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Leading member of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis killed in North Sinai raid: Egyptian army
Today's Headlines
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Page 6: Politix
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Afghanistan
Afghan forces and civilians suffer casualties in Nangarhar attack
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A number of the Afghan cops and ordinary civilians suffered casualties during an attack on a security post in eastern 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 late on Saturday evening.

The provincial government in a statement said the attack was carried out in the vicinity of Najmuddin Akhundzada roundabout located in Behsud district.

The statement further added that two non-combatants were killed in the attack along with two soldiers inside the security post.

Another soldier also sustained injuries in the attack, the provincial government added.

According to the local officials, the assailant Death Eaters also suffered casualties after the Afghan forces responded to their fire but the exact number has not been ascertained so far.

Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in eastern Afghanistan but the anti-government armed krazed killer groups have recently increased their insurgency activities in some parts of the province during the recent years.

Taliban gunnies and Death Eaters affiliated with the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group are actively operating in a number of the remote districts of Nangarhar.

This comes as the Afghan forces are busy conducting counter-insurgency operations in some of the restive districts of Nangarhar as part of the Shaheen-25 operations launched over a month ago.

Posted by: Fred || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


ISIS execute 3 civilians on charges of supporting police in North of Afghanistan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least three civilians have been executed in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan by Lions of Islam affiliated with the offshoot of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

According to the local officials, the incident took place in the restive Darzab district and the victims were all ordinary civilians.

Provincial police chief Abdul Hafiz Khashi confirmed the incident but rejected the allegations against the victims.

He said the three civilians had no links or cooperation with any government or security institution as claimed by the ISIS loyalists.

The security situation in northern Jawzjan has sharply deteriorated during the recent months as the loyalists of ISIS terrorist group have expanded their operations in some remote districts of the province.

At least ten coppers and a woman were killed in an attack carried out by the ISIS Lions of Islam in this province last month.

Earlier, the ISIS Lions of Islam killed at least six workers of the International Committee of the Red Thingy and kidnapped two others.

There are still no reports regarding the whereabouts and fate of the kidnapped ICRC workers despite the international aid organization issued a statement urging the Lions of Islam to release the hostages.

Posted by: Fred || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Airstrikes leave 33 ISIS militants in East of Afghanistan in itty bitty pieces
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least thirty three bully boyz affiliated with the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in a series of Arclight airstrikes conducted in eastern 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 of Afghanistan.

The provincial police commandment said a number of the foreign bandidos myrmidons were also among those killed.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) earlier said the Arclight airstrikes were carried out in the vicinity of Kot district which was one of the main strongholds of the terror group.

The statement further added that several weapons belonging to the terror group’s bully boyz were also destroyed in the Arclight airstrikes.

According to MoI, the bully boyz were targeted in Sahiba, Mullah Badur, and Chinar areas of the district.

No further details were given regarding the party involved in the raid but the majority of such Arclight airstrikes are conducted by the US forces based in Afghanistan.

This comes as the 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan National Army said Saturday that 22 ISIS bully boyz including two of their commanders were killed in a similar Arclight airstrikes in Nazian district on Friday.

Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in eastern Afghanistan but the anti-government armed bully boyz have recently increased their insurgency activities in some parts of the province during the recent years.

The bully boyz affiliated with the ISIS terrorist group started their operations from Nangarhar nearly three years.

Posted by: Fred || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Will they need gallon, quart,sandwich or snack-sized Zip-Lock baggies to pick them up?
Posted by: gorb || 03/27/2017 1:39 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Leading member of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis killed in North Sinai raid: Egyptian army
[AlAhram] Five gunnies were killed in an army raid in North Sinai including a leading member of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an Egyptian army front man announced on Sunday.

The army's statement did not name the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis leader or provide any further information on the gunnies killed. A picture was posted with the statement, showing what appears to be the body of a dead man with an assault rifle.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has grabbed credit for most of the attacks against security personnel and installations in North Sinai.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336111 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)


Derna Shura Council foils Dignity Operation attack on southern Derna
[Libya Observer] The fighters of the Derna Shura Council thwarted an offensive launched by the forces of Khalifa Haftar
... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
-led Dignity Operation's Omar al-Mukhtar Operation Room on Daher al-Hamar frontline in southern Derna.

"We have hit targets for Dignity Operation forces with a rocket and caused them a number of injuries, including one of the leaders of the offensive." A military source from the Derna Shura Council reported.

