[ALMANAR.LB] At least four people were killed and dozens maimed when a suicide boom-mobileer struck the parking lot of the justice ministry in Kabul Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks in the Afghan capital.
A thick plume of smoke rose over the city after the powerful kaboom during evening rush hour, which left the parking lot littered with twisted and charred wrecks of dozens of vehicles.
"The suicide kaboomer detonated his explosives-packed car inside the parking lot of the justice ministry," Kabul police front man Ebadullah Karimi told AFP.
"We can confirm that at least four people have been killed and a further 24 have been maimed."
The area was cordoned off by security officials as yellow-helmeted firefighters doused the smoldering wreckage.
Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said four men and one woman had been killed, but it was impossible to say whether one of them was the jacket wallah.
"The body of one of the victims was torn into pieces and we cannot verify if he was the suicide attacker," Salangi told AFP.
The health ministry said at least 53 people had been brought to various Kabul hospitals.
"We are getting more every minute," ministry front man Mohammad Ismail Kawoosi told AFP.
No group has so far grabbed credit for the attack, which comes in the midst of the Taliban's traditional spring-summer fighting season.
The Lions of Islam have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets after launching their offensive late last month.
Tuesday's bombing was the third recent deadly attack to jolt the Afghan capital.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
We have about 10k troops in afghanistan now
Schedule is to draw down to under 1k in 2016
If we do this, I figure the Taliban will overrun most of the country quickly - maybe a sliver of the North will hold out.
Posted by: lord garth ||
05/20/2015 9:30 Comments ||
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[AA.TR] Afghan cops killed 60 suspected Death Eaters, wounding 46 others in operations across 12 provinces in Afghanistan over the last 24 hours, Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
"The operations were conducted in collaboration with Afghan national army and intelligence service forces in the north and southern provinces of Afghanistan," the statement said.
It also said that several suspects were detained while a large cache of weapons and ammunition were seized.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth had turned a paler shade of blue. Star-A-Star had struck again... Defense Ministry Spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said at least seven army troops were killed during counter-terrorism operations.
"Seven soldiers lost their precious lives in direct firing and IED [Improvised Explosive Devices] kabooms during fight against terrorists," Azimi said. "We offer condolences to their families."
He further added that 27 rounds of IEDs and huge amount of ammunitions were discovered.
Talibs have intensified their attacks in city centers and on Afghan cops' outposts as part of their spring offensive which kicked off in April.
In 2015, Afghanistan has seen unprecedented violence. The Afghan Ministry of Defense terms it as Taliban's attempt to gain greater leverage in peace talks with the Afghan government expected to resume this summer.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Algerian army troops killed 21 armed Islamic bandidosbully boyz who were meeting Tuesday in a forest to plan attacks on the country's capital, a ranking gendarmerie official said.
The official said that two others were captured in the assault on the group meeting in the Boukram forest in corpse-littered Boumerdes, some 20 kilometers (about 13 miles) from Algiers. A dozen Kalashnikovs, three rocket launchers and dozens of homemade bombs were recovered. It was the deadliest assault on bandidosbully boyz in recent times in Algeria where al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, carries out sporadic attacks east of Algiers.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Did they receive a fair trial before they were executed? Or was there some kind of firefight?
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/20/2015 13:12 Comments ||
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[Libya Herald] A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) was killed and at least seven others injured early this morning in a suicide kaboom at Guba, 28 east of Labrak airport. The jacket wallah was also killed. 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.... has grabbed credit on Twitter and Facebook.
The bombing took place at Guba's eastern Aldahr Al-Ahmar checkpoint at around 3am. It appears that the attackers hoped to get into the town itself and planned greater carnage. Two vehicles were involved. When challenged some 15 metres from the checkpoint, the driver of the first, a red Toyota Tundra pickup truck, went kaboom!, killing one of the guards and wounding the others. The driver of the second vehicle drove off back in the direction of Derna, which is controlled by IS.
Unconfirmed reports that another vehicle managed to get in Guba are being investigated.
The dead guard has been named as Hamid Al-Shaari. He was initially taken to Guba hospital then transferred to the hospital in Beida but died of his wounds there. The maimed are also being treated in Beida Hospital
The LNA says the attack is a response by IS to the advances it has been making towards Derna, in particular around Ras Hilal, 50 kilometres west of the IS-run town. It claims that in an operation yesterday it killed four IS members and seized ammunition and weapons near Ras Hilal. One of its soliders was also maimed, it said.
