[Garowe] The government of Turkey is set to commence drilling of oil from next year in Somalia, in what could double economic fortunes of the Horn of Africa nation, which has struggled with insecurity for the last three decades since the removal of Siad Barre.
Somalia's energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said deep sea drilling in the country will kick off soon, adding that 'this will solve our tradition social-economic challenges ' which have been affecting the country since independence.
Turkiye and Somalia signed an offshore oil and natural gas cooperation deal last month, further strengthening ties after agreeing a defence deal this year. The deal was accompanied by maritime agreement that caused jitters in the Horn of Africa..
Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that bilateral trade volume with Somalia reached $187.3 million in 2018 and $250.85 million in 2019. Ankara has been a major security and development partner of Mogadishu.
The total value of Turkish investments in Somalia has reached $100 million, while Mogadishu International Airport and Mogadishu Sea Port are both run by Turkish companies in Somalia. The recent maritime agreement is set to protect Somalia from Ethiopia’s impending aggression..
The deal, sources said, irked the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had signed a similar agreement with Somalia, leading to misunderstanding. President Hassan Sheikh recently visited Saudi Arabia where he sent emissaries to solve the outstanding issues.
Somalia's maritime oil reserves are on the verge of exploration in recent times, with the country also managing to win an international case against Kenya following a dispute over ownership of Indian Ocean maritime oil deposits. The resources are projected to economically assist the country to stabilise.
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04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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[ShabelleMedia] In a recent announcement, Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... ’s Minister of Information, Abshir Abdi Shikow, revealed that the al-Shabaab ...... the personification of Somali state failure... group is now severely depleted within the state’s territories.
The Minister attributed this development to the Galmudug administration’s concerted efforts to liberate its regions from the control of al-Shabaab militias, which have been a source of turmoil for the residents of Galmudug for over a decade.
For years, the al-Shabaab group has been responsible for numerous violent mostly peaceful attacks and acts of terror in Somalia and its neighboring countries. The group’s presence in Galmudug has significantly impacted the region, causing widespread fear and instability among the local population.
The Galmudug administration’s efforts to combat the al-Shabaab threat have been multi-faceted, involving increased security measures, intelligence gathering, and the strengthening of local and regional partnerships. These efforts have not only weakened the group’s grip on the region but have also provided a sense of hope and security to the people of Galmudug.
As the al-Shabaab group continues to lose its foothold in Galmudug, it is hoped that this development will pave the way for a more peaceful and prosperous future for the state and its people.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... the ongoing threat of terrorism in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region remains a concern, and it will be essential for the international community to continue supporting the efforts of the Galmudug administration and other regional governments in their fight against extremism and terrorism.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The United States of America has reached an agreement with the Nigerien authorities to withdraw its forces, numbering more than a thousand soldiers, from the African country.
Agence La Belle France-Presse quoted American officials as saying that US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell agreed to the Niamey authorities’ request to withdraw forces, during a meeting in Washington with Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zein.
The agreement stipulates sending an American delegation to Niger in the coming days to agree on the details of the withdrawal.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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#1
Does anybody remember why they we're there?
Officially?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/21/2024 5:45 Comments ||
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Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] The United States confirmed that it was beginning to withdraw troops from Niger under pressure from local authorities, who, following the French, began to expel the Americans. Previously, the United States tried to stay in Niger by distancing itself from the French and concluding new agreements with the military government. But a series of mistakes by the State Department accelerated the process - during the last negotiations, representatives of the State Department tried to put pressure on the military and threaten them, after which they simply sent the Americans into the woods and demanded that they leave the country.
This situation is of greatest interest from the point of view of control over Africa’s largest drone base in Agadez, which also has a long runway to accommodate heavy military transport aircraft. It is a strategic asset of the U.S. Army Africa Command. Taking into account the entry into Niger of the Russian military "African Korps", in the future, it would be very interesting to see their appearance in Agadez and the inclusion of this base in the Russian logistics network.
PS. It is also worth noting that in neighboring Chad, authorities also began to demand that the American air base be stopped and that American troops leave the country. Decolonization processes continue.
“The United States informed Niger that it would withdraw 1,000 American troops in the coming months,” the journalist said.
Reuters, citing an informed source, writes that during a meeting on April 19, Deputy Head of the State Department Kurt Campbell and the Prime Minister of Niger reached an agreement on the withdrawal of US troops.
Earlier, IA Regnum reported that in March, the military that seized power in Niger broke the bilateral military agreement with the United States, which allowed Pentagon representatives and American military personnel to be in the country. The official reason for this step was Washington’s violation of diplomatic protocol, since the American side did not inform Niamey about one of the recent visits of its delegation.
