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Oman and Bahrain to follow UAE in normalizing Israel ties
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Page 6: Politix
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Good morning
Democrat Rule: Minneapolis Requires Owners of Businesses Destroyed in Riots to Pay Remaining 2020 Taxes Before They Receive Permit to Remove Burned Down Remains
Friday August 14th, 2020

PauletteGoddard_3045432315_ab26ae09d6
Libya's GNA seal deal with Turkey to boost trade, economic ties
Arab League chief, Iraqi FM discuss Turkish ''aggression''
Saudi-led coalition downs armed drone, two ballistic missiles launched towards kingdom
Abbas calls 'urgent meeting' of Palestinian leadership
Three Katyusha rockets fell into Iraq’s Balad air base
School sets on fire in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province
Cops' helicopter got too close ‐ so Georgia man shot it, feds say. He's going to prison


Nice stems
"Absolute proof there is a Ghod. Only Ghod could have created such a creature."
~ The late Joe Larraia
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 10:45 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Careful Of Flying & Surveil Around Region -Make Safe Because Of Situation -
Posted by: Thong Hatrack5232 || 08/14/2020 17:07 Comments || Top||

#2  I want to come back as a rattan chair.
Posted by: jpal || 08/14/2020 18:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Not kidding one little bit.
Posted by: jpal || 08/14/2020 18:30 Comments || Top||

#4  I too, suddenly prefer bamboo.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/14/2020 18:43 Comments || Top||

#5  She's all over the internet captain. I find that " curious".

Posted by: jpal || 08/14/2020 20:54 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
4 Afghan Forces, 8 Taliban Killed in Balkh Clashes
[ToloNews] At least four security force members and eight Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
were killed and two other security force members were maimed in Balkh province on Wednesday night, said a local police official on Thursday.

The incident happened in Timor-Sarai village in Balkh district on Wednesday night. The Taliban attacked the security forces and the "festivities continued for more than three hours," said Aid Shah Adil, a front man for the provincial police chief.

He did not provide further details.

The Taliban has not commented on the attack.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


2 Afghan engineers killed in Taliban attack on Kabul-Parwan highway
[KhaamaPress] The Talibs ambushed a vehicle carrying Afghan engineers on Kabul-Parwan highway, killing at least two of them, the officials said.

Abdul Shaiq Shorish, a spokesperson for Kapisa Police Headquarters, confirmed the incident and said the hard boyz killed two engineers of National Water Affairs Regulation Authority.

According to Shorish, the driver of the vehicle also sustained injuries in the attack.

He also added that the engineers were in charge of regulating the waters of Kabul River and had visited Kapisa province, accompanying a governmental delegation.

However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly...
he said the engineers were ambushed as they were on their way to Kabul after concluding a similar visit to northern Parwan province.

The Taliban
...Arabic for students...
group has not commented regarding the incident so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Four Civilians Killed in Kandahar Roadside Mine Blast
[ToloNews] At least four non-combatants were killed and six others were maimed in a roadside mine blast in Kandahar province on Thursday morning, Kandahar police said in a statement.

The incident happened in Panjwai district of the province after a civilian vehicle struck a roadside mine, the statement said.

"Three women and a child were killed and four children, a woman and a man were maimed in the blast," it added.

The victims have been taken to the nearby hospital for treatment, according to officials.

No group has grabbed credit for the blast.

On Sunday, at least eight non-combatants were killed in a roadside mine blast in Arghistan district of the province when a civilian vehicle hit a roadside kaboom in Sheen Nari village in the district.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Bodies of 3 Captured, Tortured, Executed ANA Soldiers Found
[ToloNews] The dead bodies of three members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) have been found in Khak-e-Jabar district of Kabul province, the family members confirmed on Thursday.

The family members of the dead soldiers said that the three were taken hostage by the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
and were "brutally tortured" by the group before being shot.

Sherullah was one of the ANA soldiers who was killed alongside his two colleagues.

"We heard they were taken hostage, the Taliban had captured them during an ambush," said Saifullah, the brother of the fallen soldier Sherullah.

Sherullah has left four children behind.

"When we see this government---the government uses them when they (soldiers) are alive, when the soldiers are killed, then the government is not taking care of (their families)---but these soldiers have families and orphans," said Mohammad Asif, a relative of Sherullah.

"Peace will not come when you see the actions of the Taliban, because the Taliban do not have mercy on the poor, not even on women," said Manan, a relative of Sherullah.

