[Iran Press TV] At least nine people have bit the dust in a suspected US drone strike in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. .
Two intelligence officials in Pakistain, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said Tuesday's air raid targeted Death Eaters in the Nazyan area of Nangarhar near Pakistain's Khyber Agency.
The assailants were reportedly from a terrorist group that has recently pledged allegiance to pro-Talibs in Pakistain.
A front man for the Nangarhar governor, Ahmad Zia Abdulazai, said he was only aware of a Monday Arclight airstrike that killed two suspected myrmidons.
Pak security officials said the murderous Moslems belonged to the Lashkar-e-Islam ...a group of Islamic bandidos infesting Khyber Agency. It's headed by a former bus driver.... , Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) and Abdullah Azam Brigade myrmidon groups.
A NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... front man in Kabul confirmed the strike and said it was carried out on Monday, but gave no details on the number of causalities.
"We can confirm there was a U.S. precision strike during an operation in Nasyan district, Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province, 23 March," the front man said.
The strike is the latest evidence of increasing cooperation between the two neighbours and U.S.-led forces in combating TTP murderous Moslems who have fled across the border from a Pak military operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] More than a dozen civilians, among them a woman, have been killed when a group of unknown gunnies launched an attack on buses traveling toward the troubled eastern region of Afghanistan.
Ataullah Khogyani, the front man for Maidan Wardak provincial governor, said on Tuesday that the assailants fired shots at the buses at around 1:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2030 GMT Monday) in Saydabad district of the province, killing 13 passengers. Two people also sustained grave injuries in the attack.
The buses were heading from the capital, Kabul, towards Afghanistan's eastern province of Ghazni.
Mohammad Ali, the deputy governor of neighboring Ghazni province, confirmed the incident, saying the gunnies picked their victims and shot them one by one.
No group or individual has grabbed credit for the deadly attack, but such assaults bear the hallmarks of those made by Talibs. Afghan authorities have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the act of violence.
Speaking from Kabul, Press TV correspondent, Fayez Khorshid said the victims were returning home in Ghazni after celebrating Nowruz, which marks the Persian New Year, in the Afghan capital.
He added that their next of kin are demanding justice over the deadly attack.
The bus was heading for the restive southern city of Kandahar, once a bastion of the Taliban.
The Taliban's chief front man, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied they were behind Tuesday's attack, though the district where it happened is known to have a stong myrmidon presence.
The Taliban often deny attacks that involve a high civilian corpse count.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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MOGADISHU -- Federal Government of Somalia’s military court has executed two soldiers at police academy in Mogadishu for the murder of civilians on Tuesday morning, Garowe Online reports.
I'm surprised. Really. Governments executing military men for violating the rights of citizens? In Africa?
As a result of a series of sentences unleashed on government soldiers and terror suspects, Abdirahman Isse Ahmed, 20 and Abdullahi Ali Abdi-two Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers who were convicted of killing three civilians in separate incidents were executed by firing squad with military court Chief Liban Ali Yarow present.
Ahmed deliberately shot dead late Saed Dhiblawe Siyad in August 2012 while Abdi gunned down Mohamud Hussein Abdi and Sahro Sheikh Omar, Deputy Prosecutor of military court Abdullahi Hussein Mohamed said while speaking to reporters on the scene of the execution.
The execution of government soldiers marks the first to be carried out this year.
Human Rights watch previously voiced concern over what it described summary executions and sentences devoid of compliance with international standards of justice.
Their "international standard of justice" involves a 30 year hearing with Carla del Ponte...
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] roadside kaboom killed two soldiers and maimed six others on Tuesday as it struck a passing armoured vehicle in the restive Sinai peninsula, Egyptian military and medical officials said.
A military official said the kaboom took place as army forces patrolled an area near the village of el-Kharouba, close to the Gazoo Strip in the north.
