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Explosion Targets Wedding Hall In Kabul; Casualties Feared UPDATE: 63 dead, ISIS claims it
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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Page 4: Opinion
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Afghanistan
Explosion Targets Wedding Hall In Kabul; Casualties Feared UPDATE: 63 dead, ISIS claims it
[ToloNews] Interior Ministry’s front man said the earth-shattering kaboom has targeted Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall in Kabul.

An explosion happened at a wedding hall in the west of Kabul when dozens of people were celebrating a wedding ceremony of an Afghan couple on Saturday evening.
ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban all disapprove most strongly of people having old fashoned fun. No doubt more information will come out as the day progresses.
A front man for Ministry of Interior, Nusrat Rahimi, said the earth-shattering kaboom happened at around 10:40 pm.

Sources and eyewitnesses said the hall was packed with guests when the earth-shattering kaboom happened.

The Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall is located in police district 6 (PD6) which covers areas like Darul Aman in the west of Kabul.

Footage on social media shows women screaming outside the wedding hall, while they are shocked by the earth-shattering kaboom.

Sources said the casualties might be high. Wedding ceremonies in Afghanistan are often attended by more than 400 guests.
Deutsche Welle adds:
More than 1,000 people had been invited to the wedding, one witness said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi told the Associated Press news agency that the attacker set off explosives among the wedding participants.

"Unfortunately, the blast caused civilian casualties," Rahimi said, adding that among them were women and children. Specific information on casualties would be provided later, he wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which went off in the men's reception area of the wedding hall in the western part of the city.
And from the Daily Mail:
Witnesses said members of the minority Shi'ite Muslim community were holding the wedding reception.

Sunni Muslim militants including the Taliban and Islamic State have repeatedly attacked the Shi'ite Hazara minorities in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan over the years.
Update from Al Jazeera at 8:12 a.m. EDT courtesy of Besoeker
At least 63 people have been killed and scores wounded in an explosion targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital, officials said on Sunday, the deadliest attack in Kabul this year.

The suicide blast took place on Saturday evening in the men's reception area of the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul, in a minority Shia neighbourhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage.

Women and children were among the casualties, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said on Sunday.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336147 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  I cannot comprehend the rationale of holding a thousand guest wedding, more so in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 17:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Tribal people tend to gather in large numbers. Kinda like Dodgers fans.
Posted by: jpal || 08/18/2019 18:26 Comments || Top||


Afghan forces kill, wound 7 Taliban militants in Farah operations
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan forces killed or maimed 7 Talibs during the operations in western Farah province.

The Farah Police headquarters said in a statement the security forces conducted a clearance operation along the highway between Bala Bolok and lovely provincial capital on Friday.

The statement further added that the security forces also provided escort to a convoy of the security forces travelling on the highway.

Furthermore, the Farah Police said the security forces killed 3 Talibs adn maimed 4 others during the operation.

The security forces also discovered and defused 9 improvised explosives planted by the murderous Moslems along the highway.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Special Forces target Taliban militants, destroy caches of weapons in Logar, Helmand
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan Special Froces killed 3 Talibs and destroyed two caches of weapons during the operations in Pashtun-infested Logar and Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
provinces.

The military officials said Saturday that the Special Forces killed 3 Talibs during an operation in Pul-e Alam district of Pashtun-infested Logar.

The officials further added that the Special Forces also destroyed a small cache of weapons during the same raid.

The Special Forces also destroyed a small cache of weapons during a similar operation which they conducted in Garm Ser district of Helmand.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336094 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Balkh: 50 Talibs toes up, car bomb and lotsa weapons no longer useful


Car bomb destroyed; 15 Taliban militants killed in Balkh operations

[KhaamaPress] The security forces destroyed a boom-mobile and killed 15 Talibs during the operations in northern Balkh province.

The informed military sources said Saturday that the security forces killed 15 Taliban
...Arabic for students...
by conducting an Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
in Sholgrah district of Balkh.

The sources further added that the Special Forces destroyed a Taliban boom-mobile during a separate operation in Chimtal district of Balkh.

The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.

42 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Balkh: Shaheen Corps

[KhaamaPress] The security forces killed or wounded at least 42 Taliban militants during the clashes in northern Balkh province.

The 209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement the security forces clashed with the Taliban militants in Babar Qala area of Dawlatbad district and Siya Aab area of Sholgara.

The statement further added that the security forces killed 35 Taliban militants and wounded 7 others during the clashes.

Furthermore, the 209th Shaheen Corps said the Air Forces also provided close air support to the ground forces during the clashes.

The 209th Shaheen Corps also added that the security forces discovered and destroyed a large cache of weapons and munitions during the operations.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336089 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Special Forces destroy weapons cache as airstrike kills 8 Taliban fighters in Kandahar
[KhaamaPress] The security forces conducted an Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
in southern Kandahar province killing at least 8 Talibs.

The informed military sources said Saturday that the security forces conducted the airsytrike in Khakrez district of Kandahar.