According to the source, Dignity Operation forces launched an attack using fifty vehicles and six tanks after military support had reached them in the last few days.

Qubbah Hospital in western Derna said it had received three injured fighters from Dignity Operation in the wake of the festivities that took place in Daher al-Hamar.

A Dignity Operation's MIG23 air-attacked twice on Friday a number of positions in Fatayeh district in eastern Derna, leaving no noticeable human loss or material damage.

Posted by: Fred || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Presidential Council forms 3000-fighter force to secure Sirte
[Libya Observer] The UN-proposed government's Presidential Council (PC) has issued a new decree ordering the formation of a military force tasked with securing the city of Sirte.

According to the PC, the force will include 3000 fighters, who are all from the fighters of the military operations room of Bunyan Marsous
...(al-Bunyan al-Marsous, Solid Base) An operation carried out by Misratan forces loyal to the Libyan Goverenment of National Accord to dislodge ISIS forces from Sirte. 2,500 turbans were reported killed in the operation, which lasted from May through December.GNA's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj officially announced the end of military operations on 18 December 2016...
, led by Colonel Ahmed Abu Shahma.

The PC's decree No. 18 for 2017 specified the tasks assigned for the new force as four:

First, the force will be securing the state institutions in Sirte.

Second, the force will be tasked with fighting terrorism and securing the lives and properties of the residents in Sirte.

Third, enabling the security personnel to play their role in Sirte.

Fourth, enabling the military personnel to take their role as well in the city.

"this force will have a span of 6 months to be in Sirte, however, its duration in the city can be extended upon demand." The PC's decree added, saying each personnel of the force will be given 2000 Libyan dinars by the Defense Ministry.

Last December, Bunyan Marsous Operation Room decided to appoint Col. Abu Shahma as a military governor for Sirte after the city had been freed from IS diehards.

Posted by: Fred || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Africa Subsaharan
Boko Haram raids stoke fear of fresh attacks
[AlAhram] Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
Islamists raided a village in northeast Nigeria
... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border...
, in the latest rampage to steal food and medical supplies, as fears grew of more attacks, locals and security personnel said on Sunday.

Scores of fighters loyal to the faction headed by Abu Musab al-Barnawi stormed Sabon Garin Kimba, some 140 kilometres (88 miles) southwest of the Borno state capital Maiduguri.

They were dressed in military uniform and arrived in a pick-up in Nigerian army colours at about 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Friday,
...an interesting detail....
according to the civilian militia assisting troops.

The raid is significant as no non-combatants were killed or injured.

The Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group last year announced Barnawi was in charge of Boko Haram instead of its long-time leader Abubakar Shekau
... the lunatic leader of Boko Haram who has been reported dead at least eleven times, pledged his body and soul to ISIS, told his fighters to hang it up once or twice, and been fire by the Caliph and refused to step down ...
. Barnawi has criticised Shekau's indiscriminate violence against civilians.

Militia member Mustapha Karimbe, who visited the village on Saturday, said: "The attackers took away food items and medical supplies from shops and a pharmacy but they didn't harm anyone.

"They kept telling residents they were from the Barnawi faction and would not harm anyone as long as no-one got in their way."
Another interesting detail. Trying to make the waters they must swim in less hostile? But in a subsistance economy, taking someone's supplies is just a slower way to kill them...
Karimbe's account was supported by another member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) militia, Suleiman Musa.

A CJTF member in Maiduguri told AFP last week that co-ordinated military action by Nigeria and its neighbours had cut off the Islamist krazed killers' food and fuel supply lines.

Militants from both Boko Haram camps have in recent weeks intensified raids on villages and towns in the region in search of food.

On Sunday, residents in the town of Magumeri, some 50 kilometres northwest of Maiduguri, said Boko Haram fighters were mobilising in nearby villages.

"The fighters have been mobilising since yesterday (Saturday) and we don't know where they intend to strike," said one local resident, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

"There is so much fear among people in the area because the Boko Haram fighters are definitely up to something," said another.

Boko Haram attacked Magumeri on March 15, looting food supplies and burning homes after overwhelming troops.
The traditional approach. The same group or the other one?
The apparent build-up comes as Nigeria's military holds a shooting competition in Borno state's Sambisa Forest, which until December last year was the main base of Shekau's faction.