Egypt has been battling an Islamist insurgency in North Sinai since the army ousted president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
Militant attacks in Sinai are spearheaded by a group called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem), the Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic state group that controls swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed some of the deadliest and most sophisticated attacks against Egyptian security forces in the Sinai peninsula, which neighbours Israel and the Paleostinian enclave in Gazoo.
Islamist groups say the attacks are in response to the deaths of more than 1,400 civilians and the arrests of more than 15,000 since Morsi's ouster.
Earlier this month two bombings, one of them a suicide kaboom on a police base, killed a civilian and an army officer. Two civilians and 30 coppers were maimed in that attack. A roadside kaboom a day earlier killed three soldiers in the peninsula.
Dozens of security personnel have been killed in the unrest. Security forces say they have killed more than 172 Islamists since February in recent operations.
[Iran Press TV] At least seven Libyan soldiers have been killed and a dozen more injured in a boom-mobileing in Libya's second-largest city, Benghazi, amid a UN proposal aimed at ending violence in the country.
"A bomber blew up his explosives-laden car outside a military site [belonging to the Tobruk-based government] in al-Laithi district" south of the port city, the Anadolu Agency quoted Military commander Fadl al-Hasi as saying.
No group has yet grabbed credit for the Tuesday attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[CTVNEWS.CA] Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi fled the country by sea Wednesday on a boat from Aden, as Iranian catspaws and their allies advanced on the southern port city where he had taken refuge, captured his defence minister and seized the city's airport.
Hadi's departure marks a dramatic turn in Yemen's turmoil and means a decisive collapse of what was left of his rule, which the United States and Gulf allies had hoped could stabilize the chronically chaotic nation and fight al Qaeda's branch here after the 2011 ouster of longtime autocrat President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... With Hadi gone, there remains resistance to the Houthis scattered around the country, whether from Sunni rustics, local militias, pro-Hadi military units or al Qaeda gunnies.
Hadi and his aides left Aden after 3:30 p.m. on two boats, security and port officials told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. The officials would not specify his destination. But Hadi is scheduled to attend an Arab summit in Egypt on the weekend, where Arab allies are scheduled to discuss formation of a joint Arab force that could pave the way for military intervention against Houthis.
His flight came after Houthis and Saleh loyalists advanced against Hadi's allies on multiple fronts. Military officials said militias and military units loyal to Hadi had "fragmented," speeding the rebel advance. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to news hounds
Earlier in the day, the rebels seized a key air base where U.S. troops and Europeans had advised the country in its fight against al Qaeda holy warriors. The base is only 60 kilometres away from Aden.
In the province of restive Lahj ... a Yemeni governate located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the stomping grounds on the southern secessionist al-Harak movement , adjoining Aden, the rebels captured Hadi's defence minister, Maj. Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi, and his top aide on Wednesday and subsequently transferred them to the capital, Sanaa. Yemen's state TV, controlled by the Houthis, announced a bounty of nearly $100,000 for Hadi's capture.
Hadi then fled his presidential palace, and soon after warplanes targeted presidential forces guarding it. No casualties were reported. By midday, Aden's airport fell into hands of Saleh's forces after intense festivities with pro-Hadi militias.
Aden was tense Wednesday, with schools, government offices, shops and restaurants largely closed. Inside the few remaining opened cafes, men watched the news on television. With the fall of the city appearing imminent, looters went through two abandoned army camps, one in Aden and the other nearby, taking weapons and ammunition.
The takeover of Aden, the country's economic hub, would mark the collapse of what is left of Hadi's grip on power. After the Houthis overran Sanaa in September, he had remained in office, but then was put under house arrest. He fled the capital earlier in March with remnants of his government and declared Aden his temporarty capital.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 13:51 ||
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#1
The Saudis + aligned Anti-Houthi/Iran GCC + Araba League States have begun LR Airstrikes + Arty strikes into Yemen, + are repor also planning to set up possible NAVAL BLOCKADES???
[Iran Press TV] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... has moved heavy military equipment to areas near its border with Yemen, US officials say.
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia has engaged in deploying military equipment, including artillery, to the troubled region.
