[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Three back to back explosions took place in the western parts of Kabul city late on Tuesday night with the preliminary reports suggesting at least seven people were wounded.
Security sources are saying the incident took place in the vicinity close to Kote Sangi area after unknown individuals hurled hand grenades on a security post.
According to the security sources, at least seven people were wounded in the attack but other reports indicate that eight people were wounded.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Dozens of people were killed or maimed after a suicide kaboom rocked Lashkargah city the quiet provincial capital of southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province earlier today.
According to the local government officials, the incident took place near the provincial police commandment after a jacket wallah detonated his explosives.
Provincial governor’s front man Omar Zwak confirmed the incident and said at least five people were killed and more than forty others were maimed in the attack.
He said at least two security personnel and three civilians were among those killed.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] A Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... suicide boom-mobileer targeted a military convoy in Afghanistan's southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province on Wednesday, killing at least seven people, a provincial official said.
The attack comes just days after President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... announced his new strategy for Afghanistan, which involves maintaining a US military presence in the country and upending a campaign vow to end America's longest war.
According to Omar Zwak, the front man for the Helmand provincial governor, Wednesday's kaboom in Lashkar Gah, the scenic provincial capital, also maimed 42 people, mostly civilians.
Initial reports show that those killed included a small girl, two women and four soldiers, Zwak said, expressing fears that the corpse count could rise further.
"This is from our initial reports, I am afraid the casualty tolls might change once we get a final report from the attack," he added.
The bombing took place near the police chief's headquarters. Local TV broadcast footage showing several military Humvees, which the Afghan army also uses, destroyed as a result of the attack.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Moroccan authorities have placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! two people suspected of links to the alleged perpetrators of the van attack that killed 13 people in the Spanish city of Barcelona, state TV channel 2M reported on Tuesday.
One of the men, a 28-year-old detained in the Nador, close to the Spanish enclave of Melilla, lived for 12 years in Barcelona and is suspected of links to 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.... and of plotting to attack the Spanish embassy in Rabat, the channel reported. It gave no details of the alleged plot.
A second suspect was arrested in the town of Oujda, close to Morocco's border with Algeria, 2M reported. He was a resident of Ripoll, the small town in northeastern Spain where many members of the cell were living.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] At least 11 people had their heads chopped off Wednesday after an attack on a checkpoint controlled by Libyan military strongman 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... south of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , a front man for his forces said.
"At least nine soldiers had their heads chopped off... in addition to two civilians" at the checkpoint about 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Tripoli, Colonel Ahmad al-Mesmari said, blaming the ISIS terrorist group for the gruesome attack.
No group has yet claimed the attack at dawn on a checkpoint run by Haftar's forces in the al-Jufra region.
Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army seized the area, including a key military air base, in June from the Benghazi Defense Brigades coalition which includes bandidosbully boyz driven out of Libya's second city by the field marshal's forces.
IS group grabbed credit for the attack via its Amaq propaganda channel on the Telegram messaging app, saying its fighters had killed or maimed "21 members of Haftar's militia".
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[AlManar] A child bomber killed four members of a local self-defense group late Tuesday in northern Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... , an area often targeted by 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... bandidossnuffies in their long-running insurgency.
The attack in the village of Amchide, near the Nigerian border, was confirmed on Wednesday by a member of the self-defense force who requested anonymity, as well as by a security source in the capital, Yaounde.
"I was in my sector when I heard a large kaboom in another part of the town," the self-defense source said.
"We saw that a boy had blown himself up in the middle of a group from the security committee," he said.
Two people were killed immediately, while two others died from their wounds later, he added.
Attacks attributed to Boko Haram fighters have flared in northern Cameroon in recent weeks after months of relative calm, often targeting self-defense groups set up to respond to the jihadist threat.
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08/24/2017 00:20 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Bahraini regime forces have reportedly attacked dozens of Shia inmates at Jaw prison as the ruling Al Khalifah regime presses ahead with its heavy-handed crackdown against prominent figures and followers of the majority religious community in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.