There is an American drone base in the north of Niger; in December 2023, there were about 1,100 American troops in the country.
In the summer of 2023, in Niger, a group of military members of the presidential guard rebelled and announced the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum from power. To govern the country, the National Council for the Salvation of the Motherland was formed, headed by the commander of the Tchiani Guard.
On 16 September 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States. This association appeared to organize collective security in the region.
At the end of January, all three countries jointly decided to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as quickly as possible. The authorities of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger explained this step by saying that the organization, in their opinion, is under the influence of foreign powers.
Even more from regnum.ru SVR veteran: the Americans were actually “surrounded” by the Niger authorities at their base
Niger's new authorities have effectively cut off logistics for American troops in the country, forcing the United States to begin scaling back its presence. Veteran of the Foreign Intelligence Service Lev Korolkov told IA Regnum about this, commenting on the NYT publication about the imminent withdrawal of thousands of American troops from the African country.
“Americans used to feel very good there. But for almost a month and a half now they have been sitting in such an unofficial blockade. They were practically surrounded. Including in terms of servicing drones. They could neither accept new devices nor send equipment in need of repair for repair. And these are powerful drones that allowed the Americans to control almost all of central Africa and even the Middle East. Find out what is happening where. Who is moving, where is moving. But the worst thing for them is the loss of the drone if it is intercepted. Local authorities cannot completely block the base. But in fact, the Americans' hands were tied. So the situation is already hot for them, and they are forced to leave,” the expert said.
The reason why the United States missed such a significant blow in this strategically important region, according to the expert, is simple. The Central Intelligence Agency, he said, is also not omnipotent. The department simply did not have time to react to the rapid development of the situation in Niger and prevent the coup that occurred last year.
“In Washington they thought they had everything covered. That money decides everything. The United States well “packed” the previous authorities in Niger with money, but frankly “missed” the events. Everything happened unexpectedly for them. Of course, I have respect for the American intelligence services. In general, one should not underestimate the enemy, one must respect him. But then they were outplayed. And they do not have the opportunity to place a similar base in any neighboring country in the region. So the Americans, leaving Niger, lost their previous positions in central Africa and, to a large extent, in the Middle East,” Korolkov concluded.
The United States will soon withdraw a thousand troops from Niger. This was reported on April 19 by New York Times journalist Eric Schmitt. Washington, according to the journalist, will withdraw its troops in the coming months, which has already notified the authorities of the African country.
Reuters, citing an informed source, writes that during a meeting on April 19, Deputy Head of the State Department Kurt Campbell and the head of the current government of Niger reached an agreement on the withdrawal of US troops.
Earlier, IA Regnum reported that in March, the military that seized power in Niger broke the military agreement with the United States, which allowed Pentagon representatives and American military personnel to be in the country. The official reason for this step was a violation of diplomatic protocol: Washington did not inform Niamey about one of the recent visits of its delegation.
In the north of Niger there is a US military base where unmanned aerial vehicles are located, which were actively used by the American side for aerial reconnaissance. In December 2023, about 1,100 US military personnel were stationed in the African country.
Last summer in Niger, a group of military members of the presidential guard rebelled and removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power. The National Salvation Council was formed to govern the country, led by Guard commander Abdurahman Tchiani.
And on September 16, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States. This association appeared to organize collective security in the region.
At the end of January, all three countries jointly decided to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as quickly as possible. The authorities of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger explained this step by saying that the organization, in their opinion, is under the influence of foreign powers.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Banking sources confirmed on Saturday that the currency disruption in the city of Aden and the rest of the province controlled by Saudi-led coalition forces continued to confuse the economic situation, resulting in the deterioration of the riyal against foreign currencies.
According to the sources, the selling price of one dollar in Aden and the other southern and eastern Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... i provinces reached 1,683 riyals and 1,675 riyals to buy, while the exchange rate for buying and selling the Saudi riyal ranged between 442 and 443 Yemeni riyals.
The sources explained that the exchange rate of the dollar in Sanaa and the provinces under the control of the Supreme Political Council remained stable at 530 riyals to the dollar, and the exchange rate of the Saudi riyal was between 139 and 140 riyals.
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04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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#1
confuse the economic situation
If they didn't have a confusing economy, they wouldn't have an economy at all.
