World News Update

Good morning everyone,

It is 8:50AM Central Time and here is the latest world news.

When I awoke this morning the first story to catch my eye was:

Pakistan closes US supply route to hit militants

Pakistan closed the main route used to ferry supplies to U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan on Tuesday after launching a fresh offensive against militants in the area.

The road through the Khyber Pass in the northwest of Pakistan has come under increasing attacks by militants seeking to squeeze Western forces fighting a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan in recent months.

U.S. and NATO soldiers in landlocked Afghanistan rely on the winding, mountainous route for delivery of up to 75 percent of their fuel, food and other logistical goods, which arrive in Pakistan via the port city of Karachi.

American commanders insist the attacks are not disrupting their mission in Afghanistan, but they also say they are exploring new routes. They also say they have enough supplies to last many weeks in the case the routes are blocked.

Here is the link to the rest of the report: supply

How long with the supply route be blocked?

If it remains blocked, how will this effect the United States military operations in Afghanistan?


The next important story takes us to Somalia. The situation there continues to deteriorate:

40 die, 50 hurt in Somalia faction clashes

At least 40 Somalis have been killed and 50 others wounded in clashes between moderate and hard-line groups of Islamic fighters, observers said.

The violence came Monday in central Somalia, the BBC reported. Ten others were killed in factional fighting around Mogadishu in the wake of President Abdullahi Yusuf's decision this week to quit his post.

Observers said the violence in central Somalia is coming between a well-known Islamic militant group with alleged ties to al-Qaida called al-Shabab and a previously unknown group of more moderate Islamists called Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca. The latter group has declared a holy war on al-Shabab, blaming it for violence in the country, the BBC said.

You can read the rest of the report here: Somalia

Somalia remains on my list of countries to watch for 2009.


The next story is in the Democratic Republic of Congo:

Christmas massacres 'killed 400'

More than 400 people have been killed by Ugandan rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo in attacks since Christmas day, aid agency Caritas says.

The head of Caritas in DR Congo told the BBC some 20,000 people had fled to the mountains from the rebels, who have denied carrying out the attacks.

An eyewitness told the BBC that five people in Faradje had their lips cut off by Lord's Resistance Army fighters.

They were told that it was a warning not to speak ill of the rebels.
The armies of Uganda, South Sudan and DR Congo carried out a joint offensive against the rebels in mid-December after LRA leader Joseph Kony again refused to sign a peace deal.

You can read the rest of this report at this link:
Congo


That ends this World News update. Check back often as we are always posting new things.

Have a great day.