Latest media reports say Washington has acquired intelligence about the Saudi buildup. One US government source has described the size of the Saudi buildup on Yemen's border as "significant."
The developments come as Saudi Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has reportedly been ordered to erect a military base immediately along the border.
The source says the Saudis could be preparing air raids to defend resigned former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi if Ansarullah fighters known as Houthis attack his refuge in the southern seaport of Aden.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!... Hadi has asked the UN Security Council (UNSC) to authorize military intervention in the strife-torn country to help him in the fight against the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... revolutionaries. He has also sought military help from the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ... the Medes and the Persians are very sensitive on the subject of the Persian Gulf, which the Arabs refer to as the Arabian Gulf... ([P]GCC) and the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... .
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 09:51 ||
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#1
Not a buildup anymore as the KSA, etal has now repor fired Arty + attacked into Yemen.
* FREEREPUBLIC > [Al-Arabiya News] GULF STATES DECIDE TO [militarily] REPEL HOUTHI AGGRESSION [ in Yemen, ISIS + AQAP also targeted].
Apparently its the KSA + a Coalition of 10 GCC + Non-GCC States.
[ARABNEWS] Iranian catspaws fired bullets and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters demanding they withdraw from a southwestern province, killing six demonstrators, wounding scores more and escalating tensions in a country on the verge of civil war.
The rebels, known as Houthis, seized the capital Sanaa in September and have been advancing south alongside forces loyal to former President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... . In recent days they have closed in on the southern port city of Aden, where the internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is now based.
Massive protests were held in the third largest city of Taiz -- which the rebels largely seized over the weekend -- and in Torba, some 60 miles (100 kilometers) away, where witnesses said the streets were filled with thick black smoke from burning tires and where protesters torched three armored vehicles.
"Torba turned into a ball of fire," said Khaled Al-Asswadi, a resident. He said the protesters prevented the Houthis from advancing into the city.
A medical official said six protesters were killed and dozens maimed in Torba. Local activists posted pictures on social media of what they said were dead protesters, their clothes drenched in blood.
Another witness, Mohammed Salem, said the Houthis and Saleh's forces fired anti-aircraft guns to scare off the protesters, "but the number of protesters increased instead." In a statement, Yemen's Socialist Party warned that the Houthis' invasion of the mostly Sunni south would set off a "sectarian war."
Gov. Shawki Hayel of Taiz province meanwhile accused top security commanders of mutiny, saying a special forces commander ordered his men to disperse the protesters without consulting him, according to an official in Hayel's office.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Thirty people have been killed in fresh festivities between Ansarullah fighters and forces loyal to the runaway President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in Bayda Province.
The festivities erupted on Tuesday, when the pro-Hadi rustics attacked several bases and checkpoints of Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... fighters. The fighting left 15 Houthi fighters and nine rustics dead.
In Marib, east of the capital, Sana'a, six rustics loyal to Hadi, including a tribal chief, were killed in festivities with Ansarullah fighters late on Monday.
Ta'izz violence
Meanwhile, ...back at the argument, Livia grabbed for Jane's hair to make her point. Jane elbowed her in the face in rebuttal... an anti-Houthi protest in the southern city of Ta'izz turned violent, leaving five people dead and dozens more injured.
Ansarullah fighters on Sunday took control of Ta'izz, a strategic city between the capital Sana'a and Aden, where Hadi has been based over the past weeks.
The Houthi fighters seized the airport in Ta'izz after defeating forces loyal to the runaway president. They also captured several state facilities including a court complex in Yemen's third largest city.
Houthi movement's Ansarullah fighters also sent reinforcement to an area in the neighboring province of Ibb, northeast of Ta'izz.
In late January, Hadi, along with the cabinet of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, stepped down over pressure from the Ansarullah revolutionaries, but the Yemeni parliament did not approve his resignation.
Hadi fled his home in the capital on February 21 after weeks under effective house arrest and went to Aden, Yemen's second largest city, where he officially withdrew his resignation and highlighted his intention to resume duties.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Yemen's Ansarullah fighters, backed by units of the army, have entered a strategic port city and two towns in the south as they press ahead with operations to take full control of the southern portion of the crisis-hit country.
