Pakistan’s ‘war on terror’ approach is dangerous
OPINIONOPINION, Refusing to see the roots of insurgencies, using ‘terrorism’ labels, and scapegoating neighbours are not winning strategies. On March 11, fighters from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar. After a 36-hour standoff, the Pakistani security forces were able to kill the BLA operatives and release hundreds of hostages. According to the government, at least eight civilians lost their lives during the operation. Pakistani officials were quick to blame Afghanistan and India for what they called a “terrorist incident”. This is the latest example of how the Pakistani authorities increasingly deflect responsibility and frame Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan in the language of “war on terror”. Almost three months before the train hijacking, Pakistani fighter jets bombarded Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces, killing at least 46 people, including women and children. Many of the casualties were displaced people from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Pakistan justified its violation of Afghan sovereignty and international law by claiming that it is targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters hiding on Afghan territory. Over the past two years, Islamabad has been accusing Kabul of harbouring “terrorists” who have carried out attacks on Pakistani territory. Advertisement This is the same logic the United States employed to conduct air raids, kidnappings, targeted killings, etc throughout the Muslim world during its so-called “war on terror”. In doing so, the US trampled over all the conventions the world had endorsed affirming state sovereignty, the distinction between civilians and combatants, proportionate response and the rights of prisoners of war. The US army and intelligence saw civilians as active combatants or “collateral damage” that was inevitable when a “high-value target” was pursued. Whole countries and civilian populations paid the price for “terrorist” strikes conducted by armed groups – and they still do. That is because the US may have withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq, but the legacy of its practices remains and is readily embraced by governments in the region. Pakistan’s government is one of them. Throughout the 20-year US occupation of Afghanistan, Pakistan refused to see the Afghan Taliban as “terrorists” and continued sheltering and supporting the group. Yet today, the Pakistani authorities label the TTP and BLA as “terrorist” groups and the Afghan Taliban government as sponsors of “terrorism”. They refuse to see these local insurgencies as politically motivated rational actors who could be reasoned with or whose grievances should be heard. How Pakistan chooses to deal with these groups is an internal matter, but there are a few lessons from the recent American adventurism that ought to be heeded. The US cast a wide definition of “terrorism” in which Muslims at home and abroad became suspect. In Afghanistan, it lumped its enemy al-Qaeda with the Taliban and at times Afghan civilians. Advertisement The imprisonment and torture of alleged Taliban members only fed the fervour of Taliban fighters and led to an escalation in violence. Indiscriminate drone strikes on civilian communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan not only violated sovereignty, but also encouraged young men to join the Afghan Taliban and TTP. Several attempts by the Taliban to negotiate with the US did not bear fruit until 2021, when, exhausted by a two-decade occupation and war, Washington decided to withdraw, basically accepting defeat. It is easy to dismiss movements as “terrorist” and refuse to see any path of reconciliation. But as the American example shows, this approach does not end well. Instead of trying to drag the US into another war on “terror” – as US media outlet Drop Site has reported – the Pakistani authorities should learn from the American experience. They cannot feign ignorance about groups like TTP and BLA; they are dealing with their own citizens, who have clear grievances. The Pakistani government has to hear the demands of these groups and find a way to negotiate with them. It has to recognise the suffering of the civilian populations in the regions where BLA and TTP operate. It also needs to put an end to violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty and scapegoating the Taliban government for their own security failures under the guise of “war on terror”. If the Pakistani military decides not to learn from recent history and follows in the footsteps of the United States, it is quite likely it is to meet its fate. Advertisement The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
New border sector becomes nation’s busiest as overall encounters continue to plummet on Trump watch
The El Paso sector of the southwest border has become the busiest in the country as overall encounters at the border continue to freefall. The El Paso sector, which extends from Hudspeth County, Texas, to the New Mexico-Arizona state line, became the busiest sector on the southwest border in February, with the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data showing it recorded 2,110 encounters last month. Overall, CBP data shows 8,347 encounters at the southwest border in February, a stunning 94.1% drop from the same month last year, when 124,215 encounters were recorded. TRUMP POLICY ON BORDER JUMPERS EMPOWERS USE OF ‘MAXIMUM CONSEQUENCES,’ BORDER AGENT TELLS FOX While the El Paso sector took the crown for the busiest, the just over 2,000 encounters for the area still represented a significant year-over-year drop from the numbers recorded during February of last year, when the sector had 23,919 encounters. The February numbers in El Paso also represented a drop from last month, with the sector recording 4,870 encounters in January 2025. El Paso replaced the San Diego sector as the busiest on the southwest border in February, with San Diego recording just 1,650 encounters last month, a decline of 94.8% from the year before. The numbers for San Diego were also a dramatic drop from those recorded just last month, when the sector recorded 6,390 encounters. TRUMP PUTTING TROOPS ON BORDER WAS GAME CHANGER, SAN DIEGO SECTOR CHIEF SAYS: ‘FORCE MULTIPLIER’ CBP has nine sectors on the southwest border from the coast of California extending east to Texas and the Gulf of America. Multiple sectors along the border recorded under 200 total encounters in February, including the El Centro sector in the Imperial Valley of California and the Big Bend sector of West Texas. The El Centro sector recorded the fewest encounters in February, with CBP data showing just 102, a 91.6% reduction from the same time last year. The Big Ben sector wasn’t far behind, recording just 165 encounters in February, marking a 71% drop from the same month last year.
