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Today: 67 articles and 197 comments as of 6:54.
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Damascus airport rocked after 'Israel air strike' on arms depot
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
15 22:49 Nero White 3083 [336095]
Afghanistan
91 militants die in northern Afghanistan
Taliban vs. ISIS cage match. Here's hoping they both lose.
[Khaama] At least 91 insurgents have been killed as deadly clashes erupted among the Taliban insurgents and the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

According to the local government officials, the majority of the casualties were inflicted to the Taliban insurgents.

Provincial governor’s spokesman Mohammad Reza Ghafoori said the clashes started in Darzab district on Tuesday and still continue between the two sides.

He said at least 76 Taliban insurgents and 15 ISIS militants have been killed so far, citing the preliminary information received by the government.

Ghafoori further added that 56 Taliban insurgents have also been wounded alongn 12 ISIS fighters.

The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

Jawzjan is among the relatively volatile provinces in North of Afghanistan where the anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating in some of its districts.

The province has also witnessed growing activities by the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group who are mainly operating in Darzab district.

The group has carried out numerous attacks against the government and other institutions including the kidnapping of several ICRC workers in this province.
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336083 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  How can they tell the difference between the two factors?
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance || 04/27/2017 12:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Potentially there's three factors: Taliban supported by ISI, 'feral' Taliban based in Afghanistan who attack Pak assets, and IS (who may or may not be supported by ISI or other official Pak entities).
Posted by: Pappy || 04/27/2017 13:40 Comments || Top||


28 Bad Guys die in eastern Nangarhar province operations
At least twenty eight militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed during the clearance operations in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The provincial government office in a statement said the operations were conducted in the restive Achin district.

The statement further added that the militants were targeted in the vicinity of Asad Khel and Ragha areas of Achin as the Afghan forces are busy conducting counter-terrorism operations under the name of Hamza operations.

Several weapons belonging to the insurgents were also destroyed during the operations, the statement said, adding that the local residents and security forces did not suffer any casualties in the operations.

Nangarhar has been witnessing persistent counter-terrorism operations since last year and currently the Afghan forces are conducting the operations under the name of Hamza operations to eliminate the presence of ISIS-K militants from its restive districts.

This comes as local officials said Monday at least 37 militants of ISIS terror group were killed during the clearance operations since Sunday.

According to the officials, at least 22 of the militants were killed in Asad Khel area, 8 others were killed in Akhundzadas village, and 7 others were killed in the vicinity of Ango Jamat area of Achin.
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336085 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


4 militants die in Kunduz
At least four insurgents were killed and six others injured in clashes with security forces in northern Kunduz province on Tuesday night, local officials said on Wednesday.

The attack took place at about 9pm local time after a group of insurgents attacked a police check post and clashed with security forces, a spokesman for the provincial police chief, Enamuddin Rahmani said.

However, he did not provide more details on either military or civilian casualties.
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under:


ISIS suffer heavy casualties in Zabul province of Afghanistan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] 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....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group’s offshoot snuffies in Afghanistan suffered heavy casualties during an operation in southern Zabul province.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) front man Gen. Dawlat Waziri said the snuffies were targeted during a night operation in Khak-e-Afghan district of Zabul.

He said several ISIS snuffies including foreign turbans had gathered in the house of the ISIS leader Khalid Akhundzada when they were targeted by the Special Forces.

Gen. Waziri further added that the ISIS leader Akhundzada was tossed in the slammer
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
with his nephew and three snuffies Uzbekistan.

According to Waziri, the other nephew of Akhundzada was killed along with ISIS commanders and four holy warriors.

He said several weapons and ammunition belonging to the terror group were also destroyed during the operation.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336090 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Horn
Al-Shabaab and AU troops clash in central Somalia
[SHABELLENEWS] A heavy fighting between Al shabaab forces of Evil and Æthiopian forces has erupted near Beledweyne city, the regional capital of Hiiraan proven on Tuesday night, residents said.

The fighting broke out at Burdar, located around 40Km east of Beledweyne after Al shabaab forces of Evil ambushed a military convoy ferrying Æthiopian troops of AMISOM contingent.

In a statement posted on its affiliated websites, the forces of Evil said they killed at least two soldiers in the ambush attack on AMISOM convoy in Hiiraan, and injured several others.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336083 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Al Shabaab raids KDF army base in Southern Somalia
[SHABELLENEWS] Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
fighters have launched an attack against a KDF military base in Bardere city located in Somalia’s southern Lower Shabelle region on Tuesday night.

Confirming the incident, Col Tima-jillac, a top Somali military commander in the region told Radio Shabelle that heavily armed Death Eaters engaged a brief shootout with the KDF soldiers.

He added that the Death Eaters were overpowered and repulsed during the battle. The situation has returned to normal, after the battle has ceased.

Al shabaab has claimed killing three Kenyan soldiers during the overnight assault.
Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336085 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Puntland seizes Explosives and Al Shabaab suspects
[SHABELLENEWS] Puntland
...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion...
state security forces have on Tuesday paraded bombs and alleged Al shabaab suspects seized in an operation conducted in Bosaso, Puntland’s commercial hub.

The Police Commissioner of Bari region, Col. Abdihakim Yusuf Hussein, said the region’s troops captured five men believed to be Al shabaab members carrying explosives after a tip-off.

Speaking to news hounds in Bosaso, Mr Hussein said that detained suspects have been planning to conduct terror attacks on Puntland buildings and public places in the town.