The sources further added that the Special Forces also conducted an operation in Nesh district of Kandahar.

Furthermore, the sources said the Special Forces destroyed a small cache of weapons belonging to Taliban
...Arabic for students...
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336103 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Taliban’s notorious commander killed in Ghazni
[KhaamaPress] The security forces killed a notorious commander of the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
group during an operation in south-eastern Ghazni province.

The 209th Shaheen Corps citing informed local sources reported that the notorious commander who was in charge of the Red Unit of Taliban was killed in one of the provinces of Ghazni on Friday.

The sources further added that the security forces also killed 34 other snuffies during the operation.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Alamo, Davy was counting their remaining cannon balls and not liking the results...
the provincial government said in a statement that the security forces killed 18 Talibs and maimed 9 others during the operations in this province.

The statement further added that the security forces killed 12 snuffies and maimed 6 others in Qarabagh district.

Furthermore, the provincial government said the U.S. forces conducted an Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
in Deh Yak district on Friday night which killed 6 Talibs and maimed 4 others.

The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336093 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa Horn
Euphoria grips Sudan as historic transition deal to civilian rule signed
[DAWN] Rapturous crowds filled the streets of Khartoum on Saturday as Sudan's generals and protest leaders signed a historic deal paving the way for civilian rule.

Thousands of cheering people gathered around the Friendship Hall next to the Nile, where the documents that will govern the country's 39-month transition were signed.

"This is the biggest celebration I have ever seen in my country. We have a new Sudan," said Saba Mohammed, a veiled 37-year-old woman, waving a small plastic flag.

Minutes earlier, the deal had been signed by Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, deputy chief of the military council, and Ahmed al-Rabie, representing the Alliance for Freedom and Change protest umbrella.

Heads of state, prime ministers and dignitaries from several countries ‐ including Æthiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egypt's premier Mustafa Madbuli ‐ attended the ceremony.

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336108 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Africa North
UNSMIL records 37 attacks on health facilities
[Libya Observer] The UN mission in Libya disclosed in a report Thursday, that it had recorded 37 attacks on health care facilities and practitioners, since the beginning of the aggression on Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
"The attacks included two field hospitals and two ambulances. Four doctors and two paramedics were also killed in these attacks, as well as the injury of at least eight other medical personnel," the mission said.

It also indicated that at least nine ambulances and nineteen hospitals have been damaged by what it described these "shameful attacks", in addition, eleven people have been reported killed and more than 33 others injured, according to the missions' report, noting that the number of casualties might be higher than the figures confirmed so far.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336104 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


OCHA: At least 90 people killed, more than 200 injured in clashes in Murzuq
[Libya Observer] The United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Middle East said that at least 90 civilians have been killed and more than 200 injured in the ongoing festivities in Murzuq since the beginning of this month.

The Office clarified in a statement on Wednesday, that the violence in Murzuq has forced more than 1,285 families to flee their homes, pointing out that some of these families were accommodated in collective shelters in the region, while others refused to leave their neighbourhoods, in fear of acts of retaliation.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336113 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Government prisoners tortured, genitals chopped off and then executed by warlord Haftar’s Al-Kaniyat militia
[Libya Observer] 12 prisoners of war have been executed by Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
’s infamous al-Kaniyat militia group after their detention in different frontlines in southern Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
. Two other civilians were kidnapped by the same group in Qarabulli town, east Tripoli, and had the same fate.

The victims, 12 of them are fighters for the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, were handed over to the Libyan Red Islamic Thingy last week after weeks of disappearance. They were arrested, tortured and humiliated before being killed, according to the Ministry of Health.

In a statement, the ministry said: "Signs of torture and abuses were found on the bodies of the victims."

"The ministry considers such horrific violations, which do not respect humanity, an act of terrorism that does not reflect the morals and customs of the Libyan Moslem people." Read the statement.

The ministry called on the UN Security Council, the UN Mission in Libya and the International Criminal Court to bring the perpetrators to justice so that they receive their just punishment.

A medical source, who preferred not to be named, said some of the victims had their sex organs cut off, in a horrific crime similar to those of ISIS terrorist group, adding that all the victims were brutally tortured and then summarily executed.

Al-Kaniyat is a notorious militia group formed by al-Kani family in Tarhuna city. The group has been fighting alongside warlord Khalifa Haftar’s self-declared army in southern Tripoli since the start of the offensive in April. Last year it conducted two failed attacks on Tripoli.

Khalifa Haftar’s self-declared army is a mix of tribal groups, radical Salafists
...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them...
and gangsters.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336133 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Khalifa Haftar’s self-declared army

Classic 'enemy of my enemy' is what passes for fraternity in the muslim world.

While the Madkhali salafists working for Haftar can be muzzled later, the hard core murderous GNA, harbors militias backed by ISIS to the Muslim Brotherhood. If something is backed by the UN, you can pretty much take it for granted some islamist motherfucker benefits from it.