Vermont GOP pushes for penalties against Dems accused of disrupting ‘Detrans Awareness Day’ at Capitol
Green Mountain Republicans are pushing for the discipline or resignation of two Democrats they say “coordinated” a protest inside the State House that disrupted a meeting the Vermont Family Alliance was holding for “Detrans Awareness Day.” Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that state Reps. Mari Cordes of Lincoln and Jubilee McGill of Middlebury played an “active role” in the disruption that went viral across the nation – including on Fox News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime.” Video footage from the Vermont Daily Chronicle featured by Watters and other journalists showed men dressed in women’s clothing singing loudly, while other disrupters shouted loud enough to stifle Vermont Family Alliance speaker Renee McGuiness, who had a microphone. “Intentionally recruiting people – that crosses the line for me,” Dame said. DANCING TRANSGENDER HECKLERS SHUT DOWN PARENTS’ EVENT IN BLUE STATE’S CAPITOL While some Democrats in Montpelier, who control the state House and Senate, are interested in working across the aisle with their Republican colleagues and the GOP governor, Dame said many “are not interested in governance for everyone.” In a statement, the VTGOP cited a Facebook post from a “Middlebury Pride” page that sought to congregate to “push back against transphobic bigots and their lies.” “Join us for a trans dance at the Statehouse in Montpelier on 3/12 at 12:30 to make our presence known. Trans joy is rebellious. Trans joy is irrepressible,” the post read. “Wear a mask – Trans power forever.” The disrupted meeting was intended to highlight resources available to former transgender people who had de-transitioned to their biological sex and are experiencing physical, mental or emotional aftereffects of their original transgender surgeries. On the Facebook page, McGill posted a comment under the announcement that included the official day’s schedule for the room in question. RNC FILES LAWSUIT OVER NONCITIZEN VOTING RIGHTS IN VERMONT’S LARGEST CITY “The attorney general will be meeting with the pages from 8:45-9:45. I am worried that there will be disruptions to their time together. I have seen posts all over informing people to be there at 8:45 with signs etc. and just wanted to get the word out,” she wrote. McGill and Cordes did not respond to requests for comment filed with the State House Sergeant-at-Arms office. Dame said it was “deeply regrettable to discover that instead of working on the issues Vermonters care most about” that the two women “used their positions as legislators in the State House to deliberately sabotage a peaceful informational meeting held by a group that shares a different perspective.” He called on House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, to consider disciplining the lawmakers for creating an “unnecessary debacle.” While some critics also found fault with Sergeant-at-Arms Agatha Kessler, whose office eventually cleared the room of both factions, Dame said she acted responsibly and is a “genuinely [politically] down-the-middle person.” The Democratic caucus was scheduled to use the room afterward, so by the time the enforcement office arrived, it was almost the end of the Detrans Awareness Day participants’ reservation. In a statement regarding Detrans Awareness Day and “subsequently planned counterdemonstrations,” Senate Majority Leader Kesha Ram Hinsdale and House Majority Leader Lori Houghton, both Democrats representing Chittenden, said the legislative majority jointly “reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the rights and freedoms of all Vermonters.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Personal health decisions and gender identity are deeply personal matters – not political talking points. Every individual deserves the dignity and respect to make these choices free from public scrutiny, interference, or government overreach,” the lawmakers said. Hinsdale added separately that “trans Vermonters [have a] right to access the medical care, safety, and legal protections they deserve. We reject any efforts to turn their existence into a political debate.” McGuinness later demanded an apology from Houghton and Hinsdale for publicly “mischaracterizing our event as an attack on the transgender community.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Vermont Gov. Phil Scott – a Republican – for comment, but did not receive a response by press time. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Illinois families protest homeschool bill ‘overreach’ at Capitol, but legislation advances
