Hi there, !
Today Wed 03/23/2016 Tue 03/22/2016 Mon 03/21/2016 Sun 03/20/2016 Sat 03/19/2016 Fri 03/18/2016 Thu 03/17/2016 Archives
Rantburg
531698 articles and 1855972 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 67 articles and 123 comments as of 13:36.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Al-Qaeda claims attack on Algerian gas plant
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [1] 
0 [] 
3 21:37 Canuckistan sniper [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
3 18:27 Shipman [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
2 18:45 Shipman [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
2 18:26 Shipman [] 
2 18:29 Shipman [] 
1 19:36 Skidmark [1] 
0 [] 
4 18:30 Shipman [] 
0 [] 
Page 2: WoT Background
0 []
1 23:34 Bov Flimbers [1]
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
3 22:22 Procopius2k [1]
0 []
0 []
0 []
3 19:00 Shipman [1]
3 09:13 Procopius2k []
Page 3: Non-WoT
13 19:42 Skidmark [1]
2 10:10 Mike Kozlowski [1]
4 22:44 Bill Clinton [1]
0 []
1 05:48 g(r)omgoru []
0 []
0 []
2 09:10 Procopius2k []
0 []
0 []
0 []
5 20:06 Abu Uluque []
0 []
Page 4: Opinion
6 19:09 Skidmark []
0 []
0 []
5 22:57 JosephMendiola [1]
6 22:53 Hellfish []
1 04:57 g(r)omgoru []
3 09:44 g(r)omgoru []
2 12:40 swksvolFF []
0 []
Page 6: Politix
11 21:04 Rambler in Virginia [1]
6 16:58 Besoeker []
0 []
6 20:03 Abu Uluque []
1 23:02 JosephMendiola [2]
0 []
4 10:56 JohnQC []
4 17:13 g(r)omgoru []
14 19:05 DarthVader []
Good evening
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 19:10 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan
2 Bangladeshi aid workers kidnapped in northern Afghanistan
Two aid workers from Bangladesh were reportedly kidnapped by unknown gunmen while they were travelling in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, it has been reported.

The two aid workers were working with Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and were abducted as they were going from the restive Kunduz to Baghlan province.

According to the local media reports citing BRAC officials, the two hostages have been identified as BRAC Afghanistan’s chief engineer Hazi Shawkat and chief accountant Md Sirajul Islam Khan.

No group including the Taliban militants has so far claimed responsibility behind the abduction of the two aid workers so far.

This comes as the security situation in northern provinces specifically the northern Kunduz and Baghlan have sharply deteriorated during the recent months amid rampant Taliban-led insurgency.

The latest kidnapping incident of BRAC officials comes almost four years after a group of armed militants attacked the organization’s office in Ghor province.

The incident in May 2012 left one official dead while a engineer was killed and six others were abducted in a separate incident in December 2010.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Two people killed, another wounded in landmine explosion in Zabul
Two people have been killed and another wounded in a landmine explosion in southern Zabul province.

Officials said the bomb was placed on a roadside in Seori Tapi area of the provincial capital Qalat which exploded on a civilian vehicle on Friday afternoon.

Colonel Ghulam Jailani Farahi, Deputy Police Chief of Zabul said those killed include a policeman and a child.

Hospital sources in Zabul said that the person wounded is also a civilian who has been shifted to the Kandahar Regional Hospital for being in critical condition.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion but the Deputy Police Chief said that a search operation has been initiated to detain those behind the incident.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Suicide attack plan during Nowruz celebrations thwarted in Kabul
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A plot to carry out coordinated suicide kaboom during Nowruz celebrations in 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....
has been thwarted by the Afghan intelligence operatives, the National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS) said.

A statement by NDS said a group of 3 turbans affiliated with the Haqqani terrorist network were locked away
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
as they were plotting the attack.

The statement further added that the arrest was made from the 1st police district of the city as the group was planning to carry out the attack using a suicide kaboom vest.

The detained turbans have been identified as Mohammad Nazir son of Haji Zazai, Sultan son of Mohammad Hassan, and Mujibullah son of Jawid, NDS added.