Haftar uses the madkhalis to counter political islamic groups like Ansar al-Sharia and the MB. Haftar dissolved the Madkhali brigade (called the Tawhid Brigade) incorporating them into his military divisions like the 302 Saaiqa Special Forces.

But it's true, there is the possibility of Salafi jihadism — especially ISIS and al-Qaeda—infiltrating Madkhali Salafist groups, which is easy in a war torn country and an armed society with no real state presence.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 8:11 Comments || Top||

#2  So, sort of like being an ambassador to Libya for Obama and Hillary.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/18/2019 8:13 Comments || Top||

#3  Actually, he's known to be supported by Trump. At least to the point of...

'Go get 'em, Tiger.
Don't call me on this number again.
I will call u, ok ?'

Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 8:23 Comments || Top||

#4  That "genitals chopped off thing," I don't think he learned that here...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/18/2019 9:22 Comments || Top||

#5  That was done by the salafi riff-raff he has to ally with. The Al-kani tribal groups.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 9:25 Comments || Top||

#6  Fascinating, Dron66046.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 10:54 Comments || Top||

#7  Huh, no impalement?
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/18/2019 12:20 Comments || Top||

#8  90 businesses owned by Indians were uprooted when Ghaddafi was ousted. Several major Indian companies are invested in infrastructure, Oil and Gas, Education in Libya.

If the frothing mullahs come to power, it is reduced to shit. Only if Haftar manages to thwart everyone including the UN backed GNA, does the place have a chance at being a viable economy. If Libya goes to shit, the rest of the WANA (west Asia North Africa ) region is endangered. Where corporate India has more investments and tie-ups. Gas networks to heavy machinery, these businesses will one day be at the mercy of muslim extortionists backed by theocratic regimes, if we don't assist those fighting them to maintain a modicum of constitutionality.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 12:21 Comments || Top||


Haftar's militias abduct representative of British Arab Commercial Bank in Libya
[Libya Observer] Warlord Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
's militias have been kidnapping, Abdul Hadi Tughar, the representative of the British Arab Commercial Bank in Libya, an affiliate of the Libyan Foreign Bank, for about a month now.

Sources close to Tughar confirmed that an gang from Haftar's militias took him from his home in Qasr bin Ghashir; an area south of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
that has been under control of Haftar's forces for four months now.

Haftar's militias have continued to detain bloggers, activists, and officials in Qasr bin Ghashir area of Tripoli, the last of them was Abdul Hadi Tughar and before him was the High Council of State (HCS) member, Muhammad Abu Ghumajeh.

Detentions and acts of violence committed by Haftar's forces against Tripoli's residents continue in the light of the absence of any international deterrence towards such incidents.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336137 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Haftar's forces strike Zuwara Airport again
[Libya Observer] Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
's warplanes carried out Friday Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s on Zuwara Airport for the second day in a row causing one injury of a national safety worker and material damage to the national safety authority's building inside the airport.

Meanwhile,
...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck reached for the green sauce...
a delegation from the UNSMIL visited Saturday morning Zuwara Airport and made sure there was no military presence inside it.

The municipality of Zuwara denied also any military presence at the airport and called on the UNSMIL to take measures to secure and protect the civilian facilities and airport workers.

Volcano of Rage Operation said that Haftar's warplanes raided a heavily populated area in Zuwara on Saturday, causing the civilians to panic and damaging several houses.

Haftar's warplanes carried out other airstrikes on Libyan Army forces in eastern and western Gharyan checkpoints killing one fighter and injuring another from Gharyan Security Force.

Observers believe that intensified air attacks by Haftar's forces on Gharyan and Sabea as well as al-Aziziya may signal preparations for a military operation to retake Gharyan after they lost in late June since the city is considered a huge loss for Haftar in his quest to enter Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
and seize power.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336124 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Haftar ain't looking too good in these latest articles.
Posted by: AlanC || 08/18/2019 15:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Oh to live in Libya in the springtime. The smell of high explosives and rotting bodies calls to you.

Such is life in the land of sharia.
Posted by: jpal || 08/18/2019 16:09 Comments || Top||


One immigrant died, 278 rescued in east and west Libya's Tripoli
[Libya Observer] Libya's coastguards said Saturday they had rescued 278 illegal immigrants colonists on four dinghies off al-Khums, al-Zawiya and Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
's shores.

The coastguards said one other immigrant has been confirmed dead, adding that the immigrants colonists were from African and Arab countries and that they were sent to Tripoli Naval Base, al-Khums and al-Zawiya ports, while some of them were sent to migration centers.

The coastguards added that 128 immigrants colonists were rescued off al-Khums shores and were sent to the city's coastguards' headquarters since the Interior Ministry had closed al-Khums migration center among two others.

The latest interception and rescue operation by the Libyan coastguards was saving 391 immigrants colonists in northeastern Tripoli.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336114 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


Fighting erupts in east Benghazi for the release of drunken gunmen
[Libya Observer] Heavy gunfire broke out in Tocra town, 70 km east of Benghazi, on Saturday between the town’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the 166th brigade, a militia led by Ayoub Furjani, warlord Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
’s son-in-law.

