U.S.-led strikes pound Islamic State in Iraq, kill 250 fighters

US led strikes pound Islamic State in Iraq, kill 250 fighters.
US led strikes pound Islamic State in Iraq, kill 250 fighters.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led coalition aircraft waged a series of deadly strikes against Islamic State around the city of Falluja on Wednesday, U.S. officials told Reuters, with one citing a preliminary estimate of at least 250 suspected fighters killed and at least 40 vehicles destroyed.

If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly ever against the jihadist group. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the operation and noted preliminary estimates can change.

The strikes, which the officials said took place south of the city, where civilians have also been displaced, are just the latest battlefield setback suffered by Islamic State in its self-proclaimed “caliphate” of Iraq and Syria.

The group’s territorial losses are not diminishing concerns about its intent and ability to strike abroad though. Turkey pointed the finger at Islamic State on Wednesday for a triple suicide bombing and gun attack that killed 41 people at Istanbul’s main airport.

CIA chief John Brennan told a forum in Washington the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic State “depravity” and acknowledged there was a long road ahead battling the group, particularly its ability to incite attacks.

“We’ve made, I think, some significant progress, along with our coalition partners, in Syria and Iraq, where most of the ISIS members are resident right now,” Brennan said.

“But ISIS’ ability to continue to propagate its narrative, as well as to incite and carry out these attacks — I think we still have a ways to go before we’re able to say that we have made some significant progress against them.”

On the battlefield, the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State has moved up a gear in recent weeks, with the government declaring victory over Islamic State in Falluja.

An alliance of militias have also launched a major offensive against the militant group in the city of Manbij in northern Syria.

Still, in a reminder of the back-and-forth nature of the war, U.S.-backed Syrian rebels were pushed back from the outskirts of an Islamic State-held town on the border with Iraq and a nearby air base on Wednesday after the jihadists mounted a counter- attack, two rebel sources said.

White House honors City of Houston for creating a welcoming environment for new Americans

920x920

More than 50 municipal and county governments recognized for immigrant integration efforts

The White House has honored the City of Houston and more than 50 other U.S. cities and county governments for their innovative and proactive efforts to bring all residents into their communities’ cultural and economic fabric.  Houston’s Office of International Communities was recognized for its successful community partnerships designed to serve the city’s burgeoning immigrant and refugee population through programs promoting civic engagement, citizenship application assistance and language access.

“The City of Houston is honored to be part of this growing movement which recognizes that welcoming all residents, including immigrants who have made this country their new home is the right thing to do, in line with the ideal of inclusiveness that we all value as Americans,” said Mayor Turner.  “It is also smart economic policy for us to work as unified communities to build and maintain a strong economy and enhance our nation’s global competitive edge.”

The governmental entities honored are part of the Building Welcoming Communities Campaign, a partnership of The White House Task Force on New Americans, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Welcoming America, a national nonprofit organization that encourages communities to engage in local immigrant integration efforts.

U.S. President Barack Obama has called on these communities to act on a set of principles to build inclusive, welcoming communities that allow all residents to thrive and advance integration efforts in three core areas: civic, economic, and linguistic integration.

For more about the Building Welcoming Communities Campaign, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/new-americans

For more information about the Office of International Communities, a division of the Department of Neighborhoods, call 832.393.1010 or visit https://www.houstontx.gov.

City of Houston cracks down on illegal scrap tire operations

Photo culled from the Houston Chronicle shows tires discarded along Laura Koppe Road at Jensen Street, one of thousands of illegal dumps.
Photo culled from the Houston Chronicle shows tires discarded along Laura Koppe Road at Jensen Street, one of thousands of illegal dumps.

Effective July 1, 2016, the grace period for compliance with the City of Houston’s Scrap Tire Ordinance will expire and enforcement will begin in earnest.  The ordinance, approved by City Council in 2015, requires scrap tire operations to register with the City and establishes regulations and procedures for the safe transportation, storage, recordkeeping and proper disposal of scrap tires

“More than 19,000 tires have been hauled away since February as the City works to clean up illegal dump sites that can serve as breeding grounds for the mosquito-born Zika Virus,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.  “This is a huge problem in our neighborhoods and we have to attack it from every angle.”

