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A member of the Iraqi national police creates an inventory of illegal weapons confiscated by Iraqi national police in the Sadr City District of Baghdad, Iraq, as he turns them over to members of the 42nd brigade, 11th Iraqi army division, at Combat Patrol Base Comanche on April 19. (US Air Force photo/Technical Sergean Adrian Cadiz) US and Iraqi forces continue to target the Mahdi Army as an Iraqi delegation visited Iran to confront the country over its support of Shia militias battling the government. The US military conducted a guided rocket attack on a Special Groups headquarters adjacent...

WASHINGTON - Iranian support for militias in Iraq has grown, top U.S. defense leaders said Friday, asserting that recent battles in Basra gave the Iraqis an eye-opening view of Iran's increased negative role there. More broadly, the outlook for more progress toward stabilizing Iraq and reducing the U.S. troop presence is clouded by several other potential pitfalls in coming months, including the prospect of increased violence with the approach of provincial Iraqi elections this fall, Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview at the Pentagon with a group of reporters. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, also cited the...

From on the ground in Najaf, Eye Raki reports Mookie has returned to home in Najaf. Also, he has lost a lot of weight. Perhaps the Britney Spears diet?: "I was introduced by a mutual friend to an officer in the Ministry of Interior who confirmed the reports. I wanted to go to look out for any unusual activity around his house but the street leading to his home was blocked off by IP's who wouldn't give us a straight answer as to why we are not allowed through...Could this be a turn around in Iranian foreign policy and possibly...

BAGHDAD - Warning sirens wail and within seconds rockets and mortars strike — sometimes one or two, other times 10 or more. The Green Zone is again a prime target as American and British diplomats, Iraqi politicians, contractors and others struggle to go about their business — always aware that any time they are outside the most fortified buildings there is a chance to be injured or killed. The danger has temporarily reshaped life: Green Zone traffic is minimal, few people venture out on the streets and security precautions — always high — have been boosted. Many diplomats and others...

Amid heavy clashes between government forces and Shiite Muslim militants in Baghdad and the southern port city of Basra, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki issued an ultimatum Wednesday demanding that the militias surrender their weapons within 72 hours. Radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr , whose Mahdi Army militia is a prime target of the government offensive, responded by demanding that Maliki leave Basra. U.S. forces joined Iraqi troops in Baghdad to fight Mahdi Army militants, and police said that at least 20 people had been killed in the Sadr City neighborhood, a stronghold for Sadr's backers. The city's fortified...

Inhabitants awake to a new dawn, with some hailing departure of ‘occupiers’ and others fearful of rival militias battling for control Basra was a city divided yesterday after the withdrawal of British troops left some residents hailing the departure of “the occupiers” and others fearing for their safety if Iraqi security forces were unable to control rival militias. The withdrawal was the top story on all the Iraqi television stations until it was superseded by President Bush’s arrival in Anbar province in the afternoon. Pictures showed Iraqi soldiers hoisting the black, white and red national flag above the palace complex,...

My cousin Kamran is a successful software engineer in Tehran with a house, a thriving business of his own, and a brand new Peugeot, which he likes to show off by careening through the city's clogged streets at maniacal speeds. Like most of Iran's young and highly educated population, he must rely on other means to make ends meet. So, in addition to running his software business, Kamran tutors neighborhood children, raises chickens on his aunt's farm, hires himself out as a guide and translator for tourists, dabbles in real estate, and occasionally sells imitation designer handbags out of the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. military officials on Sunday accused the highest levels of the Iranian leadership of arming Shiite militants in Iraq with sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 American forces. The military command in Baghdad denied, however, that any newly smuggled Iranian weapons were behind the five U.S. military helicopter crashes since Jan. 20 — four that were shot out of the sky by insurgent gunfire. A fifth crash has tentatively been blamed on mechanical failure. In the same period, two private security company helicopters also have crashed but the cause was unclear. The deadly...

BOGOTA (Reuters) - More than a dozen Colombian politicians agreed in 2001 to cooperate with right-wing paramilitary criminals, says a document revealed on Friday, fueling the country's worst political scandal in years. Three members President Alvaro Uribe's congressional coalition have been sent to prison for their links with the drug-running militias, and more lawmakers were under investigation before paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso turned the document over as part of his court case. Signed by militia bosses including Mancuso, who this week admitted he ordered massacres and 336 assassinations in the name of fighting left-wing rebels, the document also carries the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister has told Shiite militiamen to surrender their arms or face an all-out assault by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, senior Iraqi officials said Wednesday, as President Bush said he will commit an additional 21,500 American combat troops to the war. Under pressure from the U.S., Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to crack down on fighters controlled by his most powerful political ally, Muqtada al-Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric, according to officials. Previously, al-Maliki had resisted the move. "Prime Minister al-Maliki has told everyone that there will be no escape from attack," a senior Shiite legislator...

