Hi there, !
Today Thu 04/25/2019 Wed 04/24/2019 Tue 04/23/2019 Mon 04/22/2019 Sun 04/21/2019 Sat 04/20/2019 Fri 04/19/2019 Archives
Rantburg
531201 articles and 1854402 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 59 articles and 152 comments as of 2:01.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Sri Lanka explosions, 24 arrested, 290+ dead, 8 kabooms
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 [336076] 
13 20:55 SteveS [336129] 
0 [336071] 
2 15:21 Skidmark [336072] 
0 [336074] 
0 [336070] 
0 [336069] 
0 [336076] 
2 13:21 Dron66046 [336072] 
0 [336077] 
2 18:01 Dron66046 [336088] 
1 09:10 Omorong Black8889 [336089] 
0 [336071] 
0 [336083] 
0 [336089] 
0 [336074] 
0 [336077] 
Page 2: WoT Background
3 17:26 AlanC [336099]
2 09:46 Skidmark [336069]
7 17:38 Dron66046 [336098]
2 18:25 Victor Emmanuel Dingle1729 [336084]
0 [336068]
0 [336069]
4 14:17 Dron66046 [336073]
0 [336072]
0 [336072]
0 [336077]
0 [336098]
4 17:13 Cheaderhead [336075]
2 17:16 Cheaderhead [336073]
0 [336074]
2 17:56 Dron66046 [336084]
2 17:21 Cheaderhead [336081]
4 15:33 Skidmark [336072]
0 [336071]
0 [336073]
Page 3: Non-WoT
4 17:17 P2kontheroad [336074]
2 11:55 trailing wife [336078]
3 10:10 AlmostAnonymous5839 [336080]
2 21:21 DarthVader [336080]
0 [336083]
2 09:03 Omorong Black8889 [336086]
0 [336072]
1 13:57 Dron66046 [336076]
0 [336071]
1 02:02 Besoeker [336069]
0 [336069]
4 11:37 Skidmark [336073]
3 11:52 M. Murcek [336071]
3 17:53 Kofi Trotsky4715 [336086]
Page 4: Opinion
9 23:14 JohnQC [336101]
17 20:24 Frank G [336080]
6 12:31 3dc [336075]
11 15:45 Skidmark [336069]
4 22:03 rjschwarz [336090]
3 11:29 JohnQC [336070]
0 [336071]
Page 6: Politix
15 23:10 JohnQC [336081]
10 18:37 Sock Puppet of Doom [336104]
Afghanistan
3 Taliban commanders and their 10 fighters killed in Nuristan province
[KhaamaPress] Three commanders of the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
group and their ten fighters were killed during the artillery and Arclight airstrikes which were carried out in response to a coordinated attack by Taliban on security outposts in Nurgeram district.

The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military in a statement said Talian murderous Moslems launched attacks on security outposts in Kanda Labog area of Nurgeram district on Friday which were repulsed by security and defense forces.

The statement further added that the security and defense forces also carried out artillery and airstrikes against Taliban positions in response to the attacks which left 13 murderous Moslems dead including their three commanders.

The Taliban commanders killed during the operations have been identified as Janat Gul, Haji Gul, and Zabiullah, the 201st Silab Corps said, adding that 5 murderous Moslems were also maimed during the same operations.

The 201st Silab Corps also added that the security personnel and civilians did not suffer casualties during the festivities.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336069 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


10 militants killed, wounded in Afghan Air Force airstrike in Ghazni province
[KhaamaPress] At least ten Death Eaters were killed or maimed an Arclight airstrike of the Afghan Air Force in southeastern Ghazni province, the Afghan military said Sunday.

According to a statement released by 203rd Thunder Corps, the Afghan Air Force carried out an airstrike targeting armed bandidos murderous Moslems in Panah area of Geru district.

The statement further added that seven Death Eaters were killed and three others were maimed during the same airstrike.

The anti-government armed Death Eaters including Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
have not commented regarding the airstrike so far.