Reports say the Houthis entered the port of Mocha, nearly 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of the major city of Ta'izz, on Tuesday.
The takeover of the port will facilitate the revolutionaries' critical access to the strategic strait of Bab el-Mandeb.
The Ansarullah fighters took control of Ta'izz on March 22.
In another operation, the Houthis entered the town of Dhale'e, some 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of Ta'izz, on the same day. Clashes broke out between the fighters and murderous Moslems loyal to the runaway President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in the town.
Kirsh was the other town taken over by the Houthis on Tuesday. It lies about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the city of Aden, where Hadi has taken refuge.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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posting in Non-WOT for now. Dusseldorf to Barcelona flight Moved to Page One
Rolled over to continue the discussion.
I am not comfortable with the data that has come forward and the manner in which this event in shaping up. Like MH370, The lack of a distress call is particularly disturbing.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/25/2015 07:02 ||
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#5
This bird was flying up near to its service ceiling. Wonder if was up near the edge of its performance ceiling at coffin corner? Go a little too fast and you get Mach buffet. Fly a little too slow and you get into a stall.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/24/2015 11:53 Comments ||
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#6
That was what happened to the Aitr France Rio Paris flight. Iyt was flying oin the coffn's corner and began to stall and lose altitude. At the commands was the third pilot who was (for apilot of a big company) quite unexperienced. He tried to pull on the stick but that only made the problem worse since the basic problem was the plane did not have enough speed. The more the plane lost altitude the more he pulled on the stick to lift the nose but that airliners don't climb through the sheer power of their engines, they need airsepeed and lifing the nose decreased it. What he should have done was to let the nose down in order to get airspeed. Second pilot had the right intuition and pushed but didn't tell to the other one to leave the commands so things didn't improve. Then the Captain who ahad been napping entered the cabin but since he was probably still sleepy he just stood looking what was happening instead of ejecting the nearest pilot and tell the other to release the commands. A lot of people died.
#13
The airspeed sensors should be looked at first. Probably broken or frozen...again.
Posted by: Anice Nim ||
03/24/2015 16:00 Comments ||
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#14
From Aircraft POH
Descent Information:
To calculate
Top Of Descent point (the point at which you need to begin your descent to reach the desired altitude at the desired time): Use 6.5 miles per minute (at Mach .65 in descent) as the basis. If you are cruising at 33,000 ft. and wish to descend to 5,000 ft. at the next waypoint, at a descent rate of 1,800 ft./min., you need to
figure the time to descend 28,000 ft. (33,000 - 5,000). Divide 28,000 ft. by 1,800 ft./min. and you will get 15.56 minutes. At 6.5 miles per minute, you need to begin your descent at 101 miles from the next waypoint (15.56
minutes multiplied by 6.5 miles per minute). This is a “No Wind” calculation. If you have a tailwind, the miles per minute will be greater; if you have a headwind, the miles per minute will be lower.
Descend with throttles at idle at initial descent. Set auto throttle to hold descent airspeed of Mach .65 to 16,000 ft. and 250 KIAS below 16,000 ft
This pilot needed to get his bird down fast! Either that or something went catistrophic.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/24/2015 17:09 Comments ||
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#15
@#13: Agreed, but the folks up front have access to GPS-based groundspeed info and they were briefed on expected weather, including winds aloft, before departure. If it were an ASI issue, some bells should have been going off in their melons.
If it were a pressurization issue, the pilot and co-pilot had access to quick-don masks with integrated mikes. The lack of a distress call is very troubling.
#19
Stick and rudder pilots know that once you get to altitude and controlled level flight, engines make you climb and descend, nose attitude makes you speed up and slow down.
Something odd happened at 10:30 (eleven minutes before crash). That military planes flew over so soon after may mean the flight path deviation was noticed by ATC.
