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Fighting between Kurds and Turkish troops continue in Northern Syria
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Afghanistan
25 militants surrender in Herat province
At least 25 insurgents renounced violence in western Herat province and joined the peace process, local officials said on Wednesday.

The insurgents joined the peace process after a 20 day clash with the security forces in Balcheragh district of the province, provincial governor, Sayed Anwar Sadat said.

“They (insurgents) worked under the command of Mullah Paigul who also surrendered himself to security forces,” he said.

However, he did not provided more details.
Posted by: badanov || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Two US troops killed fighting IS in Afghanistan
[DAWN] Two US troops were killed and one was maimed while fighting the Death Eater 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 Afghanistan, the US military said Thursday, near where Washington this month dropped the "Mother of All Bombs". US Forces-Afghanistan said the troops "came under attack during a raid against murderous Moslems in 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" late Wednesday.

The troops were working with partnered Afghan soldiers in the raid against IS Khorasan, a local offshoot of the Death Eater group based in Iraq and Syria.

"The fight against ISIS-K is important for the world, but sadly, it is not without sacrifice," said US Forces-Afghanistan chief General John Nicholson, using the military's name for IS Khorasan.

In mid-April, the US military earlier dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat, hitting IS positions in Nangarhar.

The deployment of the so-called Mother Of All Bombs (MOAB) killed at least 95 Death Eaters, according to the Afghan defence ministry, but fighting in the area has continued.

"Last night US forces along with some Afghan forces, conducted a night time operation in a village next to Assadkhail village (site of the MOAB)," the governor of Achin district, where the fighting took place, Ismail Shinwari, told AFP.

"They used helicopters to deploy forces and the sound of heavy fighting could be heard from the site. We don't know anything about possible American casualties, but as per our information, up to 40 IS fighters were killed in the operation," he added.

On Thursday evening IS claimed on its website to have repelled an attack conducted by American and Afghan forces and to have caused US casualties.

US Forces-Afghanistan did not immediately provide additional information ahead of notification of the dead troops' next of kin.

Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336095 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  That was 3/75 Rangers doing a smash and grab. If they were given the mission there was something or somebody worth taking. Bad luck happens in war - suck it up, learn from it and double down. Sua sponte
Posted by: Blossom Hupager6063 || 04/28/2017 20:31 Comments || Top||


20 militants belonging to Taliban’s Quetta Council arrested in Kandahar
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least two turbans belonging to Taliban
...the Pashtun equiovalent of men...
’s Quetta Council were tossed in the clink
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
during an operation in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS), said the turbans were operating in four different groups directly under the command of Quetta Council.

A statement by NDS said the turbans were appointed to carry out a series of attacks in Kandahar city.

The detained turbans have confessed that they were tasked with the murders, attack on civilian and military convoys belonging to the government, roadside kaboomings and other insurgency related activities, the statement added.

The anti-governemnt armed Death Eater groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

Kandahar is among the relatively calm provinces where the security situation had improved during the recent years but the anti-government armed Death Eater groups have increased their insurgency activities in some of its districts during the recent months.

This comes as a group of six turbans involved in major terrorist attacks were arrested by the provincial intelligence directorate operatives in Kandahar earlier this month.

According to the local officials, the group was planning and coordinating attacks on military bases, security check posts and logistics convoys and was also involved in the liquidation of the babus government employees, tribal elders and other influential figures in Kandahar.

Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336077 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


ISIS leaders among 8 killed in Afghan forces operations in Nangarhar
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least eight turbans 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....
of Iraq and Syria Khurasan (ISIS-K) were killed during the operations of the Afghan cops in eastern 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.

The provincial police commandment said the operations were conducted in the past 24 hours with the support of the Air Force.

The turbans were targeted in the vicinity of Pekha area of Achin district which is home to ISIS-K holy warriors.

According to the police commandment, the two ISIS leaders killed during the operations have been identified as Abuzar and Amjad.

Several weapons, ammunition, and other military kits belonging to the holy warriors were also destroyed during the operation.

The Afghan cops and the local residents did not suffer any casualties during the operations, the police commandment added.

Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336077 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Taliban leader supervising suicide attacks killed in Wardak
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A senior Taliban
...Arabic for students...
leader who was supervising suicide kabooms in central Maidan Wardak province has been killed in an Arclight airstrike.