Ghazni is among the relatively volatile provinces in Southeast of Afghanistan where Talibs have active presence in some of its districts and often attempt to carry out terrorist related activities against the government and security institutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Intelligence forces arrest Taliban’s shadow district chief for Musa Qala of Helmand
[KhaamaPress] The shadow district chief of Taliban
...Arabic for students...
for Musa Qala district has been tossed in the clink
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
during an operation of the Afghan Intelligence forces.

The National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
, the intelligence department of Afghanistan, in a statement said Mullah Abdul Ghafoor son of Mulah Sefat, the shadow district chief of Taliban for Musa Qala was arrested during a Special Operation conducted by intelligence forces.

The statement further added that three Ak-47 assault rifles, a pistol, 600 kgs of explosives, a vehicle, a cycle of violence, dozens of propaganda documents, and a radio set were also confiscated.

The anti-government armed murderous Moslem groups including Taliban have not commented regarding the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghafoor so far.

Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
is among the volatile provinces in South of Afghanistan where Talibs have active presence in its various districts and often carry out terrorist related activities against the government and security institutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336072 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1 
Posted by: Omorong Black8889 || 04/22/2019 8:57 Comments || Top||

#2  "A Yamaha in the middle of the desert ?! We're taking this."
Posted by: Dron66046 || 04/22/2019 13:21 Comments || Top||


28 militants including 4 Pakistanis, 3 suicide bombers killed in Zabul airstrikes
[KhaamaPress] At least 28 forces of Evil including four Pak nationals and three jacket wallahs were killed in the Arclight airstrikes which were conducted in southern Zabul province.

The 205th Atal Corps in a statement said Sunday that the airstrikes were carried out in Koh-e-Saifal area of Nawbahar district.

The statement further added that 28 forces of Evil including four Pak nationals and three suicide bombers were killed during the airstrikes.

The remaining forces of Evil who were killed in the airstrikes belonged to Mullah Ahmadullah Mahmood group of Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
, the 205th Atal Corps said, adding that two vehicles of the enemies were also destroyed in the airstrikes.

Zabul is among the relatively volatile provinces in South of Afghanistan where Talibs have active presence in some of its districts and often attempt to carry out attacks against the government and security institutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336077 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


ISIS claims deadly attack on Afghan ministry
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] ISIS on Sunday grabbed credit for an attack that killed 10 people and trapped around 2,000 for hours inside the communications ministry in the Afghan capital the previous day.

Four ISIS turbans detonated explosives near the ministry, then entered and "battled Afghan cops with machine guns and hand grenades for numerous hours", the group said in a statement on its social media channels.

The attack in central Kabul killed seven civilians and three members of the security forces, the interior ministry said on Sunday, in a new toll after three people died of their wounds.

AFP journalists heard one big blast around 11:40 am, followed by sporadic gunfire for hours afterward.

By about 5:00 pm, the interior ministry declared the assault over.

"All jacket wallahs killed & more than 2000 civilian staff rescued," it said on Twitter.

General Sayed Mohammad Roshan Dil, the Kabul police chief, said the four attackers had been wearing police uniforms.

Panicked workers inside the 18-story building, believed to be Kabul’s tallest, scrambled up to the top floor as the fighting raged below.

One woman said she had been in a group of about 30 people on the 10th floor when the assault started, then was told to move up to the 18th floor as gunfire increased. They were all eventually rescued by commandos.

Aside from a grenade attack on a military vehicle last week and persistent crime, Kabul has in recent weeks enjoyed a period of relative calm.

Last year however saw a string of attacks including one where a massive bomb concealed in an ambulance killed more than 100 people.
Khaama Press has a photo of what are presumably the four formerly living Lions of Islam, all trying to look fierce with a single finger sticking up to show what they found in their noses before wrapping varicolored burnooses around their faces.

Posted by: Fred || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336083 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa North
Haftar forces press offensive on Libyan capital
[PULSE.NG] Forces backing Libya's unity government battled to push back an offensive by strongman Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. 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...
on Sunday as his troops approached the gates of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
after air raids overnight.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336071 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Libya's Interior Ministry arrests person threatening to attack ISIS-harboring Mitiga prison
[Libya Observer] The Presidential Council's Interior Ministry said it had incarcerated
I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece!
a person who used to appear in videos threatening to attack Mitiga prison run by Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
Special Deterrence Force (SDF) and free ISIS bully boyz and other holy warriors detained in it.

Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha told all security apparatuses that Abdelsalam Shughib had been arrested and was under interrogation at the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The ministry warned Sunday against any sabotage or vandalism at the state institutions for any personal benefits, saying any attack is a treason and a coup against the government, especially at this time as the capital is being attacked by "illegitimate gangs."

The ministry also said that the offensive on Tripoli helps create mayhem and undermines efforts to root out terrorism and organized crime, adding that it is very keen on protecting the capital and the people as well as state institutions.

"We will bring down all those who are part of terrorist groups and we will prevail security and prohibit the use of violence so that all people across Libya are safe and secure." The statement reads, saying it is ready to cooperate with all neighboring countries and friend ones to fight terrorism and cross border crime.

Days ago, the ministry said it had apprehended ISIS bully boyz who infiltrated into Tripoli to carry out terrorist attacks in Tripoli and its suburbs.
Posted by: Fred || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336089 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Subsaharan
At least 11 Malian soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attack
[France24] Suspected jihadists killed at least 11 soldiers in an attack Sunday in central Mali, the defence ministry said.

The military outpost at Guire was attacked at around five in the morning, the ministry said, adding that there were also a number of injuries and damage. Earlier reports had put the number of soldiers killed at 10 or 12.

"The terrorists came out of the forest. They were on motorcycles and pick-up trucks. They burnt vehicles and took away others," a security source, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The Mali armed forces said on Twitter reinforcements were being sent to the Nara sector, about 370 kilometres (230 miles) north of the capital Bamako.

A local resident contacted by AFP said there had been heavy gunfire and the military "were taken by surprise" in the attack.

"I saw two terrorists put their motorcycles in an army vehicle and drive off with it," he said. Malian and foreign troops are regularly targeted by jihadist militia.

Suspected jihadists killed 21 Malian soldiers last month in a raid on another army camp in Dioura, central Mali.

On Saturday a UN peacekeeper was killed and four others wounded when a mine exploded as their convoy passed through a central region. The UN mission was established in Mali after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country in 2012 before being pushed back by French troops in 2013.

A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability. But the accord has failed to stop the violence.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/22/2019 07:55 || Comments || Link || [336076 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Four killed in failed attack on Saudi state security building
[REUTERS] Four alleged 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....
Death Eaters were killed on Sunday when authorities thwarted an attack on a state security building in Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
’s central Riyadh province, authorities told state media.

The four had helped carry out the attack at the Mabaheth (domestic intelligence) station in Zulfi, a small city about 250 kms (155 miles) northwest of the capital Riyadh, a front man for Saudi state security said.

Three security force members were maimed in the attack, the front man said, adding that security services were dealing with "kabooms" and other items left behind during the incident.

Online videos, which Rooters could not immediately verify, showed a car at a checkpoint with its doors open and two bloody corpses splayed on the ground nearby. Gunshots could be heard.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said the attackers had been carrying machine guns, bombs and Molotov cocktails.

Islamic State’s official news agency Amaq grabbed credit for the attack in a video later on Sunday in which four masked assailants pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
...the head of ISIS, or what remains of it, and a veteran of the Abu Graib jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us. So far he has been killed at least four times, though not yet by a stake through the heart...
Rooters could not independently verify the claim and authorities did not officially identify the assailants.

Posted by: Fred || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336074 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Mercenaries fighting for Riyadh regime killed in Yemeni missile strike
[PRESSTV] Several Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have been killed and dozens of others sustained injuries when Yemeni army forces fired a domestically-manufactured ballistic missile at their camp in the country’s southwestern province of Dhale.
domestically-manufactured...yeah. Pull the other one
A Yemeni military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that Yemeni soldiers and their allies launched a short-range Zelzal-1 (Earthquake-1) missile at the Saudi mercenaries in the Qa'atabah district of the province on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Yemeni air defense forces and their allies from Popular Committees intercepted and targeted an unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the Saudi-led military coalition in the skies over Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Najran.
Posted by: Fred || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336077 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Europe
Man Storms German Church, Injures 24 People In Mass Panic
[Jpost] A man stormed a church in Munich on Saturday, causing injuries to at least 24 people as the parishioners fled the service.

