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Today: 72 articles and 184 comments as of 18:22.
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Drone strike kills six Al Qaeda suspects in Yemen
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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12 17:13 dk70 the scantily clad [1]
Afghanistan
Taliban infiltrator kills 16 Afghan militia fighters
More on this story from yesterday.
[Al Jazeera] A Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
infiltrator has killed 16 pro-government militia fighters in Afghanistan's Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province.

The attacker had been fighting alongside the militia for months before turning his gun on them on Saturday night, at a checkpoint in the Gereshk district.

"We know that a Taliban fighter killed 16 forces of Evil fighting alongside government forces, but who these forces belong to, we don't know yet," a front man for Helmand's governor told Rooters news agency on Monday.

Local media said the Taliban grabbed credit for the attack. The attacker managed to join the gang after fleeing the checkpoint with weapons, TOLOnews reported.

Large swaths of Afghanistan's Helmand province - the country's opium production hub - are currently under control of the Afghan Taliban.

Posted by: Fred || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Islamic State calls on fighters to disrupt Egypt’s vote with attacks
[IsraelTimes] Sinai affiliate of the jihadist group warns voters it will assault polling stations during balloting days in March.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)


Egypt's Criminal Court hands final death sentence to man convicted of killing Coptic priest in Cairo
[AlAhram] Egypt's Criminal Court has handed a final death sentence to a man convicted of the October 2017 killing of a Coptic priest in a northeastern suburb of Cairo.

The court's verdict comes two months after it convicted 19-year-old Ahmed El-Sonbaty
...who has been described as an extremist with a criminal record, whatever that means...
and issued a preliminary death sentence.

The preliminary sentence was referred to the country's Grand Mufti, whose opinion is legally required in death penalty
cases, although it is not binding.

The final sentence, issued with the Mufit's approval, can still be appealed.

El-Sonbaty was convicted of killing Coptic Orthodox priest Samaan Shehata in Cairo's El-Salam city and assaulting another called Beyman Moftan.

He was found guilty of premeditated murder of the Coptic priest, who hailed from Beni Suef Governorate in Upper Egypt.

According to investigations by the prosecution, El-Sonbaty does not suffer from a mental illness and was "fully conscious" while committing his crime.

The prosecution added that El-Sonbaty said he did not know Arch Shehata personally, but he attacked him using a cleaver as soon as he saw him wearing a Coptic vestment.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Worth noting. The Roman Colosseum along with two churches in Mosul and Aleppo will be lit up by red lights later this month to draw attention to the global persecution of Christians.

Posted by: Woodrow || 02/13/2018 8:06 Comments || Top||

#2  ...not that the Anti-Western Civilization Legacy Infotainment Enterprises will note.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 02/13/2018 9:18 Comments || Top||

#3  Red lights. Meanwhile, the HIV Positivity League will throw a bucket of blood on you if you look at 'em funny. Sigh.
Posted by: Wholuling Phavirt6994 || 02/13/2018 23:55 Comments || Top||


Egypt's military says killed 12 terrorists on fourth day of Operation Sinai 2018
[AlAhram] Twelve Death Eaters have been killed in northern and central Sinai on the fourth day of a comprehensive anti-terrorism operation waged by military and security forces, Egypt's army spokesperson Tamer El-Refaie said in a statement on Monday.

This was the fifth communiqué released by the Egyptian Armed Forces since Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 was launched on Friday.

El-Refaie said 92 other suspects were captured and 60 targets used by Death Eaters were destroyed in Monday's operations.

"The army destroyed and seized 20 4x4 vehicles, 27 cycle of violences, 30 hideouts and ammunition storehouses. Army sappers also detonated 27 IED's that were planted in the area of operations," the statement said.

"Upon intelligence, the air force targeted and destroyed 60 targets used by terrorist elements," it added.

Operation Sinai 2018 was launched on Friday morning, involving land, naval and air forces, as well as the police and border guards, targeting "terrorist and criminal elements and organizations" in northern and central Sinai, as well as parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert.