According to the local government officials in Maidan Wardak, the Taliban leader has been identified as Mullah Habibullah who was involved in major terrorist related activities, specifically in plotting and coordinating suicide attacks.

Provincial governor’s front man Abdul Rahman Mangal confirmed the killing of Mullah Habibullah and said he was killed in a dronezap.

Mangal further added that Mullah Habibullah was involved in anti-government armed insurgency in Chak and Dai Merdad districts of Maidan Wardak.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336080 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa Horn
Somali pirate sentenced to life over USS Ashland attack
[SHABELLENEWS] A 31-year-old Somali man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for engaging in piracy and other offenses in connection with an attack on a U.S. Navy ship seven years ago, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Mohammed Farah, 31, of Somalia was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the attack, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Another five Somalis have already been tried and convicted for their roles in the attack and are serving prison terms, the Justice Department said.

The USS Ashland, a landing dock ship, was participating in anti-piracy operations off the coast of Djibouti in April 2010 when it came under fire from pirates in a skiff.

The Ashland fired two rounds at the skiff with a 25mm gun, setting it ablaze and forcing the pirates to abandon ship, the Navy said. The six pirates were rescued and later handed over to authorities.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Pirates

#1  Real smart to attack a US navy ship. Of course he'll live better in a fed. prison than he was in Somalia.
Posted by: chris || 04/28/2017 9:25 Comments || Top||


KDF Airstrikes in Somalia reportedly Killed militants
[SHABELLENEWS] A Somali military officer says several Al-Shabaab
... the personification of Somali state failure...
turbans and commanders were killed in series of KDF Arclight airstrikes in War-Gaduud area near El Wak city in Gedo region in this week.

The official who spoke condition of anonymity, told Radio Shabelle that those killed in the aerial bombing include deputy commander of Al shabaab in Gedo region Ali Shangalow.

The Military source confirmed that the operation also killed two other al-Shabaab krazed killers.

Al-Shabaab is yet to release a statement on the reported air strikes by Kenyan military jets.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


A Somali Elder shot dead in northern Galkayo city
[SHABELLENEWS] Unidentified gunnies have shot and killed a prominent Somali elder in the northern divided city of Galkayo, the regional capital of Mudug region on Wednesday night.

The elder who was identified as Mohamud Jama Dirshe (Farey) was rubbed out by pistol-wielding young men he walked out of his house in the volatile town, according to a witness.

Late Farey was struck down in his prime after he was shot on head during the shooting. The motive behind his murder is yet unclear, but Al shabaab is the main suspect of the liquidation.

The killers expeditiously departed at a goodly pace before the arrival of Police authorities.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336078 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Africa North
Policeman killed, two injured in North Sinai bombing
[AlAhram] A police officer was killed and two coppers were maimed Thursday afternoon when an improvised bomb detonated in North Sinai’s El-Arish city, al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Security sources told al-Ahram that unknown assailants planted the IED near the second precinct cop shoppe in El-Arish.

The bomb killed 51-year-old first lieutenant Ahmed El-Sayed Ahmed from Beni Suef governorate, and injured 46-year-old police corporal Ahmed Ali Ibrahim and 21-year-old conscript Mohammed Fatouh.

Egypt’s army and police forces have been battling for several years a holy warrior Islamist insurgency in North Sinai centered in the cities of El-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, with hundreds killed on both sides.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/28/2017 02:02 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)


Bangladesh
Four militants dead, two in custody as Operation Eagle Hunt ends
[Dhaka Tribune] Law enforcement officials concluded Operation Eagle Hunt on Thursday, after four turbans blew themselves up at the murderous Moslem hideout in Shibnagar village under Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj.

Rajshahi Range DIG Khurshid Hossain announced the successful completion of the operation during a press briefing at 6:45pm. He was accompanied by SWAT Deputy Commissioner Proloy Kumar Joarder and Chapainawabganj Police Superintendent Mujahidul Islam.

SWAT resumed the operation at 9:10am on Thursday, with gunfire and kabooms heard from the den almost immediately. Subsequently, a bomb disposal team arrived at the location at 10:30am.

At 1:08pm, law enforcement officials used megaphones to urge murderous Moslem Abu Ali to surrender, in the same manner as his family had done on Wednesday, but there was once again no response.

However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
Sumaiya Begum, suspected to be murderous Moslem Abu’s wife, left the building with a four-year-old girl, Sajida Khatun, at 5:30pm.

