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Today: 53 articles and 91 comments as of 9:26.
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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Israel strikes Gaza targets in response to heavy rocket fire Saturday
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Afghanistan
Taliban commander among 11 killed in coalition forces airstrikes in Ghazni
[KhaamaPress] At least 11 Talibs including their local commander were killed in the Arclight airstrikes of the coalition forces in south-eastern Ghazni province.

The 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said Thursday that the airstrikes were carried out Malik Khel area Waghez district and Sangasi area of Moqor district.

The statement further added that another holy warrior was maimed and a cycle of violence along with a vehicle were also destroyed.

The anti-government armed snuffies including Taliban
...Arabic for students...
have not commented regarding the airstrike so far.

Ghazni is among the relatively volatile provinces in South-eastern parts of Afghanistan. Talibs are active in some of the restive districts of the province and often attempt to carry out terrorist related activities against the government and security institutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


At least 80 Taliban, ISIS militants killed in latest airstrikes, Special Forces operations: sources
[KhaamaPress] At least 80 Taliban
...Arabic for students...
and ISIS turbans have been killed during the latest Arclight airstrikes and operations of the Afghan Special Forces across the country, the military sources said Friday.

The sources further added that Afghan Special Forces conducted a raid in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province killing 6 Taliban fighters and destroying 200 Kg of narcotics.

The Afghan Special Forces conducted two similar raids in Maiwand district of Kandahar province on IED-making facilities killing 2 Taliban fighters, destroying a house-borne IED, 3 jugs of homemade explosives, 3 pressure plate IEDs and several IED components.

At least 33 turbans were killed in separate airstrikes conducted in Tarinkot district of Uruzgan, Burkah district of Baghlan and Sinkay district of Zabul province, the sources said, adding that 7 Taliban fighters in an operation of the Afghan Special Forces in Andar district of Ghazni province.

The Afghan Special Forces conducted an operation in Deh Bala 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 killing 22 ISIS-K fighters and destroying 2 pressure plate IEDs, the sources added.

The sources also added that the Taliban fighters attacked a 203rd Corps battle position along Highway 1 in Muhammad Aghah district of Pashtun-infested Logar province but the attack was repulsed killing 8 Taliban fighters.

"4th Afghan National Civil Order Forces brigade conducted a successful ambush in Muhammad Aghah district killing 2 Taliban fighters and wounding another," the sources said.

The anti-government armed turbans including Taliban have not commented regarding the operations and airstrikes so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


US Strikes In Afghanistan Killed 76 Civilians In 2018: Report
[ToloNews] The US military operations killed 120 civilians in 2018, including 76 civilians in operations against the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
and other snuffies in Afghanistan, the US Department of Defense said in an annual report to the US congress.
*YAWN*
Quoted by Washington Post, the department said that 42 civilians were confirmed to have been killed last year in the US-led operation against 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....
in Iraq and Syria and two civilians died in operations against al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
in Somalia.

The department found no credible reports of civilian deaths caused by US operations in Libya or Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
last year, the report said.

A UN report from last month shows that 799 non-combatants were killed in the first quarter of this year while 303 of them were killed in pro-government forces operations which shows a 39 percent increase from the same period last year.

The UN attributed 17 percent of civilian casualties to the Afghan national security forces, 13 percent to international military forces, two percent to pro-government gangs, and two percent to multiple pro-government forces.

The report says that ground engagements were the leading cause of civilian casualties, causing approximately one-third of the total.

Contrary to 2017 and 2018 trends, the majority of IED civilian casualties were caused by non-suicide IEDs rather than suicide IEDs, the report says.
The US Forces- Afghanistan Spokesman, Col. Dave Butler, told TOLOnews on April 24 that the US and Resolute Support Forces in Afghanistan strive for precision in all their operations.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yawn is right. 120 (or 76) is somewhere around the number of US highway fatalities in an average day.
Posted by: Bobby || 05/04/2019 10:26 Comments || Top||

#2  Any stats on how many civilians were saved by US troops from being murdered by the Taliban or ISIS?
Posted by: jpal || 05/04/2019 12:54 Comments || Top||


Britain
Manchester bomb scare: Piccadilly Gardens and Oldham evacuated as 'viable devices' found
[Express] A BOMB squad flocked to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester following reports of a second suspicious package found in the major city today.

Police cordoned off the area with blue tape and scene guards are urging the public not to approach the Gardens while the package is being dealt with by professionals. The cordon covers McDonalds, Piccadilly Gardens, and part of a tram station, the Manchester Evening News reports. A man, 26, has been detained by police who say another suspicious package was found in a Manchester library today.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the incident could be related to the evacuation of Oldham Library, which was also evacuated due to a suspicious package being found there also.

