November 20, 2019 | Written By - Jane Jusko '21
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the now-former leader of the Islamic State, was killed in a raid which took place in Syria, by the United States, bringing damage to ISIS, but not enough to put down the movement. After both his successors, al-Baghdadi became leader and greatly expanded the influence of the terrorist organization. The group, however, acted largely independently of his control due to decentralized power structures, especially when safety measures limited his contact with the outside world. While analysts believe this does not mean the demise of the Islamic State, it continues to be a significant blow to the group.
Same-sex relations in Turkmenistan are punishable by up to two years in prison, but a recent increase in persecution of LGBT individuals in the nation has raised concerns. Just in recent weeks, Kasymberdy Garayev, 24, anonymously shared his story of living as a gay man in the country under the pseudonym “Kamil,” detailing a life of torment. Since he was exposed as the source of the story, he has gone missing. This recent instance shows what a hostile environment Turkmenistan is for the LGBT community, with government persecution escalating.
Update: Kasymberdy Garayev is free and safe, though it is unclear what happened to him.
Though Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev is sitting president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, the former president, is gaining new and extensive powers over government proceedings. A presidential decree was made public on October 21st giving Nazarbayev veto power over all proposed appointees to the government’s most powerful positions. Though Nazarbayev denied in an interview having any substantial claim to power, he has made it clear that he would not continue to cede power if he does not agree with what is being done. On the other hand, Tokayev has brought up public criticisms of many of Nazarbayev’s political actions and, despite Nazarbayev backing him in the election, the dissenting opinions of the two have led to a struggle over the Kazakhstani government.
A group of militants launched a nighttime attack on a checkpoint along Tajikistan’s border during the early hours of November 6, leaving at least seventeen dead. At least four men have been detained for this attack. Fifteen of those killed in the fight were attackers and the other two were government officials. The border attack was about fifty miles from the country’s capital and border officials say it was carried out by a group of people loyal to an Islamic State cell from Afghanistan, resulting in a shootout at the checkpoint, but ISIS has yet to claim the attack.
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