Weekly Snapshot
For the week ending 9/25/20
A summary of the most critical weekly global security events, with a focus solely on major issues. No non-essential politics, no commentary, and no noise.
Weekly Snapshot for 9/25/2020
Kim Jong-un Apologizes for Killing of South Korean Official; Stabbing in Paris; U.S to provide $700+ million for aid to Syria, Sahel
Kim Jong-un Apologizes for Killing of South Korean Official
Kim Jong-un issued a rare apology on September 25th for the killing of a South Korean official in North Korean waters. According to reports, a 47-year-old South Korean man who was found floating in North Korean waters earlier this week was shot and set on fire by members of the North Korean military. Kim acknowledged the killing in a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, characterizing it as a shameful act that should never have occurred. The killing was the first of a South Korean citizen at the hands of North Korean forces in a decade.
two stabbed in paris near former offices of charlie hebdo
Two individuals have been arrested for the stabbing of two others near the former offices of controversial satire magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The Charlie Hebdo offices were attacked in 2015 by two brothers claiming to be members of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Penninsula. The attack resulted in the deaths of 12 people. The motive and extent of the attack was still not entirely clear as of 10:30 EST, but the manner of the attack- specifically, the use of a meat cleaver- appears consistent with other extremist-inspired attacks that have occurred in Europe.
U.S. to provide humanitarian aid to syria, sahel, sudan
The United States Government has pledged $720 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria, as well as an additional $152 million for the African Sahel region and $108 million for South Sudan. The African Sahel is seen by many as an increasingly dangerous new front for terrorist activity, driven in part by food insecurity and population displacement. In South Sudan, the COVID-19 crisis has compounded an already deadly humanitarian crisis.
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Vows Revenge
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, vowed to avenge the death of former IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani by directly targeting those responsible for Soleimani’s death. Soleimani was reportedly killed by a U.S. drone strike outside of the Baghdad airport in January 2020.
China-Taiwan Tension High after chinese warplanes cross sensitive boundary
Chinese warplanes reportedly crossed the Strait of Taiwan on at least 40 occasions, inflaming tensions between the mainland China and the Taiwanese government. China has been particularly aggressive toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, flexing its geopolitical muscles while the world addresses the virus.