[AnNahar] The Afghan Taliban ...the Pashtun equiovalent of men... launched their "spring offensive" Friday, heralding fresh fighting in the drawn-out conflict as embattled security forces struggle to recover from a devastating attack on a military base one week ago.
Operation Mansouri -- named after the group's former leader, killed in a US dronezap in 2016 -- will target foreign forces with "conventional attacks, guerrilla warfare, complex martyrdom attacks, insider attacks", an Lion of Islam statement said.
"The enemy will be targeted, harassed, killed or captured until they abandon their last posts," it continued.
The annual spring offensive normally marks the start of the "fighting season", though this winter the Taliban continued to battle government forces, most successfully in last week's attack on the military base outside the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The massacre last Friday saw Death Eaters armed with guns and suicide bombs slaughter at least 135 young recruits, according to the official toll, though multiple sources have claimed it is much higher.
The assault is believed to be the deadliest by the Taliban on an Afghan military target since they were driven from power in 2001, and fuelled fears of insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on colleagues or on international troops.
The attackers carried valid passes to the base, security sources said, and were dressed in Afghan army uniforms. The defence minister and army chief have resigned, and at least 35 soldiers have been jugged Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! over the incident.
Already beset by killings, desertions, and struggles over leadership and morale, Afghan forces have been straining to beat back Death Eaters since US-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.
They faced soaring casualties in 2016, up by 35 percent with 6,800 soldiers and police potted, according to a US watchdog.
With more than one third of Afghanistan outside of government control, civilians also continue to bear a heavy brunt, with thousands killed and maimed each year with children paying an increasingly disproportionate price, according to UN figures.
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry shrugged off the Taliban threats Friday, saying the offensive was "not something new".
"We will target, kill, defeat and suppress the Taliban... all across the country," acting ministry front man Najib Danish told AFP.
The Taliban statement said they would focus on state-building and "establishing mechanisms for social justice and development" in the areas under their control.
Afghan and international officials have repeatedly called on the Taliban to disarm and join the political process, a call they have so far refused.
Kabul-based analyst Ahmad Saeedi said the Death Eaters -- "emboldened" by government failures -- would instead seek more territory this year.
"I believe this will be a difficult year for Afghan cops, as they will be facing the resilient Taliban's complex and sophisticated attacks countrywide," he told AFP.
- 'Another tough year' -
The Taliban announcement comes days after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis visited Kabul as the Trump administration seeks to craft a new strategy in Afghanistan.
Mattis also warned that 2017 would be "another tough year" for Afghan cops, but would not be drawn on recent calls by NATO commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson for "a few thousand" more troops.
The Afghan conflict is the longest in US history -- US-led NATO troops have been at war there since 2001, after the ousting of the Taliban regime for refusing to hand over the late Osama bin Laden ... who doesn't live anywhere anymore... following the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
The US has around 8,400 troops in the country with about another 5,000 from NATO allies.
#1
"I have been instructed by secret communication that we should all gather in Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan on Sunday, May 14th, which is the infidels' Mother's Day."
[DAWN] Officials say a 15-member parliamentary delegation headed by the speaker of Pakistain's lower house of Parliament has travelled to Afghanistan in an effort aimed at easing tensions with Kabul.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the National Assembly, will meet with Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. and other officials.
Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal welcomed the visit, saying both sides will discuss a range of issues.
The visit is being given importance because it comes weeks after relations between the two countries were strained following Pakistain's decision to close the border with Afghanistan in response to an attack on a Sufi shrine that killed 90 worshippers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... who used to be known in intelligence circles as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... criticized the Taliban ...the Pashtun equiovalent of men... group during his first public appearance after almost 20 years.
Speaking during a gathering in eastern Laghman ...It has a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a reputionagreat wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.
He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.
province, Hekmatyar said the Taliban group should not experience the bitter experiences the other powers faced in Afghanistan by using force.
Calling on Taliban to join grinding of the peace processor, Hekmatyar said the ongoing insurgency led by the Taliban is meaningless and illegitimate.