A state bill protested by hundreds of homeschooling families at the Illinois state Capitol advanced out of committee on Wednesday and will head to the state House floor for a vote, likely sometime next week, Fox News has learned. House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, passed out of the Education Policy Committee by a vote of 8-4. If it passes a House floor vote, the bill will then go to the full House for a vote, followed by the Senate and then onto the desk of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker, a Democrat, has not publicly taken any position on the bill. Fox News reached out to his office multiple times asking if he supports the bill and if he plans to sign it if it reaches his desk but has not received a response so far. The bill would establish requirements for parents to meet to homeschool their children and if they do not comply, they could face up to a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Hundreds of homeschooling families gathered inside the state Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, earlier Wednesday, condemning the bill as an overreach by lawmakers. Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News that the bill’s language was left “open-ended for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to be able to write different sections of regulations.” “If this bill is passed into law, it’s going to be expanded in future years to put even more restrictions on homeschool and private school families,” Estrada said after testifying at Wednesday’s hearing. “The record of homeschoolers shows that we do well academically, socially, emotionally and so why are we messing with them? That’s the question. This bill is a solution in search of a problem.” ILLINOIS PARENTS, LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED HOMESCHOOLING BILL: ‘DIRECT ASSAULT ON FAMILIES’ “We became homeschoolers in 2020 upon seeing all the government overreach, so the fact that they are now coming for us again with government overreach, I feel like it’s an attack on parental rights,” one homeschooling mother who showed up to the state Capitol protest, Michelle Langworthy, told Fox News. “There’s a part of the bill that says the school will be the one that will get to determine where the child’s records go that the parent no longer has that right.” “That is a such a gross overreach of what the state should be allowed to do. And they also say that the student should be educated to serve the state. That’s absurd,” Langworthy said. “I don’t align with the state. I don’t want what the state prioritizes to be the priority of my family. We have a different value system. We are not ownership of the state.” “We’re fine. We’re scoring high. We’re doing great. We’re involved in the community,” she said, condemning sexual abuse and harassment allegations within the Chicago Public Schools system. “They have no right coming to our side of the lane.” Another homeschooling parent, Luke Schurter, told Fox News at the state Capitol Wednesday that the bill is “taking a step back for homeschool freedom, not a step forward.” CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TEACHERS UNION REAFFIRM BEING A ‘SANCTUARY SPACE’ AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION “We want to choose what we teach our kids, how we raise our kids, how we instruct them, so we’re concerned that this is cracking that door open and then the next thing is going to be more requirements on ‘hey, we need to look and see, we need to dictate what the subjects you are teaching are, we need to dictate how much time you’re spending,’” the father of three said. “This would circumvent those efforts and bring them back under the authority and the watchful eye of the public school system.” The bill would require the State Board of Education to create a “Homeschool Declaration Form,” which a homeschooling parent must submit to essentially register their child in the nearest public school. The children of parents who do not submit the form would be “considered truant, with penalties applying,” according to a synopsis of the bill. A regional office of education or a school district could also request that homeschooling parents hand over an “education portfolio,” or a set of their child’s records, including writing samples, workbooks, worksheets or other logs of curricular materials. The portfolio would serve “as evidence that the homeschool administrator’s homeschool program provides a course of instruction that is sufficient to satisfy the education requirements set forth in Sections 26-1 and Section 27-1 of the School Code that is at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for public schools,” according to the bill text. Section 26-1 sets the compulsory school age at between 7 and 17 unless the child has already graduated from high school, while Section 27-1 is intended to ensure the areas of education taught in public schools do not discriminate on account of the sex of the student. The bill would also require homeschooling parents of children who participate in public school activities on or off school grounds to “submit proof that the child has received all required immunizations and health examinations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption.” Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
Protesters try to disrupt Gal Gadot’s ‘Walk of Fame’ star ceremony
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to disrupt the Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for Israeli actress Gal Gadot.