All businesses that are involved in the used/scrap tire business will be required to register and/or obtain a permit annually with the City of Houston. Tire transporters must display a City issued decals on their trucks.  Tire generators must allow inspection of their records annually.  On Friday, inspectors will be visiting businesses to check for compliance.  The cost to register is $93.93 for a business that generate scrap tires and $172 for entities that transport tires.  Owners who refuse to register with the City will be ticketed.  Fines are $250 per day, per offense.

Residents can help reduce scrap tire problems by purchasing retreaded tires and properly maintaining tires to extend their life and increase the chance that they can be retreaded. Keep tires inflated at the recommended inflation level. Under inflation can waste up to 5% of a car’s fuel.  Repair punctures, maintain alignment, and rotate tires every 6,000 – 8,000 miles.

Residents with  tire swings or dock tire bumpers are urged to puncture holes in the tires so they won’t hold water. This will help deter mosquito breeding grounds and prevent water accumulation in tires.

Houston – New partnership increases glass recycling drop off locations

Through a new partnership with Strategic Materials Inc., North America’s largest glass recycler, the City of Houston is able to offer residents a more convenient way to recycle glass.

“Since the removal of glass from the City’s single stream recycling program earlier this year, we have been working to find ways for residents to conveniently continue to recycle glass,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.  “I want to thank Strategic Materials for stepping up to plate to provide a workable solution.”

Strategic Materials is working with industry partners and local communities to cover the cost of glass recycling drop off boxes at a total of ten locations throughout Houston with the goal of continuing to expand the program.  The first two locations will open this weekend at:

  • Sharpstown Park – 6600 Harbor Town Drive, accessible during park hours
  • Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center – 2208 Washington Ave, accessible 24 hours

“We are fortunate to be supported by the Mayor and the City in the pursuit to further support glass recycling,”  said Strategic Materials, Inc. CEO Denis Suggs.  “We hope to identify additional partners within the community and our customer base to grow the recycling locations in the upcoming weeks and months. Our innate desire to preserve our environment and keep our city clean brings us together in a meaningful way to support glass recycling in Houston.”

The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department will send out notices as the other eight locations are added to this pilot program. The locations and progress of the program will also be available on the Strategic Materials company website.  These new drop off locations sponsored by SMI and partners are in addition to the nine existing City of Houston neighborhood depositories where residents are able to recycle glass and other items.

Due to cost concerns, glass was removed from the City’s curbside recycling program last March. Information about this pilot project, curbside recycling and other topics is available at www.houstonsolidwaste.org. Individuals are also reminded to empty and rinse all glass containers, and remove all corks, caps and lids before dropping them off.

Obama to campaign with Clinton, Trump shrinks gap

Obaba hillary

Washington (AFP) – President Barack Obama will campaign with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton for the first time next Tuesday, as a new poll shows a tightening race with Republican Donald Trump.

The Democratic pair is scheduled to visit Charlotte, in the swing state of North Carolina, where they will “discuss building on the progress we’ve made and their vision for an America that is stronger together,” Clinton’s campaign said in a statement Wednesday.

Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida — the worst mass shooting in US history.

Obama endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries.

“I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office,” Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady.

“I’m with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary,” added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008.

North Carolina is one of about a dozen battleground states where November’s election is expected to be decided.

Obama won North Carolina by less than half a percentage point against Republican John McCain in 2008. Four years later, Obama lost it to Mitt Romney by two points.

– Bruising showdown –

The joint appearance the day after the July 4 Independence holiday comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the nomination race, despite Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch outright victory at next month’s party nominating convention.

But Clinton has moved on, turning the entirety of her effort towards a bruising showdown with Trump as she aims to become the nation’s first female president.

The race is too close to call, with the brash billionaire narrowing the gap with Clinton, according to the latest Quinnipiac University national poll.