Nigeria's chief of army staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and other senior military officers were expected to attend the small arms championship.

There have been sporadic attacks in and around the Sambisa Forest area against people and traffic.

On March 1, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Boko Haram attacks had forced some 7,000 people to flee villages around the town of Chibok in less than a week.

On Saturday, Buratai said the shooting competition would enable Nigerian troops to "continue to dominate the area" as well as hone soldiers' marksmanship skills.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336085 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Arabia
Soddy airstrikes hit Houthi supplies in Hodeida
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Taiz- Saudi-led Arab Coalition air forces reported intensifying airstrikes over the last 24 hours, in an effort to back Yemeni pro-government army units in their offensive against militia posts in Yemen’s fourth-largest city, Hodeida.

Air raids targeted militia bastions in Khoukha, Ad Durayhimi, Al Wazi’iyah and Mawza districts.

Insurgency militias suffered great losses in personnel and artillery. It is worth noting that coalition air power took down arms warehouses and convoys.

Khoukha and the nearby city of Hodeidah are controlled by Iran-allied Houthi fighters who in 2014 overran Yemen’s capital Sanaa and forced the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi out.

Coalition airstrikes took place as pro-government forces, composed of tribesman making up the popular resistance and national army units, made incremental advances near the western coastal area in al Mawza district.

Pro-government forces moved towards Khalid Bin Al Waleed military camp, which is currently controlled by putschists. Yemeni government forces backed by Arab troops recaptured control of the southern Red Sea city of Mokha last month in a push that paved the way for an advance on Hodeidah, the country’s main port city.

Yemen government forces backed by heavy air strikes from Saudi-led coalition fighter jets launched in January a massive military operation to drive out Iran-allied Houthi militants and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh from the western coast to cut off supplies of arms to rebels from Iran. The last city to be liberated in Operation Golden Arrow is Hodeida.

Battles erupted in the western coastal area now witnesses increasing advances on behalf of government forces, with military officials confirming a nearing direct offensive to retake Hodeida port, city and governorate comprehensively.

“Government forces emphasize the importance of the western coastal area and Hodeida due to the great strategic, political and economic value they hold,” political analyst Bassim al Hakimi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Military missions are being staged under Arab coalition and Yemeni government cooperation, and are being managed from a common operating room,” Hakimi said when addressing the military operational function in Yemen today.

As for military strategy Hakimi said that multi-front advances are being sustained to clampdown on militia pockets spread in the governorate.

Ongoing battles and advances registered on behalf of pro-government forces present a critical advantage against coup militias. Progress recorded by pro-government forces will not be cut short to military pressure against Houthis but to also set a foot down against Houthis’ evasiveness and long-time exploitation of negotiations.

Several rounds of peace talks have ended in failure due to Houthis not committing to realizing a settlement as they eye full control and overthrowing the internationally recognized government of President Hadi.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Britain
Police arrest 30-year-old man in Birmingham during Westminster terror attack investigation
[DailyMail]
  • The man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts

  • He was detained by officers under the Terrorism Act and is currently in custody

  • Comes after a series of raids on homes in Birmingham since Wednesday's attack
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Parliament attacker’s daughter is a rebel who defied him

A bit of a looker...
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy || 03/27/2017 9:17 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Two suspected militants killed by Indian forces in held Kashmir
[DAWN] Two suspected murderous Moslems were killed in an ambush by the Indian army and police in Awantipora, Pulwama district in the India-held Kashmire on Sunday, reports said.

The suspects were identified as Rayees Ahmad Wani and Farooq Ahmad Hurra, affiliated with the bully boy Hizbul Mujahideen group operating in the India-held Kashmire.

Hurra and Wani were residents of Shopian and Pulwama districts and had joined the bully boy group in April and June of 2016, respectively.

Reports said that a joint party of Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmire Police and 55 Rashtriya Rifles ambushed the southern part of Pulwama district after receiving a tip-off about two suspected murderous Moslems travelling in a car.

As soon as the car reached the barricade, "murderous Moslems opened fire, which was retaliated", an Indian official told Srinagar-based media, adding, "in the ensuing shootout, both were killed."

Witnesses said that police and paramilitary forces resorted to teargas shells to disperse people who had gathered near the Awantipora cop shoppe to demand the bodies of the slain suspected bully boys.