Direct Translation via Google Translate Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Employees of the colonies in Dagestan control the entry into their territory of even such items as food, not to mention components for the manufacture of explosives. The security forces could have opened a case about the jamaat in the colony in order to improve the performance of their work after the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, noted human rights activists interviewed by the Caucasian Knot.
As the "Caucasian Knot" reported, on April 11 it became known that three residents of Dagestan were arrested in connection with a terrorist community. While serving time in a colony, they united into an illegal armed group with terrorist purposes and were preparing attacks on security forces, the Investigative Committee said.
That’s one way to reduce the refugee/Moslem colonist population....
[Rudaw] A former Syrian regime general is set to appear before a court in Stockholm on Monday for his alleged involvement in war crimes committed by Bashir al-Assad’s regime during the Syrian civil war, making him the highest-ranking Syrian military official to be tried in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... yet.
Mohammed Hamo, 65-year-old former Syrian brigadier general, has been accused of "aiding and abetting" war crimes during the Syrian civil war, by contributing "action and advice" to the Syrian army, according to his charge sheet.
The trial is set to last until May and could result in a life sentence for Hamo. The charges brought against the former general concern the period of January 1 to July 20, 2012.
In a landmark trial in January 2022, a German court found a Syrian secret intelligence officer of Assad’s regime guilty of torture, sexual violence, and 27 murders at the notorious Branch 251 prison in Damascus, sentencing him to life in prison.
The same court had convicted a former member of Syria’s secret police of accessory to crimes against humanity in 2021, sentencing him to four and a half years in prison. The case was the first international trial against a Syrian official over crimes committed during the brutal civil war.
The UN top court in November ruled that the Syrian regime must halt its torture campaign and preserve all evidence related to acts of torture, in what is its first legal proceeding on the Syrian civil war.
Syrians rose up against the regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... in March 2011, leading to a full-scale civil war that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and has left millions more in need of dire humanitarian assistance.
Over 13 million Syrians, half the country’s prewar population, have been displaced since the start of the civil war, more than six million of which are refugees who have fled the war-torn country, according to UN figures.
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04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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Leni Riefenstahl only died in 2003. She was a four time winner at the Venice Film Festival (in the 1930s) once at the Kinema Junpo Awards (1941), and in 1974 took a silver at the Telluride Film Festival — for lifetime achievement, one imagines.
[IsraelTimes] For ’Portrait of a Martyr,’ Sakir Khader was awarded the Silver Camera prize, which the Silver Camera Association has bestowed upon distinguished photojournalists for 75 years.
A Dutch-Paleostinian photographer won the most prestigious journalism award in the Netherlands for a series of photos where some titles refer to dead jihadist forces of Evil as "deaders."
Occurring amid a debate about the ethics of journalists covering the October 7 onslaught, Sakir Khader’s prize, announced in February, has prompted criticism by watchdog groups on antisemitism and Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs. They warned that honoring Khader’s work can be construed as a dangerous endorsement of his rhetoric amid rising antisemitism in the Netherlands.
Khader, 33, was awarded the Silver Camera prize, which the Silver Camera Association has bestowed upon distinguished photojournalists for the past 75 years. He was recognized for a series titled "Life in the West Bank Before October 7," the day that some 3,000 forces of Evil invaded Israel from the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, killing about 1,200 people and abducting another 253, among other war crimes and atrocities.
A spokesperson for the Silver Camera judges’ panel rejected the criticism, downplaying the significance of the titles the photographer gave the award-winning works.
On his official website, Khader titled one of the photos of the winning series "Portrait of a Martyr." It shows the body of Mahmoud Khaled Ar’arawi, who died in a firefight with Israeli soldiers in Jenin in September. Ar’arawi was wearing a headband emblazoned with the logo of the Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , a Paleostinian terrorist group that the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... last week slapped with new sanctions along with Hamas ...a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... for their operatives’ systemic rape of women during the October 7 onslaught in Israel, among other atrocities.
Martyr is a translation of shaheed, the Arabic-language term that many Moslems apply to people who have died fighting in a Jihad, a holy war, as well as to other war fatalities. A terrorist who died while carrying out an attack on Jews is generally referred to as a shaeed, or shohada in the plural form, in Paleostinian society and among many other Moslems.
Khader on his website and on social media makes frequent use of the term "martyr" to describe dead Paleostinian terrorists, including from Hamas. One of the people he photographed and described as a martyr in 2021 was Diaa al-Sabareen, an Islamic Jihad terrorist the group describes as an "explosives expert."