The Afghan intelligence operatives confiscated a suicide kaboom vest and a pistol from the detained murderous Moslems.

This comes as the US Embassy in Kabul issued alerts to its citizens in the country on Friday regarding possible attacks planned by gunnies to target Nowruz celebrations in Kabul.

"The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has received reports that due to Nawruz, the Afghan New Year (20-21 March) gunnies are planning disruptive activities aimed to target celebrations in Kabul City, Kabul Province, Afghanistan," the alert by the embassy said.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa North
Heavy clashes in central Tripoli
Tripoli, 19 March 2016:

Heavy clashes broke out early this morning in central Tripoli. These were intially reported as being between militias supporting the unity government of prime minister-designate Faeiz Serraj and those opposed, the latter being the Samoud Front (which is led by Salah Badi) and gunmen loyal to Abu Sleem-based Abdul Ghani Al-Kikli (“Ghneiwa”).

The fighting, which started around dawn but which has now calmed down, was in Jamhouria and Aziziya streets as well as in Mansoura district. Residents near the Central Hospital in Aziziya Street said they were “surrounded” by gunmen.

It is now reported, however, that the clashes were between the Samoud Front, based in Camp 77 at Bab Al-Aziziya, and the brigade known as Furqa Al-Sadisa (Sixth Division), based in Zawiat Al-Dahmani. According to locals in Mansoura, they were the result of the death last night of a member of Furqa Al-Sadisa in the district, allegedly killed by Samoud.

Furqa Al-Sadisa, which controls the Ministry of Transport building in Zawiat Al-Dahmani, is linked to Rada, the “Deterrence” force led by Abdul Rauf Kara. Based at Mitiga Airport, Rada is said to support Serraj and to be preparing to defend him. However, it has denied on its Facebook page being involved in today’s clashes. Those who were involved, it said cryptically, were doing so on their own behalf.

No one is known to have been injured or killed in the clashes although a number of vehicles was set on fire in Jumhouriya Street and in Mansoura.

Serraj said in a TV interview two days ago that he and the Presidency Council would be heading to Tripoli within days and that security arrangements were taking place on the ground for that to happen. The Council was ordered to go to the capital last week by members of the Libya Dialogue.

Yesterday, the Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room said they would take action to prevent Serraj returning.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Al-Qaeda claims attack on Algerian gas plant
ALGIERS: Al-Qaeda’s North Africa branch has claimed responsibility for the rocket-propelled grenade attack on an Algerian gas plant operated by Norway’s Statoil and BP as part of its “war on the Crusader interests everywhere.”

The attack caused no casualties or damage but forced the facility to be closed as a precaution, though state energy company Sonatrach said Algeria’s gas production had not been affected.

“This operation has destroyed your claims to have defeated ‘terrorism’ as you like to describe it,” the militant group said in a statement directed at the Algerian government and Western oil companies. “Even if your Western masters believed you were in control previously, how will you justify your position now?“

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed several attacks across the region recently, including an assault on a resort in Ivory Coast on Sunday that killed 18 people it said was revenge for a French offensive against militants in the Sahel.

Algeria, emerging from its own 1990s war with fighters that killed 200,000, has become an important partner in the Western campaign against the militancy. The OPEC nation is also a major gas supplier to Europe.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa


Libya Group Threatens to Kidnap Lebanon Envoy to Press for Hannibal Release
[An Nahar] A Libyan gang has threatened to kidnap Leb's ambassador to Libya, the embassy staff and any Lebanese citizen there if Lebanese authorities do not release Hannibal Muammar Qadaffy
...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him...
from prison.

The group, identifying itself as Battalion 74 of the Armed Libyan Resistance Movement, stressed in a YouTube video that Hannibal was "arbitrarily and unjustly detained by Lebanese politicians."

"Your judicial and legal officials have verified his full innocence," the group added, addressing Lebanese authorities.

"You know very well that the Libyan leadership under the leader Muammar Qadaffy had nothing to do with the case of the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr," it said.

The Lebanese judiciary issued an arrest warrant for Hannibal Qadaffy on December 14, days after he was handed over to Lebanese security forces after a brief abduction at the hands of an gang.

