US Drug Squads Seize Enough Illegal Fentanyl in 2022 'to Kill Everyone in United States'

©AP Photo / Drug Enforcement Administration

Illegal fentanyl was singled out as a leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 by an earlier US report, with fatal overdoses of the drug surging 94 percent since 2019 and claiming more lives than car accidents or gun violence.

Illicit fentanyl smuggled into the US is claiming increasingly more American lives, freshly-revealed data shows.

The amount of the synthetic opioid seized by American drug squads this year alone would be enough “to kill everyone in the United States,” the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated on December 20 in a news release.

Over 379 million potentially fatal illegal doses of the prescription painkiller have been confiscated so far in 2022. The haul of over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 50.6 million fentanyl tablets is twice the amount apprehended the year before.

The agency added that Mexican drug-trafficking organizations were responsible for smuggling the synthetic opioid mass-produced at their clandestine labs into the US.

“DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two Mexican drug cartels — the Sinaloa and Jalisco (CJNG) Cartels — that are primarily responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today,” Anne Milgram, the DEA administrator, said in a statement.

DEA agents
©AP Photo / Louis Lanzano

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), man-made opioids like fentanyl are the cause of the majority of overdose deaths in the United States, with a mere speck of two milligrams of the drug enough to claim a life. In 2021, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, with two-thirds of those deaths attributed to fentanyl, according to US figures.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), man-made opioids like fentanyl are the cause of the majority of overdose deaths in the United States, with a mere speck of two milligrams of the drug enough to claim a life. In 2021, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, with two-thirds of those deaths attributed to fentanyl, according to US figures.

Previously, a US report revealed that illegal fentanyl has become the leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49. Since 2019, fatal overdoses from fentanyl have surged 94 percent, outstripping deaths from car accidents, gun violence, and suicides.

Fentanyl, a painkiller first manufactured in the late 1950s, is relatively cheap to make, and can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and heroin. Furthermore, drug dealers often lace counterfeit pills, passed off as authentic prescription medications, with the synthetic opioid.

Such fentanyl pills are often “made to look identical to real prescription medications — including OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax — but only contain filler and fentanyl,” the DEA warned, alerting people to the fact that "no pharmaceutical pill bought on social media is safe.”

Republicans, who have repeatedly denounced the Joe Biden administration's "open border" policies as responsible for the migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border, have also pointed out that the increased inflow of fentanyl and fatal overdoses have also occurred on the Democratic POTUS' watch.

Viral : Dramatic Footage Shows Florida Officer Accidentally Overdose on Fentanyl During Traffic Stop

A video of a Florida police officer struggling in and out of consciousness was released as an urgent message to the public about the dangers of fentanyl. The drug is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. It is added to other drugs to increase potency, and make illicit sales cheaper.

A terrifying video of a Florida officer was recently released showing her in a state of unconsciousness after being just barely exposed to the drug fentanyl.

©YouTube/ @News6WKMG

Tavares Officer Courtney Bannick was performing a traffic stop on Tuesday alongside other officers when she found the deadly narcotic inside a rolled-up dollar bill, police believe.

Shortly after the vehicle search, Bannock began to struggle to breathe. Luckily another officer heard her choking and realized she needed immediate medical attention.

Video of the incident shows officers laying her on the ground and administering Narcan or “naloxone,” a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The medicine can be administered through a nasal spray or injected directly into a person’s muscle, under the skin, or in their vein, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The officers had to give Bannick three doses of Narcan as they waited for ambulances to arrive; she is, however, expected to make a full recovery.

“She was completely lifeless. She looks deceased in these videos,” Tavares police Detective Courtney Sullivan told an Orlando news outlet. “So she’s very thankful today.”

“If the other officers weren’t there, there’s a very high chance and probability that today would be different and that we would be wearing our thin blue line — the straps that go over our badges,” Sullivan said, referring to protocol when an officer dies in the line of duty.

Bannick, who was wearing gloves at the time of the search, said she had performed this kind of search “100 times before the same way” adding that it only takes “one time and a minimal amount” to cause someone to have an overdose.

“I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help,” she said.

Officers believe wind may have picked up the fentanyl and blown it into Bannick’s face, causing her to overdose. The individuals they had performed a search on are now facing criminal charges.

Fentanyl : C₂₂H₂₈N₂O

Putin says West sought to divide Russia for centuries

©Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said the country’s strategic enemies seek to divide Russia because they think it’s "too big."

