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Today: 68 articles and 236 comments as of 10:43.
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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Emir of Al-Qaeda allied Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, Zakir Musa, has been officially killed
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Page 6: Politix
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Afghanistan
Security forces kill Taliban’s suicide attacks planner in Kapisa province
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan cops have killed a senior Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
leader who was involved in planning and facilitating suicide kabooms in North-eastern Kapisa province.

A front man for the Ministry of Interior Nasrat Rahimi said the security forces killed Mullah Abdul Basir, a senior Taliban leader who was involved in planning suicide attacks in Kapisa.

Rahimi further added that the security forces conducted the operation in Nejrab district on Tuesday.

According to Rahimi, the security forces also killed five other Lions of Islam during the same operation.

The anti-government armed Lions of Islam including Taliban have not commented regarding the operation so far.

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Two air strikes kill 14 Afghan civilians
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Two air strikes have killed 14 civilians in Afghanistan in recent days, the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
said Thursday, as the US intensifies its air war across the country.

According to the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), five women and seven children were among the 14 civilians killed in Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province in the south on May 20, and Kunar province
... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country.....
in the east on May 22.

"Civilian casualty toll from Arclight airstrikes in Afghanistan continues to rise," UNAMA said on Twitter.

"Parties must respect international obligations to protect civilians from harm."

While the Afghan military does have a fledgling air force, most strikes are led or supported by American air power. US Forces Afghanistan declined to comment.

According to US Air Force Central Command, the US dropped 7,362 bombs in Afghanistan in 2018, the highest number since at least 2010.

In April, UNAMA published a report saying Afghan civilians are for the first time being killed in greater numbers by US and pro-government forces than by the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
and other krazed killer groups.

During the first three months of 2019, international and pro-government forces were responsible for the deaths of 305 civilians, whereas krazed killer groups killed 227 people, UNAMA said.

The development comes as the US steps up its air campaign in Afghanistan while pushing for a peace deal with the Taliban, who now control or influence more parts of the country than at any time since they were ousted in 2001.

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  This is how we create more terrorists. Every one of these innocents had relatives, and these relatives are now outraged at America's murders.

How would you feel if some foreign government killed your family? Say, Spahn? Well we know already, rage and demands for justice. Hmm, maybe Afghans feel the same?
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 05/24/2019 0:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Every one of these innocents had relatives, and these relatives are now outraged at America's murders.

Are you sure those were not human shields protecting someone very not innocent, Mr. McCoy? For that matter, are you quite, quite certain that on even days these particular innocents were were not official members of whichever jihadi organization or even just a local warlord’s band rigns over that articular corner of Pashtunistan, while on odd days they went back to being “civilians”?

And finally, the odds are very, very good that those people and their friends and relations already hated us for being unsubmitted unbelievers, needing no prompting from contingent occurrences to reject adoration of Western principles of rule of civil law government chosen by the consent of the governed.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 1:08 Comments || Top||

#3  i bet they would welcoe you with open arms herb
Posted by: chris || 05/24/2019 7:08 Comments || Top||

#4  Afghanistan has civilians, who knew?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/24/2019 7:45 Comments || Top||

#5  Who was that black mayor that pretty much fire bombed several blocks of Philadelphia back in the 1970's or 80's?
Posted by: DooDahMan || 05/24/2019 7:48 Comments || Top||

#6  Who was that black mayor that pretty much fire bombed several blocks of Philadelphia back in the 1970's or 80's?

MOVE

Mayor Frank Rizzo
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/24/2019 8:17 Comments || Top||

#7  Herb - always willing to further enemy propaganda and believe the worst of America. *spit*

TW in #2 is absolutely correct to assume they were either NOT civilians (til they were dead) or human shields.
Posted by: Frank G || 05/24/2019 8:41 Comments || Top||

#8  Every news report about fighty stuff nowadays seems to include stats for civilians, women and children as calculated by the UN or some local NGO. I find these numbers totally believable, he said trying to make that serious face.
Posted by: SteveS || 05/24/2019 9:10 Comments || Top||

#9  I am always reminded that right after 9/11, some muzzist luminary said "there are no civilians..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 05/24/2019 9:29 Comments || Top||

#10  In some cases they have been known to take a few out of the mortuary and throw them in with the dead.
Posted by: gorb || 05/24/2019 9:37 Comments || Top||

#11  How.do they tell the terrorists from the civilians? Not to mention the human shields (willing or unwilling).
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/24/2019 9:49 Comments || Top||

#12  "Are you sure those were not human shields protecting someone very not innocent"

Prove that they were.

"believe the worst of America. *spit*"

I'm a proud American who loves America, never gets tired of saluting the flag, and my heart swells with pride when I see the Constitution. But we have some seriously evil people in charge of our political establishment in DC. They don't consider themselves "American", they think Americans are deplorable. They are willing to use torture. They are willing to murder innocents. Are these not the same reasons we condemn terrorists?