Examining Magistrate Zaher Hamadeh charged Hannibal with "withholding information linked to the case of Imam Moussa al-Sadr." A lawsuit was also filed against Hannibal on December 14 by the lawyer of al-Sadr's family.

During interrogation, Hannibal "confessed that the Libyan regime was involved in the abduction of Imam al-Sadr, naming the person who impersonated the imam and traveled to Rome" in 1978, according to LBCI television.

He noted that "the sources of his information were his brother Seif al-Islam and intelligence official Al-Mutassem Billah," LBCI has reported.

Al-Jadeed TV has quoted Hannibal as telling a judge that al-Sadr "was detained in a house in (Libya's) 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...
" and that "he had never left for Rome."

"My father blamed (former Libyan premier) Abdul Salam Jalloud in the case of al-Sadr's disappearance," he told the judge, according to al-Jadeed. The TV network said Hannibal told the judge that his brother Mutassem, who was killed during Libya's uprising, "had information about Imam al-Sadr."

"The man who impersonated the imam and wore his clothes to travel to Rome is a well-known figure who currently lives in an Arab country," Hannibal added, according to al-Jadeed.

The 40-year-old son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy had appeared in a video in which he announced that he had been kidnapped in Leb and that his captors are "loyal to the cause of Imam Moussa al-Sadr," the founder of Leb's AMAL Movement who disappeared while on a trip to Libya in 1978.

Hannibal was kidnapped in a Syrian area near the Lebanese border on December 11 before being smuggled into Leb's Bekaa region. He was handed over hours later to Lebanese security forces.

A security source told AFP that Sherlocks discovered that ex-MP Hassan Yaaqoub had orchestrated an elaborate scheme to seize Qadaffy from Syria and bring him to Leb. Yaaqoub was jugged
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
after several days on charges of involvement in Hannibal's abduction, and is still in prison.

Yaaqoub is the son of Sheikh Mohammed Yaaqoub -- one of two companions who disappeared with al-Sadr in Libya in 1978. Al-Sadr visited Libya upon the invitation of then Libyan ruler Muammar Qadaffy -- Hannibal's father.

The imam and his lover companions were seen lastly on August 31, 1978. They were never heard from again.

The Lebanese judiciary had indicted Muammar Qadaffy in 2008 over al-Sadr's disappearance, although the Qadaffy regime had consistently denied responsibility, claiming that the imam and his lover companions had left Libya for Italia.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


At least 13 Egyptian policemen killed in attack on North Sinai checkpoint
[AlAhram] At least 13 coppers were killed in an armed attack on a checkpoint in the North Sinai city of Arish on Saturday, Egypt's interior ministry said in an official statement.

Sources told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that security forces are currently undertaking operations to catch the gunnies, who launched mortar shells at the checkpoint in the El-Safa neighbourhood of the city.

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 grabbed credit for the attack, but said in a statement that it had deployed a jacket wallah who blew up a car at the checkpoint, which turbans then raided, according to AFP.
They also shot Kennedy. Both Kennedys. And they killed Jon Benet.
Earlier, sources told Al-Ahram Arabic's news hound that ambulances were not able to reach the site of the attack.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)


Arabia
Arab coalition destroys Houthi arms in Taez
An Arab coalition aircraft destroyed a Houthi weapon arsenal in the southwestern city of Taez, as the Popular Resistance and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government fight the militias in the city on Friday.

The airstrikes, carried by the coalition, destroyed a large arsenal of weapons of the militias in Taez, which is the country’s third largest city, allowing the Popular Residence and forces loyal to President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi to progress in their continued fight against the militias that began last week, said Colonel Abdul-Aziz al-Majidi, an official at the National Chamber of army operations and Popular Resistance.

The move comes as the Popular Resistance and forces in the western province of Taez plan to take control of the road between Taez and the port city of al-Hudayda.

The spokesman for the Arab military coalition said on Thursday that major combat operations in Yemen are coming to an end, after which the coalition will work on “long-term” plans to bring stability to the country.

Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri said that major military combats were coming to a close and that the next phase of rebuilding and reconstruction will begin shortly.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s president broke the siege by the Iranian-allied Houthis around the city of Taez last week, as the United States raised the possibility of a Syrian-style truce in Yemen.

Supporters of Hadi, backed by the coalition, have been trying for months to lift the siege of the southwestern city and open up supply routes.

The coalition has been trying for a year to roll back gains by the Houthi militia and restore the internationally recognized government of Hadi, who is currently in Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


The Grand Turk
Turkey Holds 5 over Ankara Bombing, Hits PKK in Iraq
[AnNahar] Turkish court detained five people overnight on suspicion of links to a March 13 suicide kaboom in Ankara that killed 35, the Anatolia news agency reported on Saturday.

The arrests came just hours before another suicide kaboom in a busy Istanbul shopping street which killed four and maimed 20.

The five people placed in durance vile
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
overnight stand accused of "an attack on Turkish unity and on the Turkish people," Anatolia said, citing an Ankara court which ordered the detentions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: WoT
Jury finds Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem guilty of helping plan terror attack in Garland, Texas
[ABC15] The U.S. government landed its second conviction of someone charged with supporting 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....
terrorist group after an Arizona man was found guilty of charges that he plotted last spring's attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas.

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, an American-born Muslim convert, was accused of providing the guns used at the May 3 event in suburban Dallas and hosting two Islamic State followers at his home to discuss the upcoming attack. He also was found guilty of providing support to the Islamic State.

The verdict Thursday marked the second time a person was tried in the U.S. on charges related to the terrorist group. A trial in New York ended a week ago with a guilty verdict against a U.S. military veteran charged with attempting to join Islamic State.

Federal authorities said Kareem's conviction demonstrates their commitment to combating terrorism.
In certain forms, absolutely. But the Obama government is still mad for Muslim Brotherhood members as consultants and high level bureaucrats
Kareem, who faces a maximum prison term of 45 years, was scheduled to be sentenced on June 27.

Kareem's attorney, Daniel Maynard, declined to comment after the verdict.

Prosecutors say Kareem, who grew up in a Baptist household and converted to Islam as an adult, also went target-shooting in the remote Arizona desert with two men killed in a police shootout outside the contest, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi. A security officer was maimed in the attack, but no one else was injured.

It's unknown whether the attack was inspired by the Islamic State or carried out in response to an order from the Islamic State.

Authorities say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi had researched travel to the Middle East to join fighters for the terrorist group.

Kareem testified that he had no knowledge beforehand that his friends were going to attack the contest featuring cartoons deemed offensive to Muslims. He insisted that he didn't even know about the event until after Simpson and Soofi were killed.

Prosecutors said Kareem tried to carry out an insurance scam to fund a conspiracy to support the Islamic State group and attempted to indoctrinate two teenage boys in his neighborhood on radical jihadism.

They also say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi initially wanted to blow up the Arizona stadium where the 2015 Super Bowl was held, but when that plan failed, they set their sights on the cartoon contest.

Kareem told jurors that he evicted Simpson from his home because he believed Simpson was putting tracking devices in his car. He also said he strongly disapproved of Simpson using Kareem's laptop to watch al-Qaeda promotional materials.

Stefan Verdugo, one of Kareem's former roommates, testified that Kareem wanted to get Dire Revenge against people who portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in drawings and had inquired about the types of explosives that would be needed to blow up the stadium.

Defense attorneys attacked Verdugo's credibility by pointing out that he is in jail on a sex-trafficking charge.

Kareem denied inquiring about explosives.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  They also say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi initially wanted to blow up the Arizona stadium where the 2015 Super Bowl was held, but when that plan failed, they set their sights on the cartoon contest.

"We need to scale back our terror attack. Perhaps we can rough up a pizza delivery guy"
Posted by: Frank G || 03/20/2016 16:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Narrowing their audience.
Posted by: Shipman || 03/20/2016 18:26 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Abducted doctor rescued, kidnapper arrested in Peshawar
PESHAWAR: The police rescued an abducted doctor and arrested a kidnapper during operation on Saturday.