The prisoners were marking the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (PTUI!) -- the ninth Shia Imam, who died on the 29th day of the lunar calendar month of Dhul Qa’dah more than 12 centuries ago -- on Tuesday evening, when prison guards stormed into Building 14 of the detention facility and started beating the mourners, Arabic-language Lualua television network reported.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[EXPRESS.CO.UK] A POP concert by US band Allah Las has been cancelled and the venue evacuated amid concerns over a terror threat after police discovered a bus filled with gas bottles nearby.
Police officers wearing bulletproof vests descended on the Maassilo venue in Rotterdam while an anti-terror unit was also on-site, according to local media.
The gig was cancelled following a tip-off from Spanish police, and the mayor of Rotterdam has now confirmed a small bus with Spanish number plates as "gas bottles" was found near the venue.
Dutch coppers stopped the driver of the bus in Rotterdam and have taken him into custody.
The driver of the van is Spanish, according to El Pais, and caught the attention of nearby coppers after repeatedly going to and from the venue.
A tweet by staff at the Maassilo venue claims authorities ordered the cancellation of tonight's gig.
Dutch media claimed that police received a tip-off that a terror attack was being planned for the Allah-Las' concert and canceled the show as a precaution.
The Maassilo is an exhibition venue located in central Rotterdam, with capacity for 1,000 people.
The venue was evacuated before the concert was due to start, and images on social media show a number of concertgoers stood around outside while officers in bulletproof vests patrol the area.
The Allah Las are a US rock band from Los Angeles, Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, currently on a European tour.
The band claim they chose to use Allah - Arabic for god - because they wanted something that sounded "holy".
However, those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... they revealed last year that they have had complaints about their name from across the world, with some people offended by their moniker.
Lead singer Miles Michaud said: "We get emails from Moslems, here in the US and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention.
"We email back and explain why we chose the name and mainly they understand."
A van with a Spain license plate that was detained in the Rotterdam is not connected to the attacks that killed 15 people in Spain last week, a Spanish counterterrorism official said.
The official said Sherlocks discarded a possible link between the van’s driver and the myrmidon cell that carried out the attacks in and near Barcelona after questioning the driver and examining the van.
The official spoke anonymously because the Civil Guard is still probing the potential threat.
Dutch police investigating a terror threat that prompted the cancellation of a concert by an American rock band in Rotterdam locked away Please don't kill me! a 22-year-old man in the early hours of Thursday.
Spokesman Roland Ekkers told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named the man was detained by a team in the province of Brabant, a sprawling region south of Rotterdam. The exact location of the man’s detention was not immediately released.
"He is in jug and will be questioned about the threat in Rotterdam," police said in a statement, adding that they conducted a thorough search of his home. Dutch police do not generally release identities or other details of suspects in criminal investigations.
Meanwhile, ...back at the game, the Babe was wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally it hit him... police said the driver of a Spain-registered white van carrying a number of gas canisters that was stopped Wednesday night close to the Maassilo concert venue -- where the band Allah-Las had been due to perform -- is unlikely to be a suspect in the threat probe.
In a statement, police said the man was possibly drunk and will be questioned later Thursday.
Explosives experts checked his van and found nothing suspicious beyond the gas canisters, according to the police statement.
A search of the man’s home "uncovered no link with the terror threat ... at the Maassilo," police said. "The man, a repair man, had an explanation for the gas canisters that will be investigated today."
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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Just keeping their hand in while the bulk of the action is elsewhere.
Qaim (IraqiNews.com) U.S.-led coalition has shelled 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.... convoy heading to western Anbar, an informed security source was quoted saying.
"Coalition jets shelled IS convoy, coming from Baaj desert heading toward al-Rommana region in Qaim town, west of Anbar," the source told Alghad Press.
"Three trucks were destroyed, while IS bully boyz who were on board were killed," the source added.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi force continued Wednesday to recapture more areas held by Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Afar, their last holdout in Nineveh province.
The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell quoted operations commander, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, saying forces took over al-Asheq village, besides the Kasak-Mahalabiya road in the east.
Military media also said three other villages, as well as a mountainous area called Sheikh Ibrahim, were also recaptured.
