[NESN] There’s apparently a new model car, the Ford 420, we didn’t hear about, but it isn’t a tuned up version of the Mustang, like the Boss 302. Instead, it’s based on a Fusion, and definitely isn’t sanctioned by Ford.
The Dilworth Police Department in Minnesota was called to the Dilworth Auto Yard after BNSF Railway employees found narcotics inside new Ford Fusions built in Mexico, according to a press release. Police expanded their search and found 14 circular bricks of marijuana inside the spare wheel well of seven vehicles. In total, 217 pounds of marijuana were found, with an estimated value of $272,000.
[TMZ] A rep for Delta tells us ... "We became aware of this incident and a video last week and immediately removed the pilot from duty while we completed a thorough investigation. Local law enforcement was called to respond at the time of the incident. The pilot has since been returned to work as our investigation found that his actions deescalated an altercation between passengers on the jetway floor during deplaning." He can always be fired later. The inevitable civil suit could be damaging to the airline. Appropriate corrective action must be taken to illustrate remedy should the issue end up in court.
We're told the women in the vid had gotten into a skirmish earlier, on the airplane, and they knew each other. They were eventually escorted away by a Delta employee, and as they were walking away, cops showed up. We're told neither of the women wanted to press charges against anyone. I suppose charges of 'disturbing the peace' were never considered.
A Delta pilot smacked a passenger who was fighting with another passenger at the Atlanta airport ... and it was caught on video.
We're told the incident went down sometime on April 21. The plane had just landed and the passengers were leaving the jetway when 2 women started fighting.
The pilot appears and tries separating the women. He then grabs one of them by the arm and hits her. The pilot walks away as the women are still on the ground. He's lucky they both didn't turn on him. Ignoring the melee and insuring police were called would have been a more prudent option. The entire event could have well been staged.
We're told a Delta employee gave a supervisor the video almost immediately after the incident. We're also told some Delta employees were upset because security wasn't called.
We reached out to Delta, and a rep tells us the airline is investigating and "taking this very seriously." White male member of highly paid privileged class, of course there will be a full investigation. It is Atlanta, right ?
#1
...My feeling: If this had happened in flight, subdue the miscreants and hogtie them until they land, then turn them over to the tender mercies of the United States Government. But on the freaking jetway? No. Get the passengers clear, call security, and let them sort it out.
YMMV, of course.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/30/2017 12:33
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#2
Linky's bad
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/30/2017 12:37
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#10
I have been a Delta fan.
Be that as it may, Americans should know fight club is at the gate. Not in the tin can.
They are sick of the hassle it takes to travel and sick of the airlines just plain messing with them (as they see it)
It is a two sided coin in some cases.
We need to make traveling more enticing for travelers and commuters. Pre-check helps very much. I love that.
But the airlines may run themselves out of business as far as I care. But then, I run out of professional providers.
#11
The airlines can (and are) sink(ing) themselves. Something will rise from the ashes, the won't throw away the hardware (aircraft).
Thinking back, the airline that always treated me best was Air France (Tokyo to Paris flights). In retrospect, it's a surprise, given their public reputation.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
04/30/2017 23:58
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[Daily Caller] The left-wing activists behind the anti-conservative riots at Berkeley have ties to one of the nation’s most prominent pro-pedophilia organizations.
The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary -- more commonly referred to as By Any Means Necessary or BAMN -- is one of the militant leftist groups waging a campaign against conservatives and Trump supporters in Berkeley. The group’s planned aggressive demonstrations against conservative commentator Ann Coulter and the students coming to hear her talk led to the cancellation of Coulter’s speech this week due to safety concerns. (RELATED: ’INFERNO’ -- Milo Speech Cancelled After Rioters Set UC Berkeley Campus Ablaze)
BAMN’s parent organization worked directly with the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) in the years just before it founded BAMN, according to NAMBLA documents reviewed by The Daily Caller. In addition, a member of that parent organization said to have founded BAMN is an admitted member of NAMBLA, which she has described as the victim of a "witch-hunt."
#4
Most everyone in the SanFran area has ties to NAMBLA, if only from county taxes taken up and used as grant money given out because the pedophiles have such good community outreach events in the schools and parks.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/30/2017 14:24
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#5
So if a representative from NAMBLA showed up at Berkeley that would be OK and he would be allowed to speak?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/30/2017 15:47
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[PJ] WASHINGTON -- The White House said late Saturday night that President Trump had a "very friendly conversation" with the Philippines leader who is accused of extrajudicial killings in his country and said last fall he would "be happy to slaughter" millions of drug addicts in a comparison of Hitler slaughtering millions of Jews.
In December, President Rodrigo Duterte said he had personally killed people he suspected to be criminals while mayor of Davao. One of his ministers claimed he was exaggerating for effect, but in August he said in a message to suspected drug dealers, "My order is shoot to kill you. I don't care about human rights, you better believe me."
The White House said the two leaders "discussed the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea."
"They also discussed the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world," the readout of the call added. "President Trump enjoyed the conversation and said that he is looking forward to visiting the Philippines in November to participate in the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit."
Trump also invited Duterte to the White House "to discuss the importance of the the United States-Philippines alliance, which is now heading in a very positive direction."
[Reuters] An experienced Swiss climber died on Sunday after he fell in the Everest region of Nepal during preparations to climb the world's highest mountain, the first to perish in the current climbing season, officials said.
Ueli Steck, 40, died after falling to the foot of Mount Nuptse, a smaller peak in the area, said Mingma Sherpa of the Seven Summits Treks company that organized Steck's expedition.
Steck was in the area acclimatizing ahead of a bid to climb Everest through the less-climbed West Ridge route and traverse to Lhotse, the world's fourth highest peak - at 8,516 meters (27,940 feet) in May.
"His body has been retrieved and is being brought to Kathmandu," Sherpa told Reuters.