"The police seized the explosives with its five men who are believed to have links with Somalia-based murderous Moslems of al-shabaab following an operation in the city," he added.

The police chief said that further operations are under way to identify the group’s targets, saying this was a significant operation against the terror cells in the region.

The capture of the 5 men and the IEDs comes just days after 9 Puntland soldiers were killed, and several hurt in a landmine blast targeted their vehicle near Galgala’s ragged mountains.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Africa North
Sinai Bedouin burn Islamic State militant alive, officials say
[IsraelTimes] Egyptian security officials say that members of a prominent local tribe in northern Sinai have burned alive a suspected 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....
Death Eater.

Officials say the man’s charred body was found earlier today south the town of Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula.

They say the killing comes hours after an Islamic State jacket wallah attacked a checkpoint in northern Sinai and killed four Bedouin guards who were members of the Tarabeen tribe.

The incident is the latest escalation in the conflict in the peninsula, where Egyptian forces have been battling a growing insurgency with local tribes mostly remaining on the sidelines
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  And since damn near everyone in a Bedouin tribe is a cousin you get instant blood feud. Then there are relations in other tribes, so it could interesting since they have only burned one when they lost four. The ISIL could be getting staked out with their eyelids removed for years.
Posted by: Jeasing Creque5352 || 04/27/2017 1:21 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Five dead, 11 injured as Boko Haram bombers attack Maiduguri again
[NAIJ] 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...
bombers have attacked Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, in early morning kabooms on Wednesday, April 26. According to Sahara Reporters, the gunnies again hit Muna garage in the capital city of the northeastern state. Premium Times reports that at least five people were killed after the bombers detonated their bombs at Muna Usmanti, Muna Garage and Muna Ethopia at around 4.00am.
Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Arabia
Kuwait Suspect Says IS Planned Attacks
[An Nahar] A suspected member of 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 confessed to plotting attacks on targets in Kuwait including the U.S. military and a Shiite religious hall, local media reported Wednesday.

Judicial sources said Hussein al-Dhafiri, incarcerated
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
with his wife in the Philippines last month, confessed to planning suicide kabooms on a U.S. military convoy and a Shiite prayer hall, the al-Rai daily reported.

Kuwait's Arifjan Base houses several thousand U.S. troops and serves as a military transit point to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Home to a small Shiite minority, Kuwait was the site of a suicide attack linked to the Islamic State (IS) group back in June 2015.

A Saudi jacket wallah killed 26 worshipers in a Shiite mosque, the worst such attack in the Gulf state's history.

Dhafiri was deported earlier in April to Kuwait where he is now set to stand trial on charges of belonging to a banned
...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization
and plotting attacks, al-Rai said.

He had been arrested in Manila along with his wife, whom he married after her high-ranking IS commander husband was killed in Syria.

Authorities in Kuwait have also arrested four of Dhafiri's relatives, including his brother and nephew, in connection with the planned attacks, al-Rai said.

The five suspects told public prosecutors that suicide bombers had been recruited from outside of Kuwait to carry out the attacks, according to al-Rai.

They also said there had been tentative plans to target a church in Kuwait during a visit this week by Coptic Pope Tawadros II.

Kuwaiti courts have handed down multiple convictions on charges of IS membership or financing.
Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336090 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia says it thwarted terror attack, arrested 2 suspects
[Ynet] The Russian counterintelligence agency has announced the arrest of two suspected supporters of 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 who it says were planning a terror attack.

The FSB said Wednesday the two men were tossed in the clink
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
in an apartment in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a city on the Pacific island of Sakhalin.

It said one was a citizen of Russia and the other of one of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. They were not identified.

The agency said a search of where they were living turned up a homemade bomb and ISIS propaganda literature.

Moscow says 4,500 Russian, ex-Soviet nationals in ISIS ranks

[Ynet] Up to 4,500 Russian and ex-Soviet nationals were fighting for ISIS in early 2015, the RIA news agency quoted Russian army official Sergei Rudskoy as saying on Wednesday.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:27 || Comments || Link || [336087 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Europe
France detains 10 in weapons probe from 2015 Hyper Cacher killings
[IsraelTimes] Alleged arms trafficker Claude Hermant one suspect in probe of how jihadist Amedy Coulibaly obtained firearms with which he killed four in the Jewish supermarket.

French police have detained 10 people in the investigation of the deadly 2015 attack on a Jewish supermarket in Gay Paree, sources close to the probe told Agence La Belle France Presse on Wednesday.

The suspects include a suspected arms trafficker, Claude Hermant.

Investigators are seeking to ascertain how the assailant, La Belle France-based jihadist Amedy Coulibaly, obtained the weapons used in the Jan. 9, 2015, attack on the Hyper Cacher market.

Coulibaly was killed by police after murdering four in a hostage siege that began on the same day that jihadists killed 12 at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo
...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
satirical magazine.

Prosecutors say Hermant, who is awaiting trial in a separate arms trafficking case, has links with far-right groups in northern La Belle France
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336085 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Spain holds Egyptian, Spaniard with suspected Islamic State links
[AlAhram] Spanish authorities said Wednesday that they had jugged
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
an Egyptian suspected of facilitating the return of Islamist turbans from Iraq and Syria and a Spaniard who allegedly recruited people for 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.

The arrests in the southeastern city of Teulada and the enclave of Ceuta in northern Morocco came a day after Spanish police detained four men with alleged links to people involved in the Brussels airport and metro attacks last year.