According to DIG Khurshid, law enforcement officials shot Sumaiya in the right leg before taking her into custody as they suspected she may have had explosives on her person. Sumaiya was taken to Chapainawabganj Sadar Hospital for treatment, where it was found that she was three months pregnant.

Gunfire and kabooms at the hideout continued until 6:30pm, at which point the operation was concluded and the building handed over to bomb disposal units.

The bodies of the turbans were recovered from the hideout at 8:30pm and taken to Chapainawabganj Sadar Hospital for post mortem examination.

Earlier, at 5:30am on Wednesday, CTTC officials cordoned off the building in Trimohoni, Shibnagar village, suspecting it to be a murderous Moslem hideout.

According to CTTC, police and locals, the owner of the building is Saidur Rahman alias Jentu Biswas. Abu Ali, 30, rented the building in February this year.

Abu, who is originally from Trimohoni in Shibnagar, was a madrasa student. After completing his studies, he took up trade as a spice vendor. During this time, he often conflicted with his parents, Afsar Ali and Fulsana Begum, regarding his overzealous religious ideologies.

Locals said his mother had claimed that Abu moved out of their home after one such disagreement.

They added that Abu rarely interacted with others outside of his set group of eight to ten friends. These men would often be seen praying together and were also in the habit of observing Eid in accordance with 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...
Locals also alleged that two of Abu’s associates, Mahfuzur Rahman alias Mohon, 28, and Abdus Salam, 35, were tossed into the calaboose by police on Tuesday night.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (IS)


Britain
Sgt Alexander Blackman, Royal Marine released from prison
[Telegraph] Royal Marine Alexander Blackman, also known as Marine A, was released from prison in the early hours of Friday.

The former Marine, who has served more than three years in prison for shooting dead an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2011, was driven away from HMP Erlestoke, Wiltshire, at around 12.20am.

Blackman hid in the back of a black Audi estate vehicle as he was taken away.

The commando was jailed for life after he was convicted of murder in 2013. The conviction was quashed by the Court Martial Appeal Court and replaced with diminished responsibility manslaughter last month, following a high-profile campaign to free him.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/28/2017 02:30 || Comments || Link || [336079 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Mate -

Don't hide. Stand tall. You are a free man - and a good man.

Enjoy a pint of ale, find an alluring lass, and take a moment to enjoy life.

Cheers,
LR
Posted by: Lone Ranger || 04/28/2017 10:58 Comments || Top||

#2  Honor killing.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/28/2017 11:05 Comments || Top||

#3  You turn these guys loose with automatic weapons in an environment where people are shooting at them and then you get all butt hurt when someone gets killed. There's discipline and then there is fantasy.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 04/28/2017 11:18 Comments || Top||


Armed police swooped on terror suspect as he headed for Downing Street with bag packed with knives
[Telegraph] A suspected jihadist carrying a rucksack packed with knives was heading towards Downing Street when he was dramatically tossed in the slammer
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
by armed police, security sources have told The Telegraph.

It is understood that the suspect’s family had become concerned about his behaviour and reported him to the authorities several weeks ago. Investigators believe he was about to launch an attack.
The ’lone wolf’ suspect had been under close surveillance when counter-terrorism officers ordered his immediate detention as he came within 300 yards of the gates of the Prime Minister’s residence.
Update from the Daily Mail at 1:40 p.m. EDT:
Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, is a British citizen who was born abroad and grew up in Tottenham. He is said to have been part of a pro-Palestine convoy which took supplies and aid to the Gaza strip in 2010.
That would be George Galloway's Viva Palestina group that drove what was claimed to be $5 million of aid to Gaza via Syria and Egypt. Mr. Galloway was not among them, having made himself persona non grata in Egypt.

Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Viva Palestina
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336105 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It is understood that the suspect’s family had become concerned about his behaviour and reported him to the authorities several weeks ago.

Maybe he's autistic and has assburgers.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/28/2017 3:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Trailing daughter #1 is autistic and has Asperger's. She was diagnosed her senior year of high school. The Asperger's just made things challenging -- it was the unrecognized co-morbidities that put an end to plans of independence by the time she was twenty.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/28/2017 14:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Maybe he's autistic and has assburgers.

