#2
Post war America where simple things like a small Levittown house with a white picket fence was enough to start a family. Way too many GenZ princesses literally want a chateau mansion.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/15/2024 16:49
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#6
Assassination attempt by a white male in his sixties with an AK-47. Captured in his getaway truck by the police after the Secret Service shot back, and missed.
President Trump is unharmed and safe.
See posts here and here. With thanks to Frank G and NN2N1, who both got us the information.
For our Russian military readers, this is the advantage of a free people with free access to communications: the professionals simply cannot have as many eyes and hands as the common folk do when they self-organize.
Secret Service agents opened fire on a man who was seen with what may have been a gun while former President Trump was on the golf course, according to law enforcement sources, the New York Post reported.
"Sources said the Secret Service spotted a suspicious individual on the Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach, and opened fire when agents saw what appeared to be the barrel of a gun," according to the Post.
CNN is now reporting that it is believed the shots were intended for former President Trump and that the shooter had an AK-47 rifle.
The suspect remains unidentified, though Florida state Rep. John Snyder has stated that the suspect is a "white male, in his mid 60's."
This article has been updated again — go to the link to see, as I can’t keep up.
Townhall is also updating their story here: FBI is calling this an assassination attempt.
Instapundit is updating his post on the subject here.
Added per comment below: assassin named as Ryan Wesley Routh.
According to CNN; several Shots were fired in the direction of Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, with Secret Service Agents having returned Fire in the direction of where the Shots occurred from as the Suspect fled the Area in a Vehicle. Witnesses provided an Accurate…
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene reported that there was another assassination attempt on Trump. There was a shooting in the area where Agent Donald was. Trump is alive and well, the bullets went somewhere further this time.
The series, to survive until the US elections, continues...
A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found at the scene of the shooting. Russian trace.
#5
NY Post reports he is 58, lives on Hawaii, and is of the left, though reading deeper into the article suggests to me he will turn out to be off his rocker.
A Facebook search gives a photo that purports to be the man, but they may have another of the same name — it’s happened before. 48 Hour Rule, always.
Second Trump assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, was connected to Rep Adam Kinzinger through his support of Ukraine. Here he’s being interviewed by Newsweek about his effort to recruit mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/6SnLYFkHv7
#11
That Corella DeVille style hair, if you will, especially when black and white, is a dated fashion stating one's commitment to the 'alphabet people cause'.
He is not dead. So I assume he is a nut job.
Or social media scrubbed.
That said - how did he get the rifle if he is from Hawaii? The two legal ways I can think of is purchased in Hawaii and traveled with it, or purchased it once there and if you have never tried to purchase any firearm as a non-state resident is a real hassle.
[BenarNews] What is this Islamic sect and why is it controversial in the Southeast Asian country?
Al-Arqam, a banned Islamic sect in Malaysia, is in the spotlight again after 402 children – including some as young as 1 – were rescued from welfare homes during police raids on Sept. 11. Many of these minors are believed to have been trafficked as well as physically and sexually abused, authorities said.
At least 159 people have been arrested in connection with the case. The 20 homes where the raids occurred were linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH), a company founded by al-Arqam members.
Malaysia banned the sect 30 years ago over allegations that it promoted a deviant form of Islam, the faith practiced by the Malay Muslim majority.
But what exactly is al-Arqam, and why does its shadow linger despite its ban decades ago?
WHAT IS AL-ARQAM?
Al-Arqam was founded in 1968 by Ashaari Muhammad as a spiritual movement focusing on self-sufficiency, discipline, and an Islamic utopia. By the 1980s, it had gained tens of thousands of followers not only in Malaysia but in neighboring Indonesia, Thailand, and Brunei. The sect was banned in 1994.
At its peak, al-Arqam operated a range of businesses, from agriculture to publishing and even restaurants, amassing wealth reportedly worth millions of U.S. dollars.
“We had our own food products, owned schools and ran a few businesses,” Shamsul Mohd Noor, a former al-Arqam member, told BenarNews. “It started as a religious outreach movement, initially focused on addressing issues of Islamic theology.
“It was more centered on education and personal development. Its strength lay in promoting fardhu kifayah – collective responsibilities – within the Muslim community,” said Shamsul, who joined the group in the 1980s.
WHO WAS AL-ARQAM’S FOUNDER?
The late Ashaari Muhammad was a charismatic leader who envisioned creating a self-sufficient Islamic community. In his sermons, he promoted the idea of returning to a “purer” form of Islam.
Ashaari – known among his followers as “Abuya” or “father” – had four wives and reportedly as many as 40 children, before he died of a lung infection in 2010.
[IsraelTimes] Dalia Ziada was forced to flee Cairo for criticizing Hamas after October 7; today a lobbyist against Iran in DC, she explains why Egypt rejects Israeli control over the corridor.
A major sticking point in the floundering ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... revolves around control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) strip of land along the border between 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 Hamas with 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 and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the case for maintaining an Israeli military presence in this area, calling it a "strategic imperative" to prevent the Hamas terror group from rearming, as he explained during a presser.
But both Hamas and Egypt have vehemently opposed the possibility of the IDF remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor.
While Hamas’s objection is self-evident — the Philadelphi Corridor is often referred to as the terrorist organization’s "pipeline for oxygen" as it is Gaza’s only contact with the outside world aside from Israel — Egypt’s resistance has baffled many, since Cairo already shares a long border with Israel that runs for over a hundred miles, south of the Gaza Strip.
In a recent interview with The Times of Israel, Egyptian analyst Dalia Ziada viewed Cairo’s stance very critically.
"Egyptian negotiators should approach Israel from a point of view of cooperation, rather than applying pressure," said Ziada, who recently relocated to Washington, DC.
"The national security of our two countries is interdependent," she added. "Israel has helped Egypt in the past against Islamist militias in Sinai, and cooperation between the two countries has been very successful in the past. Why doesn’t Egypt do the same with Israel now?"
At the same time, Ziada noted that the rhetoric around Hamas has become more positive in official Egyptian media discourse after October 7. Hamas is no longer referred to as a terror organization but as a "resistance group," even though its button men have killed Egyptian soldiers and civilians in Sinai in the past.
Ziada saw three reasons for Egypt’s refusal to cooperate with Israel over the controversial corridor: the opposition of Sinai Bedouin tribes, the embarrassment of the Egyptian leadership over its failure to secure its border with Gaza, and the potential backlash from Egyptian society and the Arab world on the lam.
For at least two decades, Bedouin tribes in Sinai have profited from smuggling all sorts of goods, including weapons, to Gaza through tunnels beneath the border. Despite an Egyptian effort in 2015 to flood and close these tunnels in cooperation with Israel, Ziada noted, the tribes and Hamas found ways to resume their operations within two years, thanks to the complacency of corrupt members of Egyptian security forces.
Today, "Egypt is careful not to raise outrage among the tribes in Sinai by closing their source of income again, especially under the current economic crisis," Ziada said.
In recent months, after the IDF took control of the Philadelphi Corridor, it has uncovered dozens of tunnels crossing into Egypt, including one large enough for vehicles to drive through.
Ziada believes Egyptian security authorities are embarrassed to admit that there were corrupt officials in their midst who allowed the tribes to reopen tunnels with Gaza.
"All the official statements coming out of Egypt are insisting that tunnels do not exist, despite the very clear footage that the IDF has shown of the tunnels," Ziada said. "Their discovery is proof that the Egyptian army has failed in doing its primary job of securing the borders and protecting Egypt’s national security. Now [they are confronted with the possibility that] the Israelis are going to play this role and protect the border instead," Ziada said.
Acquiescing to Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor would negatively impact the image of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, both within Egypt and across the Arab world, where support for Hamas and the Paleostinian cause is widespread, said Ziada.
"It will make him appear complicit with the Israeli government," Ziada explained.
"The narrative presented in the Arab media is not that Israel wants to control the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas and avert another October 7 attack. It is that Israel wants to further suffocate the people of Gaza," she added.
DEFLECTING PUBLIC OUTRAGE OVER EGYPT’S ECONOMIC WOES
A potential embarrassment for el-Sissi would be highly inopportune at a time when the country is mired in a deep economic crisis. Public discontent has been mounting following years of economic mismanagement, the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic and the fallout of the wars in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and the Middle East, not only in Gaza but also in neighboring Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... and Libya.
Egypt has been struggling to revive the lucrative tourism sector decimated by years of turmoil, and attacks 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... ’s 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 on shipping routes in the Red Sea have slashed Suez Canal revenues.
In addition, a Western-backed reform program adopted in 2016 has caused prices to soar due to austerity measures. Nearly 30 percent of Egyptians currently live in poverty, according to official figures.
Egyptian citizens have endured frequent power outages over the summer months, a recurrent problem in the populous North African country that leaves people without air conditioning in the unforgiving summer heat. Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!... videos have gone viral of citizens filming themselves from the fully lit New Administrative Capital under construction outside Cairo.
Appeals for demonstrations have gone unanswered, however, as citizens fear repression. Amnesty International reported in July that over the span of three weeks, over 100 people were arbitrarily detained over calls for anti-government protests.
Maintaining a strong stance in opposition to Israel appears to be a way for the government to deflect public anger, Ziada said.
"Gaza and the Paleostinian cause are a golden opportunity for the Egyptian leadership to cover its domestic failures in the economy," Ziada said. "They have greatly exaggerated their reaction to what is happening in order to direct public outrage towards Gaza. They don’t want to face double public outrage."
THE DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF CRITICIZING HAMAS
Ziada, an outspoken human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... activist and the former director of a think tank that promotes liberal democracy, paid a heavy price for publicly condemning Hamas in her home country.
In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 savagery, Ziada did not mince words to criticize Hamas and those who supported it and justified its actions, calling them "a partner in their crime."
The public uproar erupted when a few weeks later, Ziada gave interviews to the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank, and to Israeli public broadcaster Kan in which she justified Israel’s military response against the terror group.
The backlash was immediate. Complaints were filed with Egyptian prosecutors demanding she be put on trial as a spy for Israel and for inciting war crimes, and she received death threats.
She was forced to flee and go into exile in the US in November, a decision that she described as "emotionally extremely, extremely difficult. It’s like getting out of your skin. But I had no choice."
She lives today in Washington, DC, where she has become a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, an Israeli think tank formerly known as the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
In her new role, and in cooperation with other activists, she seeks to present decision-makers with a "voice from the region" and "influence the general narrative that unfortunately has been hijacked by Islamists, by 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 and Iranian political proxies."
"There is a huge misunderstanding about the nature of the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict," she explained. "In its core, it is only a conflict over a land. It’s very similar, for example, to the conflict in Cyprus. Two peoples want to divide a certain piece of land."
However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt... over time, two layers were added to the core: a regional conflict between Israel and the Arab world, and, starting from the 1980s, a religious dimension that viewed the conflict as between Islam and Judaism.
Ziada maintains that after the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab countries in 2020, a historic shift has happened with regard to the different dimensions of the dispute.
"The Abraham Accords showed that Arabs and Israelis can be good neighbors and good friends regardless of what happens in the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict. They dissolved the layer of the Arab-Israeli conflict," she said. "There are only two layers left. The Israeli-Paleostinian dispute over land, which is very small in my opinion, and the bigger and more complex Islamic-Jewish conflict."
"The latter, unfortunately, has been fueled by Al Jazeera and Islamists. But what we are living right now is not an Arab-Israeli conflict anymore," she said. "It’s 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... versus Israel. Iran is merely using Arabs as its pawns against Israel."
"For at least two decades, Bedouin tribes in Sinai have profited from smuggling all sorts of goods, including weapons, to Gaza through tunnels beneath the border."
actually, it seems a lot of lethal material went right through the main surface gate
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/15/2024 10:06
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[IsraelTimes] Videos and pictures posted online show smoke rising from scrubland near the Route 1 highway near central Israel, apparently from shrapnel after the Israel Defense Forces attempted to shoot down a ballistic missile launched from 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... A picture shows damage to an escalator at a train station on the outskirts of Modiin, some 25 kilometers (18 miles) east of Tel Aviv.
Police say they are searching for shrapnel in the Judean lowlands area east of Tel Aviv.
The IDF said earlier that the missile landed in an open area, after sirens were activated in areas stretching from Tel Aviv east to Modiin. It said it was investigating the interception attempts.
According to reports, an initial interception attempt may have failed to hit its target before reaching Israeli airspace, which would explain why shrapnel fell inside Israel.
The military made several attempts to intercept a ballistic missile fired from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthis at central Israel this morning, the IDF says, though the results of the attempts are still being investigated.
The army says the missile fell apart in the air, citing an initial probe.
“From a preliminary examination, it appears that the missile apparently disintegrated in the air,” the IDF says.
The missile was launched at around 6:21 a.m., and sirens sounded across central Israel at 6:32 a.m. According to the Houthis, the missile reached hypersonic speeds and reached Israel in 11 minutes. Some have questioned more warning time was not given.
The military attempted to shoot down the missile using both the long-range Arrow defense system and the Iron Dome, which is usually used for shorter-range attacks, the IDF says.
Shrapnel from the missile and the interceptors impacted open areas in the Ben Shemen forest, close to Kfar Daniel, as well as at a train station near Modiin. No serious injuries were reported.
In a short televised speech, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the ballistic missile attack.
Saree said a hypersonic missile was launched at an unspecified military target in the Tel Aviv area, boasting that the projectile eluded the gauntlet of American and Israeli aerial defense systems, and caused “fear and panic” in Israel.
“It forced more than two million Zionists to run to shelters for the first time in the enemy’s history,” he said.
He warned that Israelis could expect more attacks and “quality operations” in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre, including a response to Israel’s June bombing of the Hodeida port in Yemen, a lifeline for the terror group, and in order to perform the Houthis’ “religious and moral duty” to support Palestinians, he said.
[IsraelTimes] Hisham Abu Raya was the first from his community to climb the IDF ranks. Today, he runs a program promoting military service among young Muslims as a key to advancing in society
Lt. Col. (res.) Hisham Abu Raya is a trailblazer. In 2008, at age 24, he became the first non-Bedouin Moslem officer in the Israeli army. Today, at age 40, he aims to be a role model for youths in his community and prove that service of the country is the key to success in Israeli society.
While military service in Israel is compulsory for Jewish young men and women, and for young men from the Druze and Circassian minorities, it is optional for all other communities. Hundreds of Bedouin enlist voluntarily each year, but other Arab Israelis — Moslem and Christian — have historically shunned the army, primarily out of solidarity with Paleostinians in the West Bank and 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 Hamas with 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...