Popular Mobilization Forces, the paramilitary troops fighting the militants alongside the government, said through their media that troops took over 75 percent of al-Jazeera region, southeast of the enclave.
Military media said earlier forces had recaptured al-Tenek neighborhood in the east.
Security forces made advance on Wednesday in several directions in Tal Afar town, invading al-Tenek district, east of the town, gaining control on the medical center there and invading al-Jazeera district, in the northeast. Al-Khadraa district, in the south, was invaded, while wide regions of al-Kifah al-Shamali, in the northwest, were previously freed.
More than 1400 Islamic State militants with Arab and foreign nationalities are estimated to be in the town, according to military commanders.
The United Nations says more than 40.000 civilians have fled the town, while 30.000 others are believed to be still stranded inside.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi troops have liberated al-Tenek and al-Kifah al-Shamali districts in Tal Afar, Islamic State’s last enclave in Nineveh province.
The army’s ninth armored division as well as the 11th and 26th brigades of al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Units] managed to free al-Tenek district, located east of Tal Afar,” Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of the Tal Afar Operations, said in statements. “Troops raised the Iraqi flag there.”
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Kurdish Peshmerga troops killed two Islamic State militants in northwest of Mosul, a security source said on Wednesday.
A suicide attacker, wearing a suicide belt, was killed by the troops, while another militant was killed near Kol Mohamed village in Zimar town, northwest of Mosul, the source told Shafaq News.
The two militants infiltrated from Aiyadhiya town, in Tal Afar, located west of Mosul.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has ordered militants to set their headquarters on fire and withdraw from open areas, according to intelligence of paramilitary troops.
“The enemy ordered militants to burn their headquarters and withdraw from open areas in Tal Afar toward buildings and narrow alleyways,” a statement by the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said.
On Monday, PMUs media service said IS set oil wells on fire to hinder military jets reach targets.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) The pro-government paramilitary troops along with security forces have resumed advance in several directions in Tal Afar town, the last Islamic State bastion in Nineveh province.
Statements by the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said joint troops invaded al-Tenek district, east of the town and started invasion on al-Jazeera district, in the northeast.
“Troops of the 26th and 25th brigades of the army invaded al-Tenek district and controlled the medical center there,” the service said. “PMUs along with security troops managed to pass the first defense line of al-Jazeera district. Fierce battles are currently ongoing there.”
Earlier today, “the 26th brigade, backed by army jets, resumed its advance in al-Khadraa district, in south of Tal Afar.”
Another statement said troops “targeted IS locations, west of Mahlabiya, ahead of invasion.”
“The 17th brigade fired rockets against IS locations including a leadership center in Mahlabiya, located east of Tal Afar,” it said adding that the enemy was directly targeted.
“The 53rd brigade, along with Federal Police and Rapid Response troops liberated wide regions of al-Kifah al-Shamali, northwest of Tal Afar,” according to the media service.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi government forces are telling Islamic State militants to choose between surrendering or death as forces as troops reach the heart of the group’s last holdout in Nineveh province.
Intelligence sources told Alsumaria News that government forces used loudspeakers in the enclave to tell fighters to surrender ot otherwise face death, to which fighters were thrown into chaos and responded with chants through mosques’ loudspeakers to interrupt the security forces’ calls.
And a good time was had by all, until the festivities started up again.
Iraqi air forces had also dropped one million messages on the town telling people to write an Arabic letter on the houses where Islamic State members are bunkered, and advising them to stay away from those areas, understandably preparing to strike them, according to the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell (WMC).
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Two soldiers were wounded as unknown gunmen attacked their patrol in south of the capital Baghdad, a security source was quoted saying.
Speaking to Alghad Press on Wednesday, the source said, “unknown gunmen opened fire against an army patrol in al-Hirkawi region, south of Baghdad.”
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi police forces killed two suicide bombers before attacking troops in western Baghdad on Wednesday, Baghdad police service said in a statement.
Baghdad Operations service said the two suicider attackers, putting on two explosive belts, were killed before attacking police troops at al-Saklat street in Abu Gharib region.
Raqqa (Syria News) The international coalition warplanes carried out, on Wednesday, several air strikes on the city of Raqqa.