AN ’EMBRACE’ OF HAMAS
"The honoring of Khader is just one example of how many cultural institutions in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... have embraced or surrendered to the Hamas narrative," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the director of global social action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center advocacy group. "Shame on the committee that made such a decision," Cooper said.
Jacobs, the Dutch chief rabbi, called Khader’s terminology "dangerous" because it risks "inciting" people, he said.
"There is a symbolism here. This person’s pictures were selected for recognition for journalistic excellence. He says forces of Evil are deaders, so the next question is: Who killed them? The answer: The Jews. The Israelis. That’s when it becomes dangerous," Jacobs said.
Sacha Roytman Dratwa, the CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, in a statement, wrote: "Giving an award to someone who honors an Islamic Jihad terrorist and murderer as a ’martyr’ is a sick testament to the glorification of murder that has seeped into parts of the media and mainstream discourse." He added: "The word shaheed is an honorific term for murderers. Giving an award to someone like this is extolling evil and spitting in the face of his terrorist organization’s victims."
The Netherlands saw a 245 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023 over the previous years, reaching a record tally of 379 cases, most of them after October 7.
Khader did not reply to requests for comment by The Times of Israel.
Claudia Bergman, a spokesperson for the Silver Camera Association that’s responsible for the award, told The Times of Israel that the organization stands behind their decision to honor Khader.
"We did not explore whether Khader indeed used words like the ones you claim he did," Bergman wrote. She added that Silver Camera did not apply the term "martyr" to the titles of Khader’s work on its website and exposition. She declined to say how Silver Camera titles the pictures by Khader.
Hamas’ politburo head Ismail Haniyeh met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his residence in Istanbul on Saturday. The meeting, which took place against the backdrop of reports that Hamas's political leadership is considering leaving Doha was attended by other senior Hamas officials, including Khaled Mashal. Told ye
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
04/21/2024 01:51 ||
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[GEO.TV] Pakistain has made formal request to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for seeking next bailout package in the range of $6 to $8 billion under Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with possibility of augmentation through climate financing, The News reported on Saturday.
However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... the exact size and timeframe will only be determined after evolving consensus on the major contours of the next programme in May 2024.
The News sent out message to the members of Pak delegations, who are currently visiting Washington for attending the annual spring meetings of the IMF/World Bank, but got no reply till filing of this report.
Pakistain has shown its interest and also made a request to dispatch the IMF review mission in May 2024 to firm up details of the next bailout package of three years period under EFF programme.
Although, Pak authorities are pitching rosy picture of the economy but the IMF, in its latest Regional Economic Outlook (REO), released by Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) department stated that Pakistain’s external buffers deteriorated, mostly reflecting ongoing debt service, including Eurobond repayments.
"Where inflationary pressures persist, monetary policy should remain tight and follow a data-dependent approach (Egypt, Kazakhstan, Pakistain, Tunisia, Uzbekistan), while closely monitoring risks of a reversal of inflation developments," it added.
After contracting in 2023, growth in Pakistain is projected to rebound to 2% in 2024, supported by continuing positive base effects in the agriculture and textile sectors. Morocco’s growth projection has been revised down by 0.5 percentage point since October to 3.1%, largely reflecting slowing domestic demand.
Further ahead, growth in MENA emerging market and middle-income economies (EM&MIs) and Pakistain is projected to accelerate to nearly 4% in 2025 as constraints to growth this year (tight policies and country-specific events, including spillovers from conflict) begin to wane. Nonetheless, continued tight macroeconomic policies to tackle high levels of debt and inflation in some countries, coupled with persistent structural challenges, are expected to hold back medium-term economic activity, with growth remaining below historical averages in most economies.
In turn, public sector gross financing needs will remain a significant challenge for most EM&MIs and Pakistain. Public gross financing needs over 2024 are projected to rise to nearly 115% of fiscal revenues ($261.3 billion), an increase of about 5.6 percentage points compared to the IMF’s October projections.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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#1
possibility of augmentation through climate financing
[IsraelTimes] America working on temporary pier for aid transfer after strike that killed WCK workers leaves humanitarian groups needing greater assurance
[Rudaw] A mass grave was found near the Yazidi heartland of Shingal (Sinjar), a human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... organization announced on Friday. The remains found are believed to be those of Yazidis killed by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) during the group's control of the area.
The Petrichor Organization for Human Rights announced "the discovery of a new mass grave in the ’Siba Sheikh Khidir’ complex," in a statement published on their Facebook page which specified that the bodies buried in it were those of victims of the Yazidi genocide of 2014.