Moslem recruits in the IDF on the fingers of one hand," Abu Raya said in a recent phone interview with The Times of Israel from his hometown of Sakhnin, in northern Israel. But today, he claims his personal story, while still exceptional, is no longer unique.
Abu Raya was discharged from the army with the rank of major in 2018, and was promoted to reserve lieutenant colonel in 2022. Today, he works as a liaison between the Home Front Command and the northern Bedouin municipality of Tuba al-Zangariya.
Immediately after his discharge in 2018, he founded "Ma’an" (meaning "together" in Arabic), a project to strengthen ties between the State of Israel and young Arab citizens and reinforce their sense of belonging.
Within that framework, he launched a project that now runs in 20 schools in Moslem areas on behalf of the Defense Ministry to improve the students’ knowledge of Israeli history and civics and promote recruitment into the IDF.
"Some young Arabs I meet don’t even know who [assassinated prime minister] Yitzhak Rabin was," he said. "Even if I don’t manage to convince them to enlist, at least at the end of the program they know more about Israeli society."
The program also runs in Arab Christian schools, where organizers encounter "more openness," Abu Raya said. And while not all schools in Moslem areas decide to participate in the course, things are beginning to change in his community too, he claims. Some pupils he meets show up to the course after having watched countless hours of combat videos on the IDF website and YouTube, and know exactly where they want to serve, he said.
According to the reserve officer, many aim to join combat units, including the legendary Golani Brigade. Many are also interested in joining the Border Police or the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion, once a Bedouin-only unit that today accommodates other minorities.
In June 2022, Abu Raya was involved in the organization of the first Gadna, a one-week preparatory program for incoming recruits, for Moslem youth.
Abu Raya estimated today that there are "a few hundred" soldiers from the community enlisted in the IDF, adding that the ranks are growing. The IDF could not provide The Times of Israel with exact figures.
"If you want to advance in Israeli society and feel equal, army service is your entry ticket. That’s how it was for me. The army embraced me," Abu Raya said. "All the Arabs I know who went to the army — today own a house and have a steady job. They have gone ahead in life."
Financial stability, however, is not the only reason Arab young men should serve their country, in Abu Raya’s opinion.
"We have a huge problem with gang crime in Arab society. Conscription in the IDF, or service in any other way, whether in the police, Magen David Adom, or national service, can help our young people become good citizens."
Crime in the Arab community has skyrocketed in recent years, with more Arabs killed in homicides in 2023 than in any previous year, amid an unprecedented proliferation of illegal firearms.
Abu Raya claims that interest in enlistment among his target community has been on the rise for years, but has spiked after the October 7 massacre by Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... , in which invading snuffies killed 1,200 people amid acts of brutality and took 251 hostages to Gaza.
"On October 7, the penny dropped among Arab Israelis. They saw that Hamas opened fire on everyone, and did not distinguish between Jewish and Moslem citizens," Abu Raya said. "And there are still Moslem hostages in the hands of Hamas. It was the same during the 2006 Second Leb ...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah 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 dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original 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... War — nearly half of the civilian victims in Israel were Arabs. Rockets don’t distinguish between Moshe and Ali."
In the 2006 war, 18 out of the 43 civilians killed by Hezbollah rockets were Arabs.
Abu Raya related anecdotal evidence that led him to the conclusion that October 7 generated a seismic change.
"A father from Kafr Qara called me after October 7 saying he was appalled by what he saw happening near Gaza, and said he wanted his three sons to be conscripted. He vowed he would soon take them to an induction center in a Bedouin area."
Speaking about their intentions openly in their communities, however, remains taboo. Opposition to the IDF remains entrenched in Arab society, especially among Moslems, and those who show up in their towns in a uniform are often marked as traitors, Abu Raya said. But he is adamant that below the surface, change is palpable.
The reserve officer himself had to suffer the painful consequences of his career choice on his personal life.
Aby Raya’s decision to enlist came at age 23, while he was pursuing a bachelors degree in Hebrew at Ben-Gurion University in the southern city of Beersheba. On the occasion of Israel’s Independence Day in 2006, the IDF organized an enlistment fair in the nearby Bedouin town of Rahat.
Abu Raya attended the event with some Jewish friends from university, who had finished their compulsory military service and were familiar with the contents of the exhibit. He felt left out for having missed on what he saw as a formative experience and decided to bridge the gap with his peers.
The decision, however, was a fraught one. In the weeks leading up to his enlistment, Abu Raya said his stomach was churning with anxiety, as he expected a strong backlash from his religious, conservative family and his community back home in Sakhnin, an area that he describes as fiercely supportive of Paleostinian nationalism.
On the day of his conscription, he was a bundle of nerves as he walked into the induction center. He went in and out six or seven times in hesitation, catching the eye of a security officer, who called the police on him.
Eventually, after he explained his circumstances, army officers decided that his profile made him suitable to join the Education and Youth Corps. After his basic training, he was put in charge of a group of Bedouin recruits.
His commander took note of his skills, and a few months later encouraged him to take an officer’s course. He became the first-ever Moslem non-Bedouin in the IDF to take the step.
During the course, he was put in charge of Bental, a military company made up exclusively of religious Jews. On his first day, his self-introduction as "Hisham from Sakhnin" caused a commotion among his recruits, followed by a myriad of questions. But over time, a bond was created among comrades.
"I soon find myself inside a new family that I never imagined I would have," he recalled.
Meanwhile,
...back at the game, the Babe headed for second base. He almost made it. Then Sheila slapped him.... Abu Raya’s real family in the north was still in the dark about the new phase in his life, and believed he was still a student at Ben-Gurion University. He would return at home on weekends in civilian clothes, leaving his uniform with a Jewish comrade who would take it to his mother for washing and ironing.
At the end of the officers’ course, a ceremony was held to honor the new officers, and Abu Raya proudly took on his new rank. During the event, he was approached by someone holding a camera asking for a short interview. He agreed, believing he was shooting a commemorative video for his unit.
Little did he know that the cameraman was filming a live report for Channel 10, and as coincidence would have it, his family was sitting at home watching the news and saw him on screen, in an army uniform.
The following weekend, Abu Raya returned home as usual, holding his university textbooks under his arm. But his family did not greet him with its usual warm welcome. His father received him with a grave face "that I will never forget," called him a traitor, and chastised him for bringing dishonor upon the family.
His parents and siblings severed all contact with him for nearly three years. It was a time filled with sorrow, but not regret.
"It’s hard to lose your family, to not be able to say good morning to your mother every day, hug your father, sit with your brothers," Abu Raya recalled.
"I knew how my father felt, but on the other hand, I kept asking myself, what did I do wrong? I had nothing to be ashamed of. I did not steal, rob or rape. I did not fail at anything. I became an officer, which should be a source of honor for the family," he continued.
Thanks to the intercession of a sister who also lived in Beersheba, Abu Raya eventually managed to mend ties with his parents and persuade them that he was pursuing a career like any other. When he was promoted to major, his father even came to the ceremony.
"I finally felt that I made him proud," Abu Raya said. Sadly, his father died a week after the promotion, and his mother shortly after.
Conflicts with his community, meanwhile, were far from over. In 2010, Abu Raya was again interviewed for a TV report and went on air to encourage young Arab Israelis to join the Israeli security forces and contribute to their country. The report was picked up by an Arabic-language news outlet, and within hours, Abu Raya received dozens of threats.
"I was repeatedly insulted on the street and more. Unfortunately, some of the threats materialized. I got stones thrown at my property, and for a while could only move around with a police escort. It’s not a nice feeling," he said.
"Someone once threw a glass bottle inside my car and hit my oldest son on the head, because I had an Israeli flag on my rearview mirror," Abu Raya recounted. "But the perpetrators were arrested and sentenced, and justice was done."
The verbal and physical violence did not deter him. He still lives in Sakhnin. He worked in the Education Corps and later in the Home Front Command.
"I had a choice to move to Karmiel" — a nearby Jewish town — "or stay in my village, go against the stream, fight and serve as an example for all the young people here," he said. "And I chose the latter. I know the IDF is on my side. It has never abandoned me."
[KhaamaPress] Quetta police in Pakistain have reported that two people were killed in a bomb explosion targeting a police vehicle in the center of 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 Quetta police announced on Saturday, September 14, that two coppersbit the dust in the earth-shattering kaboom that hit a police vehicle.
So far, no group has grabbed credit for the attack in Quetta.
According to reports, Pakistain’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the terrorist bombing in Quetta in an official statement.
This incident occurred just a day after a roadside kaboom explosion in the "Qalat" region of Balochistan injured eight Pak soldiers.
The security situation in Pakistain has tanked in recent months as turban groups have escalated their attacks, particularly targeting security forces in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Militant groups such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain (TTP) and Baloch bully boyz have intensified their operations, leading to increased instability in the region.
The rise in turban activity poses a serious threat to Pakistain’s internal security, with frequent attacks disrupting daily life and endangering both civilians and law enforcement agencies.
[KhaamaPress] The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation stated that more than 350 Afghan families have been deported from 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... and Pakistain.
In a statement released on Saturday, September 14, the ministry said that over 350 families were deported from both countries in a single day and have now returned to Afghanistan.
The deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistain has intensified recently, with Iranian authorities escalating the deportation of undocumented Afghan nationals by arresting and expelling them.
Recently, images have surfaced showing that selling bread to Afghan nationals has been banned in Kerman Province, Iran.
Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Livia had made her point with her knee to Jane's stomach... some families who have returned from Pakistain say that the country’s police confiscate all their belongings, leaving them to return to Afghanistan empty-handed.
At the same time, data from the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that since August 2021, when the Taliban ...Arabic for students... regained control of Afghanistan, more than 600,000 Afghan citizens have fled to Pakistain.
In addition, Iranian officials, including Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the special representative for Afghanistan affairs, presented a new plan to address Afghan refugees in a meeting on September 4.
Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Livia had made her point with her knee to Jane's stomach... Mojtaba Abdullahi, the governor of Alborz City in Iran, recently stated that in the past year, more than 50,000 Afghan refugees have been deported from this city alone.
The increasing deportations and restrictions against Afghan refugees highlight the growing tensions and challenges they face in neighboring countries. With mounting pressure, regional and international organizations must address the humanitarian needs of Afghan refugees and ensure their protection.
On September 11, 269 families were repatriated to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan, as reported by the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency. The families crossed into Afghanistan through various border points.
The families entered Afghanistan via the Nangarhar, Kandahar, Nimroz, and Herat provinces. Specifically, 18 families returned through the Torkham crossing, 39 through the Spin Boldak border, 89 through Pul-e-Abrisham, and 123 through Islam Qala.
Since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, over 600,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan, according to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Iranian officials have introduced new measures to manage Afghan refugees. Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, and Mojtaba Abdollahi, the governor of Alborz province, have reported significant deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran.
In the past year, over 50,000 Afghan migrants were expelled through Alborz province, with 27,915 deported in the last five months alone. Iran plans to complete the deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants by March 20, 2025.
[KhaamaPress] The government, supported by the anti-immigration SwedenDemocrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... , announced at a presser that, starting in 2026, migrants colonists who voluntarily return to their home countries can receive up to 350,000 Swedish kronor (US$34,000).
Officials stated that this new plan will be implemented starting in 2026.
According to an AFP report on Thursday, September 12, Sweden’s Minister of Migration, Johan Forssell, said, "Migrants who voluntarily return to their home countries from 2026 onwards will be eligible to receive 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000)."
Forssell emphasized that Sweden is undergoing "a fundamental shift in its migration policy."
Swedish authorities believe that increasing the financial incentives will encourage more migrants colonists to return voluntarily.
Adult migrants colonists who voluntarily return to their home countries receive 10,000 kronor (less than $1,000), and children receive 5,000 kronor (less than $500).
Under the current plan, each family can receive up to 40,000 kronor (about $4,000) for voluntarily returning.
For years, this Scandinavian country in northern Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... has been a primary destination for migrants colonists from war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and various African nations.
In addition to Sweden, many European countries, particularly Germany, have adopted stricter policies on refugees, focusing on enhanced control and the deportation of those involved in criminal or bully boy activities.
Germany, in particular, has ramped up efforts to deport refugees with criminal records or bully boy affiliations, signaling a broader European trend toward tightening refugee regulations while ensuring security.
[KhaamaPress] According to new intelligence reports, the late Osama bin Laden ...... who is no longer with us, and won't be again...... ’s son, who was reported to have been killed in 2019, is alive and is allegedly taking control of al-Qaeda while planning attacks against Western targets.
The Daily Mail, citing defense experts, reported that Hamza bin Laden is alive and secretly leading the terrorist organization. According to the reports, his brother Abdullah is also connected to the group. al-Qaeda is reportedly regrouping and preparing for future attacks on the West.
In September 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... confirmed that Hamza bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in an area between Afghanistan and Pakistain.
However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... on Thursday, the Mirror reported, based on intelligence analysis, that Hamza bin Laden survived the U.S. attempts to kill him.
Colonel Richard Kemp, the former head of British forces, has warned that Hamza is using Afghanistan’s territory, where "he seems to have a wide and open field for activity" and "intends to avenge his father’s death and achieve victory."
It is noteworthy that Osama bin Laden, the criminal mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, was later killed in a 2011 operation in Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... , Pakistain.
The report suggests that Hamza, along with his brother Abdullah bin Laden, is secretly leading and reviving al-Qaeda.
Under Hamza bin Laden’s leadership, al-Qaeda has reportedly established around 10 training camps in Afghanistan and has built ties with other anti-Western terrorist groups.
This bit matches other reports we’ve seen.
The report states that Hamza bin Laden, 34, spends most of his time at a terrorist base in Jalalabad, Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. Province. The report claims that the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... leaders are reportedly aware of Hamza bin Laden’s efforts to revive al-Qaeda and regularly meet with him.
Yet, the Taliban has not issued any comment regarding the report.
Despite the assumption that Saif al-Adel ...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border... now leads al-Qaeda after Ayman al-Zawahiri ...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...> ’s death, the Mirror reports that Hamza bin Laden is becoming a prominent figure in the group’s resurgence, aiming to carry on his father’s legacy and planning attacks on Western targets.
The resurgence of al-Qaeda under Hamza bin Laden’s leadership raises concerns about the group’s renewed strength and capacity to orchestrate global terror attacks. The possibility of coordinated efforts with other terrorist organizations, like ISIS, amplifies the threat.
