There’s a cute little map at the link from Long War Journal showing who controlled what parts of Afghanistan, as of yesterday. Most is under Talib control, some is merely claimed, and northeast of Kabul there are eight districts in Panjshir province still belonging to the resistance.
[DW] Evacuation flights out of Kabul airport resumed early Tuesday as US troops secured the tarmac. American forces are also in charge of air traffic control. DW has the latest.
Flights out of Kabul resumed at 2:35 a.m. local time
Western leaders address the situation unfolding in Afghanistan
The Indian Embassy is the latest to announce it is closing
This story was last updated at 14:50 UTC/GMT. SALEH DECLARES HE IS THE 'CARETAKER PRESIDENT'
Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh said on Twitter he is the "legitimate caretaker president" of Afghanistan.
Saleh said he had a security meeting last week with then President Ashraf Ghani. Saleh said that he was proud of the armed forces, and the government would do all it could to strengthen its resistance to the Taliban.
UK: TALIBAN COMPLIANT WITH EVACUATIONS
A British officer in charge of the UK's evacuation program, which is helping between 6,000 and 7,000 people leave Afghanistan, says Taliban commanders around Kabul airport have not sought to disrupt proceedings.
Royal Navy Vice Admiral Ben Key told the BBC that "pragmatic, tactical, low level" discussions have had to take place with the Taliban as they control entry points into the airport.
While conceding that it's only been a day and a half since the process got underway, Key told BBC Radio that the Taliban have been "acquiescent and understanding of what we're trying to achieve."
GERMANY WILL CONTINUE TO EVACUATE WHILE 'SECURITY SITUATION ALLOWS'
A German evacuation plane with "more than 120 people" on board left Kabul airport on Tuesday.
Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said on Twitter that "Germans, Afghans and members of other nations" had been "airlifted" to safety. The process will continue as long as "the security situation allows," he added.
Later on Tuesday, Maas said humanitarian aid to Afghanistan had been frozen.
EU MINISTERS DISCUSS POSSIBLE ASYLUM INFLUX
Foreign ministers across the EU are in emergency talks over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan amid concern that hardline Islamist rule will spark an exodus of people from the conflict-ravaged country.
Afghans are among the biggest group of migrants seeking sanctuary in Europe, after Syrians. According to EU estimates, around 570,000 Afghans have applied for asylum in Europe since 2015.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron aired his concerns over an influx of refugees coming to the EU. Macron focused his comments on warning against "Islamist terrorism" and "irregular migratory flows" in the wake of the unfolding crisis, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was keen for a softer, more welcoming stance, as he called on all countries to accept refugees fleeing from the dangers of Taliban rule.
This story was last updated at 12:31 UTC/GMT. CZECH REPUBLIC CONTINUES EVACUATION PROCESS
A second Czech plane left Kabul on Tuesday, evacuating Czechs and local staff, Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek confirmed.
The process of evacuating diplomats and civilians resumed earlier on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee.
The Czech Republic's first mission on Sunday evacuated 46 citizens and local workers, including family members. Tuesday's flight included the Czech ambassador to Afghanistan.
UZBEKISTAN ISSUES BORDER WARNING
Uzbekistan said it was in contact with the Taliban on Tuesday and warned it would "strictly suppress" any attempts to violate its borders after chaos from Afghanistan spilled over into Central Asia.
One of three Central Asian countries that has a border with Afghanistan, Uzbekistan released a statement after days of mayhem that saw Afghan troops illegally cross over into the republic while fleeing the Taliban.
The country's government said it was in talks with the Taliban "on issues of ensuring the protection of borders and maintaining calm in the border zone."
This story was last updated at 10:58 UTC/GMT. GERMANY HALTS AID TO AFGHANISTAN
Gerd Müller, Germany's development minister, said Germany has suspended development aid to Afghanistan.
In an interview with Rheinische Post, Müller said: "We are working at pace to evacuate from Afghanistan, those local development officials and NGO workers who want to leave."
The €250 million ($296.4 million) earmarked for aid for Afghanistan this year has not been disbursed.
CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR FLEES
Ajmal Ahmady, Afghanistan's central bank governor, announced on Twitter that he fled Afghanistan for an unknown location. Ahmady is a former US Treasury and World Bank employee who had worked in private equity.
He detailed his escape from the country aboard a military aircraft and his final days on the job.
On Saturday, the day before the collapse of the central government, he said there was currency volatility and he held meetings "to reassure banks and money exchangers". He added, "I can't believe that was one day before Kabul fell."
By Sunday night, he was at the airport where he saw other senior government officials preparing to leave the country. He booked a last-minute commercial flight for that night, which was canceled, but was pushed onto a military aircraft by close colleagues.
Ahmady said, "It did not have to end this way." He added he was "disgusted by the lack of any planning" and that once Ghani's departure was announced, "I knew within minutes chaos would follow."
PROFESSOR: MANY IN AFGHAN ARMY KEPT CLOSE TALIBAN TIES
Amalendu Misra, an international politics professor at Lancaster University in the UK, told DW, "the nation building exercise of the international community was only skin deep" because Taliban controlled rural areas.