Did I hear right that is how the previous knife attacker was explained away?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 04/28/2017 15:21 Comments || Top||

#4  It seems to me not to be so much explaining away as highlighting a population that has fewer defenses against grooming.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/28/2017 17:05 Comments || Top||


Teenage terrorist, 19, who had 'ISIS' as his phone password
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] A teenage holy warrior is facing jail after planning to launch a nail-kaboom on an Elton John concert on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Haroon Ali Syed, 19, pleaded guilty to researching targets including a concert by the singer in Hyde Park, as well as Buckingham Palace and Oxford Street.

He was said to be planning to carry out a kaboom 'on the scale of 7/7' and also spoke of attacking shoppers in central London.

But the plot was foiled after Syed contacted an undercover security services agent online and he was enjugged
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
at his home in Hounslow, west London.

When asked if his phone had a password, he replied: 'Yeah, I.S.I.S, you like that?'

It can now be revealed that Syed's older brother, Nadir, was convicted in 2015 of buying a 12-inch kitchen knife and plotting to behead a poppy seller. After his conviction he threatened to behead prison officers in Belmarsh jail.

Like his brother, he also had a terror-related phone code, 77911.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336080 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Syed's older brother, Nadir, was convicted in 2015

Neither were found to be autistic.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/28/2017 3:03 Comments || Top||


Europe
'Explosion' rocks McDonald's in France, prompting police to shut down roads
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] A reported kaboom hit a McDonald's in the French town of Grenoble on Thursday after a large device was spotted in a toilet.

Police closed roads surrounding the fast food restaurant to investigate the cause of the alleged blast, which happened at about 11.50am local time.

Police have not confirmed the 'explosive nature of the event', but a police insider suggested that the blast could have been the result of a big firecracker.

Police closed roads surrounding the McDonald's in the French town of Grenoble on Thursday after a reported bomb went off in one of the restaurant's bathrooms

It is believed that the alleged blast happened after employees on the ground floor saw flames on the second floor and alerted police, according to La Dauphine.

Thirty people had to be evacuated from the restaurant. There are no reported injuries.

The upstairs bathroom at the fast food restaurant was heavily damaged in the incident.

A bomb squad arrived at the scene to investigate the incident. French officials said other McDonald's restaurants in the area will also be investigated.

Authorities have asked people to avoid the area surrounding the McDonald's.

Hours after the incident, Cours Jean-Jaurès, one of the main roads in Grenoble and the location of the McDonald's, was re-opened to drivers.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336078 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Too much Jalapeno in the picante sauce? New formula for the Habanero mayo?

Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted by: Frozen Al || 04/28/2017 12:58 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Dayton man arrested at Cincinnati/N. KY Internat'l Airport, accused of supporting ISIS
An idiot, not a madman.
[Cincinnati.com] A man was tossed in the slammer
Please don't kill me!
Wednesday evening at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport after authorities say he attempted to travel to Syria to fight with ISIS.

Laith Waleed Alebbini, 26, of Dayton, Ohio was taken into custody by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336091 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Army officer among 3 soldiers, 2 militants, civilian killed
[Daily Excelsior] Three Army personnel including a senior officer and two snuffies were killed as snuffies stormed into an Army base in Panzgam village of North Kashmire’s Kupwara district early today. A civilian was also killed in security forces firing on protesters who were demanding bodies of the two slain hard boys.

Srinagar based Defence front man, Lt Col Rajesh Kalia said that two snuffies were killed after they attacked an Army camp in the wee hours today at Panzgam village of Kupwara today. He said that three Army personnel including a senior officer were also killed in the attack.

Sources said that snuffies hurled grenades and fired indiscriminately on the Army personnel and stormed into Army camp at Panzgam village, which resulted in the injuries to at least five Army personnel

The injured troopers were airlifted to the Base Hospital for specialized treatment and three among the injured including a senior officer gave up the ghost.

Army’s Quick Reaction Team (QRT) bumped off two snuffies while third one managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

The slain have been identified as Captain Ayush Yadav, Subedar Bhoop Singh Gujjar and Naik Bhoota Venkata. The identity of the snuffies is being ascertained.

Colonel Sourab Joshi told news hounds at Panzgam that early in the morning alert troops noticed at least 3-4 snuffies cutting the wire and were challenged by the troops. He said that they fired at the troops leading to a shootout.

Col Joshi said that the snuffies tried to make their way towards the residential area in the camp. He, however, said that the troops engaged them and neutralised two of them and one of the snuffies managed to escape in injured condition. He said that his rifle has, however, been recovered and massive operation was launched to hunt him down. He said that 3 AK 47s, 9 magazines, 56 AK rounds, one UBGL, three UBGL grenades and three hand grenades were recovered from the encounter site.