End the wars. Stop getting our soldiers killed for no reason. Bring the boys home to a big parade and thank them all.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 05/24/2019 10:36 Comments || Top||

#13  if they got blowed up, it was the will of Allan
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 || 05/24/2019 11:13 Comments || Top||

#14  Don't tickle the troll.
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/24/2019 11:15 Comments || Top||

#15  The use of human shields by jihadis has long and often been reported, Mr. McCoy. A few examples from our archives:

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=537260

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=536763
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 11:46 Comments || Top||

#16  Sorry — Fred’s anti-spam code does not allow a long list of links in a single comment. The above two links were from March of this year. These two take us back to last November out of the first 100 articles that the search for the term “human shield” yielded.

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=534119

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=527484
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 11:57 Comments || Top||

#17  I trust the source and reporting of this about as much as I trust Chinese construction companies.
Posted by: DarthVader || 05/24/2019 12:08 Comments || Top||

#18  I’m trying to give a variety of countries, news sources, and guilty parties from the recent and early ends of the Rantburg archives.

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=62298

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=50712
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 12:12 Comments || Top||

#19  Actually, I'm with Herb on this one. End the war!

What we should have done is just bomb the shit out of the Taliban to the point where they will think twice about attacking America again.

We could have used the money on Americans instead, perhaps even (gasp) pay down the national debit!

Give up on nation building, if the Afghan government haven't gotten control by now, they never will. They get the government they desire, we just need to make sure they do not harbor anyone that will do harm to America.

We've given them enough money and tools to keep order in their country. Time for us to withdraw and let them swim or sink.

Frankly, I for one am tire of getting involved in other people messes and wasting money on them. Just bomb the shit out of them.. For those who are whining about the women and kids, well it's on them, not us.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 05/24/2019 12:20 Comments || Top||

#20  I said prove they are *in this case*. The fact that you're so easily able to pull up so many cases of the DC establishment killing innocents is horrifying.

So we should kill innocents anyway? What do we call those who kill innocents in the pursuit of others? Villains. Evildoers. Criminals.

The bloodlust of the establishment - in which I include the corporate press - cannot be overstated. It's horrific.

Remember when the media questioned Trump's fitness for office during the debates? He's going to get pissed off at some tweet from China and press the nuclear button? Now they're angry he won't START wars. Invade Venezuela, invade Iran. NOT getting us into another war is being used as a slight against him. By the same people who regarded that as a problem when he was a nominee. The same press that faked us into the Spanish-American War is still around. The same press can't wait to get us into another war.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 05/24/2019 12:22 Comments || Top||

#21  Did you read the links, Mr. McCoy? Some of those examples had nothing to do with us. What we’re dealing with is the fact that non-Western cultures do not accept the limitations on wartime behaviours that in the West became the Geneva Conventions. These limitations include not using civilians as human shields. But the Geneva Conventions also point out that those who use civilians as human shields are the ones responsible for what happens to them, not those who have to go through them to get to the enemy.

The villains, the evildoers, the criminals are those who hide behind innocents in the belief that it cleverly allows them to attack with impunity. We are not the ones doing that. Sadly, in the end the only way to protect future generations of innocents in such a culture is to go through the current ones to get the villains/evildoers/criminals, teaching them the hardest way that such behaviour simply does not work.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 13:05 Comments || Top||

#22  The Geneva Conventions have nothing to do with anything, only apply to those who sign them, and they were routinely violated by the Allies during WWII.

We're at war because Islamists killed innocents to achieve their aims.

We're achieving (actually failing to achieve) our aims by killing innocents.

At what point do you say, "My God, what have I done?" When do you wake up?

The fact that you were able to clog the spam filter with stories of murdering innocents makes me want to vomit. We've been doing this for 17 years. It doesn't work. If it was going to work, it would have worked by now. Your assertion that we're teaching them is false. They haven't "learned" a thing. All we're doing is murdering innocent people who never did anything to us.

"What have I done? Sweet Jesus, what have I done?
Become a thief in the night, become a dog on the run?
Have I fallen so far, and is the hour so late,
That nothing remains but the cry of my hate?"
— Jean Valjean after robbing a priest who had just given him shelter, Les Misérables
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 05/24/2019 14:12 Comments || Top||

#23 
What do we call those who kill innocents in the pursuit of others?


What do we call those who let villains get away with murder by hiding behind civilians?
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 05/24/2019 14:25 Comments || Top||

#24  When you fight evil with evil, evil always wins.

