The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) of Ghana has mounted a search for two men said to have aided the shipment of large quantities of Indian hemp and cocaine to the United Kingdom two months ago.
The two suspects, Obed Amevor, 45, from the Aviation Profiling Security Services (APSS) and Frank Amoah, alias Kofi, a 50-year-old freight forwarder, are alleged to have gone into hiding soon after the seizure of the drugs at London’s Heathrow Airport.
According to the Deputy Executive Secretary of NACOB, Nii Lante Blankson, soon after the seizure of large quantities of cocaine and marijuana in London, the two went into hiding and all efforts to trace their whereabouts had so proved futile.
He said an Accra Circuit Court had issued a warrant for the arrest of the two suspects and indicated that a handsome reward awaited anyone who volunteered information that would lead to their arrest.
He, therefore, appealed to members of the public with any information that would lead to their arrest to contact the offices of NACOB or the nearest police station.
On September 24, 2012, officials of the Border Force in the UK discovered 1.5 tonnes of cannabis, with a street value of around £4.3 million, in three separate freight containers which had originated from Accra, Ghana.
The seizure was the largest of its kind at Heathrow in several years.
In October, British officials announced that they had intercepted another drug consignment smuggled from Ghana, a day after a similar seizure.
Officials at the Heathrow Airport said a consignment of cocaine concealed in plantains from Ghana was seized a day after the biggest cannabis haul seizure from Ghana at the airport.
The UK Border Force said the cocaine weighed about 7.5 kg. The agency found the consignment on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 hidden inside plantains within a larger freight consignment of fruits and vegetables from Ghana.
An exporter who allegedly masterminded the trafficking of the drugs through the Kotoka International Airport to Heathrow was later arrested after thorough investigations.
The suspect, Francis Kwame Asante, 64, aka Wofa, was arrested in Accra in a successful NACOB and Bureau of National Investigations joint operation but his two accomplices, Amoah and Amevor, managed to escape.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Government of Ghana on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to peace, security and stability of Cote d’Ivoire, Mr Chris Kpodo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said in Accra.
He said: “President John Daramani Mahama’s position is that Ghana will not tolerate the use of its territory for activities aimed at destabilizing any neighbouring country including Cote d’Ivoire by either Ivoirian Refugees or any person or group of persons.â€
The Tripartite Commission was charged with the voluntary repatriation of refugees from Cote d’Ivoire living in Ghana.
He explained that deliberations and co-operations between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire was not merely states or neighbours but between peoples of the same origin whose destiny was inextricably connected.
“It is therefore, our shared responsibility to work towards peace, security and stability in Cote d’Ivoire for our common good,†he added.
Mr Kpodo said it was within this context that Ghana on October 6, 2011 took a number of decisions including the signing of a tripartite agreement with the UNHCR on voluntary repatriation so that Ivorian Refugees in Ghana would be able to return home to contribute their quota towards national reconstruction and development.
He said even though the remit of the tripartite commission was to ensure the voluntary return of the Ivoirian Refugees to Cote d’Ivoire, “it was worthy to note that authorities of the two countries had been cooperating on all fronts to ensure a peaceful environment and security in Cote d’Ivoireâ€.
The Deputy Minister opined that during the tripartite commission meeting in Cote d’Ivoire on June 1, 2012, the team acknowledged with satisfaction, the establishment of an effective mechanism to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of the Ivorian Refugees.
Mr Kpodo said efforts were been made by Ghanaian officials to receive a delegation from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is collaborating with Ghanaian authorities to ensure a successful trial of those presumed guilty of criminal acts during the Ivorian post electoral crises.
“To ensure significant progress in this matter, the hosting of a platform for the discussion on the subject of extradition request from Cote d’Ivoire by the UNHCR in Geneva may be useful due to the difference in the approaches of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire on matters of jurisprudence and due process,†he said.