"The organization received information from site workers who were repairing the road for sidewalk installation, and immediately went to the site to investigate," added Petrichor in the statement, stressing that relevant authorities have been informed about the discovery.
Khairi Ali, the head of Petrichor told Rudaw that workers found clothes believed to belong to an elderly woman while working at the site, noting that there is currently no information regarding the number of the people buried in the mass grave.
ISIS seized control of large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group committed genocide against Yazidis when they overran the ethnoreligious minority’s heartland of Shingal, killing around 5,000 Yazidi men, some of whom were put into mass graves. Around 7,000 women and girls, some as young as nine, were enslaved.
Exhumation of mass graves in Shingal began in 2019. Progress on this front halted during the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic and resumed in October 2020.
The exhumations are carried out by the Iraqi government in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and are overseen by the United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... Investigation Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD).
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04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] Authorities in the Kurdistan Region abruptly ceased issuing visas to Syrian passport holders, with Syrians lamenting the impact of the decision on their livelihoods.
Mohammed, who used to reside in Damascus, arrived in Erbil on March 27th of this year. Shortly after his arrival, a decision was made to halt visa issuance to Syrian passport holders. Consequently, he was unable to secure residency so he had to return to Syria.
"I came here to work, and my trip cost me a total of 20 million Syrian pounds including visa and airplane ticket. 20 million [Syrian pounds] is not easy to get in Syria. My salary is a million in a [month]," Mohammed told Rudaw on Sunday.
"I borrowed money and sold everything I owned to work here, and I said to myself that the debt could be compensated and paid off. I came here but two days after I arrived here the decision was made that no visas would be issued [to Syrians]. What will I do now?" said Mohammad.
The Kurdistan Regional Government announced the decision to cease the issuance of visas to Syrian passport holders, starting from March 29th.
Hence, Syrian nationals who arrived in the Kurdistan Region shortly before this announcement are ineligible to apply for residency in the Region and must depart within a month.
The decision excludes individuals with residency status in the United States, Canada, and Europe, who are eligible to acquire a tourism visa for only 30 days.
Iraq hosts around 270,000 Syrian refugees, over 90 percent of whom reside in the Kurdistan Region, according to data from the UN refugee agency. A large portion of this number are civilians who were forced to flee their homes following the 2011 Syrian civil war.
Job prospects are very limited for Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, with most resorting to low-paying jobs to make ends meet.
[Rudaw] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... will end its latest aerial military operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region in the summer, an advisor at the Ottoman Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday.
Operation Claw-Lock was launched by Turkey on April 18, 2022 with the goal of targeting PKK positions in the Metina, Zap, Avashin, and Basyan areas in northern Duhok province along the Ottoman Turkish border.
"The lock in Claw-Lock will be closed this summer," Zeki Akturk, Press and Public Relations Advisor at the Ottoman Turkish defense ministry, told news hounds on Thursday.
He added that "rapid operations" against the Kurdish group will continue in the Region.
Turkey’s Claw-Lock Operation is part of a series of military offensives that started in 2019 against the PKK in northern Duhok province to eradicate the group in its bases in the Kurdistan Region’s mountains. Ottoman Turkish forces have built dozens of outposts within the Kurdistan Region’s borders during its operations.
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04/21/2024 00:00 ||
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Except for chemical weapons and nuclear bomb development, is Iraq known for weapons manufacturing, or are they as inshallah with that as with so much else?
[Rudaw] Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani
on Tuesday received a delegation from General Dynamics at his residence in Washington, focusing on cooperation with the American company to rebuild Iraq’s military capabilities, according to a statement from Sudani’s office.
"The meeting focused on cooperation with the company as part of the government's efforts to rebuild Iraq's military capabilities, specifically in providing tanks and armored vehicles," read the statement.
"Discussions also covered collaboration on establishing a major workshop for the maintenance and upgrading of tanks to suit the Iraqi terrain and climate conditions. Additionally, an agreement was reached to launch a series of initiatives with General Dynamics, as part of the government's plans to develop and support the military institution with various types of modern weapons," it added.
Sudani is heading a top Iraqi delegation to the US. He has met with US President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. The very model of probity. He sez he had an uncle who was eaten by cannibals...
and other American officials since his arrival in the country on Saturday.
Biden and Sudani on Monday stressed their commitment for comprehensive bilateral cooperation in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement, including political, economic, and security cooperation, according to a joint statement released following the meeting.
Sudani on Tuesday also received the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, at his residence in Washington.
