PROMINENT WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST ARRESTED, SPARKS INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY – Matiullah Wesa, founder of the Pen Path and a staunch advocate of education rights for women and girls was arrested in Kabul yesterday. It is not clear what charges he faces and no explanation had been provided by the Taliban as of publication. His arrest launched a massive international response which included many states who have sought to normalize relations with the Taliban. Several international human rights organizations added their voices and called on the de facto regime to provide clarification and information regarding his whereabouts.
TAJIKISTAN MAY BE SOFTENING ON THE TALIBAN – Some analysts and observers are taking the recent visit by a Taliban diplomatic team to the Afghan consulate in Khorog as a sign that Dushanbe may be exploring a gentler approach to the regime. A major factor that may be influencing any notions of normalizing relations is said to be the booming export market Tajikistan has with Afghanistan coupled with a worrisome decline in remittances from Russia. Most say that should the Tajik government accept a Taliban representative in Dushanbe, that would be proof positive the President has had a change of heart.
AN AFGHAN MAN KILLS 2 IN PORTUGAL WITH A KNIFE – Confirmation has been received that a knife-wielding Afghan national has killed 2 women at an Ismaili Center in Lisbon. A third woman sustained injuries in the attack. The man was taken into custody and it is believed he was a student who had been studying English under the tutelage of the victims. No motive has been discovered so far but authorities are concerned the incident targeted a Shiite center and security forces have elevated their security posture.
3 FEMALE PROTESTORS WHO HAD BEEN ARRESTED RECENTLY RELEASED ON BAIL – The women had been arrested during a protest on the weekend and were reportedly released on bail after several elders had intervened on their behalf. Sources close to the situation say the 3 were forced to sign a pledge not to discuss the incident with the press. The three were reportedly members of the Afghan Women’s Justice Movement and well-known among the human rights community.
NEXT 24 HOURS
POSSIBLE PROTESTS IN KABUL OVER MATIULLAH WESA’S ARREST – Rumors that public demonstrations may take place to protest the arrest of Matiullah Wesa are circulating on some social media platforms. No official locations or times have been released but some are saying they may begin near the Pen Path foundation’s offices. Due to the proclivity of the Taliban’s security forces to employ violence to disrupt these events, we encourage at-risk Afghans to avoid any areas where demonstrations take place.
WARNING TO AVOID MOSQUES, MALLS, AND AIRPORT FOR NEXT 72 HOURS IN KABUL – An unspecified threat has been circulating on social media sites that are warning citizens in Kabul to avoid these areas. No specific threat has been confirmed and no additional information has been provided. However, we felt obligated to include the information considering the recent threats and actions of ISIS-K.
[NPASyria] After arresting a Syrian refugee last week suspected of committing war crimes under the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) in Syria, Belgium started on Tuesday an investigation over how he was granted an asylum status eight years ago.
Federal prosecutors told Belga news agency that the 38-year-old Syrian refugee was arrested over the executions of civilians who refused to swear allegiance to the jihadists [ISIS] near the city of Palmyra, central Syria.
"The asylum procedure serves to protect people threatened with war or persecution, not those who are guilty of war crimes," said Nathalie de Moor, Belgium’s Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.
De Moor added that the asylum status will be stripped if the suspect was proven to be guilty.
The role of the Syrian suspect, who fled Syria in 2015, within ISIS and his involvement in killings are yet to be determined.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/29/2023 04:07 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Police detain eight people during investigations into an alleged plot to commit "terrorist attacks" in Belgium, the federal prosecutor’s office says.
Raids were conducted late last night on homes in the capital Brussels, the port city of Antwerp and the border town of Eupen, the statement says.
A judicial source tells AFP those arrested "were very young radicalized people" suspected of belonging to a jihadist movement.
The statement says at least five of those detained were suspected of planning to "commit a terrorist attack in Belgium."
[IsraelTimes] Mossad says it aided probe into suspected international terror network that Greece says was making final preparations for mass-casualty attack on Jewish restaurant
Greek police arrested two Pak nationals Tuesday who were allegedly planning mass-casualty terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the country.
Israel’s Mossad spy agency, which aided the Greek investigation, said in a statement that the two were part of an Iranian terror network.