Respondents put Clinton ahead of Trump just 42 percent to 40 percent, a narrowing from Clinton’s four-point margin in the organization’s June 1 survey.

The poll is considerably closer than the 12-point Clinton advantage in Sunday’s ABC News/Washington Post poll.

Quinnipiac’s survey notably showed that 61 percent believe the 2016 election “has increased the level of hatred and prejudice” across the country.

Of that group, two thirds blame the Trump campaign, with just 16 percent blaming Clinton’s team.

Trump has made several incendiary statements during the campaign, including a call for banning Muslims from entering the United States, and describing Mexicans as rapists and criminals.

Meanwhile, respected election data analyst and FiveThirtyEight.com founder Nate Silver, who correctly predicted 50 out of 50 states in the 2012 presidential election, on Wednesday said Clinton was a 75 or 80 percent favorite over Trump.

“There’s a lot of football left to be played, but she’s ahead in almost every poll, every swing state, every national poll,” Silver told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Trump’s rhetoric has alarmed and angered many in his own party, and there is a longshot conservative movement afoot to deny him the nomination at the party convention in July.

Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell has endorsed him, but only tepidly, and late Tuesday he acknowledged Trump was not yet a “credible” candidate.

“Trump clearly needs to change, in my opinion, to win the general election,” McConnell told Time Warner Cable News.

But Trump was his old contentious self Wednesday, spending several minutes of a rally in Bangor, Maine attacking Republicans whom he had already defeated in the primaries for not honoring their signed pledge to support the party’s nominee.

“They should never be allowed to run for public office again because what they did is disgraceful,” he boomed.

He also bucked his own party by voicing strong opposition to a stalled trans-Pacific trade deal and saying he wanted to “renegotiate” NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement signed by Clinton’s husband.

 

Nigeria’s sovereignty is negotiable, Soyinka told The Punch

Soyinka... “We cannot continue to allow a centralisation policy which makes the constituent units of this nation resentful; they say monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. And the idea of centralising revenues, allocation system, whereby you dole out; the thing is insulting and it is what I call anti-healthy rivalry. It is against the incentives to make states viable.”
Soyinka… “We cannot continue to allow a centralisation policy which makes the constituent units of this nation resentful; they say monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. And the idea of centralising revenues, allocation system, whereby you dole out; the thing is insulting and it is what I call anti-healthy rivalry. It is against the incentives to make states viable.”

By Tunde Odesola, Tobi Aworinde  and Toluwani Eniola  |  Punch

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has lent his voice to the growing calls for the restructuring of the Nigerian federation, saying the sovereignty of the nation is negotiable.

Speaking during a visit to PUNCH Place, the corporate headquarters of PUNCH Nigeria Limited, Kilometre 14, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, on Tuesday, Soyinka said decentralisation of the nation would ensure healthy rivalry among the component units.

The laureate said it was wrong for previous administrations in the country to say that Nigeria’s sovereignty was non-negotiable, submitting that the position was antithetical to development.

Soyinka added, “I am on the side of those who say we must do everything to avoid disintegration. That language I understand. I don’t understand (ex-President Olusegun) Obasanjo’s language. I don’t understand (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s language and all their predecessors, saying the sovereignty of this nation is non-negotiable. It’s bloody well negotiable and we had better negotiate it. We better negotiate it, not even at meetings, not at conferences, but everyday in our conduct towards one another.

“We had better understand it too that when people are saying ‘let’s restructure’, they have better things to do. It’s not an idle cry; it is a perennial demand. The Pro-National Conference Organisation was about restructuring when this same Obasanjo said it was an act of treason for people to come together to fashion a new constitution. Those were fighting words; that you’re saying, ‘I commit treason because I want to sit with my fellow citizens and negotiate the structures of staying together’ and ask the police to go and break it up and arrest us.

“I remember that policeman, who said if we met, that would be treason. I wasn’t a member of PRONACO at the time. That’s when I joined PRONACO. If you’re saying to me, ‘I am a second-class citizen; I cannot sit down and discuss the articles, the protocols of staying together’ and you’re trying to bully me, I won’t accept.”

