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Six top TTP commanders announce allegiance to Islamic State's Baghdadi
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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Africa North
Islamists Get Egypt Death Sentence over Police Killings
[AnNahar] An Egyptian court sentenced seven Islamists to death Tuesday over the killing of 25 coppers in the Sinai Peninsula last year and for collaborating with al-Qaeda in Iraq, state news agency MENA said.

Five of the defendants in the case, details of which were not given, are in jug. Another two were tried in absentia.

As is required under Egyptian law, the sentences were referred to the country's mufti, or top Moslem holy man, for review. December 6 was fixed as the date for the final verdict to be announced.

The authorities have cracked down hard on supporters of former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi and his Moslem Brüderbund movement since the army deposed him last year.

The campaign has left at last 1,400 people dead, and seen more than 15,000 tossed in the slammer
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
. Hundreds have also been sentenced to death after often speedy trials.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Egyptian Army Uncovers Local Rocket Production Site In Rafah
[Ynet] Egyptian army officials reported that they discovered local rocket production site in southern Rafah, close to the Israeli border.

5000kg of explosives, which were intended for local production of rockets, were discovered at the site. In addition, the army had tossed in the clink
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
15 suspects at the site's vicinity.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
American's Slaying in Saudi Arabia Prompts 'Security Message'
[ABCNEWS.GO] Officials are issuing a "security message" to U.S. citizens in 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...
after two Americans employed by a U.S. defense contractor supporting Saudi National Guard military programs were shot today in Riyadh, one of them fatally, according to the U.S. State Department.

The two men were shot at a gas station-store less than a mile from the Vinnell Arabia base in Riyadh, which is located about 20 miles from the U.S. Embassy, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki
...a valley girl who woke up one morning and found she was spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State...
said.

"We are in the process of evaluating our security posture and will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of all U.S. Mission personnel," she said. "Our Embassy is issuing a security message to U.S. citizens to advise them on the situation and any safety precautions they should take."

The gunman opened fire on a car stopped at a gas station near the King Fahd stadium, in the east of the Saudi capital, police say.

Neither American has been named and there is no known motive at this time.

Psaki described the surviving man as "lightly injured," adding that police have a suspect in jug. "We are in close contact with the Saudi government as we continue to gather details about the shooting and motive," she said.

She explained that the State Department "security message" is used to "communicate information about personal security threats of a general or systemic nature, such as crime trends, demonstrations, peaceful actions intended to disrupt normal activity, or localized events not likely to affect large numbers of U.S. citizens."

"Such messages are regularly issued by embassies and consulates abroad to provide timely and important safety and security information to U.S. citizens living or traveling in their districts."

According to its LinkedIn page, Vinnell Arabia is "the market leader in U.S. military doctrine-based training, logistics, and support services inside Saudi Arabia. We provide unparalleled training and simulation services for defense, national security as well as fire and emergency medical response."
An Nahar adds:
Ex-Colleague Shoots Dead American in Saudi Capital

A former employee of a U.S. defense contractor rubbed out one American colleague and maimed another in the Saudi capital Tuesday, officials said, in a rare attack on Westerners in the kingdom.

The alleged shooter, Abdulaziz Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashid, 24, "worked at the same company as the victims, and was recently dismissed from his job due to drug related issues," Riyadh's embassy in Washington said in a statement.

A United States diplomat identified the gunman as a disgruntled former employee of Vinnell Arabia.

The victims of Tuesday's petrol station shooting in Riyadh also worked at Vinnell Arabia, the diplomat said, ruling out terrorism as a possible motive for the attack.

Riyadh's embassy in Washington said the suspect, Alrashid, is a dual Saudi-American citizen born in Washington State.
Posted by: Fred || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A United States diplomat identified the gunman as a disgruntled former employee of Vinnell Arabia.

Typical State Department description of contractor aka inconsequential little person. I've met few former Vinnell employees who weren't disgruntled. But what does that have to do with being murdered whilst pumping petrol? But of course, as seen in the recent CDC statement regarding the Texas healthcare worker stricken with Ebola, slandering the victim tends to shift responsibility and discount the worth of the victim.