Reyes appearance on C-Span is very revealing about where he stands and what we can expect as he heads the intel committe in the House.

Iraqi Government taking on militias Tuesday, 21 November 2006 Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman, Multi-National Force - Iraq. BAGHDAD — Politics is the best means available to the Iraqi Government and Coalition to deal with armed militias in the country, the spokesman for Multi-National Force – Iraq said during a press conference here Monday. Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, spokesman, MNF-I, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is dealing with political leaders in the country to disarm the militias, and Coalition officials are supporting that effort. The goal, he said, is that the militias would disband and rely on...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2006 -- Politics is the best means available to the Iraqi government and the coalition to deal with armed militias in the country, a coalition spokesman said in Baghdad today. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is dealing with political leaders in the country to disarm the militias, and coalition officials are supporting that effort. The goal, he said, is that the militias would disband and rely on local Iraqi security forces for protection and maintaining order. Militias that won’t engage in a political solution will be met with force, the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2006 -- Illegal armed militias are one of the biggest challenges facing stability efforts in Iraq, but they cannot be defeated by military efforts alone, two of the top U.S. officials who deal with Iraq said here yesterday. The only way to effectively deal with militias is to combine military efforts with serious political reconciliation, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, and David M. Satterfield, senior advisor to the secretary of state and coordinator for Iraq, said while testifying before the House Armed Services Committee. “I think that militia units and militia...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2006 – The Iraqi government has plans to demobilize all illegal militias, including radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s so-called “Mahdi Army,” the senior U.S. diplomat in Iraq said today. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki “has agreed to getting rid of the militias,” U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. Illegal militias that commit violence and murder need to be dealt with, Khalilzad said, noting the Iraqi government recognizes that fact. Maliki wants to demobilize all the militias, including al-Sadr’s, Khalilzad said. Yet, he noted, U.S. officials don’t have direct contact with Sadr,...

"IRAQ'S fragile democracy, weakened by mounting chaos and a rapidly rising death toll, is being challenged by calls for the formation of a hardline "government of national salvation". The proposal, which is being widely discussed in political and intelligence circles in Baghdad, is to replace the Shia-led Government of Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, with a regime that is capable of imposing order and confronting the sectarian militias leading the country to the brink of civil war. Saleh al-Mutlak, a prominent Sunni politician, travelled to Arab capitals last week seeking support for the replacement of the present Government with a...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A political solution must be found to the problem of Iraq's sectarian violence that will lead to militias to "dissolve themselves," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday ahead of talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Al-Maliki is under intensified pressure to find an end to the Shiite-Sunni killings that have torn Iraq apart for months despite the government's calls for militias — many of which have ties to parties in the government — to put down their arms. On route to Baghdad on Thursday, Rice underlined that Iraq's leaders "don't have time for endless debate...

The "Brady Campaign" is trying hard to derail or ruin H.R. 5005, the “FIREARMS CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS ACT” ! It would be interesting to know who the 35 Police Chiefs are who aren't willing to admit to the public that they're against the bill. I was initially skeptical that the the Nevada Sheriff's and Chief's Association was supporting the "Brady" bunch on this, so I PERSONALLY confirmed it. Here is the contact information for the association lobbyist and president. Nevada Sheriffs & Chiefs Association Lobbyist, Frank Adams 866-266-9870 Cell, 702/379-6591 President, No. LV Sheriff, Mark Paresi (702) 633-1837 This association...

More proof that Jim Gibbons does not just talk about reforming out of control Gov. Org. agencies, he actually takes steps to expose their abuses. In this archived thread we see that he has even taken BATFE to task, they really hated having to admit to their data-base errors! Link to thread, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1549185/posts

Iraqi Police in Mosul began specialized training with the Coalition's Police Transition Team in July. Department of Defense photo by Cpl. Richard Vogt. WASHINGTON – The U.S. commander who oversees military operations in the Middle East says extremism “remains a serious danger to global peace and stability” and that the influence of private militias in the Middle East must be curbed. Army Gen. John Abizaid , who leads the U.S. Central Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that the forces of extremism are strong, ruthless and well-connected and that private militias as “the curse of the...