#22
Per FAA (see page 3-3), Time of Useful Consciousness at 38,000 ft is around 30 seconds. More than enough time to put on an available quick-don mask.
Note the number of windscreen panel segments on the A320. How many would have to crack/shatter to induce total flightdeck mahem? Not discounting it entirely, but evidence suggests that the aircraft was in an expedited but controlled descent. Disorientation *2? Maybe.
#23
Jeepers! The Telegraph article (linked in #21) is not for low-information voters. Loads of photos, video, and interviews, expert theories, and speculation.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/25/2015 13:53 Comments ||
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#24
Quality reporting eh, Bobby?
Don't see that much anymore.
#26
Got the DAILY MAIL reporting on the screen. Very informative.
Airspeed from initial descent varied from 599 mph to 435 mph near impact. So there seemed to be some kind of automatic control, even though sink rat was high but not out of control high.
Something catastrophic happened to incapacitate the crew, even from using their own oxygen masks and O2 crew system. Maybe they started descent procedure on their autopilot then passed out. It was mentioned that there was 58000 hours on a nominal 60000 hr airframe. Wonder how many pressurization cycles the airframe experienced in its lifetime. Remember the Aloha Airlines flight 243 that popped its top years ago, due to the huge number of pressurization cycles from lots of short hops between islands (89,680)? Just some thoughts.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/25/2015 17:26 Comments ||
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#27
Yes, AP, bu the Alaska flight survived to explain what happened. If this one blew off the top, there'd be no evid.... waitaminute...If it blew open minutes before the crash, there are other parts located miles away.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/25/2015 19:32 Comments ||
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#28
News reporting tonight sez 'pilot left the cockpit and could not get back in despite knocking and pounding on the door.' Pilot or co-pilot suicide may be a possibility.
#31
I thought it odd that the leaders of France, Germany and Spain would visit the crash site so soon after the crash. Perhaps it was to confer over what to do about the crash that they already knew wasn't an unfortunate accident.
#35
Maybe my google-fu is weak, but there seems to be no mention of the pilot's names. Names and pix of the pax have been released. Would expect something like "Capt. Blah-blah is a seasoned veteran with N years of experience." Curious.
#37
New report that they could hear the pilot banging on the door trying to get in, on the voice recorder. The pilot at the controls was silent. So in my humble opinion it leave it down to a possibility of 3 events. 1- Pilot stroked out and caused the decent. 2-piloy suicide. or 3- windscreen breaks. Not enough to depressurize the aircraft bur enough to send a piece of windscreen into the pilot, decapitating him. Any other event I can think of would have the pilot on the controls talking, making calls, or at least voicing emergency procedures out loud.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
03/25/2015 22:56 Comments ||
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[DAWN] Eleven suspected murderous Moslems were killed as security forces claimed more gains in far-flung areas of Khyber Agency's Tirah valley on Monday.
Officials claimed that security forces took complete control of the Mazatal area and advanced into Toor Dara, Sandana and Khyber Sungar as fighting between murderous Moslems and security forces continued on Monday.
They said military planes and helicopter gunships pounded suspected positions in the areas.
The officials claimed that 11 murderous Moslems were killed in the festivities.
APP adds: Inter-Services Public Relations chief Maj Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said significant gains had been achieved by air strikes on Sunday night targeting bandidosbandidos bully boys in areas close to the Afghan border during operations Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... and Khyber. "Noose is being tightened against the terrorists."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Washington is providing reconnaissance support for Iraqi forces fighting to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group, an official said Tuesday, the first confirmation of American involvement in the operation.
Such assistance could help Iraqi forces move forward with their largest operation against IS jihadists to date, which enjoyed initial success but has since stalled into a siege, with the city surrounded but not retaken.
A U.S.-led coalition has targeted IS with air strikes and provided training and equipment to Iraqi forces, but had not previously announced direct assistance for the Tikrit operation, in which Iran has played a major role.