The 46-year-old Egyptian man arrested in Teulada is suspected of having "facilitated the return of holy warriors belonging to ISIS (IS) who had decided to return from Syria and Iraq," the interior ministry said in a statement.

He is suspected of providing them with a place to stay and helping with administrative procedures.

He also distributed "documents justifying attacks committed by ISIS" among the Moslem community in his area and on social media networks, the statement said.

Separately, the police said they had arrested a 29-year-old Spaniard in the poor district of El Principe in Ceuta.

Police described him as "a key element in ISIS's recruitment and indoctrination machine."

They said "he recruited vulnerable young people to progressively radicalise them", and was suspected of wanting to go to conflict zones himself.

His wife had previously been detained on suspicion of similar propaganda and recruitment activities.

According to the interior ministry, 69 suspected jihadists were arrested in 2016 and another 29 have been held so far this year.

But Spain has seen far fewer citizens travelling abroad to join the ranks of IS than other European countries.

According to the Real Instituto Elcano, a prominent Spanish think tank, about 160 Spain-based "fighters" have left the country for conflict zones, compared with more than a thousand in neighbouring La Belle France.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336108 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  29-year-old Spaniard

Let me guess, Ricardo de la Puta?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/27/2017 7:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Inigo Montoya
Posted by: Pappy || 04/27/2017 15:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/27/2017 22:21 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Turkey detains 1,000 in new anti-Gulen crackdown
[AlAhram] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
on Wednesday detained more than 1,000 people in a huge new crackdown against alleged supporters of a holy man accused of orchestrating the coup bid against President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
The dawn raids across the country -- seeking more than 3,000 suspects -- come just over a week after Erdogan narrowly won a controversial referendum on ramping up his powers.

They are the latest indication Turkey intends no let-up in the fight against its perceived enemies after the vote, with fighter jets Tuesday pounding Kurdish turban targets in Iraq and northern Syria.

A total of 1,120 suspects have so far been detained, the official Anadolu news agency said.

Anadolu said 4,672 suspects were sought -- of whom 1,448 are already in jail -- meaning that a total of 3,224 arrest warrants were issued.

About 8,500 coppers were involved in the nationwide operation, Anadolu reported, adding that arrest warrants had been issued for 390 suspects in Istanbul alone.

After the latest sweep, German foreign ministry front man Sebastian Fischer said Berlin "has taken note of the mass detentions with concern", urging respect for rule of law.

The Hurriyet newspaper reported that arrest warrants had been issued against a total of 7,000 suspects across Turkey, citing unidentified sources.

The suspects are so-called "secret imams" of Gulen suspected of infiltrating themselves into the police or other state institutions, it reported.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336085 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


India-Pakistan
At least 8 Iran guards dead in clash on Pakistan border
[DAWN] At least eight Iranian border guards were killed in festivities with armed rebels Wednesday on the frontier with Pakistain, Iranian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
IRIB said on its website.

It said the festivities broke out in the Mirjaveh region of Sistan-Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
province, without giving details.

Four border guards were killed in July 2016 in the border region with Pakistain.

Iranian media reports that the Jaish al-Adl hard boy group, accused by Tehran of links to Al Qaeda, carries out regular attacks in Sistan-Balochistan.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336087 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Iranian media reports that the Jaish al-Adl hard boy group, accused by Tehran of links to Al Qaeda, carries out regular attacks in Sistan-Balochistan.

I'm just as inclined to blame smugglers.
Posted by: Pappy || 04/27/2017 8:19 Comments || Top||


Seven-hour gun battle leaves four Jandullah militants dead
[DAWN] KARACHI: The Monday evening raid by Rangers on a residential building in the Urdu Bazaar area, which turned into a deadly shootout and came to an end by midnight, left four suspected bad boys, including a couple, dead. The crossfire also killed an infant believed to be the couple’s daughter, officials said on Tuesday.

Described by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture...
as one of the "major successes" of the paramilitary force, the raid on the building situated on the congested Muqaddas Street turned into one of the longest shootouts in recent history between Rangers and the bad boys. It started at around 8pm on Monday and continued till 3am.

The faceoff was triggered by an attack on the paramilitary soldiers by the holy warriors from the apartment when the former were taking position, the officials said.

"The Rangers raided the apartment building after receiving information about the presence there of suspected holy warriors belonging to a banned outfit," said a statement issued by Rangers on Monday night, adding: "The holy warriors hurled two grenades and started firing as soon as they saw Rangers. Four Rangers personnel and two passers-by suffered injuries in the kabooms."

The otherwise peaceful neighbourhood in the evening after business hours reverberated with gunfire that continued non-stop from both sides, indicating how well armed the holy warriors were to keep the paramilitary soldiers engaged for about seven hours.

After a couple of hours of the encounter, a security official said, one of the holy warriors went kaboom! while the other four were killed in the encounter with Rangers.

After clearing the area and the building, the bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital 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...
for medico-legal formalities and their identity.

"We have received five bodies. Among them are three men aged between 30 and 45 years. There was also an around 35-year-old woman and a girl aged four to five months," said an official at the health facility.

On Tuesday evening, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) came up with details of the dear departed holy warriors killed as part of the ongoing Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.