Sherullah’s colleagues were named Arif and Baseer.

"They were taken hostage on the way and were brutally killed, they had 60 bullets in their bodies," said Sayed Asghar, the uncle of Arif.

"No one pays any mind to a son of the poor," said Mohammad Yousuf, Arif’s father.

The Taliban have so far not made an official comment about the claims.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


School sets on fire in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province
[KhaamaPress] Armed men have set on fire a school in the Taleqan city of northern Takhar province, an official said.

Armed men have set on fire a high school named Abu Osman Taleqani, located in the thriving provincial capital at around 3:30 on Thursday morning, Jawad Hijri, a provincial spokesperson told Khaama Press.

The school burnt today was a famous and old school in the city with around 3,000 students, Hijri added.

Hijri added that upon the arrival of the fire brigade, unfortunately, most parts of the school along with the documents were damaged and burnt.

The police department has started their investigation to find the motive behind this incident, he said.

No individual or group has so far claimed the responsibility.

This incident is not the first to happen in Afghanistan, many other schools were damaged or burnt by the government oppositions, especially the Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
in the past years.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa North
Muslim Brotherhood Number 2 dies in Egypt prison
[IsraelTimes] Essam al-Erian, 66, was arrested in 2013 following army’s ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, on the back of mass protests against his brief rule

A big shot of the outlawed Moslem Brüderbund died Thursday in an Egyptian prison where he was serving multiple sentences including on terror-related charges, his lawyer said.

Essam el-Erian, 66, was arrested in 2013 following the army’s ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi on the back of mass protests against his brief rule.

"The authorities notified me of his death, and I informed his family to arrange for receiving his body [for burial]," lawyer Abdelmoneim Abdelmaqsood told AFP.

"It was a natural death," he added.

Egyptian media reported that Erian died of a heart attack, following an argument with a fellow inmate.
"I used to be Somebody™!"
Erian was the vice president of the Brotherhood’s political wing, the now-dissolved Freedom and Justice party. He was sentenced in multiple cases on charges including incitement to violence, murder and espionage.

According to Abdelmaqsood, the cases brought against Erian carried sentences amounting to "a total of 150 years" in prison.

Since Morsi’s overthrow, the authorities have cracked down on the Moslem Brüderbund’s rank and file, jailing thousands of members and supporters. They have also blacklisted the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

But the Islamist group has consistently denied any link to violence.

Authorities placed Erian on their terror blacklist, a designation that has allowed them to freeze his assets.

Morsi himself died in jug in June 2019, after falling ill during a court hearing.

Morsi’s rule was marked by deep divisions in Egyptian society, a crippling economic crisis and often-deadly opposition protests.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 02:34 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood

#1  As Mort Sahl used to say, "It's Friday! FRIDAY! Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidayyyyyyyyyy!"
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/14/2020 3:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Oops, I meant Murray Saul, legendary Cleveland radio personality.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/14/2020 3:54 Comments || Top||

#3  Since Morsi’s overthrow, the authorities have cracked down on the Moslem Brüderbund’s rank and file, jailing thousands of members and supporters. They have also blacklisted the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Half of Zero's former cabinet would be in jail if the USA did that.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 08/14/2020 4:06 Comments || Top||

#4  MEMORIES of 2012: "Senior members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood have reacted angrily to statements by US Senator John McCain in which he thanked the group for its role in lifting the travel ban on indicted foreign NGO workers. The US government paid the $330,000 bail of foreign workers in Egypt's ongoing NGO case, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed on Friday. According to Nuland, 13 US citizens and seven other foreign nationals departed Egypt on a US military plane on Thursday. ... The NGOS are accused of working in Egypt and raising US funds without appropriate government authorization.
Posted by: b || 08/14/2020 8:09 Comments || Top||

#5  Nothing Too Painless I Hope.
Posted by: Sonny Black || 08/14/2020 8:34 Comments || Top||

#6  Half of Zero's former cabinet would be in jail if the USA did that.