Misra said the Afghan National Army failed to defend the country because, "Many of them were from the Taliban."
While security forces personnel took money from the central government, they remained sympathetic to the Taliban and were on "many occasions" working "in cahoots with the Taliban." Many felt that foreigners would leave eventually whereas they would remain in Afghanistan along with the Taliban.
Misra noted, "there are two Talibans here, the Taliban that emerged in the 1990s, most of them came from refugee camps in Pakistan who are sort of educated in a very fundamentalist style education" and "the new ones we have are born and brought up in Afghanistan. So they're more committed to their own country."
INDIAN EMBASSY IN KABUL TO CLOSE
India is closing its embassy and recalling its ambassador.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, wrote on Twitter, "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately."
EVACUATION FLIGHTS OUT OF KABUL RESUME
Military evacuation flights for diplomats and civilians out of Afghanistan resumed on Tuesday after chaos enveloped Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands of Afghans desperate to flee flooded onto the tarmac.
A Western security official told Reuters, "Many people who were here yesterday have gone home."
Afghan people climb atop a plane in the hopes of fleeing Taliban rule
Thousands of Afghans crowded the runway on Monday in a desperate bid to get out of Afghanistan after the capital fell to the Taliban
Late Monday, the German Defense Ministry said an air force A400M transport aircraft was able to leave Kabul with German citizens and local Afghan employees on board. The Uzbek capital Tashkent is serving as Germany's evacuation hub with people being ferried there by military transport before catching commercial flights to Germany.
General Hank Taylor, a logistics specialist on the Pentagon's joint chiefs of staff told news agency AFP that US forces were running military and civilian air traffic control at the Kabul airport. He said 3,000 to 3,500 US troops were on the ground by the end of the day Monday Washington time to secure the airport.
General Taylor said flights out of Kabul resumed at 2:35 a.m. local time.
#1
The eight districts of Panjshir province are Tajik — Northern Alliance territory. The native population — primarily poor and illiterate — numbers about 173,000. The capitol is Bazarak.
#3
The Von Paulus Travel Agency has been revived I see.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/17/2021 18:00 Comments ||
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#4
Trump tonight said the Americans should have been taken out of Afghanistan, then the billions of dollars of military equipment, and then lastly the military personnel.
He said Biden evacuated the military personnel and left behind the American people and the military equipment.
In an inventory sense, and I know I was an advocate for quick withdrawal, what you want is 'First In Last Out' and what this is, is 'Last In Last Out'.
#3
The shelter in place notifications may have caused an unknown number of AmCits to delay fleeing to the airport. They are now effectively hostages in waiting and certainly at risk for retaliation and/or looting and worse. Hard to imagine the TB being benevolent about their disposition going forward.
#8
Depending on which Americans have been left behind the removal (official or otherwise) of any ROE restrictions might well be enough to get them out.
#14
^
A symptom you are infected by Sars-Covid-HIV2-lambda.
Finish your comments as fast as you can, and get the hell out of here, I don't want to catch it.
#17
Exactly who are these “Americans”, and what were they doing there?
What I'm picking up, and certainly no insider, is that after 20 years you have your usual spattering of Knaves, Good Wills, Commuters, Treasure Hunters, Adventurers, Translators, Appraisers, and Dumb Asses.
Any worth their weight, or the bollocks (kittens to be inclusive) on them, gone two months ago. Two weeks at the Brazillion shave.
[AlAhram] "Taqqiya"
The Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... declared an 'amnesty' across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government Tuesday, trying to calm nerves across a tense capital city that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as people tried to flee their rule.
The comments by Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, represent the first comments on governance from a federal level across the country after their blitz across the country.
While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in Kabul, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the turbans' takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Older generations remember their ultraconservative Islamic views, which included stonings, amputations and public executions during their rule before the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
'The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims' Samangani said, using the murderous Moslems' term for Afghanistan. 'They should be in government structure according to Shariah law'.
He added: 'The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join'.
Samangani remained vague on other details, however, implying people already knew the rules of Islamic law the Taliban expected them to follow.
'Our people are Moslems and we are not here to force them to Islam,' he said.
Under the Taliban, which ruled in accordance with a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, women were largely confined to their homes. The hard boyz have sought to project greater moderation in recent years, but many Afghans remain skeptical.
Meanwhile Tuesday, Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... 's senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, posted video online showing the runway empty with American troops on the tarmac. What appeared to be a military cargo plane could be seen in the distance from behind a chain-link fence in the footage.
The runway 'is open,' he wrote on Twitter. 'I see airplanes landing and taking off'.
Overnight, flight-tracking data showed a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules plane at the airport and later taking off for Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , home to al-Udeid Air Base and the U.S. military Central Command's forward headquarters. There were no other immediate flights seen in Afghan airspace, which has been taken over by the American military as commercial flights have been halted in the country.
Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Thingy said thousands had been maimed in the fighting. Security forces and politicians handed over their provinces and bases without a fight, likely believing the two-decade Western experiment to remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban. The last American troops had planned to withdraw at the end of the month.
Talks appeared to be continuing between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ...One of the more egregious mistakes of the post 9-11 era... and Abdullah Abdullah ...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president... , who once headed the country's negotiating council.