The assailant, described as an "African" man by some media outlets, caused the mass panic and injuries. The congregants were treated for light injuries and returned to the service.

Videos posted online show the inside of the St. Paul’s Gay Pareeh church in disarray. The police jugged
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
the man on Saturday evening in the church.

According to German media reports, the police said on Sunday the man made "noisily unintelligible words that frightened the congregants who were within earshot."

While it was initially reported that the man had shouted "Allahu Akhbar" as he stormed the church, those reports have not been confirmed.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336072 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It should be clear to almost every free thinking person by now that these attacks on churches around the world, including the obvious sabotage and arson at Notré Dame and the massacre in Srilanka are all IS approved and instigated work of sleeper cells and lone wolves, in retaliation for the New Zealand thing.

They just want the world to know that if any of us 'kafar' push them, they have resources to unleash carnage in return.

The European media fighting the arson angle in France and the German media who report with ambiguity like "noisy unintelligible words.." are the same kind of despicable.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 04/22/2019 13:16 Comments || Top||

#2  the man made "noisily unintelligible words that frightened the congregants who were within earshot."

Like cattle.

What he really said was, "Behalte deinen Gott, ich bin nur hier für den Wein."

Which does sound unintelligible.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/22/2019 15:21 Comments || Top||


56 Immigrants From Pakistan And Syria Were Arrested In Macedonia
[Jpost] Macedonian police placed in durance vile
I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece!
a 56-strong commercial van on a highway in the north of the country, according to a report published by Rooters.

Two Macedonian citizens were arrested on suspicion of smuggling the refugees, citizens of Pakistain and Syria. The refugees were transferred to a transit camp near the border with Greece and deported.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336074 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


The Grand Turk
Turkey’s CHP leader attacked at Ankara funeral
[Rudaw] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor....
’s main opposition party leader was attacked in Ankara on Sunday when he attended a funeral service for four soldiers recently killed in festivities with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

"Kick out PKK parties!" chanted an angry crowd that mobbed Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), in video captured by DHA.

Security personnel got Kilicdaroglu out of the mob and police escorted him to a safe house. Ottoman Turkish media reported people were seen throwing stones at the house. There are no reports he was injured in the incident.

Sezai Temeli and Pervin Buldan, co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), condemned the attack, accusing the ruling AKP-MHP coalition of "polarizing society and creating tensions".

"We believe that democratic politics will overcome the problems created by the current environment," they said in a joint statement.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336089 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Will Ponch still be able to have a child?
Posted by: Omorong Black8889 || 04/22/2019 9:10 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraq sentences to death 4 ISIS fighters handed over by SDF
[Rudaw] Four 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....
(ISIS) fighters captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and were sentenced to death by an Iraqi court on Sunday. Iraq is preparing cases against nearly 900 suspected jihadists.

"The main commission in the Karkh Criminal Court looked into the case of four convicts for belonging to ISIS terrorist gangs who carried criminal acts that targeted innocent civilians with the aim of destabilizing the security and stability inside Iraq and Syria," read a statement from Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

They were charged under Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law (No. 13 of 2005) and sentenced to death by hanging.

These are the first individuals captured in Syria to be sentenced by Iraq’s justice system.

It follows an earlier death sentence handed down on Thursday by a federal court in Baghdad of an ISIS fighter found guilty of joining the group’s sniper battalion.

Human rights organizations including Amnesia Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned Iraq’s fast-track courts, claiming they fail to exercise due process and extract forced confessions.

Iraq is among the world’s top five executioners, according to a recent Amnesty report.
But they have so many truly evil people to dispose of after years of ISIS atrocities that efficiency is the only alternative to criminally overcrowded jail cells.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  i say let the iraqis give them all a trial. they seem to know what too do with them
Posted by: chris || 04/22/2019 8:26 Comments || Top||

#2  What due process ? They were caught after intense war. And a jihadi never pleads innocent anyway. He declares his creed with every breath. The only question should be ... efficacy of mass disposal.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 04/22/2019 18:01 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF arrests Five Palestinians In West Bank
[Jpost] The IDF forces nabbed
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
five Paleostinians in the West Bank overnight on Sunday who are suspected of being involved in terrorist activities, popular terrorism and violent disturbances against civilians and security forces.