IS is thought to have targeted Guba as the next town to seize. Today's attack on its eastern checkpoint follows a number of attacks on the checkpoint 10 kilometres west of Guba, at Lamluda. The most recent was last Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] French and Niger forces killed three gunnies in a convoy carrying drugs and heavy weapons in Niger close to the Libyan border, the French army said on Monday, as its troops step up efforts to stop gunnies crisscrossing the Sahel-Sahara region.
Gay Paree, which has led efforts to push back gang in the region since intervening in its former colony Mali in 2013, has deployed thousands of troops across West Africa to form a counter-terrorism force and prevent trafficking in the region.
The army said in a statement that on May 14 two pick-up trucks attempted to force their way through a checkpoint set up by about 200 French and Niger troops.
"The occupants of the vehicles attempted to drive through and responded to warning shots by violently opening fire," it said.
"Amid the fighting, three people in the convoy were killed and three others were captured and handed to the Niger army," it added.
It said 1.5 tones of drugs and weapons, including submachine guns, were recovered as well as communications equipment.
La Belle France has set up a base at Madama in northern Niger to monitor the Salvador Pass trafficking route that leads from southern Libya to northern Mali.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[AA.TR] At least one person has been killed and seven women kidnapped by Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... murderous Moslems in a village in northeastern Nigeria.
"Our members in Sabon Gari [village] reported the abduction of seven women and the killing of one man whose wife was among those taken away," Abba Kyari, a front man for a local vigilante group, told Anadolu Agency.
He said the attack had taken place late Monday around 10pm.
"We are on their trail. They are obviously in disarray and in dire need, because they also stole food and money from the people," Kyari said.
An army official, who asked not to be named, confirmed the attack.
"Fleeing murderous Moslems opened fire on people in Sabon Gari village in the Madagali area of the [Adamawa] state. One man died, while some women are said to be missing," he told AA.
John Alechenu, a petty trader and village resident, said the murderous Moslems had fled immediately in the wake of the attack.
"It was around 10pm when we heard gunshots. Some of us ran into hiding," Alechenu told AA. "One person died and five others sustained gunshot injuries."
He said some women could not be accounted for following the attack, adding: "We suspect they may have been taken away by the terrorists."
Military spokesmen could not be reached for comment on Monday's attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[CNN] A jacket wallah killed eight people and seriously injured 14 others on Tuesday when he detonated explosives strapped to his body at a livestock market in Garkida village in northeast Nigeria ... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border... 's Adamawa state, witnesses and a politician said.
The bomber went kaboom! in the crowded livestock market around 1:15 p.m. while traders were conducting business in the weekly market.
"From the information I received from Garkida, the suicide kaboom killed nine people including the bomber while 14 others sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment in hospital," said Jerry Kundusi, a member of the Adamawa state parliament for the region.
Garkida, in the Gombi district, is 120 kilometers from the state capital, Yola.
"Business was picking up when we heard a loud kaboom coming from the gates of the market and we instantly knew we had been attacked," cattle trader Buba Jada said.
"We rushed to the scene, where we met nine dead bodies including the bomber's dismembered body and 14 people badly injured sprawled on the ground," Jada said.
Although no one has grabbed credit for the attack, Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... Islamists, who have carried out a series of suicide attacks, are suspected.
"The bomber is yet to be identified but no one needs to be told it is the handiwork of Boko Haram," Kundusi said.
Adamawa is one of three northeastern states hardest hit by Boko Haram violence. The Islamists have seized territory in the area in the past year.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] The Saudi-US aggression against various Yemeni provinces continued on Tuesday as the Saudi warplanes carried out two raids over Naqem mountain in the capital of Sanaa.
In Hajjah province, the hostile military jets launched four air raids against the headquarters of Brigade 25, causing major damage, as the attacking forces shelled the Fajj-Hared neighborhood with artillery rockets.
In Hadidah province, the Saudi warplanes launched six raids over Jabbanah area, targeting the Coastal Defense camp.