Kamal Prasad Parajuli, an official with Nepal's Department of Tourism, confirmed Steck died while climbing Nuptse and that he had planned to attempt an Everest ascent.
He said Steck, who climbed Everest in 2012, "slipped and fell 1,000 meters" in the Western Cwm along the normal route to Everest.
The incident took place near the route's Camp Two, which is located at an altitude of 6,400 meters (21,000 feet), Parajuli said.
Related to yesterday's story on Charm City's inability to control crime
The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office wants prosecutors to reconsider charging illegal immigrants with non-violent crimes if they believe doing so will trigger "collateral consequences" that lead to deportation.
Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow told his staff that tough immigration enforcement policies under the Trump administration increase the likelihood that federal authorities will target illegal immigrants convicted of minor offenses.
The Justice Department's deportation efforts "have increased the potential collateral consequences to certain immigrants of minor, non-violent criminal conduct," Schatzow wrote in a memo obtained Thursday by the Baltimore Sun.
"In considering the appropriate disposition of a minor, non-violent criminal case, please be certain to consider those potential consequences to the victim, witnesses, and the defendant," he added.
The memo follows a similar order from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, which on Monday said it will implement new prosecution guidelines in order to shield illegal immigrants accused of minor crimes from deportation. Acting Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said his office will maintain an "immigration-neutral disposition" by allowing illegal immigrant defendants to plead down to minor crimes that wouldn't normally qualify as grounds for deportation.
President Donald Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration in his first three months in office, stepping up detention and removal of aliens with criminal records of any kind. The Department of Homeland Security in February issued guidance that there are no longer "classes or categories of removable aliens" exempt from potential enforcement, including deportation.
The administration also has threatened to withhold federal grants from sanctuary cities, but Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh says Baltimore is not a sanctuary city because it doesn't operate its own jail and doesn't make decisions about whether to hold people charged with immigration crimes, the Sun reported.
Baltimore was not among a group of eight cities the Justice Department said could funding cuts because of their lack of cooperation with immigration authorities.
The state's attorney's memo comes as Baltimore suffers through its worst wave of violence in nearly 20 years. The city has already racked up 101 murders, a 30 percent increase from the same time period a year ago. The last time Baltimore had 100 murders before the end of April was in 1998
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/30/2017
10:37 ||
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#1
So much for equal protection under the law.
And since they can't even determine a perp's immigration status (or lack thereof) they will have to 'profile' to determine who is part of the protected class. They will have to assume that all 'latinos' are illegal aliens and all illegal aliens are latino.
#2
In a sane world this would be high comedy. Illegal, criminal foreigners are given protections from prosecution to prevent their removal by the federal government, while citizens are held to a higher standard! Equal justice for all was just replaced by special justice exemptions for the preferred. Criminal conspiracies to obstruct justice by local officials requires immediate removal from office and prosecution!!!!!
#6
Not that we had ever considered moving to Baltimore anyway...but if we ever had, this would pretty much decide it.
Posted by: Tom ||
04/30/2017 13:50
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#7
No peace without justice.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/30/2017 14:56
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#8
Hogan endorsed Christie and wrote in his own father on his Presidential ballot, rather than vote for Trump. Had no problem attending the inauguration though.
He is married to an immigrant, and is a self styled moderate who focuses on "pocketbook issues".
Save for the ones brought on by illegal immigration, presumably.
The lie we were told as kids was this: The end of American liberty would come at the hands of the political right.
Conservatives would take away our right to speak our minds, and use the power of government to silence dissent. The right would intimidate our teachers and professors, and coerce the young.
And then, with the universities in thrall, with control of the apparatus of the state (and the education bureaucracy), the right would have dominion over a once-free people.
Some of us were taught this in school. Others, who couldn't be bothered to read books, were fed a cartoon version of the diabolical conservative in endless movies and TV shows. The most entertaining of these were science fiction, sometimes with vague references to men in brown shirts and black boots goose-stepping in some future time.
Women would become handmaids, subjugated and turned into breeders. And men would be broken as well. The more lurid fantasies offered armies of Luddites in hooded robes, hunting down subversives for the greater good.
But the lie is obvious now, isn't it?
Because it is not conservatives who coerced today's young people or made them afraid of ideas that challenge them. Conservatives did not shame people into silence, or send thugs out on college campuses to beat down those who wanted to speak.
#4
If you listen closely, you can hear a sound of rivets popping as the seams of the ship of state slowly are opened by the sedition that is the left in all its guises...
[Foreign Policy] That the military needs intelligent officers is not a particularly controversial statement. Underpinning that argument, however, is the assumption that the military normally recruits, recognizes, and retains its intellectual capital. Two recent studies cast some doubt on this.
In his excellent new book, defense expert Eliot Cohen argues for the necessity of maintaining premier military capability. As part of that military capability, Cohen notes that the military "need[s] ... professional officers with both operational and intellectual training as well as access to classified material and recent operational experience, to contribute to high-order thought about the nature of war." Aside from noting that "by and large [the military] does not produce its own intellectual capital," Cohen does not dwell on the issue. The situation may be far grimmer than Cohen states. More than merely not developing high-end intellectual ability, recent evidence shows that the military fails to recruit intellectual capability to the same degree as in by-gone generations and discriminates against the intellectual capital it does possess in promotions and selections.
In Joint Force Quarterly, Matthew F. Cancian showed the long-term trend in intelligence among Marine officers. Comparing the absolute scores on the General Classification Test (GCT), new Marine officers started a long-term downward trend in intellectual capability starting around 1980. Of concern, "two-thirds of the new officers commissioned in 2014 would be in the bottom one-third of the class of 1980; 41 percent of new officers in 2014 would not have qualified to be officers by the standards held at the time of World War II." Though data for the other services is not available, Cancian suspects that a similar trend has occurred in them as well.
Ubiquitous college attendance likely contributed to the decline in officer intelligence, according to Cancian. Each service requires a four-year degree as a baseline requirement for commissioning; the pool of potential candidates expanded dramatically in the decades since 1980. No longer must one be of unusually high intelligence to graduate from college, nor does college graduation indicate high intelligence.