The suspects were transferred for questioning.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336071 views] Top|| File under:


IDF arrests two Palestinians with knives who crossed Gaza border
[IsraelTimes] Israel Defense Force soldiers locked away
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
two Paleostinians armed with knives near the perimeter fence in the northern Gazoo Strip Sunday, the IDF said.

The army said the suspects were transferred to other security forces for further investigation.

So far this month, at least 12 Paleostinians have been intercepted trying to cross into Israel.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336070 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Sri Lanka
Day 2: Sri Lanka explosions, what we know so far: 24 arrested, 290+ dead, 8 kabooms +1 defused
Yesterday’s events can be seen here.
[The Guardian] A series of explosions has rocked Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Here is what we know as of Sunday 11:27pm EDT:
  • At least 290 people have been killed and 500 more injured in a series of explosions targeting churches holding Easter services and hotels in Sri Lanka.

  • Most of the dead are believed to be Sri Lankans, but officials say about 30 people from other countries have been killed. Three UK nationals and two US-UK dual nationals were among the dead. Two Turkish nationals, one Dutch, one Chinese, one Portuguese, and one Japanese have been killed, their respective foreign ministries have confirmed.

  • No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks but Sri Lanka’s defence minister, Ruwan Wijewardene, said the culprits had been identified and were religious extremists. He said suicide bombers were responsible for the majority of the morning’s bombings and that the wave of attacks was the work of a single group.

  • The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said security services had been “aware of information” of a possible attack up to 10 days ago. “We must also look into why adequate precautions were not taken,” he told reporters on Sunday.

  • Twenty-four people have been reported to have been arrested so far.

  • The government has imposed a curfew with immediate effect. It also shut down social media and messaging services.

  • There were six initial blasts, at three hotels and three churches, before two more explosions some time later, at a guest house and housing scheme, with two people reported to have been killed at the former.

  • Harsha de Silva, a government minister, said the last two blasts appeared to have been carried out by the culprits as they fled from police.
The Guardian continues liveblogging here.

9th bomb located & successfully defused at Colombo International Airport in Sri Lanka
[TWITTER]
Sri Lanka bomber queued at hotel buffet then unleashed devastation

[DAWN] The jacket wallah waited patiently in a queue for the Easter Sunday breakfast buffet at Sri Lanka's Cinnamon Grand hotel before setting off explosives strapped to his back.

Carrying a plate, the man, who had registered at the hotel the night before as Mohammed Azzam Mohammed, was just about to be served when he set off his devastating strike in the packed restaurant, a manager at the Sri Lankan hotel said.

"There was utter chaos," said the manager, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity as he is not allowed to speak for the company.

The Taprobane restaurant at the hotel was having one of its busiest days of the year for the Easter holiday weekend.

"It was 8:30am and it was busy. It was families," the manager told AFP. "He came up to the top of the queue and set off the blast," he added. "One of our managers who was welcoming guests was among those killed instantly."

The bomber also died. Parts of his body were found intact by police and taken away.

Other hotel officials told how the bomber, a Sri Lankan, checked in giving an address that turned out to be false, saying he was in the city for business.

Two other hotels, the Shangri-La and the Kingsbury, were hit at about the same time, along with three churches packed with worshippers attending Easter Sunday services.

The blast at St Anthony's Shrine, a historic Catholic Church, was so powerful that it blew out much of the roof, leaving roof tiles, glass and splintered wood littering the floor that was strewn with bodies.

Authorities have not said who staged the attacks. But all suffered major casualties and damage. Many of the 35 foreigners killed in the blasts were at the hotels, officials said.

Thawheed Jamaat, group active in Tamil Nadu, prime suspect behind Sri Lanka blasts

[TimesofIndia] The eight serial blasts that shook Sri Lanka on Easter and reverberated around the world have drawn attention to an arc of radicalisation stretching from the Maldives to Bangladesh where 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....
-inspired modules have been regularly linked to terror incidents.

