PARIS (AP) — A senior French government official said Monday the memory of the French soldiers who died in Afghanistan should not be tarnished following U.S. President Donald Trump’s false assertion that troops from non-U.S. NATO countries avoided the front line during that war.

Alice Rufo, a deputy French defense minister, and Gen. Loic Mizon, the military governor of Paris, inspect the names of French troops killed in NATO operations in Afghanistan, where they fought with U.S. and other allied forces, during a visit Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, to a memorial in Paris for French troops killed in operations overseas. (AP Photo/John Leicester)

Alice Rufo, the minister delegate at the Defense Ministry, laid a wreath at a monument in downtown Paris dedicated to those who died for France in overseas operations. Speaking to reporters, Rufo said the ceremony had not been planned until the weekend, adding that it was crucial to show that “we do not accept that their memory be insulted.”

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In October 2001, nearly a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. led an international coalition in Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaida, which had used the country as its base, and the group’s Taliban hosts.

Alongside the U.S. were troops from dozens of countries, including from NATO, whose mutual-defense mandate had been triggered for the first time after the attacks on New York and Washington. In an interview with Fox Business Network in Davos, Switzerland, Trump on Thursday claimed that non-U.S. NATO troops stayed “a little off the frontlines” in Afghanistan.

Ninety French soldiers died in the conflict.

“At such a moment, it is symbolically important to be there for their families, for their memory, and to remind everyone of the sacrifice they made on the front line,” Rufo said.

After his comments caused an outcry, Trump appeared to backpedal and heaped praise on the British soldiers who fought in Afghanistan. He had no words for other troops, though.

“I have seen the statements, in particular from veterans’ associations, their outrage, their anger, and their sadness,” Rufo said, adding that trans-Atlantic solidarity should prevail over polemics.

“You know, there is a brotherhood of arms between Americans, Britons, and French soldiers when we go into combat.”

At one point in Golden State’s win over the Timberwolves on Sunday at Target Center, Warriors coach Steve Kerr leaned toward a Wolves player and said, “I’m sorry.”

Not for the Warriors play or the win, but for the circumstances. Sunday’s game was played roughly 30 hours after Alex Pretti was shot numerous times and killed on the street by federal immigration officers, just two miles from Target Center. Saturday’s game was postponed 24 hours, but the lingering effects were palpable in the arena.

“I thought that was a ghost of a performance by us,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said following the 111-85 point defeat.

“I couldn’t have said it any better,” guard Donte DiVincenzo said.

It was another loss for Minnesota — the team’s fifth straight heading into Monday’s rematch with the Warriors. But this one was different than the previous four, all of which were competitive down to the final buzzer. Sunday’s performance was, as Wolves forward Julius Randle originally noted, “lifeless” before quickly catching himself.

“Terrible choice of words,” he noted.

Everyone knew what he meant.

“No energy to what we’re doing,” he said. “No purpose. No passion.”

From players or fans. The arena was subdued throughout, even when Minnesota closed the first half strong to pull within a point. Finch is usually stalking the sidelines, getting into the ears of officials nearly every time down the floor. He remained seated for much of the affair. The same was true for Kerr.

Nothing about the setting felt appropriate.

“I thought the vibe in the stands was one of the most bizarre, sad games that I’ve ever been a part of,” Kerr said. “You can feel the somber atmosphere. Their team, we could tell they were struggling with everything that’s been going on and what the city has been going through. It was very sad. It was a very sad night.

“Obviously, we got the win and we’re happy about that, but very difficult to see so many people struggling and sad.”

Players privately noted they’d spent the day and a half ahead of the game doing the same thing as most people in the city — scrolling their phones, watching numerous different angles of a man being shot to death all while trying to gain information about what happened and answers of what’s to come. All while being unsure of how to respond.

Randle described himself as “not political at all,” but that won’t keep anyone’s stomach from turning at such a sight, particularly when it takes place in your community.

“There’s a human aspect to it. For me. I have kids. I have family. For me, the job as a man is to be a protector of the house,” Randle said. “When you see things like that, obviously it’s tough. It’s hard to stomach those things. I’m not political at all. I don’t get into any of that stuff, but it’s tough, regardless of whatever is going on. Somebody loses their life; you never want to see that.

“From the minute I’ve been here, Minneapolis has been great to me. The fans, the community have been really behind me. Everyone. Neighbors that I live by, community I live in, the school my son goes to, just everything. Been nothing but a joy living here. So, things like this happening in the community, it’s tough. I don’t like seeing it.”

Kerr noted fans likely came to Sunday’s game in an attempt to briefly “forget about stuff, I guess.” Wolves players desperately wanted to be that distraction, that source of rallying and joy in the instant wake of tragedy.

“I think we give a lot of purpose to the city, a lot of excitement, a lot of joy, entertainment,” Randle said. “We play a huge role, in how the city is viewed, how we go out there and play. I think tonight was not a great representation of that.”

But it was apparent moments into the game that players simply weren’t ready themselves to provide a release for others.

“Certainly,” Finch said, “the mood was off from the beginning.”

The Wolves will try again Monday to move in a positive direction for themselves, and their fans. It’s the only path forward.

“Your heart and your thoughts are with the family going through that tragedy,” DiVincenzo said. “But that’s not an excuse (for our performance). I think, if anything, sometimes that brings a community together more, and we need to stay together as a community, as a team, and just push through … these dark days. Because there’s a lot bigger things than basketball, but what we can control right now is our basketball and our energy.”