A team of police headed by Hayatabad ASP Hassan Afzal comprising SHO Sarband Qazi Arif and heavy contingent of police raided a house at Ring Road Peshawar during which Dr Adil who was abducted some 40 days ago was rescued and a kidnapper Raheem stated to be hailing from Khyber Agency was arrested. The family of the rescued doctor appreciated the efforts of capital city police Peshawar for its efforts for safe and sound recovery of the abductee.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Three soldiers hurt in another IED attack on Rangers checkpoint
[DAWN] Three Rangers soldiers and a passer-by were maimed in another improvised bomb (IED) attack on the paramilitary force’s checkpoint in the Korangi Crossing area on Friday.

It was a third such IED attack targeting the paramilitary force’s checkpoints in as many city localities in less than a week.

Landhi SP Afnan Amin said that person or persons unknown riding a cycle of violence threw an IED at the Rangers’ checkpoint in the afternoon causing a low-intensity kaboom and damaging a wall of the checkpoint.

He said that three Rangers personnel suffered wounds due to the kaboom and they were immediately moved to the nearby Indus Hospital for treatment.

The SP said that the condition of one of them was said to be critical.

He was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors said he had suffered wounds in the neck.

"The patient is fully conscious. He has been shifted to the neurosurgery ward for further treatment," said Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the JPMC’s emergency department.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Indian forces claim killing two Kashmiri ‘militants’
[DAWN] Indian soldiers killed two suspected holy warriors early on Friday in a gunbattle in India-held Kashmire near the de-facto border with Pakistain, an army front man said.

Soldiers and police launched an overnight operation in Peethawada area, 70km northwest of Srinagar, after receiving a tip-off that holy warriors were hiding in a village.

"Two bad boyz were potted in the operation," army front man Colonel N.N. Joshi said.

Several bad boy groups have for decades been fighting Indian forces deployed in the disputed Himalayan region, for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistain. The fighting has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies


Iraq
ISIS sniper, spotter dies in Salahuddin
(IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – The leader within the paramilitary al-Hashed al-Sha’bi force, Uday al-Khadran, announced on Saturday killing one of the most prominent ISIS snipers and one of his companions north of Salahuddin.

Khadran said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Abu Huzaiyfa al-Shishani, the prominent ISIS leader had been killed, along with one of his companions, during clashes in the vicinity of Alas fields north of Salahuddin,” adding that, “al-Shishani was the leader of the snipers battalion which came from Mosul to al-Hawija District a few weeks ago.”
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  I love a story with a happy ending.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 03/20/2016 14:43 Comments || Top||

#2  'Backfire'?
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/20/2016 19:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Let down in local security? Egress not planned properly? Repeat shot from the same location? Insufficient camouflage? Range not lone enough for hiding?
Posted by: Canuckistan sniper || 03/20/2016 21:37 Comments || Top||


Two More Children Die after Iraq Chemical Attack
[An Nahar] Two more children have died of wounds suffered in a suspected jihadist chemical attack last week in Iraq, an official said on Friday, raising the corpse count to three.

"We recorded the death this evening of a 10-year-old girl," said Hussein Abbas, the mayor of Taza, a town south of Kirkuk that was targeted by rockets armed with suspected mustard agent.

A six-month-old baby also died on Thursday of complications resulting from the attack, he said, while a three-year-old girl had died shortly after the March 9 attack.

Sources at the Kirkuk health directorate and a rights group also confirmed the deaths.

Abbas said the number of people treated after complaining of burns, rashes and respiratory problems has risen to 1,500.

A total of 25,000 people had left their homes in and around Taza, fearing another attack from the neighboring village of Bashir, still controlled by 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....
jihadist group, he said.

Officials have charged that IS used mustard agent in the attack.

The samples are still being analyzed, and definitive results from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague can take several months.

While the chemical agents allegedly used by IS so far have been among their least effective weapons, the psychological impact on civilians is considerable.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed the attack would not go unpunished and several air raids have already been carried out on Bashir in recent days.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Turkish warbirds bomb Kurd kamps in Dohuk
(IraqiNews.com) Dohuk – Witnesses in Dohuk province said on Saturday, that Turkish warplanes attacked border areas belonging to the province of Dohuk, resulting in the destruction of forests and orchards.