Qasioun News reported that the US-led international coalition carried many air strikes, this morning, on al-Thakna neighborhood, west of the city, while the Syrian Democratic Forces shelled, using heavy artillery, the neighborhood, but no casualties were reported.
The attack took place after the Syrian Democratic Forces militia managed to capture al-Rasheed neighborhood in the old city completely, following a violent clashes with the Islamic State militants.
[AlMasdar] Approximately 2,000 Islamic State (ISIL) fighters remain inside the provincial capital of the Al-Raqqa Governoraate, the U.S. Coalition’s Spokesperson, Brett McGurk, announced this week.
“It seems, from the information we have, that, of the 2,000 or so ISIS fighters that are left, bulk of them are foreign fighters,” coalition’s envoy said, as quoted by Ara News Agency.
Furthermore, the Coalition Spokesperson stated the ongoing operation to liberate Raqqa City will require more than just a military effort, adding that the ongoing humanitarian crisis is something that requires coordination with different groups.
“It’s not just a military effort. We also met with local councils and a number of tribal sheiks who are working very closely with us to defeat ISIS. And we have diplomats on the ground, working on the stabilization and humanitarian elements. It was a very encouraging visit, spent about two days there,” McGurk added.
[AlMasdar] The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have advanced into and taken control of Raqqa city’s central districts, thoroughly ejecting ISIS militants from them.
After some ten weeks of combat operations inside Raqqa against ISIS, Kurdish-led fighters finally assumed control over the city’s innermost neighborhoods – an area generally referred to as the Old City.
Late yesterday, reports came in that the SDF had pushed ISIS militants out of the al-Rasheed and Mansour suburbs. In doing so, Kurdish-led troops secured the entirety of the Old City area and de facto gained control over the heart of Raqqa.
The Old City was the most heavily defended area inside Raqqa, with ISIS launching ceaseless counterattacks and car bombs against Kurdish-led forces over the last two-and-a-half months in order to try deter their advances.
With this most recent victory by the SDF, Islamic State militants in Raqqa have now been confined to the city’s northern and western districts.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Qalamoun Shield Forces, a national pro-government militia group, have just liberated a large town of considerable strategic value from ISIS in eastern Hama Governorate.
Several hours ago, the SAA and Qalamoun Shield Forces expelled ISIS militants from the town of Salbah. The advance was made possible after pro-government forces took the imperative high-ground around the settlement prior to storming it.
According to military sources, the SAA stormed Salbah during the earliest hours of this morning. ISIS fighters are noted to have put up a fierce resistance both on the outskirts of the town and inside it.
In the end, pro-government forces simply overwhelmed ISIS through sheer numbers and firepower, pushing the terrorist group’s militants to withdraw from Salbah.
By this advance, the SAA and its allies are now in a position to attack the settlements of Mas’adah and Qalib al-Thor.
[AlMasdar] Some 90 percent of the ISIS militants which remain in eastern Hama Governorate, who are now physically besieged in the region by pro-government forces, consist of native Syrians.
These local ISIS fighters are not only Syrians but, even more specifically, residents from eastern Hama, virtually all coming from the Badawee tribal clan which has deep historical roots in the region.
It most likely the case that these native jihadist loyalists were ordered by their foreign commanders (which are generally Iraqi, Saudi and Tunisian), who themselves withdrew from eastern Hama as pro-government forces were encircling it, to stay behind and fight to the death.
This reality is not uncommon and was also seen during the Battle for Mosul, when non-Iraqi ISIS fighters withdrew from the city prior to its full encirclement, leaving behind native militants to resist until death.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their march towards Deir Ezzor, today, targeting the Islamic State’s (ISIL) last positions in central Syria.
Backed by the 3rd and 5th legions, the Syrian Arab Army’s Tiger Forces stormed the strategic mountain of Jabal Al-Dahk in the northern countryside of Al-Sukhnah this morning.
Within hours of launching the attack, the Syrian Arab Army had seized two tanks and one BMP, while also dismantling two IEDs in the Jabal Al-Dahk area.