"Our strategic enemies have had the goal to disintegrate, weaken and divide our country for centuries. There’s nothing new about it. The country, it seems to them, is too big and menacing for someone, so it needs a bit of splitting up, dividing. That has always been (the case)," he said.

He said throughout centuries, "wherever you look, that was the goal," and it’s enough to read up on relevant literature to be confident that was the case.

"They have always nurtured ideas and built plans, hopes that they will succeed one way or another," Putin said.

Russia, he continued, "has always, almost always, stuck with a completely different approach, different beliefs."

"We have always sought to be part of the so-called civilized world. So, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which we allowed with our own hands, it seemed to us for some reason that any day now we would become part of that so-called civilized world. But it turned out we weren’t welcome there, despite all our efforts and attempts. I’m saying this having in mind my own work as well. I also made these efforts, our efforts to be closer, to be part of it - no," the president said.

"On the contrary, other actions were made, including using international terrorists in the Caucasus in order to finish off Russia, break up the newly created Russian Federation," Putin said. He said many of the attendees of the meeting know that perfectly well.

The president said Russia’s enemies "seemed to pronounced an anathema to Al Qaeda (a terrorist group banned in Russia) and other criminals but it was considered acceptable to use them on the territory of Russia, they were given all kinds of support - financial, media, political one, anything they liked, including military support - so that they go to war on Russia."

Nonetheless, Putin said, thanks to the peoples of the Caucasus, thanks to the people of Chechnya, thanks to the heroism of its servicemen, Russia has been able to endure that difficult period of its history.

"We have weathered these tests and became stronger," he said.

Putin says it was obvious that clash with hostile forces in Ukraine was inevitable

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said a clash with hostile forces in Ukraine has been inevitable.

"It became obvious that clashes with those forces, including in Ukraine, were inevitable. The question was only when it would happen," he said at a yearend Defense Ministry meeting.

Putin said military operations always go hand in hand with tragedies and losses.

"We understand that perfectly well, we realize that, but because it’s inevitable, better today than tomorrow," the president said.

Putin also brought up the subject of the manifestations of neo-Nazism and fascism in Ukraine. The head of state said Russia also has them, but the government cracks down on them.

"Every country has nationalists, and we do. But we are fighting the manifestations of neo-Nazism and fascism. We do not elevate them to the rank of national policy, but in Ukraine they do, everyone pretends not to notice it," he said.

"Nationalism might seem a good thing. They fight for national interests, and no one notices that it’s done on the basis of the fascist, neo-Nazi ideology. People walk around with swastikas in the centers of major cities, including in the capital, and it may seem that’s the way everyone wants it," the president said. "It’s similar to how, in the early 2000s, they used international terrorists to fight Russia, and didn’t give a damn, sorry about ill manners, that it was a terrorist, an internationally recognized terrorist. They didn’t give a damn because they used it to fight Russia. Same here, neo-Nazis are used to fight Russia and they don’t give a damn that these people are neo-Nazis. The main thing is that they fight Russia. But we do care.".

Putin still sees Ukrainians as fraternal nation

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that he still views the Ukrainian people as a fraternal nation.

"We have nothing to be rebuked for. I am saying this quite responsibly. We have always - and you know my position - considered the Ukrainian people to be a brotherly nation. I still think so," he stressed at an expanded board session of the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.

The Russian leader pointed out that Moscow has been trying for years to build relations with Kiev under new geopolitical conditions. "We did everything to build not just good-neighborly, but fraternal relations under the new conditions. We had been providing loans and supplying energy resources almost free of charge. For years! But no, nothing worked," the head of the Russian state insisted.

He reiterated that when Ukraine left the Soviet Union, its declaration of independence proclaimed that it was a neutral state. "I think that Russian leaders at the time also had that in mind. I am confident that it was precisely like this. So, on the whole, it is possible to understand the leadership at the time - under the conditions of that time they probably did not see any threats. A neutral state, a fraternal people, a single culture, shared spiritual and moral values, and a shared history. They did not see any threats. But no, the adversary was working very insistently, and, to their credit, effectively," the Russian president acknowledged.

That said, Putin added, Russia’s actions on building good relations with Ukraine failed to materialize.