El-Rafei said Operation Sinai 2018 was launched "to implement the plan of comprehensive confrontation with terrorist and criminal elements and organizations in North and Central Sinai, and in other areas in the Nile Delta and desert areas west of the Nile Valley."
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Drone strike kills six Al Qaeda suspects in Yemen
[DAWN] A dronezap killed six suspected Al Qaeda bully boyz in central 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...
on Sunday, a security official said.

The US military is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen.

The official said the strike happened after sundown and targeted a vehicle in Bayda province.

"An unmanned drone ‐ likely American ‐ bombed the group’s vehicle in the area of Qayfa, where Al Qaeda is active," the official said.

Al Qaeda’s global network remains "remarkably resilient", posing more of a threat in some regions than the 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, UN sanctions monitors said in a report last week.

The report sent to the Security Council said that the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000...
(AQAP) served as a communications hub for the UN-designated terror group as a whole.

A long-running American drone war against AQAP has intensified since US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
took office in January last year.
Posted by: Fred || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula


Mercenaries killed in Lahj
[SABANEWS.NET] Dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and others maimed on Monday when the army and popular forces foiled their four attacks towards Karash area of restive Lahj
... a Yemeni governate located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the stomping grounds on the southern secessionist al-Harak movement
province, a military official told Saba.

The mercenaries were targeted when they were trying to wage offensive towards Shaifan and some hilltops, al-Hawimaih and al-Rakizah mountain in the area.

The official said that the army's artillery targeted the mercenaries' groups in Tawr al-Baha, killing, injuring a number of the mercenaries and burning a weapon store, the official added.
Posted by: Fred || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Artillery shells mercenaries in Marib
[SABANEWS.NET] The army and the popular forces' artillery on Monday shelled groups of Saudi-paid mercenaries Kawfel camp in Serwah district of Marib province, a military official told Saba. The shelling hit the groups in the camp, killing and wounding among the mercenaries, the official added.
Posted by: Fred || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Dozens mercenaries killed in Jawf
[SABANEWS.NET] Dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries on Monday were killed and wounded when the army and popular forces carried out unique offensive operations upon their sites in Jawf province, a military official told Saba.

The offensive operations targeted the mercenaries’ sites in the east of Malahaa area of Maslup district, inflicted them heavy losses and seized weapons, the official added.
Posted by: Fred || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


The Grand Turk
Turkey probes pro-Kurdish party chief for 'terror' propaganda
[AlAhram] Ottoman Turkish prosecutors Monday launched a probe into the leader of the main pro-Kurdish party over criticism of Ankara's offensive in Syria, just one day after she was chosen as the new joint leader of the party.

The Ankara chief public prosecutor opened an investigation into Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leader Pervin Buldan and fellow politician Sirri Surreya Onder on suspicion of making "terror" propaganda, the prosecutor's office told AFP.

The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
has detained hundreds of people since the Syria operation began on January 20, in a major crackdown that has angered activists.

The interior ministry said on Monday that 474 people had now been detained over accusations of spreading "terror propaganda" and another 192 for protesting against it.
In which they neatly conflate those who support ISIS and related jihadi groups with those who support equal rights for Kurdish citizens of Turkey...
Turkey launched a military operation dubbed "Olive Branch" against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in its western enclave of Afrin in Syria, supporting Syrian rebels with ground troops and air strikes.

The HDP is the only party in parliament that opposes the offensive.

Buldan, who is also a deputy speaker of the parliament, had been chosen by party delegates to be co-leader of the HDP on Sunday during its congress in Ankara.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) but the militia has been working closely with the US who has given it weapons to use 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....
bad boy group in Syria.

The prosecutor's office said the two MPs were being investigated after images of the locked away
Please don't kill me!
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan were shown during the congress.

The two are also being probed over allegedly making statements against the Afrin operation during the event but the prosecutor's office did not give specific details.

The HDP has male and female co-chairs in the name of promoting gender equality. The party's delegates voted for Buldan's male co-leader to be Sezai Temelli, a former MP.

Temelli replaced Selahattin Demirtas, who was credited with building the appeal of the party beyond its Kurdish base but has been locked away
Please don't kill me!
since November 2016 over alleged links to the PKK.