Posted by: Besoeker || 10/15/2014 3:04 Comments || Top||

#2  If not ignored by State, it will be dismissed as "Workplace Violence."
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/15/2014 12:15 Comments || Top||


Yemen Rebels Take Port City, Province Near Sanaa
[Ynet] Yemeni security and military officials say Iranian catspaws who recently overran the capital have now seized a key port city on the Red Sea and a province south of Sanaa in a stunning new blitz.

The development indicates the Shiite Houthis may be determined to carve out a mini-state within Yemen, taking advantage of the weakness of the central government and the disarray in the army and security forces.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Saudi forces, Yemeni tribesmen clash in Yemen's Sa'ada province
[Iran Press TV] Saudi border guards have reportedly clashed with Yemeni rustics in Yemen's northwestern province of Sa'ada.

According to a report published on the Arabic-language news website, Yemen Now, the festivities broke out on Tuesday in Munbeh region of the province as Saudi guards sought to install checkpoints on the Yemeni side of the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Local Yemeni sources have expressed concern
...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended...
that the festivities might be an excuse by Saudis to open a new war front against Yemen's Shia Ansarullah movement.

The movement has been at odds with Riyadh, which has been in control of the Yemeni provinces of Asir, Najran and Jizan since the 1930s.

The Saudi army also backed the Yemeni government's crackdown on Houthi
...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 Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. 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 Americaâ¢, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ...
fighters back in 2009 under ousted dictator, President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
Ansarullah has been also accusing Riyadh of interfering in Yemen's internal affairs.

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...
is building a giant border fence to seal off its troubled frontier with Yemen.
Posted by: Fred || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


India-Pakistan
Six top TTP commanders announce allegiance to Islamic State's Baghdadi
[DAWN] Six top commanders of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain, including front man Shahidullah Shahid, have announced their allegiance to Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi of 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....
and an allegiance statement was also issued in this regard.

Shahidullah Shahid in the statement said he along with five TTP district chiefs have announced their allegiance to IS, also known as Daish, and would be their lead fighters in Pakistain.

The statement did not elaborate on the stance of the six on Mullah Omar
... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality...
, chief of the Afghan Taliban widely regarded by murderous Moslem groups in Afghanistan and Pakistain as the Amirul Momineen (leader of the faithful).

"I am confirming my allegiance to Amirul Momineen Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi and would abide by all his decisions, whatever is the order, and whatsoever the circumstances, I shall be loyal to him and obey his orders," Shaidullah Shahid said in a statement issued in Arabic and Urdu.

Shahidullah said he along with TTP amir for Orakzai Agency
... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers...
Saeed Khan, TTP's Kurram Agency
...home of an intricately interconnected web of poverty, ignorance, and religious fanaticism, where the laws of cause and effect are assumed to be suspended, conveniently located adjacent to Tora Bora...
chapter chief Daulat Khan, Fateh Gul Zaman, who heads TTP in Khyber Agency, TTP's Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
amir Mufti Hassan and TTP's Hangu chief Khalid Mansoor, was announcing allegiance to Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi Al Qureshi Al-Hussaini.

Shahidullah further said that the statement was on his and the five commanders' behalf and had nothing to do with TTP.

He added that TTP chief Mullah Fazlluah had extended his support to Al-Baghdadi but had not announced allegiance to Daish. How will the decision of the six TTP commanders be viewed and taken by Fazlullah whose allegiance currently lies with Mullah Omar is still a matter of speculation but the announcement comes at a time when the outlawed group is already experiencing fissures and is the main target of a military operation in North Wazoo.

Shahidullah further said that he had already extended his allegiance three times to Al-Baghdadi and it was the fourth time that he and his associates were extending allegiance to the IS chief.

Shahidullah said he first announced support to Al-Bagdadi before the latter's announcement of Khilafat, the second time in last Ramazan through Abu Huda Sudani, a third time through Abu Al-Khitab Shami through telephone and now again.

With the IS trying to make inroads into South Asia, there are concerns about further turmoil in the region.

The TTP has been beset by bitter internal rivalries over the past year, with the influential Mehsud tribal faction of the group refusing to accept the authority of Fazlullah, who came to power in late 2013.