"Pakistain Rangers, Sindh, targeted raid last night killed four turbans of banned outfit Jandullah. The turbans killed include Zahid Afridi alias Faheem alias Hameed, Muhammad Hafeezullah Quet­tawal, Mama and lady controller Afshan," it said.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336086 views] Top|| File under: Jundullah


Several suspected militants killed in Khyber Agency air strikes, claims ISPR
[DAWN] Several suspected snuffies were reportedly killed in air strikes in the Rajgal valley area of Khyber Agency
... the place to go if you've got an Indiana Jones hat and whip. Chock full of high adventure and treacherous Pathans. You should really train up to it, though...
, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

Inter-Services Public Relations said the suspected snuffies were trying to enter Khyber Agency where they were spotted and engaged, DawnNews reported.

"Several suspects were killed while many others were maimed," claimed ISPR, adding that the injured suspects managed to escape towards the 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 of Afghanistan.

The report could not be independently verified.

Two banned bully boy organizations, Tehrik-e-Taliban
...the Pashtun equiovalent of men...
Pakistain and Lashkar-e-Islam
...a group of Islamic bandidos infesting Khyber Agency. It's headed by a former bus driver....
, had reportedly established their hideouts and training camps in Rajgal and adjoining mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan after they were driven out from Bara.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar-e-Islam (TTP)


Iraq
Anbar Antix


17 die in Anbar fighting

Rutba (IraqiNews.com) Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in an ambush set by Islamic State militants west of Anbar, while 15 militants died in an airstrike, military commanders said Wednesday.

IS militants ambushed the soldiers in al-Sakkar, east of the western Anbar city of Rutba, Anadolu Agency reported, quoting Anbar police captain Ahmed al-Deleimi. The ambush targeted a convoy of off-duty border guards, according to the officer, leaving two dead and five injured.

Meanwhile, Qassem al-Mohammadi, commander of the army’s al-Jazeera Operations in Anbar, said fighter jets from the U.S.-led coalition pounded an Islamic State rest house in the town of Annah, leaving 15 members dead. A suicide bomber was also killed in another airstrike when jets targeted his booby-trapped vehicle.

Mohammadi said the strikes come as part of preparations to invade Islamic State strongholds in Annah, Rawa and Qaim, west of Anbar, which militants have held since 2014.

Thousands of civilians are thought to be held in Islamic State captivity at those locations. It is widely expected that the Iraqi government will launch a major security offensive in Anbar once it is done with the campaign to drive out IS from Mosul, the group’s principal stronghold in Iraq.

Islamic State members reportedly killed and wounded 30 Iraqi security members in an ambush near al-Rutba on Sunday.
Google Map at the link
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


15 ISIS Bad Guys die in Iraqi clearing operation in Diyala
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Fifteen Islamic State members were killed as Iraqi security forces, backed by paramilitary troops, launched Wednesday an operation to clear a border area between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces from Islamic State militants, military media reported.

The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said a military offensive was launched early Wednesday to clear Mutaibija region and surrounding areas. The statement said forces partaking in the onslaught included army and police troops from both provinces, as well as al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) and army air forces.

Shafaaq News quoted Jassem Jabbara, head of the security committee in Salahuddin province council, saying that 15 militants were killed while six vehicles belonging to the group were destroyed in the offensive.

Mutaibija has witnessed occasional attacks by Islamic State against government and paramilitary troops deployments since Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and PMus, launched a major offensive to retake areas occupied by IS since 2014, most notably the city of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and the group’s most important stronghold in the country.

Observers have said Islamic State’s occasional attacks against security and civilians outside Mosul aimed at distracting security attention from the Mosul front. IS still holds a few areas in Salahuddin, Diyala, Anbar and Kirkuk, but the Iraqi government, employing most of its military power in the Mosul campaign, is expected to aim at those strongholds once the battle in Mosul realizes victory.

Iraqi generals say IS militants currently control less than seven percent of Iraqi territory.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq says violence in Iraq left 1115 people dead and wounded in March.
Google Map at the link
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336083 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Mosul Offensive News


Airstrikes across western Mosul leave nearly 40 IS fighters dead

[Iraq News] Airstrikes by Iraqi army forces left 40 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....
members dead in western djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
on Wednesday, Iraqi military media said as operations press on to drive the group out of the region.

In a statement quoted by Alghad Press, the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said one of the strikes killed five snuffies in Zanjili district.

Another strike killed 13 and destroyed two of their vehicles near al-Baaj region. Eleven others were also killed by an Arclight airstrike in Fawaz Hezam village, while ten were killed in Tal Afar when strikes targeted a trench and a communication center.

Iraqi government troops, backed by a U.S.-led international military coalition and paramilitary units, recaptured eastern Mosul in January, and launched another campaign in February to retake the western region. Iraqi commanders recently claimed the recapture of 70 percent of the western region, saying IS was only controlling less than seven percent of Iraqi territory.

Airstrike kills 4 IS members, IED blast leaves 2 casualties in al-Mutaibaija

[Iraq News] Commander of Tigris Operations, Lieutenant General Mazhar al-Ezzawi, on Wednesday, announced that an air strike killed four members of 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 in al-Mutaibaija, while pointed out to discovering a boat and dismantling five IEDs.

Ezzawi said that joint security forces, backed by al-Hashd al-Shaabi, significantly advanced in the liberation battle of al-Mutaibaija and the surrounding areas.

Furthermore, four members of the Islamic State were killed by an air strike that targeted a vehicle carrying weapons and equipment, while security forces discovered a boat belonging to the terrorist group and dismantled five improvised bombs in the area, Ezzawi added.

Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog had finished eating the rat terrier...
a local source informed that a soldier was killed and another one was injured by the kaboom of an improvised bomb that targeted their patrol, in the outskirts of al-Mutaibaija.