Putin: Almost Entirety of NATO's Military Potential Being Actively Used Against Russia

©Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

Russian officials and some Western media and pundits have characterized the conflict in Ukraine as a proxy war between the West and Russia. The US and its allies have poured tens of billions of dollars' worth of military aid into Ukraine, trained tens of thousands of troops, and provided Kiev with intelligence and strategic level planning support.

The military potential of almost all NATO countries is being actively used against Russia, and Moscow must improve its knowledge and understanding of the Western bloc's weapons systems, experience and tactics to improve the fighting potential of the Russian military, President Vladimir Putin has said.

"It's well known that today the military potential and capabilities of almost all major NATO countries are being actively used against Russia," Putin said, speaking at a meeting with senior Russian Defense Ministry officials on Wednesday.

"All the information about NATO forces, the means which are actively used in the course of the special military operation [in Ukraine], to oppose us are well known. You have all this information before you, and it must be thoroughly analyzed, and used in the construction of our armed forces to increase the combat capabilities of the troops, as well as Russia's special services," Putin said.

Putin ordered the MoD and the General Staff to "carefully analyze" the "tremendous combat experience" gained in the course of the military operation in Ukraine, to "systematize it as quickly as possible and include it in programs and planning for the training of personnel, troops as a whole and supplying the forces with necessary equipment."

The president also pointed to the "significant resources" being spent by the United States and its allies on information and psychological warfare against Russia, including the publication of "thousands" of fake news stories in Western print and internet media and television, while covering up war crimes being carried out by the Ukrainian side.

Putin accused Moscow's geopolitical opponents of using "everything that isn't tied down" against Russia, including efforts to brainwash the population of Ukraine and other post-Soviet republics, in the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR in 1991. This process continues today, according to Putin. Russia, he said, had sought to become a part of the "civilized" world, but soon learned that it was "not expected there."

Strategic Balance

Russia will continue to build up its conventional military potential while also supporting and modernizing its nuclear triad, Putin said, referring to the latter as the main guarantee of the nation's sovereignty, and the means by which Russia helps preserve "strategic parity and the overall balance of power in the world."

"This year, the level of modern weapons systems within the strategic nuclear forces reached 91 percent. The re-equipment of the Strategic Missile Forces regiments with modern missile systems featuring the Avangard hypersonic warhead is continuing," Putin said. The president assured that the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will be introduced into service "in the near future."

Ukraine Conflict Shows Need for New Technologies

Praising the courage of the troops on the front lines in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Putin called on his colleagues to honor the memories of soldiers who have lost their lives with a minute of silence. The president stressed that the goals of the military operation will be met, and that the security of all of Russia's territories would be assured.

In connection with the military operation, Putin said that the conflict has demonstrated that the use of drone warfare has become "almost ubiquitous," and that Russia will have to arm itself with an interlinked arsenal of drones incorporated into every echelon, from companies and battalions to individual squads and platoons.

"In the near future, every individual soldier should have the opportunity to receive information transmitted from drones. We must push for this, strive for this," Putin said. "Targets need to be detected as quickly as possible, and information must be transmitted (immediately) to carry out strikes in real time."

Russia has the technical capabilities to realize this, the president believes, pointing to the defense sector's experience in developing unique underwater drones, a likely reference to the Poseidon nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable torpedo.

Turning to organizational problems, Putin called on the MoD to pay more attention to public criticism and initiatives for improving its work being floated by civilians, asking that the MoD take criticism into account and respond accordingly, in a timely matter. "It's clear that the reaction of people who see problems, (and problems in such large and complex work always appear) can be emotional, but it's necessary to listen to and hear out those who do not seek to hush up existing problems, but to contribute to their resolution."

West Seeks to Prolong Conflict in Ukraine as Much as Possible to Weaken Russia: Shoigu

The West seeks to prolong military operations in Ukraine as much as possible in order to weaken Russia, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday. "We are particularly concerned about the buildup of NATO’s forward presence near the borders of Russia and Belarus, as well as the desire of the West to prolong military operations in Ukraine as much as possible in order to weaken our country," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.

Russian armed forces continue to deliver precision strikes targeting the Ukrainian military command and control system, military enterprises and related facilities, and destroy the military potential of Kiev, Sergei Shoigu said.

©Russian Ministry of Defence / Go to the mediabank

Russian servicemen are being confronted by the joint forces of the West during its military operation in Ukraine, Shoigu said.

