[AnNahar] A Taliban suicide boom-mobileer killed four people on Wednesday and injured dozens more on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... , police said.
A total of 41 people, most of them civilians, were maimed when the bomber targeted the local district administration compound in the town of Paghman, said a police front man, Ebadullah Karimi.
"At around 10:30 this morning a suicide kaboomer detonated his explosive-packed car next to the Paghman district headquarters. Two coppers and two civilians have been killed, a further 41 have been injured," Karimi said.
A senior police officer was among the dead, Karimi added. Paghman is 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Kabul.
The account was confirmed by the interior ministry deputy front man Najib Danish.
The Taliban, who have been waging a bloody insurgency since their regime was toppled in late 2001, grabbed credit for the attack.
Afghanistan has witnessed escalating violence since the forces of Evil launched their spring offensive in April.
Nearly 1,600 non-combatants were killed and 3,329 injured in the first half of this year, according to U.N. figures.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Wednesday that Musa Qala district in the restive Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province was cleared of the Talibs.
A statement by MoD said the clearing operation concluded this afternoon but did not provide further information in this regard.
The control of Musa Qala district fell to Taliban control last month following days of heavy festivities between the Afghan cops and the holy warriors.
The deteriorating security situation in Helmand province also forced the US military to deploy special operation forces.
At least 90 special opeatiosn troops were deployed in Helmand last month with the American military officials saying the troops were rushed into Camp Bastion after the fall of Musa Qala.
The Afghan military officials have also confirmed that the Afghan cops receive air support from the coalition forces besides the Afghan Air Force conduct aerial bombing.
The special operations troops belonging to United States Air Force Special Tactics Squadron were deployed despite the US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... forces formally concluded their combat operation last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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BAIDOA, Somalia -- The Governor of southwestern region of Bay Rashid Abdullahi Mohamed has escaped unhurt from landmine attack by Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab militants, Garowe Online reports.
In an interview with BBC Somali Service, Mohamed said that they will launch investigations into landmine explosions.
Beleaguered militants are believed to have planted the mines on the road that connects Bay regional capital of Baidoa to Goofgaduud village which lies 7km away. At least two other explosions were reported in Goofgaduud during a speech by visiting government delegation to locals.
Officials visited the nearby village to set up new administration.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Goofgaduud? Really?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2015 9:01 Comments ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Authorities in Tunisia, engaged in a battle against home-grown krazed killers, have cashiered 110 members of the security forces for suspected links to Death Eater groups, the interior ministry's front man said Wednesday.
Those cashiered belong to "different corps - police, national guard, the army, customs," said Walid Louguini, without saying when the action took place.
Their sacking "is linked... to very serious suspicions of membership in terrorist organizations or sympathy toward them," Louguini said, adding that they were the result of investigations dating to the beginning of the year.
Senior ministry official Taoufik Bouaoun told private Radio Med on Monday that "five or six" members of the security forces had been placed in durance vile You have the right to remain silent... for "direct links" with smuggling or terrorism.
Bouaoun said that since he joined the ministry after last November's elections, it had been discovered that certain appointments had not been subjected to proper security clearances.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Untied States has warned all its citizens still in Libya to leave straight away. In a travel advisory published today the US State Department repeated its January warning that American citizens should avoid going to Libya. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... it added the recommendation that "US citizens currently in Libya depart immediately".
Said that the Libyan security situation remained unpredictable and unstable.
The US embassy in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... was evacuated in July 2014 for security reasons. The mission first moved to Malta but has since relocated in Tunis, to where the majority of other embassies had evacuated.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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#4
When does "US citizens currently in Libya depart immediately". turn into "US citizens currently in [insert European country here] depart immediately".?
[AnNahar] Unidentified assailants set ablaze one of the few churches in Yemen's second city Aden on Wednesday, a day after it had been damaged by vandals, witnesses said.
The masked arsonists torched St Joseph, a Roman Catholic church in the central Crater neighborhood of the port city, which is controlled by loyalists of the exiled government.
Rearguard Houthis venting their spleen on the way out, Gulf troops unaccepting of Crusader worship sites on Muslim soil, Lutherans? Or possibly just the local lads having a bit of fun.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... has arrest two wanted suspects among an ISIS cell, in two separate operations in Riyadh and Darma.
An official statement from the interior ministry said it received information about suspicious movements from a group of people in Mounissiya district in Riyadh and in the city of Darma.
The two were jugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... by security forces as part of a prepared operation late Tuesday.