Cancian identified an additional dangerous trend. While average intelligence declined for new Marine Corps officers, elite intelligence levels also declined. "In 1980, there were 14 Marine officers entering who scored above 155 (on a test with a maximum score of 160). In 2004, the year of incoming officers who are now recently promoted majors, there were only two lieutenants who scored above 155. In 2014, there were none." The Marine Corps may not have the intellectual capital it needs for the future.
Social trends likely played a role. Social scientist Charles Murray, commenting about the larger society, speculated that many more industries require high intelligence today than over preceding decades. There are a whole host of opportunities to use high intelligence that did not exist even a few decades ago. The military might have been a great option for those with high intelligence in 1980, but those same people have many more options today.
The military does not recruit as much intellectual capital in its officer corps as it once did. Work by Everett S.P. Spain, now a colonel on the United States Military Academy faculty and once a graduate student at Harvard Business School, shows that the promotion and selection system is systematically biased against those with high cognitive abilities. Joining with J.D. Mohundro and Bernard B. Banks in Parameters, Spain showed that the Army is much more likely to select low cognitive ability officers over their high cognitive ability peers. "[O]fficers with one-standard-deviation higher cognitive abilities had 29 percent, 18 percent, and 32 percent lower odds, respectively, of being selected early to major, early to lieutenant colonel, and for battalion command than their one-standard deviation lower cognitive-ability peers."
Looked at as a whole, Cancian and Spain show a military both declining in average intelligence and biased against it. If true, the military would be ill-positioned to produce the strategic leaders it needs to navigate the complex world of the present and future.
Confirming or denying this hypothesis would certainly be a challenge. For one, separating intelligence from motivation is difficult. Standardized tests are predictable, allowing motivated students to prepare for the exam. Likewise, college GPA would be a troublesome metric, as schools vary widely in quality and grading criteria. While the services likely have some useful data, even accessing it would likely be a challenge. Where the Army keeps a copy of my ACT scores -- required for ROTC a long time ago -- could be anyone’s guess. While many mid-career officers have taken the GRE, that population likely only reflects individuals interested in graduate education. A comprehensive inventory of intellectual capital, particularly measured to allow year-over-year comparison, would be resource intensive. Others far more experienced than I have found it necessary, though in the intervening years we are no closer to doing so. More esoteric components of intellect, such as critical thinking and curiosity, defy easy measurement.
Some may wonder how the military could be declining in average intelligence, especially in its officer corps, when a large percentage of mid-career and senior officers now possess advanced degrees. Much of the increase in graduate education can be accounted for through degree-granting service schools such as the Air War College or Army War College. The rise of schools that grant college credit for military experience or training also plays a role. Meanwhile, the percentage of new brigadier generals who earned a degree through a civilian graduate school declined over the last two decades.
Some hopeful signs are emerging. Some of the "Force of the Future" initiatives recognized the role that challenging graduate education can play in intellectual development. The Army even sponsored officers to attend elite social science doctoral programs to assist in the development of strategic planners. The military may yet, as Cohen recommends, develop some of its intellectual capital. It remains to be seen if officers who participate in these types of programs will be punished by future promotion and selection boards, as Spain’s research suggests.
One must be careful not to fetishize intelligence at the expense of other traits, nor confuse graduate education with intellectual ability. Many variables go into developing future leaders within the military, and it is yet unclear whether intelligence is even among the most important. Charles Koch, describing his talent recruitment strategy for his various businesses, noted that he prioritizes values over absolute intelligence, which is why there are more Wichita State graduates at Koch Industries than Ivy League-educated individuals. The military, as a values-centric organization, may be in a similar situation. All things being equal, it is better to have intelligent leaders in the military. All things are never equal.
Recruiting, developing, and retaining intellectual capital within the military is a national security issue. The world is complex, and the military will need smart, educated leaders who can assist policy makers in navigating such an environment. Unfortunately, some research strongly suggests that the military has barriers to both recruiting the intellectual capital that it needs and rewarding that which it does have. Studying the problem -- and owning up to it if it truly exists -- would be a necessary first step.
Private Joker is silly and he's ignorant but he's got guts, and guts is enough.
Maybe not an intelligent contribution to the discussion but I couldn't help it. There are so many things in that movie that keep coming back to me.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/30/2017 15:19
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#7
Skidmark's comment may get closer to the mark. IMHO there were a whole bunch of things that started going wrong in this country in 1963. Maybe it started earlier but '63 was bad.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/30/2017 15:23
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#8
I used to teach at a Community College. The problems most assuredly begin before HS graduation, and they are systemic.
#9
I've been told no person graduates from Harvard with a C average. They claim to have the best qualified for anything after graduation. Someone here may know know truth of this. So all graduate with highest marks. In my opinion that is why Obama went there most likely to get his right of passage.
#10
No longer must one be of unusually high intelligence to graduate from college, nor does college graduation indicate high intelligence.
It never did. In the old days college attendance and graduation went to those whose parents had money and whose environment encouraged the skills and knowledge acquisition necessary to enjoy a four year visit in the academic environment. The occasional scholarship student generally had the environment without parental money. But in the old days it was understood that there were plenty of intelligent people who had neither the means nor the interest in a college education -- the Yankee inventor being only one example -- and many jobs that require an expensive college degree were considered skills best learnt on the job, like bookkeeping.
Nowadays it is assumed that smart people go to college and dumb people don't, which means a lot of reasonably intelligent people borrow and spend a great deal of money to learn how to do things that do not interest them, and often will not earn them enough money to make the work of learning worthwhile. Mr. Daughter #2, who is quite bright, good-hearted, and hard working, ended up with an accounting degree that way, and since he has no idea what he really wants to be -- other than gainfully employed by an appreciative employer and married to trailing daughter #2 -- he works very hard and progresses in a career that brings him no pleasure other than knowing he gave more than fair value for his paycheck.