You really think the USA is on the side of evil? Jesus Christ, how did you people lose your way? This is worse than I ever expected. I never, ever, IN MY LIFE expected to be arguing with - right wingers, of all people - about the idea that it's OK to murder innocent people.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 05/24/2019 14:41 Comments || Top||

#25  murder murder murdering murdering murder

"He's good!" gums a weary old whittler
To his cousin, the two-fingered fiddler.
"Yessir," chirps a third,
"That's the second best word
To throw fuel on a fire, besides 'Hitler!'"
Posted by: Ebbase Ebbease5214 || 05/24/2019 15:43 Comments || Top||

#26  Herb's panties are always in twist when he can accuse America. Never when defending corrupt and inhumane opponents
Posted by: Frank G || 05/24/2019 19:51 Comments || Top||

#27  I suppose the discussion might be interesting if he ever had anything to contribute other than a tantrum every time.
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/24/2019 20:51 Comments || Top||

#28  We're at war because Islamists killed innocents to achieve their aims.

Huh? Jihadis have been killing innocents for over a millennium on their way to world conquest for the glory of Allah and the increased wealth of His soldiers. They’ve been killing Jewish civilians in Israel since before it was a country. America only started taking the thing seriously when Al Qaeda successfully staged major attacks on targets in our homeland on 9/11, including the Pentagon; we almost completely ignored the related 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, other than to jail a few members of the conspiracy, just as we did little about the attack on the USS Cole and so many others.

I find your sudden lofty moralizing puzzling, Mr. McCoy. You’ve been here a while, and even now you play nicely with others on other pages of this site. The tone here, other than from you, has not changed as long as I’ve been hanging out here, so why are you suddenly so shocked?
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 21:19 Comments || Top||

#29  Posts by Herb McCoy

Why do you come here Herb? Virtually no one here shares your viewpoint, and changing their mind isn’t in the cards.
Posted by: Tyranysaurus Clavith3514 || 05/24/2019 21:24 Comments || Top||

#30  I agree with Herb that long, pointless wars are a waste of people, time and treasure. If you are going to fight, fight to win. Don't treat it as a make-work project for sociology majors. Don't try to make it nice. Like the man said, war is cruelty, you cannot refine it.

Part of the problem is we are still geared up for fighting near-peer enemies and have not quite figured out strategy and tactics for fighting asymmetric, distributed war.
Posted by: SteveS || 05/24/2019 23:09 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Somali Regional Forces Foil Suicide Attack
[RADIOSHABELLE] The suicide kaboom was aborted in Guri-El town in Galgadud region in Somalia on Thursday.

A middle-aged man strapped with boom jackets posing as a poet was tossed in the clink
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
by Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama forces before he attempted to detonates his explosives.

According to sources the man wanted to take the microphone saying he wants to eulogies ASWJ leaders.

He was wearing a boom jacket and was wrestled to the ground, detained by the security forces in as he tried to blow himself up at a parade to commemorate Sufi fighters who died fighting al-Shabaab
... the personification of Somali state failure...
He was heading towards VIPs when intercepted by guards.

More than ten people were killed and scores others were maimed following suicide car kaboom in the Somali capital, Mogadishu on Wednesday

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


US Military Targets ISIS-Somalia In Fifth Airstrike Since April
[RADIOSHABELLE] The US targeted ISIS fighters in Somalia for the fifth time since mid-April, killing two snuffies in an Arclight airstrike Wednesday, US Africa Command said in a statement.

"Our efforts to locate and eradicate ISIS leaders who control a range of activities ‐ from operations to financing and communications ‐ is hitting at the heart of the organization and disrupting their ability to continue their terrorist activities," Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, the director of intelligence of US Africa Command, said in a statement Thursday.

The recent series of strikes against ISIS-Somalia have taken place in the Golis Mountains, located in the northern part of the country.

US Africa Command said in April that a strike in the same area killed the organization’s second in command.

There have been 37 US airstrikes in Somalia so far this year, mostly targeting the al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
, compared to 47 strikes in all of 2018.

The US estimates that ISIS-Somalia commands about 150 fighters, making it one of the smaller affiliates of the terror group. The Pentagon has about 500 to 600 personnel in Somalia, where they primarily advise local troops battling al-Shabaab.

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Arabia
Houthi kamikaze drone strikes Najran Airport in southern Saudi Arabia
[ALMASDARNEWS] For the third day in a row, the Houthi
...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 Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. 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 ...
forces have attacked 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 Najran
a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province and a favored target of Houthirocket forces....
Regional Airport in the southern region of the kingdom.

According to the official media wing of the Houthi forces, their K-2 suicide drone targeted the Saudi military’s Patriot Missile System. The Houthi forces claimed the attack was successful.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Houthi forces launched a similar attack using their assault drones; these strikes targeted Saudi military hangars and arms depots, the group said in a statement.

The Houthi forces have recently gone on the offensive in several parts of 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. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
and southern Saudi Arabia. These offensives have paid off for the Houthi forces, as they have managed to retake several areas while also pushing south towards the pro-government stronghold of Aden.