And later a man was killed and three others were maimed after Army opened fire on protesters seeking bodies of two snuffies who attacked an Army camp.

The people of Panzgam assembled outside the Army camp which had come under attack and were demanding bodies of the snuffies killed in the shootout.

Army fired on civilian protesters and one of the civilians identified as Mohammad Yusuf, 55, was struck down in his prime. He was hit by a bullet in neck. Soon after the killing of civilian, the protests which broke out in morning in Panzgam, Chowkibal and adjoining villages intensified.

Soon after the attack in the morning, locals of the Chowkibal and its adjoining villages clashed with security forces. Police had to use dozens of teargas shells and also resort to gun sex to disperse these protesters. The protesters were demanding bodies of the two snuffies for burial.

Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti paid rich tributes to the officer and two jawans of the Army who were killed in an encounter.

She extended her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of slain soldiers. She has also expressed anguish over the death of a person in protests during the day in the area.

In a statement, Mehbooba Mufti said that an unending cycle of violence has got unleashed in our society which is devouring it and pushing Kashmire towards darkness.

She appealed the people to come forward in bringing this cycle of violence to an end and help the Government in its efforts of restoring normality and peace in the Valley.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336077 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies


Two suspected militants killed in Dera encounter
[DAWN] Two suspected bandidos snuffies were killed while two coppers sustained injuries during an exchange of fire in Kut Shahani area of Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
here on Wednesday.

Police officials said that two constables were on way back to police lines after participating in a search operation in the jurisdiction of University cop shoppe, when suspected bandidos snuffies opened fire and lobbed hand grenades at the cops, injuring them.

Other members of the police party cordoned off the area and started a search operation to trace the attackers. During the search, police personnel and the bandidos snuffies came across and shot it out, in which two attackers were killed. Identity of the outlaws could not be known.

The maimed police officials were taken to the district headquarters hospital, Dera. They were identified as Wilayat and Javed.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Suspected US drone strike kills seven 'militants' in North Waziristan
[DAWN] A suspected US dronezap killed several Talibs in North Wazoo close to the Afghanistan border, one bad boy commander and intelligence sources said on Thursday, in a rare strike on Pak soil.

If confirmed, the air strike, which happened on Wednesday, would only be the second drone attack inside the nation since US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
took office in January.

Abdullah Wazirstani, front man for the North Waziristan Taliban
...Arabic for students...
, a group linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistain, said the strike killed three civilian 'labourers' and seven gunnies from the TTP.

Malik Waheedullah, a local tribal leader, told Rooters he saw two missiles strike a mountain home which caught fire. "I drove away as fast as I could," he said.

Rooters quoted one Pak intelligence official and government source who said they believed the strike to be a dronezap.

US officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

North Waziristan was a Taliban stronghold until 2014, when the Army launched a major offensive against the group and pushed many of its fighters across the border into Afghanistan.

Sources from the TTP identified one of the dead gunnies as Abdur Rahman, a senior commander of the group.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Mardan police announce arrest of shooter in Mashal lynching case
[DAWN] Mardan's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Mohammad Alam Shinwari on Thursday announced that the young man who shot Mashal Khan in the Mardan lynching incident had been locked away
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
Mashal, 23, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan (AWKUM) was shot and beaten to death by a violent mob on university premises on April 13.

Police officials said that he had been accused of running Facebook pages "which allegedly published blasphemous content".
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336087 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Iraq
Iraqi paramilitaries shut more Islamic State escape routes to Syria border
[Iraq News] Iraqi paramilitary units captured the northern province of Hatra on Thursday, cutting off several desert tracks used by 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....
to move between Iraq and Syria, the military.

The operations in Hatra are carried out by Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mostly Iranian-trained militias of Shi’ite volunteers formed in 2014 after Islamic State, a hardline Sunni group, overran a third of Iraq.

The militias on Wednesday dislodged Islamic State from the ancient ruins of Hatra, which suffered great destruction under the holy warriors’ three-year rule, a military front man said.

Hatra, a city that flourished in the first century AD, lies 125 km (80 miles) south of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, where the holy warriors have been fighting off a U.S.-backed offensive since October.

The holy warriors are now surrounded in the northwestern part of Mosul, including the Old City and its landmark Grand al-Nuri Mosque from where their leader, His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us...
, declared in mid-2014 a caliphate also spanning parts of Syria.