Though counter-intelligence experts are cautious in the absence of an acknowledgement, topping the shortlist of suspects is Thawheed Jamaat, a hardline group with a significant presence in Tamil Nadu too.

The spectacular scale bears the IS signature and is in keeping with the desire of jihadi groups from Al Qaeda to IS, and including variants like Lashkar and Jaish, to stage attacks that serve to intimidate enemies and attract recruits.
Though suicide kaboom was virtually invented by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam decades ago, Sunday's attacks bear the hallmark of Islamist groups. The Wahhabi-aligned Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaat (SLTJ) has found traction in the country's eastern province and has been pushing Sharia law with burqas for women and building mosques to disseminate radical messages.

The attacks, in their operationalisation, seem similar to the Holey Artisan Bakery suicide kaboom in Dhaka in 2016, which was carried out by local boys but trained by Islamic State. The spectacular scale bears the IS signature and is in keeping with the desire of jihadi groups from Al Qaeda to IS, and including variants like Lashkar and Jaish, to stage attacks that serve to intimidate enemies and attract recruits. Maldives, with the dubious distinction of having one of the highest number of IS fighters, has been a source of worry. Apart from terrorist acts, the deeper radicalisation due to IS messaging is a serious challenge to social stability.

Whether the Thawheed has made the leap into suicide kabooms is not clear and will await investigation even though the scale of the attacks might indicate that jihadi terrorism has made a major landfall in Sri Lanka. SLTJ’s activities have triggered a Buddhist backlash which has resulted in some tension between Buddhists and Moslems, including recent attacks against Buddha statues in the country.

Since the attack on Sunday was specifically directed against Christians on a holy day, the likelihood of the event being part of a bigger Islamist jihad is not ruled out.

The initial assessment is that the attack was likely to have been carried out by radicalised Lankan Moslems. But counter-terrorism specialists say it would be difficult for a local group to carry out coordinated attacks of the magnitude seen yesterday without the help of an outside terror force.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336129 views] Top|| File under: Salafists

#1  The Jerusalem Post:

The alleged suicide bomber and mastermind behind the attack on the Shangri La hotel has been identified as Islamic extremist Moulvi Zahran Hashim. An Islamist extremist imam, he was a prolific lecturer for National Tawheed Jamaath.

CNN reported that Hashim also wanted to attack the Indian High Commission in Colombo earlier this month, but the attack was thwarted. According to the CNN report, that attack was planned for April 4.


A screenshot from one of his YouTube videos can be seen at the link.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 5:49 Comments || Top||

#2  Obviously YouTube considers US conservatives a greater threat than extremist radical terrorist suicide bombers.
Posted by: Ebbavirt Clunk4147 || 04/22/2019 6:27 Comments || Top||

#3  ..yes, they do. Youtube, owned and operated by Google.
Posted by: P2kontheroad || 04/22/2019 6:37 Comments || Top||

#4  security services had been “aware of information” of a possible attack

Known wolves, again.
Posted by: Bobby || 04/22/2019 9:10 Comments || Top||

#5  Coming to a Minneapolis near you.
Posted by: Woodrow || 04/22/2019 9:26 Comments || Top||

#6  From The Times of Israel, as of 4:30 a.m. EDT:

The coordinated Easter Sunday bombings that ripped through Sri Lankan churches and luxury hotels were carried out by seven suicide bombers, a government investigator said Monday.

An analysis of the attackers’ body parts made clear that they were suicide bombers, said Ariyananda Welianga, a forensic crime investigator. He said most attacks were by one bomber, with two at Colombo’s Shangri-La Hotel.

The streets of Colombo were largely deserted Monday morning, with most shops closed and a heavy deployment of soldiers and police. Stunned clergy and onlookers gathered at St. Anthony’s Shrine, looking past the soldiers to the stricken church.

The Sri Lankan government lifted a curfew that had been imposed during the night. But most social media remained blocked Monday after officials said they needed to curtail the spread of false information and ease tension in the country of about 21 million people.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 11:23 Comments || Top||

#7  The Times of Israel at 11:00 a.m.:

A van parked near the Sri Lankan church that was bombed on Easter Sunday exploded on Monday as police tried to defuse a fresh batch of explosives found inside the abandoned vehicle.