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Saudi Air Defense destroys drone launched by Houthis on Najran
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Arab Coalition’s spokesperson said on Thursday that the Saudi Air Defense intercepted a drone carrying explosives that was launched by Houthis in an attempt to target Najran
a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province and a favored target of Houthirocket forces....
airport.

Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that Houthis deliberately target dignitaries, civilians, and civil facilities systematically, warning the Iran-backed militia not to continue targeting, otherwise, there will be a strong response.

United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over reports on the attack, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

"The Secretary-General is alarmed by reports of a second consecutive drone attack on an airport in Najran, for which the Houthis have grabbed credit. He condemns these attacks, as well as any attack targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, which violate international humanitarian law," Dujarric said.

Guterres called on all parties to the conflict 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. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
to remain calm, avoid further escalation of the tensions, and engage in constructive negotiations with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths to achieve the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement.

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Europe
Iraqi biker gang targeted by pre-dawn raids across western Germany
[Rudaw] An Iraqi biker gang has been targeted in a pre-dawn "mega-raid" by German police across eleven cities on Wednesday, as part of a wider German police crackdown on Middle Eastern "criminal clans" in the country.

Eight hundred coppers were involved in the operation, raiding 49 properties in North-Rhine Westphalia, northwestern Germany with suspected associations with the Iraqi biker group al-Salam 313, reported German daily Die Bild.

The raids, focused on the Cologne
...the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth populated city in Germany....
area and the Ruhr Valley, had undergone months of planning.

The gang is suspected to be in violation of the War Weapons Control Act and to have taken part in human trafficking, counterfeiting and drug-related offences, according to Bild.

During the searches, counterfeit money, drugs, computers, cell phones and data carriers were confiscated.

Arrests were not a central aim of the raids; just one arrest was made in the city of Essen, according to North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul. "The action is about finding evidence", police front man Christoph Wickhorst said.

Reul told journalists that the seized evidence must be examined to determine whether more arrests would be made.

Al-Salam means peace in Arabic, while 313 bears religious connotations, as Shiite Moslems believe that the Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, regarded as a messiah-esque figure, will return to earth with 313 companions.

North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW)’s state interior ministry confirmed to German press outlet Deutsche Welle that it suspects that funds acquired from illegal activity in Germany have been funneled to militias in Iraq.

The group is suspected of having close ties to the Mahdi Army, a militia aligned with the Shiite holy man Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah...
. Both the Mahdi Army and al-Salam 313 bear the same white dove insignia.

In a promotional video for the group published in 2017, the group shunned sectarianism and insisted that their members are of "all shades and shapes". They renounce the title of gang or mafia, instead calling themselves an "organization".
...which makes it all ok, of course.
Wednesday’s coordinated raids form part of a long-running, nationwide German police crackdown on Middle Eastern ’criminal clans’.
Well done, German police.
According to DW, the NRW’s Criminal Police Office noted in a 2018 report that in recent months Ottoman Turkish, Kurdish and Lebanese clans have been ousted by their counterparts of Iraqi and Syrian descent.

There are worries that the prominence and notoriety of these clans and the resulting raids against them may contribute to Germany’s existing racial tensions, particularly with regards to the hundreds of thousands of refugees Germany has taken in recent years.

Related: Photos of Sadr’s motorbike militia in Europe. And from Deutsche Welle:
The gang is suspected of having committed a variety of crimes ranging from illegal weapons trading, people smuggling, passport forgery, and drug distribution. Police have identified 34 suspects, who are mainly of Iraqi and Syrian descent.

Prior to the raid, DW had independently researched the group in connection to claims of its criminal dealings and threats on fellow Iraqi emigres. DW spoke, under conditions of anonymity, to one Iraqi national living in Germany, who said that the group had sent her death threats for leading a Western lifestyle. The person said she knew of other exiled Iraqis in Europe who also report having been intimidated by Al-Salam-313.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 00:32 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Angela's Angels.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 05/24/2019 6:07 Comments || Top||

#2  LOL
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/24/2019 7:12 Comments || Top||

#3  Hey!! Tater's makin' that white power sign!!!!

That must mean he's a bad guy, right?
Posted by: AlanC || 05/24/2019 7:50 Comments || Top||

#4  What is this so called "white power sign"? People talk about it, but I've never seen a clear example of it.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 05/24/2019 12:23 Comments || Top||

#5  People talk about it, but I've never seen a clear example of it.