Mosul is by far the largest city that had fallen to the holy warriors in both countries. The density of the population is slowing the advance of Iraqi forces.

Hatra is also located west of Hawija, a region north of Baghdad still under Islamic State control.

Popular Mobilisation, which operates with the approval of Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government, said on Tuesday the Hatra campaign aims at cutting off Islamic State’s routes between Hawija, Mosul and eastern Syria.

Iraq’s border region with Syria is a historic hotbed of the Sunni insurgency against the rule of the Shi’ite majority community, empowered after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336085 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Mosul Offensive News

IS leader killed in coalition airstrike in western Mosul

[Iraq News] 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....
leader was killed on Thursday at al-Shefaa district while destroying an IS headquarters in western djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, the military intelligence service has declared.

"The international coalition fighter jets have killed IS leader called Abu Luqman al-Aafri in al-Shefaa district, located near al-Najjar district in western Mosul," the service said in statements. "The jets also bombarded a headquarter for the group in the same area."

Earlier on Thursday, Iraqi army said that only four districts were remaining to recapture the western flank of the city from the Islamic State.

In the Old City, Federal Police previously announced the troops approach by 300 meters toward the Grand Nuri al-Kabir mosque, killing dozens of Islamic State murderous Moslems.

The murderous Moslem group has lost dozens of its leaders since the start of western Mosul operations.

IS members killed as troops approach toward Nuri mosque in Mosul’s Old City

[Iraq News] Federal Police Command has declared killing dozens of 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....
murderous Moslems, as the troops advanced by 300 meters toward the Grand Nuri mosque in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
’s Old City.

"Our troops in the Old City launched limited attacks and approached by 300 meters toward Nuri mosque from Qadhib al-Ban side," Lt.Gen. Shaker Jawdat, chief of Federal Police, said in statements on Thursday.

The Grand Nuri al-Kabir Mosque is the place at which Islamic State’s supreme leader His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us...
gave his famous sermon in 2014 declaring the establishment of the group’s rule in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

4 districts left to capture in western Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi army said Thursday that only four districts of western Mosul were left to recapture from the Islamic State as government forces continue to clear the group’s last remaining entrenchments in the region.

Sabah al-Nuaman, a spokesperson of the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service, said the forces had managed to take over “Daesh’s (Islamic State) core” by retaking al-Tenek district, where 500 militants were killed in security assaults.

He added that only four neighborhoods are between security forces and overall recapture of the western region of Mosul.

Iraqi government forces, backed by a U.S.-led international military coalition and paramilitary troops, recaptured eastern Mosul in January and launched another offensive in February to retake the west.

The coalition estimates the remaining IS fighters in Mosul by less than 1000, and Iraqi officials say the group currently controls less than seven percent of Iraqi territory.

The most remarkable military activity is currently focused around the ancient Old City region, the area from where IS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the establishment of the group in a famous sermon.

Government troops, backed by Popular Mobilization Units, also launched an offensive on Tuesday to retake al-Hadar region, west of the city, and recaptured several villages and an ancient area there since then.
Google Map at the link

Iraqi militias capture village in western Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Pro-Iraqi government troops of al-Hashd al-Shaabi have declared liberating the cemetery in al-Hadar region as well as Tureitaa village in the north of the region, in western Mosul.

“The forces freed the cemetery in Hadar,” the media service of the paramilitary troops said on Thursday.

“The troops also liberated Tureitaa village in the northeast of Hadar,” the service added.

Earlier on Thursday, the troops advanced toward the center of Hadar to storm it.

The troops announced on Wednesday recapturing three villages of Im Kreiz, Ghanem al-Awwad and Harraj in al-Hadar.

The offensives, which entered its third day, resulted in retaking 17 villages and strategic areas as well as the archaeological area.

In the Old City, Federal Police announced the troops approach by 300 meters toward the Grand Nuri al-Kabir mosque, killing dozens of Islamic State militants.

Earlier this month, Iraqi troops claimed the recapture of 70 percent of the western region and that IS members were only in control over less than seven percent of territory in Iraq.

Eastern Mosul was retaken in January after three months of battles between Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition and the paramilitary troops. A major offensive was launched in February to recapture the western side.

ISIS Big Turban dies in western Mosul airstrike

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) An Islamic State leader was killed on Thursday at al-Shefaa district while destroying an IS headquarters in western Mosul, the military intelligence service has declared.