He also suggested that the Taliban should no more become victims of ego and ignorance.
Hekmatyar further added that only Afghan people become victims of the ongoing insurgency led by the Taliban.
In other parts of his speech, Hekmatyar urged the neighboring and regional countries to refrain from interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
He said the deployment of more troops will not solve the problem and the Afghans should be left alone so that they can resolve their problems through intra-Afghan negotiations and efforts.
Hekmatyar said his party participated in the fight when it was needed but since there is no need for the war therefore the leadership of his party decided to join grinding of the peace processor.
He called on the government to implement the articles of the peace agreement signed between his party and the government.
One of the main conditions of the peace agreement between Hezb-e-Islami and the Afghan government was the release of the prisoners.
According to reports, the Afghan government is expecting to release dozens of Hezb-e-Islami prisoners from the jails today.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan government welcomed the return of Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... who used to be known in intelligence circles as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... to Afghanistan and emphasized that Hekmatyar’s return to the country following the conclusion of a peace agreement proves that the Afghans have the capability to resolve issues and tensions among themselves.
The Office of the President, ARG Palace, said the successful conclusion of peace agreement with Hezb-e-Islami and Hekmatyar’s return also prove the capability of the Afghan people to hold intra-Afghan negotiations and seek ways for lasting and persistent peace in the country.
A statement by the ARG Palace said Hekmatyar’s return will have a positive impact on peace and stability in the country besides helping other sectors including development of the country.
The statement further added that the government is optimistic as Hekmatyar has pledged to work jointly with the government to bring peace and stability in the country.
The Afghan government once again called on the anti-government armed Lion of Islam groups, specifically the Taliban ...the Pashtun equiovalent of men... group to refrain from destructive activities and killing of the people.
ARG Palace in its statement said the government calls on anti-government armed Lion of Islam groups and Taliban to join the intra-Afghan negotiations for reconciliation, join grinding of the peace processor, and jointly work with the government for the development of the country and the nation.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Hizb-i-Islami-Hekmatyar
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. hailed the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) for their persistent campaign against the terrorist groups, emphasizing that the Afghan forces are still waging Jihad against the wrong and oppressors.
Speaking during a gathering on the eve of the defeat of the Soviet forces in Afghanistan, President Ghani said the Afghan nation’s fight in the past was a Jihad against the wrong and similarly the Afghan forces are fighting the terrorist groups and wage Jihad against the wrong.
President Ghani further added that the Islamic world and other nations endorse the bravery of the Afghan forces and their fight, similarly as they had endorsed the Afghan nation’s Jihad in the past, pointing towards the fight against the Soviet forces.
He said the Afghan nation still faces oppressors, hidden and obvious enemies, waging Jihad against them, and sacrifice their lives.
According to President Ghani, the attack on Shaheen Army Corps which led to the martyrdom of 141 soldiers proves the claims of the Afghan nation in the fight against terrorism.
He also added that the era of savagery and use power and violence to gain power has passed, emphasizing that those thinking to gain power through violence neither recognizes Islam and nor they belong to Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
[AnNahar] An Afghan strongman is giving sanctuary to Taliban ...the Pashtun equiovalent of men... fighters and their families who had sought haven across the border in Pakistain, building on a radical strategy to reduce Islamabad's perceived influence on the insurgency.
Kandahar's powerful police chief Abdul Raziq last December called for a "safe zone" for Talibs, a contentious plan centred on Afghanistan's long-standing accusation that the insurgency is fuelled by Pakistain's support in cross-border sanctuaries.
Continued on Page 49
[SHABELLENEWS] U.S. OFFICIALS THIS WEEK requested the geographic coordinates of aid groups working in Somalia, according to a document obtained by The Intercept -- a move that could indicate an escalation of military action against the Shabaab.
The notice to NGOs comes a month after President Trump declared portions of the country an "area of active hostilities," giving the military wider scope to launch strikes that could potentially kill more civilians.
