[RFERL] Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar is the historical birthplace and the political base of the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... . Now, the country’s second-largest city appears to be becoming the de facto capital under the murderous Moslem group’s rule.
Several officials have recently been transferred from the capital, Kabul, to Kandahar. Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ...Former deputy to Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansour, now The Big Man Himself... lives in the city and rarely leaves the Pashtun heartland in southern Afghanistan.
Experts say Akhundzada’s decision to relocate the offices of two Taliban spokesmen to Kandahar is part of efforts to tighten his grip on power. The move comes amid growing reports of infighting between key Taliban ministers based in Kabul and a powerful group of holy mans led by Akhundzada in Kandahar.
"It looks like political power is being transferred from Kabul to Kandahar," Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator who has tracked the Taliban since its emergence in the 1990s, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. "[Akhundzada] is creating a parallel administration to the one in Kabul."
In recent months, senior Taliban officials have appeared to criticize Akhundzada, accusing him of monopolizing power and empowering ultraconservative holy mans who share his bully boy views.
Akhundzada’s repressive policies have alienated Afghans and isolated the Taliban's unrecognized government internationally. Under his leadership, the Taliban has severely curtailed women’s rights, stamped out the free press, and committed human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... abuses.
Akhundzada, a hard-line holy man and former chief justice, has the ultimate say on all important matters under the Taliban’s holy manal system.
'APPOINTING LOYALISTS EVERYWHERE'
After the Taliban seized power in 2021, ministers carried out the day-to-day administration of the Taliban government. But in recent months, Akhundzada has sought to micromanage the affairs of the state, said Yousufzai.
"He is now involved in appointing district commanders, administrators, and the directors of various government departments," Yousufzai told Radio Azadi. "He is appointing loyalists everywhere."
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief front man, relocated his office from Kabul to Kandahar on April 6, according to Abdul Mateen Qani, a front man for the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Innamullah Samangani, another key government front man and head of the Taliban’s Media and Information Center, was also recently transferred to Kandahar.
Kandahar, a historically important political center, briefly served as the capital of Afghanistan, which was founded in 1747. Many of the kings that ruled the country until the monarchy was tossed in 1973 hailed from the broader Kandahar region.
The Taliban first emerged in Kandahar during the civil war in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. Its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, kept Kandahar as the de facto capital even after the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996. The hard-line Islamist group was ousted from power by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
Andrew Watkins, a senior Afghanistan expert at the United States Institute of Peace think tank in Washington, says Mujahid’s transfer is one of the most public signs of a trend in which Akhundzada appears to be strengthening his influence.
Watkins said Akhundzada wants control over "public messaging," which he says has "long been a priority for the Taliban."
The Taliban has denied that the decision to relocate bigwigs to Kandahar is part of a power struggle.
Mujahid said part of his office has moved to Kandahar in order to report more closely on the meetings and other activities of the Taliban chief. "The recent move doesn't amount to transferring the capital to Kandahar," Mujahid told Radio Azadi.
But observers are not convinced.
"There are factions within the Taliban that want more power," Tariq Farhadi, an Afghan political analyst based in Europe, told Radio Azadi. "It paints an overall worrying picture for the future of the Taliban."
[AlAhram] Ennahdha's party leader Rached Ghannouchi was transferred to a hospital Tuesday, a day after he was detained and his home and party headquarters were searched, a lawyer who heads an opposition coalition said.
Nejib Chebbi, speaking to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, said that neither he nor other lawyers know the reason for Ghannouchi's transfer to the La Marsa hospital, or his condition. Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha party, is 82.
Chebbi is the president of the National Salvation Front coalition of which Ennahdha is a member.
Ghannouchi has been detained for questioning a number of times in the past, but the circumstances of his latest detention suggested that this time was more serious.
He served as speaker of Tunisia's parliament until Saied dissolved the body last July.
Police entered Ghannouchi's house Monday night for a lengthy search and brought him to the El Aouina jail in the east of the capital.
During a news conference shortly thereafter, Ennahdha officials said three other leaders of the Islamist party had been arrested. Police evacuated and searched the party headquarters.