#11
So wrt paragraphs 5 and 6: If you were inclined to serve your country, but weren't convinced that the nation's leadership was going to use the armed forces in intelligent ways, you might be disinclined to risk your life for no purpose. There are, as the article says, many other ways for a person with elite intelligence to contribute.
If that were a factor, you'd expect to see a little blip up after 9/11, in among the declines. Do the statistics allow such an observation?
Posted by: james ||
04/30/2017 17:56
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#12
Well, I went from a steel mill laborer to a professional student in about 3 months. I worked two minimum wage jobs ($2.25/hr) 6 days/wk and slept 4 hrs/night in 1 stall of a garage I rented for 4 yrs to get my 3.65 CS degree, with no loan or scholarship. I scraped pizza plates at night for eats.
It wasn't Harvard, it was amazing.
#13
Ah, the (non-existent) golden years/good old days. I remember ROTC and the order of merit list, circa 1972. Racked up my knee in summer camp. Sent me home to repeat the next year. Got the camp average for my OML comp which was 50 percent of the total score. A quarter was one's grade in ROTC and the other quarter was one's academic grades. Ended up 10th in a class of over 70 cadets. That tell you something about the 'recent' decline?
Not to mention 'intelligence' scores have since been fiddled with and altered to remove 'bias'* which throws the whole computation and comparison game out.
#1
Now, if they can just create a robot to go through the permitting process, buy the land and materials, and give it to someone that needs a house, they will have accomplished a social step.
Why is it that the photos I've seen of this particular event created something that would generally be called "people's housing"?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/30/2017 10:30
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#2
Does it meet code? Don't see much in the way of doors or windows do such things weaken the frame?
#5
It's a tiny house -- one bedroom, I think. 38 m^2 is 409 square feet. It sounds like the building price at $10,134 is about $25/sq.ft., not including the land purchase and site preparation, utilities hook-up, permits, legal fees,and possibly not including plumbing and wiring -- that isn't clear to me from the video. Flat roofs need a lot more care and attention than pitched roofs to prevent leaking, I understand.
The price quoted is $275/m^2 compared to a standard construction cost of $223/m^2. Twenty-four hours is considerably better than the standard construction time of six weeks to six months, so there's a major cost saving there in being able to get in right away...
Still, that the method is proved workable is really, really cool.
AlanC, the living room has a row of four windows to one side of the front door.
#5
Notice that there's no mention of where the counter protesters were from.
I refuse to use the term "antifa" because that implies anyone they are protesting is automatically fascist. That gives them authenticity which they have not earned.
#8
Antifa was neutered by LE as they were in Berkeley just a couple of days ago. All that is required is the enforcement of the "no wearing of masks" rule. Do that, and Antifa will not show as they spend quite the effort with recruits on how to avoid "unmasking" It shows how little Berkeley PD had been doing in the 1st place. Thursday was a beautiful day in Berkeley. So many folks gathering had not seen each other since 2nd Battle of Berkeley. Some of it quite emotional. It speaks to those bonds that can form under such situations.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
04/30/2017 11:15
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#9
Why Pikeville, KY?
Recruiting where the desperate edge of depressed urban society meets Appalachia.
See The Outsiders
But most of the town’s actual residents want nothing to do with Nazis or their foes.
“We have no clue why they would even pick Pikeville,” said Elizabeth White, who is in her 50s and has lived in Pikeville her entire life. “Why don’t they go disrespect their own homes, their own people, their own families?”
She added, “We need Trump to tell them to go back to their own place.”
Just as well the police kept the visitors orderly. Next time they should charge each group a stiff per-head fee for providing security.
#13
My observation: of the various groups that showed to provide security, some were able to work hand-in-glove with BPD to provide a secure perimeter around the event which then freed up PD assets to corral and separate Ralliers and any Antifa that showed up. That force multiplier was crucial to clamping down on any potential for violence that day. We're seeing LE adapt the position that the best way to defuse the situation is to demask Antifa. Concur.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
04/30/2017 18:36
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#14
I've been through Pikeville several times. It is a town of about 7000. Pikeville has a connection to East Tennessee in that a family was murdered north of here off I-81 20 years ago. A description of the murders was as follows: The Lillelid murders refers to a criminal case in Greeneville, Tennessee, United States in 1997. A Norwegian-Honduran-American family of Jehovah's Witnesses were carjacked and then shot; three of the four were killed. Six young people were convicted and sentenced for the crime. Norwegian Vidar Lillelid (age 34), his American wife Delfina (28), their daughter Tabitha (6) and son Peter (2) were shot on a deserted road in Tennessee on 6 April 1997. Vidar and Delfina were found dead, while Tabitha died after being transported to the hospital. Peter, who was found lying in a ditch, was the only survivor. He had been shot once in the torso and once through the eye. As a result of the shooting, he was left blind in one eye and permanently disabled The father worked at a Holiday Inn in Knoxville a few miles away. The trial for the murderers was held in Greenville, TN. Feelings were heated in Greenville and there was talk of lynching in the newspaper which turned out to be just talk. The murderers were from the Pikeville, KY area, were into witchcraft, satanism and the occult and were described as Goths. They are still serving time in the Tennessee prison system.
[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."
[AnNahar] At least five soldiers were killed and another 40 injured when a Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... jihadist rammed an explosives-laden pick-up truck into a military convoy in northeast Nigeria ... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border... , security sources told AFP on Friday.
The bomber, believed to be loyal to factional leader Abu Mus'ab al-Barnawi, targeted the convoy, which was conducting "clearance operations" between Yobe and Borno states, two military officers said.
"At about 1100 hours (1000 GMT) on Thursday, a jacket wallah believed to be a Boko Haram terrorist riding in a van loaded with explosives rammed into a military convoy at Manguzum village," one said.
"We lost five soldiers in the incident and more than 40 sustained various degrees of injuries," added the officer, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak about the incident.