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By JULIA FRANKEL and SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The remains of the final hostage in Gaza have been recovered, Israel’s military said Monday, clearing the way for the next phase of the ceasefire that paused the Israel-Hamas war.

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The announcement that the remains of Ran Gvili had been found and identified came a day after Israel’s government said the military was conducting a “large-scale operation” in a cemetery in northern Gaza to locate them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an incredible achievement” for Israel and its soldiers, telling Israeli media that “I promised we would bring everyone home and we have brought everyone home.” He said Gvili, who was killed during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war, was among the first to be taken into Gaza.

The return of all remaining hostages, living or dead, has been a key part of the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase, and Gvili’s family had urged Israel’s government not to enter the second phase until his remains were recovered and returned.

Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that Israel would open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which Palestinians see as their lifeline to the world, once the search for Gvili was finished. It has been largely shut since May 2024, except for a small period in early 2025.

Israel and Hamas had been under pressure from ceasefire mediators including Washington to move into the second phase of the U.S.-brokered truce, which took effect on Oct. 10.

Israel had repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the recovery of the final hostage. Hamas said it had provided all the information it had about Gvili’s remains, and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.

Israel’s military had said the large-scale operation to locate Gvili’s remains was “in the area of the Yellow Line” that divides the territory.

The Oct. 7, 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known affectionately as “Rani,” was killed while fighting Hamas militants.

Before Gvili’s remains were recovered, 20 living hostages and the remains of 27 others had been returned to Israel since the ceasefire, most recently in early December. Israel in exchange has released the bodies of hundreds Palestinians to Gaza.

The next phase of the 20-point ceasefire plan has called for creating an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government and disarming Hamas.

Palestinians killed in Gaza

Israeli forces on Monday fatally shot a man in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the body. The man was close to an area where the military has launched the search operation for Gvili, the hospital said.

Another man was killed in the eastern side of Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, which received his body. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

More than 480 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire since Oct. 10, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

Israel’s top court considers petition to open Gaza for international journalists

The Foreign Press Association on Monday asked Israel’s Supreme Court to allow journalists to enter Gaza freely and independently.

The FPA, which represents dozens of global news organizations, has been fighting for more than two years for independent media access to Gaza. Israel has barred reporters from entering Gaza independently since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, which triggered the war, saying entry could put both journalists and soldiers at risk.

The army has offered journalists brief, occasional visits under strict military supervision.

FPA lawyers told the three judge panel that the restrictions are not justified and that with aid workers moving in and out of Gaza, journalists should be allowed in as well. They also said the tightly controlled embeds with the military are no substitute for independent access. The judges are expected to rule in the coming days.

Magdy reported from Cairo.

On a hilltop overlooking the Rio Grande, just below a picnic area along Highway 83 in San Ygnacio, there’s an unmarked grave. The river—as well as its new razor-sharp decorations—stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction. Occasionally a car passes, but mostly there’s a quiet stillness.

The riverine border between Texas and Mexico is 1,254 miles long, a distance too great to be understood by those who’ve never seen it. This leaves room for interpretation, so the river becomes many things to many people. Lately, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the border has been the front lines of an “invasion.” Most recently, the Trump administration has established “national defense areas” along sections of the Rio Grande, apparently restricting Texans’ access to U.S. soil.

This river that was once a squiggly line on a map is now the front line of an intense militarization. Where white-tailed deer and largemouth bass used to live in relative peace, now there are Stryker armored vehicles and dangerous floating barriers.

It’s surreal to think of the river’s ancient history, with the Rio Grande reaching the Gulf more than half a million years ago. Today, the surreal nature of the Rio Grande has taken on a different character. 

This photo essay aims to see the border in a new light. Inspired by a decades-old method, I’ve examined this region through infrared imagery—recasting the militarization of the area using the military’s own technology. 

In the 1940s, the U.S. military enlisted Kodak to help it with aerial reconnaissance. Kodak, in turn, developed infrared-sensitive film that allowed aerial photographers to detect enemy camouflage. The film was called Aerochrome. Live vegetation reflects infrared light, and Aerochrome was engineered to render this reflected light in false-color hues of red or pink.

Using this specialized infrared-sensitive film in their reconnaissance missions, American troops were able to spot enemy positions, which did not reflect the same wavelength as living foliage and appeared as brown spots in a sea of pink and red.

Later, Kodak made a modified version of the film stock available to the public.

This is a relatively harmless example of a larger, more devastating phenomenon whereby military technology is first deployed abroad, then later finds applications at home.

As military violence escalates around the country, and scholars say American democracy is sliding toward authoritarianism, I decided to use once-military technology to examine the current political moment in Texas.

Unfortunately, Kodak discontinued Aerochrome film stocks in 2009—but modern digital cameras can be converted to record images in the same way. The spectrum of light visible to the human eye is roughly 400 to 700 nanometers in wavelength; however, a converted modern digital camera can see wavelengths in the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums, below and above the visible range respectively. This conversion is achieved by removing a filter that normally sits on top of the sensor in a digital camera. By removing it, the sensor sees well beyond what the human eye can see.

Different filters can then be used to isolate specific ranges of light. The Aerochrome look is recreated using a converted camera and an IR Chrome filter made by Korali Vision, which records only visible light and light at the lower end of the infrared spectrum.

This technology allows the viewer to see anew the intense militarization along Texas’ border with Mexico, showing how an already surreal landscape has been pushed further beyond reality.

Editor’s Note: This photo essay is published in partnership with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

The post The River and the Fever Dream appeared first on The Texas Observer.