Police also surrounded the offices of the National Salvation Front, stopping party officials from holding a news conference on the circumstances surrounding Ghannouchi's detention.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/19/2023 02:38 ||
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Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood
[IsraelTimes] Official Paleostinian news agency says two will discuss regional developments and strengthening of PA ties with Riyadh, which has been moving away from normalization with Israel
Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase.... has arrived in Saudi Arabia
Continued on Page 49
[KhaamaPress] According to the brief Press statement received by the Media from the Baloch National Army, Sarfraz Bangulzai, Aka Merid Baloch, was appointed as the new head of the Baloch National Army (BNA) on Wednesday.
The appointment came after the arrest of the previous commander of the organization Gulzar Imam by the Mighty Pak Army.
The founder and head of the outlawed murderous Moslem organization Baloch National Army (BNA), Gulzar Imam, Aka Shambay, was arrested by Pakistain’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) on April 7.
In a statement, the military’s media wing described his arrest as a significant counterterrorism success. "The arrest of Gulzar Imam Shambay is a serious blow to BNA and other murderous Moslem groups, which have been attempting to destabilize the hard-earned peace in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... ," the army said.
Following the union of the Baloch Republican Army and the United Baloch Army, the BNA was formed.
Numerous terrorist acts in Pakistain, including those that targeted security forces, are said to have involved BNA.
Balochistan province at the Afghanistan-Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... border has been experiencing insecurity for over two decades.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/19/2023 03:26 ||
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Top|| File under: Baloch Liberation Army
[IsraelTimes] Worshipers celebrate Laylat Al Qadr at Old City compound; event passes without police intervention, though Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®, terror group flags were reportedly unfurled by some visitors
Over a quarter of a million Moslems visited the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem on Monday night to mark a key date in the Ramadan holy month, officials at the site said.
After last month saw violent mostly peacefulfestivities between Paleostinians and Israeli coppers at the flashpoint holy site, the latest event passed without incident.
According to the Islamic Waqf, which administers the site, some 280,000 people in total entered the Temple Mount compound for prayers during Laylat Al Qadr, also known as the Night of Destiny. Police said that the crowds peaked at 130,000 inside the compound at any one time.
The Haaretz daily reported that some of those who arrived unfurled Paleostinian national flags and flags of the Hamas terror group and chanted nationalist slogans. Police did not intervene and prayers passed without violence or arrests.
Tens of thousands of West Bank Paleostinians were granted special permits to enter Israel so that they could attend the prayers.
Laylat Al Qadr is marked on the 27th day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan and is commemorated as the night the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Koran. Moslems traditionally spend the night in prayer and devotion.
The large crowds topped Friday’s figures, when 250,000 were estimated to have entered the Temple Mount.
Friday’s prayers also passed largely without incident, though police said they detained eight Paleostinians for chants inciting violence and waving flags belonging to terror groups.
Over one million Moslems visited the Temple Mount — known to them as the Noble Sanctuary — throughout the entire holy month of Ramadan.
"We are developing a next generation non-viral gene delivery platform to deliver genes to nuclei of intended target cells. Our method will allow for tissue/cell specific gene delivery without the expense, immune response, and toxicity associated with viral gene delivery."
[Shafaq News] On Tuesday, the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... Navy (NEDAJA) announced that it developed drones capable of targeting and destroying floating naval vessels and submarines.
Commodore Shahram Irani, Commander of the Iranian Navy, told Tasnim news agency that the navy can now detect surface and submarine units and destroy submarine units with drones.
"Iranian youths have designed the necessary equipment, including a type of sonar, to detect submarines by drones," Irani said.
Sonar uses sound waves to 'see' in the water.
Sonar, short for Sound Navigation and Ranging, helps explore and map the ocean because sound waves travel farther in the water than radar and light waves. It is commonly used by submarines, ships, helicopters, maritime patrol, and anti-submarine aircraft to detect their underwater targets.
Iran has an active navy force that operates in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.