The convoy was heading to the garrison town of Damboa, which is some 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, at the time.
A second military source said the troops were heading into Borno when the jihadist crashed his vehicle into a tank.
"The armoured tank was seriously damaged and the operation slowed down," he added.
There has been a spate of deadly attacks on military targets in recent months, as troops fight to end the eight-year insurgency, which has left at least 20,000 dead in Nigeria alone.
The conflict has also spilled into neighbouring countries Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... , Chad and Niger, making more than two million homeless.
Most of the recent attacks are suspected to have been carried out by the al-Barnawi faction, which is backed 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.... group.
Last August IS declared al-Barnawi, whose father founded Boko Haram, as the group's new leader, replacing its long-time figurehead Abubakar Shekau ... the lunatic leader of Boko Haram who has been reported dead at least eleven times, pledged his body and soul to ISIS, told his fighters to hang it up once or twice, and been fire by the Caliph and refused to step down ... Shekau has rejected al-Barnawi's leadership and maintained he was still in charge, leading to a split and infighting.
While Shekau focuses mainly on hit-and-run raids on villages and attacks on civilian targets, al-Barnawi is focused on attacks on the military.
[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.
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[Ynet] Moslem high-school students are frustrated that many of the important exams fall during the month when devout Moslems refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours; the only concession is an additional 15 minutes per hour of test time.
Israel’s matriculation exams, the culmination of 12 years of education, are set to begin on May 4 and last until July 13. The country’s Moslem pupils are even more stressed than their Jewish peers, however, because this year, the month-long fast of Ramadan falls during the exam period.
Think of it as practice for the long years of adulthood, when no one will give you 25% more time to complete your tasks.
For Moslem Israeli students, the fast and matriculation exams have coincided for the past few years. This year, Ramadan begins on May 26, following the matriculation exams in mathematics and English, but most other subjects, including those largely studied by affected students (including Hebrew for Arabs, literature for Arabs, Islamic religion and Arabic history and language) will take place during the fast.
[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.
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#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.
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04/30/2017 11:36
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#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".
[Dhaka Tribune] Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has tossed in the calaboose You have the right to remain silent... the Jhenaidah district unit military commander of banned Lion of Islam group Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west. B).
Abdul Alim, 50, son of late Azizul Islam from Satkhira, was picked up early Saturday.
He was a close aide of Mufti Hannan, the chief of a faction of the Lion of Islam outfit hanged recently, RAB said.
RAB 6 Jhenaidah Camp Commander Golam Morshed, also an assistant superintendent of police, said they had conducted raids at the district’s Hathgopalpur village in four teams.
They finally arrested Alim from in front a graveyard around 4am.
Later in the day, he was produced before a Chuadanga court amid tight security in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The accused admitted planning sabotage in Chuadanga, Meherpur and Jhenaidah, RAB said.
After the July 1 Gulshan attack, Alim started organising a team consisting of 10 members in the region, the RAB official said.
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[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.
[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.
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[DAWN] KARACHI: A suspect who allegedly rubbed out a man over some dispute and injured a police officer was bumped off by the police in an encounter in Azizabad on Friday evening, officials said.
Central SSP Muqaddas Haider told Dawn that the police received information on Madadgar-15 from someone that a gunman, later on identified as Saqib, was firing shots and that he had taken someone hostage inside a home in Azizabad over some dispute.
The police party responded and reached the spot. As the coppers knocked on the door, the armed man attacked the police, resulting in bullet wounds to Sub-Inspector Tasaduq.
The police retaliated and in an ensuing encounter, the suspect, Saqib, was bumped off.
As the police party entered the home, they saw another man lying dead on a bed with bullet wounds.
The Central SSP believed that the man was bumped off by the suspect.
The identity of the victim could not be ascertained immediately.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... neighbours told the police that the victim was sent by his father to settle some monetary dispute with Saqib, said Mr Haider.
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[DAWN] A groom in meat-strapped Uttar Pradesh walked out on the bride because her family had served only vegetarian food at the wedding, Outlook magazine reported on Friday.
Another man stepped in to accept the vegetarian repast and with it the bride, the magazine said. It did not describe the religion of the groom but it appeared to be a Moslem wedding as there was reference to the price of buffalo meat going through the roof, a factor in not serving meat.
"They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Sometimes the opposite is also true," Outlook said.
It quoted guests at the Muzaffarnagar as describing how they the groom refusing to solemnise his marriage "after seeing that only vegetarian dishes were being served at the wedding feast on Thursday."
With the ceremony on the verge of a breakdown, "a guest came to the rescue and proposed marriage to the bride-in- waiting who readily accepted", panchayat officials told the magazine.
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[Libya Herald] The Libyan National Army (LNA) resumed Arclight airstrikes yesterday on Tamenhint and Jufra airbases. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... casualties ‐ if any ‐ are currently unknown, as is damage to the two places.
Both bases are held by Misrata’s Third Force ‐ Tamenhint in alliance with members of the local Hasawna tribe. The Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) were present in Jufra until earlier this month, but then pulled out.
At Tamenhint, there was a ceasefire between LNA forces, led by General Mohammed Ben Nayel and his 12th Brigade, and the Third Force. This has effectively dissolved, although the effectiveness of the general’s troops in trying to capture the bas has been distinctly muted. The same has be so in regard to Arclight airstrikes against it.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard... a new but uneasy truce has begun between the rival Tebu and Awlad Sulaiman communities in Sebha. Four days ago, there were festivities between the two communities in central Sebha following the Tebu confiscation of an Awlad Sulaiman gas truck. Both sides have now withdrawn to the original checkpoints they held, with the Tebu moving south of Sebha airport.
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[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.
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[IsraelTimes] Sky News Arabic, opposition forces report kabooms near Qunietra, claim Israeli choppers seen overhead; Syrian military said to deny attack.
Arab media and Syrian opposition forces reported Saturday night that the Israeli Air Force had carried out strikes near the border town of Quneitra.