He appealed to the tripartite committee to devise ingenious methods to encourage the international community to enhance its contribution towards the management of the Ivorian Refugees problems, particularly their nutritional and health needs.
Mr Bernard Ehui-Koutoua, Ivoirian Ambassador to Ghana, said President Alassane Ouattara was calling on all Ivoirian Refugees to return home in order to play their part in the national reconstruction of the new nation Cote d’Ivoire.
Madam Sharon J. Cooper, the UNHCR Resident Representative in Ghana said during the Ivorian conflict over 18,000 refugees crossed over into Ghana but so far more than half of them had returned home under the voluntary repatriation programme.
The next meeting of the tripartite committee is slated for April, 2013 in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire.
In attendance were Mr. Ken Dzirasah, Chairman Ghana Refugee Board, Lt. Cl. E. K. T. Donkor, Ghana’s Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, the UNHCR Resident Representative to Cote d’Ivoire and the Coordinator of Service for Aid and Assistance to Refugees and Stateless Persons (SAARA) in Cote d’Ivoire.
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Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has warned his players that no-one is guaranteed a place in his final squad for the 2013 African Cup of Nations.
The Black Stars trainer has left out several key players for the international friendly against Cape Verde in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, John Boye, Isaac Vorsah as well as Ayew brothers Andre and Jordan have been omitted from the squad that will take on the Blue Sharks.
Captain Asamoah Gyan has been excused for the game after he lost his mother last week.
The former Ghana captain is in the final phase of naming his final squad for the continental showpiece and has therefore invited those on the fringes including shot-stopper Daniel Nii Adjei, Fatau Dauda, Nana Kwesi Asare, Richmond Boakye-Yiadom, Richard Kissi Boateng, Derek Boateng, Samuel Inkoom and Albert Adomah to impress.
There are also debut call-ups for Inter Milan whizkid Joseph Alfred Duncan as well as in-form Maritiburg United defender Awal Mohammed and South African-based Edwin Gyimah.
It is widely believed those left out are sure candidates to make the final cut for the Nations Cup in South Africa but coach Appiah insists no-one has an automatic place in his final 23-man squad.
‘It is not whether someone is going to the Cup of Nations or not. There are some players that I need to take final decisions on,†Appiah said
“As to those not called are guaraanted places in the team is not correct. Everyone has got a chance to go.
“The important thing is to look at those who are really commited to fight for Ghana. I will be looking at disciplinary aspect as well. “I believe anyone chosen to play in either friendly or competitive match must prove their worth so that I can make the right decision.â€
The Black Stars are housed in group B where they will take on old foes DR Congo, Mali and Niger in Port Elizabeth.
Ghana will be looking to end a 31-year-wait for an African crown in South Africa.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
NAIROBI, Kenya — NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Hundreds of people fearing a government backlash over the killing of at least 32 police officers are fleeing their homes in northwestern Kenya as the military prepares to help police pursue the bandits who carried out the attack, officials said Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said a “serious” operation has begun to find those responsible for the deaths of the officers over the weekend.
“We cannot allow such things to happen. I think they were testing the waters and in due cause they will know the depth of the river,” he said.
The National Security Council chaired by President Mwai Kibaki said the military will provide support to Kenya Police Service in apprehending the bandits and recovering stolen animals and arms in Samburu county.
Residents in Baragoi, the main town in Samburu North district, said there was massive build-up of police officers in the town.
The police were killed over the weekend after being ambushed by bandits from the Turkana tribe who are suspected of having stolen cattle from the Samburu tribe.
Samuel Letipila, a council representative in the affected area, said the bodies of 34 police officers and reserves had been recovered. Iteere put the confirmed death toll at 32 with several officers missing.
Letipila said he lost 112 cattle in mid-October when the Turkana raiders stole more than 500 of them. Twelve Samburu warriors were killed on Oct. 30 when they attempted to recover their animals from the Turkana. Those killings led to last weekend’s police operation, he said.