Not to mention Zero himself.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/14/2020 12:32 Comments || Top||


Libyan Air Force LNA strikes on armed convoys carrying large numbers of GNA / Turkish mercenaries in the area south of Abu Grian
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Couple of questions. Are the aircraft shown stock photos or is this what the Libyans are flying? Where do they get the freaking money.? And, what good are mercs? All they seem to do from the Saudi peninsula fighting to Libya to Syria is get wiped out in large numbers while not even fighting?
Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 08/14/2020 7:37 Comments || Top||

#2  Man don't get me to lying. The Libyan's have access to oil and they could have mercenaries flying planes supplied by a number of cutouts. Also the mercenaries attacked were identified as Turks and it could even be Russian pilots in those planes....Or Pakistani's....or someone from a Blackwater group. Frogs , Scorpions, onions, carrots, boiling water ?
Posted by: Thaith Elmeresing6163 || 08/14/2020 10:12 Comments || Top||

#3  War for fun and profit.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/14/2020 12:35 Comments || Top||


Libyan Armed forces units have successfully raided a ISIS den In the Wadi Al-Haya region Southwestern Libya
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Arabia
Saudi-led coalition downs armed drone, two ballistic missiles launched towards kingdom
[Al Ahram] The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
movement in 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...
said on Thursday it intercepted and downed an armed drone and two ballistic missiles launched towards a southern part of 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...
, in a statement carried by Saudi state news outlets.

Cross-border attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces have escalated since late May when a truce prompted by the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
pandemic expired. In late June, missiles reached the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The coalition has retaliated with air strikes.
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Cyber
NSA, FBI expose Russian intelligence hacking tool
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


#2  PDF cleanly linked from SANS.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/14/2020 10:22 Comments || Top||

#3  Firewall the bastards and we won't have to worry about it.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/14/2020 12:37 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Secret Service 'wanted a Blackhawk helicopter with a fast-deployment commando team to protect the White House' after George Floyd protesters knocked down barriers in May
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Secret Service requested a blackhawk helicopter from Customs & Border Protection (CBP) on June 10

  • Came shortly after BLM protesters breached the White House gate in May

  • President and his family were rushed to an underground bunker after incident

  • The CBP claim their choppers can only identify the movement of protestors, and to spot people carrying weapons and backpacks
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/14/2020 11:31 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Antifa/BLM



Antifa group @richmondstrike carried out a riot in support of Chicago looters in a targeted attack on a Richmond, Va. courthouse
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Antifa/BLM

#1  These ass-hats advertise before the fact. How long before we see the Weimar era street battles reenacted?
Posted by: RJ45ACP || 08/14/2020 1:40 Comments || Top||

#2  They look like they have it all figured out. Riiiiiight...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/14/2020 3:03 Comments || Top||

#3  Win or lose, post election Trump needs to take the gloves of and go Roman on these ass-hats.
Posted by: H-T-A || 08/14/2020 7:39 Comments || Top||

#4  hey at least it's not 4 pasty white basement-dwellers staring at you.

it's 4 mocha brown basement-dwellers.

diversity!
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 || 08/14/2020 8:00 Comments || Top||

#5  indian (dot not feather), korean, mexi, chinese
Posted by: 746 || 08/14/2020 13:14 Comments || Top||

#6  This is what you get from support of DACA.
Posted by: Past Master of the Obvious || 08/14/2020 13:20 Comments || Top||


Portland catch and release
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Antifa/BLM

#1  Freaks!
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/14/2020 12:39 Comments || Top||

#2  And I understand that the Multnomah County DA is not going to prosecute the vast majority of them...why do the police even bother?

Note to self: Never, under any circumstances, consider moving to Portland.
Posted by: Tom || 08/14/2020 15:55 Comments || Top||


Hundreds of open-border radicals swarmed ICE busses in BendOregon & prevented arrest of 2 violent illegal foreign nationals
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Antifa/BLM



Portland roundup: Antifa planning autonomous zone occupation, state cops pull out, etc.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]





Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Antifa/BLM


Iraq
Iraq has military capacity to counter Turkish attacks: Iraqi military official
Good to know.
[Rudaw] As tensions rise between Ankara and Baghdad over the recent Ottoman Turkish drone attack that killed two Iraqi border officials and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's satrapy in Asia Minor...
’s continued bombardment of the Kurdistan Region, a top Iraqi military official is claiming that they have the military capability to repel foreign attacks on Iraqi soil.

Maj. Gen. Tahsin Khafaji, spokesperson of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, told Iraqi state media on Thursday that Iraqi security forces have the military capabilities to faceoff the Ottoman Turkish attacks in case officials choose a military option over diplomatic efforts to face Turkey’s incursion into Iraq.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


PKK confirms death of top commander in Turkish drone strike
[Rudaw] The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) confirmed on Thursday a senior commander was killed in a Ottoman Turkish drone attack on a meeting between them and Iraqi border guards in the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday.