"During the meeting, relations between the two countries were discussed, and the possibility of cooperation and benefiting from the expertise of the US Department of Homeland Security in the areas of securing borders, combating drugs and drug trafficking, and modern technology related to their pursuit and detection, as well as training areas," read a statement from Sudani’s office.
[IsraelTimes] Report says Blinken to target Netzah Yehuda for violence against West Bank Paleostinians; Ben Gvir: I’ll absorb battalion into police; unit was moved north in 2020 after multiple incidents
The Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra) ...the collection of boodlers, grifters, hangers-on, and self-proclaimed experts affiliated with the Biden Crime Family. Entrusted with an entire nation as the result of a suspicious election, they set about happily implementing stuff they absorbed in college, all of which blew up and splattered the rest of us... is slated to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... abuses against Paleostinians in the West Bank, the Axios news site reported on Saturday. It would be the first time the US has ever taken such a step.
The battalion has been at the center of several controversies in the past connected to right-wing extremism and violence against Paleostinians, notably including the 2022 death of Omar As’ad, a 78-year-old Paleostinian-American who died after being detained, handcuffed, blindfolded, and later abandoned in near-freezing conditions by soldiers of the battalion.
Israel moved the unit out of the West Bank in December 2022 — though it denied it did so due to soldiers’ behavior — and it has since served mostly in the country’s north.
The reported US plan drew a scathing response from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The IDF must not be sanctioned!" he wrote on X. "I’ve been working in recent weeks against the sanctioning of Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with the American administration.
"At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to issue sanctions against a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low," he added, committing to fight the move.
Centrist war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz joined the criticism, saying the infantry unit was "an integral part of the IDF" and was bound by military and international law. He added that Israel has "strong and independent" courts capable of dealing with alleged violations.
"We have great respect for our American friends, but imposing sanctions on the unit is a dangerous precedent and sends the wrong message to our shared enemies at a time of war," Gantz said, while pledging to "take action so this decision does not pass."
The expressions of surprise and anger in Israel came shortly after leaders voiced profound gratitude to the US after the US House passed a major military aid package for the Jewish state.
Citing unnamed American sources, the Axios report said the sanctions would bar the transfer of US weapons to the largely ultra-Orthodox infantry unit and prevent its soldiers from training with US forces or taking part in any activities with US funding, under the Leahy Laws.
Authored by then-senator Patrick Leahy ...Democrat Senator-for-Life from Vermont, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, source of more leaks than a plumber could keep up with... in the late 1990s, the laws prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice.
One of the sources was quoted saying that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had decided not to sanction other military and police units that the administration was investigating, as it had seen adjustments in their conduct.
An administration official told the news site that the decision to sanction Netzah Yehuda was based on research done before October 7 that examined incidents in the West Bank.
The report came days after ProPublica said a State Department panel recommended that Blinken sanction several Israeli units for alleged rights abuses, including Netzah Yehuda.
Blinken himself said Friday that he had made "determinations" regarding accusations that Israeli forces had violated the Leahy Laws.
Asked at a news conference in Italia about reports that the State Department has recommended the cutting off of military aid to certain Israeli units over possible human rights violations in the West Bank, Blinken did not outright confirm the reports, but promised results very soon.
"I think you’re referring to the so-called Leahy Law and our work under that," he responds. "So this is a very important law. And it’s one that we apply across the board. And when we’re doing these investigations, these inquiries, it’s something that takes time. That has to be done very carefully, both in collecting the facts and analyzing them.
"And that’s exactly what we’ve done. And I think it’s fair to say that you’ll see results very soon. I made determinations. You can expect to see them in the days ahead," Blinken said, without elaborating.
Netzah Yehuda was created so that ultra-Orthodox and other religious soldiers can serve without feeling they are compromising their beliefs. The soldiers do not interact with female troops to the same extent as other servicemen and are given additional time for prayer and religious study.
Members of the unit have been involved in multiple controversial and violent mostly peaceful incidents and have also been convicted in the past of torturing and abusing Paleostinian prisoners.
Since the Israel-Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®, war began on October 7, the US has issued three rounds of sanctions against settler individuals for violence against Paleostinians. The latest round was issued on Friday and included the leader of the far-right group Lehava, Benzi Gopstein, who is a close ally of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Ben Gvir said Saturday that imposing "sanctions on our soldiers is a red line."
Describing the Axios report as "extremely grave," Ben Gvir stated that he "expects Defense Minister Yoav Gallant not to submit to American dictates" and that the members of Netzah Yehuda "must be fully supported."