Francis Karimi, a local government official in Baragoi, said nearly 1,500 members of the Turkana community have fled from Lemerok village fearing the upcoming government operation. Karimi said residents were seen leaving in buses with their mattresses and boxes of household goods.
“They are afraid,” Karimi said.
Suguta Valley, the region where the killngs took place, is far removed from modern society. Roads and communications are bad, and few security officers are stationed there.
Security officials operating around the valley area say it is the perfect hideout for bandits because it gives them a fort-like defensive position and the rugged terrain works to their advantage.
Peter Lekeren, a Kenya wildlife Service warden in the area, described Suguta Valley as “one way in and one way out, and high elevation on either side of entrance and exit.”
“If the bandit gets to the valley before those pursuing them, it becomes impossible to capture them. They climb on the hill and mow down anybody attempting go through the entrance of valley,” he said.
Eric Kiraithe, Kenya’s police spokesman, said on Monday the bandits had the high ground against the police, resulting in the many deaths.
Lekeren said temperatures in the valley can get to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and be unbearable for those who are not accustomed to it. He said the bandits are usually armed with automatic rifles.
Cattle rustling among the Samburu, Turkana, Pokot and Markwet tribes – pastoral communities – is a traditional practice associated with coming-of-age rituals and is meant to replenish a community’s stock of livestock after droughts and famine.
But the introduction of guns into a practice once dominated by spears and arrows has led to higher death tolls. The guns are smuggled through Kenya’s porous borders with Somalia and South Sudan.
A 2010 report by Kenya Human Rights Commission said that in the last 30 years the motive behind cattle-rustling and its modus operandi has significantly changed. The traditional practice has been increasingly replaced by the criminal activities of livestock theft, the report said.
It said marginalization of the pastoral communities has led to the underdevelopment and higher poverty levels in these regions, which has in turn resulted in higher levels of insecurity.
The weekend slaughter – and the high-powered guns the tribesmen used in the attack – raise concerns that Kenyan officials will not be able to stop violence during the country’s next presidential election in March.
Kenya police struggled to contain violence that broke out following the dispute over who had won presidential election in late 2007. More than 1,000 people died and 600,000 were left homeless in the ensuing violence.
A 2008 government report said one of the reasons violence flared was the lack of trust in public institutions, including police, accused of taking sides in the conflict. Kenya is currently attempting to reform its police forces partly to ensure that violence does not occur during the March elections.
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Kenyan police have launched an operation to capture and punish the gunmen who killed at least 32 police officers over the weekend, according to a department spokesman.
“We have now laid out another operation plan to ensure that those criminals are apprehended, the livestock they stole is recovered, and the illicit firearms, which they used, are recovered and surrendered to the government,” said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe.
“The most important thing is for us to take the kind of action, which would send a very clear message that this one cannot be allowed and it would not be repeated.”
Kiraithe also rejected demands by civil society groups, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), that senior police officers should step aside for an independent investigation into the murder of the officers.
The groups say Police Commissioner Matthew Iteere, the Provincial Police chief and the commander in Baragoi where the police officers were killed should resign immediately.
“Our stance is that this was a professional operation, which was properly executed, and you cannot really ask a physician to resign simply because the patient died,” said Kiraithe.
“We have an independent police oversight authority, which does not need the permission of anybody, and which does not need the commissioner of police to resign so that they can execute their responsibility.”
Gunmen in northern Kenya are accused of killing police officers who were hunting for cattle rustlers, one of the worst attacks on police in the country’s history.
“This was a law enforcement operation and the criminals, who had murdered 12 members of the public, aggravated their offense,” Kiraithe said.
Kenyan police say the officers were ambushed Saturday as their truck drove through the remote northern Baragoi district. Officials say nine survivors of the attack have been hospitalized.
Kiraithe says the police have taken corrective measures to prevent any future ambush of police officers.
“We have been able to make an analysis of the operation plan, which they used on that day and we have found out that the operation plan was alright,” said Kiraithe.