No injuries were reported in the blast some 50 meters from the St Anthony’s Shrine, one of three churches targeted in a string of suicide bombs on Sunday that killed nearly 300 people.

Police went to inspect the van after local residents reported it parked near St. Anthony’s for over a day.

They discovered three bombs that they tried to defuse. Instead, the bombs detonated, sending pedestrians fleeing in panic.

Also on Monday, police found 87 detonators near Colombo’s main bus depot, officials said. They declined to comment on whether they were linked to Sunday’s attacks.

Cabinet minister and government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne on Monday said Sri Lankan authorities believed a little known Islamist group, National Thowfeek Jamaath, was behind the series of suicide bombings that killed at least 290 people, including at least 27 foreigners. About 500 others were wounded in the blasts.

Senaratne said 24 people have been arrested and that authorities were hunting for links between the group and foreign backers.

“We don’t see that only a small organization in this country can do all that,” he said. “We are now investigating the international support for them, and their other links, how they produced the suicide bombers here, and how they produced bombs like this.”

Sri Lanka’s president gave the military sweeping wartime powers to arrest and detain suspects starting at midnight. In addition, a government curfew was to begin at 8 p.m.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/22/2019 11:42 Comments || Top||

#8  No hotel should allow entry to a guy with two (2) mohammeds in his name.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 04/22/2019 13:36 Comments || Top||

#9  TW: ISIS post with photos
Posted by: 3dc || 04/22/2019 14:01 Comments || Top||

#10  Can you imagine the whining and crying by the press if the Christians said enough, it's eye for an eye time?
Posted by: Silentbrick || 04/22/2019 15:11 Comments || Top||

#11  Mr. Brick,

The first eye should be that of the whining MSM and then move on from there.
Posted by: AlanC || 04/22/2019 17:17 Comments || Top||

#12  Killing muslims in revenge is one thing. Going after the MSM takes you out of revenge into pure malicious joy....I think that would be enjoyed far too much to be simple revenge.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 04/22/2019 20:46 Comments || Top||

#13  To steal a line from Tombstone, it's not revenge, it's a reckoning.
Posted by: SteveS || 04/22/2019 20:55 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
26[untagged]
5Islamic State
4Taliban
4Arab Spring
3Hamas
3Commies
3Govt of Sudan
2Govt of Iran
1Houthis
1Fatah
1Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami
1Moslem Colonists
1Narcos
1Palestinian Authority
1Salafists
1Sublime Porte
1Govt of Pakistan

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2019-04-22
  Sri Lanka explosions, 24 arrested, 290+ dead, 8 kabooms
Sun 2019-04-21
  3 churches bombed at Easter services in Sri Lanka 262 Dead
Sat 2019-04-20
  Woman killed after shots fired during violent riots in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Fri 2019-04-19
  Islamic State Declared A New Wilaya In Africa
Thu 2019-04-18
  German Police Arrest Man Suspected Of Recruiting ISIS Members To Syria
Wed 2019-04-17
  Houthis in Yemen introduced a new airburst ballistic missile that spreads 14,000 pieces of shrapnel over a large area
Tue 2019-04-16
  Violence and dozens of arson attacks in Copenhagen after anti-Islam politician throws Koran in migrant neighbourhood
Mon 2019-04-15
  Notre Dame Cathedral is burning
Sun 2019-04-14
  Taliban’s shadow governor for Helmand succumbs to injuries sustained in an airstrike
Sat 2019-04-13
  Algerian police fire water cannon at protesters
Fri 2019-04-12
  Sudan President al-Bashir officially arrested
Thu 2019-04-11
  Ecuador withdraws asylum from Julian Assange, arrested by UK police
Wed 2019-04-10
  Election Council Rejects Erdogan's Party Demand for Full Istanbul Recount
Tue 2019-04-09
  Maryland man accused of stealing U-Haul truck in 'ISIS-inspired attack'
Mon 2019-04-08
  Major showdown brewing in Tripoli as rival Libyan forces clash near capital city

Better than the average link...



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.
3.95.233.107
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (19)    Non-WoT (14)    Opinion (7)    (0)    Politix (2)