In the latest police update, GMP said: “The suspicious package in Piccadilly Gardens is not believed to be a viable device.
The Daily Mail reports:
Manchester city centre re-opens after man, 26, is found with arsenal of weapons and arrested over ‘bomb hoax’ after THREE suspicious packages are found putting area in lockdown for nine hours

The 26-year-old man was found with items including a 'bladed article', and remains in police custody as cordons are lifted at the site of three suspicious packages. One was found at Oldham Library in the north-west of the city, while two others were found in Piccadilly Gardens.

Police have been unwilling to confirm what was inside them, instead saying they were 'non-viable' and telling MailOnline they won't know for some time. It is therefore unclear whether the devices were a fake bomb, a badly made bomb or just an innocent rucksack. Police have said the incidents are believed to be connected.
It will be interesting to discover whether this was a jihadi, a nutter, or someone having a little too much fun.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  'Manchester man' + 'bladed article' (which normally would be called a knife) = jihadi.
Posted by: Raj || 05/04/2019 5:41 Comments || Top||

#2  a jihadi, a nutter,

a distinction without a difference.
Posted by: AlanC || 05/04/2019 11:00 Comments || Top||

#3  a distinction without a difference.

It depends on the miscreant’s faith, AlanC. If he’s a Muslim nutter, I agree. If he is native English or European, then no.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 11:33 Comments || Top||

#4  tw, I didn't see your "Bedouins on the fringe" snark until this morning. I do think you've set the Caliphate back by a hundred years.
Posted by: Matt || 05/04/2019 11:40 Comments || Top||

#5  :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 19:52 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Zakir Naik charged with money laundering by India's financial crimes investigation agency
[DAWN] India's Enforcement Directorate (ED), a financial crimes investigation agency, on Thursday filed its first charge sheet against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik,
...a busy man who has regularly appeared in our pages for encouraging jihadis, first from his native India, but in the last few years from his welcoming home-in-exile in Malaysia...
accusing him of money laundering, The Hindu reported, adding that others had also been charged.

The charge sheet was filed in a special court in Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. While this is the first time a charge sheet has been filed against Naik, it is the second charge sheet in the case.

According to BBC, Naik is accused of acquiring $28 million worth of criminal assets, which he has denied. Additionally, he has been accused of spreading hate speech and inciting terrorism by Indian authorities.

The ED, according to The Hindu, has identified assets worth 1.93 billion Indian rupees and attached properties valued at Indian Rs504,600 in the case so far.

The attached properties include investments in mutual funds, the Islamic International School building in Chennai, 10 flats, three godowns, two buildings, and land in Pune and Mumbai, besides 10 bank accounts, according to India's financial crime investigating agency.

Additionally, the ED has also identified properties linked to the preacher in Dubai and London, The Hindu reported.

The investigation was based on a first information report (FIR) registered by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) for Naik's role in "unlawful activities, the use of provocative utterances, and for promoting enmity between different religious groups in India", The Hindu stated.

The ED added that most of Naik's speeches from 2007 to 2011 were "planned, organised, funded and promoted by the Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation (IRF)".

"The ED probe revealed that Mumbai-based Harmony Media allegedly recorded the speeches and forwarded the edited versions to the Global Broadcasting Corporation (Dubai) and the UK-based Islamic Research Foundation International (IRFI) for further broadcast on Peace TV across the globe," The Hindu reported, adding that DVDs were also circulated.

Additionally, the report added that as per the ED, the IRFI had received Indian Rs648,600 from 2003 to 2017, "mostly from various dubious, suspicious or unknown sources. A large part of the funds was used for organising ’PEACE’ conferences".

From 2012 and 2016, Indian Rs492,000 were transferred from Naik's accounts in United Arab Emirates (UAE) to his personal accounts in India, the ED said.


This article starring:
Zakir Naik
Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel strikes Gaza targets in response to heavy rocket fire Saturday
[Ay-Pee] Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired scores of rockets into southern Israel on Saturday, wounding at least two Israeli civilians and triggering retaliatory airstrikes and tank fire against militant targets in the blockaded enclave and shattering a month-long lull in violence.

Israeli officials said a 50-year-old woman was severely wounded by rocket fire, while a teenage boy was mildly hurt as he ran for cover. Gaza's Health Ministry said a 22-year-old Palestinian man was killed by an Israeli airstrike, and seven other Palestinians were wounded. Israeli police said a house in the coastal city of Ashkelon was damaged

Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israeli throughout the day. By late afternoon, the military said some 150 rockets had been fired into Israel. It said dozens of rockets were intercepted by its Iron Dome rocket-defense system, and that roads near the Gaza border were closed to civilian traffic. Israeli police said they had dispatched bomb disposal experts to the country's south to deal with projectiles that landed in open areas.