In Riyadh, and after the security forces cordoned off their house in Mounissiya district, two desperados opened fire and threw grenades toward the security members who succeeded in neutralizing and arresting them.
The arrested were Ahmed Mohammed Saeed Zahrani, 21 years, and his brother Mohammed, 19.
In the other operation, in Darma, close to Riyadh, a group of men, left a house after they knew, via security camera inside the home, that security forces were approaching.
According to the statement, they used a car with fake Omani plates, and opened fire targeting the forces.
After that car was damaged, the gunnies seized another vehicle and fled the area. The operation is ongoing as security their efforts to arrest the suspects, according to the statement which added that a quantity of weapons and money were seized during the operations.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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Like traditional Catholics whose daughters all have the first name Mary, and sons ditto Joseph, who are all known by their middle names except when Mom is really mad, perhaps.
Five Saudi soldiers have died on the border with Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition said late on Sunday as forces inside Yemen began a major offensive against rebels. The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, said they died "in the line of duty while protecting the nation's borders".
It appeared to be the largest single military loss in the border region announced by the coalition since March 26, when it began action in Yemen against Houthi rebels.
On Sunday coalition-supported anti-rebel forces in Yemen began a major offensive aimed at pushing the Houthis out of Marib province and eventually moving on the capital Sanaa which the Houthis seized last year. Another 10 Saudi troops died inside Yemen earlier this month. They were among 60 coalition soldiers killed when a missile hit their base in Marib province.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
As the Saudis continue to be hounded more and more by jihadi radicals (Houthis) associated with the very religion the Saudis have been exporting, after being hit hard by the results of fracking technology, oil exporters such as the Saudis are about to get another hit in the energy sector as lithium power technology becomes cheaper and more reliable for automotive use around the world.
#4
Why aren't the Saudis using mercenariescontractors?
Through endless temporizing the Pakistanis made it semi-clear that they were uninterested in participating, while Egypt reluctantly sent some ground troops recently, after sending a/some ships (I'm afraid I don't remember how many, though an article was posted here at the time) to blockade Yemeni ports, preventing Iran from resupplying the Houthis, Sven. Beyond that, I couldn't say.
#5
Mercs are OK as long as you keep them away from the 'Old Country' and make sure they get paid regularly. Saudis probably still remember the Janissaries (not the mention the Mamelukes) from their long run-ins with the Turks and the complications of having non-tribal troops in or around the the throne.
#1
The man died of his wounds despite repeated attempts to resuscitate him, police said. The policewoman, who was brutally injured in the knife attack, was flown to a hospital in a rescue helicopter.
"We kept stomping on his face to revive him, even took turns. Guess it wasn't meant to be."
[AlAhram] Twenty Hungarian police were maimed on Wednesday in festivities with migrants at the Serbian border, the Hungarian government said.
"In the festivities between the migrants and the police, 20 police were maimed," said Gyorgy Bakondi, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief advisor.
AFP reported later that three "Humvee" Hungarian army military vehicles mounted with guns arrived at the border with Serbia on Wednesday evening as police engaged in major festivities with migrants, an AFP news hound at the scene said.
The vehicles were stationed 100-200 metres (yards) back from the border near the flashpoint border crossing at Roszke after migrants briefly broke through the frontier.
[NEWS24] A Danish teenager who admitted to regularly watching jihadist videos online, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for stabbing her mother to death together with an Iraqi friend.
Lisa Borch, then 15, and her 29-year-old friend Bakhtiar Mohammed Abdullah were convicted on Tuesday of killing Tina Romer Holtegaard in her sleep by repeated stabs to the chest.
"She has said herself that she sometimes watches Islamic State (ISIS) videos," prosecutor Karina Skou told AFP. The investigation did not determine which videos the defendant had seen.
A court in the northern town of Hjorring dismissed claims by Borch that she had seen "a white man running" from her home the night of the murder.
"It can be indisputedly upheld that Lisa Borch, during the emergency call, pretended to give CPR" in the bedroom "even though she was actually in the workshop", the district court said in its ruling.
After her mother went to bed, the girl claimed to have been watching TV and admitted to having watched "something with ISIS" on her mother's iPad.
Asked if the video clips had included ISIS beheadings, she said she couldn't remember.
The events took place in October 2014 in the northern village of Kvissel.
A forensic investigation found that there had been internet searches made for mass executions on a laptop belonging to Abdullah, who claimed Borch was responsible for them.
The 29-year-old Iraqi was sentenced to 13 years in prison, after which he will be deported.