Sometime back, the wacky pranksters at 4chan released a meme into the wild saying the "okay" hand sign was secretly a white power sign. The moronic SJW contingent of the Left swallowed it hook, line & sinker.
Posted by: Ebbusoter Phomort9156 || 05/24/2019 12:42 Comments || Top||

#6  Ahh thanks EP9156. In South America, that same hand sign also means "assh**l!"
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 05/24/2019 14:24 Comments || Top||

#7  See, this is the kind of action that's just going to make more bikers.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 05/24/2019 14:28 Comments || Top||

#8  Muslims on motorcycles? That is cultural appropriation and must be condemned.
Posted by: Creling Pelosi3622 || 05/24/2019 21:10 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Emir of Al-Qaeda allied Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, Zakir Musa, has been officially killed







Wikipedia on the group
Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (Urdu: انصار غزوات ال ہند‎) is a militant organization and Al-Qaeda cell in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab led by Zakir Rashid Bhat aka Zakir Musa.[1][2][3][4] In July 2017, the Global Islamic Media Front claimed that Zakir Musa had been named the head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.[5][6][7] On 7 December 2017 the group released a statement that condemned United States President Donald Trump's deceleration of moving the United States embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[8] On 25 December 2017, in a video of a Kashmiri militant declaring allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and declaring a new ISIL Province in Kashmir the fighter called on Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind to ally with or give allegiance to ISIL and wage Jihad in Kashmir against the Indian government.[9]In February 2018, the group released a video of Zakir Musa calling on Indian Muslims to attack Indian army patrols and checkpoints as well as companies interested in investing in India.[10][11] In April 2018, the group published material that encouraged Muslims across India and Kashmir to carryout lone wolf attacks.[12]

Kashmir Patriot: J&K Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind loses its commander, Curfew imposed in Kashmir
Srinagar: Panic gripped Kashmir valley Thursday evening as the news of AGH commander Zakir Moosa being trapped in an encounter started doing rounds on social media.

Earlier, SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police, 42nd battalion of Rashtriya Rifles and troops from CRPF laid a cordon in Dadsara village of Tral in South Kashmir.

As the forces came closer to the target house and asked the two hiding militants to surrender a barrage of UBGL grenades was launched over them and the encounter ensued.

In the exchange of fire two militants affiliated with Ansar Ghazwatul Hind including its founder and chief Zakir Moosa were killed.

As the reports of Zakir being gunned down spread on social media, the authorities decided to snap down the internet services in most of the areas of the valley. Authorities also decided to impose curfew throughout the valley on Friday.

Reports from Tral suggested that the whole area has been sealed and the houses in the village of Dadasara have been deployed with large contingents of armed forces.

Clashed in the vicinity are being reported amid sounds of gunshots. (CNS)


Times of India March 14, 2018: Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind is attracting jihadis from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen beyond J&K.
Posted by: 3dc || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent

#1  I like it.
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/24/2019 21:27 Comments || Top||


Iraq
French-Peshmerga op kills 3 extremists in Tuz Khurmatu – Kurdish sources
[Rudaw] At least three 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) turbans were killed on Thursday in a joint operation launched by Peshmerga and French military on the fringes of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, outside disputed Tuz Khurmatu, according to local and Peshmerga sources.

"Today a French force together with [a special Peshmerga force] carried out an operation using aircraft in Shoraw, Palkana and Gharra villages," Jamal Salih, the mayor of Naujul town, told Rudaw.

The Kurdistan Region’s armed forces, the Peshmerga, have a number of forces inside and outside of the official ministry. Specialty units are sometimes trained by internationals in counterterrorism, mine clearance, urban fighting, and other areas of warfare.

A senior Peshmerga official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a French force accompanied the Peshmerga in the operation near the Palkana village close to Tuz Khurmatu ‐ not to be confused with Palkana in western Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
close to Erbil province.

The three villages are located are in Naujul town which is between Kifri and Tuz Khurmatu in Garmiyan in areas of the Kurdistan Region which border Iran. The former is associated with the Kurdistan Region and the latter is part of the disputed territories claimed by Erbil and Baghdad.

Tuz Khurmatu is a diverse city home to Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen. Iraqi forces have managed the security portfolio of the city, including after the events of October 16, 2017.

The US-led international coalition to defeat ISIS was not immediately available for comment.
"I can say no more!"
French diplomats in Iraq were not able to comment.

Mayor Salih said in addition to the killing of three ISIS bully boys, several weapons depots belonging to the group were destroyed. He added that visible ISIS fighters have emptied 13 of 42 local villages.

The turbans are essentially free to operate in the vacuum between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces where security gaps have been exposed after federal forces ousted the Peshmerga from these zones in the aftermath of the Kurdistan independence referendum of September 2017.

To the west in the disputed areas, notably Makhmour some 60 kilometers southwest of Erbil, bully boy continues to maintain a presence instilling fear among locals as they kill, torch farmlands and forcefully take taxes from them.

Sirwan Barzani, a Peshmerga commander on the Makhmour-Gwer Front, told Rudaw on Thursday that "the security situation of the Qaraj is in danger."

Qarachogh Mountain, the Qaraj Plains, and the Zab area near Makhmour are areas connecting Erbil, Nineveh, Kirkuk and Saladin provinces.

