[Reuters] Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Chung, leading a team of U.S. advisers in Helmand province to help train the Afghan army's embattled 215th Corps, knows he does not have much time.
If Washington sticks to its schedule for withdrawing troops, by the time his tour ends in November, the NATO training mission in Afghanistan will be nearing its end, despite local forces struggling to fight the Taliban insurgency alone.
"There is still much work to do," said Chung, a veteran of several Afghan tours, speaking at Sorab base, a dusty expanse of blast walls and wire fences in Helmand.
"You have to adjust your expectations," he told Reuters during a recent visit to the base in the southern province, where Taliban militants, bent on overthrowing the government and driving out foreign forces, made major gains in recent months.
Corruption and issues like irregular leave due to heavy fighting and pay have undermined efficiency and hurt morale among local troops.
He has seen progress since arriving in February but remains realistic: "We understand we're not going to be able to fix all that."
As things stand, U.S. forces in Afghanistan are due to be nearly halved to 5,500 from the current level of 9,800 by the start of 2017. At that level, U.S. officials say the training mission would not be able to continue.
But the timetable is coming under scrutiny, as the new U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan conducts a review of security before making recommendations to Washington some time in June.
General John Nicholson recently told Reuters that heavy fighting and casualties in 2015 had meant the training mission was behind schedule.
NATO commanders say big strides have been made by fledgling Afghan security forces, built virtually from scratch since the Taliban was toppled from power in 2001.
But the sharp escalation in casualties and territorial losses in 2015, the first year Afghan forces fought without combat support from NATO, has underlined the risks involved in having only 5,500 U.S. soldiers in the country.
Afghan officials say forces lack vital resources including close air support, which the small local air force cannot yet provide at anything like the levels NATO could, as well as expertise in areas like maintenance and logistics.
"Those capabilities are still under development and there is a lot more work needed," Acting Defence Minister Masoom Stanekzai said on a recent visit to the Afghan 215th Corps headquarters at Sorab. "We need international assistance."
FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENsE
One of the biggest challenges Chung said he faced was trying to change the mindset of Afghan soldiers, as NATO pushes them to be more offensive in operations against the Taliban. 'Changing the Islamic mindset'.... good luck with that Colonel.
"They'd go out to a certain area, and the first thing they'd do is ... build a checkpoint. From that point on, they'd become very stationary," he said, describing how local forces tended to operate. 'Build a checkpoint'......just pay the toll and no one will get hurt.
Chung and his team are among around 500 U.S. troops dispatched to bolster 215th Corps, a reflection of international alarm at how Helmand security had deteriorated early in 2016.
The training, mainly by Afghan officers backed up by U.S. mentors, covers everything from battle tactics to driving, vehicle maintenance, equipment care and bomb disposal. 'U.S. mentors'... read that contractors. Got to keep the 'boots on the ground' numbers down you know.
"At some point, there's going to be an end-date on this," Chung said. "We're here to help them build something that they can sustain and manage." Yes LTC Chung, it's called The Second Coming. Could happen any day now, or much, much later.
But U.S. officials acknowledge that the task has been complicated by problems including corruption among some officers that undermined confidence and morale.
"If you don't know someone higher up in the army, all your benefits go to soldiers who know army officials," said Darweza Khan, a 215th Corps soldier serving in Gereshk district.
A spokesman for the "Resolute Support" training mission said earlier this year that several senior officers in the 215th Corps had been replaced for graft that led to soldiers not being adequately looked after and supplies and equipment being stolen.
#1
'Changing the Islamic mindset'.... good luck with that Colonel.
We altered over two hundred years (plus) of Japanese and German militarism. Of course, that require a war that didn't involve incrementalism, a legion of lawyers, or a kinder gentler approach in dealing with miscreants.
#2
'Changing the Islamic mindset'.... good luck with that Colonel.
Were that the case, the Taliban would be equally incompetent. Since they're not, it's must be something else. Say an "Afghan/Pashtun" mindset where anything larger than tribe-to-tribe warfare is incomprehensible?
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A coordinated suicide kaboom plot by anti-government armed Lions of Islam was thwarted by the Afghan intelligence operatives in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan.
The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS), said the intelligence operatives seized 4 suicide attack vests before the Lions of Islam use them for the attack in Mehtarlam city.
A statement by NDS said the Afghan intelligence also confiscated some explosives which the Lions of Islam wanted to use for the attack.
According to NDS, the Lions of Islam were looking to use the explosives to carry out attacks in crowded parts of Mehtarlam city.