Trump warns Yemen’s Houthis will be ‘completely annihilated’
The US president renews his call for Iran to end support for the Yemeni group that has been targeting Israel over its war in Gaza. Washington, DC – Donald Trump has renewed his call for Iran to end its support for the Houthis, pledging that the Yemeni group will be defeated by the United States. The US president’s comments on Wednesday came a day after the Houthis claimed attacks targeting American warships in the Red Sea area, as well as a missile launch against Israel. Overnight, the US also continued strikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. “Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “They will be completely annihilated!” This month, the US has launched several waves of attacks against the Houthis, who control Sanaa and present themselves as the country’s official armed forces. Since 2023, the Houthis have been targeting ships in and around the Red Sea and launching missiles at Israel in an effort, they say, to pressure the Israeli government to end the war on Gaza. Advertisement The group paused its Red Sea attacks during the Gaza truce but restarted them earlier this month, in response to Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. The Houthis also resumed their direct military operations against Israel after the Israeli military broke a two-month ceasefire, killing hundreds of Palestinians this week. The administration of former US President Joe Biden also bombed Houthi positions in Yemen, but Washington’s campaign failed to stop the group’s attacks. In his social media post on Wednesday, Trump cited “reports” claiming that Iran is decreasing its support for the Houthis but is still “sending large levels of Supplies”. “Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote. “Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly.” Trump previously threatened Iran with retaliation if it does not rein in the Houthis. While the Houthis — known formally as Ansar Allah — are allied with Iran, it is not clear how much they rely on Iranian support or whether Tehran can order them to stop their attacks. But Trump has portrayed the Houthis as an arm of the Iranian government. “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire,” Trump wrote on social media on Saturday. For their part, the Houthis have dismissed the US threats and bombing campaign, vowing to continue their attacks until Israel ends its assault on Gaza. Advertisement “The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that the US aggression will not deter the steadfast and struggling Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral, and humanitarian duties toward the Palestinian people,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday. “They affirm that they will escalate their military operations against the Zionist enemy unless the brutal aggression on Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.” Trump blacklisted the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation” in the early days of his presidency this year. The Biden administration had labelled the group as “specially designated global terrorists” — a slightly lower designation that involves fewer restrictions. Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Palestinians flee as Israeli attacks resume in Gaza
NewsFeed Thousands of Palestinians are once again fleeing towns in northern Gaza. They’re travelling, mostly by foot, to areas in the south like Khan Younis, after deadly Israeli strikes and evacuation warnings spread fears of further attacks. Published On 19 Mar 202519 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Judges blocking Trump’s executive orders are acting ‘erroneously,’ White House says
The judicial branch has been behaving “erroneously,” according to White House press secretary, after several judges have blocked various executive orders from President Donald Trump. “I would like to point out that the judges in this country are acting erroneously,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Wednesday news briefing. “We have judges who are acting as partisan activists from the bench.” On Saturday, Judge James Boasberg with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order halting the Trump administration from deporting migrants allegedly part of the Tren de Aragua gang under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The law permits deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing. However, flights carrying the migrants continued to El Salvador, and Leavitt said Sunday the order had “no lawful basis” since Boasberg issued it after the flights departed from U.S. airspace. THESE ARE THE JUDGES GOING TOE TO TOE AGAINST TRUMP’S AGENDA Meanwhile, Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment in a social media post Tuesday, prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare statement condemning Trump’s remarks. Specifically, Roberts said that “it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision” for more than two centuries. In response, Leavitt said Wednesday that the Supreme Court needs to “reign in” judges who are behaving as “partisan activists” and are “undermining” the judicial branch, while also asserting that Trump does respect Robert. Efforts to oust Boasberg also have been launched in Congress. For example, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, unveiled an impeachment resolution against Boasberg Tuesday, claiming that Boasberg was “guilty