"Due to the need for increased operational security in Somalia, and based on best practices in other complex emergencies, humanitarian and development organizations may want to provide information about their fixed locations in Somalia for deconfliction," states the letter, written by USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and intended for "all international and local humanitarian and development organizations with operations in Somalia." Aid groups have an extensive presence in Somalia, where the government declared a state of disaster in February due to crippling drought and food shortages.
The document, dated April 24, provides instructions for how groups should share coordinates of offices, hospitals, refugee camps, and other facilities. "Please be aware that all information submitted ... will be used to inform U.S. military planners about the location of humanitarian and development personnel," it says. It also includes a bold-type warning that providing the information does not "guarantee the safety of personnel, vehicles, facilities, or sites. Entities operating in this environment continue to do so at their own risk."
Such deconfliction efforts are not uncommon in the context of intense or prolonged U.S. military operations, such as Afghanistan. This week’s letter is similar in wording to one received by NGOs in 2014, at the outset of the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria.
In Yemen, the United States briefly shepherded NGO coordinates from nonprofits to the Saudi-led coalition at the start of its military campaign there in early 2015. The B.O. regime also requested coordinates in Libya last year, when it similarly declared parts of the country areas of active hostilities.
But for Somalia, such an encompassing request is novel. Taken with Trump’s declaration of active hostilities, the note suggests that it’s a question not of if, but when, more Arclight airstrikes will take place.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)
#1
U.S. OFFICIALS THIS WEEK requested the geographic coordinates of aid groups working in Somalia
[Asharq al-Aswat] A new opportunity for dialogue between Libyan Army generals has emerged a few days ago, the first of its kind since the armed uprising that toppled the regime of Muammar al-Qadaffy in 2011.
Away from the spotlight, a group of Libyan politicians and activists are now hoping to see concrete rapprochement between the generals of armed forces to save the country from chaos, amid fears of foreign interference in their internal affairs.
During Qadaffy’s era, the army was united. It later saw severe divisions due to disagreements between bigwigs over NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... ’s intervention. Since then, several military leaders have engaged in internal wars, leading to the deterioration of Libya’s security, political and economic situations.
In the wake of mounting concerns over the spread of terrorist groups and the likelihood of foreign military intervention, the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... , along with Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, are devoting extensive efforts to help the Libyan people overcome the current deadlock.
In front of a fancy hotel near Cairo International Airport, a Libyan general, in a black suit and a red tie, told news hounds smiling: "We have not yet agreed on a vision; we are still testing the path." In the same evening, another meeting was held in a hotel located on the shores of the Nile between three brigadier generals: the first one is a military leader in the city of Misrata, who was a supporter of NATO’s intervention to oust Qadaffy. Years of war and tremendous human and economic losses have exhausted him.
The second officer is from city of Zintan, southwestern 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... . He was not only a NATO supporter, but also allowed the dropping of arms coming from a foreign country, to armed rebels who used to call themselves "revolutionaries".
In a brief statement, that officer said it was the right time for the military institution to get unified and launch dialogue away from political bickering.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Asharq al-Aswat] Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has carried out a reshuffle in Dr. Ahmed Obaid bin Dagher’s government that included four ministerial portfolios ‐ the justice, social affairs and labor, public works and infrastructures and human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... ministries ‐ in addition to assigning a new deputy minister.
Hadi’s orders did not only include cabinet reshuffling but also witnessed the dismissal of Aden’s Governor Aydros al-Zubaidi and State Minister Hani Ali bin Bark, who was forwarded to probing.
As much as Hadi’s decisions were surprising, they have led to mixed reactions in the Yemeni arena. In general, they have received wide support by various ministers, governors and heads of the security and government agencies while some parties have criticized them in the context of what is described in any regime as internal conflicts, according to some observers.
In this matter, the cabinet reshuffle was expected to be carried out few weeks ago, and observers believe that dismissing Aden’s governor was due to the fragile situation regarding the services in the interim capital, Aden, along with the growing criticism of the legitimate government over the apparent shorten in action when it comes to this area despite the improvement in security aspects.