Thursday, July 20, 2006 · Last updated 12:59 p.m. PT Islamic Court Militias on their trucks with anti aircraft guns in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Thursday, July 20, 2006. Islamic militia that had moved near the base of Somalia's weak interim government will pull back, a senior official said Thursday. Senior officials of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council have decided to withdraw, a day after their deputy defense chief said they planned to take the only town held by Somalia's internationally recognized interim government The advance on Baidoa, seat of the transitional government, had prompted the transitional government to go on...

BAGHDAD, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Look in the pockets of Iraqis whose jobs take them around Baghdad every day and you are likely to find a clutch of passes and identity cards, one for every police, military or militia checkpoint they may run into. "This one is says I'm Badr, this one I show to police, and I have the American press pass and my ordinary ID. I applied for a Mehdi Army pass on Friday but it hasn't arrived yet," said one Iraqi driver working for a foreign media organisation. "I am Sunni so these passes mean I don't...

I found out today that ATFE has reinstated the ability of Nevada CCW holders to use their Nevada CCW permits as an alternative to the $25 Point Of Sale contact in filling out the form 4473 required with each firearm sale. This is GREAT news, and a testament to the power of gun owner activism. Initially the Nevada Chief's and Sheriff's Association thought they could simply shrug off the results of several of their members failing an ATFE audit. Their failing the audit resulted in ATFE announcing that Nevada CCW's would no longer be accepted in lieu of a requirement...

An e-mail is bouncing around the Internet with photographs of alleged Bolivarian gunmen in an area of Caracas that appears to be 23 de Enero. Many appear to be teenagers, they are wearing Bolivarian t-shirts with Che Guevara's face super-imposed on Venezuela's national colors, and they are armed with Glock 9mm semi-automatic handguns. According to Pensamiento Militar Venezolano 2005, a strategic and tactical military defense document drafted under the direction of President Hugo Chávez, the core mission of these armed youths is to turn Caracas into a kill zone where escualidos will be hunted down systematically if the Chávez regime...

U.S. to Iraq: Curb Use of Shiite Militias Thursday November 17, 2005 11:46 PM By ROBERT H. REID Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraqi government has promised to investigate detention facilities across the country to ensure prisoners are not tortured, the United States said Thursday, sharply warning Iraqi officials against allowing Shiite militias a role in the security services following allegations of torture of Sunni Arabs. The Interior Minister, who is in charge of the facilities and security forces, said torture claims were exaggerated. Sectarian rhetoric sharpened four days after U.S. troops found up to 173 malnourished...

H.R. 800/S. 397 to be voted on today! Call congress ASAP! It is time to pass the Lawful Commerce In Firearms Protection Act, no more delays, let's get it done TODAY! The House is scheduled to bring up H.R. 800/S. 397 for a vote today. (Thursday). We need to continue fighting for the CLEAN version of the bill to protect gun makers from HCI's predatory lawsuits, H.R. 800). It is imperative that you make your last-minute calls to the Hill in support of H.R. 800, especially if you have not done so already. Please ask your Representative to oppose S....

Rise of militias leaves Basra in the balance By Adrian Blomfield in Basra (Filed: 30/09/2005) The people of Basra know it as the "station of death". For the British, however, Jameat police station may be the difference between success and disaster in Iraq. British troops have trained for a ‘doomsday scenario’ in which armed militias take control of the city of Basra Basra was the heartbeat of Iraq's Riviera 30 years ago. Girls wore sunglasses and short skirts; nightclubs flourished on the Corniche, where the glamorous drank arak, once the tipple of choice. Then it found itself close to the...

Last update - 21:12 13/09/2005 PA official: Abbas aims to begin disarming militias By News Agencies Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas aims to start disarming small militant groups soon and will insist that the Hamas faction puts down weapons after January elections, a top aide said on Tuesday. Abbas' chief of staff, Rafiq Husseini, said the PA Chairman wants to end local lawlessness. Israel has also demanded disarmament as a precondition for statehood talks. Husseini said Abbas planned to start by disarming the small armed groups within his own Fatah movement before moving onto bigger, better armed and more disciplined...

WASHINGTON - Adding an unusual proposal to the searing debate over illegal immigration, U.S. Rep. John Culberson of Houston introduced a bill late Thursday to let Texas and other border states establish armed militias to catch people trying to illegally cross from Mexico and Canada.

[b]The first half of the 109th session of congress is winding down, more ACTIVISM from NFA-RKBA supporters is critical! [/b] I would have preferred to post this under "Activism", but this section appears to get the most traffic. We need all of our members and lurkers to get much more active, congress is historically much braver regarding "controversial*" legislation in the first half of each session. In the second half they begin covering their back's in preparation for the next election! The author's of the several bills we support in our mission statement all took a significant career chance in...

Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2005 (Introduced in House) HR 2088 IH 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2088 To provide an amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register certain firearms in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 4, 2005 Mr. GIBBONS (for himself, Mr. OTTER, Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. CANNON, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. GOODE, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. BRADLEY of New Hampshire, Mr. TERRY, Mr. BAKER, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. BARRETT of...

April 20, 2005, 7:51AM '95 bombing was beginning of end for militias Watchdogs say neo-Nazis and anti-immigration groups now pose the greatest threat By THOMAS KOROSEC Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle DALLAS - Ten years after the Oklahoma City bombing, the anti-government militia movement that spawned America's deadliest act of domestic terrorism apparently is a wisp of its former self. After a spike in interest after the April 19, 1995, bombing, militias fell into decline, according to those who monitor such groups. Today, anti-immigration vigilantes on the U.S.-Mexico border, environmental extremists, skinheads and neo-Nazis pose a greater threat of violence, former...

<p>More than 400 young men and women have volunteered to carry out suicide bombing attacks against Americans in Iraq and targets in Israel, a militant group said Wednesday.</p> <p>The recruiting effort was detailed during a ceremony organized by the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement, a shadowy group that has been seeking attackers for nearly a year.</p>

Iraq's formal security forces are still relatively weak Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias. Jalal Talabani said this would be more effective than waiting for Iraqi forces to take over from the US-led coalition. Mr Talabani, a Kurd, also told the BBC he would not sign a death warrant for captured former leader Saddam Hussein. And he warned that any attempt to impose an Islamic government on Iraq would break up the country. He said the Shia religious parties with whom the Kurds...

As many here well know, ATFE-Tech has a miserable record of inconsistent and irrational "ruling's" in regard to disqualifying products and prosecuting individuals for technical violations of the NFA-34. This bill may be the ONLY way to compel ATFE to begin acting honestly and professionally. The bill needs our urgent attention, it currently has ZERO cosponsors and will die in committee unless RKBA people take heed of the good it can do and voice their strong support. ---------------------------------------------- [b]HR 1603 Fairness in Firearm Testing Act. CTXT[/b] Posted By: Richard/SIA, O7/C2 & NRA-ILA EVC Date: 4/16/05 20:54 Full text, as promised....

AB-232 was heard in the Nevada assembly judiciary committee today. I attended the hearing, paid lobbyist John L. Wagner was the only one there who I recognized. AB-232 does two things. 1. As used in this section, “upon a person” means actually on a person or in a container carried by a person". It would codify the current A.G Opinion allowing firearms carry in a vehicle. This "upon the person" language may be important, as it would prevent a future A.G. easily taking vehicle carry away from us by merely changing the opinion. The point was brought up that the...

Assembly Bill 232 A pro-gun right's bill in Nevada! Assembly Bill 232, a bill supported by the NRA and many other pro-RKBA Nevadan's. Introduced by Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, is slated to be heard on Monday, March 28th at 9:30 a.m. before the Assembly Judiciary Committee in Carson City. AB 232 seeks to clarify Nevada's definition of concealed carry by defining "upon the person" to mean actually on the person or in a container carried by the person. AB 232 will also amend state law to allow for compliance with the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, which...

New RKBA pro-NFA group formed! The url is: http://www.machinegunner.com/phpBB2/ Our main focus is reform of ATFE via congress. We have several goals, some more immediate than others. Forcing ATFE to treat all law abiding NFA enthusiast with the respect any American is entitled to expect from their government's agents. Getting ATFE to correct the errors in the NFRTR. Getting an accurate accounting of where the $1,000,000 previously appropriated by congress to "fix" the NFRTR went. A minimum level of competence for ATFE Tech Branch. Making ATFE Tech decisions binding on ATFE. Support for the proposed VHFA bill in congress. Repeal...

Imagine the world without guns" was a bumper sticker that began making the rounds after the murder of ex-Beatle John Lennon on December 18, 1980. Last year, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, followed up on that sentiment by announcing she would become a spokeswoman for Handgun Control, Inc. (which later changed its name to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and which was previously named the National Council to Control Handguns). So let's try hard to imagine what a world without guns would look like. It isn't hard to do. But be forewarned: It's not a pretty picture...

