State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said there are credible reports that Venezuela threatened the governments of Aruba, the Netherlands and others to force the release of former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal. More than 2,000 Syrians - almost half of them pro-government forces - have been killed in the last two weeks of fighting in Syria, marking one of the deadliest periods in the country's civil war, opposition activists said Monday. The report reflects a surge in deadly attacks by the Islamic State group targeting government forces, signaling shifting priorities as Sunni militants seek to consolidate power in areas under their control. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has closed all but three land border crossings, restricted public gatherings and quarantined communities heavily affected by the deadly Ebola outbreak in her West African nation. The closure is the latest sign of mounting tensions over Beijing's desire to hobble democratic reforms in the semiautonomous Chinese city, with activists threatening to shut down Hong Kong's commercial center with a major rally.