No further details were given regarding the potential targets of the jacket wallahs and it is not clear if any suspect was enjugged Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! in connection to the attack plot.
Laghman is among the relatively volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan where anti-government armed Lions of Islam are active in a number of its remote districts.
This comes as the anti-government armed Lions of Islam have been attempting to stage terror attacks across the country.
A suicide bomber was rubbed out by the Afghan intelligence operatives before he manage to carry out an attack on Kandahar police headquarters on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least 55 murderous Moslems including the affiliates of the al-Qaeda and Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed during the latest counter-terrorism raids of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the operations were conducted by the ground and air forces in the past 24 hours in Paktika ...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo... , 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.. , Uruzgan, Kandahar, and Ghazni provinces.
According to an operational update by MoD, at least 14 murderous Moslems affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist network were killed in Gomal district of Paktika province.
MoD further added that 19 murderous Moslems affiliated with the ISIS terrorist group were killed in Kot district of eastern Nangarhar province.
At least 10 murderous Moslems were killed and 6 others were maimed during a separate operation in Uruzgan province, MoD said, adding that 9 murderous Moslems were killed and 33 others were maimed during an operation in Maiwand district of Kandahar.
The Afghan forces also killed 2 murderous Moslems during the operations in Ghazni and Farah provinces where 5 others were also maimed, MoD added.
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04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least four Lions of Islam affiliated with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in a drone strike 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 of Afghanistan.
According to the local government officials, the Lions of Islam were targeted in a drone strike in Achin district earlier today.
Provincial governor’s front man Ataullah Khogyani confirmed the Arclight airstrike and said at least three Taliban faceless myrmidons were also targeted in a separate drone strike.
He said the raid was conducted in Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province, leaving 3 Lions of Islam dead, including a commander of the Lion of Islam group.
The anti-government armed Lion of Islam groups have not commented regarding the reports so far.
This comes as the US Air Force has reportedly dropped 251 bombs and missiles targeting mainly the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Afghanistan during the months of January and February.
According to the data compiled by the Air Force, the Arclight airstrikes in the first two months of the year was more than three times the strikes in the same period last year.
The increase in Arclight airstrikes followed by President Barack Obama teachable moment... ’s grant of authority to launch attacks on Islamic State Lions of Islam who had gained control over territory in several provinces, including areas in the Tora Bora region, where the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now sometimes referred to as Mister Bones... once took refuge.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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BADHADE -Somalia’s Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab militants have seized a strategic town near Somalia’s southern border with neighboring Kenya without resistance, Garowe Online reports.
The militants poured into Lower Jubba region of Badhadhe after Kenyan-AMISOM peacekeepers alongside Jubaland forces made surprise pullout from the town. Some Al Shabaab officials have reportedly gathered residents in public.
Jubaland commander Farah Haybe Moallim has confirmed the withdrawal in an interview with VOA Somali Service on Tuesday. Moallim said, they were ordered to vacate Badhade.
Badhadhe, 180 off the southern port city of Kismayo has been a base for Kenyan forces over the last three years.
The new development follows a deadly raid by Al Shabaab militants on Kenya army base in Gedo region village El Ad on January 15. Analysts point to weak counter-terrorism policy, lack of intense coordination between the allied troops and visible presence clout maintained by what has been beleaguered Al Shabaab.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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ADAN YABAL-Somali government forces aided by Ethiopian-AMISOM peacekeepers have taken back strategic town in Middle Shabelle region of southern Somalia from Al Shabaab militants without resistance, Garowe Online reports. The capture is the first secured by Ethiopian contingents serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Al Shabaab militants ran away fled to Middle Shabelle region’s border with central Hiran region in advance, with situation returning to calm in liberated Adan Yabal district. The town had since been in the hands of beleaguered Al Shabaab group that continues to lose more ground against allied forces.
Meanwhile, Somali and Ethiopian troops are advancing towards Adale after moving from bases in El Bur. Anti-militant push has stalled for unknown reasons, prompting for donors including US and EU to threaten with funding cuts if visible gains are not consolidated over Al Shabaab group, analysts said.
“Another pressure mounts due to the fact that Puntland neutralized boatloads of militants in days,” an expert told under customary condition of anonymity.
Al Shabaab militants still remain active in a large chunk of territories in central and southern Somalia.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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Foreign forces riding in warplanes attacked the Al shabaab controlled Jilib district of Somalia’s southern middle Jubba region, sources said. Reports said the attack began with airstrike before special soldiers swooped into Jilib and engaged a fierce gunfire with Al shabaab fighters.