Reports claim that the situation is eerily similar to the conditions that preceded the 9/11 attacks, highlighting the growing threat to global security.
[8am] 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.... (ISIS) has grabbed credit for the attack on Daykundi residents.
On Thursday night, September 12, 2024, ISIS issued a statement on its Amaq news site, claiming that its forces killed 15 Shia individuals and maimed six others.
ISIS has a thing about the Shiites in its neighbourhood, especially Afghanistan’s Hazeras.
ISIS reported that the attack occurred in the Qariodal mountain pass, on the border between Daykundi and Ghor provinces.
Earlier, sources informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that gunnies attacked a vehicle carrying Daykundi residents, resulting in 14 deaths and six injuries.
The Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... in Ghor have not yet commented on the incident.
Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... and Shia communities frequently face attacks in various provinces, with ISIS claiming responsibility for most attacks against Hazaras.
Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels... the Taliban assert that they provide nationwide security and deny the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan.
According to local officials, the victims of this incident were residents of the Sang-Takht and Bandar districts of Daikundi who had gone to welcome pilgrims returning from Karbala.
[Garowe] At least five people were killed and eight others maimed in a series of roadside explosions in Mogadishu's Kahda district on Saturday, according to local officials. The blasts targeted a popular spot where young people often gather for recreational photography, escalating concerns over security in the Somali capital.
Abdullahi Sheikh Abdirahman, the district commissioner of Kahda, confirmed the incident, describing the scene as chaotic with immediate emergency response efforts hampered by secondary explosions. "The first explosion caused a rush of people to assist the injured, and that's when the second blast occurred, causing most of the casualties," Abdirahman told news hounds.
Witnesses at the scene recounted the horror of the incident. "I saw several people lying on the street minutes after the first explosion, and when rescuers came to assist, another blast happened,".
The attack bears the hallmark of al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... which has grabbed credit for numerous attacks in Somalia, aiming to destabilize the federal government. Although no group has officially grabbed credit for this latest incident, local officials and security analysts point towards al-Shabaab, given the group's history of targeting civilian gatherings.
Egypt is making interesting choices about the funds and matériel they’re getting from the Biden administration.
[Garowe] The Federal Government of Somalia expects to receive more military hardware from Egypt, the state minister for Foreign Affairs said, while acknowledging the supplies Cairo has made to Mogadishu in the middle of devastating tensions.
Egypt already dispatched sophisticated weapons and ammunition to Somalia following a defense pact signed by the two countries. Ali Omar, the minister of state for Foreign Affairs said the cooperation shall give a 'cutting edge' to local forces who are fighting violent mostly peaceful extremism.
Further, he confirmed that the Egyptian military will be deployed in Somalia to train Somali forces. In a long-term strategy, Somalia has been relying on friendly nations to train its forces ahead of overall security responsibilities taken over from peacekeeping forces.
In a televised interview, Ali Omar confirmed that Somalia has received military supplies of ammunition and weapons from Egypt and says the government "looks forward to receiving more military supplies" from the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Until now, he said, there are no Egyptian military forces on Somali territory. "But we hope shortly that there will be forces to help us train our forces and rebuild our army, and this is what we requested from Egypt."
For Somalia to be able to defend its illusory sovereignty, it has the right to take all measures and procedures and call on the necessary forces to defend its security, and the country is very happy and grateful for the offer from Egypt, he added.
"Somalia signs agreements where it finds them legal, and this is a completely Somali sovereign decision, and no one has the right to interfere in our relationship with Egypt," he said. Somalia has also asked Turkiye to help rebuild its naval forces.
On Friday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia will "defend itself" if Æthiopia goes ahead with the sea access deal, set up a naval base in Somaliland ...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells.... , and recognizes the breakaway region as an independent state.
Æthiopia has been at loggerheads with Somalia over access to the Red Sea leading to the current standoff. Somalia dismissed the agreement between Æthiopia and Somaliland as 'null and void' while calling for external intervention.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, while supporting Somalia’s territorial integrity and illusory sovereignty, said: "We will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or infringe upon its territory."
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Friday however, declared that his government will not permit Somalia to become a battleground for conflicts between other nations, specifically highlighting the tensions between Egypt and Æthiopia over the Nile dam.
He emphasized that Somalia will actively ensure such disputes remain external, preventing any foreign governments from engaging in hostilities within Somalia's borders, which are slowly dominating the Horn of Africa.
[IsraelTimes] Tehran claims satellite built to ‘test hardware and software systems for orbital maneuver technology validation’
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... launched a satellite into space Saturday with a rocket built by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, state-run media reported, the latest for a program the West fears helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program.
Iran described the launch as a success, which would be the second such launch to put a satellite into orbit with the rocket. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the launch’s success.
Footage later released by Iranian media showed the rocket blast off from a mobile launcher. An News Agency that Dare Not be Named analysis of the video and other imagery later released suggested the launch happened at the Guard’s launch pad on the outskirts of the city of Shahroud, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of the capital, Tehran.
Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Livia had made her point with her knee to Jane's stomach... Iran continues to enrich uranium to nearly weapons-grade levels, raising concerns among nonproliferation experts about Tehran’s program.
Iran identified the satellite-carrying rocket as the Qaem-100, which the Guard used in January for another successful launch. Qaem means "upright" in Iran’s Farsi language.
The solid-fuel, three-stage rocket put the Chamran-1 satellite, weighing 60 kilograms (132 pounds), into a 550-kilometer (340-mile) orbit, state media reported. The rocket bore a Koranic verse: "That which is left by Allah is better for you, if you are believers."
A state-owned subsidiary of Iran’s Defense Ministry and experts at the Aerospace Research Institute built the satellite with others to "test hardware and software systems for orbital maneuver technology validation," state media said without elaborating.
Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard, praised the launch in a statement and said scientists successfully overcame "the atmosphere of extensive and oppressive international sanctions."
The US State Department and the American military did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the Iranian launch.
The United States had previously said Iran’s satellite launches defy a UN Security Council resolution and called on Tehran to undertake no activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. UN sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program expired last October.
Under Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani ...Iran's moderate president, which he was, relative to his predecessor, which doesn't mean he was anything but a puppet of the nearest holy man...> , the Islamic Theocratic Republic slowed its space program for fear of raising tensions with the West. His successor, hard-line late president Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> who came to power in 2021, pushed the program forward. Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May.
It’s unclear what Iran’s new president, the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, wants for the program, as he was silent on the issue while campaigning.
The US intelligence community’s worldwide threat assessment this year said Iran’s development of satellite launch vehicles "would shorten the timeline" for Iran to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile because it uses similar technology.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles can be used to deliver nuclear weapons. Iran is now producing uranium close to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran has enough enriched uranium for "several" nuclear weapons if it chooses to produce them, the head of the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency repeatedly has warned.
Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and says its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes. However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... US intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003.
The launch also came ahead of the second anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests against Iran’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab, law and the country’s Shiite theocracy.
[IsraelTimes] Airstrikes target Hamas operatives in Gaza City school-turned-shelter and other buildings used for weapons manufacturing; IDF says it killed 100 gunmen in Rafah in recent days
The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday called on Paleostinians in parts of the northern 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 Hamas with 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... city of Beit Lahiya to evacuate, following rocket fire from the area aimed at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.
Two rockets were launched at Ashkelon earlier in the day, with one being intercepted and the other impacting the sea.
The IDF in recent months has repeatedly issued evacuation orders for areas from which faceless myrmidons launched rockets at Israel.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language front man, published a map on of the zones to be evacuated, saying "the specified area has been warned many times in the past."
The area is "considered a dangerous combat zone" following repeated rocket attacks on Israel, Adraee said.
Also on Saturday, an Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Gaza City targeted a group of Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... operatives using a school-turned-shelter as a command center, the IDF said.
In a statement, the IDF said that the terror group was using the Shuhada al-Zeitoun School, which has been serving as a shelter for displaced Gazooks, to plan and carry out attacks against Israel and Israeli forces.
The IDF added that it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike and noted that Hamas "systematically" uses civilian sites for terror.
First responders in Gaza reported five dead, including two children and a woman, and several others maimed.
The bodies "were pulled from under the rubble after Israeli warplanes hit the Shuhada al-Zeitoun school with two missiles," said Mahmud Bassal, front man for the Hamas-run civil defense agency.
Israel says Hamas regularly uses schools and other civilian sites for its operations.
In a separate airstrike Saturday, the IDF struck two buildings used by Hamas in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, also close to a school-turned-shelter, the military said.
The military said the buildings were used by Hamas operatives for various attacks and to manufacture weapons. The IDF denied some Paleostinian reports that the strike targeted a fuel facility in the area, near the Dar al-Arqam School.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense reported five dead in the strike.
Meanwhile,
...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... the IDF said Saturday that troops had killed more than 100 button men during operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood.
Soldiers also located rocket launchers, weapons caches, and other infrastructure belonging to Hamas, the military added.
[IsraelTimes] Greek-flagged Sounion was abandoned in August with 150,000 tons of crude oil, sparking warnings of potential environmental disaster
An operation to tow an abandoned tanker struck 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... ’s 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... rebels in August, threatening environmental disaster, began Saturday and is ongoing, a Greek defense ministry source told AFP. The Greek-flagged Sounion is being towed northwards under military escort, the source said.
The tanker was hit last month by Iran-backed Houthis off the coast of Hodeida while carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil.
"(The tugboat) Aigaion Pelagos has begun to gradually tow the tanker northwards, escorted by military vessels," the defense source told AFP, adding that the ships’ radars had been turned off for security reasons.
The official added that a rescue team had boarded the tanker and attached tow cables, overcoming "adverse conditions."
Once the tanker is safely out of the area, the source said that an update would be given on the operation.
Greek state news agency ANA said the tugboat was escorted by three frigates, helicopters and a special forces team, without disclosing the states of origin.
A Greek fireship also stood ready to lend assistance if required, ANA said.
The tanker had been anchored west of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, midway between Yemen and Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... ’s Red Sea naval mission, Aspides, said earlier Saturday that the salvage operation of the Sounion "is essential in order to avert a potential environmental disaster in the region."
"To achieve this, several public and private actors are working together," it added.
OIL SPILL FEARS
The Sounion was hit by missiles off the coast of Hodeida on August 21. After the initial strike, the Houthis returned and detonated charges on the ship’s deck, setting off new fires.
Damage to the vessel had threatened a Red Sea oil spill four times the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska.
The Sounion’s crew — made up of 23 Filipinos and two Russians — was rescued the day after the attack by a French frigate serving with the EU mission.
A salvage operation had been attempted earlier this month, but Aspides at the time had said that "the private companies responsible for the salvage operation have concluded that the conditions were not met to conduct the towing operation and that it was not safe to proceed."
The vessel was still on fire on September 12 but there were no signs of an oil spill from the main cargo hold, Aspides said Friday.
Brown University trustee resigns in protest of upcoming vote on Israel divestment
[IsraelTimes] Politically conservative, multi-billionaire hedge fund manager Joseph Edelman decries school’s ‘stunning failure of moral leadership’ in agreeing to student protesters’ demand in letter also published in the Wall Street Journal; university criticizes his ‘misunderstanding’ of decision.
Carlson is not a student, staffer or faculty member at Columbia, Bragg’s office said. The son of the late advertising executive Dick Tarlow, he owns a multi-million dollar townhouse in Park Slope, Brooklyn and has a history of arrests dating to 2005, according to the New York Post,. He is one of more than a quarter of the people arrested at the Hamilton Hall protest who were not affiliated with Columbia, according to the NYPD.
”You embarrassed our beloved school. Now you will pay! BWAHAHAHAH”
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Students who took part in the pro-Palestinian protests last spring are now being punished by universities with protracted suspensions and mandatory contrition essays. As the fall term gets underway, college authorities figuring out the right disciplinary actions to take against the groups who gathered on campus and erected encampments as they demanded their schools sever financial ties with Israel.
“The practice of issuing statements supports some members of our community while disregarding others, intentionally or otherwise,” Maud Mandel, the president of Williams College and a Jewish Studies scholar, wrote in a letter to campus last week explaining her own decision to remain neutral after Oct. 7 — a decision she has now codified into college policy. “It makes some issues visible while leaving many more unseen.”
She wasn’t the only one to opt out. This week the University of Pennsylvania, Barnard College and the University of Alabama’s campuses were some of the latest schools to announce they would institute a broad policy of “institutional neutrality” on world events that do not directly affect the populations of their universities. Yale University, too, announced it would be exploring whether to adopt a similar policy.
These schools join around two dozen others that already have codified some policy of political neutrality, according to the campus free-speech organization FIRE, which supports adopting such policies. Most of them have only been implemented within the past few months. And Jewish leaders, many of whom pushed for strongly-worded university statements in the wake of Oct. 7, are divided on the issue.
In a statement to JTA, Hillel International CEO Adam Lehman called institutional neutrality “a good step forward in returning campuses to their core missions of education, learning and research.”
But, he said, the policy “is not a panacea that solves the problems of harassment, intimidation and discrimination directed at Jewish students.”
The list of schools that adopted a neutrality policy this year includes elite universities such as Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and the University of Southern California, all schools that faced significant unrest over campus responses to Oct. 7. It also includes some large public universities and systems, including Syracuse, and the University of Texas. The University of North Carolina adopted such a policy in July 2023.
Neutrality is also the word of the moment for closely-watched university investments in Israel. The University of Minnesota recently said its investing strategy would “adopt a position of neutrality” and that “investment decisions continue to be based on financial criteria already defined in policy.”
But other Jewish activists in the campus space are against institutional neutrality. Speaking to Jewish Insider, Mark Yudof, chair of the pro-Israel Academic Engagement Network and former president of the University of California system, said the idea had “iffyness” when it came to Israel because what happens there does directly affect Jewish members of campus.
“If you’ve had assaults of women, racist misbehavior, if Jewish students can’t cross campus safely, I expect presidents to speak out about that and I don’t want institutional neutrality to say they can’t look out for the best interests of students, faculty and staff,” Yudof said. At least one Jewish college president, Oakland University head Ora Pescovitz, said she opposed neutrality.
Even schools that had already embraced institutional neutrality before Oct. 7 found themselves wading into the dialogue on Israel. Notably, Michael Schill, the Jewish president of Northwestern University, condemned Hamas after Oct. 7, even as he used the same statement to endorse a policy of institutional neutrality. Months later, Schill was pilloried by Jewish groups including the ADL, who called for his resignation for brokering a deal with his school’s pro-Palestinian encampment; Northwestern this week announced an investigation of a faculty member who took part in the encampment, and said it is canceling his classes for the semester.