In Dale'a province, a series of air raids targeted the residential areas in Mafraq Al-Shouaib neighborhood, leaving many casualties. Operatives of Al-Qaeda terrorist group also targeted the place with 10 rockets, causing damage for the school.
In Saada province, north of Yemen, the US-Saudi aggression carried out three raids over Al-Sayfi area in Sahar district, and four other raids over Bani Ma'ath region.
The hostile jets also bombarded the Al-Jaberi post in Al-Thaher district by artillery rockets, targeting Al-Malaheeth and Barem towns, and the border district of Rezih.
In Aden province, the war jets also launched three raids over Al-Tawahi neighborhood in the city of Al-Sahel Al-Thahabi (the Golden Coast).
The Yemeni army and the Popular Committees managed to arrest a terrorist cell holding documents that unmask plans of bombing Thamar province.
The army and the Popular Committees also managed to dismantle an bomb planted near the gate of the Special Forces camp in Ateq city in the province of Shebwa.
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. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... has been since March 26 under brutal aggression by Saudi-US coalition. Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.
Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to Yemen's runaway president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to 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... On April 21, Saudi Arabia declared the end of the aggression, dubbed "Decisive Strom," and the start of another campaign called "Restoring Hope." The Saudi-led warplanes are still conducting Arclight airstrikes on several areas across Yemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Houthis
#1
ALMANAR.LB is the love child of Rodong Sinmun and Fars, apparently
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2015 8:47 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] Australia on Tuesday ruled out any leniency for returning jihadists following reports that three of its nationals suspected of fighting with 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.... were in secret negotiations with Canberra to come home.
The Australian newspaper said the three had approached authorities via intermediaries or family members, but that the talks were stalled over what punishment they would face and fears of the risk they might pose if they were reissued passports and allowed to return.
The conservative government has taken a tough line on tackling radicalised citizens, with more than 100 leaving the country for Iraq and Syria to fight with the Islamic State group.
Canberra late last year passed a law criminalising travel to terror hotspots without good reason, with those charged facing up to 10 years in jail.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the full force of the law would apply to anyone who returns, even if they claim to have reformed.
"A crime is a crime is a crime," he told news hounds on Tuesday.
"If you go abroad to break Australian law, if you go abroad to kill innocent people in the name of misguided fundamentalism and extremism, if you go abroad to become an Islamist killer, well, we are hardly going to welcome you back into this country.
"Again, I repeat, if you go abroad to join a terrorist group and you seek to come back to Australia, you will be placed in durance vile Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! , you will be prosecuted and tossed in the calaboose You have the right to remain silent... ," he added.
"The Australian people expect their country to be safe and someone who has been a terrorist abroad could very easily become a terrorist here in Australia."
Australia raised its threat level to high last September and has since carried out a series of counter-terrorism raids, with several alleged plots foiled this year.
A lawyer representing one of the three Australian men told Fairfax radio that his client, an Australian-born convert to Islam, was prepared to face the full force of the law and wanted to use his experience to discourage would-be jihadists from joining the terror group.
Rob Stary said if he were capable of rehabilitation, "then we should utilise him, we should at least engage in the discussion, but the shutters have been put up by the (Australian Federal Police)".
More details about the would-be returnees, courtesy of Northern, here.
[DAWN] KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Tuesday said security authorities had apprehended criminal masterminds of the Safoora Goth massacre, in which 45 people of the Ismaili community bit the dust.
While talking to mediapersons in Nawabshah, the Sindh chief minister said the four alleged Lion of Islams, who admitted to planning the bus attack, had been jugged Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! from Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... The arrested suspects also pointed out names and details of their accomplices, he added.
Shah said statements of witnesses had been investigated and verified, adding that soon the actual attackers will be put behind bars as well.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] KARACHI: Anti-aircraft guns, light machine guns and other arms and ammunition were seized in a house in the Upper Gizri area on the information provided by a suspect, Clifton police said on Monday.
They said suspect Shamshad, who belonged to a political party, was placed in durance vile You have the right to remain silent... when a TT pistol was found on him during a random check in the Upper Gizri area. He disclosed to the police during interrogation that he had stashed other weapons at home.
The police conducted a raid on his information and seized two anti-aircraft guns, two LMGs and two rifles, said DIG-South Dr Jamil Ahmed at a presser. He added that the suspect belonged to a political party.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW] Iraqi forces and allied Sunni rustics repelled an 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.... attack overnight on a town between two Lion of Islam-held cities in the western Anbar province, a tribal leader said Tuesday.