An official with direct knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief journalists, said senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi had arrived in Kabul from Qatar. Muttaqi is a former higher education minister during the Taliban's last rule. Muttaqi had begun making contact with Afghan politicians even before Ghani fled.
#1
"...and urged women to join its government Tuesday"
"Where it will make you easier to whip, if we can find you under that sack you'll be forced to wear."
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/17/2021 9:05 Comments ||
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#2
Thugs and goons. Just rubbing it in. It's how islamists operate. Make the women participants in their own enslavement and tell them Allah has given them this chance.
#3
Let the morning soy boys gush over it for 30 seconds, then segway off. Nothing to see here, not he boomer taliban baddies your evil krampus elders told you about, and just exactly what Biden planned for.
"Up next, how we want to keep your kids out of school and you locked up at home until you pass a purity test, and the weather report."
online showing the runway empty with American troops on the tarmac. What appeared to be a military cargo plane could be seen in the distance from behind a chain-link fence in the footage.
The runway 'is open,' he wrote on Twitter. 'I see airplanes landing and taking off'.
One trivial way the Taliban occupation force can shut down the Kabul airport is to simply let any local who wants to onto the grounds. Perhaps even spread the word that any Kabuli who wants to leave will be allowed to go. No shots need be fired. Several thousand panicking civilians can simply flood the airfield and so shut down all flights. Not enough US troops are there to deal with that possibility.
Posted by: Bubba Lover of the Faeries8843 ||
08/17/2021 13:36 Comments ||
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#8
Afghan Talib wimmen-sacks are cheap cloth and much more amorphous than that, GE9620.
That photo almost makes burkas look good, except for the philosophy behind them.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/17/2021 15:34 Comments ||
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#9
That's the 2021 Runway Model from a Fashion Show off the innerwebs of a Moslem country possibly UAE. Stll a traditional look.
As you know, most people are naked under their cloths, so really it does serve a utilitarian purpose, keeping the sex hounds at bay. In more 'progressive Islamic countries' - burqas' are quite attractive attire for women, don't look like traditional 'sacks'.
#10
The Taliban... urged women to join its government
This is a genius move. Just the other day, some midlevel poobah at the UN was demanding the Talibunnies include women in their government. Now the UN Brahmins are outflanked and the Taliban are progressive. Woo Woo! That was fun. Let's do gays next!
No, this doesn't change a single thing in Afghanistan. But it does placate the international community and short-circuits any UN involvement. Now progressives can go back to hating Donald Trump with satisfied conscience.
[Breitbart] The Taliban, now in near-total control of the country, are going door to door in newly conquered Kabul searching for journalists and political opponents, according to multiple outlets on the ground.
Afghanistan’s Tolo News outlet posted on Twitter Monday that Taliban forces had confiscated its security staff’s weapons and assumed responsibility for protecting the office. Taliban officials have begun confiscating civilian weapons, claiming civilians no longer need to defend themselves because they will instead keep the people safe. Same lines as Democrats. "You don't need these, we'll protect you"
A senior journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL) said on Monday morning that the Taliban was targeting journalists and U.S. sympathizers, declaring on Twitter, "Kabul is now becoming deadly." Kandahar got started a bit earlier.
[Independent] A new photo from the evacuation of Kabul reveals how nearly 650 Afghans were crammed onto one US Air Force transport plane in the scramble to escape the Taliban.
The image from Sunday shows roughly 640 Afghans who had been cleared to evacuate crammed inside the C-17 Globemaster II cargo jet - far more than the aircraft’s designated load of passengers.
#8
Worked the evacuation from Jordan for Indian civilians from Kuwait during the first months after the invasion. Five loads of pax departed on Antonov cargo birds before ICAO put a stop to their operations. They’d load 5 rows of pax facing aft with their legs open, the next row seated in their lap - then stretch a cargo strap as restraint for the group. Repeat. Had an estimated 700 pax per flight. They got a bottle of water and an apple as they walked on the ramp and nil restroom access en route. That was the old refugee record I was aware of. We were operating a ghost 747 in 501 seat configuration and I thought that was chock a block. 28 cycles of refugees before we pulled the plug. Refugee evacuations and embassy extractions are a goat rope in the best of times but Kabul is a fiasco. The crux will come when they collapse the perimeter security and the real surge for the exits begins. Wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few engines lost to human FOD
#9
That’s a lot of moochers and terrorists coming to a town near you
Posted by: Regular joe ||
08/17/2021 8:52 Comments ||
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#10
#7, don't give them any ideas.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
08/17/2021 9:16 Comments ||
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#11
Remember Trump wanted to be out in May. Given the amount of planning to execute that, the operational plans should have been sitting there already for a later withdraw to simply implement. This cluster indicates that the JCS is incapable of performing its mission or basically refused to do the mission. Heads should roll.
#12
Its a photo shown to inspire pride, ingenuity, but as SP4300 notes, well, maybe you can smell a photo.
To me it looks like the city slicker gone camping, got surprised by a case of self inflicted poos, and thought himself clever grabbing the nearest bunch of ivy for cleaning up.