"Lisa showed him pictures on her phone of guns and machine guns, but that was not something he was interested in," his testimony read.
However, the prosecutor said Islamic radicalisation "had not been a major theme" in the case.
"It could very well have been someone who was subjected to something cruel," she said of the video clips.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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One of the pleasures of being President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is that there are so very many enemies to be arrested... though today there are fewer than yesterday.
[AlAhram] Turkish police on Wednesday arrested 11 people, including a senior business leader, as part of a crackdown on followers of an influential US-based cleric accused of plotting against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported.
The arrests took place in the central city of Kayseri, where police raided a university that has been linked to Fethullah Gulen, Dogan press agency reported.
Memduh Boydak, head of Boydak Holding, a conglomerate with interests in real estate, furniture and the energy sector, was among those detained, along with several other business people and academics, the agency said.
The investigation is looking into complaints over the way in which the foundation of Kayseri's private Meliksah University acquired land next to the campus.
Boydak is chairman of the foundation's board of trustees.
Wednesday's raids was the latest in a series of swoops on businesses and media carried out under the auspices of a "terrorist investigation" into Pennsylvania-based Gulen's powerful Hizmet (Service) movement.
Erdogan accuses his former ally of trying to topple him by directing his followers in the Turkish administration to launch a vast probe into government corruption in 2013, which led to the resignation of four ministers.
Gulen, who left for the United States in 1999 to escape charges of anti-secular activities by Turkey's then government, denies the allegations.
Erdogan survived the corruption scandal but has had Gulen and his followers in his sights ever since.
The police and judiciary have been purged of thousands of alleged pro-Gulenist elements and several people considered close to the cleric have been arrested.
Earlier this month, police raided the offices of the Koza-Ipek Media group, which is critical of the president and close to Gulen.
Turkey's main industry federation Tusiad, of which Boydak is a board member, expressed "concern" in a statement Wednesday over his arrest, saying the allegations against the businessman created a "disturbing" climate in which to conduct business.
[DAWN] A Pak civilian was injured when Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) resorted to 'unprovoked' firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Rawalakot's Battal sector on Wednesday.
According to details, a civilian Ghulam Nabi, resident of Alam village of Battal sector, was maimed in the second incident of ceasefire violation from the Indian side in the last 24 hours.
Security sources told DawnNews that Pak troops responded to Indian firing in a 'befitting manner'.
Yesterday, a Pakistain Army soldier was killed in a similar incident in Battal sector.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The counter-terrorism department (CTD) on Wednesday claimed to have tossed in the slammer Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! the alleged 'key financier' involved in the Safoora bus carnage, the incident in which more than 40 people including women and kiddies were killed.
The suspect, Sheeba Ahmed, was detained from the Defence area of 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... , said CTD's Senior Superintendent of Police Investigation, Naveed Nisar Khwaja.
Khwaja said Ahmed allegedly 'brainwashed' the suspects accused of carrying out the Safoora massacre and provided them with key financial support,
Speaking at presser at his office, the senior officer said Ahmed was detained over information provided by the arrested accused -- Saad Aziz and Azhar Ishrat.
During initial probe, the suspect told Sherlocks that he belonged to a religious party, Tanzeem Islami. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... the officer added that "he was also the financier of the outlawed al Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent".
It was alleged that Ahmed was involved in "chemical business" in Pakistain and neighbouring Islamic countries and the money earned through this trade was being used to provide funds to Lions of Islam to carry out terror acts.
"The held suspect, apart from brainwashing the main accused of Safoora tragedy, also provided them complete financial support," claimed the CTD official.
Naveed Khuwaja revealed that another suspect, Hasan Zaheer, who was recently arrested in Lahore, also informed Sherlocks that Sheeba Ahmed had provided financial support to a hospital in Lahore for treating alleged injured holy warriors there.
"We are also interrogating him to this effect," added the police officer.
Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Hyder Jamali, AIG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi and DIG CTD Arif Hanif announced cash and other rewards for the police party which detained the alleged terrorist.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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From a few days ago, but still good to know. May they be speedily victorious, despite the ROEs.
[IsraelTimes] 160-strong force lands in Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat says, to join campaign to push IS out of province's capital Ramadi
A force of 160 American army soldiers have landed in Iraq as part of ongoing efforts by a US-led coalition to defeat 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.... that has captured swathes of the country and its war-torn Syrian neighbor, the Arabic-language media outlet Asharq Al-Awsat said.