Agit Garzan, 45, joined the PKK in 1993 and rose through the organization to become a top-ranking commander, leading the gang in the Khakurk area of Erbil province’s border with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's satrapy in Asia Minor...
. He was part of a delegation that met with Iraqi border guards on Tuesday to resolve tensions after the PKK opened fire on the guards.

Iraqi border guards, mostly made up of Kurds, wanted to set up bases in the Sidakan area, to the south of Khakurk. The PKK, which has been in the area for decades, resisted the Iraqi expansion and shots were fired on Monday evening, without any casualties. The two sides arranged a meeting for the following day, but it was targeted by a Ottoman Turkish drone. Two senior border guards and one soldier were killed, as was Garzan.

Garzan, whose real name was Murat Kalko, was born in Turkey’s northeastern province of Kars in 1975. "I was from a poor family as were other Kurdish families," he said in a video published by the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency (ANF).

"When I first came to the mountains, it was very important because it was a sort of enjoyment for us as youths," he said in the undated video. He added that he suffered a lot in the ranks of the PKK, especially in the nineties because of constant festivities with Ottoman Turkish forces, but claimed it was worth it as it served Kurds.

He first fought for the PKK in his southeastern Turkey, but was later moved to the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan Region where he was based for 18 years. The PKK described him as a "legend."

"In the 27 years of his guerrilla life he participated in countless actions and was injured several times. Nevertheless, he never left the freedom mountains for a moment," read a statement from the PKK on his death.

The Iraqi government condemned the drone attack, summoning Ankara’s ambassador and demanding Turkey cease its bombardment and withdraw its troops from the country.

More border guards have been deployed to the area.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Suspected Turkish airstrike destroys car east of Duhok: official
[Rudaw] A car traveling on a road east of Duhok city was destroyed in a suspected Ottoman Turkish Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
, according to a local official, as Ankara continues its military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), despite condemnation from Baghdad and Gay Paree.

The Ottoman Turkish Air Force fired on a vehicle driving on a road in the Zawita subdistrict, about 20 kilometres east of Duhok city, local official Mushir Bashir told Rudaw. Four people were in the vehicle, but their identities were not immediately known, he said.

Initial reports are that three people were killed and a fourth was injured. A witness who filmed the burning car told Rudaw he heard what he believed to be a rocket hit the vehicle.

The PKK is a Kurdish group fighting for increased rights for the Kurdish minority in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
, and is designated a terrorist group by Ankara and its allies. It has been in conflict with the Ottoman Turkish state for decades. Turkey launched new operations against the group in the Kurdistan Region and disputed territories of Iraq in mid-June. Air offensive Operation Claw-Eagle began on June 15, with a ground offensive, dubbed Operation Claw-Tiger, beginning two days later.

This week, three Iraqi border guards, including two commanders, were killed when a Ottoman Turkish drone targeted their meeting with PKK leaders. A senior PKK commander was also killed.

Baghdad condemned the killings, cancelling a planned visit by Turkey’s defence minister and summoning Ankara’s ambassador. Maj. Gen. Tahsin Khafaji, spokesperson of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, told Iraqi state media on Thursday that Iraqi security forces have the military capabilities to faceoff the Ottoman Turkish attacks in case officials choose a military option over diplomatic efforts to face Turkey’s incursion into Iraq.

La Belle France’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it condemns any violation of Iraq’s illusory sovereignty.

Ankara has vowed to continue its campaign against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region mountains "as long as PKK’s presence in Iraq continues to be tolerated," read a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Iraqi authorities arrest a human trafficking network
[EN.ALGHADEER.TV] The Civil Status, Passports and Residence Directorate of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced, on Wednesday, the arrest of a human trafficking gang.

A statement by the directorate received by Alghadeer News stated that "the Directorate in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service arrested a gang consisting of 4 Iraqis and 16 foreigners in the Karrada region, foreign women trafficking"

It added, "The foreigners who were arrested will be deported outside Iraqi territory, and Iraqis will be held accountable according to the law."

The directorate called on citizens "not to accommodate foreign workers who violate the Iraqi residency law, and to inform the authorities about them."
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Human Trafficking

#1  Forestalling competition.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/14/2020 10:10 Comments || Top||


Three Katyusha rockets fell into Iraq’s Balad air base
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF clears mines from 12 acres in southern Golan Heights
[Jpost] The IDF announced on Thursday that it finished clearing mines from roughly 50 dunams (12 acres) of land in the Golan Heights, near Kfar Haruv and Afik in the southern part of the region.