The Iran-born pair, aged 27 and 29, were being held at police headquarters in central Athens, Greek authorities said. A third man, who is not in Greece, was wanted for questioning and charged in absentia.
A government official told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that one of the targets was a Jewish restaurant in central Athens. Reports indicated that the target was a Chabad House, which includes a Kosher restaurant and also hosts other religious services.
The official asked not to be identified, pending official announcements.
Police said the suspects had chosen a target of "high symbolism" and were making final preparations for the attack.
"Their aim was not only to cause the loss of life of innocent citizens, but also to undermine the sense of security in the country, while hurting public institutions and threatening [Greece’s] international relations," the police statement said.
The two suspects both entered Greece illegally from neighboring The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... and had been in the country for at least four months. As part of their investigation, police searched multiple sites in Athens, as well as in southern Greece and on the island of Zakynthos.
In a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Mossad said it had helped Athens in the "grave affair," including uncovering links to Iran.
"After the investigation of the suspects began in Greece, Mossad assisted in unraveling intelligence of the infrastructure, the methods of operation, and the connection to Iran," the spy agency said.
It claimed the two Paks were part of a "wide Iranian network that operates from Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and out of many countries."
Greek police said an attack was imminent. "An analysis of the seized information and digital data revealed and confirmed that the members of the network had already chosen as the target of the attack, a building of special importance; had carried out the reconnaissance of the area and the planning of the attack; and had received final instructions to carry out the attack," a statement carried by Greek news site Ekathimerini read.
According to the report, authorities began investigating the terror network following the 2021 arrest of two other Pak men suspected of planning attacks on Israelis. The network was also linked to an Iranian plot foiled in Turkey last year, it said.
Greece’s anti-terrorism police division and National Intelligence Service were involved in the arrests, according to a police statement.
Greek Public Order Minister Takis Theodorikakos said in a tweet that "the operation demonstrates that the country’s security authorities maintain a high state of readiness for all Greeks and all visitors to our country."
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen thanked Greece for thwarting the plot.
"The ayatollah regime in Tehran is exporting terror to the Middle East, Mediterranean and wider world and only a tough stance and cooperation will halt the terror activities of the Iranian regime," he said in a tweet.
The Mossad is also working to thwart Iran-linked terror activities aimed at Israeli and Jewish targets in several other countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, Channel 12 reported.
Some of the countries at a high risk level include the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Bahrain.
2 Pakistani citizens were arrested in Athens, Greece on suspicions of planning attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets. It appears that both men had lived in Iran for a time before traveling to Greece.
[IsraelTimes] Suspected attacker taken to hospital after being ’neutralized’ by police; PM says incident an isolated criminal act
It’s Ramadan. The victims are probably Shiite — what odds the unnamed, undescribed killer is a Sunni colonist resentful of sharing the fruits of pillage, plunder, and rape?
Portuguese police shot a man suspected of stabbing two people to death at an Ismaili Moslem center in Lisbon, authorities said Tuesday.
Police were called to the center late Tuesday morning where they encountered a suspect "armed with a large knife," a police statement said.
Police ordered him to surrender but he advanced toward them and was "neutralized," the statement said. The suspect was taken to a Lisbon hospital where he was in police custody.
Several other people were maimed, according to the statement, but it provided no further details.
Prime Minister António Costa said police shot the suspect. Costa told news hounds the attack was "a criminal act."
"Everything points to this being an isolated incident," Costa said, without elaborating.
There was no immediate word on the identity of those killed.
Armed police from a special operations unit could be seen forming a perimeter outside the building. Costa said police were investigating the attack and it was too soon to speculate about a motive.
The Shia Imami Ismaili Moslems, generally known as the Ismailis, belong to the Shia branch of Islam, according to their website. The Ismaili Moslems are a culturally diverse community living in more than 25 countries around the world, it says.
Portugal hasn’t recorded any significant terror attacks in recent decades, and religious violence is virtually unheard of.
Policemen have arrested a suspect man after he stabbed two women to death and injured a third at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon Portugal on Tuesday.
Sources have confirmed today’s incident at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon to Khaama Press, stating the suspect was an Afghan national armed with a knife, that killed two women.
The Ismaili Center in Lisbon in an official blurb stated the man armed with a knife entered the premises of the center around 11:30 am today, and the attacker has been taken into custody by coppers after he stabbed two women to death and injured a third one.
