Free Republic

PARIS — Marat Gabidullin's face is lined from years of exposure to the elements, and his hair is thinning. But at 56, he has the trim physique and muscular arms of a man 30 years younger. He wears a chunky ring bearing the image of a skull.The skull is the symbol of the Wagner Group — a private Russian mercenary force believed to be financed by an oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. The group is fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. And it's widely believed that at least some of the "little green...

US evacuates Americans from CAR; coup forces reported holding roads out of city BANGUI, Central African Republic, Nov 02, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Coup forces were reported to be controlling the roads out of the Central African Republic capital on Saturday, and fears of new fighting ran high in a tense city running short of food. A U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane evacuated Americans. The plane carried out more than two dozen people - U.S. Embassy workers, other Americans, and other foreign nationals, Lt. Col. Pat Barnes said at U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. "Everyone...

The United States is pulling its diplomats out of the Central African Republic and closing its embassy in the capital Bangui. On Wednesday the authorities in the Central African Republic announced that the rebels had been forced out of the capital and that peace had been restored. However the US foreign ministry says the situation in Bangui is still dangerous. US nationals have been told by Washington to leave the Central African Republic if the security situation allows. The international airport in Bangui is closed. Rebel militias entered the capital a week ago and there was heavy fighting. Government forces...