of high crimes” in a post on social media. WHITE HOUSE BLASTS JUDGE FOR ATTEMPTING TO HALT DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO EL SALVADOR: ‘NO LAWFUL BASIS’ “It’s incredibly apparent that there is a concerted effort by the far left to judge shop, to pick judges who are clearly acting as partisan activists from the bench in an attempt to derail this president’s agenda,” Leavitt said. “We will not allow that to happen.” Leavitt said that while flights to deport illegal immigrants to El Salvador are currently not scheduled, the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign will continue as litigation continues on this case. “We don’t have any flights planned specifically, but we will continue with the mass deportations,” Leavitt said. “And I would just like to point out that the judge in this case is essentially trying to say that the President doesn’t have the executive authority to deport foreign terrorists…That is an egregious abuse of the bench.” Boasberg has requested the Trump administration provide more details regarding the timing of the flights departing U.S. soil, when they left U.S. airspace, when they landed in El Salvador, among other things. The Trump administration has until Thursday to respond. Trump has signed more than 90 executive orders since returning to the White House in January, spurring more than 125 lawsuits against his administration. Additionally, the odds of impeaching a judge are slim, as it would require 67 senators to vote for a conviction. Currently, Republicans only have a majority of 53 lawmakers in the upper chamber. Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in an interview Tuesday that he has never defied a court order — and wouldn’t — but that the judicial system is full of “crooked” judges. “No, you can’t do that,” Trump said about defying court orders. “However, we have bad judges. We have very bad judges. These are judges that shouldn’t be allowed. I think at a certain point, you have to look at what do you do when you have a rogue judge.” Other recent legal losses for the Trump administration include Judge Ana Reyes blocking Trump’s executive order to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military. Reyes wrote in her 79-page opinion released Tuesday that the ban “is soaked in animus.” The injunction takes effect on Friday, providing a window for the Trump administration to appeal the order. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Top Arizona election official eyes bid for border congressional seat after House Democrat dies
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, may run for late Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s seat in Congress after Grijalva died last week. The decision could lead to a major shakeup in the state’s politics. It’s a seat Grijalva, a Democrat, had held since 2003 until his lung cancer-related death earlier this month at 77. “I have long admired Congressman Grijalva. We should all be grateful for his years of service,” Fontes said in a statement Tuesday. DEMOCRATIC REP. RAUL GRIJALVA DEAD AT 77 “I am strongly considering a run to represent AZ-07, a place where I was born and raised, served my country in the Marine Corps, and protected democracy. I will have more to say in the days ahead. “Right now, we must remember and appreciate the life and legacy of the late Congressman Grijalva.” As part of the state’s “resign to run” law, Fontes would need to leave his role, and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs would need to appoint his replacement. The next regular election for the Secretary of State’s office is in 2026. When the governor leaves the state, the secretary of state becomes the acting governor. If the governor steps down, the secretary of state ascends to governor. This most notably happened when former Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned to serve as the Homeland Security Secretary for the Obama administration, which resulted in Republican Jan Brewer taking over. An office of the lieutenant governor will be created in 2027, which will make the lieutenant governor next in line for governor. BORDER STATE LAWMAKER REVEALS WHAT ‘DRASTIC’ CHANGES CAN BE SOLIDIFIED WITH MAJOR CONGRESSIONAL ACTION The move is a public pivot away from prior reports that Fontes was mulling a primary bid against Hobbs in the 2026 election, which is expected to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country. Grijalva’s daughter, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, said she may also dive into the race but is waiting until after her father’s funeral before announcing a decision. SOUTHERN BORDER STATE GOVERNOR TAKES ON CARTELS AND SECURITY WITH SIGNING OF EXECUTIVE ORDER “Many have asked me if I would consider running to continue my father’s legacy. In between tears and hugs, my family and I are processing our profound loss as well as that of our community, state, and nation,” she said in a statement. The special primary election for the seat will be July 15, and the general election will be Sept. 23. Grijalva won the November election with over 63% of the vote. As for other Democratic candidates in the field, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and state Rep. Alma Hernandez opted not to run in the special election. Geographically, the vast majority of the district falls along Arizona’s southern border, which has become a national flash point in recent years due to the migrant and drug crisis.