"Today, in Ukraine, Russian military is being confronted by the joint Western forces. The United States and its allies are pumping the Kiev regime with weapons, training military personnel, providing [Ukraine with] intelligence information, sending advisers and mercenaries, and waging an information and sanctions war against us," Shoigu said.

Russia is always open to constructive peace talks to settle the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu added.

"We are taking action to save the population from genocide and terror. Russia is always open to constructive peace talks," Shoigu said.

The 2014 coup in Kiev funded by the West that brought anti-Russian forces to power has caused the current conflict in Ukraine, Sergei Shoigu stressed.

"After the revelations of (ex-German Chancellor Angels) Merkel, (ex-Ukrainian President Petro) Poroshenko and other politicians about the true goals of the Minsk agreements, it became obvious to everyone that Russia was not the source of the conflict in Ukraine. The reason is the coup d'etat in Kiev financed by the West in 2014, which brought anti-Russian forces to power and divided the fraternal peoples. This provoked an armed confrontation in Donbass," Shoigu said.

Ukraine resorts to prohibited methods of confrontation, including terrorist attacks and contract killings, shelling of civilians with heavy weapons, as well as nuclear blackmail, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

"The Ukrainian leadership resorts to prohibited methods of confrontation, including terrorist attacks and contract killings, shelling civilians with heavy weapons. Western countries try not to notice all this, as well as elements of nuclear blackmail, for example, provocations against the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and scenarios for preparing the so-called dirty nuclear bomb," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.

The United States seeks to use the situation around Ukraine to maintain global dominance, Shoigu added.

"It is clear that the current situation is beneficial primarily to the United States, which seeks to use it to maintain global dominance and weaken other countries, including its allies in Europe," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.

The Russian armed forces are taking comprehensive measures to prevent civilian deaths in Ukraine, Sergei Shoigu said.

“In this context, comprehensive measures for excluding deaths among the civilian population are being taken,” he said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.

He also noted that the Russian army had been conducting precise air strikes against the military command and control system of Ukraine, enterprises of the Ukrainian defense industry complex and other related facilities.

Kerajaan mendukung Irak atas stabilitas, kedaulatan: Menlu Arab Saudi

Menteri Luar Negeri Saudi Pangeran Faisal bin Farhan menghadiri Konferensi Bagdad untuk Kerjasama dan Kemitraan di Yordania. (SPA)

Arab Saudi berdiri berdampingan dengan Irak dalam menjaga stabilitas dan kedaulatan, dan berkomitmen untuk memulihkan status sejarah negara itu sebagai tempat lahirnya peradaban, sains, dan pengetahuan, Menteri Luar Negeri Saudi Pangeran Faisal bin Farhan mengatakan pada hari Selasa.

Komentarnya disampaikan pada Konferensi Bagdad dalam rangka Kerja Sama dan Kemitraan di Yordania, yang mengumpulkan para pemimpin dari Timur Tengah dan Eropa untuk fokus memperkuat keamanan dan stabilitas di Irak.

Pangeran Faisal, yang memimpin delegasi Kerajaan di konferensi tersebut, menyampaikan pidato yang memuji kemauan politik Irak dan Perdana Menteri Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani dalam menghadapi kesulitan, Saudi Press Agency melaporkan.

Menteri tersebut mengatakan bahwa Kerajaan “menolak tindakan agresif apa pun” di wilayah Irak dan berkomitmen untuk memerangi terorisme serta ekstremisme di negara tersebut.

Dia menambahkan bahwa Kerajaan akan "berusaha keras" dalam mendukung kemajuan ekonomi dan pembangunan Irak, dengan mengatakan bahwa kemakmuran negara itu "terikat pada kemakmuran seluruh wilayah."

Pangeran Faisal mengatakan bahwa Kerajaan berkomitmen untuk mengembangkan rencana aksi bersama di bawah naungan Dewan Koordinasi Saudi-Irak, serta bekerja sama dengan pemerintah Irak untuk mempromosikan peluang investasi dalam energi terbarukan dan bersih, desalinasi air, dan pertanian.

Kedua negara bekerja sama melalui OPEC dan OPEC+ dalam upaya menjaga pasar minyak global tetap stabil, tambahnya

Sementara itu, menteri luar negeri mengatakan bahwa Prakarsa Hijau Saudi dan Timur Tengah Kerajaan, serta proyek Sabuk Hijau di Irak, tetap menjadi bidang kerja sama penting dalam memperkuat hubungan bilateral.