In the March 11 New York Times, Neil MacFarquhar notes in passing, "Most Iraqi households own at least one gun." This comes as a shock to those of us who've been hearing for years from the gun lobby that widespread firearms ownership is necessary to prevent the United States from becoming a police state. Here, via the National Rifle Association's Web site, is Bill Pryor, attorney general of Alabama, decrying the "war on guns": "In a republic that promotes a free society, as opposed to a police state, one of the basic organizing principles is that individuals have a right...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian security chiefs yesterday ordered a clampdown on weaponry carried by armed groups throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, after a clash in Gaza City killed two bodyguards of the new Palestine Liberation Organization chairman, Mahmoud Abbas. They also warned that they will ruthlessly suppress any outbreaks of violence. The Palestinian Security Committee, grouping various security agencies and led by Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, said it wanted to ban weapons from being carried in public places and would begin to register all arms held by militants and members of the public, said Sayeb Elajez, head...

Editor's note: Readers may be interested in two related stories: "Invested in Terrorism" and "BBC: U.S. Damned if it does and damned if it doesn't". -ALJ Douglas Farah uncovered the story of al-Qaeda's involvement in West Africa's diamond smuggling while reporting on Africa for the Washington Post, which he described in Blood from Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror (New York: Broadway, 2004). Mr. Farah, now a consultant, freelance writer on terror finance and national security matters, and a senior fellow at the Consortium for the Study of Intelligence, addressed the Middle East Forum in New York City on...

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, has called the Sudanese rampage against Black Africans a “genocide:” We concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed [Arab militia] bear responsibility and genocide may still be occurring. The Sudanese government has been sponsoring a campaign of mass rape, mass murder, forced relocations, and forced starvation against Black Africans in Darfur. The BBC today tried to spin the usual “the U.S. is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t” argument today: Critics point out...

A series of truces agreed on last month, encompassing Mr Sadr's stronghold in al-Thoura, Baghdad's eastern slum, as well as the Shia holy cities and other towns further south, are still holding. His own home turf in the capital has been more peaceful than it has been for months. Former fighters are now being paid to collect rubbish, plant trees, direct traffic and help the Iraqi police. The new government has promised to pay for a new sewage system so that the slum detritus will no longer flow past Baghdad's grimmest tenements. Outside the city, the clergy behind Mr...

History Abused A fireworks company recently misquoted John Adams in order to peddle its Chinese-made bombs and sparklers. Adams did not say that the Fourth of July should be celebrated with fireworks. Actually, he was speaking of July 2, when the resolution for independence was adopted by a committee, but he was talking about the independence of the United States. And this is what he said: "It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires,...

Tuesday, April 20, 2004 Focus on 9-11 may be helping militias regroup By Howard Witt Chicago Tribune SUE OGROCKI / AP On the ninth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, people visit the field of chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, a tribute to the 168 victims of the bombing AUSTIN, Texas — When FBI agents searched a rented storage locker in a small east Texas town last year, they found a huge cache of weapons and the ingredients to make a cyanide bomb capable of killing thousands of people. Just as startling was the identity of the owner...

CRAWFORD, Texas - Amid an uprising in Iraq (news - web sites), President Bush (news - web sites) declared Saturday that insurgents are "a small faction" trying to derail democracy in a battle he vowed the U.S. military and its allies will win. "Coalition forces will continue a multi-city offensive ... until these enemies of democracy are dealt with," Bush said in his weekly radio address. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites), said in his party's broadcast that ultimate success in Iraq rests on "whether we are willing to...

HOUSTON — One evening two winters ago, a man in Staten Island, N.Y., absent-mindedly flipped through his mail. Inside one envelope was a stack of fake documents, including United Nations (news - web sites) and Defense Department identification cards, and a note: "We would hate to have this fall into the wrong hands."

Clashes resume between Afghan rival militias Amir Shah in Kabul Friday October 10, 2003 The Guardian (UK) Hundreds of rival militiamen with tanks and artillery faced off along a narrow front line in northern Afghanistan yesterday, as the government scrambled to stop what it described as the worst fighting in months. Clashes broke out on Wednesday 30 miles west of Mazar-i-Sharif and the town of Maimana between warlord Atta Mohammed's Jamiat-e-Islami faction, and fighters loyal to northern Uzbek commander Abdul Rashid Dostum. One warring side said 60 were killed, the other said it was many less. The UN said it...

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AP) -- Two rival warlords signed a cease-fire Thursday after fierce fighting left scores dead in northern Afghanistan, both sides said. It was not clear if the deal would hold, although both sides reported their troops began withdrawing tanks and other weapons from the battlefield. Fighting raged up until the agreement was reached, and tensions remained high, commanders said. Several past truces have quickly dissolved. The cease-fire came after 24 hours of fighting that left "high numbers of casualties," according to the United Nations. One warring side said the death toll was more than 60, while the other...