Details are scarce, but Shabaab has reportedly resisted the air and ground attack by the unidentified foreign forces who bombed Al shabaab base in the town.
The exact casualty figures of the attack remain unclear. US military stepped up special operations targeting top Al Shabaab leaders in south and central Somalia over the past few months.
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04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[Reuters] DUBAI/CAIRO ‐ Once driven to near irrelevance by the rise of Islamic State abroad and security crackdowns at home, al Qaeda in Yemen now openly rules a mini-state with a war chest swollen by an estimated $100 million in looted bank deposits and revenue from running the country’s third largest port.
If Islamic State’s capital is the Syrian city of Raqqa, then al Qaeda’s is Mukalla, a southeastern Yemeni port city of 500,000 people. Al Qaeda fighters there have abolished taxes for local residents, operate speedboats manned by RPG-wielding fighters who impose fees on ship traffic, and make propaganda videos in which they boast about paving local roads and stocking hospitals.
The economic empire was described by more than a dozen diplomats, Yemeni security officials, tribal leaders and residents of Mukalla. Its emergence is the most striking unintended consequence of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. The campaign, backed by the United States, has helped Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to become stronger than at any time since it first emerged almost 20 years ago.
Yemeni government officials and local traders estimated the group, as well as seizing the bank deposits, has extorted $1.4 million from the national oil company and earns up to $2 million every day in taxes on goods and fuel coming into the port.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
04/08/2016 08:33 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] A video circulated on social media showed Bahraini regime forces throwing gas bomb on a house in the island’s west.
The footage showed the regime forces throwing the bomb on one of the houses in the area and closing its door in a bid to prevent its residents, who were screaming, from fleeing.Bahrain's Shahrakan
The attack took place on Tuesday, Bahraini media reported.
The security forces appeared in the same video as detaining several youths in the area.
For its part, prominent opposition group, al-Wefaq denounced the attack as a dangerous violation as it targets civilians.
In a statement on Wednesday, al-Wefaq called on the Bahraini authorities to halt such attacks which blatantly breach the law, and to open an independent investigation into the incident in a bid to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
Three Donetsk separatist police were killed and a total of seven soldiers and police from both sides were wounded in ongoing artillery and gunfire exchanges along the line of contact in northern Donetsk, according to Russian language news reports.
According to a news release by the Donetsk ministry of defense, the three separatist soldiers were killed in artillery attacks along with five wounded, but the report did not elaborate the location.
Ukrainian artillery fire has been hitting rebel positions in western Donetsk districts and suburbs at Yasinovataya and in northern Gorlovka since early March. Although both sides report casualties, some sources insist the bloodletting for both sides is much worse than is being reported.
According to the Donetsk ministry of defense, on Wednesday night Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions at Peski and at the Volvo center of western Donetsk city using mortar fire. Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian artillery hit the Donetsk airport and at Zaystevo.
According to a news account in lb.ua, on Wednesday rebels fired on Ukrainian positions at several locations, totaling 67 times. Rebels fired on Ukrainian troops at Avdievka, Peski, Marinka and Opynoye.
Rebel mortars struck Ukrainian positions at Shirokino and Krasnogorovka in southern Donetsk.
Rebel media said on Thursday Ukrainian forces fired on areas in western Donetsk city, specificialy at Spartak, the Donetsk airport and the Volvo Center in western Donetsk city.
In the southern Donetsk, according to rebel media, Ukrainians fired on rebel positions at Bezimyanovo and at Kominternovo. A separate rebel report said a BMP infantry fighting vehicle fired on rebel positions at Zhelaya Balka on Thursday, which is on the southern extent of Gorlovka, essentially a first for that area. Zhelaya Balka is just north of the contested crossroads at Yasinovataya, where rebel and Ukrainian troops have been firing on one another's positions for more than a month.
The same report said that Ukrainian troops at Novgorod, which is near Zaytsevo, fired on rebel positions, but the report did not elaborate on just where the fire fell.
Yet another rebel report said that Ukrainian heavy artillery and tank main gunfire was fired on rebel positions at the checkpoint near Yasinovataya. Ukrainian media long has accused the rebels of using 122mm artillery on their positions near Yasinovataya.
Another lb.ua report said that rebel forces fired on Ukrainian forces at Avdievka and Opytnoye.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraine by clicking here.
[FRANCE24] Two men suspected of links with 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 and of planning an attack were on Thursday held for questioning in Germany, the public prosecutor said, although no evidence of any "concrete threat" had been found
The pair, an Iraqi, 46, and a Nigerian, 29, would be held until Friday when they will either go before a judge or be released, prosecutor's office front man Thomas Steinkraus-Koch said.
