Tag: Armed forces

Lawmakers blast Iran for attack on Israel

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BOSTON — Members of the state’s all-Democrat congressional delegation are condemning Iran’s strike against Israel over the weekend and calling for stepped-up diplomacy to end the widening conflict.

Iran launched a missiles and drone attack on Israel on Saturday in retaliation for the alleged Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy that took out two senior Iranian officers. Most of the drones and missiles were either shut down by Israeli, U.S. or British forces, or failed to hit their intended targets, authorities said.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat, blasted the attacks and said Iran’s actions risk sparking a “catastrophic” Middle Eastern war that could drag the U.S. and other Israeli allies into the conflict.

“Iran’s evil regime murders its own people at home and innocents abroad, funding terrorist groups across the Middle East – from Hamas and Hezbollah to the Houthis and proxies in Iraq that have killed scores of U.S. troops,” he said in a statement.

But Moulton, a Marine veteran, also urged Israel to show restraint in its response to the Iranian attacks and work toward a bilateral cease fire in the Gaza strip.

“It is neither in America’s national security interests, nor in Israel’s, to escalate into a full regional war,” he said. “As Israel weighs its next steps, it is critical that it remains focused on finishing its operations in Gaza and achieving a cease-fire-for-hostages deal – not on starting a new war while still having no endgame for their first.”

Rep. Lori Trahan, a Westford Democrat, issued a statement also condemning Iran’s attack and pledging to work to “support Israel’s ability to defend itself and its people, and bring an end to this conflict which threatens regional stability.”

“This is a dangerous and unnecessary escalation, and it comes at a time when the world’s focus should be on stopping the bloodshed in Gaza, releasing the hostages still held by Hamas, surging humanitarian support to innocent Palestinians, and returning to the hard work of achieving peace,” Trahan said.

Gov. Maura Healey posted on social media that “Massachusetts stands with the people of Israel and @POTUS in the face of this unprecedented attack by Iran.”

The attack on Israel came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded the country on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Iran had signaled that it planned to respond militarily to the Israeli strike on its embassy.

Republicans also criticized the strike, but pointed blame at President Joe Biden’s administration for its “appeasement” policy towards Iranian government.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Israel is facing a “vicious” attack and the U.S. “must stand” by its ally. The Louisiana Republican accused the Biden administration of “undermining” Israel with conflicting policies about U.S. support.

“As Israel faces this vicious attack from Iran, America must show our full resolve to stand with our critical ally,” Johnson’s office said on social media. “The world must be assured: Israel is not alone.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said the lower chamber will reconvene this week to consider legislation supporting Israel and to hold “Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable.”

“The House of Representatives stands strongly with Israel, and there must be consequences for this unprovoked attack,” he posted on social media.

But Moulton and other Democratic lawmakers pushed back on claims that the Biden administration contributed to the attacks.

“It shouldn’t be hard for the Republican Party to support democracies like Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan rather than catering to Russia, China, and insurrection-backing extremists in their own ranks,” he said.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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April 16, 2024
Los Angeles Riots Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. The riots stemmed from the acquittal of four white Los Angeles Police Department officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King in 1991.

The riots over five days in the spring of 1992 left more than 50 people dead, and more than 2,000 injured.

The rioting destroyed or damaged over 1,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area. The estimated cost of the damages was over $1 billion.

More than 9,800 California National Guard troops were dispatched to restore order.

Nearly 12,000 people were arrested, though not all the arrests were directly related to the rioting.

March 3, 1991 – Rodney King is beaten by LAPD officers after King leads police on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles County. George Holliday videotapes the beating from his apartment balcony. The video shows King being struck by police batons more than 50 times. Over 20 officers were present at the scene, most from the LAPD. King suffered 11 fractures and other injuries due to the beating.

March 4, 1991 – Holliday delivers the tape to local television station KTLA.

March 7, 1991 – King is released without being charged.

March 15, 1991 – Sergeant Stacey Koon and officers Laurence Michael Powell, Timothy Wind, and Theodore Briseno are indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury in connection with the beating.

May 10, 1991 – A grand jury refuses to indict 17 officers who stood by at the King beating and did nothing.

November 26, 1991 – Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg orders the trial of the four officers charged in the King beating moved to Simi Valley.

April 29, 1992 – The four white LAPD officers are acquitted of beating King. Riots start at the intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Central Los Angeles. Reginald Denny, a white truck driver, is pulled from his truck and beaten. A news helicopter captures the beating on videotape. Mayor Tom Bradley declares a state of emergency, and Governor Pete Wilson calls in National Guard troops.

April 30-May 4, 1992 – Dusk to dawn curfews are enforced in the city and county of Los Angeles.

May 1, 1992 – King makes an emotional plea for calm, stating, “People, I just want to say, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids?”

May 3, 1992 – Over 1,100 Marines, 600 Army soldiers, and 6,500 National Guard troops patrol the streets of Los Angeles.

August 4, 1992 – A federal grand jury returns indictments against Koon, Powell, Wind and Briseno on the charge of violating the civil rights of King.

October 21, 1992 – A commission headed by former FBI and CIA Director William Webster concludes that the LAPD and City Hall leaders did not plan appropriately for the possibility of riots prior to the verdicts in the King case.

February 25, 1993 – The trial begins.

April 17, 1993 – The federal jury convicts Koon and Powell of violating King’s civil rights. Wind and Briseno are found not guilty. No disturbances follow the verdict.

August 4, 1993 – US District Court Judge John Davies sentences both Sergeant Koon and Officer Powell to 30 months in prison for violating King’s civil rights. Powell is found guilty of violating King’s constitutional right to be free from an arrest made with “unreasonable force.” Ranking officer Koon is convicted of permitting the civil rights violation to occur.

April 19, 1994 – The US District Court in Los Angeles awards King $3.8 million in compensatory damages in a civil lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles. King had demanded $56 million, or $1 million for every blow struck by the officers.

June 1, 1994 – King is awarded $0 in punitive damages in a civil trial against the police officers. He had asked for $15 million.

April 2012 – King’s autobiography, “The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. Learning How We Can All Get Along,” written with Lawrence J. Spagnola, is published.

June 17, 2012 – Rodney King, 47, is found dead in the swimming pool of his Rialto, California, home.

Read More: Family, friends remember Rodney King at funeral.

August 23, 2012 – The San Bernardino coroner releases an autopsy report which states that his death was the result of an accidental drowning, and that King was in a “drug and alcohol-induced delirium” when he died.

Read More: Why the 1992 L.A. riots matter 25 years later.

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April 12, 2024
Vietnam War Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at the Vietnam War.

1883-1945 – Cochin-China, southern Vietnam, and Annam and Tonkin, central and northern Vietnam, along with Cambodia and Laos make up colonial empire French Indochina.

1946 – Communists in the north begin fighting France for control of the country.

1949 – France establishes the State of Vietnam in the southern half of the country.

1951 – Ho Chi Minh becomes leader of Dang Lao Dong Vietnam, the Vietnam Worker’s Party, in the north.

North Vietnam was communist. South Vietnam was not. North Vietnamese Communists and South Vietnamese Communist rebels, known as the Viet Cong, wanted to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and reunite the country.

1954 – North Vietnamese begin helping South Vietnamese rebels fight South Vietnamese troops, thus BEGINS the Vietnam conflict.

April 30, 1975 – South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, ENDING the Vietnam conflict.

The war was estimated to cost about $200 billion.

Anti-war opinion increased in the United States from the mid-1960s on, with rallies, teach-ins, and other forms of demonstration.

North Vietnamese guerrilla forces used the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of jungle paths and mountain trails, to send supplies and troops into South Vietnam.

The bombing of North Vietnam surpassed the total tonnage of bombs dropped on Germany, Italy and Japan in World War II.

Today, Vietnam is a communist state.

Source: Dept. of Defense

8,744,000 – Total number of US Troops that served worldwide during Vietnam
3,403,000 served in Southeast Asia
2,594,000 served in South Vietnam

The total of American servicemen listed as POW/MIA at the end of the war was 2,646. As of April 12, 2024, 1,577 soldiers remain unaccounted for.

Battle: 47,434
Non-Battle: 10,786
Total In-Theatre: 58,220

1.3 million – Total military deaths for all countries involved

1 million – Total civilian deaths

September 2, 1945 – Vietnam declares independence from France. Neither France nor the United States recognizes this claim. US President Harry S. Truman aids France with military equipment to fight the rebels known as Viet Minh.

May 1954 – The Battle of Dien Bien Phu results in serious defeat for the French and peace talks in Geneva. The Geneva Accords end the French Indochina War.

July 21, 1954 – Vietnam signs the Geneva Accords and divides into two countries at the 17th parallel, the Communist-led north and US-supported south.

1957-1963 – North Vietnam and the Viet Cong fight South Vietnamese troops. Hoping to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the United States sends more aid and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese government. The number of US military advisers in Vietnam grows from 900 in 1960 to 11,000 in 1962.

1964-1969 – By 1964, the Viet Cong, the Communist guerrilla force, has 35,000 troops in South Vietnam. The United States sends more and more troops to fight the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese, with the number of US troops in Vietnam peaking at 543,000 in April 1969. Anti-war sentiment in the United States grows stronger as the troop numbers increase.

August 2, 1964 – Gulf of Tonkin – The North Vietnamese fire on a US destroyer anchored in the Gulf of Tonkin. After US President Lyndon Johnson falsely claims that there had been a second attack on the destroyer, Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which authorizes full-scale US intervention in the Vietnam War. Johnson orders the bombing of North Vietnam in retaliation for the Tonkin attack.

August 5, 1964 – Johnson asks Congress for the power to go to war against the North Vietnamese and the Communists for violating the Geneva Accords against South Vietnam and Laos. The request is granted August 7, 1964, in a Congressional joint resolution.

January 30, 1968 – Tet Offensive – The North Vietnamese launch a massive surprise attack during the festival of the Vietnamese New Year, called Tet. The attack hits 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam. Both sides suffer heavy casualties, but the offensive demonstrates that the war will not end soon or easily. American public opinion against the war increases, and the US begins to reduce the number of troops in Vietnam.

March 16, 1968 – My Lai Massacre – About 400 women, children and elderly men are massacred by US forces in the village of My Lai in South Vietnam. Lieutenant William L. Calley Jr. is later court-martialed for leading the raid and sentenced to life in prison for his role but is released in 1974 when a federal court overturns the conviction. Calley is the only soldier ever convicted in connection with the event.

April 1970 – Invasion of Cambodia – US President Richard Nixon orders US and South Vietnamese troops to invade border areas in Cambodia and destroy supply centers set up by the North Vietnamese. The invasion sparks more anti-war protests, and on June 3, 1970, Nixon announces the completion of troop withdrawal.

May 4, 1970 – National Guard units fire into a group of demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. The shots kill four students and wound nine others. Anti-war demonstrations and riots occur on hundreds of other campuses throughout May.

February 8, 1971 – Invasion of Laos – Under orders from Nixon, US and South Vietnamese ground troops, with the support of B-52 bombers, invade southern Laos in an effort to stop the North Vietnamese supply routes through Laos into South Vietnam. This action is done without consent of Congress and causes more anti-war protests in the United States.

January 27, 1973 – A cease-fire is arranged after peace talks.

March 29, 1973 – The last American ground troops leave. Fighting begins again between North and South Vietnam, but the United States does not return.

April 30, 1975 – South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City.

May 25, 2012 – US President Barack Obama signs a proclamation that puts into effect the “Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War” that will continue until November 11, 2025. Over the next 13 years, the program will “honor and give thanks to a generation of proud Americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced.”

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April 12, 2024
Kurdish People Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at Kurdish people. Kurds do not have an official homeland or country. Most reside within countries in the Middle East including northern Iraq, eastern Turkey, western Iran and small portions of northern Syria and Armenia.

Area: Roughly 74,000 sq mi

Population: approximately 25-30 million (some Kurds reside outside of Kurdistan)

Religion: Most are Sunni Muslims; some practice Sufism, a type of mystic Islam

Kurds have never achieved nation-state status, making Kurdistan a non-governmental region and one of the largest stateless nations in the world.

Portions of the region are recognized by two countries: Iran, where the province of Kordestan lies; and northern Iraq, site of the autonomous region known as Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or Iraqi Kurdistan.

Kurds were mostly nomadic until the end of World War I and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.

Kurds make up about 10% of the population in Syria, 19% of the population of Turkey, 15-20% of the population of Iraq and are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Iran.