Raja Yordania Abdullah II mengatakan bahwa konferensi edisi kedua berlangsung pada saat wilayah tersebut menghadapi krisis keamanan dan politik, serta tantangan ketahanan pangan, air, kesehatan dan energi.

Perdana menteri Irak mengatakan bahwa memperkuat ikatan kemitraan di antara negara-negara yang hadir melalui saling ketergantungan infrastruktur, integrasi ekonomi dan investasi bersama merupakan prioritas.

Menteri Luar Negeri Yordania Ayman Safadi mengatakan konferensi edisi ketiga akan berlangsung di Mesir tahun depan.

Konferensi Bagdad untuk Kerja Sama dan Kemitraan Menekankan Keamanan, Kedaulatan Irak

Konferensi Bagdad kedua untuk Kerja Sama dan Kemitraan pada Selasa menekankan dukungan kepada Irak karena Irak menghadapi semua tantangan, termasuk terorisme.

Konferensi diadakan di Laut Mati, Yordania. Diselenggarakan oleh Raja Abdullah II, acara ini mempertemukan para pemimpin dari seluruh wilayah, serta pejabat dari Eropa, Türkiye, dan Iran.

Pernyataan penutup menyoroti kemenangan dan pengorbanan bersejarah Irak dalam perjuangannya melawan terorisme yang dilancarkan dengan dukungan internasional dan regional.

Para peserta mengatakan mereka akan terus mengembangkan hasil dari konferensi Bagdad pertama dan terus bekerja sama dengan Irak untuk mendukung keamanan, stabilitas dan kedaulatannya, jalur demokrasi, proses konstitusional dan upaya untuk mengkonsolidasikan dialog sebagai sarana untuk menyelesaikan perselisihan regional.

20 Desember 2022, Yordania, Sweimeh: Para pemimpin berpose untuk foto keluarga selama Konferensi Bagdad untuk Kerja Sama dan Kemitraan di Sweimeh di tepi pantai Laut Mati di tengah-barat Yordania. (Petra/dpa)

Mereka menggarisbawahi dukungan terhadap upaya Irak dalam mengkonsolidasikan negara hukum dan konstitusi serta membangun institusi yang mampu merekonstruksi negara dan memenuhi aspirasi rakyatnya.

Mereka menyoroti pentingnya mekanisme kerjasama tripartit antara Yordania, Mesir dan Irak dan proyek ekonomi yang mereka sepakati. Mereka menekankan pentingnya proyek kerja sama antara negara-negara Dewan Kerjasama Teluk (GCC) dan Irak, terutama di bidang listrik dan transportasi.

Para peserta mengatakan bahwa mencapai pembangunan ekonomi dan memastikan keberhasilan proyek kerja sama regional menuntut hubungan regional yang konstruktif yang didasarkan pada ketetanggaan yang baik, menahan diri dari mencampuri urusan orang lain, menghormati hukum internasional dan mengadopsi dialog untuk menyelesaikan perselisihan.

Mereka menekankan perlunya kerja sama untuk memperkokoh keamanan dan stabilitas serta memerangi terorisme.

Para peserta meninjau dampak krisis regional dan internasional terhadap Irak dan kawasan. Mengatasinya menuntut kerja sama regional yang komprehensif dan pendekatan ekonomi dan politik yang serius yang mencerminkan kepentingan bersama dan mendukung proses pembangunan di Irak dan kawasan itu, kata mereka.

Raja Abdullah II

Raja Yordania Abdullah menggarisbawahi peran penting Irak di wilayah tersebut dan perlunya menyatukan sudut pandang untuk meningkatkan kerja sama regional.

Dia menyatakan bahwa penyelenggaraan konferensi tersebut menggarisbawahi tekad semua pihak untuk bekerja sama dengan pemerintah dan rakyat Irak agar mereka dapat mencapai kemakmuran yang lebih besar.

Dia mencatat bahwa konferensi diadakan pada saat kawasan itu mengalami krisis keamanan dan politik serta tantangan pangan, air, iklim, dan energi dan kesehatan.

Raja Abdullah mengatakan Yordania percaya bahwa kawasan membutuhkan stabilitas, perdamaian yang adil dan komprehensif serta kerja sama regional, terutama di bidang ekonomi dan pembangunan.

Al-Sudani

Perdana Menteri Irak Mohamed Shia al-Sudani menekankan bahwa negaranya tidak akan digunakan sebagai platform untuk mengancam negara-negara di kawasan.