Security forces cordoned off the area of kaboom, while transferred the maimed to a nearby hospital and the body to the forensic medicine department, the source told Alsumaria News.

Iraqi forces kills ISIS Mad Bomber

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Federal Police forces killed an Islamic State suicide bomber on Wednesday before carrying out an attack in southern Mosul, according to an officer.

Shafaaq news website quoted the officer saying the militant, wearing an explosive belt, tried to sneak into Hammam al-Alil region, coming from Qabr al-Abd village.

He revealed that police members went on a search for four other suicide bombers who made it into the area late Tuesday.

Iraqi government forces launched an offensive to retake western Mosul in February, having recaptured the eastern side of the city earlier in January after three months of battles.

Iraqi commanders said earlier this month that Islamic State members were only in control over less than seven percent of territory in Iraq. A U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqi campaign said there were less than 1000 fighters in the city as the extremist group kept losing several leaders.

Though facing nearly 100.000 government and coalition troops, IS militants proved to be a hard catch due to their deployment in the middle of civilians, a tactic which Iraqi and coalition generals say caused a slowdown in ground progress due to their anxiousness to preserve the safety of citizens who are believed to be used as human shields.
Google Map at the link

Iraqi forces capture 3 more villages

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Pro-Iraqi government paramilitary forces said Wednesday they recaptured three more villages in the western flank
of Mosul as part of an operation that launched Tuesday to retake a strategic area from Islamic State militants.

The media service dof Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said troops recaptured the villages of Im Kreiz, Ghanem al-Awwad and Harraj in al-Hadar, a region which Iraqi government forces and PMUs launched synchronized offensives Tuesday that resulted in retaking nearly 12 villages.

Al-Hashd media said earlier on Wednesday mobilization forces reached al-Hadar’s archaeological area.

Iraqi government troops, backed by a U.S.-led international military coalition, recaptured eastern Mosul in January, and launched another campaign in February to retake the western region. Iraqi commanders recently claimed the recapture of 70 percent of the western region, saying IS was only controlling less than seven percent of Iraqi territory.

Coalition commanders estimate the number of remaining IS members in Mosul by less than 1000.

The most important battles Government troops are currently concentrated around western Mosul’s ancient Old City, the area which homes the Grand Nuri Mosque where the Islamic State’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the inception of an “Islamic Caliphate” on large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Google Map at the link

Iraq Forces in Push to Retake UNESCO-Listed Hatra

[An Nahar] Iraqi forces on Tuesday launched a fresh push southwest of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
to retake the Hatra area, which includes a U.N.-listed World Heritage site, a statement said.

The operation marks the latest phase of an offensive launched by the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces in parallel to the main assault on Mosul begun six months ago.

The Hashed forces, dominated by Iran-backed militias, have focused their efforts on a front southwest of Mosul which aims at retaking the town of Tal Afar as well as desert areas stretching to the border with Syria.

"Hashed al-Shaabi forces launched Operation Mohammed Rasool Allah aimed at liberating Hatra and neighboring areas," the organization said in a statement.

It said that five villages had already been retaken 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 on Tuesday and that Hashed engineering units were clearing the road to Hatra of bombs.

Hatra, known as al-Hadhr in Arabic, was established in the 3rd or 2nd century BC and became a religious and trading center under the Parthian empire.

Its imposing fortifications helped it withstand sieges by the forces of two Roman emperors: Trajan in 166 AD and Septimus Severus in 198.

Hatra finally succumbed to Ardashir I, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, a few decades later, but the city remained well-preserved over the centuries that followed.

Hatra left its mark on pop culture as the location for the opening of horror film "The Exorcist", which was shot there in 1973.

The jihadists damaged parts of Hatra after taking over a third of Iraq in 2014, as part of a heritage destruction campaign that also saw them vandalize Mosul museum, blow up shrines and damage the ruins of the ancient city of Nimrud.

The jihadists see such destruction as a religiously mandated elimination of idols -- but they also have no qualms about selling smaller artifacts to fund their operations.

The full extent of the harm to Hatra remains unclear, but the site risks further damage during the military operation to retake it.

Iranian militias claim to have seized Hatra

HATRA: Iraqi forces seized the UNESCO-listed ancient site of Hatra from Daesh Wednesday, the latest archaeological jewel to be wrested from the terrorists’ grip.

Hashed Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces fighting Daesh around Iraq’s second city Mosul said they had “liberated the ancient city of Hatra... after fierce clashes with the enemy.”

The Hashed forces launched their offensive at dawn on Tuesday and swiftly retook villages in nearby desert areas and the Hatra archaeological site.

Nearby modern Hatra was not yet fully retaken but the Hashed said its forces had “broken into the town after Daesh defenses collapsed.”

It said in a statement that it killed 61 Daesh fighters in the two-day-old operation, including 19 suicide bombers, and evacuated around 2,500 civilians who fled their homes.

An AFP reporter with the forces said the advance was quick and supported by army helicopters. The Hashed Al-Shaabi said they retook an area covering 800 sq. km.

Lying 120 km southwest of Mosul, the militants’ last urban Iraqi stronghold, Hatra is one of a string of archaeological sites recaptured from Daesh in recent months.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336086 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Al-Hashd al-Shaabi cuts off road between al-Hadher and Rawa
[Iraq News] al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia announced, on Wednesday, cutting off the main road between the districts of al-Hadher and Rawa.

The majority-Shiite forces said in a statement that its 11th brigade managed, today, to cut off the main road between al-Hadher and Rawa Districts completely.