The Peshmerga is a more than 100,000-strong national military force which protects Iraqi Kurdistan, and includes female fighters.

October 30, 1918 – (TURKEY) The Armistice of Mudros marks the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

November 3, 1918 – (IRAQ) With the discovery of oil in the Kurdish province of Mosul, British forces occupy the region.

August 10, 1920 – (TURKEY) The Treaty of Sèvres outlines the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, with Turkey renouncing rights over certain areas in Asia and North Africa. It calls for the recognition of new independent states, including an autonomous Kurdistan. It is never ratified.

July 24, 1923 – (TURKEY) The Allies and the former Ottoman Empire sign and ratify the Treaty of Lausanne, which recognizes Turkey as an independent nation. In the final treaty marking the conclusion of World War I, the Allies drop demands for an autonomous Turkish Kurdistan. The Kurdish region is eventually divided among several countries.

1923 – (IRAQ) Former Kurdish Governor Sheikh Mahmud Barzinji stages an uprising against British rule, declaring a Kurdish kingdom in Sulaimaniya in northern Iraq.

1924 – (IRAQ) British Forces retake Sulaimaniya.

1943-1945 – (IRAQ/IRAN) Mustafa Barzani leads an uprising, gaining control of areas of Erbil and Badinan. When the uprising is defeated, Barzani and his forces retreat to Kurdish areas in Iran and align with nationalist fighters under the leadership of Qazi Muhammad.

January 1946 – (IRAN) The Kurdish Republic of Mahābād is established as a Kurdish state, with backing from the Soviet Union. The short-lived country encompasses the city of Mahābād in Iran, which is largely Kurdish and near the Iraq border. However, Soviets withdraw the same year and the Republic of Mahābād collapses.

August 16, 1946 – (IRAQ) The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iraq (KDP) is established.

1957 – (SYRIA) 250 Kurdish children die in an arson attack on a cinema. It is blamed on Arab nationalists.

1958 – (SYRIA) The government formally bans all Kurdish-language publications.

1958 – (IRAQ) After Iraq’s 1958 revolution, a new constitution is established, which declares Arabs and Kurds as “partners in this homeland.”

1961 – (IRAQ) KDP begins a rebellion in northern Iraq. Within two weeks, the Iraqi government dissolves the Kurdish Democratic Party.

March 1970 – (IRAQ) A peace agreement between Iraqi government and Kurds grants the Kurds autonomy. Kurdish is recognized as an official language, and an amendment to the constitution states: “the Iraqi people is made up of two nationalities: the Arab nationality and the Kurdish nationality.”

March 6, 1975 – (ALGERIA) Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran sign a treaty. Iraq gives up claims to the Shatt-al-Arab waterway, while Iran agrees to end its support of the independence seeking Kurds.

June 1975 – (IRAQ) Former KDP Leader Jalal Talabani, establishes the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The following year, PUK takes up an armed campaign against the Iraqi government.

1978 – (IRAQ) KDP and PUK forces clash, leaving many dead.

1978 – (TURKEY) Abdullah Öcalan forms the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group.

Late 1970s – (IRAQ) The Baath Party, under Hussein’s leadership, uproots Kurds from areas with Kurdish majorities, and settles southern-Iraqi Arabs into those regions. Into the 1980s, Kurds are forcibly removed from the Iranian border as Kurds are suspected of aiding Iranian forces during the Iran-Iraq War.

1979 – (IRAQ) Mustafa Barzani dies in Washington, DC. His son, Massoud Barzani, is elected president of KDP following his death.

1980 – (IRAQ) The Iran-Iraq War begins. Although the KDP forces work closely with Iran, the PUK does not.

1983 – (IRAQ) PUK agrees to a ceasefire with Iraq and begins negotiations on Kurdish autonomy.

August 1984 – (TURKEY) PKK launches a violent separatist campaign in Turkey, starting with killing two soldiers. The conflict eventually spreads to Iran, Iraq and Syria.

1985 – (IRAQ) The ceasefire between Iraq and PUK breaks down.

1986 – (IRAQ) After an Iranian-sponsored reconciliation, both KDP and PUK receive support from Tehran.

1987 – (TURKEY) Turkey imposes a state of emergency in the southeastern region of the country in response to PKK attacks.

February-August 1988 – (IRAQ) During Operation Anfal (“spoils” in Arabic), created to quell Kurdish resistance, the Iraqi military uses large quantities of chemical weapons on Kurdish civilians. Iraqi forces destroy more than 4,000 villages in Kurdistan. It is believed that some 100,000 Kurds were killed.

March 16, 1988 – (IRAQ) Iraq uses poison gas against the Kurdish people in Halabja in northern Iraq. Thousands of people are believed to have died in the attack.

1990-1991 – (IRAQ) The Gulf War begins when Hussein invades Kuwait, seeking its oil reserves. There is a mass exodus of Kurds out of Iraq as more than a million flee into Turkey and Iran.

February 28, 1991 – (IRAQ) Hussein agrees to a ceasefire, ending the Gulf War.

March 1991 – (IRAQ) Kurdish uprising begins, and in two weeks, the Kurdish militia gains control of Iraqi Kurdistan, including the oil-rich town of Kirkuk. After allied support to the Kurds is denied, Iraq crushes the uprising. Two million Kurds flee, but are forced to hide out in the mountains as Turkey closes its border.

April 1991 – (IRAQ) A safe haven is established in Iraqi Kurdistan by the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Iraqi forces are barred from operating within the region, and Kurds begin autonomous rule, with KDP leading the north and PUK leading the south.

1992 – (IRAQ) In an anti-PKK operation, 20,000 Turkish troops enter Kurdish safe havens in Iraq.

1994-1998 – (IRAQ) PUK and KDP members engage in armed conflict, known as the Fratricide War, in Iraqi Kurdistan.

1995 – (IRAQ) Approximately 35,000 Turkish troops launch an offensive against Kurds in northern Iraq.

1996 – (IRAQ) Iraq launches attacks against Kurdish cities, including Erbil and Kirkuk.

October 8, 1997 – (TURKEY) The United States lists PKK as a terrorist group.

1998 – (IRAQ) The conflict between KDP and PUK ends, and a peace agreement is reached. This is brokered by the United States, and the accord is signed in Washington.

1999 – (TURKEY) PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is captured in Nairobi, Kenya, by Turkish officials.

2002 – (TURKEY) Under pressure from the European Union, Turkey legalizes broadcasts and education in the Kurdish language. Turkish forces still combat PKK, including military incursions into northern Iraq.

May 2002 – (TURKEY) The European Union designates the PKK as a terrorist organization.

February 1, 2004 – (IRAQ) Two suicide bombs kill more than 50 people in Erbil. The targets are the headquarters of KDP and PUK, and several top Kurdish officials from both parties are killed.

March 2004 – (SYRIA) Nine people are killed at a football (soccer) arena in Qamishli after clashes with riot police. Kurds demonstrate throughout the city, and unrest spreads to nearby towns in the following days, after security forces open fire at the funerals.

June 2004 – (TURKEY) State TV broadcasts Kurdish-language programs for the first time.

April 6-7, 2005 – (IRAQ) Kurdish leader Talabani is selected the country’s president by the transitional national assembly, and is sworn in the next day.

July 2005 – (TURKEY) Six people die from a bomb planted on a train by a Kurdish guerrilla. Turkish officials blame the PKK.

2005 – (IRAQ) The 2005 Iraqi constitution upholds Kurdish autonomy, and designates Kurdistan as an autonomous federal region.

August-September 2006 – (TURKEY) A wave of bomb attacks target a resort area in Turkey, as well as Istanbul. Separatist group Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAC) claims responsibility for most of the attacks and threatens it will turn Turkey into “hell.”

December 2007 – (TURKEY) Turkey launches attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan, targeting PKK outposts.

2009 – (TURKEY) A policy called the Kurdish Initiative increases Kurdish language rights and reduces military presence in the mostly Kurdish southeast.

September 2010 – (IRAN) A bomb detonates during a parade in Mahābād, leaving 12 dead and dozens injured. No group claims responsibility for the attack, but authorities blame Kurdish separatists. In 2014, authorities arrest members of Koumaleh, a Kurdish armed group, for the attack.

April 2011 – (SYRIA) Syria grants citizenship to thousands in the Kurdish region. According to Human Rights Watch, an exceptional census stripped 20% of Kurdish Syrians of their citizenship in 1962.

October 2011 – (SYRIA) Meshaal Tammo, a Syrian Kurdish activist, is assassinated. Many Kurds blame Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for the assassination.

October 19, 2011 – (TURKEY) Kurdish militants kill 24 Turkish troops near the Iraqi border, a PKK base area.

June 2012 – (TURKEY) Turkish forces strike PKK rebel bases in Iraq after a PKK attack in southern Turkey kills eight Turkish soldiers.

July 2012 – (SYRIA) Amid the country’s civil war, Syrian security forces retreat from several Kurdish towns in the northeastern part of the country.

August 2012 – (TURKEY) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warns that any attempts by the PKK to launch cross-border attacks from Syria would be met by force; the Turkish Army then performs a large exercise less than a mile from border villages now controlled by the Syrian Kurdish group Democratic Union Party (PYD).

December 2012 – (TURKEY) Erdogan announces the government has begun peace talks with the PKK.

January 10, 2013 – (FRANCE) Three Kurdish women are found shot dead in Paris, one of whom was a founding member of the PKK.

March 21, 2013 – (TURKEY) Imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan calls for dialogue: a letter from him is read in the Turkish Parliament, “We for tens of years gave up our lives for this struggle, we paid a price. We have come to a point at which the guns must be silent and ideas must talk.”

March 25, 2013 – (TURKEY) Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani negotiate a framework deal that includes an outline for a direct pipeline export of oil and gas. The pipeline would have the Kurdish crude oil transported from the Kurdish Regional Government directly into Turkey, allowing the KRG to be a competitive supplier of oil to Turkey.

June 2014 – (IRAQ) Refugees flee fighting and flood into Iraqi Kurdistan to the north as ISIS militants take over Mosul. Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) closes then reopens, with restrictions, border crossings used by those fleeing ISIS.

June 23, 2014 – (IRAQ) Iraqi Kurdistan President Barzani says that “Iraq is obviously falling apart, and it’s obvious that the federal or central government has lost control over everything.”

Early August 2014 – (IRAQ) Reportedly 40,000 Yazidi, a minority group of Kurdish descent, flee to a mountainous region in northwestern Iraq to escape ISIS, after the group storms Sinjar, a town near the Syrian border. Also, 100,000 Christians flee to Erbil, after Kurdish leadership there promises protection in the city.

August 11, 2014 – (IRAQ) Kurdish fighters in Kurdistan, who are called Peshmerga, work with Iraqi armed forces to deliver aid to Yazidis stranded on Mount Sinjar after fleeing ISIS fighters.

August 12, 2014 – (IRAQ) Some Yazidi tell CNN that PKK fighters control parts of the mountain, and have offered food and protection from ISIS.

December 2, 2014 – (IRAQ) The government of Iraq and the government of Iraqi Kurdistan sign an agreement to share oil revenues and military resources. Iraq will now pay the salaries of Peshmerga fighters battling ISIS and act as an intermediary to deliver US weapons to Kurdish forces. The Kurdistan government will deliver more than half a million barrels of oil daily to the Iraqi government. Profits from the sale of the oil will be split between the two governments.

January 26, 2015 – (SYRIA) After 112 days of fighting, the YPG, Kurdish fighters also known as the People’s Protection Units, take control of the city of Kobani from ISIS.

March 21, 2015 – (TURKEY) In a letter read to thousands during a celebration in the city of Diyarbakir, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan urges fighters under his command to lay down their arms, stop waging war against the Turkish state and join a “congress.”

May 18, 2015 – (TURKEY) In the run-up to parliamentary elections on June 7, an explosion rocks the office of the Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in Adana, in southeastern Turkey. Six people are injured.

June 7, 2015 – (TURKEY) Three-year-old fledgling party Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) receives more than 13% of the vote, winning 80 seats in the 550-seat parliament.

June 16, 2015 – (SYRIA) Kurdish forces in the Syrian town, Tal Abyad say they have defeated ISIS fighters and taken back the town on the Turkish border.

June 23, 2015 – (SYRIA) Kurdish fighters announce that they have taken back the town of Ain Issa, located 30 miles north of the ISIS stronghold, Raqqa, a city proclaimed to be the capital of the caliphate. A military base near Ain Issa, which had been occupied by ISIS since last August, is abandoned by the terrorist group the night before the Kurdish forces seize the town.