He said Nigeria could not continue with a centralisation policy, which encouraged what he described as “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop” mentality.

Soyinka said the over centralisation of government had resulted in resentment among constituent states, adding that the phenomenon was insulting and promoted anti-healthy rivalry among states.

He stated, “We cannot continue to allow a centralisation policy which makes the constituent units of this nation resentful; they say monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. And the idea of centralising revenues, allocation system, whereby you dole out; the thing is insulting and it is what I call anti-healthy rivalry. It is against the incentives to make states viable.”

He said the centralisation of government led to the proliferation of states during the military era when, according to him, a state was created because the girlfriend of a certain military leader hailed from the state.

He said it was high time government established state police to check the rising security challenges in the country, stressing that policing was more effective when localised.

Soyinka added, “I know people get nervous about that expression. If you go to a place like England, you sometimes see two, three, four police (officers) just walking casually unarmed, but they are observing everything.

“Now, if policing is all of that, then I think the police are more efficient if they are based within a smaller constituency than a larger one. Within such constituencies, the policeman virtually knows everybody. A federal, centralised system of police lacks that advantage.

“So, I find it very difficult to accept that people can be nervous about the state police. State police has been abused. Nobody is denying that; it’s historical. Don’t tell us because we know already. But isn’t centralised police also abused? Look at what’s been coming out from the last elections, not just the police, but the military.”

Condemning the killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen across the country, the Professor of Comparative Literature said the phenomenon had become an albatross that must be tackled frontally by the Federal Government.

Soyinka said the intrusive nature of Fulani herdsmen was no longer a remote problem for him personally, alleging that some Fulani herdsmen had invaded the privacy of his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

I am on the side of those who say we must do everything to avoid disintegration. That language I understand. I don’t understand (ex-President Olusegun) Obasanjo’s language. I don’t understand (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s language and all their predecessors, saying the sovereignty of this nation is non-negotiable. It’s bloody well negotiable and we had better negotiate it. We better negotiate it, not even at meetings, not at conferences, but everyday in our conduct towards one another.

“It is no longer a remote problem for me. It is an actuality,” he said, recalling that the killings carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Enugu some months ago was mismanaged by the government.

“In Enugu, why did it take so long to investigate the killings? It’s like the case of Ese Oruru. What is all this? What is security for? That thing should have been addressed immediately. (In Enugu), they shouldn’t have waited for directives from Buhari or anybody. This is a crime against humanity. There should be no debate about it.

“The military should have been drafted there immediately; the police, first of all, and the military – if necessary. I found out that the victims were arrested; what’s all that about? This menace is underestimated. If they had reached my secure place in Abeokuta, then it is no longer a remote problem.”

He faulted the proposal to create grazing reserves for herdsmen in the country, saying rather than do that, ranches, where members of the public could go to buy cows and goats, should be created.

The octogenarian said the term “grazing reserve” would convey the meaning that government had carved out some people’s land for herdsmen to use for their commercial enterprise.

“The word ‘reserve’ is the problem. If there are ranches, it doesn’t matter where they are built, ranches are a commercial proposition, it isn’t a Fulani issue. You can create ranches so that cows, goats could be bought there. This shouldn’t be an instrument of politics, race or ethnicity.

“But when you talk about reserves, it suggests that people can bring cattle from Futa Djallon, Senegal, and if they get here, they can get reserve. If it’s a ranch, it’s a pure commercial proposition, you want to trade. I will like to see these cattle people go back to the position they were before in which there was mutual collaboration between them and farmers,” he said.

Soyinka called on Buhari to consider the report of the 2014 National Conference convened during the tenure of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, lamenting that the country had been moving round in circles without direction.

“We have a habit of consigning files to the dust shelves and then we start all over again. The (confab) report that came under Jonathan is even more superior to the one that I participated in as a member of PRONACO and I think that should be addressed seriously.

“The recommendations strike me as workable, practical, and in fact, as answering some of the anxieties of this nation. This is something I think that Buhari should tackle seriously,” he said.