According to another source that has spoken to CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... , the suspect was an Afghan refugee who used to study English language at the Ismaili Center and the victims are his teacher and classmate.
[BREITBART] An MS-13 Gang member — wanted for allegedly murdering three citizens of El Salvador, including a police officer — is among the more than 4.5 million illegal aliens apprehended while crossing the United States-Mexico border under President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. S I'm not working for you. Don't be such a horse's ass.... MS-13 Gang member Juan Carlos Nolasco Chicas, a 31-year-old illegal alien, was apprehended by Border Patrol agents crossing the southern border near Hidalgo, Texas, on October 29, 2022.
Chicas, who was subsequently turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, has an Interpol Red Notice as he is wanted in El Salvador for three murders — including the murder of a police officer.
The MS-13 Gang member was deported from the U.S. on March 17 and is among the more than 4.5 million illegal aliens who have been apprehended at the border under Biden.
According to officials, Chicas carried out a murder in September 2015 before allegedly working with four other MS-13 Gang members in 2016 to ambush and murder police officer Francisco de Jesus Lizama Lopez in Jucuaran, El Salvador.
In 2017, Chicas was allegedly involved in another murder in Jucuaran.
While close to 130,000 illegal aliens were apprehended crossing the border last month, there were an estimated 51,000 known got-aways — those illegal aliens whom Border Patrol suspects successfully crossed the border undeterred.
Since Biden took office, there have been roughly 1.5 million got-aways.
[Shafaq News] Iraq's military intelligence on Tuesday said it had apprehended three "dangerous terrorists" in two separate security operations in Diyala and Baghdad.
An official statement said the operations were conducted with the assistance of local security forces and involved setting up tight ambushes at two strategic locations - the 109 checkpoint between Baghdad and Diyala, and the Fatimiyat village.
The arrestees, according to the statement, are wanted pursuant to Article 4/Terrorism.
"Two arrestees were caught in possession of kaboom, arms, and ISIS flags," the statement concluded, "The arrested terrorists, along with the confiscated materials, have been handed over to the relevant authorities for further processing."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/29/2023 01:20 ||
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[Shafaq News] On Tuesday, the director of Buhriz district in Diyala province, Nizar al-Luhaibi, announced that a plot to attack army forces by button men posing as security forces had been foiled.
A special force apprehended three individuals carrying fake IDs and ISIS flags in their vehicles at Checkpoint 109, which separates Baghdad and south Diyala on the outskirts of the Buhriz district.
The security forces have increased their operations between southern Diyala and the outskirts of Baghdad in response to the incident, said al-Luhaibi.
The individuals are being held for further investigations.
The area between Diyala and Baghdad in central Iraq has been a key battleground in the fight against ISIS.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/29/2023 01:20 ||
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"That’s absurd, absurd... we’ve had nothing to do with these protests, this is a democracy, people are coming out and speaking both for and against reform," Nides says in an interview with Channel 12 news filmed earlier today, calling a far-right claim that the CIA has been involved, "absolutely ridiculous."
Nides says "we applaud" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to halt the overhaul legislation for talks, and "we are anxious to see how President Herzog’s team comes together and negotiates some compromise that we hope we all can embrace."
He declines to confirm that the US was exerting heavy pressure on Netanyahu to pause the legislation, saying only that "friends talk to each other all the time."
Nides says that there is "still more work to do" in order to finalize Israel’s entry into the US Visa Waiver Program, but that "we are going to get this done on behalf of the Israeli people... my hope is by September."
Asked when Netanyahu will be visiting Washington and meeting US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Obama's prototype Kamala Harris... , Nides says "he will obviously be coming at some point, and hopefully somewhat soon."
IDF chief says in debate on overhaul, military picks side of ‘protecting country’
[IsraelTimes] Military chief Herzi Halevi says that amid the controversy in Israel over the government’s judicial overhaul, the Israel Defense Forces has picked the side of "protecting the country.""In recent days quite a few people have been telling me: ’Choose which side of history you want to be on.’ They are, by the way, on both sides of the dispute," Halevi says at an awards ceremony for outstanding soldiers.
