Afghanistan: 34 Taliban administrators captured or killed in 2014. The Taliban lost 34 "shadow administrators" - governors and lower-level officials - last year, throughout half of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. 'Approximately 57 percent of the Taliban shadow administrators reportedly killed in 2014 died in clashes with Afghan security forces [see second graph below]. It should be noted, however, that drone strikes in Kunar and Farah provinces resulted in the deaths of at least four Taliban shadow district administrators in 2014. And incidents involving "airstrikes" killed an additional two Taliban shadow district administrators in Kapisa and Badakhshan provinces; it is unclear if those airstrikes were conducted by conventional air assets or drones. In a separate case, one Taliban shadow administrator was killed during an incident of infighting. And in another unique case, Afghan residents gunned down a Taliban district administrator in Farah province in early June 2014. Only 11 percent of the Taliban administrators removed from the battlefield in 2014 were captured alive by security forces. ...' Go to the link for details and statistics.
Israel: Majority of Israeli Arabs proud to be Israelis - survey. '65% of Arabs described themselves as proud to be Israeli, and 59% said they felt a part of the state.' This via the Times of Israel; the American Interest adds, 'This does not mean that Israel is without flaws—as the survey showed, both Israelis in general and Arab Israelis in particular had lots they want to change about their state. But a majority clearly do not think it is evil or illegitimate; on the contrary, pride is a pretty strong word.'
Kenya: Activists challenge Security Act. 'Human rights groups are warning that Kenya's controversial Security Amendment Act still poses a threat to refugees' rights despite a high court decision on Friday that suspends parts of the bill for 30 days pending a full court hearing. The suspension included a section of the wide-ranging bill, popularly known as the 'anti-terror' law, that amended Kenya's Refugees Act. The amendment stipulates that, "the number of refugees and asylum seekers permitted to stay in Kenya shall not exceed 150,000." ...'
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