The strikes reportedly targeted Syrian army forces in the area. Sky News Arabic reported kabooms and said Israeli choppers were sighted in the area.
However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... Leb’s Al Mayadeen network quoted Syrian army officials who denied an attack had taken place.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, and no official comment from Israel.
On Thursday a Patriot missile intercepted a Syrian drone that entered Israeli airspace. According to the IDF, the missile successfully downed the unmanned aerial vehicle over the Golan Heights.
On Wednesday, Arab media reported that Israel attacked a Syrian Army air base near Damascus.
Israel has carried out multiple Arclight airstrikes in Syria since that country’s civil war erupted in 2011, most of which it has said targeted arms convoys or warehouses of Hezbollah, which is a key supporter of the Syrian regime.
Last month, the army said it conducted several strikes near the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, targeting what it said were "advanced weapons" belonging to Hezbollah.
The strikes prompted Syria to launch ground-to-air missiles, one of which was intercepted over Israeli territory in the most serious flare-up between the two neighbors since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.
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.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] A 30-minute long battle video was released on Saturday, showing the Tiger Forces living up to their reputation as the most fearsome assault troops on the Syrian battlefield. Other army factions are also stationed in northern Hama although all military decisions are taken by Suheil al-Hassan and his advisors.
The footage depicts recent events in rural Hama, including storming operations and fire support provided by Arclight airstrikes and rearguard artillery units.
The footage shows the battle for Taibat al-Imam, Souran, Massasnah and other nearby rural areas. Currently, the Syrian Arab Army is gearing up to storm Lataminah, an Islamist stronghold that has been under rebel control since 2012.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Air Force (SYAAF) carried out a strategic Arclight airstrike in the southern countryside of Idlib this week, targeting another al-Qaeda camp with Russian help.
A Russian drone captured footage of the Syrian Air Force attacking this base in southern Idlib, showing the moment the al-Qaeda camp was destroyed by the Arclight airstrike.
Since launching their counter-offensive in northern Hama, the Syrian and Russian air forces have intensified their Arclight airstrikes over the Idlib countryside in order to obstruct the flow of jihadists to the front-lines.
The Syrian Arab Army is expected to resume their offensive operations in the northern countryside of Hama in the coming days, as they look to attack both Morek and al-Lataminah.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Jaish al-Islam ...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful... released a statement on Saturday that called on all Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighters in the East Ghouta to turn themselves and their weapons in.
Jaish al-Islam promised to not harm any Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighters that surrender to their forces and further added that they will release them later.
This statement from Jaish al-Islam comes just hours after Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and their fighters engaged in a violent battle in the East Ghouta, resulting in more than 75 dead between both jihadist entities.
Despite this demand by Jaish al-Islam, it is rather unlikely that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham will surrender to the former in the East Ghouta; especially, since the latter is the larger of the two jihadist groups in Syria.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] With rebel forces heavily invested in defeating one another in rural Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is slowly but surely gaining ground in the embattled al-Qaboun neighborhood on the eastern fringes of the Syrian capital.
On Saturday, the 105th Brigade of the Elite Republican Guard seized a batch of building blocks in the southern sector of the district following previous gains in the same area yesterday.
Effectively, Syrian government troops have reached the Abd al-Ghani Bajqni school which has been turned into a sniper nest fortification by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (Syrian al-Qaeda branch) and Failaq al-Rahman (Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... group).
Remarkably, rebel-held sections of the al-Qaboun district are just 600 meters from being split in two down the middle due to recent SAA advances.
Much similar to the Daraya offensive last year, chopping up the pocket into smaller fractions will likely speed up the SAA’s seemingly inevitable victory. Leading this operation is the 42nd Brigade of the 4th Division and 105th Brigade of the Elite Republican Guard, commanded by Brigadier General Ali Mahmoud and Colonel Ghayath Galla.
The Elite Republican Guards are primarily engaged on the southern sector of al-Qaboun district while the 4th Mechanized Division is deployed on its eastern and western axis.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The ISIS terrorist group has launched a well-executed counter-offensive against the Osoud al-Sharqiya rebel group (a US/ Jordanian-backed Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... franchise) on the border region between the provinces of Homs and East Qalamoun.
ISIS launched its assault out the so-called Mahsaa salient, this area being the small, but all-important territorial wedge that ISIS has driven between FSA-held East Qalamoun and FSA-held desert areas to the southeast. The ISIS counter-stroke came after a fortnight of encroaching FSA gains against the terrorist group which where aimed at expelling it in the direction of Homs province and lifting the the siege on East Qalamoun.
So far, ISIS has managed to recapture Manqourah, Zibedah , Dab’ and Daba’ and, consequentially, the Osoud al-Sharqiya group has been forced onto the defensive for the time being.
As a result of this counter-offensive, ISIS has effectively reaffirmed and reinforced its siege of FSA-held East Qalamoun, which only twelve hours ago seemed to be on the verge of being broken. In doing so the Jihadist group has demonstrated that it will not easily surrender this strategic foothold in the Syrian desert despite other military pressures being placed on it in eastern Homs and Raqqah.
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[AlAhram] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's military killed 14 members of the bad boy Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in air strikes in northern Iraq on Saturday, the military said in a statement.
Six bully boyz were killed around the area of Sinat-Haftan and eight in the countryside around Adiyaman in two separate air strikes, the military said.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] On Friday evening, a jihadist Emir originating from the Caucasus region of Russia was killed during prayer time in a mosque in the bustling provincial capital of Idlib.
Sheikh Salah, Emir of the Imam Bukhari brigade (jihadist group with imported muscle mainly from Uzbekistan), was rubbed out along with four bodyguards by unknown assailants during Magreb prayer in downtown Idlib. The attackers are still on the lam.
Nowadays, Idlib is targeted by boom-mobiles or liquidations once a week on average. Rebel factions usually point the finger at spies of the Mukhabarat (Syrian intelligence agency) although infighting seems just as likely.