One of the witnesses reported for IraqiNews.com, “Today, Turkish warplanes attacked areas belonging to the border district of al-Emadiyah in the province of Dohuk,” noting that, “The attack lasted for more than an hour.”

The witness added, “The Turkish aerial bombardment included the areas of Nuhil, Kara and Matin on the borderline,” pointing out that, “Large tracts of forests and orchards were destroyed because of the attack.”
An Nahar adds:
The Turkish army said 30 planes took part in the bombings which hit the area around Sinat and Haftanin and Gara.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a radical Kurdish group with ties to the PKK, grabbed credit for the March 13 blast.

Turkish officials accuse the group of being a front for attacks by the PKK, which is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies and which launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 targeting greater autonomy for Kurds.

The group has support bases inside northern Iraq.
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


ISIS rocket artillery hit US position in Mosul
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A source in Nineveh Operations Command announced on Saturday, that the so-called ISIS bombed the headquarters of the US forces in Makhmur axis in southern Mosul with Katyusha missiles, while pointed out that a number of soldiers were wounded in the attack.

The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “This morning, ISIS launched two Katyusha rockets toward the headquarters of the US forces that were stationed in Makhmur axis (80 km south of the city).”

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added, “The bombing resulted in the wounding of an unidentified number of soldiers.

ISIS executes 20 for desertion in Mosul

(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Kurdistan Democratic Party Nineveh Province announced on Saturday, that the so-called ISIS executed 20 of its militants in the city of Mosul (405 km north of Baghdad) after refusing to join the fighting axes in Mosul.

Kurdistan Democratic Party Media Official Saeed Mamouzini said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “This morning, ISIS executed 20 of its fighters in the city of Mosul, after refusing to join the fighting axes on the outskirts of the city.”

Mamouzini added, “ISIS carried out the execution by firing squad inside one of its camps
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Wasn't there something about "no boots on the ground"?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/20/2016 16:53 Comments || Top||

#2  "If you like your 'no boots on the ground', you can keep your 'no boots on the ground'"?
Posted by: Frank G || 03/20/2016 18:04 Comments || Top||

#3  No booze around

Dats wut he said..
Posted by: Shipman || 03/20/2016 18:27 Comments || Top||


Anbar Antics: 23+ die
Iraqi forces liberate Kabisa factory

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The Head of Khalidiya District Council in Anbar Province Ali Dawood announced on Saturday the liberation of Kabisa cement factory west of Anbar, after fierce battles resulted in the killing of 18 militants of the so- called ISIS.

The Head of the council Ali Dawood said in a press statement received by IraqiNews.com, “This morning the joint forces managed to cleanse Kabisa cement factory after fierce battles, and were able to kill 18 ISIS fighters, as well as detonating four cars bomb.”

Dawood added, “The security forces are stationed in the vicinity of Kabisa cement factory in preparation to liberate other areas.”

Iraqi forces prepare to liberate Albu Obeid

(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – The head of Khalediya District Council in Anbar province, Ali Dawood, announced on Saturday, that the Iraqi army forces launched an operation to liberate the area of Albu Obeid located east of Ramadi.

Dawood said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “The army forces as well as the Anti-Terrorism Directorate and Anbar police began an extensive military operation to liberate the area of Albu Obeid on the international highway road in Khalediya Island.”

Dawood also added, “The operation is going under air cover by the international coalition as well as the [army’s] Air Force,” pointing out to, “the lack of any resistance by the enemy in Albu Obeid due to the escape of the majority of [ISIS] elements.”

Iraqi forces liberate Waheed Bridge

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The Head of Baghdadi Council in Anbar Province Malullah al-Obeidi announced on Saturday, that the security forces started a wide-scale military operation to liberate Juba area north of the vicinity, while liberated Waheed Bridge and raised the Iraqi flag over it.

Obeidi said in a press statement received by IraqiNews.com, “Today, a force from Baghdadi police, Anbar emergency police’s 13th brigade and tribal fighters backed by the army forces begun a wide-scale military operation to liberate Juba area north of Baghdadi from the control of ISIS,” pointing out that, “These forces also managed to liberate Waheed Bridge area and raised the Iraqi flag over it.”