In addition to its surface fleet, Iran has also developed a submarine force that includes both domestically produced and imported submarines. Iran has also invested heavily in missile technology, and its navy is equipped with a range of missiles and torpedoes that can be launched from ships and submarines.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/19/2023 02:08 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
"Iranian youths have designed the necessary equipment, including a type of sonar, to detect submarines by drones," Irani said.
#6
^ I'm sure the plywood hull is waterlogged by now
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2023 10:56 Comments ||
Top||
#7
An airborne drone cannot use sonar to detect anything. There has to be something in the water to send out the sound waves. The US and other navies us sonobuoys for this.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/19/2023 11:37 Comments ||
Top||
#8
These devices are commonly refered to as "torpedoes".
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/19/2023 13:23 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Using counterterrorism laws, Treasury bans trading with businessman Nazem Said Ahmad, who it says has an extensive collection in Britannia and trades with galleries, auction houses
The UK government on Tuesday said it had imposed a full asset freeze on a Lebanese businessman suspected of financing the Hezbollah terror group.
The Treasury action against Nazem Said Ahmad on national security grounds follows similar restrictions imposed in 2019 by the United States.
"All assets and economic resources belonging to Ahmad in the UK have been frozen and no UK person may do business with him or any of the companies he owns or controls," a statement read.
It was the first time domestic counter-terrorism powers were being used to "curtail a suspected international terrorism financing network," the UK Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said.
London proscribed Hezbollah’s External Security Organization as a terrorist organization in 2001. The ban was extended to all of its military apparatus seven years later.
The Iran-backed Shiite terror group is a key political player in Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... According to the Treasury, Ahmad has an extensive art collection in the UK and conducts business with UK-based artists, galleries, and auction houses.
The sanctions mean he will no longer be able to trade in the UK art market and no other dealers will be able to do business with him or his companies. It listed those businesses as including White Starr DMCC, Bexley Way General Trading LLC, Best Diamond House DMCC, Sierra Gem Diamonds Company NV, Park Ventures SAL and the Artual Gallery.
"We will always proactively defend our economy against those who seek to abuse it," Treasury Lords Minister Baroness Penn said in the statement. "The firm action we have taken today will clamp down on those who are funding international terrorism, strengthening the UK’s economic and national security."
The freeze does not change the ownership of the assets and they are not transferred to the government for safekeeping, the ministry stressed.
In December 2019, the US Treasury described Ahmad as "one of Hezbollah’s top donors, generating funds through his longstanding ties to the ’blood diamond’ trade."
US authorities announced action against a network allegedly helping the man avoid sanctions.
Washington meanwhile issued fresh sanctions on Tuesday against an international network of 52 individuals and entities operating out of Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , the United Arab Emirates, and Britannia who allegedly supported Ahmad.
The US State Department in 1997 designated Hezbollah -- an Iran-backed Shia movement that is a key political player in Lebanon -- as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and in 2019 said the group had used Ahmad and his companies to launder "substantial amounts of money."
In a statement Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the latest actions are "against a global sanctions evasion network that facilitates the payment, shipment, and delivery of cash, art, and luxury goods" for the benefit of Ahmad.
Ahmad's extensive art collection is known to include works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
'BLOOD DIAMOND' TRADE
Brian Nelson, the US State Department's top sanctions official, said that "the individuals involved in this network used shell companies and fraudulent schemes to disguise Nazem Said Ahmad's role in financial transactions."
Among the key controllers identified were Ahmad's son Firas and daughter Hind, alongside other relatives and business associates.
#1
April 19 (UPI) -- A Lebanese art dealer blacklisted by the United States for being a Hezbollah financier was indicted on accusations of using a complex web of businesses to evade U.S. sanctions, officials said Tuesday, as the U.S. Treasury hit his vast international money laundering network with punitive measures.
Nazem Said Ahmad, 58, was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 on accusations of being a top donor for the U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization Hezbollah.
Authorities said the art collector and Belgian citizen procured huge sums for the Iran-back militant group through his trade in so-called blood diamonds.
The nine-count indictment unsealed Tuesday in an Eastern District of New York courtroom charged Ahmad and eight co-defendants with continuing their illicit dealings for the art collector in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