"If there is not anybody at the Defense Ministry who will back up the battalion as required, I will ask to absorb them into the Israel Police and the Ministry of National Security," continued Ben Gvir, who added that he would be willing to integrate the battalion into the Border Police.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said imposing sanctions "while Israel is fighting for its existence is utter madness."
"This is part of a planned move to force the State of Israel to agree to the establishment of a Paleostinian state and to forsake Israel’s security," Smotrich charged in a post on X.
[IsraelTimes] Some two weeks after the Israel Defense Forces withdrew all of its maneuvering ground forces from Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , and a day after photos of Paleostinians enjoying the beach caused a buzz in Hebrew media, reports point to signs of life returning to normal in areas including the north of the Strip, Gaza City, and the southern city of Khan Younis.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli defense Ministry unit responsible for liaising with the Paleostinians, shares a post showing market scenes in northern Gaza.
Photos from Gaza markets show stalls with a variety of vegetables in stock including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions, along with staples such as eggs, spices and flour.
Channel 12 quotes Gaza photographer Ayman Amriti as saying that the price of a 25-kilogram (55-pound) sack of flour has come down from NIS 1,800 ($475) at the peak of the war to NIS 95 ($25) — though most people are struggling financially.
A carton of 30 eggs is reportedly now being sold in Gaza for NIS 38 ($10), down from NIS 10 ($2.50) per egg a month ago.
The Channel 12 report adds that meat, snacks, and watermelon is also available in Gaza.
COGAT said earlier this week that 23 bakeries currently operating in Gaza are producing some three million pita breads every day.
#12
I still think it's a poorly written / unclear sentence.
Yet another example of journalistic numerical bullshit. It is common to see mixed comparisons, like between a percentage and a count. Example: last year's murder rate in Big City was 17 per 100,000. This year, 43 people have died.
[IsraelTimes] NYT says attack was ’calibrated’ to show Israel’s capability to dodge Iran’s air defenses, make Tehran ’think twice’ before another assault; Iran’s FM claims it merely faced ’toys’
The alleged Israeli strike overnight Thursday-Friday on Iranian air defenses near the Natanz nuclear site used a high-tech missile that was able to evade Iran’s radar systems, in a move "calibrated to make Iran ...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979... think twice" before launching another direct attack on Israel, The New York Times
... which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported on Saturday.
Two unnamed Western officials cited by the newspaper said the missile aimed to show Tehran that Israel is able to dodge and neutralize its defenses.
Two Iranian officials said the strike hit a Russian-made S-300 air defense system. They told the newspaper that Iran had not detected intrusions into its airspace from drones, missiles or aircraft.
The newspaper said the missile was from a warplane fired "far from Israeli or Iranian airspace."
The report also said that neither the plane nor the missile entered Jordanian airspace — a calculated move to keep Amman out of any potential ramifications for the reprisal strike, after it helped shoot down some of the hundreds of drones and missiles fired by Iran at Israel last weekend.
Satellite imagery seen by the Times of Israel showed damage to the radar of an S-300 system at the Eighth Shekari Air Base in Isfahan, said to be part of an array defending the nearby top-secret Natanz nuclear site. The imagery was not immediately permitted for publication, per the policy of the agency that took the photo.
Additional synthetic aperture radar satellite images taken Friday also showed evidence that the radar site was targeted.
The New York Times said the strike was deliberately designed to send a message on how a wider attack could look, with Israel able to penetrate Iranian defenses undetected.
US defense officials also told The New York Times that there was concern the precedent set by the nations’ direct exchanges of blows this week could encourage further rounds of violence in the future.
Other effects could be an Iranian effort to better protect its nuclear assets and make them harder to attack, as well a potential push to move weaponry closer to Israel in case of another confrontation, experts told the paper.
US media reported Friday that the alleged Israeli strike in Iran went beyond the scope of several small drones described by Tehran. ABC news was the first to report that the air defenses at Isfahan were part of an array defending the nearby top-secret Natanz site.
Citing "senior US military sources," Fox News reported that the target of the strike was a military base in Isfahan, and not the heavily fortified nuclear facilities themselves, which lie some 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the north of the city, largely buried under a mountain.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in New York to attend a United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... Security Council meeting on the Middle East, likened the strike on Friday to child’s play.
Speaking to NBC News through a translator, Amir-Abdollahian said the drones had taken off from inside Iran and flew for a few hundred meters before being downed.
"What happened last night was no attack," said Amir-Abdollahian. "It was the flight of two or three quad-copters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran."
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the reports that Israel had fired at least one missile appear to correlate with debris found in Iraq in the morning after residents of Baghdad reported hearing sounds of explosions.