February 17, 2016 – (IRAQ) Turkish airstrikes target some of the PKK’s top figures in northern Iraq’s Haftanin region. Airstrikes come after a terrorist attack in Turkey kills 28, although no Kurdish group has claimed responsibility for those attacks.

March 13, 2016 – (TURKEY) A car bomb attack kills at least 37 people in Ankara. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK – an offshoot of the Kurdish separatist group PKK – takes responsibility for the attack.

March 17, 2016 – (SYRIA) Kurds declare that a swath of northeastern Syria is now a separate autonomous region under Kurdish control. The claim stirs up controversy, as Syrian and Turkish officials say it goes against the goal of creating a unified country after years of civil war.

July 20, 2016 – (TURKEY) Following a failed coup attempt, President Erdogan declares a state of emergency. In the first three months, pro-Kurdish media outlets are shut down, and tens of thousands of civil servants with alleged PKK connections are dismissed or suspended. The purge includes ministers of parliament, military leaders, police, teachers and mayors, including in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir.

September 25, 2017 – (IRAQ) Iraqi Kurds vote in favor of declaring independence from Iraq. More than 92% of the roughly 3 million people vote “yes” to independence.

March 23, 2019 – (SYRIA) Kurdish forces announce they have captured the eastern Syrian pocket of Baghouz, the last populated area under ISIS rule.

October 9, 2019 – (TURKEY/SYRIA) Turkey launches a military offensive into northeastern Syria, just days after US President Donald Trump’s administration announced that US troops would leave the border area. Erdogan’s “Operation Peace Spring” is an effort to drive away Kurdish forces from the border, and use the area to resettle around two million Syrian refugees. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who operate in the region are Kurdish-led, and still hold thousands of ISIS fighters captured in battle.

October 17, 2019 – (TURKEY/SYRIA) US Vice President Mike Pence announces that he and Erdogan agreed to a ceasefire halting Turkey’s incursion into northern Syria. The Turkish government insists that the agreement is not a ceasefire, but only a “pause” on operations in the region.

November 15, 2019 – (TURKEY/SYRIA) Turkey’s decision to launch a military operation targeting US-Kurdish partners in northern Syria and the Trump administration’s subsequent retreat allowed ISIS to rebuild itself and boosted its ability to launch attacks abroad, the Pentagon’s Inspector General says in an Operation Inherent Resolve quarterly report.

March 24, 2020 – (SYRIA) The SDF releases a statement calling for a humanitarian truce in response to a United Nations appeal for a global ceasefire to combat the coronavirus.

July 30, 2020 – (SYRIA) During a US Senate committee hearing, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirms the Trump administration’s support for the Delta Crescent Energy firm’s deal to develop and modernize oil fields in northeast Syria under control of the SDF. The following week, Syria’s foreign ministry calls the deal an attempt to “steal” the oil.

February 8, 2021 – (SYRIA) Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby is questioned about the Delta Crescent Energy deal during a press conference. He says that the US Department of Defense under the Joe Biden administration is focused on fighting ISIS. It is not aiding a private company.

January 20-26, 2022 – (SYRIA) ISIS lays siege to a prison in northeast Syria, in an attempt to break out thousands of the group’s members who were detained in 2019. In coordination with US-led coalition airstrikes, SDF regains control of the prison. This is believed to be the biggest coordinated attack by ISIS since the fall of the caliphate three years prior.

September 16, 2022 – (IRAN) Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, dies after being detained by “morality police” and taken to a “re-education center,” allegedly for not abiding by the country’s conservative dress code. Public anger over her death combines with a range of grievances against the Islamic Republic’s oppressive regime to fuel months of nationwide demonstrations, which continue despite law makers urging the country’s judiciary to “show no leniency” to protesters.

November 12, 2022 – (IRAN) The Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO) group claims Iranian security forces have killed at least 326 people since nationwide protests erupted two months ago. Authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, with reports of forced detentions and physical abuse being used to target the country’s Kurdish minority group.

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April 10, 2024
After year of hoaxes, real bomb targets Satanic Temple

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SALEM — Police say an actual explosive device was used against the Satanic Temple this week, following numerous hoax threats over the past year as well as an arrest of a man in January who had planned an attack.

Salem police were called to the Satanic Temple around 4 p.m. Monday as staff arrived to find a previously activated explosive device on the property at 64 Bridge St. The incident was traced back to 4:14 a.m., when cameras captured a person throwing “an explosive device onto the porch of the Satanic Temple,” a police press release Monday night said.

“No one was present in the building at the time,” the release read, “and the device and damage it caused were not discovered until staff arrived at approximately 4 p.m.”

Addressing the matter Tuesday morning, Salem police Chief Lucas Miller said the Satanic Temple is “a target on a scale much larger than Salem, and I do think that we need to really examine security there.”

“The Temple is very cooperative with the Police Department, and they’re receptive to any ideas we have about improving security, so that’s something we’ll be looking at very closely,” Miller said. “The FBI has joined this investigation, and they’re the big kids when it comes to law enforcement. They have really talented investigators and resources that a small police department doesn’t really have, so they’re a very welcome addition.”

The Satanic Temple has been a regular target of hoax threats in recent years, with many of those threats also impacting the nearby Carlton Innovation School and in at least one case resulting in an evacuation of the school to Salem High. (tinyurl.com/2s4cc5f2)

There had been two arrests, however, in separate incidents in the past two years. A Chelsea man was arrested in June 2022 for arson at the Satanic Temple after he set fire to the front porch, and earlier this year a Michigan man was arrested and charged in that state with planning to bomb the building. Authorities have not linked any of the incidents at this time.

“Salem detectives have worked closely with Temple staff on investigating these threats and incidents,” the news release read. “The bombing is currently under investigation by detectives from the Salem Police Criminal Investigation Division, along with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

Monday morning’s bombing could have been worse, Miller explained.

“The device failed to cause as much damage as we believed the person who threw it intended, but it did cause damage and did ignite,” he said. “But it didn’t have nearly as powerful an effect as the perpetrator intended.”

The Carlton School was operating normally Tuesday morning, Miller said. The Police Department has “spread out both our school resource officers and our regular beat officers to pay specific attention to schools today,” he added.

“The schools weren’t the target here. The Satanic Temple was,” Miller said. “With Carlton’s proximity, while concerning, there’s no indication the device was powerful enough to impact the school.”

Mayor Dominick Pangallo also addressed the incident in a statement, saying “while I am glad no one was injured in this attack, I nevertheless condemn this action in the strongest possible way.

“Salem is a welcoming place and violent attacks like this are utterly reprehensible,” Pangallo wrote. “On behalf of the city, I want to extend our support for the staff and members at the Temple and the residents of the neighborhood who have been impacted by this crime. We’ll continue working to identify ways to improve the security of the area, to help ensure the safety of all our community members.”

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By Dustin Luca | Staff Writer

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April 9, 2024
NH man arraigned on gun, assault charges in brewery incident

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NEWBURYPORT — Donald Terenzoni, 35, of Newton, New Hampshire, was arraigned Friday on multiple gun and assault charges, stemming from an incident at True North Ale Brewery in Ipswich last week when his gun fired accidentally, injuring himself and three others.

Terenzoni appeared in Ipswich District Court (which meets in Newburyport) and pleaded not guilty to charges of carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

He is accused of accidentally or negligently discharging a firearm inside the brewery at 116 County Road on March 29.

Terenzoni suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police, and three other individuals — including a juvenile — were left with minor injuries as well. A subsequent investigation determined Terenzoni was not licensed to possess a firearm in Massachusetts, according to police.

Ipswich police had said they responded to the scene around 5:17 p.m. on a report of a gunshot. They discovered that Terenzoni accidentally fired a gun inside the dining area, suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound as a result. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released the same day.

Police had originally said there were two victims — a juvenile in the dining area who was grazed by a piece of shrapnel and another individual — who both suffered minor injuries. In court Friday, a third victim was added to that list.

The judge imposed conditions that Terenzoni stay away from the brewery, have no direct or indirect contact with the alleged victims, not possess any firearms, destructive devices, or dangerous weapons, and set cash bail at $500.

As of 2017, it is no longer necessary to have a license to carry a concealed pistol or revolver in New Hampshire.

Terenzoni is originally from Peabody, but has lived in Newton with his wife and four children for the past seven years, according to court records. While he lives out of state, he is in Massachusetts on a daily basis as he works in Salisbury as a construction foreman for SPS New England.

“He came to court today voluntarily from New Hampshire and has submitted himself to the jurisdiction of the court,” said Terenzoni’s attorney. “He has absolutely no reason to show up, and he looks forward to defending these charges in court. He has very viable defenses to these charges.”

A pretrial date was set for May 13.

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By Michael McHugh | Staff Writer

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April 5, 2024
State police plan sobriety checkpoint in Essex County this weekend

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Col. John E. Mawn Jr., superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, has said that a “sobriety checkpoint” will be implemented by the Massachusetts State Police on a public way in Essex County this weekend.

The purpose is to further educate the motoring public and strengthen the public’s awareness to the need of detecting and removing those motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol and, or drugs from the roadways.

It will be operated during varied hours Friday April 5, to Saturday, April 6. The selection of vehicles will not be arbitrary, safety will be assured, and any inconveniences to motorists will be minimized with advance notice to reduce fear and anxiety.

The checkpoint is made possible through a grant provided by the Office of Grants and Research of the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

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April 4, 2024
Syrian Civil War Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at ongoing civil war in Syria.

Bashar al-Assad has ruled Syria as president since July 2000. His father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled Syria from 1970-2000.

The ongoing violence against civilians has been condemned by the Arab League, the European Union, the United States and other countries.

Roughly 5 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and more than 6.8 million people are displaced internally.

According to UNICEF’s Representative in Syria, Bo Viktor Nylund, “Since 2011, nearly 12,000 children were verified as killed or injured in Syria, that’s one child every eight hours over the past ten years.” Nylund said that the actual figures are likely much higher.

When the civil war began in 2011, there were four main factions of fighting groups throughout the country: Kurdish forces, ISIS, other opposition (such as Jaish al Fateh, an alliance between the Nusra Front and Ahrar-al-Sham) and the Assad regime.

March 2011 – Violence flares in Daraa after a group of teens and children are arrested for writing political graffiti. Dozens of people are killed when security forces crack down on demonstrations.

March 24, 2011 – In response to continuing protests, the Syrian government announces several plans to appease citizens. State employees will receive an immediate salary increase. The government also plans to study lifting Syria’s long standing emergency law and the licensing of new political parties.

March 30, 2011 – Assad addresses the nation in a 45-minute televised speech. He acknowledges that the government has not met the people’s needs, but he does not offer any concrete changes. The state of emergency remains in effect.

April 21, 2011 – Assad lifts the country’s 48-year-old state of emergency. He also abolishes the Higher State Security Court and issues a decree “regulating the right to peaceful protest, as one of the basic human rights guaranteed by the Syrian Constitution.”

May 18, 2011 – The United States imposes sanctions against Assad and six other senior Syrian officials. The Treasury Department details the sanctions by saying, “As a result of this action, any property in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons in which the individuals listed in the Annex have an interest is blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.”

August 18, 2011 – The US imposes new economic sanctions on Syria, freezing Syrian government assets in the US, barring Americans from making new investments in the country and prohibiting any US transactions relating to Syrian petroleum products, among other things.

September 2, 2011 – The European Union bans the import of Syrian oil.

September 23, 2011 – The EU imposes additional sanctions against Syria, due to “the continuing brutal campaign” by the government against its own people.

October 2, 2011 – A new alignment of Syrian opposition groups establishes the Syrian National Council, a framework through which to end Assad’s government and establish a democratic system.

October 4, 2011 – Russia and China veto a UN Security Council resolution that would call for an immediate halt to the crackdown in Syria against opponents of Assad. Nine of the 15-member council countries, including the United States, voted in favor of adopting the resolution.

November 12, 2011 – The Arab League suspends Syria’s membership, effective November 16, 2011.

November 27, 2011 – Foreign ministers from 19 Arab League countries vote to impose economic sanctions against the Syrian regime for its part in a bloody crackdown on civilian demonstrators.

November 30, 2011 – Turkey announces a series of measures, including financial sanctions, against Syria.

December 19, 2011 – Syria signs an Arab League proposal aimed at ending violence between government forces and protesters.