Buldan replaced Serpil Kemalbay who herself replaced Figen Yuksekdag, who was jugged
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
at the same time as Demirtas.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Iraq
Iraqi forces free 11 SDF fighters from ISIS near Euphrates
[Rudaw] Iraqi border guards free nearly a dozen Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from ISIS in western Anbar near the Iraq-Syria border.

Ahmed Nasrallah, the commander of the 13th Brigade of the Hashd al-Shaabi announced that upon the command of the Hashd al-Shaabi Operations Command, the Iraqi border guards freed 11 SDF fighters from ISIS on Monday.

"The ISIS bandidos Lions of Islam were targeted by the jets and artillery," Nasrallah explained. "A number of military outposts still under ISIS control come under mortar shellings by the Hashd al-Shaabi and border guard forces."

A Sunni Hashd al-Ashayari official told Rudaw that after ISIS attacked their military outposts, 11 SDF fighters fled to the locations of the Iraqi forces in Dermrasla north of the Euphrates river in Anbar province.

"The [fighters] are protected by Iraqi joint forces," he added.

The SDF did not immediately confirm or deny the report.

The SDF is the US-led anti-ISIS coalition partnered ground force. They have been actively clearing ISIS holdouts in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.

The coalition has announced that there is coordination between SDF and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in order to maintain border security.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Four people killed, injured in two bomb attacks in Iraq’s Diyala
Diyala (Iraqinews.com) ‐ Four people, including a well-placed municipal official, were killed and maimed Monday in two kabooms in Iraq’s Diyala province, security sources were quoted as saying.

Speaking to Alghad Press news website, a source said, "Three bombs planted by unknown men went off outside a house of a member of al-Abbara city council in northeastern Baqubah, leaving the municipal official and his uncle maimed."

The two were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and security forces opened a probe into the kaboom.

In another incident, a source said an explosive charge went kaboom! in al-Azim area in northern Diyala, leaving a man killed and his wife injured.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Two bomb blasts rock Baghdad, leave five people killed, injured
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) ‐ Five people were killed and injured as two kabooms rocked the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday, a security source was quoted as saying.

Speaking to Baghdad Today news website, the source said, "An employee of the Ministry of Construction and Housing breathed his last after an explosive charge fixed into his car went off in al-Saydiya neighborhood in southwestern Baghdad."

"Another bomb went kaboom! near a busy street market in al-Latifiya neighborhood in southern Baghdad, leaving four people injured."
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Civilian killed, two others wounded in bomb blast, west of Anbar
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) A civilian was killed, while two others were maimed due to a blast caused by the remnants of 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....
hard boyz in west of Anbar, a security source said on Monday.

Speaking to BasNews, the source said, "an kaboom caused by the remnants of IS in al-Mazraa region in Qaim town, on borders with Syria, left a civilian killed and two others seriously maimed. They were taken to hospital."

Security services, according to the source, combed the region fearing further bombs that could be there in the region.

The source also added that troops managed to detonate hundreds of bombs and booby trapped houses in several regions across Anbar, however, there are still huge amount of bombs that need international efforts as well as devices to reveal the places where they are hidden and remove them.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


U.S.-led coalition warplanes kill 13 Islamic State militants in Mosul
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) ‐ Thirteen 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....
turbans were killed in an Arclight airstrike by the U.S-led international coalition warplanes on a terrorist hotbed in Nineveh province, a well-placed military official was quote as saying Monday.

Speaking to Rai Alyoum news website, Major Safwan al-Obeidi, a senior officer in the Nineveh Operations Command, said, "F-16 jet fighters of the U.S.-led international coalition carried out three air raids targeting an underground hotbed for Islamic State group in the desert of Mir Qasim village in Tal Afar, 63 km west of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
"The airstrikes left 13 Islamic State turbans dead and their hotbed destroyed," Obeidi said, adding that the hideout was used by IS turbans for hiding and was equipped with modern communication equipment.

He pointed out an armored vehicle was also destroyed in the aerial bombardment.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestinian policeman arrested for throwing rocks
[IsraelTimes] A Paleostinian Authority police officer is placed in durance vile
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
by Israeli police in Bethelem on suspicion that he threw rocks at Israeli security forces outside the Rachel’s Tomb shrine in the city.