The number of displaced persons that were received by al-Hashd al-Shaabi troops in al-Hadher District reached 3000 IDPs, the statement added.

Noteworthy, al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces announced launching an offensive, yesterday, to liberate al-Hadher District, and the surrounding areas, south of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, while Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia cut off 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....
’s supply line between al-Baa’j and al-Hadher Districts.

Later yesterday, troops of al-Hashd al-Shaabi, backed by Army Aviation, managed to liberate 12 villages in al-Hadher district, followed by the liberation of three more villages today.

Earlier today, al-Hashd al-Shaabi media directorate announced that that the security forces also managed to liberate the archaeological area in al-Hadher District, in Nineveh Province.
Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336087 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestinian shot trying to stab soldiers, IDF says
[IsraelTimes] Army says assailant attempted to attack troops in the northern West Bank in 2nd incident in 24 hours; no Israelis injured.

A Paleostinian man was shot by IDF soldiers when he attempted to stab them on Wednesday afternoon, outside the same northern West Bank army base where a similar incident took place the day before, the army said.

No Israelis were reported injured.

A military spokesperson said the assailant tried to attack the troops, who "responded with gunfire."

According to the official Paleostinian Wafa news agency, the assailant was shot in the stomach.

He was taken to Petah Tikva’s Beilinson Hospital for treatment. He was in "serious condition, unconscious and on a ventilator," a spokesperson for the medical center said.

He was identified by Paleostinian media as Saleh Omar Abd al-Rahim Sah, of the Balata refugee camp near Nablus.

The incident occurred at a bus stop outside the IDF’s Samaria Regional Brigade headquarters, near the Nablus suburb of Hawara, the army said.

On Tuesday, a Paleostinian, later identified as 17-year-old Amjad Maher Jaafar, attempted to stab soldiers in the same location, but was shot and critically maimed.

According to the Paleostinian Maan news agency, the two assailants were related to one another.

IDF arrests a female Palestinian who was waving a knife at soldiers in Hebron

[Ynet] A Paleostinian woman waved a knife at soldiers at the Gilbert checkpoint in Hebron. An IDF force in the area placed her under arrest.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336097 views] Top|| File under:


Explosion in Gaza injures 2 at reported Hamas military site
[IsraelTimes] Two men were maimed by an kaboom in the Gazoo Strip on Monday, the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-run health ministry said, in what appeared to be an accident at one of the terror group’s military sites.

Paleostinian media in the Strip said the kaboom occurred in a site belonging to Hamas’s military wing, but gave no further details.

Gazoo Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidre said in a statement that the "two men sustained injuries, one critically and the other moderately, resulting from an accident in Gazoo."

In a break from past statements about others accidental kabooms in the territory, Qidre did not give an approximate location for the site of the incident.

On April 3, an accidental kaboom in a reported Hamas military site west of Rafah injured three men.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336107 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Another case of color blindness?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/27/2017 7:51 Comments || Top||

#2  Grenade-juggling.
Posted by: Pappy || 04/27/2017 8:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Or the Djinn of Electrostatic Discharge.
Posted by: SteveS || 04/27/2017 10:26 Comments || Top||

#4  Sounds like they may be working with a new 'product'.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 04/27/2017 15:07 Comments || Top||

#5  Hamas "Military Site". Seriously??
Posted by: DonM || 04/27/2017 16:56 Comments || Top||


Sri Lanka
Syrian Army operations continue in Deir Ezzor, Hama
A number of the ISIL terrorists were killed and others were injured in intensive operations carried out by the Syrian Army and Armed Forces units against their gatherings and infiltration axes in the surroundings of Deir Ezzor City.

SANA’s reporter in Deir Ezzor said that an army unit on Wednesday morning engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL-affiliated terrorist groups in the area of al-Maqaber (cemeteries) at the outskirts of Deir Ezzor city, killing 5 terrorists and injuring others.
The reporter added that army units carried out concentrated bombardments against gatherings of the ISIL terrorists in the surroundings of Deir Ezzor Military Airport, in the area of al-Tharda, in al-Maqaber, and in the surroundings of Regiment 137, destroying their vehicles and killing a number of them.

The reporter quoted civil sources as saying that fierce clashes erupted among ISIL terrorists in the surroundings of the Sciences Faculty and a number of Deir Ezzor neighborhoods, as scores of terrorists were killed and others were injured.

The source indicated that the self-proclaimed leaders of the ISIL terrorist organization kidnapped a number of the locals in Khsham town as a group of the ISIL fighters were killed in clashes with the locals in the area of the factories to the north of Deir Ezzor.

Hama

Army strengthened its positions in the northern countryside of Hama, killing or injuring hundreds of terrorists and destroying 29 vehicles, 3 ammunition depots and 3 tanks.

Source: SANA
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336087 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Damascus airport rocked after 'Israel air strike' on arms depot
[Telegraph] A massive explosion struck near Damascus International Airport early on Thursday setting off large fires, in what was thought to be an Israeli air strike on an arms depot used by Hizbollah.

The blast was outside the airport itself. It was not immediately clear whether it was the result of an air strike or a ground attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Israeli warplanes have hit the airport and other bases around the capital in the past, targeting what it said were weapons stockpiles of its Lebanese foe Hezbollah, which is allied with the Syrian government.