Barzani said to remove the threats they have "called on the coalition and Iraqi army for a joint operation in the region."

"The Peshmerga's demand is to station on the heights to prevent any possible reemergence of ISIS. The Iraqi army has so far failed to take control of the," he said.

"They have not yet responded to our call," Barzani noted.

ISIS turbans seized Makhmour and surrounding villages in 2014 before they were quickly routed in a combined operation led by the Peshmerga ‐ supported by the coalition and fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Although the jihadist group was declared defeated in Iraq in December 2017, its remnants have retreated into Iraq's deserts and mountains, where they have resumed earlier hit-and-run tactics of kidnap, ambush, bombing, and execution.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 00:37 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Ninevah and Mosul clearance continues: 5 farmers encounter leftover turban bomb, another mass grave turned up, innocent kaboomed, 4 ISIS MilAffairs members tied up


Two Iraqi farmers killed in bomb blast in Nineveh

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) – Two Iraqi farmers were killed and three others wounded in a bomb explosion in Nineveh province, a security source said as the country still witnesses almost daily bomb attacks despite the defeat of Islamic State terrorists.

Speaking to Al-Ahd News, the source said that an explosive charge went off today afternoon at an agricultural land in Tal Afar district, west of Mosul, leaving two farmers dead and three others wounded.

“The bomb was placed by Islamic State militants during their capture of Mosul city,” added the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mass grave of Islamic State victims found in Iraq’s Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) — Iraqi security forces found on Tuesday a new mass grave of Islamic State victims in Mosul city, which once hosted the group’s self-proclaimed “caliphate”.

A security source told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that a mass grave containing remains of 37 people was found in Ayn al-Tamr city in western Mosul.

“Most of the bodies are of Iraqi women, who were executed by the hardline Sunni group during its capture of Mosul,” the source said.

“The bodies were moved to the forensic medicine department in Mosul,” the source added.

As Iraqi troops recaptured areas held by Islamic State militants since 2014, they have regularly run into mass graves of civilians and security agents executed by the militants for fleeing the group’s havens or collaborating with security forces.

Bomb blast kills Iraqi civilian in Mosul city

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi civilian was killed Wednesday in a bomb explosion in Mosul city, the latest in a series of terrorist attacks targeting citizens across Iraq since the crushing defeat of the Islamic State militant group in 2017.

A security source told Dijlah TV news channel that a roadside bomb went off in al-Shoura district in southern Mosul, leaving an Iraqi civilian dead.

“The security forces cordoned off the blast scene and carried the body into the forensic medicine department,” added the source.

Security forces capture 4 Diwan al-Jund members east of Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews) Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced, on Thursday, capturing four members of the Islamic State’s Diwan al-Jund,
... the soldiers department that managed ISIS military affairs back when they had a caliphate of their very own...
east of Mosul.

“Karama Police Directorate, backed by Anti-Terrorism forces captured four members of Diwan al-Jund in the Islamic State group,” Spokesman for the ministry, General Saad Maan, said in a press statement.

Maan added that the operation was conducted based on judicial arrest warrants. Furthermore, he pointed out that the ongoing cooperation with the citizens helped in the success of the operation.

The apprehended terrorists were members of the so-called IS Diwan al-Jund, during the IS era in Mosul, Maan explained. The criminals were arrested in Hayy al-Teseen area, east of Mosul.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 00:32 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Anbar antics: 60 US mil vehicles arrive at base, big turban tied up


Dozens of U.S. military vehicles arrive in western Iraq: source

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Dozens of U.S. military vehicles have arrived in the American military base in Iraq’s western Anbar province, a security source was quoted saying by local media.

A convoy of more than 60 military vehicles arrived Monday at Ain al-Assad airbase in al-Baghdadi region, Iraqi Kurdish website BasNews quoted the source saying, adding that the convoy was escorted by tight ground security and an air cover.

Reinforcements have been on the rise at the airbase recently, the source said.

Tensions have risen recently between Washington and Iran as the U.S. administration sent bombers and aircraft carriers to the Middle East to counter what it described as potential threats against U.S interests from Iran. Tehran responded with warnings that it was ready to counter American threats.

The uneasy atmosphere prompted a number of Western countries to announce withdrawal of some of their military or civilian workers in Iraq.

Estimates put the number of U.S. troops at Ain al-Assad at 5000.

Iraqi intelligence arrest senior Islamic State leader in Anbar

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi military intelligence services arrested on Wednesday a senior Islamic State leader in the western province of Anbar.

The Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate, in a statement, said that its troops “arrested Abu Anas al-Samarei, the military adviser of an Islamic State commander, who was responsible for collecting weapons from citizens, who serve in the Iraqi security apparatus.”

