[DAWN] Security forces were still blocking access Wednesday to the site in eastern Afghanistan where the United States dropped a massive bomb on a stronghold of 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.... group six days ago.
The US military dropped its GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, dubbed the "Mother of All Bombs", in combat for the first time on April 13.
The target was caves and hideouts being used by the turban group in the Achin district of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province.
The blast triggered shock waves, which residents said they felt miles away.
It was said by the Afghan defence ministry to have killed at least 95 turbans, including some IS commanders and imported muscle, but no civilians.
The statement could not be independently verified, with news hounds including AFP correspondents turned away from the site again Wednesday even though there was no sign of fighting in the immediate area.
Ahmad Jan, a resident of Achin who fled IS fighting and moved with his family to the lovely provincial capital Jalalabad long before the bomb was dropped, told AFP he had no idea whether his house or relatives survived the attack.
"No one can go there, they have completely blocked the area. I don't know if my house is destroyed. They have not even shown any dead bodies to anyone," he said.
A front man for Afghan special forces said landmines and "pockets of resistance" on top of mountains had slowed down operations in the area. He did not specify if the fighters were from the IS.
Police officials in Nangarhar could not immediately comment, and US-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... forces in Afghanistan would not comment Wednesday. They said this week they were still assessing the situation.
Some Afghans have condemned the use of their country as what they called a testing ground for the weapon, and against a turban group that is not considered as big a threat as the resurgent Taliban.
Analyst and retired general Atiqullah Amarkhail told AFP the US military needed time to analyse the impact and clean the debris.
"It was not an ordinary bomb. It carried a special kind of explosives, it was tested in a mountainous area for the first time, I believe a team of US experts are now working on the ground to assess the effects and impacts," he said.
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04/20/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
told AFP he had no idea whether his house or relatives survived the attack
[Circa] A retired Air Force captain says the Pentagon lied to families about what caused the Extortion 17 tragedy.
A decorated retired Air Force officer who witnessed one of the most deadly attacks on Navy SEALs in U.S. history is breaking her silence, saying the government covered up evidence detailing that the 2011 downing of a Chinook helicopter gunship that killed 38 fighters in Afghanistan could have been prevented had it not been for restrictions to the military's rules of engagement that were changed under the Obama administration.
August 6, 2011: Retired Air Force Capt. Joni Marquez and her crew were working the dark morning hours aboard an AC-130 gunship after being summoned to a mission she describes "as almost like a 9-1-1 type of a situation."
The gunship was ordered to fly close-in air support above Afghanistan’s dangerous Tangi Valley, in Wardak Province, assisting troops with the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment who were being fired on by eight heavily armed Taliban insurgents.
I believe it was the Generals who made the decision to drop the MOAB - not the POTUS. I don't think that would have ever happened under Obama / ValJar.
[Ynet] Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered an investigation into corruption allegations against a senior civil servant related to the use of funds intended for handling a humanitarian crisis in the northeast of the country.
The director general of the National Intelligence Agency was also ordered to be suspended after the discovery of more than $43 million in an apartment complex in Lagos
...that'll be enough to feed the internal refugees from Boko Haram's depredations for a bit. Did they find it in the freezer?
in what the presidency described as a "related development".
Buhari suspended David Babachir Lawal, secretary to the Nigerian government, and ordered a probe into contracts awarded under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), his front man said in a statement.
Jeddah – The legitimate Yemeni government has found new evidence on the Houthi militia’s involvement in “using displaced foreigners as human shields on the battle frontline.”
The government also found other evidence that confirms Houthi involvement in attracting non-Yemeni fighters from the Horn of Africa to join the frontlines after making them undergo intensive training.
Non-Yemeni fighters arrive in Yemen for different purposes. Some seek financial gains for participating in the fighting and others arrive with the goal of migration, but then find themselves recruited to fight after undergoing training by Iranian experts, premiership sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Sources noted that the government is preparing a comprehensive file that proves the involvement of Houthi rebels and the Iranian regime in recruiting foreigners to fight against legitimate forces.
The file will be referred to the United Nations Security Council, according to the sources, especially after the conflicts in Mokha and Taiz revealed the presence of fighters from the Horn of Africa among rebel ranks.