Iraqi security sources told the pan-Arab paper that the force landed at a military base in the Anbar province, from where Iraq is running its offensive against IS, Israel's Walla news reported Saturday.
The base is already hosting hundreds of American Army personnel who are training the local forces, but this is the first time that a US fighting force has arrived in Anbar, the report said. The soldiers are expected to take part in an operation to oust the Islamic State from Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, and some 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/17/2015 00:00:00 ||
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Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
09/17/2015 11:27 Comments ||
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#7
Putin knows that if his forces bring stability to the middle east:
The huge refugee crisis will abate in Europe
Putin will gain a more favorable standing in Europe than the United States
The US world foreign policy failures under the Obama/Kerry cause domestic difficulties within the US banking and credit system when the dollar collapses under the weight of the US's huge international debt obligations and the world bank will see no reason to be cooperative in a US recovery efforts.
#10
If we had simply left a brigade combat team in place, and an additional training brigade, and an air wing, we would be talking about US drawdown from a pacified Iraq instead of this shit.
Put the blame suqarely on Obama and the left for bailing, and on Bush for not getting rid of Maliki's corrupt Shia kelptocrats and Iranian proxies.
#11
I blame not wanting to face historical facts. You can't make a democracy out of any country. If you lack any tradition, a viable middle class, and secured borders, it's not going to evolve on its own. Obama and Bush (and the Beltway - and throw in academia) all operated on fantasies.
#13
Not large enough, and when you directly border Iran, Syria, and Saudi, you're not going to have 'secure' borders, unless you're the biggest SOB on the block (which they were to the extent the Americans provided the SOB function).
#14
Iraq had things that most other middle east countries didn't: a middle class, far more secular society that produced decent engineers and doctors (female ones too), etc. Its more of the British legacy, like in Jordan, excepting when the Baath party took over. But the basis was there if we had gone in heavy back in 91 - or simply put the surge in and maintained it this past time. I did work, and a republic was being shaped before we abandoned it to devolve into a "democracy". So I disagree Proc - there was a distinct possibility that the society there could have been reshaped with sufficient time and force, and we did have that in place prior to the precipitous dump-n-run we did. (Think more of the Swiss federation toward its early years, much like the US was These United States instead of TheUnited States)
Now though? Too late. Its already fractured, and its best to jsut tear it into 3 parts, and go ahead and establish Kurdistan, Shia-stan around Baghdad and let the Saudis pay their Wahabbists to control Sunni-stan.
#15
Was it a middle class that saw itself as Iraqi rather than Shiite or Sunni, as Iraqi more than tribe? That's part of my definition of 'middle class', not just economic. So, who did they vote for and why to lead the country? Not enough to overcome tribe/sect loyalties among the whole population. [and, yes that's evolving here as well].
[IraqiNews] Anbar -- A security source in Anbar province announced on Wednesday, that the ISIS has bombed Khalidiya district with rockets and mortar shells, which resulted in the killing and the wounding of 20 people, including children.
The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "this morning, ISIS launched a number of mortar shells and rockets on Khalidiya district east of Ramadi, which resulted in the killing of six people, including two children, and wounding 14 others."
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that "the shelling also resulted in causing material damage to a number of residential buildings and houses," adding that "the warplanes flew over the area to locate the place of launching those missiles and rockets."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[IraqiNews] Kirkuk – According to a security source in Kirkuk province, 11 ISIS members were killed in an air strike by the international coalition southwest of the province.
The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “The international coalition warplanes bombed today sites belonging to ISIS in the village of Rummana al-Zab district (75 km southwest of Kirkuk)”.
The source, who asked anonymity, added: “the bombing resulted in the killing of 11 members of the organization and the burning of two vehicles.”
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[IraqiNews] Baghdad - MP for the coalition, Awatif Naima announced on Wednesday, that she was exposed with the MP Haider Mawla to liquidation and abduction attempts by an gang at the Ministry of Education building in Baghdad.
So many possibilities, so few clues.
Naima said in an interview for IraqiNews.com: "an unidentified gang assaulted me and MP for the coalition of state law Haider Mawla and directed their weapons at us."
Naima also added: "the force attempted kidnapping MP Haider Mawla and taking him to an unknown destination."
She demanded the Interior Ministry to "start an investigation into the incident and determine who was behind it."
[IraqiNews] Dohuk -- Media official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... Saeed Mamouzini revealed on Wednesday, that ISIS carried out raids to search for non-religious books in houses in Mosul, stressing that the organization burned five personal offices during the raids.