“The intention of the operation,” he continued, “was also quite legal, [but] unfortunately, the officers got into an ambush because of a tactical miscalculation, which could not have been avoided.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Catholic Priest who played a key role in exposing the Gukurahundi massacres of the mid-eighties, was laid to rest last Friday at a ceremony attended by thousands.
Archbishop Henry Karlen, who was originally from Switzerland, died at Mater Dei Hospital on October 28th, after a short illness.
He will be remembered most for the courage he showed in documenting and exposing the brutal acts of the Fifth Brigade units, which massacred thousands of supporters of ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo.
The Gukurahundi has long haunted Zimbabwe and just this week, a riot policeman assaulting members of the Women Of Zimbabwe Arise at a demonstration in Bulawayo, was heard to say: “Don’t speak Ndebele because Ndebele people were all killed in the Gukurahundi”. The police know that the memory of those murders still has power over Zimbabweans to this day.
Archbishop Karlen was transferred from Europe to Africa in 1951. After several appointments in South Africa, he was appointed as the Bishop of Bulawayo in May, 1974 and remained head of the church there for 38 years.
The Archbishop received reports from his colleagues who were in rural churches and mission clinics and hospitals in Matabeleland province and the Midlands. The notes he made grew by the day and eventually became a file documenting the slaughter of Nkomo’s supporters and other perceived enemies of Robert Mugabe.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace and the Legal Resources Foundation investigated the brutal events reported by Karlen and others in Matabeleland, and eventually produced a detailed report called “Breaking the Silence – Building True Peace”.
The report estimated that 20,000 people had been killed in Matabeleland and in parts of the Midlands province. The killings only stopped after Nkomo agreed to join Mugabe in an inclusive government in 1987.
The Minister of State Enterprises and Parastatals, Gorden Moyo, told SW Radio Africa that thousands of people attended the funeral last Friday because the Archbishop was involved in many developmental issues in Matabeleland and around the country. He said many who came to mourn his death were not even Catholic.
“Everyone around the world and in the region was busy celebrating the Zimbabwe independence and people were blind to the human rights abuses and brutal violence that was taking place under the Mugabe administration. And it was Archbishop Karlen who stood up to them and opened our eyes,” Moyo said.
He added: “The Archbishop inspired a lot of religious, political and civil activists and ordinary citizens. That’s why a lot of people attended the funeral over and above the congregation of the Bulawayo archdiocese.
However, there was one notable absentee at the funeral, Robert Mugabe himself.
Archbishop Karlen was buried at Athlone Cemetery in Bulawayo.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Johannesburg — Zimbabwean youth continue to leave their country for seemingly greener pastures in South Africa. Many of them illegally enter the neighbouring country, where they are threatened by gang violence, human trafficking and, ultimately, deportation. However, some border-jumping Zimbabweans face an even more gruesome deadly risk before reaching the other side: the crocodiles of the Limpopo River.
One day this past June, when the river waters were still high, 27-year-old Thulani Sibanda and two former classmates met up in their village of Ntumbamayi, in the northern province of Matabeleland. Their plan was to travel to South Africa to look for jobs. Leaving home and heading to South Africa has long been a tradition among the Ndebele people of western Zimbabwe. Plus, if you’re a youth but you have never worked in South Africa, you are not considered a man.
So Thulani and his friends agreed that now was their time to head to the Rainbow Nation. Because none had passports, the three planned to enter illegally. And that meant having to use a dangerous form of entry: jumping the Limpopo River that separates Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Border jumpers
It’s bad enough that gangs present a threat to border jumpers who reach the other side and that the females among them are vulnerable to rape. But that’s not what gave the Limpopo its nickname. The River of Death, it is called, because so many people who try to cross these waters have been killed by vicious crocodiles.