[IsraelTimes] Terror group claims attacks in response to previous IDF strikes in southern Lebanon; Hezbollah weapon depots in northeastern Lebanon destroyed in strikes Saturday evening.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s deep in Leb on Saturday, after the Hezbollah terror group bombarded northern Israel with over 60 rockets, including a barrage launched in the early morning hours.
On Saturday evening, the IDF said it carried out airstrikes deep in Lebanon, targeting what it said were Hezbollah weapons depots in the Beqaa Valley and Baalbek region. Some of the strikes were reported by Lebanese media near the Syrian village of Hawsh al-Sayyed ...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged... Ali, adjacent to Lebanon’s Hermel District, some 140 kilometers (85 miles) from Israel. Additional strikes targeted weapons depots and buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the IDF added. The military released footage of the strikes.
The rocket attacks marked the second day in a row that Hezbollah has targeted the Safed area,
…more accurately, the ancient Jewish city of Safed, which dates back to the Biblical Era …
though the terror group has claimed to have targeted nearby Israeli military bases. Safed lies some 13 kilometers (eight miles) from the border with Leb, and unlike many communities nearer the frontier, the city of some 38,000 remains largely inhabited, with attacks that deep into Israel relatively uncommon.
In the first attack at around 1 a.m., the Israel Defense Forces said a salvo of five rockets was fired from Lebanon toward the Safed area. Sirens had sounded in the northern city and several other towns. The IDF said air defenses intercepted some of the five rockets and others hit open areas.
Later in the morning, two barrages were launched at the Safed area, the first with 20 rockets and the second with some 35, the IDF said. The military said that air defenses intercepted several of the rockets and others hit open areas. Some of the impacts in open areas sparked fires. There were no injuries in the attacks.
In statements claiming the attacks, Hezbollah said that it had launched barrages as Dire Revenge for Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday, which the IDF said targeted sites used by the terror group and its operatives. The Iran-backed group claimed to have targeted military bases near the northern communities of Amiad and Elifelet, south of Safed.
Also early Saturday, the IDF said a drone launched from Lebanon was intercepted by air defenses after sirens sounded in the Western Galilee town of Gornot HaGalil. Later Saturday, two drones launched from Lebanon impacted an area north of Kiryat Shmona, the IDF said. There were no reports of injuries in the attacks, also claimed by Hezbollah.
A short while after the morning barrages, one of the rocket launchers used in the attack was destroyed in a dronezap, the military said. Another Arclight airstrike targeted a launcher used in an overnight barrage. A separate strike hit a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Kfar Roummane, the IDF added.
Later in the day, Israeli fighter jets struck a building in southern Lebanon’s Blida where the IDF said it identified a group of Hezbollah operatives. Another building used by Hezbollah in Blida was also hit, the military added.
Lebanese media reported casualties in an alleged Israeli dronezap on a cycle of violence in the coastal village of Sarafand, south of Sidon. There was no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
#2
imo its time for israel to sh** or get off the pot. Gaza and West-Bank need to be eliminated first and then eliminate hezbollah. How can lebanon be invaded with those two open sores? As gen swartzkopf said when asked about forgiveness. "That's gods job mine is to arrange the meeting."
#4
FBI and Secret Service both calling it an assassination attempt. White male in his sixties arrested in car with AK-47 after he fled Secret Service return fire and drove away.
#6
Fog of war, Glavinter Peacock7962. Not reported is not the same as didn’t happen, so we’ll see.
But I hope one of President Trump’s first steps in the Oval Office is to order the old standards of ability and training are reestablished, and all who don’t make the cut let go immediately, without fear or favour.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] Three citizens of the United States of America and one from Great Britain were among 37 people who were sentenced to death for an attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Guardian reports .
Recall, this was a project of Congolese emigré Christian Malanga, on which he took his son and one of his son’s school friends.
It is noted that among the accused there are also citizens of Belgium and Canada. They are accused of terrorism, murder and organizing a criminal community.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 19, the representative of the Armed Forces of the DR Congo, Sylvain Ekenge, reported that the Armed Forces of the DR Congo had prevented an attempt to carry out a coup d'état in the capital of the country, Kinshasa. According to him, the military detained all the participants in the plot. Later, the media reported that the uniforms of the detained and liquidated rebels had the flag of Zaire (the former name of the country). At the same time, the men spoke English, French and Lingala and claimed that they were "representatives of the diaspora." Third try. Fred and badanov — there a bug somewhere that keeps erasing the content of this article.
To summarize, dear Reader:
This article reported more information about this story from yesterday. badanov usually keeps copies of the translations he does for us, so hopefully at some point he will copy/paste that in this space.
[NYPOST] Fed-up Denver suburbs are looking to sue their big sanctuary city neighbor and the state government after suffering strained budgets and crime after 42,000 migrants colonists flocked to Colorado — bringing the violent mostly peaceful gang Tren de Aragua with them.
Most recently, the council for the city of Castle Rock — just south of Denver — unanimously voted to research legal options against its largest neighbor, CBS News Colorado reported.
The vote came amid a wave of other suburbs that have voted to sue, or to look into suing over the migrant crisis in Colorado.
The goal: reverse policies and laws that made Denver a haven for the tens of thousands of illegal migrant — most of them from Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... .
Law enforcement officials in the suburb of Aurora and others areas outside of Denver are also warning that Tren de Aragua, the brutal Venezuelan prison gang, followed the migrants colonists into Colorado.
The gang members have since spread out across the state — taking over apartment complexes, dealing drugs and robbing jewelry stores.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2024
13:50 ||
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[11160 views]
Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
#1
Yeah, the Castle Rock PD have had lot of issues with the stupid Venezuelan gangs doing swarm steal raids on our stores here. Fortunately they have plate reading cameras at every entrance to the town and when a stolen (they always come in stolen cars) vehicle comes off the interstate into town they know instantly. The criminals warn others not to come here as we have "Sky Net".
[YouTube] Hacking is more than just a term for rogue programmers breaking into computer systems. Bruce Schneier, adjunct lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School, thinks hacking goes well beyond the digital realm. Tax accountants hack the tax code by finding loopholes for their clients. Silicon Valley hacks the taxi system with rideshare companies. And now, the biggest tech companies are using artificial intelligence to hack their way further into our lives. His latest book, "A Hacker's Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society's Rules, and How to Bend Them Back," explores the ways that society is manipulated by those seeking and exploiting loopholes.
On this episode of Behind the Book, Bruce Schneier discusses how hacking has become so prevalent in so many areas of society, and how we can rebuild our political, economic and legal systems to resist it.
#3
Tax accountants hack the tax code by finding loopholes for their clients
Those 'loopholes' are put there intentionally by the same politicians that demagogue on class warfare for votes from the proles in order to extort money from the patricians to protect what's theirs in the form of 'campaign funds'.
#7
Never heard of a well costing that much to plug. Landowners share responsibility for knowing where these old well casing are located. Walk the woods or visit the county cleark's office. Permits are on file, many dating back over 100 years.
If you've got a bad well plug, you'd better look after it. Oil field water flooding can pressurize a formation and cause a huge mess. If it seeps oil or water, it's bad. If it smells of sulfur, it's bad and may need attention. Land owners can be held liable under certain circumstances.
If you're a smoker, leave your Lucky Strikes back at the truck.
ULULULULULULULU!!! We’ve been watching the smug little soft-jhadist brush off responsibility for years, protected by the Liberal Establishment. What a triumph of bourgeois Swiss obstinacy to hold all to the same standard, no matter how starry-eyed his admirers in academic circles.
[PJMedia] Tariq Ramadan, a Muslim intellectual
…I would have gone with Islamist scholar, as he most eruditely alternates between taqqiya and apologetics. His father was the son-in-law and personal secretary of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, then was promoted to public ideologue and the MB Big Turban in Western Europe, setting up Islamic Centers across the region for the organization. The Islamic Center of Munich mosque ended up as Papa Ramadan’s headquarters, and little Tariq marinated in it until he was sent to do dawa in his own way, which clearly included the fun jihad of seduction and rape…
who has been one of the foremost exponents, at least to non-Muslims in Europe and North America, of Islamic reform, has been convicted of rape.
It is impossible to overstate how shocking this is for those who have praised Ramadan to the skies for so very long. For many years, Tariq Ramadan was the darling of the Western intelligentsia. In 2002, Salon hailed him as "the Muslim Martin Luther." In 2004, Time Magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world today. In 2012, Foreign Policy included him on its list of the top 100 global thinkers "for telling us that Islam and democracy can go together — just when it matters."
Now those accolades, and the many others that Ramadan received, stand as mute witness to the left’s tendency to shower with honors those who tell it what it wants to hear. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Tuesday that Ramadan has been "convicted on appeal of rape and sexual coercion by a Geneva court." This has been a long time coming, as Ramadan has faced numerous accusations in recent years of "masking violence and radicalism behind a mild facade."
For years, Ramadan dismissed such allegations as "racism" and "Islamophobia." In a Dec. 2019 video, he claimed that the accusations against him were all an attempt to discredit him and thereby "neutralize the Muslims." He added: "We have to be clear that there is discrimination, stigmatization, racism that is at stake in the whole issue. And I was a symbol. To destroy me meant, let the people understand: If you want to be vocal you have to face the reality. It happened to Tariq Ramadan now, it could happen to anyone in the future."
Even worse, RFI reported in 2020, after two more women accused him of rape, that "supporters of Ramadan, who is a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford’s St. Anthony’s College, have called the accusations against him part of a ’international Zionist plot’ to blacken his name." Of course!
#1
Santa Fe is the upper class deep blue city where Left Coasties have second homes (along with the associated high living costs they bring with them and housing displacements). Meanwhile, the people actually sitting on plutonium is Los Alamos where they store the stuff because of obstruction to properly dispose of it at Yucca Mountain NV. That's when the Forest Service isn't trying to set fire to the place.
[YouTube] Couldn't win in Iraq, couldn't win in Afghanistan, can't win in Russia, the war in Syria is a quagmire with no exit, now this war they can't win either. Nobody ever gets fired so nothing changes. Why should it? When you reward a behavior you get more of it. Punishment results in behavior changes. But nobody gets punished for failing to win. When was the last time the US military won a war? Grenada 1983?
#1
Cause all them college educated officers are managers of conflict, not the prosecution of war.
For a start destroy all shipping facilities. Then destroy all POL production and distribution systems. Follow on by destroying all bridges that can carry a load necessary for a truck.
#2
#1 yes. The current problem is costs. Huge money drain and too many conflicts thru out the world. Nothing resolved but conflicts only continue and money drain. Now we have Iran adding new technologies to Houthis as well. Seasoned with Russian and China in the background. I can see Russia aiding as a response from western attacks thru Ukraine. Then you have the provocative attacks on China from the west allowing for a greater bond between Russia and China. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".
#3
This idea of Russian partition or China partition is very old. " In 1902 Churchill called China a "barbaric nation" and advocated for the "partition of China". He wrote: I think we shall have to take the Chinese in hand and regulate them. The current western diplomacy or lack of.
#4
In 1902 Britain had already conquered China. The parts that mattered, anyway. The rich seaports. The interior isn't worth it. You cannot conquer China. The Japanese tried for years with a huge army and the utmost cruelty and failed utterly. It's just too big and too rough. Hell, the Chinese don't even want most of China. Just a huge money sink.
Russia and China are natural rivals, not allies.
How do you fuck things up so bad as to drive them together? CIA should be setting up a false flag to wet them at war with each other, as in the Sino-Soviet conflict of the 60s, which was close to setting off an intra-commie nuclear war.
Now BRICS is just getting stronger every day. It's still weak, but what of what use is an infant?
#6
Then you have the provocative attacks on China from the west allowing for a greater bond between Russia and China.
(a) China has been hungry for Russian Far East for a long time (cf. Domansky Island incident).
(b) We know China has extensive influence in USA ruling cliques (almost daily reports here in 'burg).
(c) USA & allies engineered Russia/Ukraine conflict and expanded it to a proxy war with Russia.
Connect the dots!
#7
yemen is a distraction. hamas is a distraction. hezbollah is a distraction. the giver of most middle east conflict is iran. we need to attack iran. occupy chahbahar and work with what happens.
iran declared war on the US in 1979.
BLUF:
[LI] So, my hot take—though it’s not so hot, as things have cooled off—is that Trump was Trump. He seems to have resonated with voters focusing on the economy and made gains there. He didn’t score the points he could have and should have scored.
Harris was smug—your typical smug liberal. I see it all over X and elsewhere: They’re thrilled with her facial expressions, thrilled with how she mocked him visually while he was talking, and that was deliberate. There’s no question that was deliberate—that was part of their plan.
I just don’t know how that’s going to play. I don’t think it’s going to play well. I don’t think anybody’s coming out of this feeling warm and fuzzy about Kamala Harris. If her goal was to raise her stature, I don’t think she accomplished that.
I don’t think she did damage to Trump. After everything that’s been said about Trump in the last 10 years, it’s hard to imagine anyone doing damage at this point. People who are going to vote for him will vote for him.
But I think she missed an opportunity as well. She needed to elevate herself, and a lot of the focus group comments I’ve seen said she didn’t convince them she would do anything different.
One thing I will give Trump 100% credit for was his closing two minutes, where he hit on the theme that if she’s going to do all these things, why hasn’t she done them in the last three and a half years?
Very frustrating night—practically throwing things at the computer. I won’t say the TV because I don’t have a TV anymore, but throwing things at the computer. A lot of frustration with the moderators—they manipulate our elections every time. Can we stop going back for more abuse? Can we make that pledge, at least?
That’s how I come away from it. My hot take is I’m not sure how this moved the election, but it was a missed opportunity to deal a deep blow to the Harris campaign.
Now we move on. There are almost two months left, and we’ll see if the trends, which were moving toward Trump, continue or reverse.
All around, if I had to put a single word to what happened last night, it would be: frustration.
#1
That was a debate where watchers were generally uninterested in Trump -- the known quantity. Rather, Kamala was being closely observed for the first time. And viewers did not like what they saw. Who actually won the debate was immaterial.
Posted by: S MAI ||
09/15/2024 7:40
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#2
or when asked what she would do to improve the economy she gave a long vignette about when she was growing up people were proud of their lawns
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/15/2024 10:00
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#3
Not to mention the most visible and amusing proof of how much she lied!