Mamouzini said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "ISIS recently conducted raids in search of non-religious books and scientific publications in the houses in Mosul," noting that "this operation comes to prevent every idea, which is not compatible with the perspective of the organization."
Mamouzini added: "The organization burned five personal offices including hundreds of scientific, cultural and historical books in Mosul al-Jadida area west of Mosul," pointing out that "ISIS has started behaving brutally in order to spread terror among the citizens."
[IraqiNews] Dohuk -- Media official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... Saeed Mamouzini revealed on Wednesday, that 15 ISIS murderous Moslems were killed south of Mosul during armed confrontations with Jabour clan .
Mamouzini said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "The organization clashed with a number of members of Jabour Clan in Qayyarah area south of Mosul, resulting in the death of 15 elements of the organization," attributing the cause of the festivities to " the clan's rejection to the practices of the organization.”
Mamouzini added: "the past few days had witnessed armed festivities between rustics and ISIS murderous Moslems because of their rejection of the practices of the organization."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Two of 18 Turkish workers kidnapped by gunnies in Baghdad this month have been freed in the southern city of Basra, Turkish and Iraqi officials said on Wednesday.
The men were among 18 employees of major Turkish construction firm Nurol Insaat kidnapped on September 2 in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad, where they were working on a football stadium project.
The Turkish ambassador to Iraq, Faruk Kaymakci, said that two workers had been released and were found near a Turkish company's premises in Basra.
"They are in good health," he told AFP. "They said the other 16 were also in good health as of yesterday (Tuesday)."
The Basra police issued a statement saying that the two men were found late on Tuesday, while the Turkish foreign ministry front man also confirmed their release.
An unknown group claimed the kidnappings in a video posted online last week and issued a list of demands it said Ankara must fulfill for them to be freed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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In a glimpse of the government's promised "war on rock throwing," Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein on Thursday approved use of the Ruger rifle by police against certain rock throwers in Jerusalem.
Previously, the IDF was allowed in certain circumstances to use the Ruger rifle, which is considered less life-threatening than other IDF guns due to the less lethal ammunition it fires, to contain violence in the West Bank.
But until now police were prohibited from using the weapon in Jerusalem.
The new regulation is not expected to apply to all rock throwers, but to more dangerous cases of rock throwing , although not all of the specifics of the rules of engagement were made public. So, what exactly is "Ruger rifle" and why is it "less life-threatening"? And what are "more dangerous" cases of rock-throwing?
#4
Ruger 10/22 sniper rifle, modified by the Israeli military, with the standard issue now having a large suppressor or 'silencer’, a bi-pod and a scope attached. The IDF used to use these for 'crowd control' up until around 2001.
Fires .22LR, which can still kill you depending on where it's aimed.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/17/2015 16:23 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2015 21:32 Comments ||
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#9
The pic at Mullah's link is a Ruger 10/22T (target model). I own one of those. With decent ammo, it's easy to hold a 2" group at 100 yards. I assume a trained sniper can do better, so it's possible to pick not only a target individual, but a part of the body. Easy to make a slip-on suppressor - I've seen 3D printable designs.
[Bangkok Post] A ranger was killed by a mine explosion while a patrol was providing security for teachers on a road in Pattani province, on Wednesday morning.
Panare district police chief Panyawat Phetchum said the six-member patrol was on foot. Ranger Putthapong Homsoong stepped on a land mine, detonating it. The powerful blast tore his body in half. The bomb-disposal team said it was a home-made bomb weighing about 15 kilograms.
#6
Yesterday I heard that they have spent around $45 million of the $500M planned
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2015 9:13 Comments ||
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#7
Actually, a better ratio than all the money spent since the War on Poverty (something like 7 trillion) and the number of people reported as still 'poor'.
#8
Wouldn't it have made more sense just to hire a battalion of Gurkhas? If the other side is into head-chopping, show them what the professionals can do.
Posted by: Matt ||
09/17/2015 9:29 Comments ||
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#13
Yesterday I heard that they have spent around $45 million of the $500M planned
Frank, according to Rudaw's report on General Lloyd Austin's testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee,
The Pentagon has spent $43 million so far for training 56 fighters, most of whom were killed or captured by the al-Nusra Front in July as they crossed into Syria.
[Iran Press TV] The Syrian army, backed by fighters from the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, has liberated more areas in the flashpoint border town of Zabadani.
Syria's official news agency SANA said Tuesday that the joint forces managed to take control of a number of buildings in several neighborhoods southeast of Zabadani, which is located about 47 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of the capital, Damascus.
