Before dawn on Feb. 8, near Silverbell, Arizona, two men fired high-powered assault rifles at a pickup truck carrying migrants who had just crossed the border on their way to Phoenix. Three migrants—one Mexican man, one Guatemalan man and one Mexican woman—were killed, and one woman was seriously wounded. The alleged guide leading the trip, a man from Mexico, was shot in the hand and is under arrest. The driver of the pickup and some two dozen other migrants remain missing. Four witnesses who survived have told conflicting stories about the details about the shooting. It is not clear whether the attack was the work of rival smugglers, extremist vigilantes or what are known as bajadores—crews of bandits who steal human cargo from smugglers to extort ransom from migrants' families. (Washington Post, Feb. 19; Arizona Daily Star, Feb. 28; New York Times, Feb. 9)

China's Premier Wen Jiabao opened the annual session of the country's parliament March 5 with a call for economic growth to be balanced with environmental protection and efforts to tackle a growing urban-rural wealth gap. "Protect social equity and justice, and let all the people together enjoy the fruits of reform and development," he told the National People's Congress in Beijing. (The Guardian, March 5) This won some global headlines, but the context for it was generally overlooked—the growing threat of rural unrest as peasants are increasingly expropriated of their lands in China's breakneck and largely lawless drive for "development." China has heretofore been using the proverbial iron first against rebel peasants, but the past few months have seen an effort on the part of the central government to address the roots of the problem by reining in illegal land sales by local authorities—as the below Sept. 6, 2006 story from the state news agency Xinhua indicates. The fact that such measures are even necessary should end once and for all the illusion that the People's Republic is "communist" in anything other than name.

As his trial opened at The Hague March 5, Former Kosova prime minister Ramush Haradinaj pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes stemming from his time as a regional commander of the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA). Standing trial with him are Idriz Balaj, the commander of the "Black Eagles," a special unit of the KLA, and Lahi Brahimaj, Haradinaj's uncle and a close associate. "These three men come before you accused of crimes—ugly, cruel, and violent crimes," Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte told the court in her opening statement. "Be in no doubt that this warlord, his lieutenant and his jailer have blood on their hands." The high-profile trial comes at a sensitive time for Kosova, as a controversial UN plan proposing limited independence for the province is drawing widespread protest. Last month, Haradinaj called for patience during the negotiations. (EuroNews, Boston Globe, March 7)

For the second time in less than 24 hours, the US military March 5 acknowledged involvement in an incident that caused multiple civilian deaths in Afghanistan—this time, an air strike that killed nine people from the same family. Afghan authorities say suspected Taliban insurgents targeted a NATO base late March 4 in Kapisa province, just north of Kabul. When the US forces returned fire, they apparently hit a civilian house killing at least five women and several young children. NATO will only say the matter is under investigation. The UN's Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also said it would be issuing its own report on the incident. US officials blamed insurgents for placing civilians in harm's way by deliberately staging attacks certain to draw retaliation. Some 20 Afghan civilians have died since March 4 as a result of attacks from US and NATO forces, and this is provoking anger in Afghanistan. A large protest was held March 5 in Jalalabad, where hundreds of students took to the streets chanting anti-American slogans following the previous day's incident which left at least 10 civilians dead following an attack on a convoy of Marines. Witnesses say US forces kept firing after the insurgents had fled. (Pakistan Tribune, March 7; Radio Free Afghanistan, Toronto Star, March 6)

Another appalling op-ed in the New York Times March 5, this one arguing that an amnesty for war criminals is "good for Afghan democracy." This Orwellian exercise, "New Justice, No Peace," is by Richard May, a fellow with the World Security Institute's Center for Defense Information, and a former captain with the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Afghanistan's parliament has approved the amnesty law letting all the warlords from all the factions that tore the country apart for a generation totally off the hook. International human rights groups are petitioning President Hamid Karzai not to sign it. While paying patronizing lip service to critics' "humanitarian feelings," May writes that "President Karzai should sign the law—for four good reasons." A very dangerous historical revisionism is clear in May's reasons—portraying the warlords as Cold War heroes.

From CNW Telbec, Canada, March 5:

Reporters Without Borders called for an explanation from the US Army for threats and censorship against Afghan journalists, two of them working for the Associated Press (AP), while covering civilian deaths in shooting by US special forces on the road between Kabul and Jalalabad in the east.

Hmmm, didn't the Brits just invoke "progress" in Basra to justify their planned withdrawal? From Arab Monitor, March 5:

BAGHDAD - In a move to end their Iraqi allies' uncontrolled violence, US and British troops began yesterday to venture into Shiite militia strongholds in Baghdad and Basra. In Basra, British troops are reported to have found some 30 prisoners held in an unaccounted-for prison. Prime Minister Nouri al-Malki hurried to condemn the raid on what he called the Basra security compound and ordered an immediate investigation "to punish those who carried out this illegal and irresponsible act", as voiced out by an official statement released by his office. A woman and her two children are reported to have been found among the prisoners discovered in the Basra facility. The British military command declined to give information about the fate of these captives.

Seven Colombian soldiers and 11 guerillas were killed over the March 3-4 weekend in the heaviest combat in recent months. Gen. Alejandro Navas, commander of the military's Omega joint task force, said engagements began early March 3 with a large column from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Puerto Rico, Meta department, on the eastern plains. (Reuters, March 4)