The reclaimed lands will be handed over to the Golan Regional Council, which intends to repurpose them for agriculture and tourist uses.Earlier this month it was reported that the local council took possession of more than 100 dunams (24 acres) of lands, cleared of mines, in the Emek Habacha area in the northern part of the Golan Heights.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 02:34 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


The IDF strikes terror targets in Gaza
[Jpost] The IDF struck terror targets in 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...
on Thursday night in response to continued incendiary balloon attacks, Kan News reports.IDF fighter jets, helicopters and tanks struck Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", air defense, underground infrastructure and observation posts.

During the day, 25 fires broke out in the Gaza Envelope as a result of incendiary balloons, and this week there have been more than 120 fires caused by balloons. Additionally, hundreds of balloons with explosives have been launched at Israel from Gaza this week, most of which detonated while still in the air.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 02:34 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
BREAKING: US Seizes Iranian Fuel From Four Tankers Sailing to Venezuela
See also here.
But Senior, el tank is out of gas!
[FoxNews] The Trump administration has successfully seized Iranian fuel from four tankers sailing to Venezuela, increasing their "maximum pressure campaign" against Tehran, a senior U.S. official confirmed for Fox News on Thursday evening.

Iran and Venezuela have tried to outmaneuver sanctions that the U.S. has placed on both countries by forming an oil partnership.

The confiscated cargo, first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, was a direct violation of U.S. sanctions. A senior official clarified that the tankers were not seized but the oil is now in U.S. possession.

Federal prosecutors reportedly filed a forfeiture complaint and warrant in Washington, D.C. alleging that all "petroleum products" aboard the four vessels referred to as the Bella, the Bering, the Pandi and the Luna were a "source of influence" for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch in the Iranian armed forces.

The U.S. has designated the Guard a terrorist organization and therefore claimed that the sale of oil from Iran to Venezuela financially sponsors the The Guard and their militant actions.

President Trump has also increased U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan state-owned oil, preventing them from selling oil to other countries without in turn enduring U.S. sanctions.

The sanctions on Venezuela have meant a lack of business and investment in its oil refineries, preventing them from being able to produce oil supplies, which has left the country desperate for petroleum sources.

"The Iranian oil tankers arriving in Venezuela are nothing but a distraction from the real problems facing [President Nicolás] Maduro," a spokesperson from the State Department told Fox News in May when the U.S. first caught wind of the shipments. "These shipments will do nothing to help Venezuelans, they will only help prop up the former Maduro regime for a little while longer."

Venezuelan sanctions are an attempt to persuade Maduro to step down, or at the very least ensure he does not turn a profit and continue reported human rights abuses.

Iran has been undergoing U.S. sanctions as a strategy to prevent the country from investing in and developing their nuclear capabilities.

"We are two rebel revolutionary peoples that are never going to kneel before North American imperialism," Maduro said in a televised event in May.

The four vessels stopped by U.S. officials were privately owned vessels, originally sailing as a part of nine tanker flotilla. The other five tankers were Iranian vessels escorted by the Iranian navy, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. reportedly contacted the owners of the ships before seizing the oil.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged the international community to not allow the current arms embargo placed on Iran expire come October.

"Tehran will become an arms dealer for the Maduros and Assads of the world, sworn enemies of Israel like Hamas and Hezbollah will be better armed, European nations will be put at risk," Pompeo said referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a news conference last month.
Posted by: Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589 || 08/14/2020 13:33 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Trump is just making my decision to vote for him all so much more delicious.
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/14/2020 16:18 Comments || Top||

#2  been busy, apparently, in a productive way
Posted by: Frank G || 08/14/2020 16:22 Comments || Top||


SDF release 9 Arab detainees as tribes meet in troubled Deir ez-Zor
[Rudaw] The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday released nine detainees at the request of Arab tribe leaders from restive Deir ez-Zor province where relations between locals and the Kurdish-led forces are tense.

The nine men who were returned to their families are from areas that have seen recent unrest: including al-Shuhail and Ziban towns. They were considered eligible for release because their "hands were not stained with Syrian blood," according to Sawadi al-Abdullah, a leader in the al-Bomsarra clan.