The men were questioned in southern Bavaria on Thursday afternoon.
"From what we know now there is no concrete threat," Bavarian police added in a statement.
According to the Suddeutsche Zeitung daily's online edition, one of the suspects was tossed in the clink Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! in Munich while the other was picked up in Furstenfeldbruck in Bavaria.
"The two men... have been identified as possible suspects (likely to commit) an act of serious violence," police added.
Although initial investigations failed to establish any imminent threat, police decided to question the men immediately.
[IsraelTimes] Police in Gay Paree detained Thursday a gunman who fired shots near cafes targeted in last November’s attacks. No injuries were reported.
Security forces cordoned off the area, and several coppers stood with their weapons drawn at the building, according to a witness. He spoke under condition of anonymity for his security. Gay Paree police spokeswoman Johana Primevert said officers deployed Thursday after shots rang out and the gunman later surrendered to police.
The building is located at the junction of the Rue de Bichat and Rue du Faubourg du Temple in eastern Gay Paree, near two cafes targeted in the November 13, 2015 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.... attacks that left 130 people dead and maimed hundreds. La Belle France remains on edge and under a state of emergency since the attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] Copenhagen police said Thursday they had detained four people on suspicion of joining the ISIS group in Syria and seized weapons and ammunition in a search linked to the arrests.
All four were suspected of breaking Denmark's terrorism law while in Syria, and were locked away Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in the Copenhagen area, police said in a statement without giving any further information on their identities.
"The suspects have been identified through investigations carried out in close cooperation between the Danish Security and Intelligence Service and Copenhagen police," the statement said.
Under Danish terrorism law, "letting oneself be recruited to commit acts of (terrorism)" is punishable with up to six years in jail.
"At one of the addresses we (searched) today we found some weapons and ammunition," police inspector Poul Kjeldsen told news hounds.
A person living at the address had links to one of Copenhagen's criminal gangs, police later said on Twitter.
"The arrests took place as part of the effort against people letting themselves be recruited to terror groups in the war-torn areas in Syria and northern Iraq," police said.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled to be held on Friday.
Local media said one of the apartments searched in another area was linked to a 27-year-old man whose name appeared in leaked documents that were given to Britain's Sky News, containing information on jihadists who have joined IS.
Sky reported last month that a disillusioned former IS member had given the channel tens of thousands of documents containing the names, addresses, phone numbers and family contacts of those joining the group.
Lots more arrests based on those leaked documents will come in the near future, one suspects.
[Ynet] Sweden is charging a 20-year-old man with terrorism for allegedly building a suicide bomb with the intent of staging an attack in Sweden.
The Prosecution Authority said on Thursday that it believed the man had intended to join the jihadist group 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.... in Syria. Instead, he was detained in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... last June and sent back to Sweden.
"My belief is that he obtained, stored and combined liquids and objects with the purpose of making a suicide bomb," prosecutor Ewamari Haggkvist said in a statement. "The criminal act that was in preparation could have seriously harmed Sweden."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] Three people were maimed on Thursday when two Katyusha-type rockets fired from an area in Syria controlled by ISISTakfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... group slammed into the center of a Turkish town close to the Syrian border, a report said.
The rockets hit the center of the town of Kilis at around 0545 GMT, the Dogan news agency reported. Ambulances were sent to the scene as police threw a security cordon around the area.
Dogan said one of the rockets hit a building used by Syrian refugees and two of those maimed were Syrian citizens.
Another person was maimed by the second rocket and police also evacuated a school nearby.
Pictures broadcast by Turkish television showed the rockets had badly damaged masonry and windows on one building.
Kilis, where according to Turkish officials Syrian refugees now outnumber the native Turkish population, has been hit several times by ISIS fire.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
"This calls for a response! Bomb the Kurds!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/08/2016 13:23 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Kilis, where according to Turkish officials Syrian refugees now outnumber the native Turkish population, has been hit several times by ISIS fire.
If I was a cynical bastid, I'd think the Turks might be providing some incentive to IS- y'know, to thin down the refugee numbers.
PESHAWAR: Security forces claimed on Thursday to have repulsed a cross-border attack on a checkpost in Kurram tribal region.
Security sources said at least 16 Afghanistan-based militants attacked a security checkpost in Kurram Agency but troops retaliated with gunfire, forcing the militants to retreat.
During a subsequent search operation, security forces claimed to have recovered the bodies of 12 attackers from the area.
Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border.
The region was claimed by the military to have been cleared of insurgents during an operation a couple of years ago.