The Paleostinian officer, who is said to be 36 years old, was arrested last week and is suspected of taking part in a number of violent riots, police say.

He will be indicted in the coming days, police say.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority


Lebanese man crosses into Israel, is arrested
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it tossed in the slammer
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
a mentally ill Lebanese national who crossed into Israeli territory yesterday afternoon, after he was forced to do so by the Hezbollah terror group.

The army says he was under surveillance as he approached the security fence. He was detained shortly after entering Israeli territory and questioned.

"During his interrogation, he stated that he was sent by two Hezbollah operatives, Mahadi and Ali Shahror from the village of Habush. The operatives, who are brothers, threatened him with forced mental hospitalization if he refused to infiltrate into Israeli territory in order to examine possibilities to enter and exit Israel," the army says.

"Furthermore, he was brought to the point of infiltration by Mahadi Shahror on a cycle of violence, and was told to test if the electric fence is intact," the IDF says.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah


Turkish law lecturer aided Hamas, deported from Israel
In which three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood support one another in a variety of ways to further their joint war against the Jewish nation.
[Ynet] Cemil Tekeli, a Ottoman Turkish national, suspected of helping Hamas members establish themselves in Turkey, while Dara'am Jabarin, an Israeli citizen, suspected of aiding in money laundering and transfer of funds to West Bank for terror activity.

A Ottoman Turkish law lecturer and an Israeli citizen have been incarcerated
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
in Israel on suspicion of aiding Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", murderous Moslems in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
ISIS-linked militant in Indonesia gets 7 years in prison
[Ynet] A court has sentenced the leader of an 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-affiliated Lion of Islam network in Indonesia to seven years in prison for involvement in smuggling guns from the southern Philippines.

Presiding Judge Siti Jamzanah said Monday it was proven that Zainal Anshori "committed a criminal act of terrorism." She said he had traveled to a town in Sulawesi closest to the Indonesian border with the southern Philippines to collect a cache of weapons.

Court documents said Anshori also attempted to set up a jihadist training camp.

Anshori was tossed in the clink
You have the right to remain silent...
in April, sparking a reprisal attack against police which ended with six snuffies killed in a gunbattle.

The network he led, Jamaah Anshorut Daulah, is believed responsible for a 2016 attack in Jakarta that killed eight people including the four attackers.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
A massive battle between US and Syrian pro-regime forces reportedly killed more than 200 Russians
[BusinessInsider] The AC-130 gunship, one of the aircraft the US says it used to return fire on Russian-backed attacking forces.

• US airstrikes reportedly killed Russian military contractors in a massive battle in Syria earlier this month.

• They are thought to be among the 100 or so dead after the clash.

• It saw 500 pro-Syrian regime forces assaulted US-backed forces in what the US called an "unprovoked attack."

• Russian contractors are not the same as regular Russian soldiers, but US and Russian forces have operated close to each other on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict for years.

US airstrikes in response to what it called an "unprovoked attack" killed around 100 people in Syria earlier this month according to the Pentagon, but a new report from Bloomberg says that number may be as many as 300, and that they were Russian mercenaries.

If true, the battle may mark the deadliest encounter between the Cold War rivals in decades.

While the Kremlin has declined to comment, and no independent party has yet verified the reports, US and Russian aligned forces have fought on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict and in close proximity for years.

If the US did kill Russian military contractors, it falls short of killing official Russian servicemembers, which could escalate into a larger war.

But the loss of Russians in Syria may still blacken the image of the Kremlin's intervention in the six-year civil war, which it portrays as peace-keeping and inexpensive.

Russian media said Russian private contractors and pro-government forces advanced on oil fields in the eastern Deir el-Zour province and were targeted by the United States.

"Pro-regime forces initiated what appeared to be a coordinated attack on Syrian Democratic Forces east of the Euphrates river," Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said in a statement, referring to the SDF, which the US has trained, equipped, and backed for years.