Points awarded to P2K, other than the toxic masculine white rage racist last comment (sentence is racist). Repatriate your Legos to the nearest BIPOC education center H8TR.
#16
The crux will come when they collapse the perimeter security Or as I mentioned elsewhere, the Taliban could simply let anyone onto the airport grounds, spread a false rumor that anyone who shows up will be evacuated, and a vast crowd that the US forces can't handle will overwhelm them and shut down all flights except perhaps for choppers from rooftops.
Posted by: Bubba Lover of the Faeries8843 ||
08/17/2021 13:41 Comments ||
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[ToloNews] The city of Kabul noticeably changed during its first day under the rule of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... The majority of shops, businesses, government institutions and offices were closed.
Traffic was sparse, but some residents traveled in private cars.
The public presence of women was noticeably reduced, with no large gatherings of women in the city, which would have been common on other days.
Speaking to TOLOnews, a number of residents said that the government institutions must reopen as soon as possible so that the people can carry on with their affairs.
Some Afghans expressed concern over the presence of illegal gangs in the city. Some residents pledged to avoid leaving their homes.
Deh Afghanan is the main area in the city of Kabul and is usually very crowded, but on Monday it was quiet.
"There are serious concerns there, the situation is very different, lets see what happens next," said Ghulam Dastagir, a resident in Kabul.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... the Taliban front man said that the situation in Kabul will return to normal soon.
"The government institutions should reopen as soon as possible, people need services," said a resident in Kabul Ehsanul Haq.
"Today four thieves under the name of Taliban stole the city," said a resident named Tawab.
"One case of flour was sold for around 1700 Afs, but now it is sold for 2100 Afs," said Kabul resident Aminullah.
The Taliban brought down Afghanistan’s largest flag from Wazir Akbar Khan hill in Kabul.
After the collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... , people in Kabul got up on the morning of August 16th with literally no Afghan government personnel in the capital.
The Afghan capital is occupied with the members of the Afghanistan Islamic Emirate and the residents of Kabul are barely seen on the streets.
The Taliban are manning security of government facilities and are busy evacuating the facilities that are still manned by Afghan government forces.
Schools and universities are off and most of the street shops are also closed.
Thousands of men, women, and children have gathered in front of Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ...Former president of Aghanistan, part of the problem not part of the solution... International airport so that they get a chance to fly out of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti... thousands of others are still inside the airport awaiting any chance to get on a plane and leave the country but the administration of the airport announced that no plane is flying out of Kabul thus, the people are requested not to storm the airport and leave its vicinity.
The Taliban, driving Rangers, Humvees, cycle of violences, and their personnel vehicles, are apparently patrolling the Kabul and are guiding the traffic on some squares.
Thousands of youths are out of their homes just to see how the Taliban members look and are busy taking photos with them.
The Presidential Palace is submitted by the former deputy security in charge of the palace to Zakir Qayum.
Zakir Qayum is a member of the AIE’s military mission and is said to be in charge of protecting the Presidential Palace until the power is transferred.
[C4ISRNET] New satellite images show a chaotic scene Monday at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan as the United States government and its allies worked to withdraw remaining personnel from the country.
With the capital falling under Taliban control on Sunday, Aug. 15, hundreds of people rushed to the airport in hopes of securing a flight out of Afghanistan. Civilians flooded the tarmac, with some reports of deaths as individuals clung to aircraft during takeoff.
New satellite images from commercial provider Maxar Technologies show crowds gathering at the airport at 10:36 a.m. local time on Aug. 16. According to the company, one image shows a Turkish airliner preparing to takeoff while security forces attempt to hold back crowds from the active tarmac, preventing them from blocking flight operations. Other images show traffic jams as people flee to the airport, as well as huge crowds gathered on and around the tarmac.
Imagery company Planet also released two satellite images of the scene in Kabul taken 45 minutes apart, which show crowds arriving at the airport.
Planet's SkySat captured two images of the Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan today, August 16th, at 8:26 and 9:11 UTC - just 45 minutes apart. The imagery gives a near real-time look into the deteriorating situation. pic.twitter.com/Qwa6GyZuM7
— Planet (@planet) August 16, 2021
The Pentagon acknowledged Monday afternoon that flights out of Kabul had been grounded, as the military worked to clear people from the airstrip.
"We’ve certainly seen all the dramatic video coming from the airport today and we obviously don’t want anyone else to get hurt," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "So we’re going to work methodically in coming hours to restore a safe and secure environment so that air operations can resume.
At Least 10 People Killed in Chaos at Kabul Airport
[ToloNews] At least 10 people were killed in the chaos at Kabul airport after crowds of thousands flocked to the area on Sunday afternoon and into Monday with the hope of leaving the country.
People entered the airport from all sides despite the presence of US forces as well as troops from other nations attempting to secure the evacuations of their respective citizens and Afghan local staff.
Shots were fired and a stampede ensued, both of which caused fatalities. AFP, quoting the US Pentagon, reported that US forces killed two armed people. Two other people were killed after they fell from a US military airplane in flight after takeoff. The people had apparently grabbed onto the aircraft from the outside.