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[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.
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#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
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#2
"The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out."
Byzantine maneuverings in the Palestinian territories after President Trump moved another Overton Window.
[IsraelTimes] Why has the PA president chosen this moment to stop funding Gazoo’s electricity, and why is he keeping the lid on West Bank anger? Because Washington beckons.
If anyone doubted the sincerity of Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... intended "disengagement" from the Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",-run Gazoo Strip, the PA’s official announcement on Thursday made clear that the rais
Continued on Page 49
No, not monosodium glutamate, dear Reader, though it would fit.
[BeastWatch] France’s Mistral amphibious assault carrier docked in Nagasaki, Japan on April 29 in advance of military exercises to be conducted with the U.K., U.S., and Japan. Nagasaki is the closest major Japanese port to South Korea, and coming at a time of tension on the peninsula, the French and U.K. naval presence sends a strong message to both China and North Korea. Japan’s increased naval activity is also welcome support for South Korea, and will decrease diplomatic tension between the two natural allies.
The U.K. and French presence shows that NATO, including the U.S., is strongly behind South Korea. The effect of these international allied naval forces is to pressure North Korea to abandon its self-destructive drive for ever more powerful nuclear weapons atop long-range missiles capable of reaching North America.
#2
And if this doesn't work, the UN has a viscous non-binding referendum that is slavering to deliver a stiffly worded communique to Kimmie.
(Note on the French prescence: somebody at Dassault said to the French navy to get over there and get tracking data and telemetry on the THAAD and SM6's when the squirting begins.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/30/2017 11:25
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#3
The myopic Kim will be unable to read the message.
#4
Thank you for adding the link to the original Forbes article, Besoeker. Beast Watch appears to have taken it down -- I get a 404 page not found message.
[IsraelTimes] Dad of 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, killed in a firefight with police, turns up drunk at law enforcement station in Gay Paree suburb
The father of the gunman who killed a policeman in an attack on Gay Paree’s Champs-Elysees this month was tossed in the calaboose Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! after turning up drunk at a cop shoppe and threatening officers, a source close to the case said Saturday.
His son, 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, was killed in a firefight with police that sent tourists on the world-famous boulevard running for cover days before the first round of La Belle France’s presidential election.
The father, who was not identified, "came to the cop shoppe (in Gay Paree suburb Noisy-le-Grand) drunk and threatened coppers without weapons and without violence," the source told AFP.
He was also angry that officials in Noisy-le-Grand and nearby Chelles had refused permission for his son to be buried in those towns, the source added. The father was arrested on Friday and was still in police custody on Saturday.
The April 20 shooting, which 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 claimed as the work of one of its "fighters", was the latest in a string of attacks that have claimed 239 lives around La Belle France since 2015.
The scenes of violence propelled security back to the fore in the presidential campaign after nine months of relative calm.
[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
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[SHABELLENEWS] At least one person was confirmed killed, and several others were maimed in a hevay fighting between two armed clan militias in southern Somalia on Saturday morning.
According to residents the skirmish broke out in Jameca Misri, a rural settlement located in the outskirts of Mahaday district in Middle Shabelle region.
The fighting has raged on for several hours in the area, as both warring sides exchanged heavy and small weaponry, including machine guns and rocked propelled grenades (RPGs).
The administration of middle Shabelle is yet to release its own statement concerning the clan fighting ongoing the the outskirts of Mahaday town, about 100Km north of Mogadishu.
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04/30/2017
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[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.
[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.
[SHABELLENEWS] A Somali official blamed Kenyan air forces for carrying out air strikes against civilians targets in southern Somalia, killing innocent people and livestock.
Speaking with Radio Shabelle, Sahal Moallim Aden, the deputy commissioner of El Wak district said there were many civilians, camels and goats killed by KDF raids in Gedo region.
He added Kenyan warplanes fighting al-Shaabab hard boyz in the southern regions have bombed residential areas, and inflicted heavy losses on the locals, mainly herders.
Moallim called on Somalia’s Federal government to communicate with Kenyan defense ministry over stopping of the frequent Arclight airstrikes in Gedo region which left dozens dead.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017
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#1
said there were many civilians, camels and goats killed by KDF raids in Gedo region.
They hit a Somali whorehouse?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/30/2017 11:22
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[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.
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04/30/2017
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[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.
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04/30/2017
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[Dhaka Tribune] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... turned a historic corner this month, as approximately 51.4% of over 58 million voters marked "yes" for the charter amendment which transforms the parliamentary governmental structure into an executive one, giving the president expansive powers.
In a televised statement, President Erdogan thanked the voters, looking confident in his newfound transformative role. He remarked that a deep and significant change has taken place, and that a new era has started.
The former mayor of Istanbul has risen through the ranks of political power to become the most powerful president in Turkey’s history.
The referendum enables the president to rule uncontested after the 2019 elections, have two terms, and appoint bigwigs, judges, plus the cabinet, with minimal oversight from a weakened parliament without a prime minister.
What caused this radical turn of events in a land that held parliamentary democracy since 1920s?
Terror-tremors
Turkey is still reeling from the terrorist attacks, and a strongman rule has gained favourability.
Upon landing at Ataturk Airport, one sees a memorial dedicated to the 45 people killed by a terrorist attack last June. The IS terrorists’ gunfire and suicide kaboom inside the airport injured over 200.
Multiple kabooms have taken place across the nation, some by IS and others by Kurdish hard boys. Moreover, the attempted military coup from the middle of last year left 290 fatalities, and reminded the citizenry of instability in their republic.
Travelling across Istanbul, one gets a sense of vibrancy that has not been diminished by the referendum. It’s the commercial hub of the nation after all, people are coming, people are selling, it’s a marketplace of all commodities, big and small.
A divided Turkey
To gain a perspective from the field, I talked to a Turkish carpet-seller near Blue Mosque, who lamented how IS attacks have scarred the nation. Another mentioned that gaining access to the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... remains a pipe-dream, as 80% of the EU members do not want Turkey in their organization.