The river acts as a border between the coalition and Russian and Syrian forces, and the Pentagon also described the SDF location as well-known, and that therefore the attack wasn't a mistake.

Syrian regime forces launched a coordinated attack that included about 500 regime troops, 122mm howitzers, tanks and multiple launch rocket systems on the US-backed SDF headquarters in Deir al-Zor province approximately five miles east of the Euphrates River.

Regime forces operating Russian-made T-55 and T-72 tanks fired 20-30 tank rounds within 500 feet of the SDF base, where some US troops were embedded, according to Pentagon press secretary Dana W. White.

The US-led coalition responded with "AC-130 gunships, F-15s, F-22s, Army Apache helicopter gunships and Marine Corps artillery," according to Fox News reporter Lucas Tomlinson.

The Pentagon said that the attack wounded only one SDF soldier. Days later, a US jet destroyed a Russian-made T-72 battle tank that had fired on US and SDF forces, the Pentagon told Business Insider.
Posted by: gorb || 02/13/2018 15:40 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Business Insider didn't learn anything when reporting in Donetsk and they aren't learning anything in Syria.

200 is the Russian military cargo code for wounded and 300 means dead.

Posted by: badanov || 02/13/2018 16:57 Comments || Top||

#2  If ISIS is defeated what are we doing there?
Posted by: Omeger Gray6606 || 02/13/2018 17:45 Comments || Top||

#3  Dunno for sure, but in another embedded article, it reads like the dust-up was about drying up one of the sources of funding ISIS.

"We suspect Syrian pro-regime forces were attempting to seize terrain SDF had liberated from Daesh in September 2017," a US military official told Reuters.

The pro-Assad forces were "likely seeking to seize oilfields in Khusham that had been a major source of revenue for [ISIS] from 2014 to 2017."
Posted by: JohnQC || 02/13/2018 18:35 Comments || Top||

#4  We know of only 5 names of Russians killed.
Posted by: newc || 02/13/2018 18:40 Comments || Top||

#5  This sounds like fake news. I will ponder this.
Posted by: Dale || 02/13/2018 23:06 Comments || Top||


U.S. Strikes Killed Scores of Russia Fighters in Syria, Sources Say
More on that battalion sized attack on SDF and US advisors near an oil field a few days ago. Salt to taste until confirmation.
[Bloomberg] U.S. forces killed scores of Russian mercenaries in Syria last week in what may be the deadliest clash between citizens of the former foes since the Cold War, according to one U.S. official and three Russians familiar with the matter.

More than 200 contract soldiers, mostly Russians fighting on behalf of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, died in a failed attack on a base held by U.S. and mainly Kurdish forces in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor region, two of the Russians said. The U.S. official put the death toll at about 100, with 200 to 300 injured.

The Russian assault may have been a rogue operation, underscoring the complexity of a conflict that started as a domestic crackdown only to morph into a proxy war involving Islamic extremists, stateless Kurds and regional powers Iran, Turkey and now Israel. Russia’s military said it had nothing to do with the attack and the U.S. accepted the claim. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the whole thing "perplexing," but provided no further details.
Posted by: Theresing Elmimp1628 || 02/13/2018 11:03 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  a proxy war involving Islamic extremists, stateless Kurds and regional powers Iran, Turkey and now Israel

Calvinball. To the death. On LSD.

Jim Mattis called the whole thing "perplexing,"

I bet he did! But maybe not in those exact words.
Posted by: SteveS || 02/13/2018 13:08 Comments || Top||

#2  General Mattis, this is not perplexing at all. Turkey wants the US out of Syria. So does oyhers there. With ISIS out of the picture, the Kurds and the US presence is the next target. And Trump signalled yesterday that we no longer have a mission there if ISIS is toast. Let the Russians baby sit them.
Posted by: Omeger Gray6606 || 02/13/2018 17:41 Comments || Top||


Rantburg Exclusive: Afrin Dancing While Looking Death in the Face Before Battle

YPJ’ê Dance before battle against Turkish army and their jihadist proxies.#YPJ #YPG #Rojava #SDF #Afrin #Efrînê #JinJiyanAzadi #DefendAfrin #EfrinNotAlon pic.twitter.com/LxcmNjC4Db