The protesters retaliated by throwing stones, triggering festivities between the two sides.

The bodies were later handed over to the next of the kin of the slain men.
Posted by: Fred || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336094 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies


Iraq
Mosul Offensive News


Top Arab ISIS Turbans die in Mosul airstrike

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi air forces hit Islamic State locations in western Mosul on Sunday, killing a number of leaders, mostly Arabs, as operations continue to clear the region from militants.

In a statement on Sunday, the air force mentioned that depending on information from the military intelligence department, the aircraft destroyed a site for IS leaders, killing most of them including Abdullah al-Hayyaf, a Saudi national, Khaled Mohamed Hazzaa al-Shemary, a Saudi national, and Abdel Rahman Mohamed Murad, Iraqi Broadcasting Networks reported.

Mosul is the Islamic State’s last stronghold in Iraq. Eastern Mosul and about half of the west were recaptured from IS in January, after a US-backed offensive was launched in October. A new offensive started in February to retake the west. The government troops have recently pushed deeper into the Old City, a densely-populated and -structured area which military officials view as central to the desired victory over IS militants.

Battles in the west are believed to be much more difficult due to the density of residential areas and the high number of civilians who the commanders believe are used as human shields by IS members.

ISIS bomb expert dies in explosion in western Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A prominent booby trapping expert with the Islamic State has been killed along with four of his assistants in Tal Afar district, a strategic IS stronghold in western Mosul, a local source from Nineveh province said on Sunday.

The explosion took place in a residential building while attempting to booby trap it, the source added.

Alsumaria News quoted the source as saying, “Abu Hamza al-Tounsy, a prominent explosive expert with IS, was killed along with four of his aides in a two-storey residential building on the boundaries of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, while booby trapping it.”

“Tounsy has become famous over the past few months being one of the experts of booby trapping buildings and houses,” the source said, adding that “he came from Raqqa, Syria, in support of IS efforts in booby trapping.”

Pro-government militias, al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) have been recapturing areas around Tal Afar from IS. The Shi’ite militias taking part in the Mosul campaign began to close in on Tal Afar late last year, after the offensive was launched.

Mosul is the Islamic State’s last stronghold in Iraq. Eastern Mosul was recaptured from IS in January. The forces recently regained control over strategic areas in the western region after a US-backed offensive was launched in October. A new offensive started in February to retake the west. The government troops have recently pushed deeper into the Old City, a densely-populated and -structured area which military officials view as central to the desired victory over IS militants.

Battles in the west are believed to be much more difficult due to the density of residential areas and the high number of civilians who the commanders believe are used as human shields by IS members.

Iraqi forces capture cement plant in western Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s War Media Cell announced on Sunday, that security forces managed to liberate Badush Cement Plant, in western Mosul.

Commander of Operations, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement that troops of the army’s 9th armored brigade fully liberated Badush Cement Plant, in western the city of Mosul.

Security forces also raised Iraqi flag over the building of the plant, after inflicting heavy human and material losses on the enemy, Yarallah added.

Earlier this month, CTS Officer, Major Ali Mohsen, said that the Islamic State group set Badush Cement Factory ablaze, after looting its contents.

Joint security forces continue advancing into western Mosul, where they liberated a number of areas, today, including al-Orouba neighborhood, the industrial area, Wadi Ayn neighborhood and Rajm al-Hadid area.
Google Map at the link

14 ISIS Turbans die in airstrike near Serg-Khana region

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi fighter jets killed 14 Islamic State members on Sunday when they pounded their training camp in an area west of Mosul, according to military media.

The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said the strikes targeted an IS training camp in Serg-Khana region. Among those killed was Abu Thabet al-Ansari, a senior area commander within IS in western Mosul.

Iraqi government troops, backed by air forces from the U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been struggling to clear western Mosul from Islamic State militants since operations launched on February to recapture that region in February. Troops took over the eastern part of the city in January.

Airstrikes by the international coalition have been blamed over the past week for hundreds of civilian casualties, but the Iraqi command has also accused Islamic State of using civilians as human shields and fabricating reports of civilian casualties to tarnish the security campaign against the group.

Iraqi troops have been pressing on central Mosul’s Old City, a strategic target which commanders believe could put the scale of battles in their favor if recaptured.