According to sources, the file includes documents that prove the involvement of the Iranian regime in sending dozens of ships carrying weapons and mercenaries to support the Houthi rebellion.
They explained that shipments that have been monitored and were conducted over phases during the past 12 months.
Legitimate government agencies noted that non-Yemeni infiltrators, who have been spotted among the ranks of the Houthi rebellion, include Somalis and Ethiopians.
Yemeni Minister of Local Administration Abd al-Raqib Fatah confirmed, in a phone call with Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday, that the Houthi insurgency has indeed been involved in using refugees from the Horn of Africa as human shields.
This was revealed days after the International Organization for Migration announced the voluntary evacuation of some 130 Somali refugees in Yemen to their country through the port of Aden in southern Yemen.
[AnNahar] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's top election authority on Wednesday rejected an opposition bid to annul the referendum on expanding President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... 's powers after complaints of vote-rigging, state media reported.
Ten members of the Supreme Election Board (YSK) decided against annulling the vote, while only one voted in favor, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) had Tuesday requested the poll be scrapped due to alleged violations.
The 'Yes' camp won 51.41 percent in Sunday's referendum in a narrower-than-expected victory but the opposition claimed the outcome would have been reversed in a fair poll.
To the dismay of opposition parties and 'No' supporters, the YSK made a last-minute decision on Sunday to accept ballot documents in envelopes without an official stamp.
That also sparked protests from individuals who opposed constitutional changes granting Erdogan strengthened executive powers and who formed long queues to submit their petitions.
Bulent Tezcan, CHP deputy leader, said the YSK decision sparked a "serious legitimacy crisis," in an interview with CNN-Turk television.
"We will activate all legal channels," he said, adding that the party would map out its policy after meeting legal experts on Thursday.
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04/20/2017 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Authorities say a man picked up the gun that a suspect used to kill three white men in a racially charged attack in Fresno and are urging him to turn himself in.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer also told news hounds Wednesday that it's "very rare" for a homicide suspect to cooperate with Sherlocks in recounting the killings. Dyer says he believes Kori Ali Muhammad, who is black, was "proud" of what he did.
Muhammad yelled "holy shit! Allahu akbar," or "God is great," during his arrest and described himself as Moslem but says he practiced voodoo rituals and prays to seven different gods.
#2
A useful link, Skidmark. More from the Daily Mail, which missed the voodoo and reading about police suspicions online at Starbucks:
The family of suspected Fresno shooter Kori Muhammad said his dislike of white people had been simmering for years following a series of ’bad experiences’.
Muhammad’s cousin, Sharisse Kemp ‐ who has been appointed family spokesperson - says Muhammad joined the Nation of Islam as a young man but had ’moved away’ from that later in life.
’I wouldn’t even say he was tied to any specific religion,’ she said.
Kemp, a 33-year-old social worker who lives in Sacramento, said her cousin was single and had been working as a washing machine service repairman alongside his father Vincent Taylor in Fresno. As a hobby he enjoyed recording rap songs.
Kemp said her cousin had struggled with his mental health in the past and had been institutionalized, but had improved in recent years and wasn’t taking any medication.
’Was he wandering around, hallucinating or having anything that we felt like put him in danger of himself or the possibility of harming others, no,’ she said.
Muhammad has a lengthy criminal record, including a dismissed felony charge of unlawful firearm possession in 2004.
He was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial in 2005 after a grand jury indicted him on cocaine and firearm possession.
Court documents in that case stated that Muhammad 'suffered auditory hallucinations and had at least two prior mental health hospitalizations.'
A federal judge later declared him mentally fit in 2006 and he subsequently served 92 months in prison.
An Akron man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Cleveland to terrorism charges stemming from the release of the names and addresses of members of the military with a message urging people to attack them on behalf of the Islamic State group.
Terrence McNeil, 26, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced at noon Aug. 2 by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster.
“While we aggressively defend First Amendment rights, the individual arrested went far beyond free speech by reposting names and addresses of 100 U.S. service members, all with the intent to have them killed,” Special Agent in Charge Stephen Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division said in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “We will remain vigilant in our efforts to stop those who wish to support these despicable acts.”