Kurram tribal agency is adjacent to North Waziristan region where the operation Zarb-i-Azb is in progress against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups.
IED blast kills cop in Peshawar
A policeman was killed and a passer-by injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast near a police check-post in Peshawar.
Half a kilogram of explosive material was planted near a check-post in Samar Bagh area of the city. The explosion killed an on-duty policeman and injured a passer-by, SSP operations Abbas Majeed Marwat told DawnNews.
The victims were shifted to a nearby hospital.
Additional security personnel reached the area and cordoned off the blast site.
Homemade roadside bombs are a major weapon of militants who attack government forces in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal districts.
Turkish warplanes conducted air strikes on Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves and shelters used by the rebels, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.
Citing security sources, it said F-16 and F-4 jets destroyed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in the Zap area of neighboring Iraq, where PKK militants are based.
DUHOK – Extremists of the Islamic State (ISIS) have executed 18 civilians in Iraq’s northwestern Mosul city on charges of spying for hostile groups, local sources reported on Thursday.
The ISIS-led Islamic Police had arrested the victims earlier on Tuesday after accusing them of spying for the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army. The 18 young men, who have been convicted of “treason” by the Mosul Sharia Court, were executed in various ways.
“Eight of them were publicly beheaded in central Mosul, while ten others were burned to death inside a cage in front of hundreds of people,” media activist Abdullah al-Malla told ARA News in Mosul.
The source added that a state of panic spread among civilians in Mosul subsequent to the brutal executions.
“Innocent people are being convicted and punished on baseless charges,” al-Malla said.
Speaking to ARA News in Mosul, rights activist Saleh al-Ali said: “The brutality of ISIS militants against civilians has remarkable increased in the recent weeks, especially after the Kurdish and Iraqi forces were able to hit security centers for ISIS in Mosul suburbs, besides the killing of a number of prominent jihadi leaders under airstrikes by the US-led coalition.”
“ISIS leadership believes that some locals are leaking security information about the group’s movements to its enemies. Arbitrary arrests and public executions have mounted, and every citizen is being deemed a suspect,” al-Ali reported.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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(IraqiNews.com) Babel – A source within the police force in Babel province said on Thursday, that the security forces managed to arrest 31 wanted individuals on various criminal charges during raid operations in different areas of the province.
The source, who requested anonymity, said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Today, Babel police managed to detain 31 wanted individuals on criminal charges ranging between murder and armed robbery in different areas of the province,” pointing out that, “The detainees were transferred to a security center for interrogation.”
(IraqiNews.com) The official spokesperson for the paramilitary al-Hashed al-Sha’bi force, Ali al-Husseini, announced on Thursday the killing of 15 ISIS elements as well as the destruction of three suicide bombers during clashes in southern Kirkuk.
Husseini said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “This evening, al-Hashed al-Sha’bi forces as well as al-Abbas Combat Regiment had managed to repel the attack on the area of Tel Ahmed in the vicinity of Bashir located in Tuz Khurmatu (35 km south of Kirkuk),” explaining that, “15 [ISIS] elements had been killed and three booby-trapped Hummer [vehicles] were destructed in the vicinity of the village.”
Husseini also added, “The artillery of al-Hashed [al-Sha’bi] forces flattened the [ISIS] positions with heavy artillery and helped repel the terrorist attack.”
(IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – The leadership of the Federal Police announced on Thursday the killing of 18 militants from the so-called ISIS, including a sniper, during armed clashes with the security forces north of Tikrit in Salahuddin Province.
The Federal police Captain Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a press statement received by IraqiNews.com, “Armed clashes broke out between a force from the Federal Police and ISIS members near a fertilizers factory on the road between Baiji and Sharqat north of Tikrit,” pointing out that, “18 ISIS fighters were killed during the clashes, including a sniper.”
Jawdat added, “The security forces also managed to detonate two car bombs during the operation.”
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A local source in Nineveh Province announced on Wednesday, that one of ISIS most prominent media officials died of his wounds, while pointed out that the media official was wounded during the air strike that was carried out last week on ISIS headquarters in central Mosul.
The source reported for IraqiNews.com, “Today, one of ISIS most prominent media officials in Mosul, known as Abu Osama al-Lubnani, died of his wounds in Mosul Hospital,” pointing out that, “The dead media official was wounded during the air strike that was conducted on ISIS headquarters in central Mosul last week.”
The source, who asked anonymity, added: “A number of ISIS Facebook pages were stopped since the injury of Abu Osama al-Lubnani.”