Some eyewitnesses said that 10 were maimed.
Airport officials said that people were misinformed about available flights, and entered the area after all flights had stopped. Many of those present did not have passports.
In one video being shared widely on social media, scores of people ran alongside a large US military aircraft as it attempted to take off.
"People flocked to the airport out of fear, and unfortunately there are casualties," said Ahmad Shah Katawazi, a former official.
Despite the panic, Taliban ...Arabic for students... commanders in Kabul pledged that the people’s safety is their top priority.
"I ask my people to stay calm and to not be concerned. We are here to serve them," said Qari Khalid, a Taliban commander.
The last runway out of Kabul: US transport jets face complex
[AirForceTimes] The Bagram and Kandahar airfields — former military aviation hubs for the U.S.-led coalition — are now in the hands of the Taliban. That leaves the Kabul airport’s single runway as the sole remaining option for getting people to safety.
And it’s happened much faster than the Biden administration anticipated.
“All of our plans were predicated on the notion that we thought that the Afghans were going to be able to hold Kabul,” said William Wechsler, a Middle East expert at the Atlantic Council who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism in the Obama administration.
Now the U.S. and its allies must work through a unique set of challenges: securing and controlling evacuation work at the shared civilian-military airport amid chaos; vetting tens of thousands of people afraid of being left behind, and keeping the Taliban at bay.
The Biden administration should deem the effort a “noncombatant evacuation operation,” which would trigger a formal set of steps for an orderly departure, Wechsler said.
He suggested the U.S. and its allies may need a greater military presence at the airport to maintain control of the entire site while tens of thousands of people process through. The Pentagon estimates it can ferry about 5,000 people out of Afghanistan each day.
Command and control of U.S. jets going into and out of Kabul partially falls to airmen manning the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. They handle matters like scheduling the lineup of planes at the Afghan airport and coordinating the movement of air traffic, but maintaining calm and order on the ground remains outside of their purview.
That struggle was made plain Monday, when all air operations at the Kabul airport temporarily stopped due to security concerns posed by insurgent fighters who have gained control of the Afghan capital, as well as throngs of Afghan citizens swarming the facility in an attempt to leave.
No military or civilian aircraft could enter or exit the airport while American forces in AH-64 Apache helicopters tried to clear people from the tarmac.
The single runway was mobbed as a U.S. Air Force transport jet, a C-17 Globemaster III flown by airmen from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, carved its way through the crowd. Videos showed frantic Afghans running alongside the massive aircraft, clinging to its sides and — for a tragic few — plummeting back to earth as the C-17 climbed into the sky.
At least seven people have died in the airport melee, the Associated Press reported Monday, citing senior U.S. military officials. American troops killed two people who were carrying weapons, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
The U.S. may get some respite from an unlikely ally: The Taliban established a 2-kilometer buffer zone around the airport to keep Afghans from rushing the building and airfield, said Joe Saboe. The former U.S. Army infantry officer who served in Iraq now acts as a spokesman for a group of former U.S. military and federal employees who are trying to help more than 50 people leave Afghanistan.
One stunning C-17 flight carried about 640 refugees to Qatar on Sunday — a crowd believed to be among the largest ever flown on the Globemaster III, Defense One reported Monday. The military declined to answer a query from Air Force Times on the flight by the 436th Airlift Wing out of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
“Panicked Afghans who had been cleared to evacuate pulled themselves onto the C-17′s half-open ramp. … Instead of trying to force those refugees off the aircraft, ‘the crew made the decision to go,’” a military official told Defense One. Several other jets also reportedly took off with hundreds of people on board.
Bombing may be underway in the capital of 5 million people, if briefly. The AP reported Monday that one of its journalists “saw what appeared to be an airstrike target two vehicles near the airport.”
When asked whether aircraft that were recently dispatched for last-ditch airstrikes inside the country, including platforms like B-52 bombers and AC-130 gunships, are still operating, AFCENT spokesman Phil Ventura replied, “Out of concern for operational security, we have nothing to share … regarding force posture at this time.”
Enemy forces have so far held their fire as U.S. jets rotate in and out of Kabul. The city is flanked by mountains that stretch across much of the country and have hidden insurgents during the 20-year war, raising further security concerns about ambushes amid the withdrawal.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/17/2021 9:03 Comments ||
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#2
The U.S. may get some respite from an unlikely ally: The Taliban established a 2-kilometer buffer zone around the airport to keep Afghans from rushing the building and airfield, said Joe Saboe.
If/when the Taliban open the buffer zone and assuming enough locals will swarm the place, that will likely be the end of all US sponsored fixed wing operations from the Kabul airport.
Posted by: Bubba Lover of the Faeries8843 ||
08/17/2021 13:46 Comments ||
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Drop pallets, not crates of 5.56mm and 40mm minimum.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Amrullah Saleh, Vice President of Afghanistan and Ahmad Massoud, son of Ahmad Shah Massoud spotted in Panjshir.They are bringing all Anti-Taliban commanders together in Panjshir. This province is still free from Taliban. pic.twitter.com/bgb8hUdfwi
[Garowe] The Somali National Army [SNA] soldiers have killed over 279 al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... Death Eaters across the country in the last month, something which further gives hope in the war against the murderous Moslems, who have been causing havoc across the nation.