Trump admin guts Institute of Peace of ‘rogue bureaucrats’ after DOGE standoff in government office
The Trump administration gutted the Institute of Peace of “rogue bureaucrats” who held a tense standoff with a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team Monday that required police intervention, according to the White House. “Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “The Trump administration will enforce the president’s executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people.” The Institute of Peace is an independent, national institution funded by Congress that was established in 1984 under the Reagan administration to promote peace and diplomacy on the international stage. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February regarding reducing the “scope of federal bureaucracy,” which included specifically targeting the size of the Institute of Peace, as well as other government programs, such as the U.S. African Development Foundation and the Inter-American Foundation. That executive order followed one on Jan. 20 that established DOGE and directed agency leaders to establish their own DOGE teams within their respective agencies as part of the administration’s work to slim down the federal government. WHITE HOUSE UNLEASHES ON ‘ROGUE BUREAUCRATS’ AFTER AGENCY HEAD REFUSES DOGE ENTRY TO HEADQUARTERS The Institute of Peace, however, did not comply with the February executive order to reduce its size to the statutory minimum, leading to the Trump administration to fire 11 of its 14 board members last week, Fox Digital learned. “President Trump signed an executive order to reduce USIP to its statutory minimum,” Kelly said. “After noncompliance, 11 board members were lawfully removed, and remaining board members appointed Kenneth Jackson acting president.” The remaining board members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Defense University President Peter Garvin, who on Friday fired acting president and CEO of the institute, George Moose. THE UNELECTED POWER IS THE ROGUE BUREAUCRACY, STEPHEN MILLER SAYS Moose is a Clinton-era diplomat who served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The board replaced Moose with Kenneth Jackson, a State Department official, as acting president. Jackson attempted to enter the Institute of Peace’s building in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, but was denied access by employees of the institute, an administration official told Fox News Digital. The standoff hit a fever pitch Monday when Jackson and the DOGE team attempted again to gain entry to the building, while Moose, who already had been fired, accused them of breaking into the building and vowed to file a lawsuit. An administration official told Fox Digital that Moose “basically barricaded himself” in his former office after he was fired. “Our statute is very clear about the status of this building and this institute,” Moose told reporters Monday, according to the New York Times. “So what has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit corporation.” Jackson and the DOGE team held conversations with local police Monday, Fox Digital learned, as they worked to gain entry to the building. The Metropolitan Police Department reported that they received a call from the United States Attorney’s Office at about 4 p.m. that day regarding an ongoing incident at the institute, and reported to the scene. “MPD members met with the acting USIP President, and he provided the MPD members with documentation that he was the acting USIP President, with all powers delegated by the USIP Board of Directors to that role,” the police department said in a news release of Monday’s incident. “The acting USIP President advised MPD members that there were unauthorized individuals inside of the building that were refusing to leave and refusing to provide him access to the facility.” TRUMP ORDERS THE DISMANTLING OF GOVERNMENT-FUNDED, ‘PROPAGANDA’-PEDDLING MEDIA OUTLET “MPD members went to the USIP building and contacted an individual who allowed MPD members inside of the building,” the release stated. “Once inside of the building, the acting USIP President requested that all the unauthorized individuals inside of the building leave.” Jackson was able to enter the building upon police intervention. Moose left the building without incident and no arrests were made, police said. “Mr. Moose denied lawful access to Kenneth Jackson, the Acting USIP President (as approved by the USIP Board) @DCPoliceDept arrived onsite and escorted Mr. Jackson into the building. The only unlawful individual was Mr. Moose, who refused to comply, and even tried to fire USIP’s private security team when said security team went to give access to Mr. Jackson,” DOGE’s X account said of the incident Monday. MUSK AND DOGE HAVE ANOTHER PERFECT TARGET: MORE TAXPAYER-FUNDED, ANTI-AMERICAN MEDIA An administration official told Fox Digital that the incident is a prime example of “rogue bureaucrats who have been (in government) for years and decades, who want to basically continue to dole out tax dollars unilaterally, with no oversight.” The Institute of Peace filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Tuesday in the D.C. District Court, calling for “the immediate intervention of this Court to stop Defendants from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute and irreparably impairing Plaintiffs’ ability to perform their vital peace promotion and conflict resolution work as tasked by Congress.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Wednesday’s news conference that staffers physically barricaded themselves in the building. “There was a concerted effort amongst the rogue bureaucrats at the United States Institute of Peace to actually physically barricade themselves essentially inside of the building to prevent political appointees of this administration who work at the direction of the president of the United States to get into the building,” she said. “They barricaded the doors. They also disabled telephone lines, internet connections and other IT infrastructure within the building. They distributed fliers internally, encouraging each other to basically prevent these individuals from accessing the building,” Leavitt continued. “It’s a resistance from bureaucrats who don’t want to see change in this city. President Trump was elected on an overwhelming mandate to seek change and implement change.