According to police on both sides, the reptiles are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of young people trying to enter South Africa illegally. Zimbabwe police in the border town of Beitbridge have long warned youth to stop risking their lives by crossing the Limpopo. Yet the river offers the only real option for jumpers; it’s close to the checkpoint and provides easy access to collection points on the other side, where human traffickers can pick up the migrants and, for a fee, transport them to Johannesburg.
Lucky charms?
Before boarding a bus from Bulawayo to Beitbridge, the three youth visited a sangoma, a traditional healer. Friends of theirs who had managed to cross the river without incident had told them about a sangoma protection ritual, which cost 200 South African rand (about 18 euro).
Thulani says the healer gave them a charm potion, a muti, as traditional medicine is called in Ndebele, that was mixed with crocodile blood and dried leaves. “The sangoma told us the charms were to protect us from crocodiles, and we believed him,” he recalls.
The Limpopo River crocodiles are among the world’s largest and arguably the most dangerous. Experts say saltwater crocodiles are responsible for more human fatalities per year than any other predator. They are strong swimmers that are well adapted to the water, which is where they do nearly all their hunting.
The youth were told to wear the charms around their heads, like necklaces, and smear their bodies and faces with the blood before crossing the river. Thulani says he used the charms, but was – to say the least – disappointed.
Taking the plunge
Thulani and his classmates waited until it was dark. At that point, guards don’t usually patrol areas along the fence and some guards get dismissed as others reported for duty.
“When we got to the river, we met others who were also trying to cross into South Africa,” Thulani tells RNW, referring to the other border jumpers he met from different districts of Matabeleland. “My two friends decided we cross with them, but I chose to wait for them to go first and then follow if there is no danger.”
Usually, the crocodiles lie by the river’s banks and spring into action when they see people or animals jumping into the water. According to Thulani, when the group of jumpers reached a deep part in the river, sure enough, crocodiles appeared from nowhere. Stunned, the young man could not get a good look at just how many there were.
“I watched in horror as the crocodiles grabbed the youths and threw them deeper into the waters,” Thulani recalls.
Shock silenced the victims, who did not even scream, he says. In the water, the youth were no match for the crocodiles of the Limpopo River. Thulani’s classmates were among those killed.
That day
In shock himself, Thulani retreated from the river and went straight to the Beitbridge police camp, where he filed a report of the attacks.
Two days later, after a joint search by Zimbabwe and South Africa police, some remains of his friends and other youth were discovered on the banks of the Limpopo.
“I will never forget that day,” says Thulani. “The images keep coming back to me, especially when I close my eyes at night.”
The young man has since applied for a passport and successfully reached South Africa. Here in Johannesburg, he is still looking for employment, though feels confident he will find something before Christmas.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The three pilots had just taken off from the Hawkins Field Airport when the single-engine plane they were flying to a Federal Aviation Administration safety conference less than 30 miles away began to falter.
A Jackson police officer looked up in the sky and saw the Piper PA-32 “spitting and sputtering” like it was out of fuel, he would later tell the plane’s owner — a budding pilot whose own life was spared when he decided to go deer hunting instead of flying Tuesday afternoon.
One of the aviators asked for permission to return to the airport, but just minutes later the plane went down. It crashed through trees before slamming into a house that quickly caught fire, sending long flames and black smoke through the neighborhood of modest single-family homes surrounded by magnolia and oak trees.
A deputy fire chief told WJTV-TV that one person escaped the burning home with minor injuries, but it was not immediately clear if anyone else was inside. One patient from the scene was in good condition at University of Mississippi Medical Center, spokesman Jack Mazurak said late Tuesday. He wouldn’t give the person’s name or gender or the extent of the injuries, citing privacy laws.
The plane was owned by Roger and Michele Latham, from Superior Pallet Company in Flowood, Miss., both of whom showed up at the crash site, along with their grown daughter, Emily Latham.
Emily Latham noted that her father was supposed to have been on board but changed his plans.
“He went hunting,” she said. “Thank God.”