Local sources said the 166th militia attacked the town early in the day to release a group of button men arrested by the CID for drinking alcohol.

The 166th militia retreated after hours of heavy exchange of fire, according to the sources.

The Criminal Investigation Department also shot down a surveillance drone believed to be operated by the 166th brigade.

"The situations in the town are still tense," the sources added.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Africa Subsaharan
Pirates kidnap 17 Chinese, Ukrainians off Cameroon
[DAWN] Nine Chinese and eight Ukrainian seamen were kidnapped in attacks on two merchant ships off Cameroon
...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
, in the latest act of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, sources said on Friday.

The attacks took place on Thursday in Cameroonian waters off the port of Douala, located at the apex of a gulf that has become a hotspot of seaborne crime.

A Douala official said on Friday that a total of 17 people had been kidnapped, including "nine Chinese civilian sailors" from one of the ships.

A Cameroonian security official confirmed the account.

The Cameroonian navy and the country’s port service had reported the kidnappings on Thursday but had been unable to give the number or nationality of those taken.

A navy source said the kidnappers "are probably Nigerian pirates," adding that Cameroon’s security forces had launched a search for them.

The Gulf of Guinea, whose coastline stretches in a huge arc from Liberia to Gabon, is notorious for piracy as well as oil theft, illegal fishing and human and drugs trafficking.

In Malaysia, Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a watchdog agency, said the 17 seamen were seized from two ships that were attacked within hours of each other while they were anchored off Douala.

Choong said one of the ships was a multipurpose German-owned ship that flew the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.

"Eight crew were kidnapped from the ship, consisting of a total of 12 Asian and Europe
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
an sailors," he said.

The other vessel was a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier managed in Greece with a Greek owner.

"There were 21 crew on board. All were Asians. Nine crew were taken," Choong told AFP.

"(The) IMB has issued a warning to all ships at Douala. We ask all ships to take additional precaution." Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by news agencies that three of the kidnapped sailors were Russian nationals. Many Ukrainians also hold Russian citizenship.

In recent years, the seas off West Africa have become "the world’s worst for pirate attacks," according to the IMB.

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336104 views] Top|| File under: Pirates

#1  Given the gentle, pacifist nature of both China and Ukraine when their interests are threatened, this may herald the end of piracy as we know it.
Posted by: Shith Slereting3318 || 08/18/2019 7:53 Comments || Top||

#2  ...yeah, sounds like their problem.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/18/2019 8:38 Comments || Top||

#3  I don't think taking Chinese hostage is a good career move. Or Ukrainians. Popcorn.
Posted by: Beau || 08/18/2019 8:48 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Sat pictures show pretty serious damage to Shaybah oil field in Saudi Arabia after alleged Houthi drone strike this morning
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Yemen rebel attack sparks fire in Saudi gas plant: Aramco
[DAWN] An attack claimed by 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...
i rebels sparked a fire in a Saudi gas plant on Saturday but caused no casualties or disruption to production, state-owned energy company Saudi Aramco said.

"Saudi Aramco's response team controlled a limited fire this morning at the Shaybah natural gas liquefaction facility," the energy giant said. "There were no injuries and no interruptions to Saudi Aramco's oil operations."

The Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s
have carried out a spate of cross-border missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi air bases and other facilities in recent months in what it says is retaliation for the Saudi-led air war in Yemen.

Early on Saturday, the Huthis issued a statement claiming a "massive" attack against a Saudi gas installation, which they said was hit by 10 drones.

A rebel front man, cited by the Death Eater television station al-Masirah, also vowed "fiercer and larger attacks" against Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
should it retaliate.

The channel later broadcast a speech by rebel chief Abdelmalik al-Huthi, who said all the group's military operations were "a legitimate response to Saudi aggression".

Al-Huthi added that the Saturday's attack was also "a warning to the United Arab Emirates", the other main pillar in the Saudi-led coalition.

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336118 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Home Front: WoT
Antifa causes disturbances long after most Proud Boys leave Portland rally
[Washington Examiner] PORTLAND, Oregon ‐ While the Proud Boys rally to "End Domestic Terrorism" at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park came and went within a short amount of time, members of antifa continued to stay out in the streets of "Rose City."

Scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, the "End Domestic Terrorism" rally coordinated by former InfoWars staffer Joe Biggs ended at around noon, with a majority of the group choosing to march across the nearby bridge.

One rallygoer, who did not want to be identified out of fear for his safety, told the Washington Examiner he decided to attend because he wants antifa to be recognized as a domestic terrorist group, saying they have "been committing a lot of violence, and nothing is being done about ... they have rhetoric thinking ICE members are Nazis, and that's just not true."

With the rallygoers gone, antifa and counterprotesters, who vastly outnumbered the right-wing group, stayed in the park and spread out into the downtown area.