The conflict in Mosul has so far displaced 433.000 since the launch of the campaign against IS in October. More than 200.000 were displaced in the western region alone since February.
Google Map at the link

Iraqi forces capture Badush dam

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Commander of We Are Coming, Nineveh Operations Command, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, announced on Sunday liberating Badush Dam, in western Mosul, and raising Iraqi flag over it.

Yarallah said in a brief statement that troops of the army’s 9th armored brigade liberated Badush Dam, and raised Iraqi flag over it, after inflicting heavy human and material losses on the enemy.

Earlier today, ‘We Are Coming, Nineveh’ Operations Command announced liberating Badush Cement Plant, al-Orouba neighborhood and the industrial area, in western Mosul.

Meanwhile, joint security forces, backed by the Army Aviation, Iraqi Air Force and US-led coalition air force, continue their extensive military operations to liberate the western side of the city of Mosul, as well as driving out the Islamic State group.
Google Map at the link

Iraqi militias evacuate 450 families from western Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Pro-government militias of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi troops evacuated on Sunday 450 families from the town of Adaya, western Mosul.

The troops, in collaboration with their security forces, were able evacuate the families and transfer them to safe places.

According to the Iraqi government, 433.000 persons were displaced since operations against Islamic State were launched in October to retake Mosul.

More than 200.000 people were displaced from the western part of the city since operations started in February to retake that region, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement said Sunday.

At least 400.000 civilians are expected by the United Nations to be displaced due to operations in Mosul. In October, upon the launch of Mosul battles in October, UN said that a total of 1.5 million could leave homes.

Consisting of 66 militia groups, al-Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is considered one of the largest militias in Iraq. It was established in 2014 by a fatwa (religious edict) to fight the Islamic State.

In late 2016, the Iraqi parliament recognized the militia as a national armed force.

However, Kurdish MP Arafat Karam told Bas News on Saturday that the US administration urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to dissolve the Shi’ite militia.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336082 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraqi forces force back ISIS attack in Salahuddin
Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday, that security forces managed to repel an attack launched by the Islamic State, in Salahuddin Province.

The ministry released a statement saying that forces from Salahuddin Operations Command repulsed an attack launched by the Islamic State terrorist group, on the troops stationed in al-Harariyat-Baiji area, as well as destroying 5 hideouts belonging to the group.

Security forces also managed to burn a vehicle belonging to the terrorist group, which was carrying militants and trying to attack the troops of the 3rd regiment, the statement added.

On Friday, Islamic State terrorists attacked Gardagli village in Amerli District, east of Salahuddin, where violent clashes took place, until al-Hashd al-Shaabi managed to stabilize the situation.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336086 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Baghdad Bomb and Bullet Bulletin


1 dead in bombing attack in Hoor al-Basha

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A bomb explosion killed one civilian and wounded three others in a northern Baghdad district on Sunday, police sources were quoted saying.

An explosive device exploded near a grocery in Hoor al-Basha, north of Baghdad, killing one and wounding three, according to the sources.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count. It excludes death toll among security members after Iraqi authorities had asked to get such information exclusively from security commands.

While several blasts are not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.

Some observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses. They are concerned that the group could, however, shift to a guerilla-style war and lone wolf attacks after the recapture of Mosul.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian rebels continue offensive in Hama
Beirut – Syrian rebel leaders displayed great content over succeeding with relaying its political views in keep with the ongoing Geneva peace negotiations, all despite having lost grounds in the eastern Damascus to pro-regime forces.

Syrian rebels continue to push their political demands in the face of a brutal and unprecedented military campaign led by Russian forces to curb an offensive launched by Syrian opposition factions in Hama.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat a rebel leader explained that the offensives and fierce battles staged and fought were to serve a political advantage in making a point that the Syrian revolution and rebels still have a counter military capacity to strike the authoritarian regime at heart.

Rebel groups launched the attack on Tuesday and have captured at least 11 villages and towns.

In previous peace talks, the table was tilted to favor the regime’s viewpoint in proportions with an assumed strong military standing.

On battleground developments, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory reported that rebel factions have withdrew Damascus outskirts and its eastern posts as a result of the intense impounding and clampdown of pro-regime aerial forces.

Forces backing head of Syrian regime Bashar al Assad had targeted areas previously taken by rebel forces in the Jobar and al-Qaboun neighborhoods which include textile and spinning factories.

At least 16 civilians were killed and dozens wounded on Saturday in an air strike on a rebel-held area outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. Regime air support targeted on Friday rebels supply routes in Eastern Ghouta and Jobar.