The holy warriors launched an attack shortly before midnight to try and capture the town of Khaldiya, which is between Fallujah and the quiet provincial capital of Ramadi, Sheikh Rafie al-Fahdawi said.
He said the holy warriors captured a small village outside Khaldiya. He said no troops or tribal fighters were killed in the festivities.
ISIS holy warriors routed Iraqi troops and seized Ramadi over the weekend in their most significant advance since a US-led coalition began Arclight airstrikes against the bully boyz last summer.
The latest advance prompted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to order Shiite militias to prepare to go into the restive Sunni province following a request from the local government and some tribes.
The paramilitary forces, known as Popular Mobilization Units, played a major role in dislodging IS holy warriors from Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit last month and rolling back the bully boyz elsewhere in the country.
But rights groups have accused the holy warriors of carrying out Dire Revenge attacks against Sunnis and of looting and destroying property. Militia leaders have denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! On Monday, the Islamic State holy warriors searched door-to-door for coppers and pro-government fighters in Ramadi and threw bodies in the Euphrates River in a bloody purge. Officials put the number of people killed since Friday at least 500, including civilians and security forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
But rights groups have accused the holy warriors of carrying out Dire Revenge attacks against Sunnis and of looting and destroying property.
[RUDAW.NET] The Iraqi military said Tuesday that it had successfully rescued a number of personnel described as “trapped” in Ramadi after the city fell to Islamic State militants on May 17. Video released Tuesday showed helicopters airlifting the troops from an area on the outskirts of the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Are there editorial limits on the number of times we can post Monty Python clips?
#5
The 2003 US Mission in Iraq against Saddam Hussein was:
1) A stable Iraq
2) Destroy terrorist networks in Iraq
3) Release innocent people held unlawfully.
Since Obama took over, Iraq is being over run by daeshbags.
[Ynet] Two attempts by Islamic State in Syria to take up positions along the Golan Heights border with Israel have been thwarted in the past two weeks. The two groups of IS-affiliated militants were threatening to expand the radical organization's sphere of influence close to the border with Israel.
The first Islamist infrastructure was taken out some two weeks ago south of Quneitra, where Syrian rebels managed to overcome an armed group from the IS-affiliated Jaysh al-Jihad organization.
The second group was taken out two days ago in the southern Golan Heights, where members of the Free Syrian Army, in cooperation with radical Islamic group Jabhat al-Nusra, overpowered IS-loyalists from the Shuhada al Yarmouk Brigades. For some reason, I was reminded of the fallowing Latma gem
[AnNahar] 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 jihadists attacked a village in Syria's southern Druze heartland on Tuesday and clashed with pro-government forces north of the ancient city of Palmyra, a monitoring group said.
"IS killed five fighters from the National Defense Forces and one woman in their attack on the Druze village of al-Haqef in Sweida province," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
He said the turbans seized control of the town for a few hours before NDF fighters -- local pro-government militia -- forced them back out.
Citing a military source, Syria's state SANA news agency said the army and NDF "foiled an infiltration attempt by forces of Evil from IS on the villages of al-Qasr and al-Haqef".
According to the Britannia-based Observatory, IS controls a series of villages in the northeast of Sweida province, the rest of which remains in government hands, and has tried to seize Khalkhalah military airport.
"IS is advancing on villages in Sweida because they are at a crossroads between Damascus and the roads east to the Syrian desert," Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Further north, fighting between IS jihadists and government forces continued outside Palmyra on Tuesday morning.
"There are festivities at the western entrance of Palmyra this morning, which lies on the road that leads to Homs city," provincial governor Talal Barazi told AFP.
On Sunday, regime forces pushed IS out of northern neighborhoods of Palmyra, which it had held for less than 24 hours.
Barazi said he visited Palmyra on Monday, "going through 60 percent of the city on foot," visiting the vegetable market and museum.
He said at least 40 rockets had struck Palmyra on Sunday, but that government forces maintained control over key points, including the Islamic citadel overlooking the city.
Palmyra, whose archeological treasures are renowned worldwide, lies along a number of major highways linking Damascus and Homs to the west, with the Syrian desert and the Iraqi border to the east.