It moreover appears that IS, in an effort to extend its global reach, is aiming to exploit these rivalries to its advantage and wade into the region.
Posted by: Fred || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Target them, hit them and go on to the next bunch. That will take some of the starch out of them. So far, the bombing campaign is waiting for the midterms to pass.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/15/2014 12:24 Comments || Top||


'Indian hackers' deface LHC website
[DAWN] Hackers claiming to be Indians defaced the website of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday, saying they attacked the website in response to a recent statement over Kashmire by Pakistain People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

"This hack comes in response to the Bilawal Bhutto's Statement about KASHMIR," wrote the hackers, who also posted the Indian flag on the website.

"Stop giving such childish/stupid comments about KASHMIR or else you will be responsible for such High Profile Hacks," they said.

The attack is the second such defacement of a website by Indian hackers purportedly in response to Bilawal's statements about the disputed region, in which he was reported to have said that his party would take entire Kashmire region back Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Computer games can be such fun.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 10/15/2014 11:24 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Baghdad Suicide Car Bomb Kills at Least 15
[AnNahar] A suicide car kaboom on a checkpoint in Baghdad killed at least 15 people Tuesday, the third deadly bombing to hit the Shiite neighborhood of Kadhimiyah in four days, medical sources said.

Several coppers were among the dead and the blast also left at least 23 people maimed, a health ministry official and a hospital source said.

On Monday, at least 43 people were killed in three attacks in Baghdad, including one on the edge of Kadhimiyah, which was claimed by the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group.

While most of the major suicide kabooms in Baghdad are ascribed to IS, some of the smaller kabooms and liquidations are carried out by other more marginal Sunni groups and by Shiite militias.
The jihadist organization also grabbed credit for another of the three attacks, saying one of its Saudi followers detonated a suicide boom-mobile packed with 650 kilograms of explosives in the Sadr City neighborhood.

Kadhimiyah was already one of two areas targeted in double bombings that left more than 40 dead on Saturday.

The United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
said more than 1,110 people were killed in acts of violence across Iraq in September. According to an Agence La Belle France-Presse count, more than 350 have already been killed this month.

While the bloodshed has been mainly on the frontlines where federal, Kurdish and allied forces are battling the Islamic State group , blasts and executions in Baghdad continue to take a heavy toll.

While most of the major suicide kabooms in Baghdad are ascribed to IS, some of the smaller kabooms and liquidations are carried out by other more marginal Sunni groups and by Shiite militias.
Ynet adds:
Iraq Shiite Lawmaker Killed In Baghdad Attack

Iraqi officials say a Shiite politician is among 23 people killed when a suicide boom-mobileer rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a northern Baghdad security checkpoint.

The officials say Ahmed al-Khafaji was not the target in the attack, and just happened to be driving through the Khazimiyah neighborhood of the Iraqi capital when the attack took place.

The officials say the kaboom killed at least 23 people and maimed 52.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1 
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 || 10/15/2014 7:04 Comments || Top||

#2  "You've your form of guided bombs, and we have ours."
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/15/2014 12:20 Comments || Top||

#3  Pretty much following the AQI playbook.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/15/2014 14:49 Comments || Top||

#4  How soon until ISIS starts driving suicide car bombers into Baghdad loaded with nerve agent ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/15/2014 14:52 Comments || Top||

#5  Applying nerve gas via small explosion is not what one would term an ideal dispersal method, unless the objective is sow panic.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/15/2014 21:36 Comments || Top||

#6  unless the objective is sow panic.

I'll take Terrorism for $100, Alex. It's all about theater. Actually casualties are just gravy.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/15/2014 22:20 Comments || Top||


Amnesty: Iraqi Shiites Retaliating Against Sunnis
[Ynet] Amnesia Amnesty International says Iraq's Shiite militias have kidnapped and killed "scores" of Sunni civilians in retaliation for the onslaught of the Sunni bad boy Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group.