The army said its chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, convened an emergency session with top security officials to discuss the situation. Later, it said it had hit 30 targets in Gaza, including what it said were five Hamas military compounds and several Islamic Jihad compounds.
Smoke em
COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said it was closing the fishing zone off Gaza's coast altogether and sealing Israel's two land crossings with Gaza. The crossings are were used by Palestinian medical patients to enter and exit the territory, and provide the main entry for cargo into the blockaded territory
Actions have consequences, even in Gazoo
JPost:
IDF tanks and helicopters began attacking terrorist targets belonging to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, managing to destroy an Islamic Jihad attack tunnel entering Israel from the southern part of the strip, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit reported on Saturday.
Posted by: Frank G || 05/04/2019 10:18 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  President Sisi ought to be very seriously displeased at how blatantly they are disrespecting his hudna mediation efforts. But thus far he has not officially deigned to take notice.

According to the Times of Israel’s liveblog, it’s up to 200 rockets from Gaza now, and Israel hit 70 targets, including an Islamic Jihad tunnel that crossed the border. Something explosive was clearly stored in it — there’s a brief but dramatic video at the link, though it lacks the musical background of the Islamic Jihad video showing loading of missiles into a launcher. Also, some Army reserves are to be called up this evening.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 12:48 Comments || Top||

#2  According to the Jerusalem Post, notice has been taken:

The Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata was invited to Cairo and immediately left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. Israel has threatened to kill Abu al-Ata more than once, since he is responsible for the launching of many rockets into Israeli territory.

I’m setting this as today’s headline, though really such explosive cross-border activity has become almost a normal variation on the regular routine.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 13:08 Comments || Top||

#3  Whoops! My Jpost link is the same as Frank’s in the article above. Don’t bother to click on it a second time.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 13:12 Comments || Top||

#4  It is their Pre-Ramadan Fundraising Salvo. They are playing to a captured audience.
Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Desert || 05/04/2019 16:27 Comments || Top||


After 2 soldiers shot, IDF checks whether Gaza sniper targeted senior officer
[IsraelTimes] Fourth Paleostinian reportedly dies overnight from injuries sustained during Friday border violence.

The army was investigating the possibility that a Paleostinian sniper targeted a senior Israel Defense Forces officer during riots on the Gazoo border Friday.

The army’s Gazoo division would conduct an investigation into the shooting, which injured two soldiers who were part of a patrol near the border in the southern Gazoo Strip, the Walla news site reported.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
Abu Sayyaf rebel rounded up in Zamboanga
[SunStar] An Abu Sayyaf militant was arrested in an operation in Zamboanga City. Police spokesman Emmanuel Luis Licup identified the arrested Abu Sayyaf bandit as Uring Akil, a resident of Menzi, Isabela City, Basilan.

Licup said Akil is a follower of Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf leader Furuji Indama and member of the Anjawani“gun for hire group.” Akil is also listed as the top most wanted person of Isabela City, Basilan.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf (ISIS)


Militant killed, policeman hurt in Pattani clash
[Bangkok Post] A Thai insurgent was killed and a policeman injured in a clash in Pattani province on Thursday afternoon. The battle took place in Nong Chik district when police rounded up the village to arrest suspects involved in the southern unrest. During the operation, there was an exchange of gunfire.

One militant was gunned down and a policeman injured, Thai media reported reported that the dead man was identified as Sareesan-umree Dueramae, a southern rebel.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency


Sri Lanka
Jihadist rebels launch new attack in northeastern Latakia
[ALMASDARNEWS] The jihadist rebels launched a new attack on Friday that targeted the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions inside the northeastern countryside of the Latakia Governorate.

Led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
, the jihadist rebels attempted to infiltrate the Syrian Army’s positions near the town of Nibh Almur; this attack was partially successful as they managed to kill a few soldiers.

Following the infiltration attempt, a fierce battle broke out between the two warring parties, resulting in heavy casualties for all involved.

The festivities have since died down after many of the jihadist rebels retreated back to their lines in northern Latakia; however, the Syrian Arab Army is still attempting to eliminate the last the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham infiltrators in the area.

These infiltration attempts by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham have become more prevalent over the last three weeks, as they have not only attacked the Latakia Governorate, but also several government areas inside the Idlib, Hama, and Aleppo governorates.

