Kanye says 'I love this guy right here' as he walks over and gives Trump a hug – video 

 

                       

 Wearing a Make America Great Again hat, the singer Kanye West, one of Donald Trump's most famous celebrity supporters, met him in the Oval Office to talk about the criminal justice system and prison reform among other issues. West also discussed his bipolar diagnosis, saying: 'My mum and my dad separated so I didn't have a lot of male energy in my home.' Following West's statement, Trump said: 'I tell you what, that was pretty impressive.' West replied: 'I love this guy right here,' walking behind the desk to hug the seated president.

SAS hero sniper takes out ISIS commander with just one bullet from over a MILE AWAY

AN SAS sniper killed an ISIS commander with just one bullet from almost a mile-and-a-half away - thought to be the best long-range shot in the elite regiment’s history.

An SAS sniper killed an ISIS commander with just one bullet from more than a mile away (Image: GETTY)

The sniper - a sergeant veteran of the fighting in Iraq and Syria - was on a secret patrol in an ISIS-controlled area of northern Afghanistan in June.
The bullet - from a huge .50 Calibre machine gun - struck the commander in the chest with such velocity that it ripped his arm and shoulder from his body, killing him instantly.
Sources have said the gun will now be decommissioned and taken to SAS headquarters near Hereford as a memento.
The SAS team were in armed vehicles in an area where a series of strongholds have been established by militants.

They were watching an ISIS base when they spotted the commander, who was said to be on a joint British and US “kill list”.
The patrol was armed with sniper rifles, but the troops believed the only weapon that could hit the target was the huge .50 Cal Browning machine gun mounted on one of the vehicles.
They then asked for permission to engage the target, which was approved by a senior officer at the Joint Special Operations Command HQ in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
One source familiar with the operation said: “The .50 Cal has got a phenomenal range and is very accurate even though it is almost 40 years old.

The .50 Cal is described as having a "phenomenal range and is very accurate" (Image: GETTY)

“It can be fired on single shot. The sniper fitted a special sight to the machine gun and got a spotter to estimate the wind speed.
“He also took into account the heat of the day and the light. The image of his target was quite ‘watery’ because of the heat being given off from the ground.
“The Islamic State commander was briefing his men and clearly liked the sound of his own voice because he was standing still for a least 20 minutes while his fighters sat on the ground in front of him."
According to the Daily Star on Sunday, the killing of the ISIS commander is thought to have saved the lives of more than 20 people.

The .50 Cal has been heavily used for a number of years (Image: GETTY)

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “We do not comment on special forces operations.”
The .50 Cal was used as a long-range weapon during the Korean War in the 1950s but this latest shooting its understood to be the first time it has been used by the British Army’s elite regiment in a purely sniping role.
It was used heavily during World War II, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Soviet-Afghan War, the Gulf War and the Iraq War.
The .50 Cal is also the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries.

 

PANICKED ISIS terrorists surrender to Afghan troops after Taliban fighters ATTACK

MORE than 150 members of the notorious terror group ISIS have surrendered to the Afghan government after taking a beating from rival extremist group The Taliban, which is also fighting the West. 

 

A two day battle followed during which 40 ISIS members were killed (Image: GETTY)

The ISIS fighters were attacked by the Taliban in Jawzjan province in Northern Afghanistan.
A two day battle followed during which 40 ISIS members were killed.
Most of the ISIS fighters managed to escape their attackers and sought safety by surrendering to forces from the Afghan government.
They reportedly include 25-30 foreigners, including two Frenchmen.

Those who surrendered include the commander and deputy commander of the ISIS unit.
Jawzjan Police chief Mohammad Jawzjani told US military newspaper Stars and Stripes: “This was ISIS’s last centre in the north of Afghanistan.
“Now we can say that ISIS is cleared from the North.”
An Afghan army spokesman, Mohammad Hanif Rezaee, said: “Their fighters have surrendered in the past, but this time it is more important because the ISIS leader and deputy surrendered with more than 150 fighters all at once.”

ISIS and the Taliban are longstanding foes, despite their mutual hatred of the West. (Image: GETTY)

Zabihullah Mujahid, a senior Taliban figure, said the group captured 128 ISIS terrorists who didn’t make it to the Afghan Government.
On the ISIS prisoners he added: “There will be investigations, and our military courts will decide on their fates.
“Let’s see what happens.”
ISIS and the Taliban are longstanding foes, despite their mutual hatred of the West.

ISIS have established a reputation for brutality in Afghanistan, carrying out beheadings, rapes and executing prisoners by forcing them to sit on explosives.
The main concentrations of ISIS fighters are in Nangarhar Province, in Eastern Afghanistan, though they do also have pockets in the North that both the Afghan government and Taliban are trying to snuff out.
In April last year President Trump ordered the US military to drop the “mother of all bombs”, the most powerful conventional bomb the US has, on an ISIS cave complex in Eastern Afghanistan.