#Pashinyan speaks about the security of Armenia: Interview – “Armenia’s defense cannot be linked 97% to Russia, as before” via @JAMnewsCaucasus https://t.co/rAWMtv4Jo0
— Notes from Georgia/South Caucasus (Hälbig, Ralph) (@SouthCaucasus) February 3, 2024
Day: February 3, 2024
The mother of a teenage boy who shot dead four students at his high school in the United States took the stand for the second day on Friday at her high-profile trial on involuntary manslaughter charges.
Jennifer Crumbley, 45, and her 47-year-old husband James Crumbley are each charged with four counts of manslaughter. They are reportedly the first parents of a school shooter to face felony charges in the US for the actions of their child.
Their son, Ethan Crumbley, 17, is serving a life sentence for the November 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan which left four students between the ages of 14 and 17 dead.
During the trial, Brian Meloche, who is a long-time friend of Jennifer, said that the two had been having an affair when Ethan carried out the school shooting. She had confirmed they had an affair while testifying on Thursday.
According to a report, Jennifer and Brian, a firefighter chief, also held sex parties at hotels.
They would often find strangers on a swingers app called Adult Friend Finder and arrange “meet-ups” with them at a hotel after work, the New York Post reported citing prosecutors.
Jennifer admitted to using the app to “arrange for other people to meet us there” but claimed she was going to hotels after work “on business”, the report said.
Prosecutor Says Jennifer Crumbley Bears Responsibility In Son’s School Shooting
Earlier on Thursday, Michigan prosecutors told jurors that Jennifer Crumbley failed to do several “tragically small and easy things” that could have prevented four deaths.
Prosecutor Marc Keast told jurors during his opening that Jennifer knew her son was in a “downward spiral” mentally, and that only she and her husband could have known of the danger that Ethan posed to others, and that he had access to a gun.
“The evidence will show you that she didn’t pull the trigger, but she is responsible for those deaths,” Keast said.
“She didn’t do any number of tragically small and easy things that would have prevented all this from happening,” he added.
Shannon Smith, Jennifer Crumbley’s defense attorney, said during her own opening that her client had no way of knowing that her son was going to kill four of his classmates.
“Jennifer Crumbley was the mother to a 15-year-old son and she did not have it on her radar in anyway that there was any mental disturbance, that her son would ever take a gun into a school, that her son would ever shoot people,” Smith told jurors.
Smith added that it was James Crumbley – and not Jennifer – who was in charge of making sure that a trigger lock was on the gun that Ethan used in the shooting.
Federal judge postpones Trump’s March 4 election interference trial : NPR https://t.co/s9bPcyu0Pi
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) February 3, 2024
WASHINGTON — The United States launched airstrikes on Iraqi and Syrian targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the militias Tehran backs, following an attack on one of the many sites across the Middle East where the U.S. has a military presence.
Here is what we know about the U.S. military presence in the Middle East:
Where are US bases in the Middle East?
The U.S. has operated bases around the Middle East for decades. At its peak, there were more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2011 and over 160,000 personnel in Iraq in 2007.
While the number is far lower after withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, there are still about 30,000 U.S. troops scattered across the region. In addition, since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the U.S. has temporarily sent thousands of additional troops to the region, including on warships.
The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is located in Qatar, known as Al Udeid Air Base and built in 1996. Other countries where the U.S. has a presence include Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria, in small bases like al Omar Oil field and al-Shaddadi mostly in the northeast of the country. There is a small outpost near the county’s border with Iraq and Jordan, known as the Al Tanf garrison.
There are 2,500 personnel in Iraq, spread around facilities like Union III and Ain al-Asad air base, though talks are ongoing about the future of those troops.
Why are US troops stationed in the region?
U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East for different reasons and with the exception of Syria, they are there with the permission of each country’s government.
In some countries like Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops are there to fight against Islamic State militants and are also helping advise local forces. But they have come under attack from Iran-backed forces over the past several years and have taken action against them.
Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region, has hundreds of U.S. trainers and they hold extensive exercises throughout the year.
In other cases, like in Qatar and the UAE, U.S. troops have a presence to reassure allies, carry out training and are used as needed in operations in the region.
Are there foreign military bases in the US?
While Washington’s allies sometimes send their troops to train or work with U.S. troops, there are no foreign military bases inside the U.S.