#4
In fairness to Kammie, and Joey B too, their speaking problems actually match how they think, which is not at all.
Then somebody else decides what to do.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
09/15/2024 15:05
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#5
Not to mention the most visible and amusing proof of how much she lied!
She didn't lie - she really believes this. That's that makes leftists so dangerous - they live in a fantasy world.
[Slaynews] All airports must be closed and the consumption of meat and dairy products among the general public must be completely banned in order to comply with the globalist "Net Zero" agenda, according to a disturbing government report.
The report was produced by Oxford University and Imperial College London for the UK government.
By then the UK will be experiencing both a violent civil war and open jihad, so they’ll have other concerns.
In the U.S., 14 cities have set a "target" to comply with the WEF green agenda goals by banning meat, dairy, and private car ownership by 2030.
2030? That’s two presidential terms from now. Still, that’s plenty of time for the residents of those cities to move somewhere less restrictive, taking their tax payments with them…
The American city members of C40 include:
Austin
Boston
Chicago
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New Orleans
New York City
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland
San Francisco
Washington, D.C.
Seattle
Shocking discovery, "Bird Flu" requires no birds or animals.
[LI] In our last few reports on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), otherwise known as ’bird flu,’ ten Colorado poultry workers had developed symptoms of bird flu (mainly pink eye), and California dairy cows were reported to be infected.
No cases of human infection with bird flu that couldn’t be traced to exposures to sick animals had ever been reported. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now says a patient in Missouri was hospitalized with bird flu despite having no known contact with animals. OR they were too embarrassed to actually report the "contact" they had?
The patient, who had underlying medical conditions, was successfully treated with antiviral medications at the hospital and has since been discharged, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
This marks the 14th person (in three states) to contract bird flu in the U.S. this year — and the first infection to occur without any reported exposure to sick or infected animals, the CDC alert stated.
The prior 13 cases came after exposure to dairy cows or poultry.
Dr. Benjamin Anderson, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida, said the fact that an individual has tested positive for H5 without any reported animal exposure is "very concerning," but noted that very little is known about the case.
"We don’t know if the individual had indirect exposure to people or products from agricultural settings," he told Fox News Digital.
#1
.....fact that an individual has tested positive for H5 without any reported animal exposure is "very concerning," but noted that very little is known about t
he case.
#2
Here's a thought game.
Viruses are not considered alive by most definitions.
That would mean it's simply out there once it has been distributed via various means of contraction.
It really doesn't go away.
Rather the population develop an immunity or resistance to it.
Now introduce a 'jab' that reduces immunity among that population, then the virus can once again make its appearance among the population.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/15/2024 11:50
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#5
#3 I certainly had something in early August that closely resembled the flu. Of course a lot of bodily discomforts have flu like symptoms. So, it might not have been, but it felt like it.
Some animals are known as "reservoirs". The virus can live in them but they don't get sick and can spread disease through contact or mosquitos. Pigs are notorious for this.
Is the Biden/Harris LSD Regime at it again?
The FBI and CISA are warning citizens of attempts to convince voters that US election infrastructure has been compromised.
(It hasn't been.)
The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning US citizens that the spread of disinformation is high, as false claims of cyberattacks compromising US voter registration databases begin to unfurl.
The agencies say that malicious actors are behind the discord, which is an attempt to manipulate public opinion as well as undermine trust in US democratic institutions. The tactics the malicious actors use involve obtaining voter registration information to support their false claims that election infrastructure has been compromised.
According to the agencies, access to this kind of information is not in itself an indicator of voter registration database compromise. In fact, voter registration information can be viewed through sources that are publicly available.
"The FBI and CISA have no information suggesting any cyberattack on US election infrastructure has prevented an election from occurring, changed voter registration information, prevented an eligible voter from casting a ballot, compromised the integrity of any ballots cast, or disrupted the ability to count votes or transmit unofficial election results in a timely manner," according to the announcement.
Posted by: NN2N1 ||
09/15/2024
04:08 ||
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[11147 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
[Red State] Lost in the tidal wave of stories about the Sept. 10th debate between Trump and Harris, and the commemoration of the anniversary of 9/11, was this maddening story on the continued weakness of this White House on the international stage. The Biden-Harris administration has quietly decided to give Egypt $320 million in military aid, despite that country not meeting most of the benchmarks on human rights we demanded they meet, among other issues.
This is the first time in almost four years that the U.S. has given Egypt the full amount of $1.3 billion, some of which is granted with "no conditions." Here's how the numbers break down, a State Department spokesman told the NY Times:
The first, totaling $980 million, is subject to no conditions and granted automatically.
An additional $225 million is subject to a variety of human rights conditions — the ones that Mr. Blinken would not certify had been met but that he had waived on national security grounds.
A third, $95 million pot of money can be released only if the secretary of state finds that Egypt has made progress in the specific areas of releasing political prisoners, providing detainees with due process and "preventing the harassment and abuse of American citizens." Mr. Blinken certified progress in these areas, the spokesman said.
#2
...The Egyptians just decided to replace their F-16s with Chinese built aircraft. This was an attempt - too little, too late, natch - at a bribe. They'll cheerfully take the money and spend it at the Shanghai Rocket And Ear Bud Factory #8.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A beloved high school janitor got the surprise of a lifetime after a group of students gifted him a Jeep Wrangler - his dream car.
Francis Apraku, a custodian at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia,
…a nice, upper middle class bedroom community for the DC crowd…
was left speechless after students banded together to give him a birthday gift on Monday.
The group of freshman fundraised for months on GoFundMe and ended up exceeding expectations after raising more than $20,000 for Apraku. They also got support from a local car dealer, Andy, who helped them pick out his dream vehicle.
Apraku, who dropped to the ground in complete shock, expressed how grateful he was to God and the students for the gift.
With tears in his eyes, the custodian told Fox5: 'I will give thanks to Almighty God for making today for me. I hope today is a great day for me.'
He turned around to face the boys and said: 'And also, I thank my junior brothers around me - through them this dream has come true.'
'May God richly bless them and make all their dreams come true in their life.
One of the students, Bennett, told the outlet that the group 'never thought it would come this far' and revealed that they collected $5,000 the first day.
Another student, Logan, said they received $19,000 in about three months and after six months they collected more than $20,000 for the custodian.
'Ever since we met Francis he has been super kind and friendly and sometimes even says prayers for us,' the boys said on the donation page.
Apraku said he will never forget the day the students made his dreams come true.
'I feel happy, happy, happy, and I don't know how to describe it,' he said.
After the amazing surprise Apraku and the students gathered at a local restaurant, Vienna Inn, and commemorated the joyous day together.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Turkish newspaper Aydinlik announced that it has evidence of Ukraine's connection with terrorists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation).
In particular, the publication’s article claims that after the publication of the article about the negotiations between Ukrainian emissaries and representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria, the News Center received several video recordings of this meeting.
According to the publication, these materials were made in Idlib in June during a meeting between Ukrainians and the leader of the terrorist organization, Heisem Omeri.
On September 10, Aydinlik reported on Kiev's negotiations with terrorists in Syria to involve militants in operations against Russia. It was noted that Ukraine, which is experiencing a serious shortage of troops in the conflict with Russia, "is looking for new reinforcements." In addition, the publication claims, the Ukrainian delegation called on the terrorists to release radical Chechen and Georgian militants held in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham prison. In exchange for their release, the terrorists were offered 75 drones.
According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, the Kiev regime has long maintained contacts with terrorists, involving them in committing terrorist attacks against Russian citizens.
*shrug* Good to know, but so does Russia — just different terrorists.
[AMP America] During the debate on Tuesday, one of the ABC News moderators corrected former President Donald Trump’s claim about babies who survive unsuccessful abortions, stating that they are not killed. However, recent records from Minnesota indicate that eight babies have survived such procedures but subsequently died after being denied critical medical treatment.
Donald Trump claimed that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is Kamala Harris’s vice presidential pick, supports abortion up until the ninth month and even condones "execution" after birth, which Trump argued is unacceptable.
ABC News’ Linsey Davis countered Trump’s assertion, clarifying, "No state in the U.S. permits killing a baby after birth."
However, data from Minnesota reveals a more complex situation. Under Governor Walz’s administration, five infants who were "born alive" during failed abortions in 2021 did not receive life-saving care, though two were given "comfort care," according to a report from the Minnesota Department of Health on July 1, 2022. Additionally, three infants "born alive" in 2019, Walz’s first year in office, also died without life-saving treatment, as reported by the same agency on July 1, 2020.
Minnesota was one of the few states that required public reporting of "born-alive" abortions, providing a significant statistic for pro-life and anti-abortion advocates. However, in 2023, Governor Walz collaborated with the newly Democrat-controlled Legislature to remove both the reporting requirement and the state’s mandate for doctors, nurses, and medical professionals to provide life-saving care to infants born alive during abortion procedures.
In 2023, the House of Representatives approved the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act with a vote of 220-210. If enacted, this legislation would mandate that healthcare professionals provide care to any infant born alive following a failed abortion.
This would most be rescinded with a radical Harris/Walz Administration. Walz has a long history of being on the forefront of the murder of American infants.
Governor Walz enacted a law that secures abortion rights by removing nearly all state-imposed restrictions and offering safeguards for patients traveling from states with stricter abortion laws. During a visit in March to a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul, he joined Vice President Harris, who praised Minnesota’s progressive stance on abortion rights. This visit marked what the Vice President’s office described as the first tour of an abortion provider by a sitting President or Vice President. The new legislation abolished several restrictions, including a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and the need for parental consent.
Read that again slowly. Tim Walz wants children to be able to access abortion on demand with no parental consent required. This is the only part of the debate I watched. I remember wondering how and why Linsey Davis was so quick to "fact check" what Trump said. I remember wondering who checks the checkers?
And then you found this article, just one of the many fact checks put out by America’s loyal conservative opposition. Skills are sharpening all over the right side of the field, now that we aren’t waiting for the politicians to get to it.
[IsraelTimes] Concern grows after alleged shipment of ballistic missiles delivered to Russia for use against Ukraine; Tehran dismisses impact of Western sanctions, calling them a ‘failed tool’.
#2
Of course the G7 click."The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union".
Increasingly isolated from the rest of the world. Apparently a classic case of severe constipation of self imposed excesses.
#3
good chance Walz was an unregistered foreign agent, i.e. violated FARA like Hunter did but violations have lapsed for criminal prosecution
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/15/2024 0:10
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#4
Might be a good idea to have a look under the hood just to make sure he's still not on the Xi payroll. Wanting to "run for political office" might not be the only reason he decided to retire from the military.
Continuing to operate as a Chinese intelligence source might have been a bit difficult from the sand box.
#8
The question I have, and I am sure others are also asking.
Why have the DC & various State Republican Party elected members failed to legally address the blaring Democrat / Biden Admin & _ _ _ politically geared agency constitutional abuses?
Heck, RFK a true blue democrat seems to be doing a better job of it lately.
#9
GOPe republicans are pols first and last. They're happy to play the Washington Generals to the Commie Globalists for the $$$ ride. They sold out the Constitution a log time ago. Remember they went after the Tea Party people just as viciously as the other party.
[IsraelTimes] 15 arrested in Tel Aviv as hostage deal protest again merge with anti-government groups, drawing hundreds of thousands of attendees.
Most of the hysterical anti-Bibi verbiage left at the link for those who really want to read such vicious nonsense.
The mother of an kidnapped Israeli soldier played an audio clip of her son addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his captivity in 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 Hamas with 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... at a weekly protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, as hundreds of thousands of people gathered at multiple locations across the country to demonstrate against the government and call for a hostage release-ceasefire deal.
Recall that protest leaders there overestimate crowd sizes by between half and an order of magnitude.
The audio clip of Matan Angrest, roughly 30 seconds in length, was the first public sign of life from him since he was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on the morning of October 7.
In the recording, which the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said was recently obtained in Gaza, Angrest used terminology highly likely to have been dictated by his Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... captors, and referred to himself and his fellow hostages as "prisoners."
If it was dictated by Hamas then it has absolutely no value except as proof of life on that day, whenever it was. The words of the message are themselves meaningless, no matter how much they accord with the desires of that portion of the hostage families.
"Netanyahu," he said in the clip, "you must, must do this exchange between the [Paleostinian] prisoners in Israel and the prisoners here. I very much want to see my family and friends, it’s very important. I think you’re capable of it. I trust you."
His mother Anat Angrest chose to play the recording at the weekly rally in Tel Aviv to drive home her demand for a deal to secure the release of the 101 hostages still captive in Gaza.
Demonstrations calling for a hostage deal have taken place on a near-weekly basis following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught, when thousands of snuffies invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people, taking 251 hostages and sparking the war with Israel inside the Paleostinian enclave.
The protests surged in numbers at the start of September, following the recovery from a tunnel in southern Gaza of the bodies of six murdered hostages, who autopsies revealed had been shot by their captors just days before Israeli soldiers reached them.
In Tel Aviv last week, the hostage deal rally and the anti-government protest merged for the first time, drawing what organizers claimed was roughly half a million people — making it the largest protest in Israeli history.
Except that they had to merge two causes to achieve whatever the real number was, suggesting that neither anti-Bibi cause was drawing enough on its own.
The two demonstrations merged once more on Saturday, and the joint Tel Aviv rally lasted several hours before dispersing — mostly peacefully — at around 11 p.m.
The police said, however, that 15 people had been arrested for disturbing public order after they attempted to block the Ayalon freeway by lighting bonfires in the middle of the road.
Antifa tactics, bought and paid for by rich transnational Progressives with the help of the Biden State Department.
Accompanying the mainstream protest, various left-wing groups were dotted around near the Kaplan-Begin interchange throughout the protest, demanding an end to the IDF’s campaign in the Gaza Strip.
A 20-strong group called on Israelis to refuse military service as they waved flags of the far-left Antifa ...the armed wing of the Democratic Party... movement.
See? Not even hiding it a little anymore…
and hoisted a banner of Hadash, an Arab-Jewish communist party.
Arab anyway, with a couple of symbolic Jewish communists to act as fig leaves.
Nearby, a woman wore a sign assailing protesters for ignoring the "criminal killing in the West Bank and Gaza," and a man lay in a pool of mock blood next to a rubber mask of Netanyahu.