Irak menjauhkan diri dari poros dan menyerukan eskalasi, tambahnya.

Dia juga meminta Türkiye dan Iran untuk menjaga keamanan air Irak, mencatat bahwa negaranya sedang menghadapi krisis eksistensial karena kekurangan air.

Dia juga menyerukan untuk mempertahankan kerja sama untuk memerangi ideologi ekstremisme.

Macron

Presiden Prancis Emmanuel Macron mengatakan bahwa Yordania memainkan peran sentral dalam mendukung dialog dan memperkuat diplomasi di wilayah tersebut.

Para peserta konferensi berusaha mengkonsolidasikan keamanan dan stabilitas di Irak dan kawasan, tambahnya.

Setiap orang berkomitmen untuk memiliki hubungan yang seimbang dengan Irak, lanjutnya. “Jika kita ingin mengamankan stabilitas Irak, maka kita harus menyelesaikan masalah dengan tetangganya,” tegasnya.

Kawasan, kata dia, berpotensi menjadi peserta aktif dalam pengambilan keputusan internasional.

Sisi

Presiden Mesir Abdul Fattah al-Sisi mengatakan situasi di Irak telah mengalami peningkatan yang nyata.

Dia menyoroti pengorbanan berani rakyat Irak dalam perjuangan mereka melawan terorisme, menambahkan bahwa Kairo menolak segala campur tangan dalam urusan internal Irak.

Dia menegaskan kembali dukungan Mesir untuk semua upaya yang bertujuan memastikan keamanan di Irak.

Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Menteri Luar Negeri Saudi Pangeran Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah menggarisbawahi penolakan kategoris Kerajaan atas setiap serangan di wilayah Irak.

Arab Saudi mendukung Irak dalam perjuangannya melawan terorisme dan ekstremisme dan melawan setiap orang yang ingin menimbulkan perpecahan, tambahnya.

Itu mendukung upaya Irak untuk merebut kembali kedudukan bersejarahnya sebagai tanah peradaban, pembelajaran dan pengetahuan, lanjutnya.

Pangeran Faisal mengatakan, Riyadh menyambut baik pemulihan peran positif Irak dalam memperdalam kepercayaan, kemitraan, dan perdamaian di tingkat regional dan internasional.

Kerajaan memuji kemauan politik di Irak saat menghadapi tantangan dan mengkonsolidasikan keamanan dan stabilitas untuk mencapai aspirasi rakyat, tegas Pangeran Faisal.

Arab Saudi tidak akan menyisihkan upaya apa pun untuk mendukung ambisi ekonomi dan pembangunan Irak karena keyakinannya bahwa stabilitas Irak akan berdampak pada seluruh kawasan, katanya.

Iran dan Türki

Di akhir konferensi hari Selasa, Menteri Luar Negeri Prancis Catherine Colonna mengatakan beberapa peserta menangani masalah campur tangan asing dalam urusan Irak.

Dia mengatakan Iran harus menghormati hukum internasional dan Piagam PBB tentang Hak Asasi Manusia, menghentikan campur tangannya dalam urusan tetangganya dan membebaskan sandera Prancis.

Menteri Luar Negeri Irak Fuad Hussein menekankan bahwa negaranya menginginkan diakhirinya campur tangan Iran dan Turki dalam urusan dalam negerinya. Dialog harus diadakan untuk menyelesaikan krisis.

Dia menolak Irak digunakan sebagai platform untuk melakukan serangan terhadap tetangganya, yang pada gilirannya harus menghormati kedaulatan Irak.

Bagdad sedang mencari negosiasi untuk menyelesaikan masalah, dimulai dengan serangan Turki dan Iran di wilayahnya.

Mesir akan menjadi tuan rumah Konferensi Baghdad untuk Kerjasama dan Kemitraan ketiga pada tahun 2023 dengan partisipasi Arab Saudi, Yordania, Uni Emirat Arab, Bahrain, Türkiye, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Mesir, Liga Arab, Organisasi Kerjasama Islam, Dewan Kerjasama Teluk, PBB dan Uni Eropa.

Jutaa Hama Belalang di Kupang

Ribuan ekor belalang yang berhamburan di lapangan umum dan jalan raya SD Tataum 1 di Amfoang Timur Kabupaten Kupang. Screen shot Video Ano Manggar

Jutaan belalang menggerumuni jalanan beraspal di RT 008, RW 006, Dusun 002, Desa Netemnanu Selatan, Kecamatan Amfoang Timur, Kabupaten Kupang.