McNeil was charged with a long list of terrorism-related crimes. Prosecutors say McNeil, a onetime hospital employee, posted a file on his Tumblr page in September 2015 that contained the names and addresses of military personnel. They say he urged supporters of the Islamic State group to kill the people he mentioned.
This article starring:
Terrence McNei
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 ||
04/20/2017 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday asked the government to refer the lynching of Mashal Khan to the military courts instead of holding a judicial inquiry.
Committee members argued that the order for a judicial inquiry was given to delay the matter, and also directed that the video of the attack on Khan, which has been widely circulated on social media, be banned and the names of the suspect be put on the exit control list.
Khan was a student at the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan who was lynched by a mob on the university premises over allegations of blasphemy.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Pak military has rejected employment of proxies as the country is facing criticisms for allowing the terrorist groups, including the notorious Haqqani terrorist network to use its soil for the attacks in Afghanistan.
"Gen. H . R McMaster, US NSA called on COAS at GHQ on 17 April 2017. The visiting dignitary was briefed about Pakistain’s war on terror and its contributions to regional and global stability. It was highlighted that distinguished feature of Pakistain’s counter terrorist effort is focused against hard boyz of all hue and color," a statement by the Pak military said.
The source further added that "COAS said that while Pakistain itself is victim of state sponsored terrorism it strongly rejects allegations of employing proxies from its soil."
Oh. So they don't reject using proxy jihadi groups, but only being accused of doing so. This feels like a subtle point in the original Urdu... and an unsubtle one in English.
"US NSA acknowledged Pakistain Army’s efforts in eliminating hard boyz and their infrastructure, assuring US support to bring peace and stability in the region and globe," the statement said.
This comes as the Afghan officials have long been criticizing Pakistain for remaining reckless to act against the leadership councils of the Afghan forces of Evil based in the country from where they plot and coordinate attacks in Afghanistan.
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[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] Iraq’s National Coalition Chief Sayyed Ammar Hakim stressed that the Popular Mobilization Forces are national and joined by the various Iraqi segments, noting that the PMF units fight ISISforces of Evil with one hand and help the refugees with the other.
Sayyed Ammar Hakim met on Wednesday in Cairo with Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, according to a Coalition statement which added that the two sides stressed the importance of fighting extremism and consolidating the cooperation between the al-Azhar and Najaf religious centers.
The statement also noted that Sayyed Hakim confirmed that Iraqi is ahead of an ultimate victory over the ISIS terrorist group.
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The National Union party youth organization decided to celebrate the hunger strike of imprisoned Fatah terrorists with a barbecue in front of Ofer Prison, where among others the leaders of the terrorist protest are incarcerated.
The event will be held today (Thursday) at 12:00 to break the spirit of the terrorists and to call upon the Israeli government not to surrender to terrorist blackmail but rather to work energetically for the release of kidnapped soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
#3
I went three days without food once The first day was hell but after the first day the hunger instinct turned off. I'm curious if the smell of bbq would turn it back on again. If so I would think they would end hunger strikes easily, or at least make them really count as the strikers have to face the worst hunger constantly.
[SCMP] A former minister staged a decisive victory in Jakarta’s knife-edge gubernatorial election yesterday, after he courted the support of hardline Islamic groups opposed to the Chinese-Christian incumbent.
Observers said the victory of 47-year-old Anies Baswedan signalled the rising political clout of Islamic hardliners in the world’s most populous Moslem nation, where leaders have sought to promote pluralism after violent riots in 1998 targeted the tiny but affluent Chinese community.
A sample count extracted from the nearly six million ballots cast showed Baswedan secured 58 per cent of the vote, against 42 per cent for the incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.
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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.
[Ynet] Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered an investigation into corruption allegations against a senior civil servant related to the use of funds intended for handling a humanitarian crisis in the northeast of the country.
Jeddah – The legitimate Yemeni government has found new evidence on the Houthi militia’s involvement in “using displaced foreigners as human shields on the battle frontline.”
[AnNahar] 
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Pak military has rejected employment of proxies as the country is facing criticisms for allowing the terrorist groups, including the notorious Haqqani terrorist network to use its soil for the attacks in Afghanistan.
The National Union party youth organization decided to celebrate the hunger strike of imprisoned Fatah terrorists with a barbecue in front of Ofer Prison, where among others the leaders of the terrorist protest are incarcerated.