Often ignoring police commands to stay on the sidewalks, the antifa members marched around and engaged in small confrontations with individuals who were perceived or proclaimed to be against antifa. One case resulted in police using pepper balls and arresting a man on the counterprotest side who had advocated for fights throughout the day.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/18/2019 07:21 || Comments || Link || [336135 views] Top|| File under: Antifa

#1  That's a helluva lot more informative report than the one I saw on CBS last night.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/18/2019 11:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Often ignoring police commands to stay on the sidewalks, the antifa

All the very best conservatives have assured me that all cops are heroes, and not just a bunch of uniformed bureaucratic hacks looking out for their taxpayer-funded pensions.

The same taxpayers to whom they have no "duty to protect" (the same taxpayers who do have a duty to pay for their pensions of course)

Their fortitude in the face of being ignored was very heroic.

Posted by: charger || 08/18/2019 12:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Proud boys should announce they are going somewhere and then not show up. It might be played as cowardly but it would cause Antifa to spend time and money preparing again and again for each false alarm, it would also increase the chances teh rabid Antifa folks would just attack anyone when they couldn't get to the Proud Boys which would chip away at their public relations like a sledgehammer.
Posted by: ruprecht || 08/18/2019 13:20 Comments || Top||

#4  Although the anarchy is not Chaos logo is nice, I'd prefer one that said something like:

Totalitarian Government: The New Anarchy
Posted by: ruprecht || 08/18/2019 13:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Guys, Marx's "final stage of socialism" is anarchy, after they've perfected humanity so much we're more ants than people and government isn't needed anymore. These anarchists are demanding absolute tyranny.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 08/18/2019 14:41 Comments || Top||

#6  they should announce an Antifa Rally in Hayden Lake Idaho and see how that works out for them
Posted by: 746 || 08/18/2019 15:07 Comments || Top||

#7  ...or any place in Alabama where the old Klan mask law (can't wear them) comes in to play.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/18/2019 21:32 Comments || Top||


Far-right groups and anti-fascists face off in Portland protests
Snip. Duplicates article published below. My apologies

— trailing wife at 9:35 a.m. EDT

More from Breitbart found here.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336100 views] Top|| File under: Antifa

#1  existing statues (under sec 219 of Immigration and Naturalization Act) and executive order 13224 allow designation of

-foreign terrorist org
- global terrorists

Since the Dems control the H of Rep, Trump will need a new E.O. to designate Antifa.
Posted by: lord garth || 08/18/2019 1:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Hard to know what to make of this.
OTOH, these thugs are too stupid and unstrategic in their manner to actually create a coherent plan for subverting our institutions a la the 1970s-era radical groups that actually did target and assassinate cops and public figures, that actually did stage bank robberies and that bombed literally thousands of public buildings.

These morons are more like performance artists engaged in street theater, like a more menacing version of squeegee men or your ordinary homeless nutjob-cum-hobo.

OTOH, these nuts have the tacit support of state, local and perhaps even federal officials, along with the media.

Given our politicized, left-leaning FBI, its highly unlikely that any Feds are monitoring and surveiling this group's activity.

Which means, bottom line, we have no idea how dangerous these weirdos are, or what exactly is the nature of the threat they pose.

Aside from Andy Ngo's fearless eyewitness reporting, we are flying blind.
Posted by: Lex || 08/18/2019 2:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Their leaders and coordinators must be like a hundred Mansons given masks and a federal blind-eye.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 4:20 Comments || Top||

#4  Designate them and let the Donks defend them publicly. Make the asshats own them
Posted by: Frank g || 08/18/2019 7:13 Comments || Top||

#5  Very civilized approach, Frank and probably not an appropriate response. Listen to what the Donks are advocating/defending these days. You really think they'll be too embarrassed to defend their armed wing?
Posted by: Shith Slereting3318 || 08/18/2019 7:50 Comments || Top||

#6  If you believe in 'America' and Western Civ you are a 'white supremacist' by their classification. So, yeah, make them own Antifa in the eyes of those who've they've so classified. To paraphrase Mr. Churchill - you have a choice between dishonor or war, you can pick dishonor but you will still have war.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/18/2019 8:11 Comments || Top||

#7  Shith Slereting3318, every defense of Anitfa played over footage of the attacks is a commercial for the GOP.
Posted by: ruprecht || 08/18/2019 13:22 Comments || Top||

#8  Many of the Antifa street thugs are exactly that: street thugs. Apolitical and fight-club thugs who just need an outlet.
Posted by: The peanut gallery || 08/18/2019 14:33 Comments || Top||

#9  They may be moronic thugs now but they are being prepared. I suspect the brownshirts were 'moronic' in the beginning too. Not long before some organization, not the Democratic party directly but some offshoot, starts organizing and formally training them.
Remember Obama's dream of having his own army equal to the US military?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/18/2019 15:10 Comments || Top||

#10  Who's going to pull the first trigger?

If I am armed and being attacked by thugs with iron pipes or baseball bats someone is getting shot.