Samarei, according to the statement, was arrested during a military operation in Annah district of Anbar.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Salahuddin province proceedings: 3 turbans toes up, mil op killed 11 turbans, and much more


Iraqi troops kill 3 Islamic State fighters in Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) – Three Islamic State militants were killed Monday during a military operation in Salahuddin province, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Safaa al-Saadi, the commander of Salahuddin Operations at al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces), said that the pro-government fighters, backed by security forces, launched a military operation to hunt for Islamic State remnants in Salahuddin province.

The troops killed three Islamic State terrorists during the operation, al-Saadi said, adding that the operation will go on “until all planned targets are totally secured.”

Iraqi forces announce outcome of military operation in Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews) Security Media Cell announced, on Tuesday, the outcome of the military operation against the Islamic State group in Salahuddin.

“Salahuddin Operations Command, backed by the province’s police forces and Salahuddin Axis Command, carried out a military operation to cleanse the island of Salahaddin of the remnant of the Islamic State group, and impose security and stability,” the cell pointed out in a press statement.

The statement added that the outcome of the operation is notable, where it resulted in the killing of 11 terrorists, discovering 13 hideouts and 16 explosive belts.

The security forces also destroyed two booby-trapped vehicles and three tunnels, in addition to finding two explosive’s labs and 11 tanks (2 for water and 9 for fuel).

Furthermore, they found a number of shielding plates, grenades, a hand grenade, 2 motorcycles, a gas cooker, two RAMs with different capacities, a cell phone and 6 vessels contain explosive materials.

Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Diyala dead dudes: 2 kabooms defused, another kills seven Shiite paramilitaries. a third gets a garage, Kanaan city mortared


Iraqi security defuse two explosive charges in Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi security forces on Sunday defused two explosive charges in Diyala province as the country still faces growing bomb threats probably by the dormant Islamic State cells.

“The security forces were able to find two plastic containers full of the explosive TNT during a search operation in Diyala,” Alghad Press quoted the Diyala police directorate as saying in a press statement.

The two explosive charges were remotely detonated, with no casualties reported, the statement read.

Bomb explosion kills seven PMF personnel in Diyala

Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Seven personnel of the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed Sunday when a bomb hit their patrol in Diyala province.

“A bus carrying personnel of the 20th brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces was hit by a roadside bomb in eastern Diyala, leaving seven fighters killed,” Alsumaria News quoted the Shia-led paramilitary force as saying in a press statement.

“The explosion also left 26 other fighters wounded,” the statement read, adding that the terrorist attack will not affect their determination to eliminate remnants of the Islamic State militant group.

2 bombs explode inside Muqdadiyah Police Chief’s garage in Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews) A security source informed, on Tuesday, that two bombs exploded inside the garage of Muqdadiyah Police Chief’s house, in Diyala Province. No casualties were reported.

The source said in a press statement that two explosive devices, emplaced inside the garage of Muqdadiyah Police Chief’s house, in Sariha area, exploded.

No human losses were reported, the source added on condition of anonymity.

The city has a mixed population, with Arabs forming the majority. Other inhabitants are the Kurds and Turkomans. In 1960s and 1970s, the Shia Kurds constituted the majority of the city’s population, followed by the Shia Turkomans.

13 mortar shells fall on Kanaan City in Diyala Province

Diyala (IraqiNews) The Security Media Cell announced, on Thursday, that 13 mortar shells fell, south of Kanaan City, in Diyala Province. It also indicated that a woman was injured due to the attack.

The Cell said in a press statement, “Security forces from Diyala Operations Command are searching for the perpetrators who fired the shells.”

The initial information revealed that the shells that fell on Kanaan city injured a woman, the statement added.

Earlier this year, the Islamic State group launched a number of attacks in Diyala Province. The attacks stirred concerns among the local population in the province.

However, tribal officials in the province vowed to stand with security forces in routing the group’s remnants.

it is noteworthy that the terror attacks were concentrated in areas in al-Waqf basin, Abu Saida and Khanaqin, including Mukhaisa, Abu Khanazeer, Abu Karma, Jalabi and Shaykhi.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Militants attack Hama Airport in retaliation for Russian, Syrian strikes
[ALMASDARNEWS] The jihadist rebels in the Idlib countryside attacked the Hama Military Airport this evening following a powerful assault by the Russian and Syrian air forces.

According to a report from the area, the jihadist rebels attempted to bomb the Hama Airport using their attack drones. The report said the Syrian military managed to foil the assault before the drones could bomb the base.

This latest drone attack marks the second time in the last 24 hours that the jihadists have attempted to bomb the Hama Military Airport.

Footage filmed overnight from Wednesday to Thursday appears to show Syrian Army air defence systems intercepting what Syrian state media reported was a drone near Hama airport.