Lying down in fake blood with a mask — check. Now all they need are the bigger-than-life plaster of Paris puppets.
Toward the end of the evening, young right-wing agitators clashed with some protesters who remained even as the event dispersed. Officers attempted to chase away the band of youths, although no arrests were made as they appeared at the end of the rally to taunt and clash with the few remaining protesters, ripping down posters in their wake.
Passing a stand offering free water to protesters, a pair shouted "For leftists it’s with cyanide."
Meanwhile a group of some 20 agitators stole a shirt from an anti-government vendor. Pushed off the main road to Kaplan Street, they then attempted to light the shirt on fire until police forces appeared to once more chase them off.
Along with Angrest and Zangauker, the rally featured speeches from Michal Lobanov, wife of Alex Lobanov, one of the six hostages executed by Hamas two weeks ago; Raz Ben Ami, wife of hostage Ohad Ben Ami who was herself released from captivity in the November ceasefire; friends of hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, identified only as Sapir and Iddo; and, via video message, celebrated educator Adina Bar-Shalom, daughter of the late former chief rabbi and Shas party spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef.
Bar-Shalom, who has publicly criticized her late father’s party for failing to press for a deal, said that she was raised to place human life before all else.
"Anyone who saves a soul from Israel — it’s as though they upheld an entire world,’" she quoted the Talmud. "Do we have to put these values aside?" she asked. "What makes us Jewish?"
And so you are willing to trade the entire population of Israel, all eight million or so including Arabs and other non-Jews, in order to get back about 65 hostages and half as many corpses? Because Hamas has promised to repeat the 10/7 massacre again and again until they conquer all of Israel and move in. How does your unbelievable selfishness fit with the Jewish upbringing that you boast of?
Urging concessions as part of a hostage deal, she implored the government not to "think what will come later. The certainty of now trumps any future worries."
Since the future is only a few weeks or months from now, that seems a bit short-sighted. Suicidally short-sighted, not to put too fine a point on it.
Bar-Shalom’s brother Yitzhak Yosef — until recently Israel’s Sephardic chief rabbi— has also publicly called for far-reaching concessions to secure the hostages’ immediate release.
It sounds like he got the job through nepotism, rather than because of any ability of his own.
As protesters marched to Gay Paree Square in central Jerusalem, small skirmishes broke out between police and protesters, with police pushing the crowd toward the sidewalk and arresting at least one protester for allegedly violating the conditions of their probation.
Possibly releasing them after the last round of arrests was also short-sighted.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Someone should remind the Pommies that this ain't 1856.
[Regnum] The UK leadership is deliberately going into a military conflict with Russia, said Alexei Pushkov, head of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy, on September 14.
Commenting on the statement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that London allegedly does not seek conflict with Moscow, and that the Kiev regime “has the right to self-defense,” Pushkov pointed out that Russia also has a similar right.
"Not only Ukraine, but also Russia has the right to self-defense. And it will be exercised when and if the British military starts aiming their missiles at Russian targets. It seems Starmer has forgotten about this," Pushkov wrote on his Telegram channel.
In addition, he notes, London’s actions in transferring weapons to the Kyiv regime indicate that Great Britain is quite consciously moving towards a military conflict with Russia.
In conclusion, the head of the commission added that allowing Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory would automatically turn London into a participant in the military conflict.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, during a meeting at the White House on September 13, US President Joe Biden and Keir Starmer did not allow the Kiev regime to use Western long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. According to the British Prime Minister, he and the US President are focused on the strategy for the Ukrainian conflict, while permission to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles is tactical.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the discussions on allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use precision weapons for strikes deep into Russia a substitution of concepts. According to him, this issue is about making a decision on whether NATO countries will directly participate in the conflict or not. The President explained that this would mean nothing other than direct participation of NATO countries in the war in Ukraine and, accordingly, against Russia.
Related from the Live Journal page of Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
Today it became known about the expulsion of six Foreign Office employees, who turned out to be MI6 employees. They are Jessica Davenport, Grace Elvin, Andrew Daft Cullum, Catherine McDonnal, Thomas John Hickson and Blake Pattel. London was and is behind the most high-profile crimes against Russia, behind international provocations, behind attacks on Russian cities, behind the murders of civilians.
Internal documents of the British Foreign Office, marked "Official-Sensitive FCDO-only" (sensitive official materials intended only for review by Foreign Office employees, the leak of which would harm security), have been revealed to the world (again). Thus, the British intelligence services hid them not only from their closest foreign partners, but even from employees of other British ministries and departments.
Confidential materials of the Foreign Office showed that the formation of the so-called "Decision-Making Center" in London began back in 2017. The hands of this CDM were developing the operation on the "Skripal case" - a provocation using chemical weapons, which allowed for a highly likely declaration of a sanctions war on Russia and a diplomatic note on the expulsion of 23 employees of the Russian embassy from London.
In the same office, they were preparing a plan to sabotage the peace talks in Istanbul and Minsk, constantly inspiring "raising the stakes", provoking the West to transfer more and more serious weapons to Ukraine. British specialists participated in planning the terrorist attack on the Kerch Bridge, depriving the Black Sea Fleet of combat capability, training saboteurs, etc.
In a strategic move, all British diplomats are now considered either MI6 personnel or British intelligence agents, and will be expelled from Russia if any signs of intelligence activity are detected.
[FoxNews] 'Never have seen a politician this nervous, this unprepared for the office they are running for,' one X user opined.
Social media users declared that Vice President Kamala Harris’ first solo sit-down interview this week proved that she does not have what it takes to assume the office of the presidency.
Harris’ interview with Philadelphia's 6 ABC anchor Brian Taff went viral on social media Friday as it featured her giving answers that were criticized as being overlong and devoid of substance about her actual economic policies.
Harris’ critics on X claimed that the conversation proved her unfitness for office. "Oh my goodness this is an absolute train wreck," digital strategist Greg Price wrote about the interview on the social media platform.
#3
ABC edited and re-arranged the ACTUAL full interview before airing it...and even in the edited and FALSE portion they aired she still was her normal horrible self.
#5
Remember she is just the stand in for the cabal currently running the place (into the ground). The fundamental transformation someone else talked about.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces Contain Russian Attacks in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.
The enemy will carry out the most intensive attacks in the Kurakhovsky and Pokrovsky directions. Nine combat clashes are currently ongoing there.
Since the beginning of the current day, 83 combat clashes have occurred on the front. The hottest ones are now in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsky directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in the construction as of 16:00 on Saturday, September 14.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, the Russians stormed the positions of our troops in the Volchansk area three times.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked four times in the direction of Lozovaya and Sinkovka. One attack was repelled, three combat clashes continue.
In the Liman direction, the enemy organized 11 assaults in the areas of Druzhelyubovka, Makeyevka, Nevsky, Novosadovy, Zarechny, Serebryanka and Terny. Five battles are still ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, the enemy twice tried to push back our units near Verkhnekamenskoye and Vyemka. At present, one combat clash has not ended.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the invaders carried out one assault near Andreevka.
In the Toretsk direction, the number of enemy attacks has increased to six - near Toretsk, Druzhba and Nelipovka. Two combat clashes are currently ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are repelling intensive attacks in the areas of Sukha Balka, Vozdvizhenka, Zelenoe Pole, Novoaleksandrovka, Novotoretskoye, Grodovka, Krasny Yar, Novogrodovka and Marinovka. In total, the aggressor has carried out 23 assaults. Six battles are still ongoing.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, the invader attacked our units 27 times near Selidovoye, Ukrainskoye, Krasnogorovka, Dolinovka, Zhelaemoye Vtoroy, Georgievka, Konstantinovka and Yekaterinovka. Currently, three combat clashes are ongoing near Georgievka and Konstantinovka.
In the Vremovsky direction, our troops repelled two attacks in the direction of Vodyanoye and Zolotaya Niva.
In the Dnieper direction, two attacks by the invaders were also unsuccessful.
Let us recall that on September 13, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed more than 1,200 Russian occupiers in one day. Russia's total losses since the beginning of the war are approaching 640,000 soldiers.
During the heavy fighting, several dozen military opponents were eliminated, and the attempt to break through the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed.
Ukrainian military destroyed a unit of Russian airborne troops in the Kursk region. This was reported by the command of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Saturday, September 14.
"The troops of the aggressor state are making desperate attempts to push out the units and military units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the Kursk region. Thus, yesterday, the enemy threw 14 units of military equipment, including two tanks, 11 BMDs and one armored personnel carrier from one of the military units of the Russian Airborne Forces, at the positions of the Ukrainian paratroopers," the statement says.
It is stated that the attempt to break through the defensive positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed. In a heavy battle that lasted for several hours, five BMDs, a tank and an armored personnel carrier of the enemy, as well as several dozen killed Russians, remained on the battlefield.
Article Linked Is Available Only Via VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Volchansk and Liptsy directions, the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the AFU the 113th and 125th Territorial Defence brigades near Velikaya Pisarevka and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 110 troops, two motor vehicles, one 152mm D-20 gun, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 14th, 44th, 54th, 115th Mechanised brigades, 3rd Assault Brigade of the AFU, and 104th and 119th Territorial Defence brigades near Kovsharovka, Glushkovka, Novoosinovo, Kruglyakovka, Borovaya (Kharkov region), Rozovka (Lugansk People's Republic) and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 66th Mechanised Brigade was repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 520 troops, six motor vehicles, one UK-made 155mm Braveheart self-propelled artillery system, two 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, and two electronic warfare stations. Three AFU field ammunition depots have been destroyed.
As a result of active efforts, the Yug Group of Forces liberated Zhelannoye Pervoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The 28th, 54th, 93rd mechanised brigades, 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, 46th Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 116th Territorial Defence Brigade have been hit near Verkhnekamenskoye, Chasov Yar, Kurdyumovka, Ostroye, Seversk, Konstantinovka, and Katerinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the AFU 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade and the 120th Territorial Defence Brigade were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 715 troops, five motor vehicles, one UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer, one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, one 152mm D-20 gun, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, and four field ammunition depots.
The Tsentr Group of Forces goes on advancing into the depth of the enemy's defence. The Group's units inflicted fire damage on the 59th and 150th Mechanised brigades, 68th and 142nd Infantry brigades, 95th Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 109th Territorial Defence Brigade near Tsukurino, Selidovo, Mikhailovka, Grodovka, and Novoekonomicheskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Three counterattacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 150th Mechanised Brigade, 142nd Infantry Brigade, and 25th Airborne Brigade were repelled.
The enemy's losses amounted to up to 560 troops, two Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, three pick-up trucks, one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Vostok Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions and delivered strikes on the 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 118th Territorial Defence Brigade near Dobrovolye, Makarovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Levadnoye (Zaporozhye region). One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade was repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 105 troops, one French-made 155mm Caesar howitzer. One AFU field ammunition depot was destroyed.
The Dnepr Group of Forces hit clusters of manpower and hardware of the AFU 35th and 37th Naval Infantry brigades, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade near Vesyoye, Tokarevka (Kherson region), and Stepnogorsk (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy losses were up to 80 troops, seven motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, and one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system. One AFU field ammunition depot was destroyed.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have hit airfield infrastructure, boat bases of the AFU Special Operations Forces, as well as clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 132 areas.
Russian air defence systems have shot down three U.S.-made ATACMS operational missiles, three French-made Hammer aerial guided bombs, and 53 unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, 642 airplanes, 283 helicopters, 31,554 unmanned aerial vehicles, 579 anti-aircraft missile systems, 18,133 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,454 MLRS combat vehicles, 14,598 field artillery guns and mortars, and 26,070 units of support motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces carrying on offensive actions inflicted damage on the 22nd, 41st, and 115th Mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 82nd and 95th Air Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the 112th and 129th Territorial Defence brigades near Lyubimovka, Daryino, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Pokrovsky, and Borki.
Also over the past 24 hours, the Group's units repelled five enemy counter-attacks in the direction of Maryevka, Lyubimovka, Obukhovka, and Russkaya Konopelka, as well as foiled two enemy attempts to attack in the direction of Obukhovka and Borki.
The enemy suffered losses of up to 30 people killed and wounded; one armoured fighting vehicle and one motor vehicle were destroyed.
In addition, with the support of army aviation and artillery fire, the Russian Armed Forces repelled five enemy attempts to break through the border of the Russian Federation towards the settlements of Novy Put, Medvezhye, and Vesyoloye.
The enemy's losses included up to 40 troops killed and wounded; two tanks, one armoured personnel carrier, five armoured fighting vehicles, one motor vehicle, and one counterobstacle vehicle were destroyed.
Air strikes, artillery fire, and actions of the troops inflicted fire damage on clusters of manpower and hardware of the 22nd, 61st, 115th Mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 80th and 95th Air Assault brigades, and 129th Territorial Defence Brigade near Borki, Guyevo, Zelyony Shlyakh, Kolmakov, Kruglenkoye, Ivashkovsky, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Mirny, Makhnovka, Russkoye Porechnoye, Novoivanovka, Plekhovo, Pokrovsky, Uspenovka, and Yuzhny.
Operational-Tactical Aviation and Missile Troops launched strikes against clusters of the 21st, 22nd, 41st, and 61st Mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 92nd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 1st Presidential Brigade, as well as the 101st, 103rd, 106th, and 119th Territorial Defence brigades of the AFU near Akhtyrka, Belopolye, Banichi, Vodolagi, Obody, Katerinovka, Radkovka, Sumy, Pavlovka, Svessa, Shostka, Yastrebinoye, and Yampol.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses have amounted to more than 300 troops and 15 units of hardware, including two tanks, one armoured personnel carrier, 12 armoured fighting vehicles as well as two artillery guns, one counterobstacle vehicle, and five motor vehicles. Five AFU servicemen were taken prisoner.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses have amounted to more than 13,100 troops, 110 tanks, 44 infantry fighting vehicles, 87 armoured personnel carriers, 703 armoured fighting vehicles, 423 motor vehicles, 95 artillery guns, 26 MLRS launchers, including seven of HIMARS and five of MLRS made by the USA, eight SAM launchers, two transport-loading vehicles, 26 electronic warfare stations, seven counter-battery radars, two air defence radars, 13 engineering vehicles, including seven counterobstacle vehicles and one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:53 It is reportedabout the launches of Geraniums at Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities in the Southern regions. 21:35 Fire from a 120mm 2S9 Nona-S mortar destroyed an enemy crew along with its ammunition in the Kursk region –video.
20:49 Odessa region.