World must focus on poorest children: UNICEF

Part-DEL-Del6327711-1-1-0

The world must focus more on helping the poorest children to build on progress achieved in health and education over the past 25 years, UNICEF said Tuesday.

In its annual “State of the World’s Children” report, the UN children’s agency took stock of important gains such as a 53 percent drop in infant mortality since 1990 and a dramatic reduction in extreme poverty.

But without a sharper focus on the most vulnerable, it warned, 69 million children under five will die from preventable causes and 167 million will suffer poverty over the next 15 years.

Without a shift, some 750 million women and girls will have been married as children by 2030, the deadline set by the United Nations to achieve its new global goals for sustainable development.

Progress so far “has mainly been made by focusing a lot on children that are more easy to reach, or on interventions on health and nutrition with a high impact,” said Justin Forsyth, UNICEF’s deputy executive director.

“What we are finding now is that if we do not focus on the most disadvantaged we won’t accelerate this progress,” he added. “We have made tremendous progress,” said Ted Chaiban, director of programs at UNICEF. “But that progress has not been fair.”

The world’s poorest children are twice as likely to die before they turn five and to be chronically malnourished than the richest, according to UNICEF.

Across much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children born to mothers with no education are almost three times more likely to die before they are 5 than those born to mothers with a secondary education.

Girls from the poorest households are twice as likely to marry as children than those from the wealthiest households.

The number of children out of school, on the rise since 2011, presents another worrying trend. With around 124 million children today who do not attend primary or middle school, education is key to reaching the most vulnerable, Chaiban argued.

“Where there has been a strong investment in basic education around the world, there has been a tremendous return on investment,” he said. Each year of education completed increases adult earnings by 10 percent. With no action to address inequality, societies worldwide will feel “a dramatic impact and it will fuel instability,” Forsyth said.

Australian mosque attacked after Istanbul terror attack

The scene outside a mosque in Perth, Australia, where cars were set alight in an anti-Muslim attack.
The scene outside a mosque in Perth, Australia, where cars were set alight in an anti-Muslim attack.

A mosque in Western Australia’s Perth city was attacked late on Tuesday in what is being described as an anti-Muslim ‘act of hate’.

Police in Perth confirmed that four cars were set ablaze outside the mosque, one of which exploded, while the mosque’s imam said he suspected an accelerant perhaps a petrol bomb had been used.

Yahya Adel Ibrahim, the imam, said young children had been praying inside the mosque at the time of the attack, which he called an “act of hate.”

The attackers also defaced the building with spray paint. The incident occurred after suicide bombers struck an Istanbul airport, killing at least 36 people, though it is not clear if the attackers were motivated by that tragedy.

Vandals also scrawled expletives remarks about Islam on a wall outside the mosque in Thornlie, Perth, which is adjacent to the Australian Islamic College. Hundreds of local Muslims had gathered there for evening prayers.

No one was injured in the attack.

Thornlie Mosque Imam Yahya Adel Ibrahim told CNN that worshipers had run outside when they heard one of the cars explode.

“Most people were in dismay and alarm, (asking), ‘why us really? Don’t they know that there are children inside?’ This is a place of prayer,” he said.

“The fear and apprehension — the neighborhood is quite traumatized by it. This is a residential area, there are homes ten feet across the road.”

Writing about the attack on his Facebook page, in a post which has been shared hundreds of times, Ibrahim said the attack was the act of a few individuals, not a whole society.

“This, undoubtedly, is a criminal act of hate,” he wrote.

All Signs Point to ISIS in Istanbul Attack That Left 36 Dead, Turkish PM Says

Ambulances arrive at Turkey's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
Ambulances arrive at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.

At least 36 people were dead and 147 others injured following a terrorist attack at an international airport in Istanbul, and all signs point to ISIS as being responsible, according to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The attack drew swift condemnation from officials in Turkey as well as the White House.

“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s heinous terrorist attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport in Turkey, which appears to have killed and injured dozens,” said a statement from White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. “We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism.”

According to Yildirim, three attackers carrying weapons arrived in a taxi to Ataturk airport, one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs. Further details about the attack were not immediately available.