"The coalition began providing ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) support on March 21, 2015 at the request of the government of Iraq, and the U.S. is now providing that support," a senior coalition military official told Agence La Belle France-Presse, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... The official said that this support is provided in the form of "an eye in the sky."
IS led a sweeping offensive last June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, including Tikrit, the capital of Salaheddin province and executed dictator Saddam Hussein's home town.
Iraqi security forces initially fared poorly against IS, with multiple divisions collapsing in the north, but have since made major gains against jihadists with the aid of tens of thousands of allied paramilitaries, the U.S.-led coalition and Iran.
The operation to retake Tikrit, which involves thousands of Iraqi soldiers, police and forces known as Popular Mobilization units, which are dominated by Shiite militias, began on March 2.
- Balancing act -
It has succeeded in retaking towns leading to Tikrit, and also in surrounding several hundred jihadists in the city.
But capturing Tikrit itself has proved more difficult because of the jihadists' extensive defensive works, including a huge number of bombs planted in streets and buildings.
Iraq's interior minister announced last week that the operation had been halted temporarily to avoid casualties and to protect infrastructure in the city.
Army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, a top commander in Salaheddin province, told Agence La Belle France-Presse on March 15 that coalition air support was needed in Tikrit, and that he had requested that the Iraqi defense minister ask for it.
But that was apparently not immediately done, with a Pentagon front man saying five days later that he was unaware of any official requests "to participate in operations around Tikrit".
The issue of foreign air support, especially from the United States, is a point of contention between the Iraqi military and Death Eaters fighting alongside it.
Hadi al-Ameri, the commander of the powerful Iran-backed Badr militia, told journalists on Sunday that: "Some of the weaklings in the army... say we need the Americans, while we say we do not need the Americans."
The U.S. faces a delicate balancing act in anti-IS efforts in Iraq, where working against the jihadists sometimes means taking part in operations that are also assisted by rival Iran, and involving militias that fought against American forces in past years.
#1
"...with the aid of tens of thousands of allied paramilitaries, the U.S.-led coalition and Iran."
"The operation to retake Tikrit, which involves thousands of Iraqi soldiers, police and forces known as Popular Mobilization units, which are dominated by Shiite militias, began on March 2."
The use of the term 'jihadists' in this article is misleading.
This is mainly a fight between theocratic totalitarians of the Sunni Islamic persuasion and theocratic totalitarians of the Shia Islamic persuasion.
Both sides see themselves as jihadists i.e. holy warriors making holy war in the name of true Islam.
#2
If the platform(s) weren't already aloft, we were negligent and conducting air strikes somewhat randomly, which is not realistic. The only difference is, now we appear to be responding to host-nation Requests for Intelligence (RFI) and sharing the production.
but the salient thing is that the 20,000 or so fighting on the Iraqi gov side haven't, in the 2+ weeks of battle, been able to dislodge the 200 to 1000 or so on the ISIS side
this does not bode well for a successful operation to retake Mosul
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/25/2015 9:35 Comments ||
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[IraqiNews.com] A security source in Salahuddin province said on Monday, that 3 elements of al-Hashed al-Sha'bi have been killed during fierce festivities with the ISIS group bully boyz in south of Tikrit.
The source stated to IraqiNews in an interview, "Clashes have broken out between al-Hashed al-Sha'bi militia fighters and ISIS bully boyz near the area of al-Fatha in northeast of Biji, located 40 km south of Tikrit," pointing out that, "The festivities resulted in killing 3 elements of al-Hashed al-Sha'bi."
[IraqiNews.com] The Iraqi Air Force bombarded the ISIL shelters in Mazra'ah district of northern Salah il-Din to kill many of the ISIL terrorists.
Security source stated to IraqiNews.com "Many ISIL bad boyz were potted by an Arclight airstrike by the IAF in Mazra'ah district of northern Salah il-Din province."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[IraqiNews.com] A former U.S. soldier has returned to Iraq to help train Christians to fight ISIS, according to a report by CBS News.
Brett Felton, U.S. soldier who was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and was discharged in 2007, went to Iraq on his own accord in order to help train Christian militias to fight against the ISIS group krazed killers.