Jobar in the east of Damascus has been a battleground for more than two years, with regime forces seeking to push rebels out because of the neighborhood’s proximity to the heart of the capital.

Syrian regime troops on Friday regained control over all points taken by rebels in a surprise offensive launched late last week in the east of the capital Damascus, state media said. The rebel’s assault involved armed factions such as Faylaq al-Rahman group, as well as Fateh al-Sham Front.

State television showed a reporter greeting cheering soldiers near Abbasid Square, which had been emptied of its usual traffic at the beginning of the rebel assault on Sunday.

Footage showed burned out cars in the streets and a building with a hole blasted through its side.

The surprise attack, which sparked heavy fighting and shelling, was launched from the Jobar neighborhood, where control is divided between rebels and regime forces.

The assault was intended to assist allied rebel fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen and Qabun, as they came under regime attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

It said it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strike on the town Hammuriyeh in the opposition bastion of Eastern Ghouta, which has been targeted by both the government and its ally Russia in the past.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336080 views] Top|| File under:


ISIS orders evacuation of Raqqa dam
ISIL Takfiri group has ordered an evacuation from its de facto capital, Raqqa, following warnings that the Tabqa Dam upstream on the Euphrates River could collapse, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.

The agency quoted the so-called “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” as saying that civilians are fleeing Raqqa en masse.

The militants are warning residents that the dam is out of service, weakened by US-led coalition airstrikes, and could collapse. It says water levels are rising behind the dam, AP added.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the dam is out of service.

US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces are battling IS near the militant-held dam as part of a broader campaign to take Raqqa.

Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  If by 'out of service' they mean the control of flow, then think about Oroville dam, but without any release thru the turbines. Much more flow over the top until the spillway washes away. Anybody remember the Teton Dam?
Posted by: Bobby || 03/27/2017 8:04 Comments || Top||

#2  the lake impounded by Tabqa is called "Lake Assad"

it holds somewhere over 5 million acre feet of water which is actually more than Lake Oroville

Posted by: lord garth || 03/27/2017 10:22 Comments || Top||

#3  What is happening to the Tishrin Dam upstream of the Raqqa Dam? Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/27/2017 13:19 Comments || Top||

#4  According to this map, the Kurds are controlling the area around the dam, AP.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/27/2017 13:34 Comments || Top||

#5  Thanks, Mullah Richard. So there is some hope for the survivability of the dam.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/27/2017 13:39 Comments || Top||

#6  One thing with all these dams is that the total dissolved solids is rising to 4500 mg/L now from 1100 in 1979. That is getting too high to drink. In the US, 500 mg/l is the maximum contaminant level in drinking water.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/27/2017 13:42 Comments || Top||

#7  Too thick to drink, too thin to plow?
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/27/2017 14:31 Comments || Top||


Syrian forces continue operations in Damascus, Deir Ezzor
Syrian army on Sunday inflicted heavy losses upon ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Damascus countryside and Deir Ezzor.

An army unit carried out a special operation against a gathering of ISIL terrorists in the southeastern countryside of Damascus, SANA said, citing a military source.

The army artillery on Sunday morning carried out intensive bombardments against one of the gatherings of ISIL terrorists in Beer al-Qasab area in the southeastern countryside of Damascus, according to the source.

All members of a terrorist group affiliated to ISIS terrorist organization were killed in the bombardments and their arms and military equipment were destroyed, SANA quoted the source as saying.

Elsewhere in Deir Ezzor, the army air force carried out operations against terrorists’ positions and fortifications in the city, inflicting heavy losses on them.

The Syrian agency quoted a military source as saying that army units carried out intensive operations against positions of terrorists in the surrounding of the Airport, al-Maqaber “cemeteries” area and the Regiment 137 on the southwestern outskirts of Deir Ezzor.

Two armored vehicles were also destroyed in the operations and scores of terrorists were killed.

SANA reported that a number of ISIL terrorists were killed and others were injured in the airstrikes, in addition to destroying a number of their hideouts and large amounts of their military equipment.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336079 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Taqba airbase Saga
Syrian rebels launch attack on Taqba Airbase

[ARA News] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (ISIS) on Sunday launched an offensive on the ISIS-held Tabqa Airbase in Raqqa countryside, in northeastern Syria.