The Observatory said there had been festivities north of the city and the government had brought in reinforcements.
Barazi said he expected the situation would be "normal" within a week, but Syrian antiquities director Mamoun Abdulkarim said he feared further IS attacks.
"They will keep trying to take the city," Abdulkarim told AFP. "For them, if they destroy Palmyra, it would be a victory against the world."
Further east, an air strike on a village in Deir Ezzor province killed at least eight civilians, including three children, the Observatory said.
In the northern city of Aleppo, state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
reported that government forces had blown up a tunnel excavated by rebels and broadcast footage of billowing black columns of smoke.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
ISIS a threat to the arches and columns of ancient Palmyra. President Obama will have the most horrible legacy the world has seen in thousands of years as a do nothing super power leader.
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] The Syrian government extended its intense aerial campaign against rebel-held areas of the northern cities of Aleppo and Idlib on Tuesday, conducting a series of Arclight airstrikes that killed at least 15 people, including children and women, activists and monitoring group said.
The Syria Network for Human Rights said at least 13 people were killed in missile attack on Darkoush town in Idlib province; as well three people were killed in Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo city.
Syrian regime also has detonated a tunnel that was reportedly used by rebels in the government-controlled part of Aleppo on Tuesday.
SNHR also said 127 victims died in government's shelling on Aleppo from May 1, 2015 to May 16.
The corpse count of Tuesday reached 57 according to SNHR.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
What a difference from the glorious, USA trained, Iraqi army.
#3
ROE are critical - IDF (or US) are handicapped against HB etc. unless things get bad enough that the gloves come off. Assad has open ROE plus is desperate.
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] A new chlorine attack has taken place in Mishmishan village in the Syrian north-western province of Idlib, a monitoring group said Tuesday.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said at least 19 victims suffocating due to chlorine gas attack on Mishmishan village near the captured town of Jisr al-Shughour.
Last Friday, chlorine gas bomb on Mishmishan killed two children and left 20 suffocation cases recorded.
The chlorine attacks come amid significant gains made in northern Syria by Fatah Army, an alliance of Islamist groups that seized Idlib, the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour and military bases.
Jisr al-Shughour has witnessed a fierce aerial bombardment since early morning. Activists said medics have saved life of a newborn as his mother died of her wounds on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Syrian Salafist tough guys on Tuesday have seized full control of regime's powerful stronghold of of al-Mastouma camp in Idlib province, for the first time since the Syrian revolution erupted in 2011, activists said.
The alliance of Islamist groups, including the Nusra Front, who seized large parts of al-Mastouma town days ago, has taken full control of Bashir al-Assad mail stronghold in Idlib province.
Rebels have held captive 10 Army soldiers ad their comrades fled to Ariha town.
Army of Fatah, a reference to the conquests that spread Islam across the Middle East from the seventh century, has seized swathes of territory northern Syrian since late of March 2015 including Idlib city and Jisr al-Shughour town.
On Sunday, fighters of Fatah Army has captured 12 checkpoints after a huge boom-mobile targeted al-Mastouma camp as weel they captured al-Muqbela, the neighboring village of al-Mastouma.
In relevant development, a new chlorine attack has taken place in Mishmishan village in the Syrian north-western province, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said Tuesday.
SNHR said at least 19 victims suffocating due to chlorine gas attack on Mishmishan village near the captured town of Jisr al-Shughour.
Last Friday, chlorine gas bomb on Mishmishan killed two children and left 20 suffocation cases recorded.
The chlorine attacks come amid significant gains made in northern Syria by Fatah Army, an alliance of Islamist groups that seized Idlib, the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour and military bases.
Syria's four-year-old war has killed more than 220,000 people and forced millions out of their homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] Insurgents in Syria captured the last military base and several small villages in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, marking the latest collapse of government troops in the region now almost entirely in opposition hands, activists said.
The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said factions -- including al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, and the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham ...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014... -- captured Mastoumeh base after days of fighting. It said government forces left the base and withdrew to the nearby town of Ariha.
The Local Coordination Committees said the Islamic Death Eaters targeted the government forces as they were retreating, heading toward Ariha.
In an implicit acknowledgement of defeat, state-run Syrian TV said army units in Mastoumeh base were moving to reinforce defenses in Ariha further south. Ariha is one of the last government holdouts to remain in Idlib.