Obedi added, “The bridge is linking between Juba area and the center of Baghdadi vicinity.”

15 ISIS Bad Guys die near Jabba

(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – The leader of Albu Nimir clan, Naeem Kawood, announced on Saturday the killing of 15 ISIS elements during armed clashes west of Ramadi.

kawood said in a press statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “The security forces and tribal fighters of Albu Nimir and Albu Mihl clans conducted a tactical military operation to retake the area of Jabba north of al-Baghdadi District (90 km west of Ramadi),” pointing out that, “Confrontations and violent clashes erupted between the clan fighters and ISIS elements in the area of Jabba, resulting in the killing of 15 [ISIS] elements.”

Kawood added, “The confrontations also resulted in killing two tribal fighters and wounding four others,” noting that, “The area of Jabba has not been liberated yet.”
Posted by: badanov || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


63 year old Abu Tahseen martyrs over 173 ISIS fighters
[American Military News] Meet Abu Tahseen, the 63 year old Iraqi man that has fought in five wars and is now wiping out ISIS thugs one by one!

Tahseen, who looks an awful lot like the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man In The World" fights for the Hashd Al-Shaabi militia -- A Shia group. He currently is stationed in the Makhoul Mountains in North Baiji, Iraq.

The five wars Tasheen has fought in are: Yom Kippur war, Iran-Iraq war, Invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War and now the fight against ISIS.
So his score thus far is: Lost, Tie, Lost, Lost. Or that of his side, anyway. Hopefully fifth time is the charm.
In the below video, we see this senior assassin in action. At one point he says:

"I swear, I guarantee by God when he falls, this pushes him back a metre before putting him down."

It looks like there is no slowing down for him either.

"I’m relaxed, my mind is relaxed. Last time they gave me a month off and after 12 days I came back."

Many Iraqi military vets, who may have fought against U.S. troops, went to Syria to take on ISIS. However, after ISIS invaded Mosul, they came back home to defend their homeland.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  The guy is apparently talented and sincere but it is a bit difficult to accept his metrics.

But what is the point of showing his face. Doesn't this make him easier for ISIS to kill? Even if he is under US protective surveillance.
Posted by: lord garth || 03/20/2016 15:11 Comments || Top||

#2  He won the Yom Kippur war single malt.
Posted by: Shipman || 03/20/2016 18:29 Comments || Top||


US marine dies in Iraq Mosul rocket attack
[BBC] A US marine has been killed and several other American servicemen injured by rocket fire outside the city of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, the Pentagon has said.

The northern Iraqi city is held by the group known as 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....
(IS).

Enemy forces fired two rockets into a base where US troops are training the Iraqi military, officials said.

It is the second time an American soldier has been killed in combat in Iraq since US forces re-entered the country in late 2014.

The last US serviceman was killed by enemy small-arms fire in an October raid to free about 70 hostages held by IS in northern Iraq.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  More sneakers on the ground.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/20/2016 19:36 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestinian teen stabs policeman in Hebron, is shot dead
[IsraelTimes] 20-year-old cop sustains light face and head wounds in attack at checkpoint close to Tomb of the Patriarchs

Paleostinian teenager stabbed and maimed a 20-year-old Border Police officer in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday morning. He was rubbed out by another policeman at the scene.

The 17-year-old attacker aroused suspicion as he approached a checkpoint manned by border coppers close to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The troops asked him to present identification, at which point the youth pulled out a knife and began slashing at troops, Channel 10 television reported.

Magen David Adom paramedics treated the maimed man at the scene, before he was taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. He sustained wounds to the head and face, the Ynet news website reported.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


3 Hamas fighters said hurt, 5 missing after new Gaza tunnel collapse
[IsraelTimes] Islamist group mum on incident, the 11th of its kind reported since the beginning of 2016
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have ourselves a trend.
At least three Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, fighters were maimed and five were missing after a tunnel collapsed east of Khan Younis in the southern Gazoo Strip on Saturday evening.