State media and a top military official confirmed the successes on Monday, amid the ongoing operations in most parts of the Horn of Africa country as the Senate election started.
Al-Shabaab has been fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed Somalia administration for over a decade now but has not managed due to a stable military in Somalia, mostly comprising of foreign troops.
During the month-long operation, the military managed destroyed 20 hideouts and four vehicles laden with explosives, according to Somali National Television. As many as five towns and 16 villages were also liberated.
The military, which is set to take over security responsibilities once the AMISOM team leaves upon full implementation of the Somali Transition Plan [STP], is currently reinstating civilian administrations in towns that were liberated.
The action took place in Hiraan, Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba, and Mudug regions of south and central Somalia, state media reported. For the last year, the military has been trying to liberate as many regions as possible.
The al-Qaeda affiliated group frequently carries out attacks on civilians and armed forces in the East African country. It wants to remove the government and impose its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
Recently, the US announced the possibility of redeploying its soldiers in Somalia following January's shock exit. There are also ongoing talks on how to reconstitute AMISOM, which has been very instrumental in pushing for peace and stability.
The progress also comes about two months when the country's army chief Odowaa Yusuf Rageh announced that about 300 al-Shabaab Death Eaters had been killed in the months of May and June this year.
It turns out that the Afghan Super Tucano in reality collided with the Uzbekistan MiG-29 and both aircraft crashed.. Overall 22 military aircraft and 24 military helicopters with 585 armed servicemen flew from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan on August 14-15.https://t.co/CoLLsjKNok
An Afghan Air Force plane crashed last night in Surxondaryo, Uzbekistan and two people were recovered from the plane in wounded condition. They have been shifted to medical facility by Uzbek authorities. It is believed that they were trying to escape from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/5TclTck3DL
[OneIndia] Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan will be given priority once commercial flight service begins from Kabul, India said today, a day after Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... took control of the city.
"We are in constant touch with the representatives of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities. We will facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan," the MEA spokesperson said.
CDC urges all pregnant women to get COVID-19 vaccine as delta surgesCDC urges all pregnant women to get COVID-19 vaccine as delta surges
"There are also a number of Afghans who have been our partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people-to-people endeavours. We will stand by them," he said.
"Commercial operations from Kabul airport have been suspended today. This has forced a pause in our repatriation efforts. We are awaiting the resumption of flights to restart the process," he said.
"The situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high levels. The Government will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan," Bagchi added.
Afghanistan crisis: India bringing back its officials from KabulAfghanistan crisis: India bringing back its officials from Kabul
Capping its month-long rapid advances, the Taliban took positions in Kabul hours after Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, ex-president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. When Biden abandoned the country left with a helicopter, four cars, and part of the national treasury... left the country on Sunday for an unknown destination, paving way for a bloodless takeover of the capital city but triggering fear, chaos and uncertainty among its residents.
On Monday, thousands of desperate people converged at the Kabul International Airport in hopes of getting on an evacuation flight and leaving the country.
#2
Or we could bring the Afghans who were not corrupted in the Ghani regime, because that would mean they're of the strongest moral fiber. Make them work for us in the north. Hunting dirty deobandi moslems, the kind who killed their friends and took their country. Entrapment ops, undercover, false flag. Then settle the high performers up in Tajikistan, farmhouse, college for kids, insurance everything. We could even convert some of them to christianity easily. They will be assets in the time to come, when we gut Pakistain.
#3
Sometimes we get our best assets from people who have denounced the mohammed yet continue to live as moslems. Reverse taqiya if you will. There will be some like that fleeing the new AFG.
#6
So you know all about rugged terrain
the hills, the valleys, the mountains,
and how to sweep the creepers out...
not to mention the best way to move a body...
Thanks... now I know why your postings make sense.
They're doing it wrong. You first seal it in plastic, tape it tightly so gasses can't escape, then it goes into the rug. Even then it all makes a smelly mess later so you have about 36 hours to ... 'make the sale' so to speak.
#11
To the rug thing, I heard a guy on Stern back in the day when he was on radio. The guy did that sort of thing for the mob (or so he claimed, who can say) and he'd take the body to the shower with a hacksaw. Then it could be removed easily. He also admitted very few had the stomach for that kind of work.
#12
I would think India would have gotten these people out months ago. Moslems have a problem with the Abrahamic faiths but they have a real issue with non Abrahamic religions.
#16
Naw. I don't like to own toyboys. I prefer children irrespective of gender-preferably untouched ones and dancing boys. Whom I can educate, play with and turn them into happy, productive adults.
[P.S. I'm not interested in grooming.]
[Rudaw] Iraqi forces arrested several 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.... (ISIS) suspects across the country on Sunday, a top military spokesperson said, with state media reporting a suspected ISIS leader was killed as forces raided his home north of Baghdad.
Intelligence forces raided Hassan Ismail’s house in the al-Khazna district of north Baghdad, state media reported, claiming he was killed in ensuing festivities.