"The blast was huge," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. "It's unclear what caused the explosion but there are fires raging at the site."
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/27/2017 03:00 || Comments || Link || [336134 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Delivery from Tehran's here!"
Posted by: Frank G || 04/27/2017 6:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Perhaps a work accident? Or an operative of one of the many factions? Who can tell?
Posted by: Bobby || 04/27/2017 7:56 Comments || Top||

#3  Nice shooting guys!
Posted by: DarthVader || 04/27/2017 10:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Another unprovoked attack on peaceful Arab people by Israeli aggressors.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/27/2017 11:10 Comments || Top||

#5  Hezbollah cashe
Posted by: newc || 04/27/2017 12:21 Comments || Top||

#6  Guess those Russian air defense systems aren't all they are cracked up to be.
Posted by: Iblis || 04/27/2017 15:58 Comments || Top||

#7  "Guess those Russian air defense systems aren't all they are cracked up to be."

Not if the Russians give you a window key...
Posted by: newc || 04/27/2017 20:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Had to be an inside job. Either the Reds shut the thing down, or promised not to shoot. Or the IAF can beat the Reds IADS.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 04/27/2017 23:11 Comments || Top||


Lebanese Army continue operations in Arsal
Beirut – The Lebanese Army Command announced on Tuesday that it was intensifying its “preemptive” attacks against extremist bases and locations on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

The offensive coincided with the arrival of a new batch of American weapons to the army. The cargo was unloaded at the Riyaq airport.

The operations, which have been upped for a week, indicate that the Lebanese military has taken the decision to decisively end the presence of extremists on the outskirts of Arsal. The militants from groups, such as ISIS and al-Nusra Front, have taken up the mountainous border area as a safe haven.

Lebanese political forces informed on the operations told Asharq Al-Awsat that the preemptive measures “target the militant fortifications to prevent their expansion” into other areas and to “thwart their mobility.”

President Michel Aoun had highlighted to Army Commander Joseph Aoun and members of the Military Council last week the importance of the preemptive operations in order to prevent terrorist attacks in Lebanon, revealed the sources.

The army had carried out at dawn on Tuesday a wide military operation against ISIS positions in Lebanon’s eastern mountain range. The National News Agency said that 20 ISIS members were killed and wounded in the operation in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.

An informed source revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the army kicked off the operations with airstrikes against the militants. This was followed by drones that gathered information. Airstrikes were again carried out as ISIS was collecting its wounded.

The operations will continue as part of the preemptive army mission in the area, it stressed.

The army had carried out on Saturday a “complex” operation that saw the arrest of dozens of terrorists and the death of the religious judge of ISIS in al-Qalamoun.

In a related development, Fatah al-Sham booby-trapping official Abou Qassem al-Talleh was killed and his aide Ahmed Abou Daoud was wounded in a car bombing on the outskirts of Arsal. NNA said that Abou Daoud’s condition was critical.

The Internal Security Forces – Intelligence Bureau also announced the arrest in March of two Lebanese nationals, who confessed to belonging to ISIS and contacting the terror group’s leaders in Lebanon and Syria.
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336089 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Fighting intensifies in northern Syria
[ARA News] Artillery of the Turkish army on Wednesday hit the Kurdish town of Derbassiye in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province, shutting down the road between Derbassiye and Serikaniye. Furthermore, clashes broke out between Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Turkish military near the town of Afrin.

“The Turkish army is targeted the positions of the YPG in Derbassiye and our units responded to the sources of fire intensively,” said Abdulkarim Omer, head of the foreign relations office at the Cezire (Hasakah) canton.

“An armed Turkish soldier was killed and three others wounded when the YPG confronted the attack by the Turkish occupation army on Derbassiye,” he added.

“Continuing their aggression, the Turkish army and allied gangs shelled town of Till Rifaat and the village of Til Cibrîn in Shahba region,” the YPG said in a statement.

“The MMC [Manbij Military Council] declared its full support for YPG/YPJ forces against Turkish attacks, noting that Turkey aims to obstruct the fight against Daesh [ISIS,” the YPG added.

This comes a day after the Turkish jets killed over 25 Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday.

“Clashes between the People’s Protection Units [YPG] and the Turkish army in Derbassiye continue,” reported Jesper Söder, a Western volunteer with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In order to protect the safety of the citizens, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) cut off roads in the area of clashes between Derbassiye and Serekaniye.

“The YPG forces targeted a tank belonging to the Turkish army that was trying to enter the territory of Rojava,” he added.

Moreover, clashes took place close to the town of Efrin, but no Turkish air strikes were reported.

“We call on all forces to remain focused on the fight to defeat ISIS, which is the greatest threat to regional and worldwide peace, security,” said Air Force Col John L. Dorrian, Spokesman for the US-led coalition against ISIS.

“Turkish strikes were conducted without proper coordination with the Coalition or the Government of Iraq,” he said.

“We believe that our partner forces were struck in northern #Syria, and our Peshmerga partner forces were struck Sinjar Iraq,” Col Dorrian added.

“Our partner forces have been killed by Turkey strike, they have made many sacrifices to defeat ISIS,” the American Colonel said.

“We are troubled by Turkey airstrikes on SDF and Kurdish forces,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Syrian Democratic Forces called on the international community to intervene to stop the Turkish attacks. “The regime in Turkey has consistently harmed the good neighborly relations through countless violations against our citizens and fighters in northern Syria,” the SDF said. “This was the most blatant attack of these crimes committed by the Turkish regime.”