The rights watchdog says these attacks are supported by Iraq's government, and that the Shiites are not prosecuted for their crimes.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good
Posted by: chris || 10/15/2014 9:30 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli Soldier Wounded By Explosive Device Near Rachel's Tomb
[Ynet] Border Guard force attacked while trying to disperse crowd of rioters on Paleostinian side of key Bethlehem religious site.
Riots, riots everywhere, nor any drop to...
A Border Guard soldier was injured in a riot near Rachel's Tomb on Tuesday. Some 40 locals arrived at the compound in the evening and began hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails at security forces near the Paleostinian side of the complex.

A team of Border Guard soldiers approached the rioters when an improvised explosive was thrown towards the Israelis, lightly wounding a trooper in his leg. The force began searching the area for the suspects and dispersing the rioters using crowd control measures.

In March, two Border Guard soldiers were maimed during Paleostinian riots in a refugee camp near Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.

In January, two security incidents occurred in the same day. One Israeli was maimed from the detonation of a pipe bomb at the religious site, while earlier Paleostinians threw an improvised grenade at a military base near Bethlehem. There were no casualties and no damages.

In the months leading up to the January incident, dozens of incidents involving improvised explosives were reported.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Abu Sayyaf rebel arrested on Zamboanga island
Security forces arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf rebel and seized several blasting caps from his house on an island off Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Senior Inspector Dahlan Samuddin said policemen backed by soldiers arrested the Abdulhalik Ajibon on Sacol Island on October 13. He said the police seized five blasting caps in the Ajibon's house of Ajibon, who is currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). The CIDG said Ajibon has a relative who is also a member of the Abu Sayyaf group in nearby Basilan province.

Ajibon's wife denied the accusation against him. She said, "My husband is neither a member nor a supporter of the Abu Sayyaf. He just takes care of our small (convenience) store," adding the blasting caps found by the police were just her child's toys.
Posted by: ryuge || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf


Two NPA militants surrender in Mindanao
Two communist militants surrendered to the military in North Cotabato in the southern Philippines.

Capt. Alberto Caber, of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the two militants – Marco Via and his wife Gina Calimpitan – surrendered to on October 13 and were being investigated. He said the couple, who were recruited by the New People's Army in the province, thanked members of the 57th Infantry Battalion for their safe return to the folds of the law.

Caber quoted the pair as saying, "Joining the Communist Party of the Philippines and (its armed wing) the New People's Army is a very big mistake we have committed in our lives, with the soldier's help, this is a second chance for us to redeem our normal lives that were denied to us by the NPA after having fooled us to join their group through sweet promises (sic)."
Posted by: ryuge || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Commies


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
US Officials: Media to Blame for Failure of Air Strike Strategy in Syria
Despite lunching 46 cruise missiles last month on eight locations in northern Syria to destroy the Khorasan group’s training camps, there were only one or two key militants killed, US officials told the Press Agency That Cannot Be Named.

The officials said US-led airstrikes were ineffective because IS members were able to scatter as they learned of the targets from the media, highlighting a September 13 report by the AyPee, which disclosed the group’s significance, causing members to flee.

“The Press Agency That Cannot Be Named can speak only for itself and its reporting. The AyPee’s Sept. 13 story revealing the name and other details about the Khorasan Group was the product of weeks of reporting with sources, most of whom were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Representatives of the US government asked the AyPee to withhold from the story some details AyPee had confirmed, but the AyPee declined to do that.” Erin Madigan White, The Press Agency That Cannot Be Named Senior Media Relations Manager responded.

Questions about civilian deaths from US counterterrorism operations sometimes result in heated internal policy debates on effectiveness of the air strikes. According to local activist Mohammed Abu Omar, one of the cruise missiles killed a dozen civilians in a town west of Aleppo.

“For me and those in my chain of command, those deaths will haunt us as long as we live.” said Obama addressing the subject in a speech at the National Defense University, as he acknowledged for the first time that US strikes have resulted in civilian casualties.

The targets hit by guided missiles were in territory controlled by the Nusra Front, a sometimes ally of the US backed rebels in its war with the Islamic State and the Syrian regime.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1 
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 || 10/15/2014 6:58 Comments || Top||

#2  and the media were informed by the same big-mouthed ass-covering tools of this regime
Posted by: Frank G || 10/15/2014 7:03 Comments || Top||

#3  The Obola-rot disease has totally infected the entire country when the military starts this.