Seven other ISIS forces of Evil were arrested in Nineveh province on the same day, Iraq's top military spokesperson Yehia Rasool said in a tweet.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, but remains a threat on both sides of the border, carrying out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
The forces also seized materials and explosives from two other suspects that were arrested in Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmartu. Three ISIS hideouts were also destroyed.
Iraqi forces on Saturday morning launched a large-scale security operation to clear out the group’s remnants in northern Baghdad. A number of suspects were arrested.
Four ISIS members were arrested by the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) in various operations across the country on Friday.
The operations follow numerous ISIS attacks against the country's electricity grid, leaving millions across central and southern Iraq without power.
Iraqi forces have reported thwarting tens of attacks on the electricity towers, and in an emergency security meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the establishment of a crisis cell to ensure the power grid is protected.
In its propaganda magazine, ISIS claims to have carried out 134 attacks on electricity towers between June 6 and August 10. Its claimed activities have not decreased, despite Iraq’s security efforts, as the group said it carried out 33 attacks on power pylons in the last week alone.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/17/2021 01:48 ||
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[EN.ALGHADEERTV.NET] Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, Also known as "Al-Hashed al-Shaabi" mourned today a commander who was martyred in a Ottoman Turkish bombardment in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... The PMF said in a statement on its official website that the Sinjar Protection Forces’ military official, Saeed Hussein, died as a result of the Ottoman Turkish bombardment in Sinjar district, northwest of Nineveh Governorate.
He added that the bombing resulted in the death of Saeed’s bodyguard and the injury of three other fighters.
The Shingal Resistance® Units (YBS) announced in a statement the death of its senior commander, Said Hassan, in an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... by the Ottoman Turkish army in Shingal district early Monday.
"The invading genocidal Ottoman Turkish army carried out an airstrike in Shingal at 12:10 today. The attack was directed at a military vehicle and resulted in death and injuries," the YBS said in the statement, reported by ANF.
They later said in a separate statement on Twitter that Hassan and his cousin and YBS fighter Isa Khwededa were killed in the attack. Three civilians - Medya Qasim Simo, Shamir Abbas and Mirza Ali - were maimed as well, they added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2021 00:00 ||
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The ministry said on Monday that an improvised bomb planted by snuffies went off on Sunday in a region where The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... was conducting a cross-border operation against snuffies from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
According to the ministry, two Ottoman Turkish soldiers were also maimed in the incident.
According to Press TV, in a separate incident, another Ottoman Turkish soldier was killed and one injured in a shootout with Kurdish snuffies near a Ottoman Turkish military base.
Ottoman Turkish military forces launched operations Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim on April 23 in northern Iraq’s Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions in pursuit of PKK bad boys.
Several Ottoman Turkish soldiers were killed in Duhok’s Metina area on Sunday, the Ministry Defense said on Monday, as Ankara continues military operations in the Kurdistan Region.
Three soldiers were killed in an IED explosion and two others were heavily injured in the Claw-Lighting operation, the ministry said in a statement.
Duhok’s Metina area is the focus of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... ’s most recent operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey has launched a series of operations against the PKK in recent years. In April, it launched Operation Claw-Thunderbolt, and Operation Claw-Lightning targets the Avashin and Basyan areas further east.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
Just another indication that Iraq cannot control its border with Turkey. So should we call it a failed state? However, the USA cannot control its border with Mexico. So should we call it too a failed state?
[IsraelTimes] Suspect, said to be from Jenin, was carrying a firearm with ammunition, a meat cleaver and other weapons near the settlement of Ma’ale Levona
An armed Paleostinian man dressed up as an Israeli soldier was arrested near the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Levona on Monday, officials said.
Israeli residents of the area spotted the suspect walking along Route 60 and alerted local authorities, who informed the military, the Binyamin regional council said in a statement.
Israel Defense Forces soldiers stationed in the area arrested the suspect and searched the large bag he was carrying.
The Paleostinian was found to be carrying in his bag a firearm with ammunition, a meat cleaver, a smaller knife, and pepper spray, footage showed.
According to Hebrew-language media reports, the man is from the West Bank city of Jenin. At least four Paleostinian suspects were killed in a shootout with Israeli troops in the city early Monday morning.
It was not clear if the two incidents were related.
The IDF said the suspect was being interrogated.
The incident came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank and in the city of Jenin specifically.
According to the United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... , some 57 Paleostinians have died during confrontations with Israeli soldiers this year, the highest toll since 2016. Some were killed during violent mostly peacefulfestivities with troops, while others died in more ambiguous circumstances.
#2
Hopefully these impersonators are tried and found guilty of being espionage agents (dressed as military),
and summarily shot by firing squad on the date of being found guilty.
[IsraelTimes] Defense Ministry says Gazook importers worked with Hamas, one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede, front companies designated as terror groups by Israel; sales of the chocolate bars would have profited Hamas’s military wing "It's for our Little Leagues and Bobby Sox"
Israeli security officials captured and confiscated a shipment of 23 tons of chocolate bars headed to the 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... Strip they say was part of a network financing Hamas military operations in the territory.