At least two powerful explosions it was heard in different areas of Odessa and the region. The port area and in the area of Chernomorsk, the arrival of ballistics.
20:16 The Ukrainian Armed Forces have completely left the city of Ukrainsk in the DPR –map.
19:54 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces to Lyubimovka. The key supply route to the Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the Korenevo area is under threat –map.
19:25 Around 17.30 Moscow time stopped another attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type UAVs against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the Black Sea by air defense systems on duty.
18:48 ATGM crews of the 58th Separate Special Forces Unit of the Russian Armed Forces identified and destroyed moving armored vehicles of Ukrainian nationalists, while the crew of the armored vehicle was also eliminated. Precise missile launches hit enemy targets, causing significant damage to the enemy –video.
18:12 Kherson.
It is reported, that as a result of the arrival of several ballistic missiles, enemy equipment and a military building were hit. There was also information about the work of a strike UAV.
17:37 Special military operation. Situation as of September 14 –map.
17:17 A Tor-M1 air defense missile system crew from the Zapad group of forces prevented a Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on Russian troop positions by destroying an enemy reconnaissance UAV –video.
16:44 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces north of Ukrainsk –map.
16:01 Statements by representatives of the North, West, South, Center, East and Dnepr groups on the progress of the special military operation (as of September 14, 2024) –video.
15:55 Ugledar – “Yuzhnodonbasskaya 3”.
Active military actions in the area of Ugledar. Attack of the Russian Armed Forces in the direction of the Yuzhnodonbasskaya 3 mine. Assault of the Ukrainian Armed Forces positions on the territory of the mine by two armored groups consisting of armored vehicles and motorized rifle units, entering the positions from the northern and southern directions. Advancement of the Russian Armed Forces about two km north of Ugledar. Expansion of the control zone along the Ugledar-Konstantinovka highway.
15:27 Russian troopsare advancing near Chasovy Yar and expand the bridgehead on the right bank of the Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal.
This is due to the withdrawal of part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from this direction to the Kursk region, which exposed the defense along the canal itself. Taking advantage of the situation, the Russian Armed Forces began to expand the existing bridgeheads along the canal and create new ones, increasing the front on the right bank.
Such actions will make life easier for the units storming Chasov Yar itself, forcing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw more and more forces from the city to protect the banks of the canal.
14:57 The Lancet loitering munition destroyed the Krab self-propelled artillery unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of ??the Kursk region –video.
Aerial reconnaissance detected a Polish-made self-propelled gun firing towards Russian troops. The detected target was successfully hit with a direct hit from a Lancet loitering munition.
Positional military actions in the Artemovsk area. artillery attack from a Ukrainian drone of the forward positions of the Russian Armed Forces south of Grigorovka. The Russian Armed Forces advanced more than 1 km along the Seversky Donetsk-Donbass canal and took up new positions.
13:58 Around 12.30 Moscow time stopped attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type UAVs against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense systems on duty over the territory of the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
13:24 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces near Chasov Yar –map.
12:44 152mm Msta-B crews of the Airborne Troops destroyed a concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in the border area of ??the Kursk Region –video.
11:47 Strike by the OTR on the Ukrainian Armed Forces facility at the Kupyansk bakery –video.
11:11 Maryinka – Pobeda.
Active military actions in the Maryinka area. Successful destruction of the Ukrainian M-113 armored personnel carrier by a Russian Armed Forces FPV drone at a position near the village of Pobeda.
10:55 Target destroyed: Mi-28NM crew strikes concentration of manpower and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces –video.
According to intelligence reports, the personnel and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were destroyed.
10:21 During the past night stopped an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Ten UAVs were destroyed by air defense systems on duty over the territory of the Kursk region and nine over the territory of the Belgorod region.
09:05 Telegram channel «Fisherman»:
- Chronicle of the special military operation for September 13, 2024
– Russian troops hit enemy targets in Odessa Oblast and used drones to attack an oil depot in Galich, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched drones in the direction of Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga and Smolensk Oblasts, all targets were shot down.– In Kursk Oblast, fighting continues in Korenevsky and Sudzhansky districts. The Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out an attack in Glushkovsky district, the outcome of which is still unknown.
– In the Pokrovsk direction, fighting is taking place on the eastern outskirts of Selidovo, as well as in the area of ??Ukrainsk to the south and Novogrodovka to the north.
– In the Donetsk direction, the Russian Armed Forces are consolidating their previously achieved positions in the Ostroye area.
– In the South Donetsk direction, Russian troops are carrying out massive airstrikes on the positions of Ukrainian formations west of Vodyane.
[IsraelTimes] This year, the Islamic Republic set a new benchmark for its cyber strategy, which extends far beyond the battlefield to include influence operations and intelligence gathering.
Iranian cyberattacks on Israel have surged in the wake of the October 7 onslaught by the Iran-backed terror group Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... , and as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage, cybersecurity analysts warn these digital incursions will continue regardless of any ceasefire or de-escalation in 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 Hamas with 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.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... with Israel-Hamas negotiations stalled, Tehran’s hackers, backed by the regime, are further honing their capabilities in what experts say could become a forever war in cyberspace.
Despite efforts to tamp down the flames of war, experts told The Times of Israel, any calming of hostilities will not stop digital conflict between the two nations.
"I don’t think [Iran] is going to be happy with Israel, even in the case of a ceasefire or some sort of improvement in conditions" in Gaza, said Ben Read, who heads cyberespionage analysis at Mandiant, a Google-owned cybersecurity firm.
Iran’s cyber capabilities have become a key element of its broader strategy to defend national interests, deter Western intelligence, and engage in espionage, said John Fokker, who leads threat intelligence at cybersecurity company Trellix. Under the auspices of a branch of the armed forces and a government ministry, 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... has steadily expanded its offensive cyber programs, he said.
Since the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, Iranian operatives and cybercrime groups aligned with the Khamenei regime have escalated their cyberattacks on Israeli government and private sector infrastructure. In retaliation, suspected Israeli-aligned hackers have launched their own cyber offensives, targeting Iranian critical infrastructure, including gas stations.
Iran’s cyberwarfare capabilities have long been in development. In 2012, its "Shamoon" virus crippled 30,000 computers at Saudi Aramco in one of Iran’s most notorious attacks. More recently, in 2020, its hackers targeted Gilead Sciences to steal COVID vaccine research. In 2019, the regime’s cyber operatives carried out a wave of attacks on American cities and airports, highlighting the regime’s ability to disrupt critical infrastructure, Fokker noted.
"These incidents reflect the rapid advancement of Iran’s cyber capabilities, making it a significant threat," Fokker told The Times of Israel.
Now, amid the Gaza conflict, Iranian hackers have targeted Israeli assets more aggressively. In November, the Iran-linked "Cyber Av3ngers" hacking group grabbed credit for breaching industrial water treatment equipment in America. Tehran is in the global public eye again for cyberwarfare after the US intelligence community said its hackers targeted the Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... and Kamala Harris So Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that’s wrong presidential campaigns.
James Shires, a technology and global affairs expert who co-directs the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative, said much of Tehran’s work has been centered on influence operations. Iran’s state-sponsored actors have been amplifying propaganda, spreading disinformation and manipulating social media narratives as part of their broader cyber strategy, Shires said.
The war itself has hinged heavily on perception and reputation, Shires said, stressing the importance of online perception battles in modern conflicts.
It’s a two-sided game, though. Israel ran its own secret influence campaign targeting US politicians, according to a June report from The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... that cited officials involved in the effort and documents tied to the operation.
"Anything that can change that perception is massively valuable for both sides," Shires told The Times of Israel.
Iranian spin doctors have also embraced artificial intelligence tools to spread disinformation. One AI-driven covert campaign produced fake news websites aimed at influencing American voters, though, according to OpenAI, the effort failed to gain significant engagement.
Three government-linked cyber entities have been driving Tehran’s cyber efforts, according to Read at Mandiant.
These advanced persistent threat (APT) groups — APT33, APT34 and APT42 — operate with sophisticated tactics. APT33 and APT42, for example, are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and have been targeting Israeli military officials and individuals involved in American presidential campaigns. In the past six months alone, the US and Israel accounted for around 60 percent of APT42’s known targets, according to Google threat intelligence findings.
APT34, meanwhile, is likely tied to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, and has been found conducting espionage campaigns against African and Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... n targets. It’s also previously compromised Israeli companies, including a human resources website.
Despite the technical prowess of these groups, experts say Iran’s cyber capabilities fall short of those of cyber titans such as Russia and China. However,
you can observe a lot just by watching... the attacks can still be disruptive.
"They can’t necessarily shut down power to the White House," Read said, "but if they want to get into a US business, that’s well within their capabilities."
Read described much of Iran’s recent activity as targeting "low-hanging fruit," including universities and businesses, rather than sensitive defense assets.
Iran’s cyber influence extends beyond its borders, with proxy groups like the Leb ...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah 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 dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original 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... -based terror group Hezbollah also engaging in cyberattacks. In November, Hezbollah-linked hackers breached Ziv Medical Center in the northern Israeli city of Safed. Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... Iranian-backed 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... groups in 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... have deployed phone spyware against targets across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , according to mobile cybersecurity company Lookout.
A ceasefire or any reduction in fighting between Israel and Hamas wouldn’t slow the tempo of Iran’s cyber buildup, Shires said, underscoring the ongoing threat that Iran poses in cyberspace. But he stressed that if a positive diplomatic outcome isn’t reached soon, then a miscalculated cyberattack from either side could skyrocket tensions even further.
"That could very quickly be read into this tit-for-tat escalation... where each side is trying to calibrate very carefully what is appropriate and proportionate to respond, while also not going too far," he said.
Iran’s lesson after October 7 is clear: Cyberspace is not just a battleground for war, but a powerful medium for influence operations and intelligence gathering. And it is just getting started.
"The cyber stuff seems to be a way for Iran to both impact Israel and be seen impacting Israel that does not incur a significant escalation," Read said. "I don’t see it changing."
#1
Iran carries out dozens of DDOS attacks each day on Israel. Several start ups in Israel now specialize in protecting against DDOS attacks and these start ups are in the process of going global to protect US and other industrial countries from these attacks.
Israel has had some pretty effective cyberattacks on Iran as well.
Just a few years ago, a cyber attack on Iran caused a major industrial disaster at a steel mill, messing up train schedules and paralyzing pumps at gas stations.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/15/2024 0:21
Comments ||
Top||
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
Russians have been maintaining for 16 years that it was the Georgia military which attacked Russian peacekeepers in 2008, not the other way round.
[ColonelCassad] Now this is breaking news.
Georgia will find the strength to apologize to the Ossetians for the war unleashed by Saakashvili in 2008, said Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
An apology for the war unleashed by Saakashvili is an important step in normalizing relations between Russia and Georgia. In fact, it is precisely because of such steps that they will try to overthrow Georgian Dream and Ivanishvili through a street takeover of power in October of this year. Preparations for an attempted coup are already underway. A failed coup will mean a serious setback for the United States in the Caucasus. The stakes will be very high.
After winning the parliamentary elections, the Georgian authorities will find the strength to apologize for the war between Ossetians and Georgians, which was unleashed in 2008 by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, said Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the ruling party Georgian Dream — Democratic Georgia,at a pre-election rally in the city of Gori on September 14.
“Immediately after the elections on October 26, we will definitely find the strength to apologize for the fact that, on instructions from outside, the treacherous National Movement engulfed our Ossetian brothers and sisters in flames of fire in 2008,” Ivanishvili said, whose speech was broadcast on Georgian television channels.
He also expressed confidence that the instigators of the war will be convicted and all those guilty of destroying Georgian-Ossetian friendship will receive a legal response.
Parliamentary elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 26, 2024.
As reported by Regnum news agency, on September 9, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the period of parliamentary elections in the country is taking place against the backdrop of unprecedented external interference, but it will not affect the election results. According to him, the elections will be a "referendum between war and peace."
Kobakhidze also assured that the Georgian leadership could use various types of legal forms to clarify the circumstances of the 2008 military conflict.
On August 8, 2008, Georgia shelled Tskhinvali, trying to seize South Ossetia. Russia stood up for South Ossetia and Abkhazia, whose territories Tbilisi claimed. On the same day, the Russian operation began, which lasted until August 14. As a result, the Georgian side signed a peace plan with Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. After that, Moscow officially recognized the independence of the two republics. The Russian response to the attack by the Georgians can easily be classified as a punitive expedition.
#1
I thought it was pretty clear from the beginning that Georgia started the war. They were expecting NATO to come to the rescue and they didn't. Ever since there has been a substantial faction trying to add them to NATO so as to basically replay the Crimean war. Cut Russia off from the Black Sea and disempower it as a country that can affect world events. Imagine if Britain had succeeded, how different we'd be. If only they didn't have an entire military class that was incompetent. They could have carved Russia up like they did the Levant. And India. Set the different regions into conflict with one another and we would have never even had the Cold War, much less today's war.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:46 Ukraine has begun its own production of 155mm NATO-caliber shells, presidential adviser Alexander Kamyshin said in an interview with the Norwegian agency Nettavisen.
20:03 Russians struck the village of Peski-Radkovskiye in the Izyum district of the Kharkiv region with a Tornado-S MLRS - one person was killed, two were wounded, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
18:29 Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState reports that Russians have occupied Galitsynovka in the Pokrovsk direction, advanced near Peschanoye, Grigorievka, Ostroye, Georgievka, in Sinkovka, New York and Ukrainsk.
17:48 Russians attacked the territory of an agricultural enterprise in the Gulyai-Pole community of the Zaporizhia region, killing three employees, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
16:26 The Russian army has finally destroyed the second bridge in Pokrovsk, the GVA reported. Thus, the day before, the Russians twice fired at the Vostochny overpass (the so-called Humpbacked Bridge), damaging its supports. Currently, traffic on the bridge is impossible. The day before, Russian troops destroyed the Dmitrovsky Bridge in Pokrovsk, which connected the city with Mirnograd.
14:31 Ukraine has returned another 103 defenders from Russian captivity, Zelensky reported. According to him, among them are 82 privates and sergeants, 21 officers. These are defenders of the Kyiv region, Donbass, Mariupol and Azovstal, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kharkiv regions. Among those returned are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, border guards, and police officers.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War clarified that all those released this time are men. Among them are 69 defenders of Mariupol, including 31 defenders of Azovstal, as well as two guards of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Most were seriously injured or wounded, have serious illnesses, and need immediate medical care. Ukraine thanked the UAE for its assistance in organizing the exchange.