We are so screwed.

those deaths will haunt us as long as we live.” said Obama

Yeah right a$$#ole. Like the ambassador? Like the ATF agent? Like all the others you've caused and allowed with nary a shrug?

Stick it where the sun don't shine.
Posted by: AlanC || 10/15/2014 7:09 Comments || Top||

#4  Like the common whore, the media demands no loyalty, only tribute, and it is very well paid. Besides, progressives owe loyalty only to themselves, as is evidenced by so many cheese-eating, tell all books.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/15/2014 7:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Where's the Irony Meter? Champ's boy have just figured out the media is not on their side, either!
Posted by: Bobby || 10/15/2014 7:42 Comments || Top||

#6  Too much stupidity in one article for me to read without raging.
Posted by: DarthVader || 10/15/2014 8:52 Comments || Top||

#7  Questions about civilian deaths from US counterterrorism operations sometimes result in heated internal policy debates on effectiveness of the air strikes.

Never seem to be a problem from '44-'45 when we bombed the crap out of people. Side effect of which, two nations with a long history of militarism don't seem eager to get into conflicts these days.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/15/2014 9:37 Comments || Top||

#8  P2K: We have an internal rot in Washington now that we didn't have then ('44-'45). We have enemies at home and abroad.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/15/2014 10:45 Comments || Top||


#10  Denial always leads to excellent results.
Posted by: gorb || 10/15/2014 14:02 Comments || Top||

#11  Well, they can't blame Bush or the Republicans this time.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 10/15/2014 14:42 Comments || Top||

#12  Nice to see that the AP doesn't play favorites - now.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/15/2014 14:51 Comments || Top||

#13  Sure they can, Deacon. It's already started. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara || 10/15/2014 14:52 Comments || Top||

#14  The officials said US-led airstrikes were ineffective because IS members were able to scatter as they learned of the targets from the media, highlighting a September 13 report by the AyPee, which disclosed the group’s significance, causing members to flee.

Paging Col. Boyd... Col. Boyd to the white courtesy phone. I suspect target approval has to go up the chain to the White House and back down. If your enemies can find out about your targeting plans from a wire service quicker than you can execute them, you might as well not bother. All those pointless explosions will just add to global warming.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/15/2014 15:42 Comments || Top||

#15  This is now called "Operation Inherent Resolve". Bad, but much catchier than "Operation CINC Has No Balls."
Posted by: Matt || 10/15/2014 15:57 Comments || Top||

#16  Military strategy is owned by the Commander in Chief/President. It is executed by DOD. When it fails we find out why in the after action so we never do it again. The failure however, IS owned by the Commander in Chief. "YOU CANT BE A PART TIME COMMANDER IN CHIEF MR PRESIDENT."
Posted by: 49 Pan || 10/15/2014 17:19 Comments || Top||

#17  Turkey has announced that Syrian-Kurds are now allowed to cross into Syria to fight ISIS.

Prior to the announcement, Kurd holdouts had already started retaking other hills overlooking Kobane after intense US airstrikes killed 100's of ISIS in their positions in and around Kobane.
Posted by: Ebbomosh Hupemp2664 || 10/15/2014 19:00 Comments || Top||

#18  This is now called "Operation Inherent Resolve". Bad, but much catchier than "Operation CINC Has No Balls."

More like Operation Inherent Incompetence.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/15/2014 21:38 Comments || Top||


10 Syrian Troops Killed in Clashes with IS
[AnNahar] At least 10 Syrian soldiers were killed on Tuesday in festivities with Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group jihadists in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said.

The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths came in fighting in Hawijat Sakr on the Euphrates River.

The festivities took place not far from Deir Ezzor military airport, a key remaining post for the Syrian army in the oil-rich province.

The Islamic State controls the majority of the province, but parts of the lovely provincial capital, Deir Ezzor city, are still in government hands, along with the airport.

Deir Ezzor has been a key target of strikes against IS by the U.S.-led coalition fighting the jihadist group in Syria and Iraq.

When the raids began, IS withdrew from several of its positions, and there have been few reports of active festivities involving the group in the province since.

Elsewhere in Syria, the Observatory reported at least 12 people killed in Syrian regime air strikes on the Ain Tarma area outside the capital Damascus.