Backed by the US-led coalition, the SDF troops targeted ISIS positions inside the airbase with heavy artillery shelling.

“The bombardment forced a large number of ISIS militants to evacuate their posts inside the airbase,” SDF officer Habun Osman told ARA News.

The official added that the SDF has taken control of several parts of the Tabqa Airbase.

“The clashes are still ongoing, but soon the airbase will be fully liberated from ISIS terrorists,” Osman said.

In the meantime, hundreds of civilians started to evacuate Raqqa amidst concerns over the stability of the nearby Tabqa Dam.

The SDF launched a multi-pronged offensive behind enemy lines on Wednesday to liberate the Tabqa Dam from ISIS. Apache helicopters, U.S. Marine artillery and special operation troops were part of this operation to drop SDF fighters near Tabqa.

Seizing Tabqa’s airbase and dam will give the SDF the strategic advantage and launching point needed for the liberation of the city. The area is critical to ISIS’s ability to import and harbor foreign fighters, export terror, and is ISIS’s last link to territory west of the Euphrates.

Tabqah Dam has been used as an ISIS headquarters, a prison for high-profile hostages, a training location, and for external terror plotting since ISIS took control of the location in 2013.

Syrian rebel capture airfield

[ARA News] The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday 20:00 PM liberated the strategic Tabqa Airport after several days of fighting, officials confirmed.

“Tabqa Military Airport is liberated by SDF,” the Democratic Union Party (PYD) said on Sunday.

“The Fighters of the Euphrates Wrath operation have liberated the airport of Tebqa from the Daesh [ISIS] mercenaries,” Nawaf Xelil, a Kurdish analyst and former PYD official, said.

The airbase lies 45 kilometers west of Raqqa. Other SDF forces are within 10 kilometers of the city, approaching from the northeast.

The airport was captured by ISIS in August 2014 and is near the Turkish and Iraqi border. ISIS at the time killed more than 170 soldiers, and executed 160 Syrian soldiers between 27-28 August 2014.

This is the second airport liberated by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, after the SDF fighters captured the Minnigh airbase from Islamist militants in February last year.

Kurdish officials have speculated that the SDF and US-led coalition forces could use the air base in the final offensive on the Islamic State’s (ISIS) de facto capital of Raqqa.

The SDF and the US-led coalition could use the airport to facilitate the flow of good, supplies and personnel. This could accelerate the liberation of Raqqa and move the campaign forward.

Kurdish officials hope that the liberation of the airport would make the US-led coalition less dependent on the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, that Turkey previously threatened to close down due to US cooperation with the Kurdish-led SDF troops.

This comes as part of the third phase of the Euphrates Wrath Operation, aimed at liberating Eastern Raqqa from ISIS jihadists, launched by the SDF on 4 February.

During the first phase of Euphrates Wrath, which began on November 6, 2016, the SDF liberated roughly 560 km² in Northern Raqqa.

On 10 December, the SDF launched the second phase of the Euphrates Wrath, during which it captured over 2500 km² in Western Raqqa.

The campaign is ultimately aimed at isolating the ISIS radical group in its de facto capital.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336083 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Terror Networks
The Beatings Will Continue: Iraqi Edition


4 civilians die in ISIS artillery attack

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) At least 19 civilians were killed and wounded on Sunday when Islamic State militants reportedly shelled areas recaptured by security forces in eastern Mosul, with mortar rounds.

Iraqi news websites said militants shelled the Nabi Yunus area in eastern Mosul with mortar missiles, killing at least four and wounding 15 others. The reports added that the attack destroyed five commercial stores in the area.


Nabi Yunus district, eastern Mosul.
Iraqi government forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting to retake the city which fell to Islamic State militants in 2014. Many fighters fled to the western strongholds and some died en route. Since then, IS launched several attacks on the recaptured areas in the east, killing several civilians and security members. The attacks were carried out with drones, suicide bombings and mortar bombardments.

Iraqi forces are currently struggling to retake western Mosul in a campaign that started in February. Recent reports said hundreds of civilians died in airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS alongside the Iraqi troops. The Iraqi command accuses US of causing civilian casualties by taking them as human shields and booby-trapping their property.

The conflict in western Mosul has so far displaced more than 200.000 civilians.