Militant hideouts in the neighborhoods of Ein al-Himma, al-Maidani, al-Kubra, and al-Adaima were targeted in the latest offensive.
The joint forces also managed to destroy several weapons depots belonging to the Death Eaters in the town.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group which is affiliated to the foreign-backed Syria opposition groups, says government forces have already retaken more than 70 percent of Zabadani. Syria says, however, that the operation to retake the town is nearly done, with only pockets of Death Eaters remaining in an area of one square kilometer in the center of the town.
Zabadani had been a major stronghold of murderous Moslem groups over the past few years. The army's complete recapture of the town would entirely cut off the supply lines used by the Death Eaters for transferring ammunition and forces into areas near Damascus, while it also secures the highway connecting the Syrian capital to Beirut in Leb.
In Aleppo, shelling goes on; Homs sees another boom-mobileing
The news of the latest advances in Zabadani comes as elsewhere in the northwestern city of Aleppo, which lies near the Turkish border and has been one of the major spots of the conflict over the past four years, civilian casualties were reported due to shelling by Death Eaters at residential buildings in the city.
In the western city of Homs, a car kaboom was reported. Eight people were maimed in the bombing that was carried out near a school.
Plagued by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011, Syria has been fighting terror that has claimed the lives of nearly 250,000 people already.
In addition to the fatalities, millions more have also been forced from their homes by the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
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There are only four or five American-trained Syrian rebels currently fighting against the Islamic State, the top general leading the effort to build a force to counter the militant group in Syria said Wednesday.
The remarks by Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, angered members of the Senate Armed Services Committee who said the program is a failure.
The tiny number of fighters are part of the New Syrian Force, the byproduct of a $500-million-dollar train and equip program that was launched officially in December to train moderate Syrians to fight the Islamic State.
The training first came under scrutiny in July when Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter told the Senate Armed Service Committee that only 60 fighters had been trained with roughly 7,000 in the training pipeline. The quota, set at the program’s outset, called for 3,000 to 5,000 fighters to be trained in the first year. Carter claimed the slow going was due in part to a stringent vetting process for the Syrians, which included a polygraph and background checks.
A few weeks after Carter’s July remarks, the first element of roughly 50 American-trained fighters, re-entered Syria, after completing their training in Turkey. By the end of the month the fledgling force had been attacked by the Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat-Al Nusra, and a number of the rebels were seized by the Nusra group.
Christine E. Wormuth, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy told the committee the initial plan for developing a 12,000-strong New Syrian Force may be abandoned. Instead she spoke about a strategy — described in a Foreign Policy article Wednesday — in which future fighters trained by the United States will embed with other moderate groups — such as Syrian Kurdish fighters — but in much smaller numbers. The individuals would take on an adviser role, much like American Special Operation Forces, and would help train other fighters in addition to assisting with coordinating coalition airstrikes.
Both Austin and Wormuth testified that the second class of fighters only has 120 Syrians enrolled.
Posted by: Pappy ||
09/17/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Is General Lloyd Austin completely out of his depth?
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
09/17/2015 10:42 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Possibly he is; likely his staff had a major role. Whether it was due to incompetence or not...
Word is that there was a lot of face-palming at the puzzle palace yesterday.
#3
Pappy,
As you know, before any Congressional briefing the two staffs meet to discuss what information is really needed. The general's staff certainly did him no favors.
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
09/17/2015 13:06 Comments ||
Top||
#4
As you know, before any Congressional briefing the two staffs meet to discuss what information is really needed
Yes. Which leads me to one of four possibles:
1. The General's staff did not follow the "cardinal rule" for one reason or another or
2. The Senate staff(s)"changed the rules," whether by direction, or by receiving additional information off the grid prior to the hearing, or
3. The Senators strayed from the "script" for one reason or another, or
4. General Austin did not adequately prepare for the hearing.
#5
The bulk or majority of the Anti-Assad Syrian Rebel Groups have all allegedly joined either the ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, or in altern had joined the AQ Affiliate AL-Nusra Boyz.
* 1960's Movie "ZULU" > YOUNG BRIT ARMY LT. MICHAEL CAIN = "WELL, I SUPPOSED THERE MAY BE SUCH A THING AS 'GIFTED AMATEURS'".
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Five Saudi soldiers have died on the border with Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition said late on Sunday as forces inside Yemen began a major offensive against rebels. The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, said they died "in the line of duty while protecting the nation's borders".