January 28, 2012 – The Arab League suspends its mission in Syria as violence there continues.

February 2, 2012 – A UN Security Council meeting ends with no agreement on a draft resolution intended to pressure Syria to end its crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.

February 4, 2012 – A UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria is not adopted after Russia and China vote against it.

February 6, 2012 – The United States closes its embassy in Damascus and recalls its diplomats.

February 7, 2012 – The Gulf Cooperation Council announces its member states are pulling their ambassadors from Damascus and expelling the Syrian ambassadors in their countries.

February 16, 2012 – The United Nations General Assembly passes a nonbinding resolution endorsing the Arab League plan for Assad to step down. The vote was 137 in favor and 12 against, with 17 abstentions.

February 26, 2012 – Syrians vote on a constitutional referendum in polling centers across the country. Almost 90% of voters approve the changes to the constitution, which include the possibility of a multi-party system.

March 13, 2012 – Kofi Annan, the UN special envoy to Syria, meets in Turkey with government officials and Syrian opposition members. In a visit to Syria over the weekend, he calls for a ceasefire, the release of detainees and allowing unfettered access to relief agencies to deliver much-needed aid.

March 15, 2012 – The Gulf Cooperation Council announces that the six member countries will close their Syrian embassies and calls on the international community “to stop what is going on in Syria.”

March 27, 2012 – The Syrian government accepts Annan’s plan to end violence. The proposal seeks to stop the violence, give access to humanitarian agencies, release detainees and start a political dialogue to address the concerns of the Syrian people.

April 1, 2012 – At a conference in Istanbul, the international group Friends of the Syrian People formally recognizes the Syrian National Council as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

July 30, 2012 – The Syrian Charge d’Affaires in London, Khaled al-Ayoubi, resigns, stating he is “no longer willing to represent a regime that has committed such violent and oppressive acts against its own people.”

August 2, 2012 – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announces that Annan will not renew his mandate when it expires at the end of August.

August 6, 2012 – Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab’s resignation from office and defection from Assad’s regime is read on Al Jazeera by his spokesman Muhammad el-Etri. Hijab and his family are said to have left Syria overnight, arriving in Jordan. Hijab is the highest-profile official to defect.

August 9, 2012 – Syrian television reports that Assad has appointed Health Minister Wael al-Halki as the new prime minister.

October 3, 2012 – Five people are killed by Syrian shelling in the Turkish border town of Akcakale. In response, Turkey fires on Syrian targets and its parliament authorizes a resolution giving the government permission to deploy its soldiers to foreign countries.

November 11, 2012 – Israel fires warning shots toward Syria after a mortar shell hits an Israeli military post. It is the first time Israel has fired on Syria across the Golan Heights since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

November 11, 2012 – Syrian opposition factions formally agree to unite as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.

November 13, 2012 – Sheikh Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib is elected leader of the Syrian opposition collective, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.

January 6, 2013 – Assad announces he will not step down and that his vision of Syria’s future includes a new constitution and an end to support for the opposition. The opposition refuses to work with Assad’s government.

March 19, 2013 – The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces elects Ghassan Hitto as its prime minister. Though born in Damascus, Hitto has spent much of his life in the United States, and holds dual US and Syrian citizenship.

April 25, 2013 – US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announces the United States has evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has been used in Syria on a small scale.

May 27, 2013 – EU nations end the arms embargo against the Syrian rebels.

June 13, 2013 – US President Barack Obama says that Syria has crossed a “red line” with its use of chemical weapons against rebels. His administration indicates that it will be stepping up its support of the rebels, who have been calling for the US and others to provide arms needed to battle Assad’s forces.

July 6, 2013 – Ahmad Assi Jarba is elected the new leader of the Syrian National Coalition.

August 18, 2013 – A team of UN weapons inspectors arrives in Syria to begin an investigation into whether chemical weapons have been used during the civil war.

August 22, 2013 – The UN and the US call for an immediate investigation of Syrian activists’ claims that the Assad government used chemical weapons in an attack on civilians on August 21. Anti-regime activist groups in Syria say more than 1,300 people were killed in the attack outside Damascus, many of them women and children.

August 24, 2013 – Medical charity Doctors Without Borders announces that three hospitals near Damascus treated more than 3,000 patients suffering “neurotoxic symptoms” on August 21. Reportedly, 355 of the patients died.

August 26, 2013 – UN inspectors reach the site of a reported chemical attack in Moadamiyet al-Sham, near Damascus. En route to the site, the team’s convoy is hit by sniper fire. No one is injured.

August 29, 2013 – The UK’s Parliament votes against any military action in Syria.

August 30, 2013 – US Secretary of State John Kerry says that US intelligence information has found that 1,429 people were killed in last week’s chemical weapons attack in Syria, including at least 426 children.

September 9, 2013 – Syria agrees to a Russian proposal to give up control of its chemical weapons.

September 10, 2013 – In a speech, Obama says he will not “put American boots on the ground in Syria,” but does not rule out other military options.

September 14, 2013 – The United States and Russia agree to a plan to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria.

September 16, 2013 – The United Nations releases a report from chemical weapons inspectors who investigated the August 21 incident. Inspectors say there is “clear and convincing evidence” that sarin was used.

September 20, 2013 – Syria releases an initial report on its chemical weapons program.

September 27, 2013 – The UN Security Council passes a resolution requiring Syria to eliminate its arsenal of chemical weapons. Assad says he will abide by the resolution.

September 30, 2013 – At the UN General Assembly in New York, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem says that Syria is not engaged in a civil war, but a war on terror.

October 6, 2013 – Syria begins dismantling its chemical weapons program, including the destruction of missile warheads and aerial bombs.

October 31, 2013 – The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announces that Syria has destroyed all its declared chemical weapons production facilities.

November 25, 2013 – The United Nations announces that starting January 22 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Syrian government and an unknown number of opposition groups will meet at a “Geneva II” conference meant to broker an end to the Syrian civil war.

December 2, 2013 – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says that a UN fact-finding team has found “massive evidence” that the highest levels of the Syrian government are responsible for war crimes.

January 20, 2014 – The Syria National Coalition announces it won’t participate in the Geneva II talks unless the United Nations rescinds its surprise invitation to Iran or Iran agrees to certain conditions. The United Nations later rescinds Iran’s invitation.

February 13, 2014 – The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons tells CNN that Syria has shipped out 11% of its chemical weapons stockpile, falling far short of the February 5 deadline to have all such arms removed from the country.

February 15, 2014 – A second round of peace talks ends in Geneva, Switzerland, with little progress in ending Syria’s civil war.

February 23, 2014 – The UN Security Council unanimously passes a resolution boosting access to humanitarian aid in Syria.

June 3, 2014 – Assad is reelected, reportedly receiving 88.7% of the vote in the country’s first election since civil war broke out in 2011.

September 22-23, 2014 – The United States and allies launch airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, focusing on the city of Raqqa.

September 14-15, 2015 – A Pentagon spokesperson says the Russian military appears to be attempting to set up a forward operating base in western Syria, in the area around the port city of Latakia. Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russia is supporting the Syrian government in its fight against ISIS.

October 30, 2015 – White House spokesman Josh Earnest says that the US will be deploying “less than 50” Special Operations forces, who will be sent to Kurdish-controlled territory in northern Syria. The American troops will help local Kurdish and Arab forces fighting ISIS with logistics and are planning to bolster their efforts.

February 26, 2016 – A temporary cessation of hostilities goes into effect. The truce calls for the Syrian regime and rebels to give relief organizations access to disputed territories so they can assist civilians.

March 15, 2016 – Russia starts withdrawing its forces from Syria. A spokeswoman for Assad tells CNN that the Russian campaign is winding down after achieving its goal of helping Syrian troops take back territory claimed by terrorists.

September 15, 2016 – At least 23 people, including nine children, are killed during airstrikes in Syria, with the United States and Russia accusing each other of violating the ceasefire in effect since September 12.

September 17, 2016 – US-led coalition airstrikes near Deir Ezzor Airport intended to target ISIS instead kill 62 Syrian soldiers.

September 20, 2016 – An aid convoy and warehouse of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are bombed; no one claims responsibility. The strike prompts the UN to halt aid operations in Syria.

September 23-25, 2016 – About 200 airstrikes hit Aleppo during the weekend, with one activist telling CNN it is a level of bombing they have not seen before.

December 13, 2016 – As government forces take control of most of Aleppo from rebel groups, Turkey and Russia broker a ceasefire for eastern Aleppo so that civilians can be evacuated. The UN Security Council holds an emergency session amid reports of mounting civilian deaths and extrajudicial killings. The ceasefire collapses less than a day after it is implemented.

December 22, 2016 – Syria’s state-run media announces government forces have taken full control of Aleppo, ending more than four years of rebel rule there.

April 4, 2017 – Dozens of civilians are reportedly killed in a suspected chemical attack in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. The Russian Defense Ministry claims that gas was released when Syrian forces bombed a chemical munitions depot operated by terrorists. Activists, however, say that Syrians carried out a targeted chemical attack.

April 6, 2017 – The United States launches a military strike on a Syrian government airbase in response to the chemical weapon attack on civilians. On US President Donald Trump’s orders, US warships launch 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the airbase which was home to the warplanes that carried out the chemical attacks.

July 7, 2017 – Trump and Putin reach an agreement on curbing violence in southwest Syria during their meeting at the G20 in Hamburg, Germany. The ceasefire will take effect in the de-escalation zone beginning at noon Damascus time on July 9.

October 17, 2017 – ISIS loses control of its self-declared capital, Raqqa. US-backed forces fighting in Raqqa say “major military operations” have ended, though there are still pockets of resistance in the city.

October 26, 2017 – A joint report from the United Nations and international chemical weapons inspectors finds that the Assad regime was responsible for the April 2017 sarin attack that killed more than 80 people. Syria has repeatedly denied it had anything to do with the attack and also denies it has any chemical weapons.

February 24, 2018 – The UN Security Council unanimously approves a 30-day ceasefire resolution in Syria, though it is unclear when the ceasefire is meant to start, or how it will be enforced.

February 27, 2018 – Within minutes of when a five-hour “humanitarian pause” ordered by Putin – from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – is meant to start, activists on the ground report shelling and artillery fire from pro-regime positions, killing at least one person in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta.

April 7, 2018 – Helicopters drop barrel bombs filled with toxic gas on the last rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta, activist groups say. The World Health Organization later says that as many as 500 people may have been affected by the attack.

April 14, 2018 – The United States, France and the United Kingdom launch airstrikes on Syria in response to the chemical weapons attack in Eastern Ghouta a week earlier.

September 17, 2018 – Russia and Turkey announce they have agreed to create a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib province, potentially thwarting a large-scale military operation and impending humanitarian disaster in the country’s last rebel stronghold. The zone, which will be patrolled by Turkish and Russian military units, will become operational from October 15.

December 19, 2018 – Trump tweets, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” A US defense official and an administration official tell CNN that planning for the “full” and “rapid” withdrawal of US military from Syria is already underway.

March 23, 2019 – Kurdish forces announce they have captured the eastern Syrian pocket of Baghouz, the last populated area under ISIS rule.

October 9, 2019 – Turkey launches a military offensive into northeastern Syria, just days after the Trump administration announced that US troops would leave the border area. Erdogan’s “Operation Peace Spring” is an effort to drive away Kurdish forces from the border, and use the area to resettle around two million Syrian refugees.

March 5, 2020 – Turkey and Russia announce a ceasefire in Idlib, Syria’s last opposition enclave, agreeing to establish a security corridor with joint patrols.

April 8, 2020 – The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) releases a report concluding that Syrian government forces were responsible for a series of chemical attacks on a Syrian town in late March 2017.

May 26, 2021 – Assad is reelected.

In photos: Syria’s civil war

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April 4, 2024
It’s OK to ask for help: A look at local Community Behavioral Health Centers

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Whether you’re a student juggling too many deadlines and competing commitments on campus or a police officer struggling with a seemingly no-win situation on the job — or some other level of crisis — there are dedicated places and people you can lean on in your own backyard.

Throughout the region, behavioral health services operate around the clock as a vital area of support for those in need of help. Many are partnered with community crisis stabilization programs that accept insurance and provide a bed, individual and group therapy, and a life-changing serving of hope to anyone placing an order.

These services have expanded greatly with the state’s launch of a “Community Behavioral Health Center” system in early 2023. The system, which can be found at tinyurl.com/3s59jpsp, is rapidly expanding with increased awareness and demand.