The head of the Azov brigade's patronage service, Elena Tolkacheva, added that today 23 soldiers of the NGU Azov brigade were returned from Russian captivity.
11:28 The leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany faction in the Bundestag, Rolf Mützenich, proposed creating an international contact group for a peace initiative on the Russian war against Ukraine. According to him, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Zelensky "agree that now is the time to step up efforts to hold peace talks and that Russia should also be present at the next peace summit."
"This will also allow other countries to play a more active role in ending the fighting," Mutzenich said, adding that China, India, Turkey and Brazil could be potential members of the contact group.
10:31 In Sumy Oblast, as a result of Russian shelling of the territory of a power facility, equipment and shelter were damaged, and several substations were de-energized. An employee of the enterprise was killed, and seven more workers were injured, the Ministry of Energy reported.
09:42 In the Kherson region, over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed and seven were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin.
09:23 In Donetsk Oblast, three people were killed as a result of Russian shelling on September 13: in Belitske, Bogoyavlents and Konstantinovka. Another four people in the oblast were injured in the past 24 hours, said OVA head Vadim Filashkin.
09:18 In the Kharkiv region, five people were wounded as a result of Russian attacks over the past day: two in Kupyansk, one each in the village of Novoosinovo, the village of Dvurechnaya in the Kupyansk district and in the village of Borovaya in the Izyum district, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
08:56 The Guardian writes, citing its sources, that London and Washington have decided to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian territory, but are not yet ready to announce this.
08:41 Air defense destroyed 72 of 76 Shahed-type attack UAVs at night, the Air Force reported. The drones were shot down within the Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia and Sumy regions. In addition, two enemy drones were lost in location on the territory of Ukraine, and two more returned to Russia.
08:09 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of September 14:
personnel - about 632,630 (+1210) people,
tanks - 8674 (+3),
combat armored vehicles - 17,043 (+40),
artillery systems - 18,086 (+25),
MLRS - 1186 (+1),
air defense systems - 946 (+1),
aircraft - 369 (+0),
helicopters - 328 (+0),
Operational-tactical level UAVs - 15,149 (+36),
cruise missiles - 2591 (+0),
ships/boats - 28 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 24,631 (+71),
special equipment - 3084 (+13).
04:36 Biden held a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, during which, in particular, the parties declared their continued support for Ukraine, the White House reported. They also "expressed concern" about Iran and North Korea's arms supplies to Russia and China's support for Russia's defense industrial base.
Politico writes that Biden and Starmer discussed Ukraine's request for permission to use long-range missiles against Russian territory during a one-on-one meeting at the White House, but were unable to agree on granting Kyiv such permission. Starmer noted at a press conference after the talks that a final decision on the Storm Shadow missiles had not been made, and hinted that the next steps could take place at a UN General Assembly meeting later this month.
2024.08.29
[BenarNews] Families speak of hiding sons to prevent them from becoming cannon fodder.
Muhammad often stares at this snapshot of his kid brother, Farhad. It’s one of the few pictures he has of the 13-year-old who has been missing for months.
In May, Farhad was kidnapped while coming home from his school inside Bangladesh’s sprawling Balukhali refugee camp. (Both brothers’ names along with those of other camp residents have been changed to protect their safety.) Farhad and his four brothers had lived in the camp since August 2017 after fleeing a bloody military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar.
"I’m not just like his brother," Muhammad, 26, told Radio Free Asia in June. "I’m like his father; he’s like my son."
In the weeks after Farhad’s disappearance, a desperate Muhammad pieced together some of his brother’s movements through a handful of phone calls with him. But there have been far more questions than answers.
While Muhammad didn’t know who exactly kidnapped Farhad, the camp in Cox’s Bazar is overrun by gangs. Several of these have been abducting Rohingya and smuggling them back across the border to fight in the war raging inside Myanmar.
Along with other forms of violence, abductions have long plagued the camps. Men and women are trafficked for labor or sex work, leaders are kidnapped as punishment for their advocacy and sometimes refugees are kidnapped simply to extort funds from their family.
But starting earlier this year, a different form of kidnapping became common. Facing mounting battlefield losses, Myanmar’s military government announced in February that it would begin enforcing a long-dormant conscription law.
In Rakhine state, where the junta is fighting a number of resistance groups, its efforts to add soldiers have not stopped at the border. Just to the north, the Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, camps, with their large, trapped refugee population and entrenched criminal enterprises, appear to have become feeder lots for the military — and for its opposing forces.
In their phone calls, Farhad told Muhammad that he had been smuggled into Rakhine state and taken south to Buthidaung. Later, he was handed over to the Myanmar military, which placed him in a training camp with about 40 other Rohingya men and boys. For the first two weeks, Farhad was given arms training, but eventually, he was pulled out of formal training and ordered to assist with cooking and running errands for soldiers, he told his brother on the phone.
"The abduction and forced conscription in Myanmar and in the camps — it’s one of those things that’s so horrific that even though everything is already so terrible for them... here things are getting worse again," said Jessica Olney, an independent analyst who has covered the Rohingya refugee crisis for years and in May published a paper for the United States Institute of Peace on conditions inside the camp.
Kidnappings including Farhad’s have changed the contours of life in the refugee camps, instilling a new form of terror among a deeply traumatized population. Shops are staying closed, as are doors. Roads that were once crowded with children playing and young men milling around have gone quiet. The appearance of an outsider brings only looks of distrust. Many families have taken to hiding their sons, brothers and nephews.
Since Farhad’s abduction, his classmates have lived in fear of becoming the next victim, according to Muhammad. "Most of the students are afraid," he said. "But it’s kind of a new normal now."
’NOW OUR OWN PEOPLE TORTURE US’
An ethnic Moslem minority, Rohingya have long faced violence and persecution in their native Myanmar where they are not legally recognized as citizens. For decades, many who fled wound up inside the dozens of camps in Cox’s Bazar — a city on the coast of Bangladesh named for an 18th century British colonial who managed refugee resettlements.
The bloodshed reached a crescendo in August 2017, when a Myanmar military campaign of rape, arson and murder sent more than 740,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh. The U.S., U.N. and others have classified those attacks a genocide.
Today, more than 1 million Rohingya live inside these tightly packed camps of tarps and bamboo where Muhammad and his family have tried to eke out an existence.
But the Bangladesh government still views the Rohingya as temporary residents and conditions inside the camps are bleak.
Landslides and fires regularly kill while a lack of sanitation and clean water means scabies, cholera and other diseases are disturbingly common. Schooling and health care are hard to come by, there’s not enough food and almost no one is legally allowed to hold a job.
Added to these challenges is a worsening security situation — sending more people fleeing from the camps. Abductions and arson have become commonplace, as have drugs, human trafficking and extortion. Last year, at least 90 people were killed in the Cox’s Bazar camps amid fights over criminal territory.
Still, a steady stream of Rohingya have nowhere to go but Cox’s Bazar. Back in Myanmar, the war in Rakhine state may be edging toward another genocide, according to observers. Amnesty International this month warned the latest attacks, in which fleeing civilians were bombed, "bear a terrifying resemblance to the atrocities of August 2017."
The situation has made Rohingya doubly vulnerable to criminals: Those fleeing Myanmar must pay off smugglers to get them to Cox’s Bazar. At the same time, those trying to leave the refugee camps — via a risky sea voyage to Malaysia or Indonesia — must also pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the traffickers.
Often, the traffickers are tied to gangs controlling the camps. The largest of these groups originated inside Myanmar as murderous Moslem Rohingya movements but have expanded operations into crimes outside the country’s borders.
The kidnappings of men and even boys to serve as fighters, assistants and cannon fodder for both the junta and its opposing forces — or to sell back to their desperate families — appears to have become yet another source of their revenue, Rohingya refugees told Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.
Moustafa, another refugee living in the camps, used to visit his relative’s tea shop often. The gossip he and his friends shared there represented a rare taste of normality for those whose lives had been repeatedly upended.
Now, such moments are impossible, he told RFA in June. One week earlier, Moustafa was sitting in his usual seat when a group of gunnies grabbed two youths just outside the shop. The kidnappers were thought by Moustafa to be working for the Arakan Army (AA) — the armed wing of the predominantly Buddhist Rakhine, or Arakanese, self-determination movement.
The AA has denied forced conscription, calling such claims "unfounded" in an interview published by The New Humanitarian.
Days after witnessing the abduction, Moustafa was still shaken.
"Sometimes the camp administration sends police, but most of the time they do not," he said. "Living in the camp is very hard now. We were tortured and displaced by different groups [in Myanmar], and now our own people torture us."
While gangs operate inside the camps, chief among them are the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO). Analysts and refugees alike say the militia groups, along with the lesser-known Arakan Rohingya Army, bear the brunt of the responsibility for the conscription abductions.
ARSA first came to widespread notice in August 2017 when it attacked 30 police outposts and army bases in Rakhine, killing at least 12 officers and triggering the brutal military crackdown that followed. The murderous Moslem group gained notoriety in the months and years that followed, including for a particularly violent mostly peaceful attack on a Hindu village that saw scores, if not hundreds, killed.
By 2019, the turbans had turned their attention to criminal activity inside the camps, with a report by rights group Fortify Rights noting that ARSA had begun abducting, detaining and torturing its critics.
RSO, which has been in existence for four decades, has carried out a similar campaign inside Cox’s Bazar.
In the case of kidnappings for conscription, the group appears to have gone after minors.
"We noticed that RSO was doing forced coercion and putting pressure tactics on really different parts of the population," said John Quinley III, a director of Fortify Rights. "There were some cases of forceful conscription of children."
Under international law, it is illegal for children younger than 15 to be recruited or sent to fight, though an optional children’s rights protocol ratified by most countries, including Myanmar, raises the age to 18. Conscription of civilians of any age by non-state actors, such as ARSA and RSO, is also illegal.
In July, Fortify Rights released an investigation detailing how armed Rohingya groups were kidnapping refugees from the camps and turning them over to the junta. Refugees who had been kidnapped and later escaped told Fortify Rights of being nabbed at a market or cafe, brought across the border and handed over to soldiers. One said he had been released only after his family handed over $850.
’THERE IS NO SAFE PLACE FOR US’
The threat of abduction has prompted desperate families to try to move their sons to safety. Given the security situation across Cox’s Bazar, that’s a near impossibility.
In mid-May, Damira sent her 22-year-old son to stay with relatives in a neighboring refugee camp. The family had recently arrived from Myanmar, fleeing violence in Maungdaw that saw their house burned and relatives killed. But their new home inside Cox’s Bazar has offered little sense of security.
"Compared to Bangladesh, the fear inside Myanmar was less," Damira told RFA in June. "We never imagined we would have to hide our son here."
There are almost no protected spaces within the massive, little-policed camps. Bangladesh’s strict controls on freedom of movement for refugees make it almost impossible to leave, Quinley said. And while the U.N. refugee agency can move anyone facing threats from one camp to another, "RSO has a huge presence around all the camps," he said.
It is impossible to know how many children — or adults — have been kidnapped from the camps to fight inside Myanmar. Citing a confidential U.N. report, the Agence La Belle France-Presse news service reported that about 1,500 Rohingya had been forcibly conscripted from the camps as of May.
One local aid worker told RFA he believed 3,000 had been kidnapped, but several humanitarians and analysts acknowledged there was no way to know for sure how many refugees have been sent to fight.
Ali, who crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar seven years ago, told RFA that whatever normality he and his family had managed to carve out in the years since disappeared the moment forced recruitment began.
"For the last few months we have been living in extreme fear," he said. In May, he sent his 16-year-old son to live with relatives elsewhere in the camps. Almost every day since he has heard of a boy being kidnapped for suspected forced recruitment. He is anguished by the idea that he cannot protect his child.
"The day before yesterday, my son told me that the area is also not safe. Every night a group of people have been patrolling. Whenever they spotted a young man, they targeted them to drag them to Myanmar," he said.
"Until death there is no safe place for us."
So far, Bangladeshi authorities appear unable or unwilling to address the security situation. Both Fortify Rights and Human Rights Watch last year released reports revealing widespread corruption, abuse and extortion by the Armed Police Battalion, or ABPn, which since 2020 has been responsible for camp security. Several bigwigs at ABPn declined to comment when reached by RFA, though previously the ABPn defended their record, telling BenarNews last year they had done much to protect those living inside the camps.
AN ENDLESS TRAP
Quinley of Fortify Rights said that RSO appeared to change tactics in May, following protests by women inside the camp and significant pushback from the larger community. RSO has denied both the use of children and a reported shift to going after teachers and leaders, insisting it’s carried out no forced recruitment. In audio messages published by Shafiur Rahman, a journalist who runs Rohingya Refugee News, RSO leader Ko Ko Linn referred to such reports as propaganda and boasted of having thousands of trained volunteers.
"There’s no need for the general public to be afraid or leave the camps," he said, according to a translation by Rahman.
But such claims do little to calm the nerves of those living inside the camps.
Months after his brother’s abduction, Muhammad is no closer to knowing whether it was RSO, ARSA or another group that took Farhad. All he knows is his brother went to school, tried to come home and disappeared.
"I don’t know if he is alive or not because the last time I was able to talk to him, my brother told me that they are out of food," Muhammad told RFA in June. While he spoke, rain pounded at the thin walls of their sparse home, seeping through one edge of the roof. His 4-year-old lay sleeping in the corner.
According to Muhammad, about six weeks after being forced across the border, Farhad managed to escape with three other boys. He called his brother from the jungle, telling him they found a trafficker who could smuggle him back into Bangladesh if given enough money. Muhammad thought the boy’s voice sounded weak and Farhad admitted he was sick. As Muhammad considered how to scrape together the funds to pay for Farhad’s release, his brother became unreachable — he could no longer get through on the phone.
From time to time, when he is feeling scared or stressed or angry, Muhammad dials a now useless number. At the other end, a prerecorded message tells him the phone has been switched off. But this is the last number at which he heard from Farhad, so what else can he do but try it, over and over again.
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.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...Arabic for 
...Arabic for 
...every time you hear the phrase 
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
... the personification of Somali state failure...
...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells....
...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 
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
...Arabic term meaning 
[PJMedia] 
[Slaynews] All airports must be closed and the consumption of meat and dairy products among the general public must be completely banned in order to comply with the globalist "Net Zero" agenda, according to a disturbing government report.
Is the Biden/Harris LSD Regime at it again?
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