Images showed what appeared to be parts of a two-stage standoff air-to-surface missile near Latifiya, southwest of Baghdad, which would have fallen away after the missile launch, although this remains unconfirmed.
Israel has several types of these munitions available for its air force, raising the possibility it was fired as part of the attack.
Also, around the time of the incident in Iran, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement saying Israel carried out a missile strike targeting a southern air defense unit and causing damage. The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor of unclear funding, said the strike hit a military radar for government forces.
That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, some 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away and east of Israel, and could provide an indication of the route taken by Israeli jets.
The facility at Isfahan operates three small Chinese-supplied research reactors, as well as handling fuel production and other activities for Iran’s nuclear program.
The deeply fortified underground Natanz enrichment site, meanwhile, has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli sabotage attacks.
Iran’s nuclear program has rapidly advanced to producing enriched uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels since the collapse of its atomic deal with world powers, after then-US president Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... withdrew America from the accord in 2018.
And so we know more than the journalists of the New York Times — see how easy it is? ;-)
The missile used in the alleged Israeli attack on a military base near the Iranian city of Isfahan overnight Thursday-Friday was a locally-developed air-to-surface missile dubbed The Rampage, according to a Hebrew media report.
The Kan broadcaster reports that The Rampage was identified from photos and also matches the extent of the damage caused in the attack.
The 4.7-meter (15-foot) rocket can also travel at supersonic speed, making it difficult to detect and intercept using air defense systems such as the Iron Dome.
The Rampage, which weighs over half a ton and was unveiled in 2018, was designed to penetrate into and destroy protected areas, like bunkers, according to its manufacturers, Israeli Military Industries Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries.
[IsraelTimes] Palestinian leader rails at Washington which he says ’continues to support the occupation, has violated all international laws and abandoned all promises’.
[IsraelTimes] Organizers say Lag B’Omer celebration will be moved entirely indoors at Ghriba synagogue, a cornerstone of millennia-old Djerba Jewry
The annual Jewish pilgrimage on Tunisia’s island of Djerba will be limited amid security concerns sparked by the war in Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... and a deadly attack last year, organizers said Friday.
The pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest, usually involves days-long festivities in the presence of thousands of pilgrims. It marks the Lag B’Omer festival, which begins 33 days after the start of Passover.
But this year’s pilgrimage on the resort island, set for May 24 to 26, is expected to draw fewer visitors amid the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw,, and last year’s terror attack in which five people were killed.
"The pilgrimage is not canceled," an organizer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... . But "everything will take place inside the synagogue."
The organizer said the pilgrimage will be limited to prayers inside the synagogue, and the lighting of candles.
"Given the current international context, security will also be tightened after what happened last year," the organizer added.
Last May 9, a policeman rubbed out three coppers and two pilgrims during the festival that resumed in 2022 after a two-year suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been at least two attacks on synagogues in Tunisia since October 7, when thousands of Hamas hard boyz invaded southern Israel from Gaza, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage. In addition, Tunisian President Kais Saied has a history of making antisemitic statements.
This year’s pilgrimage will not include activities such as the open-air parade carrying the synagogue’s menorah.
Organizers say more than 5,000 people, mostly from abroad, joined last year’s pilgrimage. Up to 8,000 pilgrims attended in previous years.
The Ghriba pilgrimage also saw a suicide kaboom in 2002 that killed 21 people and was claimed by al-Qaeda.
The pilgrimage is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live — mainly on Djerba.
According to the Djerba community, Jews have lived there since at least the dawn of the first millennium CE, making it one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.
The history of Jews in Tunisia dates back to Roman times, before the Moslem conquest of North Africa.
For centuries, the community prospered under various rulers, with occasional episodes of persecution — including by La Belle France’s fascist ...anybody you disagree with, damn them... Vichy rule during World War II, and then for a period under direct Nazi occupation. In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded, the community numbered 110,000.
It dwindled rapidly in the 1950s, as Jews emigrated en masse to La Belle France or Israel, leaving only 20,000 behind. Thousands more left the country in 1967 after anti-Jewish riots erupted during the Six Day War.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...... the personification of Somali state failure...
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
...a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...![]("Pix/89d15dde7f6fe5ad01cd6cffcdac87bf055cf2f5.webp" "\"coronavirus")
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...![]("Pix/biden_admin.png" "\"Biden")
...the collection of boodlers, grifters, hangers-on, and self-proclaimed 
...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979...
...anybody you disagree with, damn them...