“The main reason the state did this redesign from the former service programs to CBHC’s was because, well… the two main reasons were that there was an increase in boarding times, and hospital systems and hospital ERs were flooded with folks walking in for services who may not necessarily need to access the intensity of the emergency room,” said Josh Eigen, CBHC director at Eliot Community Behavioral Health, at 75 Sylvan St. in Danvers and 95 Pleasant St. in Lynn. “And folks were just waiting for placement, so CBHCs were created as an option for folks to get all of their care in the community.”

People from all walks of life are now walking into such facilities and getting rapid access to care, and coming out well on their way toward a new lease on life.

“One of the things the pandemic did which was good was that it did bring up conversations,” said Kristen Godin, market president for Northeast Health Services, at 199 Rosewood Drive in Danvers. “We weren’t able to use telehealth before. There was a very select number of players that would allow for telehealth, and that opened the door.

“That, in and of itself, is a huge access point. Folks who are extremely busy — they work, bring their kids to soccer, are on the PTA, all the things they had to do in their offices — are things they weren’t able to do.”

Reaching everyone, especially the young

Walk into a CBHC and you enter a community of hope. Some have message boards for clients to leave notes for those entering. Others have comfy recliners for clients to relax in their lobbies as a hum of human activity comes and goes.

“As a mental health agency, we’re providers of hope,” Godin said. “We have a hope board, so anybody can write on that board about what they’re experience has been to another person walking by who might have just started their first appointment, or is trying to decide… do I want medication? Do I want TMS services?

“There was a young woman recently who wrote on our board, ‘I’ve been struggling with mental health for years, tried medication, been in therapy, nothing worked. I tried Spravato, and I have my life back,’” Godin continued. “For me, beyond anything else, that’s what we do this for. That’s why we’re opening 10 clinics, 10 more after that, and expanding further.”

With CBHCs launching last January, data is now starting to show trends of their impact, Eigen explained.

“Some of the data is showing that folks are able to access care more immediately,” he said. “It’s opening up other options for folks other than needing to go on waitlists or in the emergency room. … The data we’ve seen so far is showing people are progressing in the treatment we’re offering. We’ve been able to continue for over a year now with not having waitlists, so it’s definitely heading in the right direction.”

But there’s still work to do to reach some subsets of the population. That includes youth and young adults heading to college, where many factors could collide and cause a drastic drop in mental health that shocks those back home — especially if it isn’t addressed before it’s too late.

“There has to be an opportunity that mental health is brought up on every college campus, every high school, every elementary school,” Godin said. “At college campuses, the other thing we talk about is substance abuse. If we’re talking about college, there has to be an opportunity if there’s a moment on a Saturday at 4 a.m., where they’re like, ‘who do I call?’”

Godin recalled going to college and seeing conversations around substance abuse, but not much more.

“There was never a discussion on counseling, therapy, asking for help,” she said. “There needs to be more of that, posted in all of the guidance counselor’s offices.”

Vicarious trauma, on the job or at home

Then there are the others impacted by mental health as part of day-to-day life, more specifically work.

Say you’re a police officer who witnessed a person dying by suicide, a firefighter helping a badly burned victim out of an engulfed building, or a doctor losing a patient. Vicarious trauma represents the harmful moments experienced by people as part of their daily lives — especially careers.

It’s also something that affects those answering the phone at crisis centers. But vicarious trauma also goes deeper and can be further experienced by anyone at home, no matter their line of work or level of mental health awareness, according to Godin.

“No one ever remembers that we’re humans,” she said. “Vicarious trauma is a real thing, and it can happen to the person answering a phone, can happen to me listening to a story, anyone watching a show or listening to the news. One of the things we try to do here at Northeast Health Services is our culture of self-care.

“All our clinicians are licensed. I’m licensed as a clinician, and my supervisor as a chief operating officer is licensed as a clinician,” Godin continued. “If there’s a debrief that needs to happen that’s critical to make sure folks are okay, self-care regimens, boundaries… we have an EAP program for folks. If they need that, they can call it and get eight appointments right away.”

Over at Eliot, “our staff have access to regular supervision and support,” Eigen said. “They have regular supervision with supervisors and managers, myself. Some of our teams also have group support where they’re meeting with other clinical directors to talk about tough calls or tough assessments, tough clients that they’re working with.

“There’s so much trauma that the people we serve have been through,” he continued. “So it’s important and definitely a priority where we provide that kind of support.”

For more information on CBHCs or to find one nearest you, visit tinyurl.com/3s59jpsp.

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By Dustin Luca | Staff Writer

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April 4, 2024
Hampstead officers identified in shooting

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HAMPSTEAD — Two police officers who shot an armed man outside an Oldham Road home March 18 have been identified.

Hampstead Deputy Chief Adam Dyer and Detective Alan Randell fired at Robert Boulter, 51, after the man pointed a rifle at police outside the residence at 42 Oldham Road.

Attorney General John Formella provided the update in a press release Monday.

Boulter sustained injuries that were not life threatening, Formella added. He was transported to a local hospital.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, Formella said. The investigation will continue to determine if Dyer’s and Randell’s use of deadly force was justified.

A report is expected to be released once the investigation is complete.

Police officers initially responded to the house after receiving an emergency call that an armed man inside, identified as Boulter, was making threats. It was previously reported that when officers arrived, they heard a gunshot come from inside the home.

Boulter stepped out the front door with a rifle. Officers saw Boulter aim the firearm at another officer before Dyer and Randell fired at him.

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By Angelina Berube | aberube@eagletribune.com

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April 1, 2024
Marblehead High graduates become community’s first female Eagle Scouts

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Marblehead High School graduates Zoe Gast and Katie Jenkins were recently honored as the first female Eagle Scouts from Troop 79G.

The Marblehead Boy Scout troop held a Court of Honor ceremony on March 16 to celebrate Gast’s and Jenkins’ achievement of the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts program.

“Today marks a historic milestone for BSA Troop 79G as we celebrate our first Eagle Scouts, Katie Jenkins and Zoe Gast,” said Jen Stoddard, the Troop 79G Scoutmaster. “Their achievement is a testament to the resilience, dedication, and leadership that define the spirit of scouting.

“It’s a proud moment that underscores the importance of inclusivity as well as the vital importance of empowering young women, providing them with opportunities for leadership, personal growth, and outdoor adventure.”

The girl’s division of Troop 79, which was started back in 2019 by Jenkins and others, has become home to over 20 young women under Stoddard’s leadership. Since then, Gast, Jenkins, and other Scouts have been camping across New England, led backpacking trips to intensive hiking and camping destinations such as Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, and have given back to the community through service projects.

Gast’s Eagle Project focused on contributing to the Prison Book Program of Quincy, which provides books for the 2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails to expand education materials for the incarcerated. She officially received the designation of Eagle Scout upon the completion of this project in April last year, but chose to delay the ceremony to be recognized at the same time as Jenkins, as they had traveled their journey together.

Gast graduated from Marblehead High School last June. She is a Florida State University freshman focusing on international affairs. She is also the second Eagle Scout in the Gast family. Her great-grandfather, Stanley Vanderbeck, received his Eagle Scout rank on Dec. 26, 1932, in St. Joseph, Michigan.

Jenkins’ Eagle Project was a drive collecting supplies and preparing gift bags for the transitional housing residents at the Centerboard Salem State Shelter, which has been housing families since 2022.

Jenkins also graduated from Marblehead High last June. She is currently a freshman at Scripps College in California, where she is studying psychology.

Today, in Boston’s Spirit of Adventure Council, there are 47 female troops made up of just over 900 Scouts. To date, just over 50 have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Across all of the BSA, only 6% of all Scouts achieve BSA’s highest rank. Scouts must earn 21 merit badges, which require mastering basic skills in areas such as first aid and environmental science.

In 2021, Masconomet Regional High School graduate Mira Plante, of Middleton’s Troop 19, was among the first female Scouts on the North Shore to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Troop 79G meets Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at The Clifton Lutheran Church, 150 Humphrey St. in Marblehead. For more information, contact Del Babineau at dmbabineau@verizon.net.

Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202

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By Michael McHugh | Staff Writer

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March 27, 2024
Area police news

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In news taken from the logs of North Shore police departments:

Peabody

Thursday, March 21

A Raylen Avenue resident called police at 7:46 a.m. to say his ex-wife is violating her restraining order. He said she is trying to bait him into violating the order.

Bishop Fenwick High School, 99 Margin St., notified the school resource officer at 8:21 p.m. of an assault. A 15-year-old was arrested and will be summonsed to court for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — scissors.

Police arrested a 31-year-old Peabody man and summonsed a 28-year-old female of the same address to court after stopping a motor vehicle at 10:15 a.m. at the intersection of Central and Tremont Streets. The man was arrested for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and the woman was summonsed to court to face charges of a number plate violation to conceal ID, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

An officer was sent to Treadwell’s Ice Cream Stand, 46 Margin St., at 10:32 a.m. after calling to advise police employees had a suspicious item they wished to turn in. Police secured the item and will dispose of it accordingly.

A Pierpont Street apartment resident notified police at 11:22 a.m. about receiving online threats and harassment. The officer documented the case and advised the caller on filing for a harassment order.

Police were called to Petco Pet Superstore, 10 Sylvan St., to check on the wellbeing of its axolotyls. The axolotl is a large, extremely rare Mexican salamander with feathery external gills that spends most of its life underwater.

A Foxwood Circle resident came into the station at 2:33 p.m. to report an online fraud attempt that was stopped by the bank.

Police stopped a vehicle at 2:21 p.m. in the vicinity of 114 Lynn St. and arrested the driver. In addition to an outstanding other-department warrant, the 21-year-old Peabody driver was charged with possessing an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, a number plate violation, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle with his license not in possession.

Police were sent to a Raylen Avenue residence at 2:51 p.m. and served the 44-year-old Peabody resident with an outstanding Peabody warrant and transported him directly to Peabody District Court,

Police were called to Starbuck’s Coffee, 240 Andover St., at 4 p.m. after the manager called to report a male wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt with a black vest attempted to pass a counterfeit $100 bill. He was last seen walking in the parking lot in an unknown direction.

Police were called to Haven From Hunger, 71 Wallis St., at 5:37 p.m. for a male threatening to harm another community member. The officer was off with that person by the cemetery and requested an additional officer. After subduing the 41-year-old homeless Peabody male, police arrested him. He was charged with threatening to commit a crime, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer and with disorderly conduct.

Friday, March 22

Police were called to the vicinity of 20 Keys Drive at 12:06 a.m., for a suspicious male hiding in the bushes. He was gone when the officer arrived.

A resident of Preserve North Apartments, 50 Warren Court, reported to police at 7:35 a.m., that someone had broken into her apartment while she was at home sometime overnight. The officer documented.

Police were called to Long’s Jewelers, 35 Cross St., at 10:41 a.m., to speak to security regarding a vehicle with Mass. plate #5PLF79 in the lot when employees arrive.

The school resource officer checked at 11:16 a.m., on a Garden Road student who had not shown up for school. The officer spoke with the student’s mother, and all is in order.

Danvers

Wednesday, March 20

Police were sent to 100 Burley St., at 4:38 p.m., to follow up on an emergency 911 call. They found a child playing with an iWatch.

Police were sent to Dick’s Sporting Goods, 96 Commonwealth Ave., at 6:20 p.m., for a male shoplifter. They arrested a 38-year-old Bridgeport, Connecticut, man on charges of shoplifting merchandise valued at more than $250 and possession of a theft-detection device deactivator or remover.

Police were sent to the vicinity of 104 Andover St., at 7:39 p.m., for a motor vehicle accident involving a bicycle. The accident took place after dark, in the rain, and the driver failed to see the cyclist who was dressed in black. The driver stopped and spoke with the cyclist, who was not injured, and went on his way.

Thursday, March 21

An officer was sent to Brentwood Rehab and Healthcare, 56 Liberty St., for money stolen from a patient.

Salem

Wednesday, March 20

Police were sent to 40 Phillips St., at 4:37 p.m., to report on a past assault.

The report of a larceny brought police to 40 Phillips St. at 4:37 p.m.

Officers were called to Brothers Taverna, 283 Derby St., at 7:08 p.m., for a disturbance at a liquor establishment.

A reported fraud or a scam brought an officer to 8 Winthrop St. at 5:33 p.m.