Among the dead were three children, the Observatory said.

The neighborhood to the east of Damascus is under rebel control and is one of the areas regime forces have been battling to recapture from the opposition around the capital.

Although government forces control Damascus, rebels often fire missiles into the city from several strongholds on its outskirts.

On Tuesday, the regime also carried out air strikes against Irbin, another rebel-held area east of Damascus, the Observatory said.

The strikes killed five people, although the group said the toll was likely to rise because several of the maimed were at death's door.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


White Shroud group strike fear into terrorists by picking off fighters one by one
[DAILYMAIL.CO.UK] Terrorist organisation Islamic State is now under attack from guerrillas itself, it was revealed today. Small groups of Syrians are hunting down ISIS fighters in one of their main strongholds in eastern Syria in a new guerrilla campaign that has emerged as a response to the Islamists' growing brutality.

The main aim is to generate fear in ISIS's ranks, said the head of 'White Shroud' -- a group that says it has killed more than 100 of the militants' fighters in attacks in Deir al-Zor province in recent months.

White Shroud is a reference to the death shroud it says awaits ISIS fighters responsible for crimes against the Syrian people, according to the group leader, who gives his name as Abu Aboud.

Mr Aboud -- not his real name -- was a commander in an anti-Assad insurgent group crushed by the better armed and financed ISIS as it seized almost full control of Deir al-Zor earlier this year.
Posted by: Fred || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  More, faster please.
Posted by: Lone Ranger || 10/15/2014 0:55 Comments || Top||

#2  SPETSNAZ (spetsialnogo naznacheniya) trained and led more than likely. A worthwhile effort in any case.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/15/2014 2:25 Comments || Top||

#3  I like the part where he never makes a sound and you find him next to you when you wake up in the morning.

Timing, and it's all in the wrist....
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 || 10/15/2014 7:08 Comments || Top||

#4  This sounds like the effect that snipers have. Also reminds me of some dimly remembered stories about certain WWII troops, (Koreans and Sikhs?)
Posted by: AlanC || 10/15/2014 7:12 Comments || Top||

#5  Or Operation Phoenix.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/15/2014 7:51 Comments || Top||

#6  Take note. Everyone who is worried about a police state in America. All those people have to go home sometime. Similar acts await them (see-consent of the governed). Be concerned when they build barracks and compounds for the enforcers.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/15/2014 7:56 Comments || Top||

#7  Alan C,

Gurkhas and Argentinians. A bunch of confirmed stories from that war where Argentine soldiers went to isolated guard posts and were found by their reliefs with their heads in their laps.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 10/15/2014 10:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Yep Mike those were the stories I'd heard. Thanks for the details.
Posted by: AlanC || 10/15/2014 11:01 Comments || Top||

#9  White Shroud is a reference to the death shroud it says awaits ISIS fighters responsible for crimes against the Syrian people

Death shroud implies some kind of funeral? Leave em to be eaten as carrion for whatever will eat this worthless crap.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/15/2014 12:20 Comments || Top||

#10  SPETSNAZ (spetsialnogo naznacheniya) trained and led more than likely. A worthwhile effort in any case.

Spetznaz migrated to Syria fallowing their natural prey?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/15/2014 12:24 Comments || Top||

#11  They should be encouraged to use exploding-tipped bullets .... the spray of crimson when bullet meets head is aesthetically pleasing and a balm for the soul besides being a suitable counterpoint to all those beheadings.
No, it most definitely isn't any of those things. This is a family website, so please restrict your imaginings to that which you would be comfortable with your ten year old daughter reading... or your grandmother.

trailing wife for the moderators
2:24 pm ET
Posted by: Heriberto B. Hayes6847 || 10/15/2014 12:37 Comments || Top||

#12  They ought to be grateful that there are people kind enough to expedite their longed-for communion with their 72 virgins.
Posted by: Heriberto B. Hayes6847 || 10/15/2014 13:09 Comments || Top||

#13  TW, Thanks for the reminder.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/15/2014 15:15 Comments || Top||

#14  RE: #11
I don't think these people need any outside help in how to cause terror and confusion. Just copy what IS is doing -- sause for the gander, as it were.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 10/15/2014 20:28 Comments || Top||


Anger As Wounded Kurdish Fighters Die Stranded At Turkish Border
[Ynet] With medical supplies depleted in the war-ravaged north Syrian town of Kobani, Kurdish activist Blesa Omar rushed three comrades maimed in battle against 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....
fighters straight to the border to dispatch them to a Turkish hospital.