Recently, terrorist groups and sleeper cells, which the government has repeatedly accused Saleh and Houthis of recruiting them in southern Yemen, were besieged.
At the time when the cabinet reshuffle was carried out one year after the formation of bin Dagher’s government, observers said that President Hadi has the right to issue appropriate decisions, in light of his assessment of the performance of officials, according to what Political Analyst Bassem al-Hakimi told Asharq al-Awsat.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[IsraelTimes] Small country, which US Defense Secretary Mattis calls ’Little Sparta,’ increasingly wiling to flex its own muscle amid suspicions about Iran.
The United Arab Emirates is better known for its skyscrapers and pampered luxuries, but its small size belies a quiet expansion of its battle-hardened military into Africa and elsewhere in the Middle East.
The seven-state federation ranks as one of Washington’s most prominent Arab allies in the fight against the Islamic State
Continued on Page 49
#2
Mattis has said a lot of things. I don't think he said 'battle hardened military', though. And, there's this closing line in that article:
As far as friends of Israel are concerned, General Mattis’s clear-eyed recognition of the seriousness of the threat from Iran should serve as a source of encouragement far outweighing any concerns about an isolated statement he made three years ago when the strategic view of the Middle East was far different than it is today.
#3
As far as friends of Israel are concerned, General Mattis’s clear-eyed recognition of the seriousness of the threat from Iran should serve as a source of encouragement far outweighing any concerns about an isolated statement he made three years ago when the strategic view of the Middle East was far different than it is today.
Translation: what can't be cured must be endured, or - in Hebrew - ein brera.
#4
As the US guides the expansion of their powerbase, UAE is nicely positioned to provide a regional (SA) umbrella of medium range (1000-1500 mi) IRBMs.
[AnNahar] Three men suspected of supplying guns for an attack plot thwarted ahead of the first round of La Belle France's presidential election have been charged with terror offences, a judicial source said.
The foiled plan in the southern city of Marseille had sparked fears that the closing days of the campaign could be a target for holy warriors before the April 23 first round in the country's most unpredictable election in decades.
The three men -- a 24-year-old Chechen refugee, as well as Kosovar brothers aged 19 and 35 -- were accused on Friday of participating in a terrorist conspiracy as well as weapons charges, the source said.
Authorities believe they provided help to the alleged attack plotters, 23-year-old Clement Baur and Mahiedine Merabet, 29, notably by supplying weapons.
The original arrest was reported here, the filing of charges here.
After searching the suspected plotters' shared Marseille apartment, authorities said they uncovered an Uzi sub-machine gun, pistols, three kilogrammes (6.5 pounds) of TATP explosives and a homemade grenade as well as an Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) group flag.
Baur and Merabet were charged Sunday with participating in a terrorist conspiracy, though authorities have not determined what the alleged plotters planned to target.
Two days after their April 18 arrests, 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi rubbed out a policeman on Gay Paree's Champs Elysees avenue before being killed by police gunfire.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] State-run news agency says site was ’acting with groups conducting smear campaign’ against country.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... Blocks, an internet censorship monitor, said users in Turkey have been unable to access all language editions of Wikipedia since 8 a.m. Saturday.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said officials had warned Wikipedia to remove content likening Turkey to terror groups but the site "persistently" did not.
Turkey had demanded that Wikipedia open an office in the country, act in line with international law and abide by court decisions and not be part of "blackout operation against Turkey," according to the agency.
Anadolu said if these demands are met and the content removed, the site would be reopened.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
wikipedia has well sourced and frequently referenced articles on the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocide conducted by the Ottomans/Turkey.
Erdogan probably hates that a lot.
Posted by: lord garth ||
04/30/2017 7:56 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out."
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and Russia have reached an agreement in principle on the delivery of Russian-made S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to the Turkish side and are negotiating the price and joint production issues, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.
"We are continuing the negotiations on all the issues related to the S-400, including joint production and the price. We have agreed in principle but I can’t say anything on technical issues," the newspaper Milliyet quoted him as saying.