Foreign nationals and police officers were among the wounded, according to Yildirim. Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Turkey said at least seven Saudis were injured in the attack and all are in stable condition.

Yildirim also insisted there was no security lapse at the airport.

Paramedics push a stretcher at Turkey's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
Paramedics push a stretcher at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.

The airport has since been reopened, and flights between the U.S. and Istanbul have resumed. Airports in the United States have beefed up security in the wake of the attack, around 10 p.m. local time, a busy time for the airport, with flights arriving from Europe and leaving for the Persian Gulf and other parts of the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement condemning the attack that “has no objective.” The president also said the attack shows “terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values,” since it occurred during the holy month of Ramadan.

“We expect the international community, especially the Western countries including their administrations, parliaments, media organs and civil societies, to take a firm stand against terrorism,” Erdogan said.

The attack comes one day after the U.S. State Department updated its travel warning for Turkey, advising that “foreign and U.S. tourists have been explicitly targeted by international and indigenous terrorist organizations” and mentioning “aviation services” along with other targets for extremists. In March the U.S. ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government personnel posted to the U.S. Consulate in Adana and family members of U.S. government civilians in Izmir province through July 26, 2016.

Turkey is one of the main European tourist destinations for Americans. A total of 181,298 U.S. tourists have arrived in Turkey so far this year, with 60,000 arriving last month alone.

All U.S. Chief of Mission personnel have been accounted for, according to the U.S. State Department, and the government is “making every effort to account for the welfare of U.S. citizens in the city.” Turkey has been dealing with multiple security threats from the Kurdish separatist group the PKK, as well as ISIS.

Earlier this month, a car bomb attack on a police bus killed seven officers and four civilians in central Istanbul. Today’s attack was the fifth major one so far this year in the city, Turkey’s largest.

Michelle Obama, daughters in Africa to push girls’ education

57717abd39b53

KAKATA, Liberia (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama visited a leadership camp for girls in Liberia to launch her latest Africa visit Monday, urging the teens in one of the world’s poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school.

With her own teenage daughters joining her, Obama told the girls she was “just so thrilled to be here with you.”

“I’m here to shine a big bright light on you,” she said.

Education for girls is the central theme of the first lady’s trip, which also includes stops in Morocco and Spain. She was welcomed on her arrival in Liberia with a red carpet and traditional dancers.

U.S. First lady Michelle Obama, left, listens to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
U.S. First lady Michelle Obama, left, listens to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

In connection with the first lady’s visit, USAID announced up to $27 million in funding in Liberia programming for Let Girls Learn, an initiative launched by Mrs. Obama and President Barack Obama last year.

The first lady is traveling with her mother and daughters Malia, 17, who recently graduated from high school, and Sasha, 15.

Liberia was battered by civil wars between 1989 and 2003. Ebola swept the country in 2014, killing more than 4,800. Schools were closed for months.

The country was founded as part of an effort to resettle freed American slaves and has deep ties to the United States. The country’s oldest vocational high school, located in Kakata, is named for African-American civil rights activist Booker T. Washington.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, centre, is welcomed by Peace Corp teachers and students at a project 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the capital city Monrovia in Kakata, Liberia, Monday, June 27, 2016. Michelle Obama is visiting a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, Monday, the first stop in her latest Africa visit, in a country still recovering from the recent Ebola epidemic that left thousands dead. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, centre, is welcomed by Peace Corp teachers and students at a project 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the capital city Monrovia in Kakata, Liberia, Monday, June 27, 2016. Michelle Obama is visiting a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, Monday, the first stop in her latest Africa visit, in a country still recovering from the recent Ebola epidemic that left thousands dead. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)

The school suspended mid-term exams scheduled to start Monday “to allow the students to give Mrs. Obama a rousing welcome to appreciate what the United States has done for us,” principal Harris Tarnue said.

“She will be a real inspiration to the young girls around here,” he said.

Obama’s previous Africa visits as first lady included Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Tanzania.

x Close

Like Us On Facebook