The Syrian Army would take full control of the western half of Jabal Al-Dahk by the early afternoon hours, forcing the Islamic State to retreat to the eastern part of the mountain.
As a result of today’s advance, the Syrian Arab Army is now on the verge of closing the last gap separating their forces in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate.
[AlMasdar] On Wednesday, a total of 177 insurgents turned themselves in to authorities in rural Homs after signing an amnesty decree which saves them from trial in return for putting down their weapons.
All the surrendered Islamist militants originated from the long-standing rebel strongholds of Talbiseh and Rastan, AMN field correspondent Ibrahim Joudeh said. These two towns are known to be under Ahrar Al-Sham’s and Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s (HTS) control.
According to another military source close to Al-Masdar News, the Russian Reconciliation Center played a key role in facilitating the deal which was negotiated over several weeks.
In addition, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) took over a large batch of weaponry which the militants had brought with them. Several similar deals have taken place in previous months, suggesting opposition morale to be at an all-time low.
The frontline around the northern Homs pocket has been largely static since 2014. A de-escalation deal currently covers the region although HTS proudly boasted an artillery bombardment of the Al-Zarah Thermal Power Plant yesterday.
[AlMasdar] Units of the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) elite Tiger Forces operating in northeast Homs Governorate have resumed offensive operations in the direction of the provincial border with Deir Ezzor Governorate.
After securing Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi to the east of the town of al-Taybah yesterday, the Tiger Forces have since continued to advance, driving east yet again, now coming into contact with and storming ISIS positions on the outskirts of the al-Latom al-Sharqiyah and al-Latom al-Gharibyah areas.
According to a military source exclusive to Al-Masdar News, the areas of al-Latom al-Sharqiyah and al-Latom al-Gharibyah should soon be secured by the Tiger Forces given the general state of rout the ISIS militants they come into contact with are in.
[AlMasdar] The Islamic State’s (ISIL) last supply in central Syria is under a heavy assault from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies, making this one of the most important battles to take place inside the country.
Led by the Tiger Forces, alongside the 3rd and 5th Legions, the Syrian Arab Army has made major headway in the northeastern countryside of the Homs Governorate these last few days, liberating several sites between the strategic towns of Resafa (Al-Raqqa) and Al-Sukhnah (Homs).
While ISIL is throwing everything they have at the Syrian Army, they are struggling to hold the gap that is separating the latter’s forces in central Syria.
Earlier this morning, the Syrian Arab Army stormed the terrorist group’s defenses at Al-Dahl Mountain, which is the location of the Islamic State’s last positions between this gap.
According to a military source in Palmyra, the Syrian Arab Army is attempting to force the remaining Islamic State militants to retreat from Al-Dahl Mountain; however, thus far, the terrorist group has refused to withdraw from the area due to its imperative supply line that feeds its forces in northeast Homs.
[AlMasdar] The elite pro-government ISIS Hunters carried out another special operation in central Syria, capturing an Islamic State (ISIS) bunker in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate.
Video of bunker can be seen at the link.
Upon entering the terrorist group’s bunker, the ISIS Hunter’s discovered a spacious corridor that protected the Islamic State fighters from artillery shells and missiles.
The terrorist group also had prepared food, drugs, Wahhabi books printed from Kuwait, and telecommunication devices all stored in this well-ventilated bunker.
ISIS Hunters were filmed entering and capturing the terrorist group’s bunker by their official media wing over the weekend; it was one of the many operations they have carried out across central Syria.
[AlMasdar] With ISIS lines throughout central Syria collapsing before a relentless onslaught by pro-government forces, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is now eyeing-out to secure one of the largest oil fields in the region that has been under the control of the terrorist group since its successful Palmyra offensive in December 2016.
After capturing the strategic town of Huwaysis in central Homs Governorate two days, the SAA has continued advancing southwest of the al-Sha’er mountain chain securing, as of today, the hilltops of Abedin, Qart al-Aridah, Qart al-Taheen and Qubour al-Shaalan; smaller, unnamed hills east of Qart al-Aridah have also been secured.