A local Paleostinian news site, however, reported that seven members of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, were hurt, one seriously and the rest moderately, after the terror tunnel caved in.

The collapsed tunnel was the eleventh reported incident of its kind since the beginning of the year.
Halliburton was taking forever with their new machine but I do so love the results...
Hamas officials and official outlets made no immediate comment on Saturday evening’s incident.

Earlier this week, a tunnel collapse in Gazoo killed a commander with Hamas’s military wing on Monday. The field commander killed in the collapse was named by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades as Abd al-Salah al-Butnaji, 36.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Definitely getting beyond random chance.

All we need now are some choice rumours about needing to dig deeper.
Posted by: phil_b || 03/20/2016 3:10 Comments || Top||

#2  Adulterated concrete? Gotta watch that Chinese $hit.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/20/2016 8:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Can the Israelis choose the time and place yet, or is that feature still under development?
Posted by: gorb || 03/20/2016 10:39 Comments || Top||

#4  Acme Earthquake pills.
Posted by: Shipman || 03/20/2016 18:30 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
New Members Join IS from Lebanon
[An Nahar] A group of young men from the Paleostinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole have joined the ranks of the murderous Moslem 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, raising the number of new members from Leb to 14, al-Akhbar daily reported on Friday.

A source close to the IS confirmed to the daily that the group has called these youth to follow security training sessions in order to task them afterward with missions inside Leb.

"The hard boy group does not suffer scarcity in fighters to attract members from here and there," it said, and added that the IS has only called them up to join security courses in preparation for future missions inside Leb.

"These members shall return back to the camp when they are requested to," the source pointed out.

Leb's security forces have jugged
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
over the past few months numerous murderous Moslems who are affiliated with the murderous Moslem groups involved in the fighting in Syria.
Posted by: Fred || 03/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Hey Hezbollah. Why don't you attack the Hellhole?
Posted by: Frank G || 03/20/2016 16:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Oh pls, oh pls, we could see two G(r)oms, since he would be beside himself.

Maurice, wash the Triumph and put the runcible spoon in the glove box, drop the air pressure in the right front by precisely 1.2 lbs., no more, no less, shaken, not stirred. No, this a contingencie, a drill as it were, but the Pomoatus must stay behind. No we are not riding around the walls of brooding Castle Rantburg in my Triumph. This is a drill, repeat a drill, we will get takeout from the Shamrock, yes right across from the Carousel.
Posted by: Shipman || 03/20/2016 18:45 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
43[untagged]
12Islamic State
3Govt of Pakistan
2Houthis
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)
1Hamas
1Hezbollah
1al-Qaeda in North Africa
1Govt of Iran
1Taliban

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2016-03-20
  Al-Qaeda claims attack on Algerian gas plant
Sat 2016-03-19
  Suicide bomber attacks shopping area in Istanbul
Fri 2016-03-18
  Kurds preparing to liberate Raqqa
Thu 2016-03-17
  11 Shaboobs slain as Punties continue cleanup
Wed 2016-03-16
  ISIS executes 50 for desertion in Anbar
Tue 2016-03-15
  Hamas commander killed in 10th tunnel cave-in this year
Mon 2016-03-14
  Syrian rebels renew chemical attacks in Aleppo
Sun 2016-03-13
  Dozens dead after explosion rocks Turkish capital
Sat 2016-03-12
  US adds Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin members to list of global terrorists
Fri 2016-03-11
  US strikes IS group chemical weapons capabilities: Pentagon
Thu 2016-03-10
  Afghan woman kills 25 Taliban rebels to avenge her son's murder
Wed 2016-03-09
  Infighting among Taliban leaders leave 26 dead in Herat province
Tue 2016-03-08
  Drone strike kills 15 Daesh militants in Nangarhar
Mon 2016-03-07
  Hassan al-Turabi, Sudan's Islamist idealogue, dies at 84
Sun 2016-03-06
  Saudi Says it will Take Arms Bound for Lebanon

Better than the average link...



Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
44.222.220.101
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (12)    Non-WoT (13)    Opinion (9)    (0)    Politix (9)