Government troops withdrew from the scenic provincial capital of Idlib after it fell to opposition fighters in March, followed by the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour and Qarmeed military base days later.
The Idlib offensive is being led by a unified command known as Jaysh al-Fateh, or Conquest Army, and aided by a new strategic alliance between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and 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... to strengthen bandidos holy warriors fighting to topple Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... Assad recently acknowledged what he said were recent military "setbacks," in the war against bandidos holy warriors trying to topple him, promising a comeback by his troops in northern Syria.
His forces are also engaged in heavy fighting with 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 Death Eaters trying to advance toward government-held areas in the central town of Palmyra, an ancient heritage site.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wrecked scow, Agent 49 felt gingerly for his head. It was still there. He had been hoping differently... Assad received support on Tuesday from his top ally, Iran. State-run news agency SANA said Iran is extending a credit line to make up for market needs and reported that the two countries have signed several agreements in the fields of electricity, industry, oil and investment.
The new credit was announced during a visit to Damascus by Ali Akbar Velayati, a top aide to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran is believed to have supplied his government with billions of dollars since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. Tehran extended a $1 billion credit line to Syria to help support the local currency in June 2013.
The new credit -- it was not clear how much -- comes as the Syrian pound's depreciation has accelerated.
Velayati, who met with Assad on Tuesday, promised continued Iranian support for Syria with everything necessary to boost the Syrian people's "resistance in defending their homeland and confronting terrorism" and its sponsors. Assad's government refers to those trying to topple him as "terrorists."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[AA.TR] At least 20 people were killed and more than 30 injured Tuesday in vacuum kabooms in Syria by forces loyal to Bashir al-Assad's regime, opposition activists said.
What on earth is a vacuum bomb?
The Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) said in a statement that regime planes attacked a market place in Idlib's Darkus district with three vacuum bombs.
The statement said that many children and women are among those killed. It added that those critically injured in the attack were sent to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... for medical care.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
What on earth is a vacuum bomb?
A special kin of weapon that can only kill boys. Surely you've heard of the 'Dyson.'
#6
Three possibles:
(1) It's the exact opposite of a pressure cooker bomb, or
(2) It's a hypobaric bomb (a FAE in an enclosed space), or
(3) It just sucks so much.
Or some combination thereof.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/20/2015 10:31 Comments ||
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Beirut (AFP) - Air strikes by a US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria have killed around 170 jihadists in the past 48 hours, a monitoring group said Tuesday.
"The jihadists were killed in the past 48 hours in the province of Hasakeh, nearly all of them in very intense air strikes by the international coalition which is helping Kurdish forces in the area," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Posted by: Daffy Brown4464 ||
05/20/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
I observe that Obama's air strikes have no collateral damage. No women, children, fluffy bunnies or baby ducks were killed or even injured.
Startled, perhaps.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/20/2015 7:55 Comments ||
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#2
170?
In 1944 the 7th AF with their P-47s, Iron bombs, rockets and machine guns were killing that many in the Falaise Pocket each minute.
For a policy that seems to be "all in" on aerial warfare as the answer, the level of activity seems lethargic.
#4
All these numbers are giving me flashbacks (and not the good kind!) to the Vietnam body counts. I wonder if 'air strikes' is a catch-all term for any time a plane goes up, even if only for patrol or recon.
[Ynet] The United States and its allies conducted 21 air strikes since early on Monday targeting 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.... forces of Evil in Syria and Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force carrying out the operations said on Tuesday.
In Iraq, four air strikes destroyed vehicles and an excavator near Ramadi, which Islamic State recently captured. The other 10 strikes in Iraq hit near Bayji, Sinjar, Fallujah and other towns.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/20/2015 04:42 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Air power does not occupy ground. There has to be boots on the ground [that don't run away or are abandoned by their wearers]. Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
#6
It asks only wrenches and therms.
It smirks, and digs trenches and berms.
It moils through the miles
While massaging your piles
And dispenses with stenches and germs.
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.
[ALMANAR.LB] The Saudi-US aggression against various Yemeni provinces continued on Tuesday as the Saudi warplanes carried out two raids over Naqem mountain in the capital of Sanaa.
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Syrian 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