By this advance, the SAA has now flanked the al-Mahr Oil Field (one of the largest in central Syria) from three axes, leaving only one safe route for ISIS to retreat from. The oil field and its surrounding area area expected to be liberated very soon.
Click here to see an interactive map of Syria and Iraq.
[AlMasdar] Syrian Arab Army (SAA) forces, led by the elite 800th Regiment of the Republican Guard, have advanced deep into the desert countryside east of the strategic town of al-Sukhnah, slicing their way through ISIS defenses as they push towards Deir Ezzor Governorate.
With all eyes focused north of al-Sukhnah where 5th Assault Corps is poised to link up with units of the elite Tiger Forces pushing from southern Raqqa, the sudden advance made on this new axis east of the town late yesterday comes as a genuine surprise.
The advance saw the SAA secure road and hilltops alongside Sukhnah-Deir Ezzor highway (M20) to a depth of twenty kilometers.
ISIS by no means surrendered the land it lost yesterday without a fight and in attempting (but failing) to repel army forces, the terrorist groups ended up losing four (4) armed Toyota pickups destroyed and around a dozen fighters killed.
Furthermore the terrorist group threw two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) at advancing SAA units, however army troops managed to destroy both car bombs before they could reach their targets.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their large-scale offensive in the eastern suburbs of Damascus this week, after taking a brief hiatus to negotiate a possible ceasefire agreement with the Salafist tough guys of Faylaq al-Rahman.
Using elephant missiles to weaken the Islamist revolve, the Syrian Arab Army’s 42nd Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division repeatedly pounded Faylaq al-Rahman’s defenses in Jobar, inflicting heavy damage on several trenches and bases.
While the Syrian Arab Army’s infantry units have yet to storm the area, a source in Damascus told al-Masdar that the military is attempting to force Faylaq al-Rahman’s expel their al-Qaeda allies, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, from the eastern suburbs of Damascus.
If Faylaq al-Rahman does indeed expel HTS hard boyz from eastern Damascus, the military source stated that the Syrian Army will respect a ceasefire in Jobar and ’Ayn Tarma.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Syrian army soldiers and fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement have retaken several areas from ISISTakfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... turbans in the strategic and mountainous region of Qalamoun close to the border with Leb.
Hezbollah’s media bureau said in a statement on Wednesday that Syrian troopers and their allies had taken control over Shaaba al-Bahsa Heights on the outskirts of al-Jarajir village in Syria’s southwestern province of Rif Dimashq.
The statement added that the forces had also recaptured Qaba Ismail and Shaaba Harfoush hilltops near Bureij village in central Syria.
On August 19, Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an operation to purge ISIS from Qalamoun, located about 330 kilometers (205 miles) north of the Syrian capital Damascus.
Hezbollah launched a major push on July 21 to clear both sides of Leb's border with Syria of "armed terrorists."
[AlMasdar] Hezbollah commandos, alongside the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), destroyed the Islamic State’s headquarters in the western Qalamoun region, Wednesday, after conducting an imperative operation near the Lebanese border.
According to Hezbollah’s official media wing, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah destroyed the Islamic State’s headquarters in the Jib Khoulah area of the Qalamoun Mountains.
ISIL’s HQ in the Jib Khoulah area was reportedly the location of their commander, Abu Al-Sus, and his top associates.
Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar news outlet claimed on Tuesday that Abu Al-Sus has asked the Lebanese government to transport him to the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor; however, his request was denied by the Lebanese Intelligence Chief, Major General’Abbas Ibrahim.
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08/24/2017 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
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.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Three back to back explosions took place in the western parts of Kabul city late on Tuesday night with the preliminary reports suggesting at least seven people were wounded.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Dozens of people were killed or 
[DAWN] A 
[Ynet] Moroccan authorities have 
[Iran Press TV] At least 11 people 
[DailyMail] 
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi force continued Wednesday to recapture more areas held by Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Afar, their last holdout in Nineveh province.
Raqqa (Syria News) The international coalition warplanes carried out, on Wednesday, several air strikes on the city of Raqqa.
[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their march towards Deir Ezzor, today, targeting the Islamic State’s (ISIL) last positions in central Syria.