— Dilzar Haje Salam (@DilzarSalam) February 7, 2018
Posted by: Ulaigum Ebbineng7056 || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1 
Posted by: Ulaigum Ebbineng7056 || 02/13/2018 0:45 Comments || Top||

#2  Link

https://twitter.com/DilzarSalam/status/961277483789225985
Posted by: Woodrow || 02/13/2018 7:49 Comments || Top||


Rantburg Exclusive: Afrin War Balance Sheet By SDF
The statistics of the military operations in Afrin since the beginning of the Turkish invasion on January,20,2018

The Turkish invasion with its Jihadist factions against Afrin district has started at 5 PM of January,20,2018 and is still ongoing until 12-Feb-2018. The following are the numeric statistic of the Turkish invasion:

1-Civilian martyrs: due to the Turkish attacks on civilian targets, whether by airstrikes or artillery shelling, 180 civilians martyred including children, women and old aged. All of the names were officially documented in Afrin hospital’s records.

2-the wounded civilians: due to the Turkish attacks on the civilians, 413 civilians were wounded including children, women and old aged. All of the names are archived in Afrin hospital.

3- SDF Martyrs: during a chivalric resistance by our forces against the Turkish invasion army and its Jihadist factions, 98 of our fighters got martyred and were held by formal and public burial ceremonies.

4- Enemy Death Toll: during the military operation conducted by our forces, 862 enemy were confirmed by our forces to be killed in the battlefield.

5-Air Attacks: the Turkish warplanes carried out 668 indiscriminate raids. The raids targeted civilian locations and the infrastructure in Afrin such as fresh water pump, schools, bakeries and animal farms.

6-Hovercraft Attacks: the Turkish invasion army has carried out 16 helicopter attacks against populated locations and the infrastructure.

7- Heavy Weapon Shelling: the Turkish invasion army and its Jihadist factions conducted 2645 indiscriminate shelling, using tanks and artillery.

8-Direct Clashes: our forces engaged with the invaders 409 time in which the results were know, while there were 108 direct engagements in which the results were unknown.

9-Aircraft shooting down: since the beginning of the Turkish invasion, our forces have been able to shoot down 2 helicopters, one of them of Copra Brand and the other was Skurski type. The last one was carrying 11 Turkish officers and soldiers. Our forces also shot down 2 reconnaissance planes, one of them was of Bayraqdar type, where the Turkish President signed on its body.

10-Armored Vehicles Destruction: 51 armored vehicle were completely destroyed including tanks, APCs and 4 wheeled drive vehicles, while 15 vehicles were damaged including tanks and APCs.

SDF-Media Center
12-Feb-2018

Posted by: Ulaigum Ebbineng7056 || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  it almost sounds as if the SDF is happy to be able to take on the Turks

if you believe their metrics, the SDF is doing pretty well
Posted by: lord garth || 02/13/2018 8:51 Comments || Top||

#2  if you believe their metrics

I don't
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 02/13/2018 11:10 Comments || Top||

#3  According to this map made by Institute for the Study of War, the Turks have made almost no progress.
Posted by: Theresing Elmimp1628 || 02/13/2018 11:32 Comments || Top||

#4  I check the 'isis' map at liveuamap.com daily because they seem to be tracking things on almost an hourly basis. An added bonus is that the map can be zoomed to a fine grain ( wish I had it when the RAB 'shuttergun' chronicles were active!) so small towns can be searched for.
Posted by: magpie || 02/13/2018 13:46 Comments || Top||

#5  What the hell is a shutter gun?

I know I've asked that question more than once.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 02/13/2018 16:26 Comments || Top||

#6  It's usually an single-shot rifle-like firearm, a shotgun made in a machine shot with a "shutter" breech. Usually more sophisticated than a 'zipgun'.
Posted by: magpie || 02/13/2018 16:46 Comments || Top||

#7  PIMF, that was 'machine shop'^
Posted by: magpie || 02/13/2018 16:47 Comments || Top||


YPG claim downing Turkish drone amid heavy clashes in Afrin
[Rudaw] Kurdish forces in Afrin have shot down a Ottoman Turkish drone (unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV) in Afrin on Monday, the YPG media office reported. There are heavy festivities ongoing in the self-autonomous region of northwest Syria.