61 dead found in Mosul mosque

Mosul (Reuters) Iraq’s military said on Sunday that 61 bodies were recovered from a collapsed building that Islamic State had booby-trapped in west Mosul, but there was no sign the building had been hit by a coalition air strike.

The military statement differed from reports by witnesses and local officials that said as many as 200 bodies had been pulled from the building after a coalition strike last week targeted IS militants and equipment in the Jadida district.

What happened on March 17 remains unclear and details are difficult to confirm as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State to recapture the densely populated parts of the western half of Mosul, the militant group’s last stronghold in Iraq.

Iraqi forces on Sunday hit militant positions with helicopter strikes, and exchanged heavy gunfire and rockets around al Nuri mosque in west Mosul, where the Islamic State leader declared his caliphate nearly three years ago.

One federal police officer said they had killed a militant in a suicide vest trying to infiltrate their position, and exchanged fire with two other fighters.

At the north edge of Mosul, Iraqi army divisions raided and entered the Badush cement factory, to where militants had retreated, Lt. Col. Ali Jassem of the 9th armored division said. Army units are clearing villages to the north.

As combat continues, the Jadida incident highlights the complexity of fighting in west Mosul, where militants hide among families, using them as shields and putting at risk as many as half a million people still caught in Islamic State-held areas.

Thousands have already fled Mosul and coalition officials and Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government are wary of incidents that could alienate residents of the mainly Sunni city and fuel the kind of sectarian tensions that helped Islamic State’s rise.

The U.S.-led coalition backing Iraqi forces on Saturday said it carried out a strike on Islamic State militants and equipment in the area of the reported deaths, and was investigating. It did not give figures for any casualties or details of targets.

The Iraqi military command said witnesses had told troops that the building was booby-trapped and militants had forced residents inside basements to use them as shields. IS militants had also fired on troops from houses, it said.

“A team of military experts from field commanders checked the building where the media reported that the house was completely destroyed. All walls were booby-trapped and there is no hole that indicates an air strike,” it said.

“Sixty-one bodies were evacuated,” the statement said.

A coalition air strike had hit the area at the time though there was no sign it struck that building, it said.
More at the link

ISIS captures kidz for use as human shields

Mosul (BasNews) The Islamic State (IS) militants have reportedly taken nearly 200 children hostage in west Mosul in order to use them as human shields to resist the Iraqi forces’ advance on the IS-held areas in the city.

The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights reported that 197 children have been taken hostage by the IS militants near al-Nouri Grand Mosque in west Mosul where the Iraqi troops have closed in on the militant group.

The source said the militants intend to use the children as human shields to impede the advance of the Iraqi troops.

Due to the increasing number of civilian casualties, the Iraqi security forces suspended the military operations to retake western Mosul.

The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights in a statement on Saturday revealed that since the beginning of the operation on western part of Mosul, around 4000 civilians have died due to the ongoing fight between the Iraqi forces and IS extremists.
Posted by: badanov || 03/27/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336081 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State



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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2017-03-27
  Leading member of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis killed in North Sinai raid: Egyptian army
Sun 2017-03-26
  Police clash with anti-Christian mob in southern Egypt
Sat 2017-03-25
  ISIL withdrawing fighters from southern Syria to concentrate on Raqqa
Fri 2017-03-24
  Helmand’s Sangin district has reportedly fallen to Taliban
Thu 2017-03-23
  It's worse: Jewish Israeli-American, 19, arrested in Ashkelon for phoning in dozens of JCC bomb threats
Wed 2017-03-22
  Jihadi car and knife attack: Parliament in lockdown
Tue 2017-03-21
  U.S. Bans Laptops, Tablets from Cabins on Flights from Middle East
Mon 2017-03-20
  Syrian regulars gain control of regions near Palmyra
Sun 2017-03-19
  Four wanted Maute militants nabbed in Lanao
Sat 2017-03-18
  Man shot dead at Paris Orly airport this morning after taking soldier's gun: official
Fri 2017-03-17
  Four Killed as Bangladesh Police Storm Islamist Hideout
Thu 2017-03-16
  Kommander Abdullah, 10 others die in airstrike in Paktika
Wed 2017-03-15
  Dozens killed in suicide bombing at Damascus "Palace of Justice" courthouse
Tue 2017-03-14
  Suspected ISIS gas attack hits Iraqi forces in west Mosul
Mon 2017-03-13
  Kenyan police nab 6 terror suspects in coastal town

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