Tax Authority officials intercepted the shipment as it passed from Egypt into Israel at the Nitzana border crossing, before it headed to Gaza. Officials were working off information provided by IDF intelligence and the Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counterterror Financing, a statement from the Defense Ministry said.
According to Israeli officials, the chocolate bars were being brought into the Strip by importers working with two Gazook companies, the al-Mutahidun Currency Exchange and Arab al-Sin, that belong to the Shamlakh family and serve as Hamas fronts. al-Mutahidun and Arab al-Sin are designated as terror organizations by Israel, which says sales of their imports in Gaza help finance Hamas’s military wing.
"Al-Mutahidun" means "the challengers" or "the confronters" in Arabic and is sometimes used when referring to confronting or challenging Israel.
"Israel will continue to act to prevent Hamas from growing stronger," Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement after signing a confiscation order for the chocolate bars.
Israeli officials believe Hamas has taken control of a great deal of Gaza’s import industry, including basic staples, in its pursuit of income streams for the organization that bypass Israeli and international sanctions and blockade restrictions.
"Business dealings with these companies are illegal, and will lead to severe penalties against those involved," an Israeli official told the Ynet news site on Monday.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/17/2021 01:07 ||
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#6
Towards the beach on a dark windy night
Drifted that which would finance their fight
As soon as each brother
Had purchased another's
Selection of Turkish delight!
[NYPOST] Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel on Monday after a rocket was fired from the 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... Strip, the first since the 11-day war between Israel and Paleostinian hard boyz in May.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it identified one rocket launch that was intercepted by aerial defense batteries.
Amateur video footage appeared to show the rocket being intercepted over the southern town of Sderot.
The rocket fire could jeopardize three months of relative calm since Israel and the hard boy group Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw,, which rules the Gaza Strip, struck a cease-fire.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire. It came hours after Israeli troops clashed with Paleostinian button men during a late-night arrest raid in the occupied West Bank, killing four Paleostinians in one of the deadliest battles in the area in years.
The fighting erupted in Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank where tensions have been high since a man was killed in fighting with Israel earlier this month.
Israel’s paramilitary border police said its forces were attempting to arrest a suspect when they "came under heavy fire from close range" by a number of button men. It said Israeli forces returned fire, and none of its officers were maimed.
The official Paleostinian news agency WAFA said four men were killed by Israeli fire and a fifth was seriously maimed.
Amateur footage from the scene appeared to show an intense exchange of gunfire in the streets of Jenin.
Senior Paleostinian official Hussein Al Sheikh accused Israel of "a heinous crime" and tweeted that "the international community should be ashamed of its silence about this and its failure to provide protection to the Paleostinian people from this oppression."
Paleostinian faceless myrmidons fired two rockets from the Gazoo Strip toward the town of Sderot on Monday afternoon in what appeared to be the first such attack since May’s 11-day conflict in the Paleostinian enclave, the military said.
The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted one of the rockets, while the second landed inside the Gaza Strip. The attack triggered sirens in Sderot, as well as the the communities of Ivim, Nir Am and Erez in the Sha’ar Hanegev region of southern Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The launch came after repeated threats by Paleostinian terror groups in recent weeks over the slow pace of Gaza reconstruction and the entrance of Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i money into the Strip, following May’s conflict, known in Israel as Operation Guardian of the Walls.
The various terror groups in the Gaza Strip, chiefly Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", and the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... — known collectively as the joint operations room — were scheduled to gather later Monday to determine how to proceed in their ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel, but called off their meeting, apparently fearing an IDF strike.
The Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, acknowledged that one of the people killed, Nour Jarrar, was a member of the organization, distributing a photograph of him aiming an assault rifle.
"The blood of our deaders will not be spilled in vain," the al-Quds Brigades said in a statement.
Two other suspects killed in the shootout — 19-year-old Ra’ed Abu Seif and 21-year-old Saleh Amar — were identified as being members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
The fourth person killed, Amjad Husseineh, was later claimed by the Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®, terror group as one of its members. Hamas said Husseineh had perished during "heroic fighting at dawn in Jenin."
[TWITTER]
🇮🇱 Israel says they have opened public bomb shelters in Ashkelon and surrounding communities due to the deteriorating situation with the Gaza Strip.
#Israel plans "significant" response to Gaza rocket today or tomorrow, @ndvori reports; army preparing for eruption of several days of fighting; Operations Branch presents list of 1,000 new Gaza targets to IDF chief, @amirbohbot says.
[BenarNews] Indonesian police said Monday they had arrested 48 suspected Islamic bandidosbandidos bad boys during nationwide raids in recent days as part of efforts to stop "acts of terrorism."
The arrests of 45 suspected Jemaah Islamiyah bandidosbandidos bad boys and three people with alleged ties to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah ...founded by our old friend Abu Bakar Bashir of Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah fame, JAD translates cleverly as Partisans of 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.... Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/17/2021 01:07 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Independent] A new photo from the evacuation of Kabul reveals how nearly 650 Afghans were crammed onto one US Air Force transport plane in the scramble to escape the Taliban.
...Arabic for 
...Arabic for 
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...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 
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
...founded by our old friend Abu Bakar Bashir of Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah fame, JAD translates cleverly as Partisans of the 