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A source in Nineveh Liberation Operations Command announced on Thursday, that the US-led coalition aircraft bombed a laboratory of chlorine-filled rockets and other toxic substances south of Mosul, while pointed out that 30 ISIS militants were killed during the aerial bombing.
The source said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “The international coalition aircraft carried out, before noon today, an air strike targeted a laboratory of chlorine-filled rockets, chlorine gas and other toxic materials belonging to ISIS in al-Saawiya village in Qayyara District, killing 30 ISIS fighters who were inside the laboratory.”
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, added, “The bombing also destructed the laboratory completely.”
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A source in the leadership of Nineveh Liberation Operations announced on Thursday, that the security forces destructed a tunnel connecting between two villages south of Mosul, and killed 40 ISIS fighters.
The source said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “The international coalition aircraft bombed, before noon today, a tunnel used by ISIS militants to move between the villages of Mawazin and al-Nasser south of Mosul, killing 40 ISIS fighters and completely destructing the tunnel.”
The source, who asked anonymity, added: “The tunnel was used by ISIS to transport car bombs and chlorine gas.”
(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Thursday the commander of al-Jazeera Operations Ali Ibrahim Daboun announced destroying three booby-trapped vehicles belonging to ISIS west of Ramadi.
Daboun said in a press statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “A force from the army’s 7th brigade found three booby-trapped vehicles belonging to ISIS on the military road west of Ramadi.”
“ISIS members abandoned these vehicles and escaped toward Kabisa vicinity. The booby-trapped vehicles were destroyed, without inflicting any human losses among the security forces,” Daboun added.
(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – The commander of Anbar Operations Command, Maj. Gen. Ismail al-Mahalawi, announced destroying two shelters belonging to the ISIS in the area of Albu Ziyab north of Ramadi.
Mahalawi said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Our ground forces shelled with artillery and Russian Kornet rockets two shelters belonging to the ISIS in the area of Albu Ziyab north of Ramadi,” adding that, “The bombardment resulted in destructing the two shelters and killing 11 [ISIS] elements, in addition to causing considerable material damage.”
(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – Media officials with the Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday destroying four headquarters and a cache of weapons belonging to the ISIS in an aerial bombardment by the Iraqi Army Aviation in Ramadi.
The officials said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Based on intelligence information, Sukhoi warplanes conducted accurate air strikes that targeted ISIS sites resulting in the destruction of four headquarters for the terrorists in Albu Bali region north of Ramadi, in addition to destroying a store of weapons and a laboratory for manufacturing improvised explosive devices.”
The statement also added, “A headquarters and tunnels belonging to the terrorists were destructed in the area of al-Mahamdh.”
(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The leadership of al-Hashed al-Shaabi in Anbar Province announced on Thursday the liberation of an area in central Karma east of Fallujah from the control of ISIS, while pointed out to the killing of 13 ISIS members during the operation.
The commander of the 1st battalion in Karma Fallujah brigade in al-Hashed al-Shaabi Colonel Mahmoud Mardi Jumaili said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “The security forces were able, at noon today, to liberate Albu Tayeh area in central Karma District through a security operation, and killed 13 ISIS members.”
Jumaili added,”The operation resulted in the destruction of four car bombs and a truck equipped with a rocket launcher,” indicating that, “The cleansing battles of Karmat Fallujah are ongoing and the security forces are achieving a notable progress.”
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday, that ten people had been either killed or wounded in a bomb blast in western Baghdad.
The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “This morning, a bomb exploded near a popular market in the district of Abu Ghraib in western Baghdad, killing two people and wounding eight others.”
The source, who requested anonymity, added, “A security force rushed to the area and transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment and the dead bodies to the forensic medicine department, while cordoned off the area of the incident and barred approaching it.”
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday, that five members of al-Hashed al-Shaabi had been either killed or wounded in a bomb blast in southern Baghdad.
The source reported for IraqiNews.com, “This morning, a bomb exploded near a civilian vehicle carrying five members of al-Hashed al-Shaabi, while passing in Arab Jabour village in al-Darwa area in southern Baghdad, killing two of the vehicle’s occupants and wounding three others, as well as causing material damage to the vehicle.”
The source, who requested anonymity, added, “A security force rushed to the area and evacuated the wounded to a nearby hospital to receive treatment and the dead bodies to the forensic medicine department, while carried out a raid to search for the perpetrators of the bombing.”
[IsraelTimes] During a particularly busy night, soldiers carry out a variety of missions in the West Bank
IDF troops made 10 arrests, seized weapons and carried out reconnaissance assignments in operations throughout the West Bank on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, the army said.