“The international coalition fighter jets have killed IS leader called Abu Luqman al-Aafri in al-Shefaa district, located near al-Najjar district in western Mosul,” the service said in statements. “The jets also bombarded a headquarter for the group in the same area.”

Earlier on Thursday, Iraqi army said that only four districts were remaining to recapture the western flank of the city from the Islamic State.

In the Old City, Federal Police previously announced the troops approach by 300 meters toward the Grand Nuri al-Kabir mosque, killing dozens of Islamic State militants.

The militant group has lost dozens of its leaders since the start of western Mosul operations.

Eastern Mosul was retaken in January after three months of battles between Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition and the paramilitary troops. A major offensive was launched in February to recapture the western side.

Iraqi troops were said to be in control over 4000 kilometers of the city, according to the U.S. State Department last week.

Coalition officials had estimated the number of remaining IS militants in Mosul by less than 1000.

20 civilians die in western Iraq airstrikes

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Nineteen civilians were killed as international coalition jets bombarded the Islamic State militants in western Mosul, Middle East Online reported.

“Nineteen civilians were killed in an airstrike launched by the international coalition against al-Islah al-Zeraei district, in western Mosul, which is still controlled by IS,” Ahmed Elwan, an activist based in the freed regions in Mosul, quoted an anonymous military source as saying.

“The shelling fully destroyed two houses that were used by IS militants to target the Iraqi troops from their rooftops,” Elwan said adding the victims are still under debris.

In related news, “a civilian was killed, while three others were injured due to a missile attack launched by Iraqi troops against al-Zanjili region, in west of Mosul, still under IS control,” Elwan added.

No comments have been made yet by either the Iraqi troops or the coalition led by the U.S. regarding the two accidents.

Iraqi forces as well as the US-led international coalition have always been criticized due to the fall of hundreds of civilian casualties by air strikes and explosions in the last few days.

A major offensive was launched in February to retake the western side of Mosul. The eastern flank of the city was retaken in January after three months of battles.

Iraqi forces capture al-Hadar again

Iraqi forces on Thursday retook the town of Hadhar, southwest of Mosul, on the third day of an operation that saw them wrest back a nearby UNESCO-listed ancient city, a statement said.

Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces said they had flushed ISIL terrorist group out of Hadhar, which lies 120 kilometers (80 miles) from Mosul.

The top army commander coordinating the six-month-old offensive to retake the Mosul area from the terrorists, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah, said the “Hashed al-Shaabi forces fully liberated Hadhar town in record time.”

He was quoted in a statement from the Joint Operations Command as saying that the Iraqi flag was raised above key buildings in the town following a battle during which “heavy losses” were inflicted on the terrorists.

The Hashed forces, which are dominated by Iran-backed militia groups, had retaken the nearby archaeological site of Hadhar on Wednesday.

The ancient city is one of the heritage jewels of Iraq and was damaged by ISIL after they took over large parts of the country three years ago, although the extent of the destruction remains unclear.

Source: AFP
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336079 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Airstrike kills 11 IS fighters, destroys 2 booby-trapped vehicles near Anbar

[Iraq News] The Army’s 7th Brigade Command in Anbar Province, on Thursday, announced that 11 fighters 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 were killed, and two booby-trapped vehicles were destroyed by an air strike, west of the province.

The Command said in a statement that the international coalition air force bombarded two booby-trapped vehicles belonging to the Islamic State group, in the city of Anah, destroying them completely.

The coalition air force also managed to bomb a hideout of the Islamic State and an explosives lab in the city of Anah, killing 11 members of the terrorist group, the statement added.

Noteworthy, security forces finished their preparations to liberate the cities of Anah, Rawa and al-Qaim, west of Anbar, from the Islamic State group.
Posted by: Fred || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336078 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli Patriot missiles down target over Golan Heights : Israel's army
[AlAhram] Israel's Patriot anti-aircraft missile system shot down an aerial target over the Golan Heights on Thursday, the Israeli military said.

Israeli media said residents in the northern Israeli town of Safed reported seeing two missiles being launched and of kabooms occurring afterwards. It was initially unclear whether the target, which media said was an unmanned drone, was shot down over Syria or Israeli-controlled territory.