Flashes of anti-aircraft fire can be seen lighting up the night sky, as kabooms boom in the distance.
Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Iran allegedly transfers S-300 system to Persian Gulf amid tensions with US
[ALMASDARNEWS] A video has emerged on social media allegedly showing Iranian vehicles transporting its S-300 air defence systems and other military equipment to the coastal city of Asaluyeh in the southern province of Bushehr ‐ an area along the Persian Gulf.

The country’s military has yet to confirm or deny the redeployment of the anti-missile systems.

The purported development comes amid simmering tensions with the United States, which has recently dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Gulf to send a message to Tehran.

Senior Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that the Islamic Theocratic Republic doesn’t seek war with the US, but will continue to resist its pressure.

The country’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told CNN that Washington was playing a "very, very dangerous game" by boosting its military presence in the region.

"Having all these military assets in a small waterway is in and of itself prone to accident, particularly when you have people who are interested in accidents. So extreme prudence is required and the United States is playing a very, very dangerous game", he said.

Relations between Iran and the US were exacerbated by Washington’s unilateral pull-out from the 2015 nuclear agreement and reintroduction of all anti-Tehran sanctions.

On 8 May 2019 ‐ exactly a year after the US withdrawal ‐ Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran would partially suspend its obligations under the deal, having given the five remaining signatories ‐ La Belle France, Russia, the UK, Germany, and China ‐ a 60-day deadline to take measures towards ensuring Tehran’s interests in the face of US penalties.
Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Reconciled rebels seize Syrian military intel base in western Daraa
[ALMASDARNEWS] Several reconciled rebel fighters attacked a Syrian military intelligence base in the western countryside of the Dara’a Governorate on Thursday.

According to a source in Daraa, the reconciled rebels attacked the Syrian military intelligence base in the town of Jillin. These former Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA) fighters then took over the entire base and took the officers inside hostage.

The source said the reconciled rebels demanded the release of the former Free Syrian Army commander, Haytham al-Hariri, who was placed in durance vile
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
by the Syrian military intelligence.
Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Jihadists beat back Syrian Army’s attempted advance in northeast Latakia
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a new attack to advance in the northeastern countryside of the Latakia Governorate on Thursday.

Led by their 4th Division troops, the Syrian Arab Army stormed the southwestern axis of Kabani in a bid to enter this strategic mountaintop town in the Jabal al-Akrad region of northeast Latakia.

However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
the Syrian Army’s attempted advance would once again be foiled by the jihadist groups, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
and the Turkestan Islamic Party.

The Syrian Arab Army reported seven casualties during the attack.

Since the start of May, the Syrian Arab Army has repeatedly stormed this area in a bid to seal off the Latakia Governorate from the jihadist rebels. Thus far, all of their attempts have been repelled by the jihadist rebels.

Posted by: Fred || 05/24/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra

#1  If the Syrians didn't have air cover I can understand the repeated failures (although why no air cover is a good question).

But if they had air cover and still failed to take this territory, it shows the Syrian army is pretty hollow.
Posted by: lord garth || 05/24/2019 11:00 Comments || Top||

#2  lord garth, Strategy Page addresses that here.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/24/2019 19:14 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
27[untagged]
9Govt of Iran
7Govt of Pakistan
7Islamic State
4Moslem Colonists
2Taliban
2al-Nusra
2Commies
2Houthis
1al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent
1Govt of Syria
1Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami
1al-Shabaab (AQ)
1Sublime Porte
1Hamas

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2019-05-24
  Emir of Al-Qaeda allied Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, Zakir Musa, has been officially killed
Thu 2019-05-23
  Algeria Army Chief Says Has ‘No Political’ Ambition
Wed 2019-05-22
   'American Taliban' released
Tue 2019-05-21
  8-10 Somali Teens Armed With Hammers Attack Bystanders at East Bank Rail Station in MN
Mon 2019-05-20
  Houthi's launch IRBM at Mecca!
Sun 2019-05-19
  Islamic State in West Africa Forming ‘Jihadist Proto-State’ in Nigeria
Sat 2019-05-18
  Drone strike kills notorious ISIS leader and his fighters in East of Afghanistan
Fri 2019-05-17
  Fighting grips Hodeidah port, complicates peace moves
Thu 2019-05-16
  F-16 with live ordinance crashes in Riverside CA.
Wed 2019-05-15
  Iranian ballistic missile platforms in Basra city directed towards the Gulf, Exxon evacuating, German mil. trainers evacuating
Tue 2019-05-14
  The Latest: Norwegian Tanker's Hull Punctured off UAE Coast
Mon 2019-05-13
  Gunmen kill six during Catholic mass in Burkina Faso
Sun 2019-05-12
  Security guard killed as terrorists storm Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar: ISPR
Sat 2019-05-11
  B-52s in Al Udeid AB Qatar
Fri 2019-05-10
  U.S. revokes citizenship of Portland mosque's imam for ties to ObL

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