“Therefore, we demand and appeal to the international community to intervene to put an end to this aggression and the ongoing violations on our territory,” the SDF concluded.
Posted by: badanov || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


UAE Hands Iranian 10-Year Sentence over Sanctions Breach
[An Nahar] A UAE court on Wednesday sentenced an Iranian to 10 years in prison followed by deportation for attempting to ship a generator to his home country in breach of international sanctions.

The appeals court in Abu Dhabi found the unnamed man guilty of "attempting to export a power generator to Iran for its nuclear program, in breach of international sanctions," state news agency WAM reported.

It did not say when the offense was committed. Nuclear-related international sanctions on Iran were lifted following a landmark deal between Tehran and major powers in 2015.

The influence of Shiite-dominated Iran in the Middle East remains a major concern for Gulf countries, including the UAE.

Tehran is a staunch ally of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Light of the Alawites...
, Yemen's Houthis and Shiite gangs in Iraq and Leb.

Authorities in Bahrain, where a crackdown on mainly Shiite protesters has seen hundreds tossed in the clink
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
, have also accused Iran of backing opposition groups.

In a separate case, WAM reported that two men were sentenced to three years in prison and fined 500,000 dirhams ($136,000) each for "posting online information and ideas that aim to incite sedition, hatred and confessionalism."

Local daily al-Ittihad cited judicial sources as saying the two men were citizens of Bahrain.
Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Two IS Militants with Ties to Senior Group Leaders Arrested
[An Nahar] The Internal Security Forces on Tuesday announced the arrest of two Lebanese men who had formed a cell linked to the terrorist 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 ISF statement identified the two men as 53-year-old R. S. and 43-year-old A. K., saying they were locked away
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
by the ISF Intelligence Branch on Thursday.

During interrogation, R. S. confessed to endorsing and promoting IS' ideology and that he had tried to convince several young men to join the group.

"Around two years ago, he left for Syria's Raqa where he joined the IS group and underwent religious and military courses. He also confessed to working with the group in several fields, especially logistics," the ISF said.

"He had close ties with several prominent leaders of the group in Syria and Leb and he accompanied the five-member family of one of the most prominent leaders of the group in Leb to Raqa via The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
," the statement added.

The other bully boy meanwhile confessed to "operating in a very professional manner to fend off suspicions seeing as his activities involved meeting the logistical needs of the Lebanese IS gunnies who are present in Syria."

"He was in contact with the most prominent Syria-based Lebanese leaders of the group. He also coordinated with IS leaders in Raqa and linked them to the aforementioned detained bully boy, R. S.," the ISF said.

He also facilitated the travel of R.S. and the family of an IS leader to Raqa, the ISF added.

The two detainees have been referred to the Military Court.

Posted by: Fred || 04/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Terror Networks
Islamic State in talks for terrifying merger with al Qaeda as battlefield defeats mount
[Wash Times] It’s the terrorist marriage made in hell.

The Islamic State group and al Qaeda, long rivals for supremacy in the jihadi struggle, are feeling more pressure to combine as the Islamic State loses its territorial base in Syria and Iraq and the still-potent terrorist network founded by Osama bin Laden prepares to welcome legions of foreign fighters fleeing the advancing U.S.-backed coalition, analysts and officials in the region say.

"The discussion [on combining forces] has started now," Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi warned this month in an interview with the Reuters news agency.

Born out of al Qaeda’s Iraqi faction that battled U.S. and coalition forces during the bloody years of the American combat mission, the jihadis famously broke with the Pakistani-based terrorist group in 2012 to form the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also called the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Two years later, the group would declare a "caliphate," rename itself the Islamic State and rule a wide swath of the Middle East stretching from its self-styled capital of Raqqa, Syria, to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/27/2017 02:22 || Comments || Link || [336087 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
26[untagged]
13Islamic State
6Commies
3al-Shabaab (AQ)
2Govt of Iran
2Govt of Saudi Arabia
2Govt of Syria
2Sublime Porte
1Lashkar-e-Islam (TTP)
1Lashkar e-Jhangvi
1Moslem Colonists
1Narcos
1Pirates
1Taliban
1Boko Haram (ISIS)
1Hamas
1al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent
1Jamaat ul-Ahrar
1Jundullah

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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.
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Steve White
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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2017-04-27
  Damascus airport rocked after 'Israel air strike' on arms depot
Wed 2017-04-26
  Abu Sayyaf beheads captive Philippine soldier
Tue 2017-04-25
  Sweden arrests second suspect over deadly truck attack
Mon 2017-04-24
  Drone strike kills 5 Qaeda suspects in Yemen
Sun 2017-04-23
  5 terrorist suspects arrested in Brussels after arms, ammo & drugs seized in police raids
Sat 2017-04-22
  Dozens of About 140 Afghan troops dead in Taliban base attack
Fri 2017-04-21
  ISIS Media Chief dies in airstrike
Thu 2017-04-20
  Paris - cops shot, 1 killed. Suspect dead, Suspicious package left
Wed 2017-04-19
  US: Man screams 'Allahu akbar!' and kills three civilians
Tue 2017-04-18
  Pakistani Taliban leader Ehsanullah Ehsan 'surrenders'
Mon 2017-04-17
  Pirates killed while trying to hijack ship near Somalia
Sun 2017-04-16
  At least 43 killed as car bomb hits Syria evacuees
Sat 2017-04-15
  Islamic State mufti killed in Mosul air strike, Iraqi forces say
Fri 2017-04-14
  Iraqi command says controls 60% of western Mosul
Thu 2017-04-13
  US drops MOAB on ISIS tunnel complex in Afghanistan

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