Good thing I'm not in Portland.
Posted by: AlanC || 08/18/2019 15:53 Comments || Top||

#11  Remember Obama's dream of having his own army equal to the US military?

The Left's concept of the military is about on par with their concept of economics. You can put a uniform on them, you can give them guns. They did a lot of that in WWI. It's called butchery. In ground pounder terminology - target rich environment.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/18/2019 18:42 Comments || Top||

#12  I don't know, The German National Socialists manage to field a pretty effective army.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/18/2019 19:11 Comments || Top||


Arrests and shields, metal poles seized at Portland protests
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ‐ Police arrested at least 13 people and seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons Saturday as hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed downtown Portland, Oregon.

Authorities closed bridges and streets to try to keep the rival groups apart. The city’s mayor said the situation was "potentially dangerous and volatile," and President Donald Trump tweeted "Portland is being watched very closely."

As of early afternoon, most of the right-wing groups had left the area via a downtown bridge. Police used officers on bikes and in riot gear to keep black-clad, helmet- and mask-wearing anti-fascist protesters ‐ known as antifa ‐ from following them.

But hundreds of people remained downtown and on nearby streets, and there were skirmishes throughout the day. Police declared a gathering of mostly left-wing protesters near Pioneer Courthouse Square a "civil disturbance" and told people to leave.

One person was injured and transported via ambulance, and three other people were evaluated by medics, Portland Police spokeswoman Lt. Tina Jones said. The injuries were minor, she said.

Jones said at one point there were about 1,200 on the streets, but that number had fallen to about 400 late in the afternoon.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336110 views] Top|| File under: Antifa

#1  Antifa = Cowardly children
Posted by: 746 || 08/18/2019 16:04 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Possible terror attack puts Bengaluru on very high alert
[ONEINDIA] A thick security blanket has been thrown across major towns and cities of Karnataka following intelligence inputs about a possible terror attack, police sources said.

With heavy deployment of police personnel at every nook and corner of prominent places in the state, extensive checking was carried out using metal detector and sniffer dogs. Representational Image Police sources said the alert was sounded Friday night asking all coppers to be vigilant and directing police to be present everywhere following intelligence inputs about a possible terror attack.

There was intelligence input that a group of hard boyz was planning to create terror and panic in the country, the sources said. Security has been strengthened at all important installations and public places such as bus stands, railway stations, temples, markets, malls and government offices.

Besides Bengaluru, vigil has also been tightened in Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Chitradurga, Mangaluru, Davangere, Udupi, Mysuru and Tumakuru.

Police personnel were seen searching bags and frisking passengers at the railway stations and bus stands on Saturday. Multi-layer security arrangements were witnessed at important temples in the state. Devotees were frisked before being let inside Udupi Krishna, Kukke Subrahmanya and Ranganatha temples at Srirangapatna and Chamundi shrine in Mysuru,

Police said tight security helped them in nabbing an eight-member gang in Mangaluru, which were planning a heist on Friday night.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336112 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is Karnataka, another muslim stronghold state, due to decades of leftist administrations.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 4:23 Comments || Top||


Pakistani post opposite the Rajouri sector has been hit in action by Indian Army today.
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336091 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Soldier killed as Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Four ‘terrorists’ killed in search operation
[DAWN] Four suspected bad boyz were potted during a search operation carried out by security forces in Kulachi tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
district on Friday, officials said.

According to a statement issued by the counter-terrorism department (CTD), the operation was launched on a tip-off about the presence of gunnies in the forests near Bacha Abad and its suburbs in the Kulachi tehsil.

Officials said that the security forces came under attack from various locations as they combed the forests for the terrorists. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
the security personnel remained safe.

At least four bad boyz were potted in the counterattack, they added. Two of them were identified as Javed Malana and Abdur Rehman Ustrana. They were wanted in eight different acts of terrorism, including attacks on the security forces and a police mobile in Parova area.

The security forces also recovered several Kalashnikovs, police wireless sets, hand grenades and material used in the making of the boom jackets.

The sources said that the operation was still under way due to the presence of more gunnies in the forested areas of Kulachi.

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336107 views] Top|| File under: TTP


BNP-M leader Amanullah Zehri, 3 others dead as unknown assailants open fire on convoy
[DAWN] Balochistan National Party-Mengal
...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...
(BNP-M) leader Amanullah Zehri was rubbed out on in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan early on Saturday.

The BNP-M leader was travelling when his convoy was ambushed by unidentified miscreants, who opened indiscriminate fire.

Zehri and three others, including his minor grandson, Mardan Zehri, bit the dust in the incident.

The deputy commissioner of Khuzdar and other relevant officials reached the site of the incident along with levies personnel. The area was cordoned off so that evidence could be collected from the site.

The bodies were handed over to families after the necessary paperwork was completed at the Civil Hospital.

BNP-M Chief Nawab Akhtar Mengal expressed his grief on the loss of lives.