Police were called to 15 Skerry St., at 6:39 p.m., to report on a fraud or a scam.

A larceny report brought an officer to 11 Oak St., at 6:52 p.m.

Police were called to 100 Colby St. at 6:56 p.m. to settle a dispute.

An officer was sent to 139 Loring Ave. at 7 p.m. to report on a fraud or a scam.

Police were called to 272 Jefferson Ave., at 7:35 p.m. for a motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment and possible injury.

A 19 Ward St. resident called police at 8:04 p.m., to report a case of harassment.

Thursday, March 21

An officer was sent to 12 Pope St. at 7:16 a.m., to maintain order for a private repossession tow.

Police were called to 288 Highland Ave. at 8:34 a.m., for a motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment and possible injury.

Officers went to Steve’s Quality Market, 36 Margin St., at 8:48 a.m., to report on a larceny.

A report of vandalism or graffiti brought police to 10 Congress St., at 10:19 a.m.

Police were sent to 15 Jackson St. at 10:51 a.m. and to 45 Traders Way at 11:09 a.m., to report on two separate cases of fraud or scam.

A 296 Highland Ave. party called police at 1:26 p.m. to report the theft of a motor vehicle or a motor vehicle license plate.

Officers were sent to 93 Washington St., at 3:39 p.m., to settle a dispute.

Beverly

Wednesday, March 20

Officers were sent to a Broadway location at 4:56 p.m. to and a disturbance.

Thursday, March 21

Police were called to the intersection of Reservoir and Sohier roads at 7:53 a.m. for a motor vehicle accident with property damage only. The vehicle was towed.

Another property-damage-only accident brought police to the intersection Elliott Street and County way at 8:09 a.m. That vehicle, also, was towed.

Police were called to Cabot Street at 3:48 p.m., to end a disturbance. Peace was restored.

Marblehead

Thursday, March 21

An officer was called to Broughton Road at 11:51 a.m. to investigate a larceny, forgery or a fraud.

Two officers were called to Pleasant Street at 7:34 p.m., to settle a disturbance.

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March 23, 2024
Lawmakers seek to finalize gun control bill

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BOSTON — House and Senate lawmakers huddled on Wednesday to begin negotiations on a gun control proposal that calls for updating the state’s bans on “assault” weapons and setting new restrictions on the open carry of firearms.

Both the state Senate and House of Representatives have approved legislation banning untraceable firearms or so-called “ghost” guns, authorizing tracking systems for handguns, and setting tougher firearm licensing requirements.

But differences between the bills must be worked out by House and Senate negotiators before a final version heads to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk for consideration.

On Wednesday, a six-member committee that includes Sens. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Joan Lovely, D-Salem, held its first meeting to kick off the negotiations. The panel voted to close the meeting to the press and public to conduct deliberations behind closed doors.

A key sticking point in the talks is likely to be differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill dealing with where lawfully owned firearms can be carried.

The House’s bill drew strong opposition from the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, which cited concerns that include provisions which limit where gun owners may bring their weapons. But the association has backed the Senate’s plan and voiced support for the changes.

Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Tarr, sought to amend the bill by increasing criminal penalties for gun-related crimes and improving reporting on illegal gun seizures. Most were withdrawn or rejected.

But Democrats joined with Tarr and other Republicans in supporting a bipartisan amendment “grandfathering-in” firearms and long rifles that would be added to the “assault” weapons ban under the proposed legislation.

Under the amendment, if the owners lawfully purchased the firearms before the bill’s passage, they would not be subject to enforcement of the ban. Tarr is likely to push for that provision to be included in the final bill.

A key provision of both bills would update the “assault” weapons ban by outlawing untraceable guns that can be assembled using parts manufactured on 3D printers. The plan also adds dozens of long rifles and firearm components to the ban, first approved in 1998.

Both proposals would expand the state’s “red flag” law, which allows a judge to suspend the gun license of someone deemed at risk to themselves or others.

The law, approved in 2018, allows police, friends or relatives of a legal gun owner to seek an order if they believe that person poses a risk to themselves or others. The changes would expand that list to include physicians, nurses, psychiatrists and other health care professionals.

Massachusetts already has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country, including real-time license checks for private gun sales and stiff penalties for gun-based crimes.

Last year, Democrats pushed through changes to the state’s gun licensing laws in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling guaranteeing a constitutional right of people to carry firearms in public places.

Democrats cite mass shootings across the country and argue the high court’s ruling in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case weakened the state’s firearm protections.

Gun control advocates argue the strict requirements have given the largely urban state one of the lowest gun-death rates in the nation, while not infringing on people’s right to bear arms.

But Second Amendment groups argue that tougher gun control laws are unnecessary, and punish law-abiding gun owners while sidestepping the issue of illegal firearms.

The Gun Owners Action League of Massachusetts, has dubbed both proposals the “Lawful Citizen’s Imprisonment Act” and urged its members to contact conference committee members and urge them not to approve the firearm restrictions.

“There is nothing in any of the language that will reduce violent crime or address the mental health epidemic,” the group said in a statement.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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March 21, 2024
Police shoot, injure armed man in Hampstead

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HAMPSTEAD — A man was shot and injured after he pointed a rifle at police outside an Oldham Road home Monday afternoon, according to state authorities.

Local police responded to 42 Oldham Road about 4 p.m. after receiving an emergency call that an armed man inside, identified as Robert Boulter, was making threats, according to Attorney General John Formella and state police Col. Mark Hall.

Formella and Hall announced in a joint press release Monday night that their agencies and the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit are investigating the shooting.

When officers arrived at the house, they heard a gunshot come from inside the home, the press release said.

Boulter then stepped out the front door, brandishing a rifle.

Formella said officers saw Boulter aim the firearm at an officer. Two officers then fired at him.

The gunfire struck Boulter, who was transported to a local hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening.

“No law enforcement officers have been physically injured, and there is no threat to the public,” Formella and Hall said in the release.

Formella and Hall said the identities of the officers who used deadly force will not be disclosed until formal interviews take place. That is expected to happen next week.

Town assessor records indicate Boulter is an owner of the home where the incident occurred.

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By Angelina Berube | aberube@eagletribune.com

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March 18, 2024
Taliban Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at the Taliban, a Sunni Islamist organization operating primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The group’s aim is to impose its interpretation of Islamic law on Afghanistan and remove foreign influence from the country.

Taliban, in Pashto, is the plural of Talib, which means student.

Most members are Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada has been the Taliban’s supreme leader since 2016.

Reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar led the Taliban from the mid-1990s until his death in 2013.

The exact number of Taliban forces is unknown.

1979-1989 – The Soviet Union invades and occupies Afghanistan. Afghan resistance fighters, known collectively as mujahedeen, fight back.

1989-1993 – After the Soviet Union withdraws, fighting among the mujahedeen erupts.

1994 – The Taliban forms, comprised mostly of students and led by Mullah Mohammed Omar.

November 1994 – The Taliban take control of the city of Kandahar.

September 1996 – The capital, Kabul, falls to the Taliban.

1996-2001 – The group imposes strict Islamic laws on the Afghan people. Women must wear head-to-toe coverings, are not allowed to attend school or work outside the home and are forbidden to travel alone. Television, music and non-Islamic holidays are banned.

1997 – The Taliban issue an edict renaming Afghanistan the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The country is only officially recognized by three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

1997- Omar forges a relationship with Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, who then moves his base of operations to Kandahar.

August 1998 – The Taliban capture the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, gaining control of about 90% of Afghanistan.

October 7, 2001 – Less than a month after terrorists linked to al Qaeda carry out the 9/11 attacks, American and allied forces begin an invasion of Afghanistan called Operation Enduring Freedom.

December 2001 – The Taliban lose its last major stronghold as Kandahar falls. Hamid Karzai is chosen as interim leader of Afghanistan.

November 3, 2004 – Karzai is officially elected president of Afghanistan.

December 2006 – Senior Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani is killed in an airstrike by the United States.

December 11, 2007 – Allied commanders report that Afghan troops backed by NATO have recaptured the provincial town of Musa Qala from Taliban control.

October 21, 2008 – Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal confirms that Saudi Arabia hosted talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban in September. It is reported that no agreements were made.

April 25, 2011 – Hundreds of prisoners escape from a prison in Kandahar by crawling through a tunnel. The Taliban take responsibility for the escape and claim that 541 prisoners escaped, while the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force says the number is 470.

September 10, 2011 – Two Afghan civilians are killed, and 77 US troops are wounded in a truck bombing at the entrance of Combat Outpost Sayed Abad, an ISAF base in Afghanistan’s Wardak province. The Taliban claim responsibility.

September 13, 2011 – Taliban militants open fire on the US embassy and ISAF headquarters in central Kabul. Three police officers and one civilian are killed.

February 27, 2012 – The Taliban claim responsibility for a suicide bombing near the front gate of the ISAF base at the Jalalabad airport in Afghanistan. At least nine people are killed and 12 are wounded in the explosion. The Taliban say the bombing is in retaliation for the burning of Qurans by NATO troops.

June 18, 2013 – An official political office of the Taliban opens in Doha, Qatar’s capital city. The Taliban claim they hope to improve relations with other countries and head toward a peaceful solution in Afghanistan.

September 21, 2013 – A Pakistani official announces that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founding members of the Taliban, has been released from prison. Baradar had been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2010.

May 31, 2014 – The United States transfer five Guantánamo Bay detainees to Qatar in exchange for the release of US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. It is believed Bergdahl was being held by the Taliban and the al Qaeda-aligned Haqqani network in Pakistan. The detainees released are Khair Ulla Said Wali Khairkhwa, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Nori, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Mohammad Nabi Omari.

July 29, 2015 – An Afghan government spokesman says in a news release that Taliban leader Omar died in April 2013 in Pakistan, citing “credible information.” A spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence service tells CNN that Omar died in a hospital in Karachi at that time.

September 28, 2015 – Taliban insurgents seize the main roundabout in the Afghan provincial capital of Kunduz, then free more than 500 inmates at the prison.

December 21, 2015 – A police official says Taliban forces have taken almost complete control over Sangin, a strategically important city in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

May 21, 2016 – Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour is killed in an airstrike in Pakistan.

May 25, 2016 – The Taliban name Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader. He is a senior religious cleric from the Taliban’s founding generation.

January 25, 2017 – The Taliban release an open letter to newly elected US President Donald Trump. The letter calls on Trump to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan.

April 21, 2017 – The Taliban attack a northern army base in Afghanistan, killing or wounding more than 100 people.

July 25, 2017 – CNN reports it has exclusive videos that suggest the Taliban have received improved weaponry in Afghanistan that appears to have been supplied by the Russian government. Moscow categorically denies arming the Taliban.

August 3, 2017 – Taliban and ISIS forces launch a joint attack on a village in northern Afghanistan, killing 50 people, including women and children, local officials say.

January 27, 2018 – An attacker driving an ambulance packed with explosives detonates them in Kabul, killing 95 people and injuring 191 others, Afghan officials say. The Taliban claim responsibility.

February 28, 2018 – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the government is willing to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate political party as part of a potential ceasefire agreement.

April 12, 2018 – At least 14 people, including a district governor, are killed and at least five are injured in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan’s southeastern Ghazni province.

June 7, 2018 – In a video message, Ghani announces that Afghan forces have agreed to a ceasefire with the Taliban between June 12 and June 21. The proposed truce coincides with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the period during which Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

June 15-17, 2018 – The three-day-old ceasefire between the Taliban, Afghan forces and the NATO-led coalition is marred by two deadly attacks. ISIS, which did not participate in the truce, claims responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Nangarhar province that kills at least 25 people, including Taliban members and civilians. A second suicide bombing is carried out near the Nangarhar governor’s compound, killing at least 18 people and injuring at least 49. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the second attack.

August 10, 2018 – The Taliban launch an attack on the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni, south of the capital Kabul, seizing key buildings and trading fire with security forces. At least 16 people are killed and 40 are injured, most are Afghan security forces.

October 13, 2018 – The Taliban issues a statement announcing that the group met with the US envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan. The United States does not confirm that the meeting occurred.

November 9, 2018 – In Moscow, Taliban representatives participate in talks with diplomats from Russia, Pakistan, India and other countries, as well as officials from the Afghan government. The United States sends a diplomat from its embassy in Moscow as an observer.

January 22, 2019 – Authorities say at least 12 members of the Afghan military were killed and another 28 injured when the Taliban carried out a suicide attack on a military base in the central province of Maidan Wardak.