Tower 22 in Jordan
Tower 22, a base in Jordan at the most northeastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria and Iraq, was hit in a drone attack on January 28 that killed three Army Reserve soldiers.
Washington blamed Iran-backed, Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
Specifically, Tower 22 is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of U.S. troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a U.S. strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria.
Do US bases in the region get attacked often?
U.S. bases are highly guarded facilities, including with air defense systems to protect against missiles or drones.
Facilities in countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait are not usually attacked.
But U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have come under frequent attack in recent years. Since October 7, U.S. troops have been attacked more than 160 times by Iran-backed militia, injuring about 80 troops, even prior to Sunday’s attack on Tower 22, which injured around 40 more.
A new wave of violence in the Middle East erupted after October 7 when Islamist Palestinian Hamas fighters burst into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis and took 253 others hostage. In response, Israel unleashed a military campaign that has killed more than 27,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and caused a severe humanitarian crisis in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
WASHINGTON — The United States launched airstrikes on Iraqi and Syrian targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the militias Tehran backs, following an attack on one of the many sites across the Middle East where the U.S. has a military presence.
Here is what we know about the U.S. military presence in the Middle East:
Where are US bases in the Middle East?
The U.S. has operated bases around the Middle East for decades. At its peak, there were more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2011 and over 160,000 personnel in Iraq in 2007.
While the number is far lower after withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, there are still about 30,000 U.S. troops scattered across the region. In addition, since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the U.S. has temporarily sent thousands of additional troops to the region, including on warships.
The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is located in Qatar, known as Al Udeid Air Base and built in 1996. Other countries where the U.S. has a presence include Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria, in small bases like al Omar Oil field and al-Shaddadi mostly in the northeast of the country. There is a small outpost near the county’s border with Iraq and Jordan, known as the Al Tanf garrison.
There are 2,500 personnel in Iraq, spread around facilities like Union III and Ain al-Asad air base, though talks are ongoing about the future of those troops.
Why are US troops stationed in the region?
U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East for different reasons and with the exception of Syria, they are there with the permission of each country’s government.
In some countries like Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops are there to fight against Islamic State militants and are also helping advise local forces. But they have come under attack from Iran-backed forces over the past several years and have taken action against them.
Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region, has hundreds of U.S. trainers and they hold extensive exercises throughout the year.
In other cases, like in Qatar and the UAE, U.S. troops have a presence to reassure allies, carry out training and are used as needed in operations in the region.
Are there foreign military bases in the US?
While Washington’s allies sometimes send their troops to train or work with U.S. troops, there are no foreign military bases inside the U.S.
Tower 22 in Jordan
Tower 22, a base in Jordan at the most northeastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria and Iraq, was hit in a drone attack on January 28 that killed three Army Reserve soldiers.
Washington blamed Iran-backed, Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
Specifically, Tower 22 is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of U.S. troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a U.S. strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria.
Do US bases in the region get attacked often?
U.S. bases are highly guarded facilities, including with air defense systems to protect against missiles or drones.
Facilities in countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait are not usually attacked.
But U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have come under frequent attack in recent years. Since October 7, U.S. troops have been attacked more than 160 times by Iran-backed militia, injuring about 80 troops, even prior to Sunday’s attack on Tower 22, which injured around 40 more.
A new wave of violence in the Middle East erupted after October 7 when Islamist Palestinian Hamas fighters burst into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis and took 253 others hostage. In response, Israel unleashed a military campaign that has killed more than 27,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and caused a severe humanitarian crisis in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
NEWS: U.S. Strikes Targets in Iraq and Syria in Response to Deadly Drone Attack https://t.co/unfrYkUyiK
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) February 3, 2024
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is arguing that Republican politicians’ claims that the southern border is open are “inaccurate and harmful” https://t.co/01bPmj214L pic.twitter.com/Hy33QvsNl9
— The Hill (@thehill) February 3, 2024
Meet the Israelis physically blocking the attempted ethnic cleansing unfolding in the West Bank https://t.co/NfZduz7Zrk
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) February 2, 2024
BREAKING:
Jordanian F-16 planes join the U.S. in striking targets in Syria and Iraq tonight in retaliation for the suicide drone strike against Jordan last week which killed 3 U.S. soldiers and also wounded Jordanian soldiers.
🇯🇴🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/mfJxocBoLx
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 2, 2024