"And this is my answer: ’I chose,’ because we chose. As soon as we put on a uniform, as conscripts, as career soldiers, and in the reserves, we chose to be on the side that protects the country," he says. "We chose to be the ones who enable life here, prosperity, and yes, also the right to be divided."
"This is our courage, to be the defenders of this country on the outside even when it is difficult within us, to stand up and forge a path forward for it, through all the difficulties," he adds.
The Israeli news website Arutz Sheva reported Monday night:
Over a hundred thousand supporters of the judicial reforms demonstrated outside the Knesset in Jerusalem Monday evening to call on the government to stand firm in passing the reforms and not to freeze the legislation.
The pro-reform demonstrators chanted “Our voice isn’t less important than a pilot’s,” We know exactly who we voted for” and “A minority of elites cannot bring the country to this point. We are one nation.”
On Monday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu halted the judicial reform amid calls for a general strike by left-wing groups.
“There is an extremist minority that is prepared to tear our country to pieces. It is using violence and incitement, it is threatening to harm elected officials, it is stoking civil war, and it is calling for refusal to serve, which is a terrible crime,” Netanyahu said.
“Therefore, out of national responsibility, out of a desire to prevent a rift in the nation, I have decided to suspend the second and third readings of the law in the current Knesset session in order to allow time to try and reach that broad consensus, ahead of legislation in the next Knesset session,” the prime minister concluded. (Read the full text of the speech here.)
Here is an informative Twitter thread by Avi Woolf on the much-maligned judicial reform (courtesy David Gerstman):
So, I've tried to avoid talking about the fight over Israeli judicial reform (no, it's not a "coup") because it's the sort of thing that's led to emotions as extreme as when Trump was just elected in 2016. But I was asked to explain what's going on by a friendly follow, so...
— Avi Woolf, Wilderness Conservative🐺 (@AviWoolf) March 27, 2023
[IsraelTimes] A 21-year-old Paleostinian from East Jerusalem has been charged with allegedly planning to carry out a bombing or shooting attack in Israel, prosecutors say.
According to an indictment filed at the Jerusalem District Court, the man was in contact with two people over the Telegram messaging service and TikTok video-sharing site, with whom he allegedly planned the attacks.
The suspect is not named due to a gag order issued by the court.
The two people he was in contact with are unidentified and unknown to the prosecution. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... one told the suspect that he was a Paleostinian formerly locked away Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in Israel who was deported to Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... The indictment charges the suspect with terror offenses, conspiracy to purchase illegal weaponry and contact with a foreign agent.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli troops opened fire into the air during a scuffle with Paleostinians during the demolition of an illegal structure near the West Bank town of Deir Ballut.
Video footage of the incident shows troops scuffling with Paleostinians and shooting in the air.
A military spokesperson tells The Times of Israel that around 150 Paleostinians were hurling stones at the troops who were securing the demolition, and refused calls to disperse.
One Paleostinian suspect attempted to grab an officer’s gun amid the incident, the spokesperson says, and in response, the troops used riot dispersal means and live fire in the air.
The vast majority of Deir Ballut is in Area C of the West Bank, where Israel maintains full civil and security control, and as such, Paleostinians require Israeli building permits.
[IsraelTimes] Bomb tossed from passing vehicle at soldiers near Arab Israeli town of Salem; unclear if attack happened in Israeli territory.
An attacker threw an explosive at Israeli troops near the West Bank border early Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The explosive was thrown from a passing vehicle near the Arab Israeli community of Salem, which is just north of the West Bank border, the IDF said in a statement.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the incident happened in the West Bank or in Israeli territory.
Troops returned fire at the vehicle and "identified hits," the IDF statement said. Soldiers were sweeping the area in a search for the suspects.
There were no injuries to Israeli forces.
On Tuesday, the IDF notified the family of a Paleostinian gunman accused of killing a soldier in the West Bank last year that the military intends to demolish their home in the city of Nablus.
On Saturday, two Israeli soldiers were maimed in a drive-by shooting attack in the northern West Bank town of Huwara. The town was the site of two other terror attacks in recent weeks, and a high-profile rampage by settlers after one of the attacks killed two brothers.
The escalating tensions have come as Israel deals with widespread turmoil sparked by the government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary.
Opposition to the contentious legislative effort has spread in the military’s ranks, with some reservists halting their service in protest, and security officials warning the unrest constituted a security threat.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday evening after Gallant called for the temporary halt of the legislative effort, a freeze which the premier agreed to the next day.