January 28, 2019 – Officials from the United States and the Taliban announce they have agreed to a framework that could end the war in Afghanistan. The framework for peace would see the Taliban vow to prevent the country from being used as a hub for terrorism in return for a US military withdrawal. An Afghan source close to the negotiations tells CNN that while a ceasefire and US withdrawal were both discussed, neither side came to final conclusions.

January 30, 2019 – In its quarterly report to the US Congress, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction declares the Taliban expanded its control of territory in 2018 while the Afghan government lost control of territory. In October 2018, the Afghan government controlled just 53.8% of districts in the country, according to the report. The insurgency made gains to control 12.3% of districts while 33.9% of districts were contested.

February 5-6, 2019 – Talks are held in Moscow between Taliban leaders and politicians from the government of Afghanistan.

March 12, 2019 – Peace talks between representatives from the United States and the Taliban end without a finalized agreement. Khalilzad, the main American negotiator, says that progress has been made and the talks yielded two draft proposals.

September 7-8, 2019 – Trump announces that Taliban leaders were to travel to the Unites States for secret peace talks over the weekend but that the meeting has been canceled and he has called off peace talks with the militant group entirely. Trump tweets that he scrapped the meeting after the Taliban took credit for an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed a dozen people, including an American soldier.

November 28, 2019 – On a surprise trip to Afghanistan for a Thanksgiving visit with US troops, Trump announces that peace talks with the Taliban have restarted.

February 29, 2020 – The United States and the Taliban sign a historic agreement which sets into motion the potential of a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” outlines a series of commitments from the United States and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism and the intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at bringing about “a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

August 9, 2020 – Afghanistan’s grand assembly of elders, the consultative Loya Jirga, passes a resolution calling for the release of the last group of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for direct peace talks with the insurgent group. The release of the 400 prisoners is part of the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban in February.

April 14, 2021 – US President Joe Biden formally announces his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021, deeming the prolonged and intractable conflict in Afghanistan no longer aligns with American priorities.

August 15, 2021 – After the Taliban seize control of every major city across Afghanistan, in just two weeks, they take control of the presidential palace in Kabul. A senior Afghan official and a senior diplomatic source tell CNN that Ghani has left the country.

August 30, 2021 – The last US military planes leave Afghanistan.

September 7, 2021 – The Taliban announce the formation of a hardline interim government for Afghanistan. Four men receiving senior positions in the government had previously been detained by the United States at Guantánamo Bay, and were released as part of a prisoner swap for Bergdahl in 2014.

November 30, 2021 – New research released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) details “the summary execution or enforced disappearance” of 47 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces who had surrendered or were apprehended by Taliban forces between August 15 and October 31. A Taliban deputy spokesman rejects the HRW report, saying that the Taliban established a general amnesty on their first day of power in Afghanistan.

December 27, 2021 – The Taliban says it has dissolved Afghanistan’s election commission as well as its ministries for peace and parliamentary affairs, further eroding state institutions set up by the country’s previous Western-backed governments.

February 11, 2022 – Biden signs an executive order allowing $7 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan’s central bank to eventually be distributed inside the country and to potentially fund litigation brought by families of victims of the September 11 terror attacks. The Taliban has claimed rights to the funds, which include assets like currency and gold, but the United States has declined access to them after Afghanistan’s democratic government fell. The United States has not recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

March 23, 2022 – The Taliban prevents girls above the 6th grade in Afghanistan from making their much-anticipated return to school. They are told to stay at home until a school uniform appropriate to Sharia and Afghan customs and culture can be designed, the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported. The Taliban originally said that schools would open for all students – including girls – after the Afghan new year, which is celebrated on March 21, on the condition that boys and girls were separated either in different schools or by different learning hours.

November 13, 2022 – The Taliban orders judges in Afghanistan to fully impose their interpretation of Sharia Law, including potential public executions, amputations and flogging, a move experts fear will lead to a further deterioration of human rights in the impoverished country.

December 20, 2022 – The Taliban government suspends university education for all female students in Afghanistan.

December 24, 2022 – The Taliban administration orders all local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to stop their female employees from coming to work, according to a letter by the Ministry of Economy sent to all licensed NGOs.

June 15, 2023 – The United Nations releases a report saying that since re-taking control of the country,the Taliban has committed “egregious systematic violations of women’s rights,” by restricting their access to education and employment and their ability to move freely in society.

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March 15, 2024
SENIOR LOOKOUT: Meals on Wheels delivers more than food

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Hunger is a very real problem in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in October that 12.8% of all U.S. households — 17 million — were “food insecure” in 2022. Food insecure is defined as uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all the members of a household because of insufficient money or other resources for food.

In 2023, The Open Door food pantry, serving Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Ipswich, Rowley, Topsfield, Boxford, Hamilton, and Wenham, provided more than 1.98 million pounds of food to 9,836 individuals. Beverly Bootstraps food pantry distributed more than 613 thousand pounds of food to nearly 4,884 individuals. These numbers do not include smaller food pantries throughout the towns of the North Shore or the other many food assistance programs in action. In the past few years, the need for food pantry services has increased significantly.

One very successful program for food assistance is the Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program for home-bound elders. In 2023, SeniorCare delivered 192,000 meals via our Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program and our community dining rooms.

Meals on Wheels began in the United Kingdom during the World War II “Blitz.” As the number of homeless people grew due to bombing, the Women’s Volunteer Service for Civil Defense began preparing and delivering meals — sometimes using old baby carriages to transport the food. This idea was adapted after the war to help elderly people who were having difficulties preparing their own food.

The first home-delivered meal program in the United States began in January 1954 in Philadelphia. Since then, Meals on Wheels has grown to be a nationwide program, feeding approximately 2.4 million elders annually.

Meals on Wheels is not just a nutrition program. In addition to lunch, the Meals on Wheels driver brings companionship and a watchful eye on the health and safety of our seniors. Some lunch recipients tell us that their driver is the only person they see on most days.

In a survey of Meals on Wheels participants and their caregivers, SeniorCare received the following remarks.

“By having Meals on Wheels, I have more money to pay for my medications.”

“This is my only home-cooked meal.”

“Helps me stretch my food stamps each month.”

“It’s nice to have someone visit daily.”

“It’s always nice to see a friendly face.”

“As a caregiver, it gives me peace of mind while I’m working.”

“Sometimes the driver is the only one I talk to all day.”

“As a caregiver, it helps to know someone stops by every day to check.”

“I always look forward to a visit and a meal.”

“Gives me at least one meal per day.”

“Seeing another person breaks up the monotony of a long, lonely day.”

The Meals on Wheels nationwide program is being recognized with #savelunch awareness campaign during March.

Local government officials and business and community leaders are invited to ride along with a Meals on Wheels driver to learn more about this important program.

Yesterday, Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga joined with a volunteer Meals on Wheels driver to deliver meals to local seniors and hear their stories. Representative Kristin Kassner is scheduled to deliver meals in Ipswich next week and other members of our legislative team are likely to participate.

For more information about SeniorCare’s Meals on Wheels or Community Dining nutrition programs, please visit our website at www.seniorcareinc.org or call 978-281-1750 and ask to speak with the Nutrition Department.

Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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March 15, 2024
2008 Georgia Russia Conflict Fast Facts | CNN

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CNN
—

Here’s a look at the 2008 military conflict between Russia and Georgia.

The conflict centered on South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two “breakaway provinces” in Georgia. They are officially part of Georgia, but have separate governments unrecognized by most countries.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are supported by Russia.

During the five-day conflict, 170 servicemen, 14 policemen, and 228 civilians from Georgia were killed and 1,747 wounded. Sixty-seven Russian servicemen were killed and 283 were wounded, and 365 South Ossetian servicemen and civilians (combined) were killed, according to an official EU fact-finding report about the conflict.

1918-1921- Georgia is briefly an independent state after separating from the Russian Empire.

1921 – After the Red Army invasion, Georgia and Abkhazia are declared Soviet Socialist republics.

1922 – The South Ossetia Autonomous Oblast is created within Georgia.

1931 – Abkhazia’s status is reduced to an autonomous republic within Georgia.

1990 – South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia.

April 9, 1991 – Georgia declares independence.

1991-1992 – Civil war breaks out in Georgia. Zviad Gamsakhurdia is deposed as president.

1992 – Abkhazia declares its independence from Georgia, leading to armed conflict.

October 1992 – Eduard Shevardnadze is elected to lead Georgia. He is reelected in 1995 and 2000.

September 1993 – Abkhazian separatist forces defeat the Georgian military.

October 1993 – Georgia joins the Commonwealth of Independent States.

May 1994 – A ceasefire is agreed upon and signed between the Georgian government and Abkhaz separatists. Russian peacekeeping forces are deployed to the area.

October 2001 – Fighting resumes between Abkhaz troops and Georgian paramilitaries. Russia states that it believes Georgia is harboring Chechen rebels, a claim denied by Georgia.

September 2002 – Russian President Vladimir Putin sends a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, UN Security Council members, and members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe stating that Georgia must respond to accusations they are harboring Chechen militants or face military action from Russia.

October 2002 – Tensions with Russia are defused after Shevardnadze promises to work with Russia to fight Chechen rebels.

November 2003 – Shevardnadze is forced to leave office in the “Rose Revolution.”

July 2005 – Under terms of a deal reached in May, Russia starts to withdraw its troops from two Soviet-era military bases.

May-June 2006 – Tensions between Georgia and Russia rise again when Georgia demands that Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia have visas.

November 12, 2006 – A referendum is voted upon in which South Ossetians overwhelmingly demand independence.

November 2007 – Russia announces that it has withdrawn its Georgia-based troops. It retains a peacekeeping presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

April 3, 2008 – NATO members at a summit in Bucharest, Romania, defer the decision on Georgia and Ukraine’s admittance until December 2008.

April 21, 2008 – Georgia accuses Russia of shooting down an unmanned drone over Abkhazia on April 20. Russia denies the claim.

April 29, 2008 – Russia sends more troops to Abkhazia to counter what it says are Georgia’s plans for an attack.

May 26, 2008 – A UN investigation concludes that the drone shot down on April 21 was struck by a missile from a Russian fighter jet.

May 30-31, 2008 – Russia sends several hundred unarmed troops to Abkhazia, saying they are needed for railway repairs. Georgia accuses Russia of planning a military intervention.

August 7-8, 2008 – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili sends troops into South Ossetia. Russia responds by moving its troops to the border, flying aircraft over Georgia, and beginning air strikes in South Ossetia.

August 8, 2008 – The United States, United Kingdom and NATO call for a cease fire of military hostilities by both Russia and Georgia.

August 9, 2008 – A delegation of EU and US diplomats head to Georgia to resolve escalating tensions.

August 10, 2008 – Russia moves tanks and soldiers through South Ossetia and into Georgia proper, advancing towards the city of Gori.

August 12, 2008 – Russia calls a halt to its military incursion into Georgia and agrees to a six-point diplomatic push for peace. The plan is announced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

August 13, 2008 – US President George W. Bush announces humanitarian aid is to be sent to Georgia. It is also announced that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be sent to France and Georgia for a diplomatic mission.

August 15, 2008 – Saakashvili signs a cease fire agreement with Russia. The deal is brokered by Sarkozy.

August 16, 2008 – Medvedev signs the cease fire agreement.

August 22, 2008 – Russia partially withdraws its troops from Georgia, as part of the cease fire agreement. Russia maintains soldiers at checkpoints near the disputed territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

August 26, 2008 – Medvedev signs an order recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In response, President Bush releases a statement saying, in part, “The United States condemns the decision by the Russian president to recognize as independent states the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia…The territorial integrity and borders of Georgia must be respected, just as those of Russia or any other country.”

July 2009 – UN observers leave Georgia after nearly 16 years. The mission was not extended due to a Russian veto.

September 2009 – A report from an EU fact-finding mission determines that historical tensions and overreaction on the part of both Russia and Georgia contributed to the five-day conflict. Georgia’s attack on the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali on the night of August 7 is seen as the start of the armed conflict, however the report notes that the attack was the culmination of years of increasing tensions, provocations and incidents.

January 27, 2016 – The Hague-based International Criminal Court authorizes a probe into possible war crimes committed by Russian, Georgian and South Ossetian forces during the conflict.

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March 13, 2024
Institution for Savings promotes 3 officers

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NEWBURYPORT — The Institution for Savings recently promoted three employees, according to CEO and President Michael Jones.