In response to these infiltration attempts, the Syrian military has begun amassing their troops in northwestern Syria for what is expected to be an offensive to expel the forces of Evil from the demilitarized zone that was established in Sochi on September 17, 2018.

Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian Army launches new operation to eliminate ISIS from Iraqi border region
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) began a new operation this week to target 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....
’s (ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS) remaining hideouts along the Iraqi border.

Backed by the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Hezbollah, the Syrian Arab Army reportedly attacked a number sites between the city of Albukamal and the northern part of the U.S.-occupied al-Tanf Zone.

At the same time, their allies from Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization Units) have also begun a similar operation in a bid to clear the Islamic State hard boyz from the Syrian border.

The Islamic State has recently wreaked havoc in this region and their constant operations along the border have further delayed the reopening of the international highway from Baghdad to Damascus.

A Syrian military source in Damascus told al-Masdar earlier today that the government was hoping to reopen the international highway at the end of April; however, due to the recent increase in terrorist activity near the roadway, they have been forced to keep it closed.

The Islamic State currently occupies several areas inside the vast Badiya al-Sham region between the Deir Ezzor and Homs governorates; this makes travel from western to eastern Syria very dangerous for civilians, let alone the army.

Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israeli tanks allegedly cross DMZ and enter Syrian territory
[ALMASDARNEWS] A number of tanks belonging to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) allegedly crossed the demilitarized zone in the occupied Golan Heights and entered Syria’s al-Quneitra Governorate, the Sputnik News Agency’s Arabic language channel reported on Thursday

According to Ali Hassan, a correspondent for the agency, the IDF tanks crossed the Allon line and traveled deep into the demilitarized zone approved by the United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
in 1974 as a neutral territory bordering the separate forces after the Six-Day War.

In response, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) reportedly raised their alert levels and moved forces towards the demilitarized zone.
"Come get some"
The Sputnik correspondent said the Israeli forces purposely crossed the border to cover up their engineering projects and to "seal the corridor" which was previously used by the IDF to communicate with the rebels in the occupied Golan Heights.

This corridor was used by the Israeli Defense Forces to deliver supplies to the rebels, including the Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA), and evacuate the maimed from the nearby al-Quneitra Governorate.

Al-Masdar reached out to the Syrian Arab Army’s 9th Division near the occupied Golan Heights; they said the IDF tanks entered the DMZ, but denied that they moved into the al-Quneitra Governorate.

Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Several Syrian soldiers killed by jihadist rebels along Idlib-Hama axis
[ALMASDARNEWS] Several Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers were killed on Friday when the jihadist rebels carried out two powerful missile strikes on their positions along the Hama-Idlib axis.

According to a report from northwest Syria, the jihadist rebels scored two direct hits on two Syrian Arab Army vehicles that were traveling south of the key town of Qal’at al-Madiq.

The Syrian Arab Army has since responded to these missile strikes by launching a number of Arclight airstrikes over the area between Qal’at al-Madiq and Kafr Nabl.

A source from the Syrian Arab Army told al-Masdar earlier this week that their troops were preparing to launch a wide-scale assault on the jihadist positions along the demilitarized zone.

Since then, the Syrian Arab Army has amassed several units, including the Tiger Forces and Elite Republican Guard, to the Hama-Idlib axis as they prepare to launch their new offensive.

The jihadist rebels have also received a major boost in numbers when the Ottoman Turkish-backed National Liberation Front
...the Turkic paramilitaries intended to replace with their native jihadi ferocity all the highly trained Turkish soldiers Sultan Erdogan I the much beloved has jailed in the last few years for not worshipping the ground he walks upon. The Uighurs and so forth who did not join Al Nusra or ISIS seem to have ended up here...
sent their forces to the front-lines in the Hama Governorate.

This upcoming offensive is expected to be the largest battle of the year, with thousands of combatants on both sides preparing to participate.

Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Syrian Army attempts first advance in northwest Hama
[ALMASDARNEWS] Fierce festivities broke out this evening in northwestern Hama after the Syrian Arab Army attempted to advance at the Qal’at al-Madiq axis.

According to a military source in the town of Mhardeh, the Syrian Arab Army attempted to bypass the bully boy positions and score an advance at this front near the Idlib Governorate axis.

No advance has been reported as of yet; however, a source told al-Masdar that this is likely just a preliminary offensive to test the defenses of the bully boy forces.

Prior to this attack, the bandidos bandidos Death Eaters infiltrated the Syrian military’s positions south of Qal’at al-Madiq, killing several soldiers in the process.

More of these skirmishes are expected to take place in the coming days as the Syrian Arab Army continues to test the bully boy defenses around the demilitarized zone.