Turkey will purchase Russia’s anti-aircraft missile systems as it "needs to strengthen its air defense capabilities," the minister said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[DAWN] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... on Saturday fired almost 4,000 public officials and imposed a ban on TV dating shows, in new decrees issued under the state of emergency imposed after last year's failed coup.
The moves were the latest tough action by the authorities following President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... 's victory in last month's referendum on enhancing his powers.
They were also announced as Turkey controversially slapped a ban on Wikipedia earlier on Saturday morning.
The total of 3,974 dismissed officials includes more than 1,000 people working with the justice ministry and over 1,000 staff employed by the army, said the decree, which included the name of every fired official.
Those fired from the air force included over 100 pilots, it added. Almost 500 academics working for state institutions were also dismissed.
The dismissals came after Turkey on April 26 detained more than 1,000 people and suspended over 9,100 police in a vast new crackdown against alleged supporters of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen ... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world... blamed for the failed July 15 coup bid.
An already nine-month state of emergency in place since the coup bid has seen a total of 47,000 people placed in durance vile You have the right to remain silent... and prompted fears the crackdown is being used to go after all opponents of Erdogan.
Gulen denies being behind the coup but the authorities argue the purges are needed to wipe out his "virus" from society.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[IsraelTimes] PA leader, Sissi to discuss Mideast grinding of the peace processor and crisis developing in the Gazoo Strip.
Abbas will visit the White House on May 3 for a series of high-level meetings with the president and other senior administration officials on finding a way to try to revive the Israeli-Paleostinian grinding of the peace processor.
Ties between Abbas and Sissi were also said to be tense over Cairo’s perceived support for an Abbas rival, Mohammad Dahlan.
[IsraelTimes] Only humanitarian cases will be allowed in as nation mourns fallen soldiers and then celebrates its 69th birthday.
The closure, a routine procedure ahead of Israeli and Jewish holidays, will come into effect at midnight between Saturday and Sunday, and will end on Tuesday night.
Good. It is clearly unhealthy for Erdogan Bey to get his way.
[ARA] A US-led coalition spokesperson on Saturday told ARA News that for the United States there is a difference between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The US-led coalition recognizes the PKK as a threat to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... "We disagree with the Turkish position that the YPG and the PKK are the same organization. The Coalition recognizes the threat the PKK poses to Turkey, but Turkey cannot pursue that fight at the expense of our common fight against faceless myrmidons that threaten us all," the coalition spokesperson said in an exclusive interview with ARA News.
"We call on all countries in the region to remain focused on the fight to defeat ISIS, which is the greatest threat to regional and worldwide peace and security," the official said.
On 25 April, Turkish air strikes hit the Karacok mountain near the town of Derik in northeastern Syria, killing at least 20 YPG fighters and wounding 18 others. Since then festivities broke out and continued between the YPG and Turkish military forces in several areas in northern Syria.
On Friday, U.S. forces started monitoring the situation along the Syria-Turkey frontier after cross-border fire between the Turkish military and YPG this week that followed Turkish shelling to the Kurdish town of Derbassiye.
The forces would report to senior U.S. commanders, a Kurdish official Sharvan Kobani told Rooters after meeting U.S. military officials in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border.
Coalition forces, accompanied by YPG fighters, reportedly conducted a tour along the border areas between Derbassiye, Qamishli and Derik‐which was targeted on 25 April by the first Turkish attacks.
"Coalition soldiers visited Derik to survey the damage and provide aide to our SDF partners who were killed by uncoordinated Turkish air strikes," the coalition spokesperson told ARA News on Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[ARA] A Russian government spokesperson praised the Kurdish forces in their fight against ISIS. Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, the little lost dog had finished eating the rat terrier... the co-Chair of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Moslem, and PYD Europe representative Abdulselam Mustafa met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gennady Gatilov in Geneva on Thursday.
The two sides discussed the recent developments in northern Syria, including the Turkish air strikes against the People’s Protection Forces (YPG).