David Doucette was promoted to senior vice president of commercial lending; Jeffrey Salerno was promoted to assistant vice president of residential lending; and Shannon Maloney was promoted to assistant vice president and Storey Avenue Newburyport manager.

Doucette has spent nearly his entire professional career with the Institution for Savings. As a high school student, he worked in the bank’s educational school bank at Ipswich High School and continued as a part-time teller while in college.

Following his college graduation, Doucette joined the bank’s residential loan department as a loan processor. In 2009, he transferred to commercial lending as a credit analyst and became a commercial loan officer in 2015.

In 2017, Doucette was promoted to assistant vice president and to vice president in 2019. He was promoted to senior vice president earlier this year. He is based in the bank’s commercial lending office at 312 Haverhill St. in Rowley.

With 20 years of mortgage lending experience, Salerno joined the bank in 2018 as mortgage officer and was promoted to assistant vice president earlier this year. He attended New England School of Financial Studies and the Massachusetts Bankers Association School of Mortgage Banking. Salerno is based in the bank’s Amesbury office at 150 Main St.

Maloney joined the Institution for Savings as a teller in 2015. She was promoted to head teller in 2017 and Rowley office assistant manager in 2022. In April, Maloney returned to the Storey Avenue office as assistant manager and was then promoted to manager in January.

“We believe strongly in giving our employees the opportunities and education to advance in their careers here at the bank and these promotions are great examples of that,” Jones said. “I congratulate Dave, Jeff and Shannon on these well-deserved promotions and look forward to seeing all that they are going to do in these new positions.”

Dating to 1820, the Institution for Savings is the largest mutual savings bank in Massachusetts. On Cape Ann, it operates branches at 4 Parker St. in Gloucester, and 37 King St. in Rockport.

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March 13, 2024
Police/Fire

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In news taken from the logs of Cape Ann’s police and fire departments:

ROCKPORT

Monday, March 11

7:03 p.m.: A burglar alarm reported at a Phillips Avenue address was later determined to be false.

Medical emergencies: Individuals were taken to the hospital by ambulance from Main Street at 6:41 a.m., Granite Street at 12:45 p.m. and Rowe Point at 1:13 p.m.

12:48 p.m.: After a report was made about an animal on Smith Street, Animal Control was notified.

9:42 a.m.: After a well-being check, an ambulance transport was refused at a Granite Street address.

9:19 a.m.: After a motor vehicle stop on Granite Street, a verbal warning was issued.

MANCHESTER

Monday, March 11

2:11 p.m.: A report was made about a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of School and Pleasant Streets.

11:36 a.m.: Assistance was provided to a citizen on Central Street.

11:31 a.m.: After a motor vehicle stop on the northbound lanes of Route 128 near Exit 53, a verbal warning was issued.

11:22 a.m.: An animal complaint was made at a Beach Street address.

11:18 a.m.: A report of an alleged fraud/scam was made at a Desmond Avenue address.

9:26 a.m.: A motor vehicle crash was reported on Central Street.

4:42 a.m.: The Fire Department was dispatched to a Beach Street address.

GLOUCESTER

Tuesday, March 5

9:46 p.m.: Police responded to a past break in on Spring Street.

Crashes with property damage only: at 6:47 p.m. at Cape Ann Medical Center on Blackburn Drive; at 3:03 p.m. at East Veterans School on Webster Street.

12:38 p.m.: Police responded to a parking complaint at Gloucester Fire Headquarters on School Street.

12:14 p.m.: Police responded to a disturbance on Gloucester Crossing Road.

11:34 a.m.: A resident came to the Main Street station and filed a report of harassment.

11:08 a.m.: Larceny was reported on Fernwood Lake Avenue.

3:26 a.m.: Peace was restored after a disturbance at the Action shelter on Main Street.

1:02 a.m.: Four juveniles face a charge of being minors in possession of alcohol, after officers came across a car parked with all its doors open at the Dun Fudgin Boat Ramp on Leslie O. Johnson Road, according to the police report. An officer found the driver standing by the front passenger door while the three others were walking around the boat ramp parking lot. As the officer notified dispatch, three juveniles took off toward the high school nearby. A juvenile who said he was the driver asked if he was in trouble. While speaking with driver, police saw a 12-pack of Arnold Palmer Spiked malt beverage outside the driver’s side door. The driver told police the 12-pack was not his, and since he had been driving, he did not drink. The officer also saw a large marijuana smoking pipe, an open Smirnoff Ice six pack on the back passenger floor, and another large smoking pipe and two marijuana grinders with some leafy green material believe to be marijuana. Police asked the driver for his license, and he said he only had a learner’s permit, which was not on him. Other officers arrived to the front of the school and apprehended two juveniles without incident. They were brought back to the boat ramp. The juveniles said they had been out driving and hanging around since they had no school in the morning. They were asked to contact their parents to take custody of them. The officer told the parent of one juvenile he planned to file a complaint against the juvenile on a charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol. Another parent arrived and took custody of two of the juveniles. He was told his son would be summonsed on a charge of being a minor in possession. The driver, listed in the log as 16, was told he would be summonsed on charges of being a junior operator driving from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. without a parent in the vehicle, having an open container in a vehicle and being a minor in possession of alcohol. Police planned to charge the juvenile who ran away with being a minor in possession of alcohol. Police had the vehicle towed and disposed of the alcohol and the large marijuana smoking pipes and grinders. The report was forwarded to the Community Impact Unit for followup.

Monday, March 4

10:18 p.m.: A crash with property damage only was reported on Centennial and Emerson avenues.

9:42 p.m.: A caller reported a small baggie containing a white substance, possibly drugs, was in the first parking spot to the left of the 7-Eleven off Maplewood Avenue. Police found this to be crushed breath mint.

9:15 p.m.: A disturbance was reported at Ocean Crest Seafoods on Commercial Street. An intoxicated man was on a fishing vessel and a possible fight was reported to have taken place with no weapons involved. The man was given a courtesy ride to the train station.

6:13 p.m.: A crash with property damage only was reported to police at the station.

2:31 p.m.: A vehicle was towed after a crash with property damage only on Main and Prospect streets.

2:27 p.m.: A 29-year-old Gloucester resident of no known address was arrested on Lincoln Avenue on a charge of distribution of a Class C drug. Police noticed a man pacing back and forth and checking his cell phone. An officer and a detective followed the man to Lincoln Avenue where he met another man and they walked into the bus stop. Police said as they drove by they could see the 29-year-old hand the other man a small object and the man hand the 29-year-old cash. Police approached the men in the bus stop and separated them. The man said he had just purchased 20 Klonopin pills for $100. Police retrieved the pills from his sweatshirt pocket. Police asked him how he contacted the 29-year-old and he said he uses his cell phone and showed police four recent calls. The detective found the 29-year-old clutching $100 in his right hand and he was arrested and charged. Police searched the suspect and reported finding over a dozen needles, tourniquets and other drug paraphernalia. Police found the suspect had a Clonazepam prescription bottle with 29 pills that had been filled yesterday. Police said it appeared the suspect was selling the medication to control seizures. He was taken to the Rockport Police Department for booking.

1:33 p.m.: Debris in the roadway was reported on Middle and Pleasant streets. The call was referred to another agency.

1:01 p.m.: An abandoned vehicle was reported at the Water Treatment Station on Russell Avenue. Police located a silver BMW on the side of the road, and a query found the vehicle was uninsured. Police had the vehicle towed and planned to file a criminal complaint against the owner, a 57-year-old resident, on a charge of having an uninsured vehicle on a public way.

9:15 a.m.: A man reported he had left a black electric scooter unattended on the train station platform on Railroad Avenue while he went to a nearby convenience store, but when he returned, it was gone. He was told by others on the platform that a man with a cat on his shoulders made off with it, riding toward Maplewood Avenue. The scooter was described as having “Hot Shot” written on the side, one light at the front and a fingerprint reader which starts it. He estimated the scooter cost about $700. Police were unable to locate anyone matching the description.

8:26 a.m.: A crash with property damage only was reported on Duncan and Rogers streets.

2:35 a.m.: No action was required for a report of a disturbance on Bass Avenue.

Sunday, March 3

8:47 p.m.: No action was required for a report of a vehicle repossessed on Gould Court.

7:17 p.m.: The Fire Department was assisted with a call from Mansfield Court.

4:31 p.m.: A holdup alarm was reported at the Curiseport Gloucester on Rowe Square.

3:51 p.m.: An unwelcome guest was reported at the Cape Ann Marina and Motel complex on Essex Avenue.

1:13 p.m.: Police took a report of harassment from Millett Street.

8:10 a.m.: A crash with property damage only at Beacon Marine Basin on East Main Street was under investigation.

Saturday, March 2

8:54 p.m.: Police could not locate a report of a crash with property damage only at the Flannagan Service Station.

4:59 p.m.: A crash with property damage only was reported at 15 Washington St.

3:22 p.m.: The Fire Department was assisted with a call from Main Street.

2:52 p.m.: Harassment was reported at a café on Main Street.

9:55 a.m.: Police planned to file a criminal complaint against a 21-year-old Peabody man charging him with assault and battery on a police officer during a prisoner transport to Middleton Jail. During the ride from the Rockport Police Department where he had been booked, the man became confrontational, the report said, swearing at the officers because he was not allowed to use his vape pen, which infuriated the man. He swore at officers and became agitated when he did not get much of a response from officers, the report said. As they pulled onto the highway, the officer who was a passenger saw the man had unbuckled his seatbelt and flipped his handcuffs in front of him. The officer driving was able to get off the highway at Exit 54 and pull into a dirt lot. The man continued to be confrontational and pounded on the glass in the cruiser. The officer in back got out and ordered the man to get out of the cruiser and face away from him, but the man refused. Police were able to get the man handcuffed behind his back and continue on to the jail as the man hurled insults at the officers. He again managed to unbuckle his seatbelt, flip his handcuffs in front of him, slam on the cage, all while screaming and insulting officers, the report said. The man then began untying his shoelaces and the cruiser pulled over at Exit 47 in Beverly around 10:13 a.m. The officer in back told the man that for everyone’s safety, they needed to take his shoes and glasses. When the officer went to remove the man’s glasses, the report said the man lifted his cuffed hands and swatted at the officer’s hands and grabbed his wrists. The officer was able to break away. The officer was eventually able to remove the man’s glasses, which were placed with his belongings. Police told him he would be charged with assault and battery on a police officer, and the man continued insulting officers, slamming on the cage, and ducking down in the back seat. At the jail, police said the man continued to be confrontation and refused to comply with simple commands, and kept pulling away before he went through intake at the jail.

9:36 a.m.: Fraud was reported on Mt. Pleasant Avenue.

9:05 a.m.: A disturbance was reported on Veterans Way.

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March 12, 2024
Institution for Savings promotes 3 officers

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NEWBURYPORT — The Institution for Savings recently promoted three employees, according to CEO and President Michael Jones.

David Doucette was promoted to senior vice president of commercial lending; Jeffrey Salerno was promoted to assistant vice president of residential lending; and Shannon Maloney was promoted to assistant vice president and Storey Avenue Newburyport manager.

Doucette has spent nearly his entire professional career with the Institution for Savings. As a high school student, he worked in the bank’s educational school bank at Ipswich High School and continued as a part-time teller while in college.

Following his college graduation, Doucette joined the bank’s residential loan department as a loan processor. In 2009, he transferred to commercial lending as a credit analyst and became a commercial loan officer in 2015.

In 2017, Doucette was promoted to assistant vice president and to vice president in 2019. He was promoted to senior vice president earlier this year. He is based in the bank’s commercial lending office at 312 Haverhill St. in Rowley.

With 20 years of mortgage lending experience, Salerno joined the bank in 2018 as mortgage officer and was promoted to assistant vice president earlier this year. He attended New England School of Financial Studies and the Massachusetts Bankers Association School of Mortgage Banking. Salerno is based in the bank’s Amesbury office at 150 Main St.

Maloney joined the Institution for Savings as a teller in 2015. She was promoted to head teller in 2017 and Rowley office assistant manager in 2022. In April, Maloney returned to the Storey Avenue office as assistant manager and was then promoted to manager in January.

“We believe strongly in giving our employees the opportunities and education to advance in their careers here at the bank and these promotions are great examples of that,” Jones said. “I congratulate Dave, Jeff and Shannon on these well-deserved promotions and look forward to seeing all that they are going to do in these new positions.”

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March 9, 2024