Update (9:40 P.M.) ‐ A Source from the National Defense Forces denied any advance made. The source said festivities occurred, but were limited to just machine gun fire and artillery shells

Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Turkish-backed rebels drag bodies of dead Syrian soldiers with vehicle in northern Hama
[ALMASDARNEWS] The faceless myrmidons in northern Hama tied the bodies of two dead Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers to the back of a vehicle and dragged them along a road in an undisclosed part of the governorate.
Turks making friends...
The two soldiers were not identified.

The military personnel were likely killed early on Friday when the jihadist rebels or Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
attacked the Syrian Arab Army south of Qal’at al-Madiq.

Currently, two major rebel groups are active in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate: the Ottoman Turkish-backed National Liberation Front
...the Turkic paramilitaries intended to replace with their native jihadi ferocity all the highly trained Turkish soldiers Sultan Erdogan I the much beloved has jailed in the last few years for not worshipping the ground he walks upon. The Uighurs and so forth who did not join Al Nusra or ISIS seem to have ended up here...
and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

Both of these rebel groups have fought one another before, but they are now united in their fight against the Syrian government forces.
Posted by: Fred || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


12 killed in pro-regime attacks on northwestern Syria
[Rudaw] Attacks by Syrian regime forces and their Russian allies killed 12 civilians in the country's northwest on Friday in the latest violation of an eight-month-old truce, a war monitor said.

The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four women were among the 12 people killed in shelling and Arclight airstrikes on several towns and villages in Idlib and neighbouring Hama province.

"The attacks have been continuously escalating for four days," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.

An AFP correspondent saw intense bombardment of southern Idlib on Friday, when warplanes dropped bombs that sent huge plumes of grey smoke billowing into the sky.

Idlib and nearby areas have been protected from a massive regime offensive since a September deal inked by Damascus ally Russia and rebel backer The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the most dubious NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
ally....

But the region, currently harbouring some three million people, has come under increasing bombardment since the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
took full control of it in January.

The escalation has killed 200 civilians and displaced nearly 140,000 since February, according to the UN.

Abdul Rahman said shelling and airstrikes in recent days have primarily targeted positions and bases belonging to former al-Qaeda affiliate HTS and other gangs.

The UN says schools and medical centres have also been hit by the new wave of attacks.

State news agency SANA on Friday said the Syrian army "intensified" operations against HTS in Idlib and Hama, targeting armoured vehicles and rocket launchers.

The AFP correspondent saw vehicles loaded with mattresses, carpets and household appliances leaving villages in southern Idlib en route to areas closer to the Ottoman Turkish border.

Residents said increased attacks have emptied some villages in southern Idlib of their residents.

"We've all left," said Abu Ali, a 40-year-old man who fled the Idlib village of Kafr Ain four days ago because of bombing.

"No one is left in the village because of the shelling," he told AFP.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
22[untagged]
5Commies
4Govt of Iran
3Moslem Colonists
3al-Nusra
2Hamas
2Govt of Pakistain Proxies
2Sublime Porte
2Taliban
1Islamic State
1Jaish-e-Mohammad
1Abu Sayyaf (ISIS)
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Thai Insurgency
1Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life,
1Govt of Syria
1Govt of Pakistan

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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
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Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2019-05-04
  Israel strikes Gaza targets in response to heavy rocket fire Saturday
Fri 2019-05-03
  Taliban militants blow up one of the oldest shrines of Ghazni city
Thu 2019-05-02
  Iran, Turkey criticize US plan to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terror group
Wed 2019-05-01
  Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated businessman Malek sentenced to 25 years in prison
Tue 2019-04-30
  Gunmen kill pastor, worshippers in Burkina Faso church
Mon 2019-04-29
  Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seen in new video for first time in five years
Sun 2019-04-28
  Father, brothers of alleged Sri Lanka bombing mastermind killed
Sat 2019-04-27
  Sri Lanka - Inside help?
Fri 2019-04-26
  Jihadists 'blow themselves up' as soldiers raid suicide vest factory in Sri Lanka
Thu 2019-04-25
  Trump says sending ‘armed soldiers’ to US-Mexico border
Wed 2019-04-24
  Saudi Arabia beheads 37 for terrorism crimes, most of them minority Shiites
Tue 2019-04-23
  IS claims Sri Lanka blasts
Mon 2019-04-22
  Sri Lanka explosions, 24 arrested, 290+ dead, 8 kabooms
Sun 2019-04-21
  3 churches bombed at Easter services in Sri Lanka 262 Dead
Sat 2019-04-20
  Woman killed after shots fired during violent riots in Londonderry, Northern Ireland

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