Russian officials have condemned the Turkish air strikes against the Kurds in Syria and Iraq that took place last week.
"On April 25, it was reported that Turkish jets carried out a series of strikes on the positions of Kurdish self-defence detachments near Mount Karachok in northeastern Syria and near Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharov said on Thursday.
"I would like to remind you that Kurdish detachments are the most effective fighting force in the war against ISIS Lions of Islam in northeastern Syria. We were greatly disturbed by reports of Ankara’s operations," she said.
"There is reason to believe that if it was not for the hasty US attack on Syria’s Shayrat Airbase, which was outside the bounds of international law, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... would not have carried out the recent strikes. It is necessary to put an end to arbitrariness on Syrian soil," the Russian official said.
"The targets that the Turkish Air Force hit in Syria included media facilities: a local TV and radio broadcasting station. Reports say some of your colleagues from the media centre of Kurdish self-defence forces were killed, among others. I would like to see the reaction of the relevant organizations and the journalistic community," Zakharov said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
Is this the part where Turkey starts to regret shooting down that Russian plane?
#5
Well, you have your communist Kurds (largely from inside Turkey, Russia's been supporting them since the '60s), and the non communist ones , largely from Iraq and Syria. I see this basically as a coat of primer for end stage positions.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/30/2017 11:36 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Aren't politics are all about "who gets the money"?
True. In the past the Russians Soviets used to hand out weapons (and money) for political reasons. Now, not so much; they want to see terms of payment before delivery.
#7
Well, you have your communist Kurds (largely from inside Turkey, Russia's been supporting them since the '60s), and the non communist ones
I think, you have it the wrong way around, Ed. Soviets supported Turkish Kurds and BAATH governments in Iraq & Syria. Whereas USA supported Turkish government and Kurds in Iraq & Syria. So Turkish Kurds became "communists", whereas Iraqi and Syrian became "democrats".
[RUDAW.NET] Foreigners, fighting within the ISIS group, have made things on the ground worse for Iraqi and Syrian civilians, according to the US-led global anti-ISIS coalition.
"Foreign fighters have no reluctance whatsoever to treat civilians very poorly, so they use scorched earth tactics that we've seen before," the coalition’s front man Col. John Dorrian told British news hounds in a teleconference."
Three foreigners surrendered to Turkish border police after more than two years in ISIS-controlled areas, the British daily, The Guardian, reported citing sources and Turkish officials.
"There are a significant number of imported muscle in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... . One of the things we've seen as a pattern repeated throughout the campaign is that ISIS leaders begin to leave areas they expect to lose..." Dorrian said.
One British man, his wife, and an American man surrendered to Turkish border officials in Killis after leaving Syria last week, the Guardian reported.
Dorrian explained that the tactics used by foreigners is partially enabled because of their anonymity within the communities.
"We've seen them do things like light a bunch of oil fires in Qayyara, we've seen them light a sulphur plant on the road to Mosul," Dorrian said, generally referring to imported muscle and leaders.
"They are holding people who are trying to leave," he added. "These are the types of things that are easy to do when the people are not your neighbors, and not people you've grown up with or people you know very well."
Kary Paul Kleman, the American, previously lived in Florida, according to CNN.
A US official confirmed to CNN that Kleman was locked away You have the right to remain silent... trying to cross back into The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... through Killis alongside a Brit and that man's wife.
The Guardian reported the Briton was Stefan Aristidou from London, and his unnamed wife is said to be of Bangladeshi heritage.
Both men could be subject to terrorism charges, in-line with British and US laws, and precedent of similar cases.
"The Iraqi security has taken control of some of these people and worked with Coalition partners if those people are from those countries to share information and intelligence about that," Dorrian said.
The two major cities still held by ISIS are Mosul in Iraq, and Raqqa in Syria, which the coalition estimates contain fewer than 1,000 and around 3,000 to 4,000 krazed killers, respectively.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Three foreigners surrendered to Turkish border police after more than two years in ISIS-controlled areas
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.
[AnNahar] The Afghan 
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
[DAWN] 