He said he spent the next four hours watching them die, one by one, from what he thinks were treatable shrapnel wounds as Turkish border guards refused to let them through the frontier.
Only a few days ago the Turks were still allowing in the wounded for treatment. Now Erdogan is getting revenge for PKK defiance against their rightful neo-Ottoman rulers.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Expediting the treatment of wounded veterans does not a appear to be a Turkish government priority either.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/15/2014 2:38 Comments || Top||

#2  Turkey used to be relatively secular. They used to be a ally of the U.S. It seemed as if they had a chance at joining the civilized world. However, they slipped more and more towards Islamicism.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/15/2014 18:50 Comments || Top||

#3  The Kurds, like the Armenians, have long memories. This will come back to haunt Turkey in the near future.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 10/15/2014 20:30 Comments || Top||


US-led coalition carries out 21 airstrikes around Kobani
[Iran Press TV] The United States and its allies have carried out 21 Arclight airstrikes against ISIL gunnies around the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani in 24 hours, with the White House saying its strategy is succeeding.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Tuesday that the strikes were "designed to interdict ISIL reinforcements ... and prevent ISIL from massing combat power on the Kurdish held portions" of the town.

"Indications are that Arclight airstrikes have slowed ISIL advances," said CENTCOM, the US military authority in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

However,
Switzerland makes more than cheese...
it added that "the security situation on the ground there remains fluid, with ISIL attempting to gain territory and Kurdish militia continuing to hold out."

Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do...
White House front man Josh Earnest said that early evidence showed the US-led air campaign against ISIL was succeeding.

"No one has thought that these Arclight airstrikes would dramatically lead to victories overnight," he said. "They would be more effective if there was a ground force to take the fight to ISIL and that force doesn't yet exist."

The head of the administration in Kobani says that US-led campaigns are fruitless because they have failed to prevent ISIL Lions of Islam from advancing toward the city.

Kobani and its surroundings have been under attack since mid-September, with ISIL Lions of Islam capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages.
Ynet adds:
The Pentagon says 21 Arclight airstrikes against 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....
targets near the Syrian city of Kobani overnight Monday marked the largest number there in a 24-hour period since the air campaign in Syria began last month.

There also was one Arclight airstrike elsewhere in Syria against a modular oil refinery, according to US Central Command.
Posted by: Fred || 10/15/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State



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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2014-10-15
  Six top TTP commanders announce allegiance to Islamic State's Baghdadi
Tue 2014-10-14
  Kurds, IS in Heavy Fighting near Turkish Border
Mon 2014-10-13
  21 militants killed in Khyber, Waziristan strikes
Sun 2014-10-12
  Al-Qaeda convoy en route to Mali 'destroyed' by French
Sat 2014-10-11
  Islamic State Advances Deeper Into Syrian Town Of Kobani
Fri 2014-10-10
  Operation Dignity sinks ship attempting to enter Benghazi Port
Thu 2014-10-09
  Sanaa suicide bomber kills at least 40
Wed 2014-10-08
  After Fierce Gun Battle: 400 Boko Haram insurgents killed in battle to retake Bazza, Michika, Madagali
Tue 2014-10-07
  Derna's rival Islamist militias fall out over Caliphate allegiance
Mon 2014-10-06
  Huge Explosion at Iranian Explosives Plant
Sun 2014-10-05
  Patient Zero, Thomas A. Duncan is dead
Sat 2014-10-04
  Zarb-e-Azb: 15 more terrorists gunned down
Fri 2014-10-03
  Iraq Butcher's Bill: 40 jihadists, 17 police and army
Thu 2014-10-02
  Egyptian Soldiers Kill Leader Of Sinai Jihadist Group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis
Wed 2014-10-01
  Iraq Bombings, Attacks Kill Nearly 50


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