Gallant remained in his post on Tuesday, but his future, and a possible successor as defense minister, remained uncertain.
[NPASyria] Ten people were killed and 12 others were maimed on Tuesday in two separate explosions of IEDs on the outskirt of Salamiyah, in the eastern countryside of Hamah, central Syria, while collecting truffles.
The pro-government al-Watan newspaper said, citing a local source, that an IED left by Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) went kaboom! in the village of al-Mestariha, in the eastern countryside of Salamiyah, killing nine people and injuring two others.
The injured people were transformed to the national hospital of Salamiyah.
In a separate incident, an IED went kaboom! east of Salamiyah, killing an individual and inuring ten others, while they were collecting truffles.
Remnants of war pose a great threat on lives of civilians in areas witnessed military conflict, amid absence of awareness campaigns about how to deal with them.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/29/2023 04:07 ||
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[NPASyria] On Monday, bully boyz of Sham Legion, a faction affiliated with the Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), arrested two people in Afrin countryside, northwestern Syria, following their participation in Jindires protests.
Exclusive sources told North Press that bully boyz of Sham Legion arrested Khalil Ibrahim, 35, and Omar Omar, 20, from the village of Baye in the Sherawa district under the pretext of participating in Jindires protests.
On the eve of Newroz, March 20, bully boyz of Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction opened fire on local residents celebrating Newroz, a Kurdish national occasion, in the town of Jindires, 20 km west of Afrin, killing five Kurdish men.
Following the crime, massive public demonstrations took place in Jindires and other areas in Afrin.
The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press recorded the arrest of six people in Afrin under the charge of participating in protests in Jindires and raising flags of Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Jaish al-Sharqiya faction assaulted and beat two people for the same reason.
On March 23, Kurdish protestors and relatives of the victims of Jindires crime demanded in a statement to prosecute the perpetrators and the ousting of the SNA factions from Afrin regions.
[NPASyria] Unidentified people targeted on Tuesday an individual near the city of al-Hara, in the northern countryside of Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, killing him immediately.
A local source told North Press that Thamer al-Faroukh, used to work in a military post, affiliated with the Political Security Branch of Syrian government, in the town of Akraba, in the northern countryside of Daraa.
Al-Faroukh hails from the city of al-Hara, but he fled the city after handing over a number of wanted young men to the government forces, according to the source.
In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and the government forces reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa. Under the deal, the opposition armed factions agreed to hand over their heavy weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those oppose the agreement would go to Idlib, which is under the control of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS, formerly al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front).
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in line with the 2018 agreement, the governorate has been living in a state of security chaos, with one or two daily liquidations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts.
On March 26, one person was killed and two others were maimed due to festivities between the Eighth Legion, affiliated with the government forces and an gang in the town of Inkhil, in the northern countryside of Daraa.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/29/2023 04:06 ||
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The U.S. Treasury in coordination with the UK on Tuesday slapped Captagon-related sanctions on Syrian and Lebanese nationals suspected of ties to Damascus and Hezbollah.
In a statement, the Treasury said it designated "key individuals supporting the regime of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... and the production or export of Captagon, a dangerous amphetamine."
"The trade in Captagon is estimated to have become a billion-dollar illicit enterprise. These designations, some of which are being implemented pursuant to the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act of 2019 ("Caesar Act"), also highlight the important role of Lebanese narcos -- some of whom maintain ties to Hezbollah -- in facilitating the export of Captagon. This action also underscores the al-Assad family dominance of illicit Captagon trafficking and its funding for the oppressive Syrian regime," the statement added.
"Syria has become a global leader in the production of highly addictive Captagon, much of which is trafficked through Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... ," said Andrea M. Gacki, the director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
"With our allies, we will hold accountable those who support Bashir al-Assad’s regime with illicit drug revenue and other financial means that enable the regime’s continued repression of the Syrian people," Gacki added.
The Treasury identified those sanctioned as the Syrian nationals Khalid Qaddour, Samer Kamal al-Assad, Wassim Badi al-Assad and Imad Abu Zureik, and Lebanese citizens Hassan Muhammad Daqqou and Noah Zaiter.