"I'm not here serving my country -- I'm here serving Christians," Felton told CBS 60 Minutes on Monday.
Felton says he isn't afraid to die in Iraq battling ISIS krazed killers.
"I have a Bible verse that's my favorite: Be faithful unto death and I shall give you the crown of life," the 28-year-old veteran added.
[IraqiNews.com] A security source reported that "The Security Forces have controlled Andalus Police Station in Albusuda neighborhood in Al-Khalidiya island in Anbar, raising the Iraqi flag over the station.
The security source told IraqiNews.com that "The security forces have dismantled the bombs from the sides of roads and dozens of houses in Albushab neighborhood in Khalidiya island of eastern Anbar to proceed towards the Japanese bridge located in northern Fallujah."
[IraqiNews.com] On Monday, a source within the police force in Baghdad said, that a fire broke out in a weapons warehouse that belongs to al-Hashed al-Sha'bi militia soldiers in eastern Baghdad.
The source stated to IraqiNews in an interview, "A huge blaze has erupted in a weapons warehouse for al-Hashed al-Sha'bi militia in the area of al-Ma'amil in eastern Baghadad," pointing out that, "The civil defense team has headed to the area to extinguish the blaze."
"The cause of the blaze is unknown until now," the source added.
[IraqiNews.com] The Ministry of Interior announced arresting seven wanted individuals accused of terrorism charges in the province.
A statement by the MoI received by IraqiNews.com cited "A joint security forces placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! seven wanted individuals accused of terrorism charges in various areas of Baghdad."
[IraqiNews.com] The terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant stoned a man and a woman to death in Mosul central Nineveh province.
A security source told IraqiNews.com that ”the terrorists executed a man and a woman by throwing stones at them on adultery charges in front of the people in Jmhuri St. in Mosul”.
[IraqiNews.com] On Monday, a source within the Kurdish paramilitary Peshmerga forces said, that the Peshmerga forces have foiled an ISIS attack on the district of Sinjar, located in west of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... The source stated to IraqiNews in an interview, "The Kurdish Peshmerga forces managed to repel an attack by the ISIS group gunnies on the area of al-Set Zaynab in the district of Sinjar, located in west of Mosul," pointing out that, "Great losses in lives and equipment have been inflicted upon ISIS ranks during the festivities between the two sides."
[IraqiNews.com] The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by President of the Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani ... hereditary head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, maybe a little too close to the Medes and the Persians for most people's tastes... , announced Sunday, that 13 ISIS elements were killed in festivities with the Peshmerga forces in eastern djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... .
Saeed Mamouzini, an official of the KDP stated for IraqiNews, "The Kurdish Peshmerga forces, with support from the international coalition warplanes, clashed with ISIS turbans who attacked them in the area of Ba'shiqah, located in eastern Mosul," noting that, "Violent festivities between the two sides resulted in killing 13 elements of the ISIS group."
"The fierce festivities have lasted for more than an hour in the area," Mamouzini added.
[IraqiNews.com] A security source reported that the forces of Evil of the ISIL stole contents of the Police Academy to detonate it in northern djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... Security source told IraqiNews.com that "the forces of Evil of the ISIL stole contents of the Police Academy in Shallalat district of northern Mosul", adding that "the forces of Evil got its contents out to detonate it".
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03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Iraqi security forces have discovered three mass graves in two areas previously held by the ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... bandidosmurderous Moslems in Salahuddin province.
According to an Iraqi security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, the "security forces found today three mass graves containing the remains of about 11 people in Tel Thahab and the vicinity of Balad district (80 kilometers south of Tikrit)," the Iraqi News online newspaper reported.
The security source further noted that the ISIL Takfiri bandidosmurderous Moslems "used to control those regions," adding that the "remains belong to civilian and military personnel who were executed by ISIL when it controlled these areas."
A mass grave, containing the bodies of about 27 people, was also discovered in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... according to Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights on March 14.