Over the past two days, soldiers from the Artillery Corps’s Keren Battalion have operated extensively in the West Bank village of al-Hader in an effort to curb the frequent rock-throwing attacks coming from there, the army said.
A suburb of Bethlehem, al-Hader sits just above the Route 60 highway in the West Bank. That vantage point has been commonly used to throw rocks and other objects at passing cars.
"The forces carried out both overt and covert operations in the village during the daytime, mapping (the area) and conducting monitoring patrols in cooperation with the Bethlehem Civil Administration," the army said.
During those two days of operations, artillery soldiers tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! two residents of the village, one on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday, an IDF spokesperson said.
Four Paleostinians were also arrested in Hebron for rock throwing and other forms of so-called popular terrorism. Three more were picked up in Jenin, another in Dura, outside of Hebron, and another in Jamal, north of Qalqilya, the IDF said.
In the Jenin refugee camp, members of the IDF’s elite Maglan unit and the Menashe regional brigade discovered one improvised submachine gun during a mission to uncover illegal weapons on Wednesday night.
Combat Engineering Corps troops also began preparations to demolish the home of Sahban Wael Mahmoud Tete, who hit Avraham Hasano, an Israeli father of seven, with his truck on October 20, killing him.
It was not immediately clear why Tete’s home was measured for demolition, as there remains some doubt over whether he deliberately hit Hasano with his vehicle or if it was an accident.
Images from the scene showed Hasano emerging from his car brandishing a large wooden club after his vehicle was pelted with rocks by Paleostinians near Hebron. He then approached Tete’s truck, waving the club menacingly, and was run over. He died at the scene.
Tete initially expeditiously departed at a goodly pace, but later turned himself in to Paleostinian security forces, claiming he had not intended to hit Hasano.
He was eventually released by the Paleostinian Authority in early March and was then scooped by Israeli forces on March 9, "following extensive intelligence activity," the Shin Bet said at the time.
As protocol, Israeli forces always measure the homes of suspected attackers as a first step in the demolition process, even in cases where it’s not clear if demolition orders will actually be given. Houses are often demolished before a conviction is handed down, or in cases where attackers died in the course of carrying out their attacks.
IDF and Border Police officers also facilitated the visit of Jewish tourists to the Joseph’s Tomb site in Nablus on Wednesday night.
Some 20 buses carrying Israelis entered the holy site, where they came under attack from Paleostinians throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails. No one was injured and no damage was caused in the incident, the army said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/08/2016 9:17 Comments ||
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#3
I wonder what would happen if they had a bunch of soldiers start throwing rocks back. It would be hilarious to watch the resulting cognitive dissonance in the press and world leaders.
[IsraelTimes] 22-year-old from East Jerusalem arrested as he scouted Malha Mall in preparation for attack on IDF soldiers
A 22-year-old resident of a Palestinian village in East Jerusalem was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit a crime for his role in a plan to attack the popular Malha Mall in the capital.
Abed Elmo’ati Abu Snina of Kafr Aqab was arrested close to the mall, where he had planned to make a reconnaissance film ahead of the intended attack, Channel 10 reported.
According to the charge sheet presented at Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, Abu Snina met co-conspirator Ihab Shikh Sobeh last July when both were serving terms at Ketziot Jail in the Negev Desert. The two agreed to make contact following Abu Snina’s release, to plan a terror attack.
After their release, Sobeh revealed that he was planning a shooting attack on security forces near the Malha Mall on a Thursday afternoon, when many soldiers travel for weekend furlough. He said he had weapons and ammunition, and that he intended to wear an IDF uniform to enable him to blend in with the soldiers and cause maximum casualties.
Sobeh asked Abu Snina to go to the mall on a Thursday afternoon to film bus stops, the road, and entrances to the mall. Abu Snina agreed but was stopped by police before he managed to start filming.
Israel Radio said Thursday that the prosecutor asked that Abu Snina be detained until the end of proceedings.
Malls in Israel have been a focal point for terror attacks over the years.
Charges were also brought Thursday against three Palestinians from the Dir Abu Mishal village for allegedly using laser beams to try to blind drivers on Route 465 near the West Bank settlement of Halamish, north of Ramallah. They are to be detained until the end of proceedings against them.
Thursday also saw the publication of details about a months-long security services sting that netted residents of the village of Beit Ur al-Tahta in the Binyamin region who are accused of throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at Israeli vehicles traveling on Route 443 from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, as well as at IDF forces operating in the village.