Below is information about each of the six individuals as published by the Treasury:
"Khalid Qaddour (Qaddour) is a Syrian businessman and close associate of Maher al-Assad, who was designated under E.O. 13572 in 2011 in connection with his role in the Government of Syria’s (GoS) ongoing human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... abuses against the Syrian people. Maher al-Assad is the head of the notorious U.S.-designated Fourth Division of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). He is also the brother of Syrian President al-Assad, who was designated in 2011 pursuant to E.O. 13573 for his leading role in the escalation of violence by the GoS against its population. Maher al-Assad and the Fourth Division are known to run many illicit revenue-generation schemes, which range from smuggling cigarettes and mobile phones to facilitating the production and trafficking of Captagon. It is reportedly Qaddour who is responsible for managing revenues generated by these activities. The Syrian regime and its allies have increasingly embraced the production and trafficking of Captagon to generate hard currency, estimated by some to be in the billions of dollars.
Qaddour is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13572 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Maher al-Assad. Qaddour is also being designated pursuant the Caesar Act for being a foreign person that knowingly provides significant financial, material, or technological support to, or knowingly engages in a significant transaction with, Maher al-Assad.
Samer Kamal al-Assad (Samer) is a cousin of President al-Assad and oversees key Captagon production facilities in regime-controlled Latakia, Syria, in coordination with the Fourth Division and certain associates of Hizballah. In 2020, 84 million Captagon pills produced at a factory owned by Samer in Lattakia, Syria, worth an estimated $1.2 billion were seized at the Italian port of Salerno. Samer reportedly also owns a factory producing Captagon in the Qalamoun region near the Syria-Lebanon border.
Samer is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13582 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the GoS. Samer is also being designated pursuant the Caesar Act for being a foreign person that knowingly provides significant financial, material, or technological support to, or knowingly engages in a significant transaction with, the GoS.
Wassim Badi al-Assad (Wassim), another cousin of President al-Assad, has supported the SAA in various roles, to include leading the Ba’ath Brigades militia, a paramilitary unit under the Syrian Arab Army’s command. He has publicly called for the formation of sectarian militias to support the regime. Wassim has been a key figure in the regional drug trafficking network, partnering with high-level suppliers to smuggle contraband, Captagon, and other drugs throughout the region, with tacit support of the Syrian regime.
Wassim is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13582 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Syrian Arab Army.
Imad Abu Zureik (Zureik), a former Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... commander who now leads a Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI)-affiliated militia, has played an important role enabling drug production and smuggling in southern Syria. With the approval of the U.S.-designated SMI, Zureik leads a militia group controlling the crucial Nassib border crossing between Syria and Jordan. Zureik uses his power over the area to sell contraband, operate protection rackets, and smuggle drugs in Jordan, while also recruiting directly for the SMI.
Zureik is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13572 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the SMI.
Hassan Muhammad Daqqou (Daqqou) is a Lebanese-Syrian dual national dubbed by media as "The King of Captagon." Daqqou has been linked to drug trafficking operations carried out by the SAA’s Fourth Division, directed by Maher al-Assad, and with cover reportedly provided by Hizballah. He was arrested in Lebanon in 2021 on drug trafficking charges associated with a massive shipment of Captagon interdicted in Malaysia on its way to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , though Hizballah affiliates have reportedly facilitated Daqqou’s ability to continue to run his businesses while he was in prison. Daqqou developed a reputation as a source for Captagon and controller of smuggling across the Syria-Lebanon border under the protection of Hizballah associates.
Daqqou is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hizballah.
Hassan Daqqou Trading and al-Israa Establishment for Import and Export are two companies specializing in general trade and import-export operations that are registered under Daqqou’s name in the Beka’a Valley region of Lebanon. Hassan Daqqou Trading and al-Israa Establishment for Import and Export are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, directly or indirectly, Daqqou.
Noah Zaitar (Zaitar) is a Lebanese national with close ties to both the SAA’s Fourth Division and certain members of Hizballah. Zaitar is a known arms dealer and drug smuggler and is currently wanted by the Lebanese authorities for drug trafficking. Zaitar reportedly conducts his illicit activities under the protection of the Fourth Division.
Zaitar is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hizballah."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
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.
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...46th president of the U.S. S 
...46th president of the U.S. Obama's prototype Kamala Harris...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
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