Fast and Fearless
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WORLD COLLEGE BASKETBALL FACES N. Korea decries Louisville bounces back Female-focused film inclusion on US from scandals to return shows potential of terrorism blacklist to national prominence diversity in Hollywood Page 16 Back page Page 18 Air Force space-available mail to Europe will see holiday delay » Page 4 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 145 ©SS 2019 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Checkpoint Charlie bans actors posing as US soldiers BY JOHN VANDIVER AND MARCUS KLOECKNER Stars and Stripes Actors dressed as U.S. soldiers at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin have been banned from the icon- ic Cold War location because of their aggressive and abusive way with tourists, city officials said. Passersby were “literally forced to pay for a picture with the actors,” Stefanie Kunze, a spokeswoman for the district in Berlin that houses the former border crossing, said in an email. Following several complaints from citizens and tourists, local authorities decided to take action and bar the soldier impersonators from the popular tourist site, she said. The ban comes as Germany celebrates 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The impersonators, who were from the casting agency “Dance Factory,” were verbally abusing FAST AND and even following tourists who refused to offer donations after having their pictures taken with them, the German newspaper SEE ACTORS ON PAGE 4 FEARLESS Belgian Malinois is ideal breed of dog to track down insurgents, trainer says BY NANCY MONTGOMERY Conan, who was wounded after forces with “multi-purpose canines” Senior Airman Stars and Stripes cornering Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — dogs trained to track insurgents, Sarah Pawlak, in a dead-end tunnel in a compound subdue armed terrorists, sniff out 22nd Security he canine that led the in Syria, just before the ISIS leader weapons and explosives, parachute Forces Squadron charge into a tunnel to blew himself up along with two chil- out of planes and fast-rope out of military working corner Islamic State ’s top dren, is a Belgian Malinois. helicopters. dog handler, Tterrorist has a soft, cuddly The breed is generally consid- “I don’t want the smartest dog,” holds Sani back side, said the man who helped train ered fiercer, fleeter, more driven Licklider said. “I want the ones during controlled the famous military working dog. and perhaps less intelligent than the that storm the beach under a hail of aggression training “You could come here and visit German shepherd it’s been gradual- machine-gun fire and think they’re in December and I could put him in your lap,” ly replacing in the military and law going to live through it.” at McConnell trainer and former Air Force Mas- enforcement. Sometimes referred to as “Ma- Air Force Base, ter Sgt. Ken Licklider said. “Conan German shepherds “do try to Stars and Stripes ligators,” the breed once used for would crawl up and let you feed him think things through more than a Kan. Sani is a herding has been widely embraced A man dressed as a U.S. soldier a bonbon.” driven Malinois,” said Licklider, 2-year-old Belgian by the U.S. military. stops a vehicle at the original On the other hand, under certain who owns Vohne Liche Kennels. The Malinois. “ There was no bet ter dog to handle site of the famous Checkpoint circumstances, you could be the company contracts with Special Op- MICHAELA R. SLANCHIK/ Charlie in Berlin in 2009. bonbon. erations Command to provide their SEE MALINOIS ON PAGE 4 U.S. Air Force PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, November 6, 2019 MIDEAST Turkey says Kurdish fighters still at Syrian border BY MEHMET GUZEL Turkey considers these Kurd- assaults. Associated Press ish-led forces to be terrorists, but “We will do what is necessary, the same fighters had also made as we have in the past,” Erdogan SURUC, Turkey — Turkish up the core of the U.S.-backed said, without elaborating. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan force that battled Islamic State . Erdogan later told reporters called Tuesday for Russia and “We know that terrorists are that U.S. troops were conduct- the United States to keep to their present within the limits of the ing joint patrols with the Syr- promises and ensure that Syr- safe zone we have designated ian Kurdish fighters despite the ian Kurdish fighters pull out of a with both sides,” Erdogan said. agreement with Turkey. so-called safe zone along Syria’s “They cannot deceive us by say- Separately, Turkey’s Defense northern border with Turkey. ing, ‘We have taken the terror- Ministry said Kurdish fight- In his weekly speech to ruling ists out of these places. We have ers detonated a car bomb in Tal party legislators, Erdogan said cleared them of terrorists.’ ” Syrian Kurdish fighters were He said the Kurdish fighters MEHMET GUZEL/AP Abyad on Tuesday, but that no one was hurt in the attack. The still present in some of the bor- were still present in the Tal Rafat A Russian army vehicle enters Syria on the outskirts of Suruc, ministry said the perpetrator was der areas in northeastern Syria. and Manbij regions, as well as southeastern Turkey, as it begins its joint patrol with Turkish forces That’s despite two cease-fire an area east of the town of Ras Tuesday. Turkey says Syrian Kurdish fighters remain in an area along caught but it provided no further agreements — brokered by the al-Ayn. the Syrian border declared a safe zone. details. U.S. and Russia — that halted Turkey’s agreements with Mos- Turkey considers the Kurdish Turkey’s military offensive to cow and Washington allowed for Erdogan also said Turkish from areas they had retreated fighters to be terrorists because allow Kurdish fighters to pull the Kurdish fighters to withdraw troops were being attacked by to, adding that Turkey would not of their links to Kurdish militants back from the border. 19 miles away from the border. some Syrian Kurdish fighters “remain a spectator” to these fighting inside Turkey. Afghan president, Chinese FM discuss Taliban dialogue Associated Press clude Afghan figures and Taliban been set. The last time it was held says Ghani and Wang under- surgents refuse to talk to govern- KABUL, Afghanistan — Af- representatives. was in July in Qatar. scored the Afghan government ment representatives. ghan President Ashraf Ghani and That meeting — known as an The dialogue is a separate pro- and people’s role in the peace The future of his office is also Chinese Foreign Minister Wang “intra-Afghan dialogue” — was cess from the U.S.-Taliban talks process. Ghani insists his gov- uncertain as Afghanistan awaits Yi have discussed a planned to take place last month but has that collapsed in September. ernment must lead any dialogue the long-overdue results of Sep- meeting in Beijing that would in- been postponed. No new date has Tuesday’s Afghan statement with the Taliban, though the in- tember presidential elections. Turkish official: Al-Baghdadi’s sister captured in northwestern Syria Associated Press “gold mine.” Awad was captured in a raid ISIS militants and Kurdish fight- speaking on condition of ano- Little is known about the sister Monday evening on a trailer con- ers starting in 2016. Allied Syrian nymity in line with government BEIRUT — Turkey captured of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The tainer she was living in with her groups manage the area, known protocol. the elder sister of the slain leader Turkish official said the sister, family near the town of Azaz in as the Euphrates Shield zone. “ What she knows about [ISIS] of Islamic State in northwestern known as Rasmiya Awad, 65, is Aleppo province. The area is The official said the sister was can significantly expand our un- Syria on Monday, according to suspected of being affiliated with part of the region administered with her husband, daughter-in- derstanding of the group and help a senior Turkish official, who the extremist group. He did not by Turkey after it carried out a law and five children. The adults us catch more bad guys,” the of- called the arrest an intelligence elaborate. military incursion to chase away are being interrogated, he said, ficial said. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 17 Business .......................... 21 Classified ................... 19, 23 Comics ............................. 22 Crossword ........................ 22 Faces ............................... 18 Opinion ............................ 20 Sports .........................24-32 Weather ........................... 21 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Navy’s top submariner taking over STRATCOM BY COREY DICKSTEIN ed States can maintain a legitimate nuclear Stars and Stripes deterrent against adversarial nations such as China and Russia. WASHINGTON — The Navy’s top sub- “We have delayed and life-extended the mariner will take over command of the triad systems to the maximum extent pos- U.S. military’s nuclear enterprise after his sible,” Richard said. “What I mean by that unanimous confirmation by the Senate last is we are bumping into physics and engi- week to become the leader of U.S. Strategic neering limits.” Command. Richard adopted the same opinion as Vice Adm. Charles Richard will be several past STRATCOM bosses on the po- promoted to four-star admiral when he tential for the United States to use nuclear takes the helm of STRATCOM at Offutt weapons first in a time of conflict. The ad- Air Force Base in Nebraska following his miral said America should retain the right confirmation Thursday. Richard has most to use such power first, telling the Senate TRISTAN B. LOTZ/U.S. Navy recently been serving as the Navy’s sub- committee that adopting a so-called no- marine forces commander since August first-use policy could leave allied nations Vice Adm.