Fenomena tersebut tampak dari video amatir yang diterima Pos Kupang, Selasa 20 Desember 2022 dan menurut salah satu warga Ano Manggar membenarkan hal tersebut.

Dalam video berdurasi 31 detik itu tampak jutaan belalang memenuhi jalanan aspal yang menjadi perhatian anak-anak sekolah dan warga sekitar.

Setiap kali ada kendaraan motor melintas, belalang-belalang tersebut lansung terbang namun setelah itu kembali hinggap diatas jalan.

Dari suara yang terekam di video tersebut mengungkapkan fenomena itu baru pertama kali terjadi disana dan membuat kaget warga sekitar.

"Ia itu di kami punya Desa, sampai saat ini belalang masih berhamburan," ujar Ano Manggar.

Ano menjelaskan kemunculan jutaan belalang itu sudah masuk hari ketiga masih berhamburan di lapangan umum SD Tataum 1 dan penuhi jalan raya.

"Sudah tiga hari ini saya lihat belalang masih banyak di lapangan SD dan jalan raya," terangnya

Sementara Camat Amfoang Timur Alfred Tameses yang dikonfirmasi mengungkapkan mereka masih mengecek kembali kejadian tersebut.

Dirinya sudah meminta sekertaris camat agar turun ke lokasi dan melakukan pemantauan sehingga laporan bisa lebih akurat.

Kata dia lokasi tempat jutaan belalang tersebut memang dekat dengan lahan pertanian yang berada di pinggir kiri dan kanan jalan.

"Iya dekat sawah tapi belum ditanami padi, jadi sekcam saya masih minta untuk turun ke.lokasi supaya informasinya betul-betul akurat," terangnya.

Antisipasi Penyebaran Hama Belalang, Pemkab Kupang Sudah Berkoordinasi Dengan Pemprov NTT

Pemkab Kupang melalui Dinas Pertanian Kabupaten Kupang telah berkoordinasi dengan Pemprov NTT melalui Dinas Pertanian dan Ketahanan Pangan Provinsi NTT terkait penyebaran ribuan belalang di Amfoang Timur

Beberapa hari lalu, ribuan ekor belalang tiba-tiba muncul dan menghebohkan warga desa Netemnanu Selatan, Kecamatan Amfoang Timur, Kabupaten Kupang.

Kepala Dinas Pertanian kabupaten Kupang, Amin Djuriah, saat menghubungi victorynews.id lewat sambungan telepon pada Selasa (20/12/2022) malam mengatakan, sebaran belalang itu mencapai 10 hektare.

"Karena ribuan belalang itu berhamburan di lahan milik masyarakat setelah jembatan Netemnanu dan memenuhi jalan raya hingga mencapai bibir pantai. Tetapi lahan sawah milik warga Desa Netemnanu belum ditanami," jelasnya.

Dia mengatakan, kahan sawah milik warga Desa Netemnanu baru selesai panen padi dan biasanya para petani mengolah lahan sawah milik mereka pada bulan Februari

Sehingga sementara ini, belalang itu belum merugikan warga Desa Netemnanu Selatan di Amfoang Timur dan hanya memakan rerumputan hijau yang ada di Desa Netemnanu Selatan.

"Saya sudah berkoordinasi dengan Dinas Pertanian dan Ketahanan pangan NTT khususnya tim pengendalian hama. Supaya kami bisa melakukan pengendalian terpadu terhadap munculnya belalang itu," katanya.

"Dalam dua hari ke depan kami akan melakukan penyemprotan insektisida supaya tidak menyebar lebih luas lagi belalang itu," lanjutnya.

Dia mengatakan, dalam upaya pengendalian hama belalang itu supaya tidak menyebar lebih luas lagi, pihaknya akan bekerja sama dengan UPT Pertanian dan Ketahanan pangan NTT untuk penyemprotan insektisida.

Dia mengatakan, jenis belalang yang ada di Desa Netemnanu Selatan, Amfoang Timur itu, jenisnya tidak sama dengan belalang Kembara yang sering menyerang tanaman warga di pulau Sumba.

"Karena belalang di Desa Netemnanu itu ukurannya kecil-kecil, tetapi spesisnya belum diketahuinya apa jenis belalang itu," tandas Djuriah.