"Another dark day for BNP and the people of Balochistan," he wrote on Twitter. "This loss has deprived us all. I’m lost of words today. Devastated to learn that Shaheed Amanullah Zehri with his friends and innocent grandson have been brutally killed in the middle of the night. May Allah have mercy."


Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336135 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF kills armed Gazans on Israeli border Saturday night, the five PIJ members are named
[IsraelTimes] Infiltration attempt comes hours after three rockets fired at southern Israel from the Strip, one of which struck a home in Sderot.

Israeli forces rubbed out a group of armed Paleostinians along 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’s security fence late Saturday night, hours after three rockets were fired at southern Israel from the restive coastal enclave.

The exact number of Paleostinians killed during the suspected infiltration was not immediately known. Gaza-based news outlets reported four or five people killed in the strike.

The Israeli military said an attack helicopter and a tank were used to kill the suspected Death Eaters as they approached the fence.

"A short while ago, IDF troops spotted armed suspects near the security fence around the northern Gaza Strip. An IDF attack helicopter and a tank fired at them," the army said in a statement.

Israeli troops also fired flares throughout the area in order to assist in the efforts to locate the suspected terrorists.

An army spokesperson said there were no reports of Israeli casualties.

The Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,-linked Paleostinian Information Center said the men had been on the Gaza side of the fence when they were killed, and that some of the bodies had been confiscated by Israel, citing "local sources." The reports could not be confirmed.

Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that Israel later conducted artillery strikes on its positions east of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, near where the men had approached the fence to enter Israel.

Paleostinian media reported that the men were members of the Iran-backed 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...
’s military wing, Saraya al-Quds. This could not be immediately confirmed.

On Saturday night, the cities of Beersheba, Ashdod, Ofakim, Gan Yavne and Yavne opened their municipal bomb shelters ahead of expected reprisal rocket attacks. The Magen David Adom ambulance service also said it was going on high alert.

Earlier on Saturday night, Paleostinian Death Eaters in the Gaza Strip fired three rockets at southern Israel, two of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the military said.

Fragments from one of the Gaza rockets struck the yard of a home in the town of Sderot, causing damage. There were no physical injuries caused by the shrapnel in Sderot. Four people received medical treatment after they suffered anxiety attacks, medics said. In addition, two people sustained minor injuries while running to bomb shelters, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

Shrapnel also landed inside a community in the Sha’ar Hanegev region of southern Israel, northeast of Gaza, causing no injuries, local officials said.

It was the second night in a row that sirens sounded in Sderot. On Friday night, Death Eaters in the Strip fired at least one rocket into Israel, which was intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, the IDF said. There were no reports of injury or damage. In response, the Israeli military struck two underground sites belonging to Hamas.

5 reported Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed wing militants killed by IDF tanks and helicopters on the northern Gaza border
[TWITTER]
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/18/2019 00:01 || Comments || Link || [336133 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Scattering the cockroaches. Don't bring a gun to a tank fight
Posted by: Frank g || 08/18/2019 7:09 Comments || Top||

#2  The exact number of Paleostinians killed during the suspected infiltration was not immediately known.

But we are optimistic that it was higher than five.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/18/2019 8:45 Comments || Top||

#3  Count ears and divide by two
Posted by: Frank g || 08/18/2019 11:08 Comments || Top||

#4  Count ears and divide by two

Spoken like an engineer!
My only question as a programmer is do we round up or down when we've got an odd number of ears?
Posted by: SteveS || 08/18/2019 13:40 Comments || Top||

#5  Davy, Davy Crockett...
Posted by: Sholutch Elminese9734 || 08/18/2019 14:30 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian air defenses intercept hostile target in Misyaf city in Hama countryside
[SANA.SY] A military source announced that Syrian air defenses intercepted a hostile target coming from north of Leb, and destroyed it before reaching its target in Misyaf area in Hama countryside.

The military source told SANA in a statement that "At 11:06 pm on Thursday evening, our air defenses detected a hostile target coming from northern Leb towards Misyaf city."

The source added that the air defenses immediately intercepted the hostile target before it could reach its target.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336100 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Army inflicts heavy losses upon al-Nusra terrorist in Idleb’s southern countryside
[SANA.SY] Syrian Arab Army units on Saturday continued operations against the gatherings and positions of terrorist organizations in Idleb’s southern countryside, expanding the area under their control in the surroundings of Khan Sheikhoun city after inflicting losses in personnel and equipment upon terrorists.

SANA’s news hound said that over the past two days, army units have been engaged in violent festivities with forces of Evil from Jabhat al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
in the direction of Madaya village northwest of Khan Sheikhoun in Idleb’s southern countryside after establishing control over the villages of Abdin, Khirbet Abdin and Um Zaitoun west of the city.

The news hound said the festivities resulted in killing and injuring a number of terrorists, while other forces of Evil flood north.

In the surroundings of al-Tamania village, army units carried out artillery and rocket strikes targeting terrorists’ fortified positions and supply routes, which resulted in killing a number of forces of Evil and destroying their vehicles and equipment.

Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336115 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


US issues warrant to seize Iranian oil tanker Grace 1
[TWITTER]
The US Justice Department claimed that it can seize Grace 1, and all of the oil on board, based on alleged violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bank fraud, money laundering, and terrorism statutes.


Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336115 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  all out of torpedos?
Posted by: Shith Slereting3318 || 08/18/2019 7:51 Comments || Top||

#2  all out of torpedos?

Don't want the Enviros to complain about the large oil slicks, probably.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 08/18/2019 8:18 Comments || Top||

#3  Swap out the oil for African refugees. Hilarity ensues
Posted by: Frank g || 08/18/2019 8:39 Comments || Top||

#4  At least the crew will know the drill when they get pulled over this time.
Posted by: The peanut gallery || 08/18/2019 14:39 Comments || Top||

#5  Sell the oil and put it in the Iran victims compensation fund. Then Frank's suggestion.
Posted by: Waldemar Clunk5446 || 08/18/2019 22:52 Comments || Top||


Syria regime strikes kill mother, 6 of her children: monitor
[DAWN] Regime air strikes on Saturday killed a woman and six of her children in northwest Syria, a war monitor said, a day after Russian bombardment pummelled a nearby displacement camp.

The air strike hit the family's one-story home in the village of Dayr Sharqi in Idlib province, killing everyone inside, said the Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A photographer collaborating with AFP said he saw a man leaving the site of the blast, carrying the bloody corpse of a maiden of tender years, her hair streaked with blood.

A rescue worker carried the dust covered body of a second child, he added.

The photographer said he also saw the charred remains of a third victim trapped underneath the rubble, as rescue workers tried to retrieve it.

Heightened air raids by the Syrian regime and its ally Moscow on the Idlib region ‐ the last major opposition bastion in Syria's northwest ‐ have killed hundreds since the end of April.

The latest air strikes on the village of Dayr Sharqi maimed three other people, the Observatory said.

The attack came a day after Russian air raids killed 15 civilians, including six children in a nearby displacement camp in the town of Hass, according to the war monitor. Two other children were killed by Syrian regime air strikes in different parts of southern Idlib on Friday, it said.

A French foreign ministry statement released after those attacks condemned "indiscriminate air strikes by the regime and its allies in Idlib". It specifically mentioned the air strikes on the displacement camp and called "for an immediate cessation of hostilities".

Over the past week, regime forces have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province, with the aim of capturing the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which lies on a key highway coveted by the regime.

The highway runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by regime forces from rebels in December 2016.

Syria's former Al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
(HTS) has since January controlled most of Idlib province as well as parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces. Other rebel groups are also present in the area.

A buffer zone deal brokered by Russia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
last year was supposed to protect the region's three million inhabitants from an all-out regime offensive, but it was never fully implemented.

Regime and Russian air strikes and shelling since late April have killed more than 850 civilians, according to the Observatory.

The United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
says the violence has displaced more than 400,000 people. AFP correspondents have reported seeing dozens of families flee fighting over the past few days, heading north in trucks stacked high with belongings.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad since starting with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in 2011.
Posted by: Fred || 08/18/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336113 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria



Who's in the News
22[untagged]
7Govt of Pakistan
6Arab Spring
6Taliban
4Govt of Iran
3Antifa
2Govt of Syria
2Commies
2Houthis
1Hamas
1TTP
1Islamic State
1Moslem Colonists
1Pirates
1al-Nusra
1Govt of Sudan

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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2019-08-18
  Explosion Targets Wedding Hall In Kabul; Casualties Feared UPDATE: 63 dead, ISIS claims it
Sat 2019-08-17
  Two killed in Pakistan mosque bomb blast
Fri 2019-08-16
  Special Forces arrest Khalifa Daud, Haqqani network’s key member in Kabul
Thu 2019-08-15
  Iraq anti-terrorism troops kill 10 IS militants, capture 5 others in Anbar
Wed 2019-08-14
  On beyond Veritas: Google Insider Turns Over 950 Pages Of Docs And Laptop To DOJ
Tue 2019-08-13
  North Macedonia police find 22 migrants packed into SUV
Mon 2019-08-12
  UAE-backed forces expel Saudi-backed troops from Yemeni Presidential Palace
Sun 2019-08-11
  Southern Transitional Council stages an attempted coup, says Yemeni government
Sat 2019-08-10
  Jeffrey Epstein dead in Arkancide
Fri 2019-08-09
  US slaps Hezbollah financier with 5-year prison sentence, $50m. fine
Thu 2019-08-08
  Clashes erupt between Indian, Pakistani forces in Kashmir
Wed 2019-08-07
  Algeria: court issues arrest warrant on Khaled Nezzar, ex-General accused of alleged mass killings in the 1990s
Tue 2019-08-06
  Benghazi flight to Mitiga Tripoli survives rocket attack while landing
Mon 2019-08-05
  Indian Kashmir Dissolved.
Sun 2019-08-04
  Special Forces arrest Taliban fighter disguised in women’s dress

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