Violent protests broke out in eastern Deir ez-Zor earlier this month after an Arab tribal leader, Sheikh Mutsher Hamud Jeidan al-Hifl, was assassinated by unknown button men, the latest in a spate of assassinations. Two members of the SDF were killed by "saboteurs" who had infiltrated the demonstrations, according to a commander of the force.

Tensions are high between the Arab majority and Kurds who lead the armed forces and the civilian administration in northeastern Syria. Power sharing between the two is "imbalanced," the Pentagon said in a recent report, with Kurds controlling the decision-making.

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....
group (ISIS) is active in the area, carrying out destabilizing attacks and liquidations. The group’s bully boyz are believed to be fomenting unrest between Kurds and Arabs. Deir ez-Zor province also borders regime-held areas.

After meeting the SDF and American representatives, Arab tribal leaders agreed to call off protests for a month to give security forces time to find the Sheikh’s killers.

The clans of the Agaidat tribe gathered for another meeting on Thursday to discuss recent events. About 3,000 leaders were joined by representatives of the US-led Coalition against ISIS.

They demanded an investigation into killings of local leaders and asked for more support for the SDF-backed Deir ez-Zor Military Council.

"We call for support for the Military Council, financially and morally... in order to maintain security and stability," read a statement issued after the meeting.

"We call on the Global Coalition to meet our demands, because they are responsible for the region, in order to bring security and stability to our areas," the tribal leaders added.

The Coalition spokesperson took to Twitter on Thursday to confirm support for the province, which is home to much of Syria’s oil.

"ISIS can carry out attacks and liquidations, but cannot control land. The Coalition is committed to the long-term stability of Deir ez-Zor and respects the sacrifices made by its people against the evils of ISIS. We will work hand-in-hand to build a prosperous future of peace and security for the region," tweeted Col. Myles Caggins.

The SDF has thousands of suspected Islamic State (ISIS) fighters in jug, including foreigners. It has released hundreds of locals who are not implicated in killings of SDF members. The charges against the nine men released on Thursday were not disclosed.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


US has for the first time confiscated four ships allegedly loaded with Iranian fuel in violation of sanctions
See also here.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 08/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Goody, hit them in the pocket.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/14/2020 3:45 Comments || Top||

#2  Finally! The US steals some mid-East oil. Been waiting nearly 20 years for this.
Posted by: Groluse B. Hayes4837 || 08/14/2020 9:23 Comments || Top||

#3  "Only Murica Bad" crowd in ZH comments going off their rockers. Good!
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/14/2020 9:46 Comments || Top||

#4  Now sink them.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/14/2020 10:09 Comments || Top||

#5  Wow. Apparently this time we really mean it.
Posted by: Tom || 08/14/2020 15:57 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
39[untagged]
7Antifa/BLM
6Taliban
5Sublime Porte
5PLO
4Hezbollah
2Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
2Govt of Iran
2Govt of Iraq
2Islamic State
2Muslim Brotherhood
1Arab Spring
1Palestinian Authority
1Houthis
1Hamas
1Human Trafficking
1Commies

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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2020-08-14
  Oman and Bahrain to follow UAE in normalizing Israel ties
Thu 2020-08-13
  Diplomatic relations between Israel and UAE
Wed 2020-08-12
  Turkish strike kills Iraqi border guards, Iraqi military says
Tue 2020-08-11
  Seattle police chief to resign following department cuts
Mon 2020-08-10
  Lebanese Prime Minister announces resignation of government
Sun 2020-08-09
  Lebanese Army evacuates protestors from government buildings
Sat 2020-08-08
  Portland mayor unleashes police on violent demonstrations
Fri 2020-08-07
  Pakistain Borrows $1 Billion from Chinese Peter To Pay Back $1 Billion Saudi Paul
Thu 2020-08-06
  DOJ Atty reveals 300 domestic terrorists investigations have been opened since May 28th
Wed 2020-08-05
  Death toll from Beirut blast reaches 100 but is expected to rise even further
Tue 2020-08-04
  Beruit goes BOOM!
Mon 2020-08-03
  Israel army says it has foiled a terror attack at the border with Syria
Sun 2020-08-02
  Turkish brig.-gen. executed for revealing Qatari funding of jihadists
Sat 2020-08-01
  Turkey Sends Fighter Jets to Azerbaijan After Threat to Bomb a Nuclear Power Plant
Fri 2020-07-31
  Indonesian Court Convicts, Sentences Top 2 Jemaah Islamiyah Militants

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