The Iraqi rights body further noted that the victims were found near the mainly Shia Turkmen town of Basheer and were killed by the ISIL snuffies when they rolled into the town last June.
On February 2, Kurdish fighters found another mass grave containing the remains of 25 Izadi men, women and kiddies. According to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, the grave was found near the town of Sinune, located west of the northern Iraqi city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , during a search for explosives that the ISIL often leaves behind.
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03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Israel's Shin Bet internal security service said Sunday it has locked away You have the right to remain silent... six members of a Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, cell with kabooms they planned to use in attacks inside the Jewish state.
The security forces had seized dozens of kilograms (pounds) of sulphur and 25 grams (just under an ounce) of mercury fulminate "which are used in creating bombs," it said in a statement.
Members of the Paleostinian Islamist cell had been based in the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya and used a flat in Nablus as an "explosives lab".
The Shin Bet said the six suspects had confessed during interrogation to having been recruited by Hamas elements in Jordan and sent to Gazoo for training.
They then went back to the West Bank to carry out military activity and recruit others.
Shin Bet said it demonstrated the "high motivation" of Hamas's foreign leadership to prepare military units which could eventually carry out attacks.
It did not give any further information on where the alleged attacks inside Israel were to have taken place or when.
[ARABNEWS] The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group has trained more than 400 children in Syria as fighters in 2015 alone, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Tuesday.
Calling them "Cubs of the Caliphate," the group provides intense military and religious training to children throughout its areas of control in Syria, the Britannia-based monitor said.
Sleek videos published by IS-affiliated accounts show boys -- some appearing to be as young as eight years old -- loading and firing guns and crawling through sandy brush as part of military training.
The footage also shows children gathered around a table studying religious texts.
Once the boys turn 15, they are given the option to become full-fledged fighters with salaries, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
"IS officials try to woo children with money, weapons and teaching them how to drive cars," he said.
He said the children aren't forced to fight, but "since there are no (non-IS) schools, no work, this is what kids do during the day."
The child soldiers are often used to man checkpoints or to gather intelligence from areas outside IS control, as children can typically pass unnoticed through these neighborhoods, Abdel Rahman said.
But some children are recruited for more violent purposes.
A video released by IS this month depicted a boy, who appeared to be no more than 12, executing a hostage by shooting him several times with a pistol.
Abdel Rahman said IS had already used at least 10 children as jacket wallahs in Syria and had put together all-child battle units.
"This is exploitation and clear brainwashing," he told AFP.
The Islamic State group is not alone in using child soldiers in Syria, but it seems to be the group doing so most openly.
"What is striking is they're not hiding it, they're flaunting it," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch ... During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, HRW received a pledge from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, of which George Soros is Chairman, for general support totaling $100,000,000. The grant is being paid in installments of $10,000,000 over ten years.Through June 30, 2013, HRW had received $30,000,000 towards the fulfillment of the pledge.... "Their use of child soldiers is part of a broader indoctrination effort... They keep talking about how they'll be the new generation."
According to the UN, more than 2.1 million children in Syria are no longer able to attend school due to the violence.
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[IraqiNews.com] The joint command of the international coalition announced that 'the US led coalition jet fighters have conducted more Arclight airstrikes on the ISIL locations in Iraq and Syria.
The command, in a statement, received by IraqiNews.com, cited that "the jet fighters have destroyed two ISIL locations near djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... and one tactical unit and a location near Al-Ramadi town", adding that "they have conducted Arclight airstrikes on ISIL selected targets of the ISIL in Rawah, Sinjar, and Talfer districts".
The statement referred that "the jet fighters have also conducted eight Arclight airstrikes on near Kobane targeting tactical units and destroying twelve ISIL locations and a vehicle".
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03/25/2015 00:00 ||
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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.
MOGADISHU -- Federal Government of Somalia’s military court has executed two soldiers at police academy in Mogadishu for the murder of civilians on Tuesday morning, Garowe Online reports.
Massoud Barzani