Some 12 individuals, including minors, were allegedly involved in six attacks, hoping to harm Israelis and draw security forces into the village so that they could engage with them too.
The group was reportedly set up to avenge the death of Ibrahim Al’an, a terrorist from their village, who died along with another during an attack at Beit Horon on January 25 2016. Shlomit Krigman was murdered and another person injured in that attack.
[Bangkok Post] An assistant village leader and a villager were gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat province on Wednesday morning. The attack took place on a road facing rubber plantations in Rueso district. Police found two bodies inside a pickup truck. Both had been shot multiple times. Spent AK rifle cartridges were found scattered across the road.
An investigation showed that Mr Rosadan was traveling when two attackers on a motorcycle followed and the pillion rider opened fire. Before fleeing, the gunman got off the bike to take a pistol from the dead assistant village chief.
Police believed the attack is linked to southern insurgency.
ISIS fighters have reportedly executed 175 of the 300 kidnapped cement workers outside the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the Syrian state's military.
Extremists seized the labourers from an area close to the town of Dumeir, northeast of the capital. The jihadi group's media arm have denied reports of the workers being massacred and insisted they have been released unharmed.
The hostages were taken near the spot where militants had launched an assault against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad earlier this week.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/08/2016 12:33 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[16 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
They serve a different god and need to be expunged with extreme prejudice like the cancerous tumors they are. Seem to have to do that every 100 years or so. Instead, we open the borders...not going to be pretty
[AlAhram] Syrian rebels seized control Thursday 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.... (IS) group's main supply route to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , a monitor said.
"Rebel factions and Islamists took control of the northeast of Al-Rai," a town occupied by IS on the border between Syria and Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"This is the main and one of the last crossing points with Turkey."
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that rebels entered Al-Rai on Thursday following two days of festivities.
According to Abdel Rahman, the jihadists still control a crossing point further east, in the town of Halwaniyeh, but "Al-Rai was where they mainly smuggled in jihadists, whereas Halwaniyeh is reserved for top commanders".
A ceasefire that came into effect on February 27 has drastically reduced violence across Syria, but areas controlled by IS, the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra front, and other jihadist groups were exempt from the truce.
Abdel Rahman said that IS had lost control of at least 18 villages in the northern province of Aleppo in recent days.
Since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, thousands of people have gone missing -- many of them arbitrarily tossed in the clink Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! by armed forces -- across the country.
More than 270,000 people have been killed and millions have fled their homes.
UN-backed peace talks to bring an end to the conflict are set to resume next week in Geneva.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/08/2016 02:07 ||
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[8 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] The Pentagon said the United States has carried out another raid against Al-Qaeda bandidosforces of Evil in Syria, on the heels of a strike that killed the front man of the group's Syrian branch.
"I can confirm that the US struck a vehicle killing several Al-Qaeda Death Eaters," said front man Matthew Allen. "The results of this strike are still being assessed."US Strike
The latest strike was carried out in northwestern Syria, according to a Defense department official who asked not to be named.
The Washington Post reported the latest raid was late Tuesday.
News of the strikes came as talks in Geneva aimed at ending the conflict loomed on April 11.
The UN has said the upcoming round of talks will focus on plans for a political transition to lead Syria out of five years of brutal civil war.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[10 views]
Top|| File under: al-Nusra
More than 300 employees of a cement factory have been kidnapped by the Daesh group east of Damascus, Syria's official news agency said on Thursday.
Sana said "employees and executives of the Al Badia cement factory" were abducted by the militants, after local residents reported that at least 250 workers at the plant had been missing since Monday.
"The company has informed the industry ministry that it hasn't been able to make contact with kidnapped individuals," Sana said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/08/2016 00:00 ||
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[13 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Missing since Monday?
Not a lot of demand for cement?
300 is kind of a round number for kidnapped schoolgirls, mall shoppers and cement workers in that region isn't it? I wonder if that's a mystical number or it translates roughly from something like 'two handfuls of dozens' to mean 'a really large flock' of captives, 15 score or 4 virgin sets?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
BADHADE -Somalia’s Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab militants have seized a strategic town near Somalia’s southern border with neighboring Kenya without resistance, Garowe Online reports.
Turkish warplanes conducted air strikes on Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves and shelters used by the rebels, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.
(IraqiNews.com) Babel – A source within the police force in Babel province said on Thursday, that the security forces managed to arrest 31 wanted individuals on various criminal charges during raid operations in different areas of the province.
ISIS fighters have reportedly executed 175 of the 300 kidnapped cement workers outside the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the Syrian state's military.