The incident occurred hours after Syria accused Israel of striking a Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla arms hub near Damascus airport, where supplies of weapons from Iran are sent regularly by air, a regional intelligence source said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/28/2017 02:02 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  seems pricey to shoot down drones with a Patriot unless the drone was armed
Posted by: Frank G || 04/28/2017 10:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Pricey? How big was the drone? Seems like the shotgun to mosquito approach.
Posted by: One Eyed Flavirong9917 || 04/28/2017 10:42 Comments || Top||

#3  Everyone is working on a cheaper way to kill drones.

I'm all for the mass driver approach.
Posted by: DarthVader || 04/28/2017 10:52 Comments || Top||

#4  The 'drone' term may reference a possible full size aircraft target drone. I'm assuming these can be loaded with explosives.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/28/2017 11:09 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Five Thai rangers killed in well-planned ambush
[Bangkok Post] Five paramilitary rangers were killed and another badly injured in a roadside bomb explosion and the following attack on their patrol by gunmen wearing green outfits in Narathiwat province. The bomb went off on Thursday afternoon as a patrol vehicle carrying a ranger team was approaching Ringae village in Chanae district. Metal spikes were also found scattered over the road.

Police said the six-man patrol was on the way back to their base and went passed a group of ten armed men in green outfits, similar to border patrol police uniforms, walking along the road. When the patrol vehicle was just 100 meters beyond them, the bomb went off and those men opened fire at the rangers.

Before fleeing, the attackers took six M16 assault rifles from the dead and wounded rangers, and set alight the bodies of some of the slain rangers.
Posted by: ryuge || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
18 die in Syrian airstrike in Idlib hospital
[ARA News] The Syrian regime’s air force on Thursday launched several airstrikes, targeting two main hospitals in the rebel-held Idlib province, activists reported.

The air raids targeted a hospital in Deir Sharqi town and another hospital located in the Maarzita, southern Idlib province.

“At least 18 civilians were killed due to the airstrikes, including several babies in incubators,” local media activist Ahmed Halwani told ARA News.

Also, at least five medical staff lost their lives during the airstrikes on Thursday.

“The raids caused a massive destruction in the buildings of the two targeted hospitals,” Halwani reported.

The source added that rescue teams continued searching for victims under the rubble until the midnight on Thursday.

Idlib province is regularly bombed by the Syrian and allied Russian air forces.
Posted by: badanov || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Fighting between Kurds and Turkish troops continue in Northern Syria
[ARA News] Clashes continued for the third consecutive day between Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Turkey’s military in several areas in northern Syria, military sources reported on Friday.

The Turkish Army bombed several villages in the Kurdish Afrin district, including Panerak, Shankila, Midan Akbas and Rajo.

“The Turkish artillery bombarded YPG security checkpoints and residential buildings in Afrin countryside, killing and wounding dozens, most of them civilians,” a spokesperson for the YPG told ARA News.

The bombardment led to clashes between the Kurdish units and Turkish military forces in the sub-districts of Rajo and Shiya.

“Our units responded to the Turkish offensive by hitting the positions of the Turkish troops near Susk hill in Afrin. At least three military vehicles were destroyed by YPG fire,” the Kurdish official said.

The YPG also released a video showing the destruction of a Turkish base in northwestern Aleppo.

“At least 17 Turkish soldiers were killed and three others were wounded under heavy bombardment by the YPG,” a member of the YPG media office in Afrin told ARA News.

The source added that the clashes between the YPG and Turkey’s military are still ongoing in the Shiya and Rajo sub-districts.

Clashes broke out on Wednesday between the Syrian Kurdish forces and Turkish troops after the latter targeted the Kurdish town of Derbassiye in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province with heavy artillery, shutting down the road between Derbassiye and Serikaniye. This coincided with similar clashes between the YPG and Turkish troops in Afrin.

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

The US-led coalition expressed concerns over the Turkish attacks against the Kurdish fighters who are in war with ISIS in northern Syria.

“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.

“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 Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) 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 || 04/28/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336137 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  U. S. Troops are deploying along the Syrian Turkish border.
Posted by: Nero White 3083 || 04/28/2017 14:19 Comments || Top||

#2  now we know the actual reason for Ergodan to send Turkish forces into Syria: to suppress the Kurds.

Tribal warfare still is a major element in the world's conflicts..
Posted by: Hupusose Gloluque7950 || 04/28/2017 21:14 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
23[untagged]
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2017-04-28
  Fighting between Kurds and Turkish troops continue in Northern Syria
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

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