I spoke to a gentleman inside a bookstore in Taksim Square, the heartland of Istanbul. He mentioned that the "yes" vote is a regressive step. Having studied in the US, he knows that a presidential system of governance works in America, with its checks and balances, but that is not the case in Turkey. The institutions are not formed for an effective counterbalance to expansive presidential powers.
A Kurdish restauranteur in the Sultan Ahmet tourist district remarked that he cannot be happy with the "yes" vote, as politicians are prone to corruption. Although he is not particularly satisfied with the current parliamentary system, giving the president more powers is not the solution.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017
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#1
A Kurdish restaurateur in the Sultan Ahmet tourist district remarked
Any bets on how many Kurdish restaurateurs where going to be in the Sultan Ahmet tourist district this time next week?
#2
Note that people only give the media opinions anonymously.
About the same level of intimidation found on many a college campus.
Also, there is a lot of doubt as to whether the referendum actually got 50% of the vote.
Posted by: lord garth ||
04/30/2017 10:34
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#3
I dunno. Judging by the actions of our own Congress this might not be a bad idea. They put no brakes on Obama but they've resisted Trump at every turn. They take money from lobbyists to pass laws that are not in the interests of the people who elected them and they never do what the people who elected them want. What good are they?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/30/2017 15:03
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[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
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#1
U.S. OFFICIALS THIS WEEK requested the geographic coordinates of aid groups working in Somalia
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A big shot of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... group has been rubbed out by unknown gunnies near Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. city of Pakistain, it has been reported.
The senior Taliban leader, Mawlavi Daud, was killed near Shamshato refugee camp on Friday.
Taliban sources quoted by Pakistain’s Daily Times newspaper have said Mawlavi Daud, the former Taliban governor of Kabul, was killed as he travelling in the area.
The sources have further added that the driver of Mawlavi Daud was also killed in the attack.
No group or individual has so far grabbed credit behind the killing of Mawlavi Daud so far.
The turbanIslamic 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 killed a senior Afghan Taliban ...the Pashtun equiovalent of men... official in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , the Afghan turbans said on Saturday, in a rare clash between the rival Islamist groups inside Pakistain.
Afghan Taliban sources told Rooters Maulvi Daud was killed on the outskirts of Peshawar with two other men on Thursday. Taliban front man Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Daud's death.
The IS on Friday grabbed credit for "liquidation of a Taliban leader" a day earlier, without naming him, through the group's affiliated news agency AMAQ.
The IS, which at one point controlled huge chunks of territory across Syria and Iraq, has made some inroads into Afghanistan but the turban group has met tough resistance from the Taliban as well as US and Afghan special forces.
Afghan Taliban sources said Daud was based in Afghanistan's Pashtun-infested Logar province but would frequently visit Pakistain.
The turban group does not control any territory inside Pakistain but the group has grabbed credit for several large-scale kabooms.
Pakistain denies IS has any presence inside the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Infighting in the East Ghouta peaked on Saturday as jihadist factions clashed with one another on an unprecident scale, leading to the death of a high-ranking commander of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
With dozens more killed in the inter-rebel festivities, HTS chief Abu Ayyoub Tasni was rubbed out by Jaish al-Islam ...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful... just two days after being jugged Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! in the town of Irbeen.
Jaish al-Islam, a Saudi-funded group, is the largest East Ghouta rebel faction. It is now opposed by HTS, Failaq al-Rahman (Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... group) and Ahrar al-Sham ...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014... All four factions released statements regarding the festivities, thereby reaffirming them.
Meanwhile, ...back at the saloon, Butch got the bill for the damage caused by the fist fight, the mirror broken in the shootout, and drinks for everyone...... the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) watches with delight from afar. Only three murderous Moslem pockets are left in and around the Syrian capital.
Government forces are currently trying to wrestle control of al-Qaboun and Barzeh. Once this urban area of East Damascus is liquidated, the SAA will launch a brand new East Ghouta offensive, sources inform al-Masdar News.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2017
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Top|| File under: Jaish al-Islam (MB)
[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 ||
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[Ynet] The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing that targeted a police station in Baghdad's center Friday night, and Iraqi officials said the blast killed four people and wounded eight.
The attack was carried out by a suicide car bomber, according to police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. They put the death toll at four.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/30/2017
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[Libya Observer] Libya Coast Guard seized two oil-smuggling tankers off the country’s western coast on Friday, a navy official said.
Spokesman of the Libyan Navy, Brigadier-General Ayoub Qasim, said Ukraine-flagged tanker Routa with 14 crewmembers of Ukrainian nationalities and another Congo-flagged called Stark with 9 crewmembers of Turkish and Georgian nationalities were intercepted early in the morning 2 km west of Zuwara port, a hub for fuel and human smugglers.
He said the two tankers refused orders of Coast Guard patrols to stop, igniting more than three hours of exchange of fire with fuel smugglers escorting the tankers.
"Our patrols managed to seize the two tankers," he said. Qasim declined to give further information on the incident.
Earlier this month, Libyan Coast Guard killed four human smugglers after they refused to obey orders to stop.
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[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
[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.
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[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
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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.
[Daily Caller] The left-wing activists behind the anti-conservative riots at Berkeley have ties to one of the nation’s most prominent pro-pedophilia organizations.
[AnNahar] The Afghan 
[AnNahar] At least five soldiers were killed and another 40 injured when a 
...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. ..
[DAWN] KARACHI: A suspect who allegedly 
[IsraelTimes] Sky News Arabic, opposition forces report 
...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful...
[ALMASDARNEWS] On Friday evening, a jihadist Emir originating from the Caucasus region of Russia was killed during prayer time in a mosque in the 
[SHABELLENEWS] At least one person was confirmed killed, and several others were 
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
[Dhaka Tribune] 
[DAWN] 