Michele Latham said all three men on board were pilots. Roger Latham, who is 15 hours short of getting his pilot’s license, identified one of the victims as John Edward Tilton Jr., his flight instructor.
“He was one of the finest Christian men I knew,” Latham said. “We had three great men who lost their lives,” he added. “I just want to wake up in awhile and say, ‘This didn’t happen.'”
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart confirmed three people died in the crash. She said dental records or DNA would be needed to confirm their identities.
The plane took off at 5:10 p.m. and shortly after, the pilot asked for permission to return to the airport, according to a news release issued by the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. It never made it.
The plane had departed Hawkins Field Airport headed for Raymond, Miss., for an FAA safety conference, just 25 miles away. Latham said his plane had been parked in a hangar for a month and they wanted to take it out for a short flight before he flew it to Gulf Shores, Ala., for Thanksgiving. Latham said he had owned the plane for 2 1/2 years and described it as being in mint condition.
Latham said a Jackson police officer who was about a block away when the plane was coming down told him “it was spitting and sputtering and … starving for fuel.”
It hit trees on the way down, Latham said, adding, “I’m sure John was doing everything he possibly could to save the lives on board.”
Vivian Payne, who lives about six blocks from the crash site, said she heard a loud bang that sounded different from an electrical transformer blowing.
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TOLEDO, Ohio – Three children, their uncle, and their grandmother were found dead inside a garage Monday in what appears to be a murder-suicide amid a custody dispute.
A truck was running with hoses leading from the exhaust into a car in the family’s Toledo garage Monday. Inside the vehicle were the bodies of 54-year-old Sandy Ford; her 32-year-old son, Andy Ford; and her grandchildren, 10-year-old Paige Hayes, 6-year-old Logan Hayes and 5-year-old Madalyn Hayes, police said.
Sandy Ford’s husband, Randy, called police Monday afternoon to say that he had returned home and found suspicious notes in the house from his wife, son and grandkids. He said he wasn’t able to enter the garage.
Firefighters used a sledgehammer to open a door to the garage, which had been barricaded shut. The bodies of the five people, two dogs and one cat were found inside the car.
Investigators believe they died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The five victims lived with Randy Ford in the house, located in a residential neighborhood close to the Michigan state line.
Sgt. Joe Heffernan said Sandy Ford had primarily taken care of the children at her residence for the last four years, but their parents — the Fords’ daughter, Mandy Hayes, and the children’s father, Chris Hayes, were trying to regain full custody of them. He said Sandy Ford was upset about that, and he believes that was the motive for the murder-suicide.
Doug Hall, a neighbor who lives across the street, said he saw the Fords’ son and the children raking leaves last week. He said the only unusual thing he’s noticed was a police car at the house last Thursday. He said he didn’t know why it was there.
Another neighbor said he saw the kids helping with the yard work and playing in the leaves just a few days ago.
“One minute they’re doing the leaves, and then the next there are cop cars all over,” Eric Pieper said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The U.S. says it is providing $30 million in extra humanitarian aid for those affected by the Syrian conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the move in Australia Wednesday while visiting for annual security talks with the American ally. She said the aid would help provide food to hungry people inside Syria along with Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
She also urged the Syrian opposition to support the commitments it made recently in Doha and start influencing events on the ground.
Clinton's announcement comes as Japan's Ministry for Foreign Affairs said the fifth meeting of the Friends of the Syria will be held on November 30 in Tokyo. Japan will chair the meeting.
On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande said France officially has recognized the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition and could consider arming the rebels. It is the first European country to do so. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council recognized the rebel group Monday.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the coalition a legitimate representative of the Syrian people. But he said the United States wants to see how it organizes itself and whether it proves to also be an effective representative.
Other European nations and the Arab League have also said they support the new coalition, but are not ready to give full recognition.
The United States and Europe have been reluctant to arm Syrian rebels, saying the rebels have been too disorganized. They also fear that weapons could fall into the hands of Islamic militants.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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