"This is a Ottoman Turkish UAV shot down by fighters in Afrin," the YPG media office stated in a video showing images of wreckage.

Rudaw cannot independently verify the information.

Ottoman Turkish planes shelled northwest and west areas of Afrin on Monday morning and there have been festivities between the YPG and the Ottoman Turkish army with its Syrian proxies in multiple parts of the canton, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Ottoman Turkish tanks shelled Nabi Huri and areas around Sheikh Horuz village in Bulbul district, northern Afrin, according to a local source who explained that Sheikh Horuz village is divided between the two battling forces.

Brusk Hasaka, spokesperson for YPG in Afrin, said in a statement on Monday that in the past 48 hours the Ottoman Turkish army and their Syrian allies have seen great "losses" at the hands of the YPG who downed two helicopters, destroyed a number of tanks, and blew up a weapons depot.

As of Sunday, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
has confirmed 31 casualties amongst it ranks. According to the Observatory, 152 Kurdish fighters have been killed as well as 165 from the Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian forces.

At least 160 civilians have been killed, according to Afrin health officials. The Observatory has documented 74 civilian deaths.

Turkey denies targeting civilians. Ottoman Turkish chief of staff Gen. Hulusi Akar said on Sunday during his visit to Hatay region that they "would not harm innocent people and civilians."

Akar was accompanied by Ottoman Turkish military commanders and the aim of their visit was to "investigate and examine the Operation Olive Branch [developments] in Hatay region," read a statement from Ottoman Turkish Armed Forces (TAF).

"The main objective of the operation is to bring peace, security and stability to Afrin and the bordering area, save the people of the region from the oppression of the bully boyz and return our Syrian brothers to their homes in a safe way," claimed Akar.

The YPG’s Hasaka, responding to the general’s visit, said "the aim of the visit was to give directions and draw new military plans for his field commanders because they had not made any of the military progress they had been tasked to achieve."

Turkish army says 31 soldiers killed in Syria operation

[AlAhram] Another 143 Ottoman Turkish soldiers were maimed in the operation dubbed "Olive Branch" which began on January 20 against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in the western region of Afrin, a statement said.

Some 1,369 "terrorists" had been neutralised during the operation, the army said, referring to those killed but also those captured or maimed.

It was not immediately possible to verify this figure.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte



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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2018-02-13
  Drone strike kills six Al Qaeda suspects in Yemen
Mon 2018-02-12
  Sword-wielding man injures 4 worshipers at Indonesian church
Sun 2018-02-11
  Jaish-e-Mohammad targets sleeping families at Sunjuwan Army camp, kills two soldiers
Sat 2018-02-10
  TTP splinter group chief Khan Said ‘Sajna’ reported killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan
Fri 2018-02-09
  Houthi leader killed in precision strike along with 35 others
Thu 2018-02-08
  US kills more than 100 Assad regime fighters in largest deliberate strike against Syrian government forces
Wed 2018-02-07
  Israelis kill Ahmad Nasser Jarrar, terrorist behind murder of Rabbi Raziel Shevah
Tue 2018-02-06
  Chlorine gas dropped in rebel-held territory of Idlib, Syria
Mon 2018-02-05
  Russian, Syrian warplanes unleash all-out attack on ISIS in northeast Hama as army prepares to eliminate pocket
Sun 2018-02-04
  Bomb blast kills top military commander in S. Yemen Zoom
Sat 2018-02-03
  Ahrar Al-Sham’s top commander in northern Idlib has been assassinated
Fri 2018-02-02
  Four Migrants Critical after Being Shot in Calais Brawl
Thu 2018-02-01
  Robert Mueller Requests Postponement of General Mike Flynn Sentencing… It was a set up
Wed 2018-01-31
  Southwest State Confirms The Death Of Burhakabo Military Commander
Tue 2018-01-30
  Iraqi court sentences Al-Qaeda member to death over executing eight civilians in 2007


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