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Today: 59 articles and 160 comments as of 13:52.
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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Belgian Police Move on Libya Arms Smuggling Ring
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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16 14:46 Grarong Spawn of the Heathen Rus2966 []
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3 08:48 Pappy []
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2 07:48 USN, Ret. [1]
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7 12:00 Abu Uluque []
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1 07:39 Heriberto Greper9897 []
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Page 3: Non-WoT
3 14:35 Abu Uluque []
4 23:22 Steve White []
6 15:54 CrazyFool []
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5 12:27 Raj [2]
Page 4: Opinion
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12 22:20 rjschwarz [2]
6 13:53 Whiskey Mike []
8 18:09 Eltoroverde [1]
2 18:38 Rob Crawford []
4 16:35 Bright Pebbles [2]
1 09:01 Eltoroverde []
3 18:42 gorb []
7 16:33 SteveS []
Page 6: Politix
4 19:54 Barbara []
7 13:44 Skidmark []
5 18:31 Neville Bonaparte7852 []
Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Bad knee. Common to women in sports. Tends to swell in that area. Lower back pain as well I'd bet hence the wrap about her waist for support. Interesting to see in those times how a person could deal with these issues. She is young but I'd bet not many years in her activities. Just rambling on today.
Posted by: Dale || 12/16/2016 6:17 Comments || Top||

#2  The wrap around her waist is a very abbreviated skirt to modestly cover the fleshy part of the upper thigh, Dale -- the lady is wearing a corset. According to Wikipedia, Miss Vulcana was a strongwoman.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/16/2016 11:18 Comments || Top||

#3  a fashion MAVEN!
TW, you are just full of surprising information.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/16/2016 11:55 Comments || Top||

#4  Yes, also stays. Women had fewer back problems when they wore them. Then I've been told they crushed their vertebrae (a woman's response).
Posted by: Dale || 12/16/2016 13:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Giving a little back after all you all have taught me, dear Skidmark..
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/16/2016 19:30 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
8 ISIS militants separate airstrikes in East of Afghanistan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least 8 loyalists of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in separate Arclight airstrikes conducted by the US forces in eastern Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
province of Afghanistan.

The provincial police commandment said the bully boyz were killed in Haska Mina and Achin districts.

According to the local security officials, at least six of the bully boyz were killed in Kharga area of Haska Mina district while two others were killed in Pekha area of Achin.

The officials further added that the local residents did not suffer any casualties in the Arclight airstrikes.

Posted by: Fred || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Hekmatyar’s notorious colander in Afghan intelligence custody
I checked the original article -- that's just an interesting typo, thank goodness.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] One of the most notorious commanders of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-Islami, is in the custody of the Afghan intelligence, the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

A source in Afghan intelligence confirmed to RFE/RL that commander Zardad has been detained and is serving in the custody of the National Directorate of Security.

Commander Zardad, accused of grave human rights violations, returned to Kabul on Wednesday as scores of his supporters gathered in the airport to welcome him home.

The notorious Hez-e-Islami commander was reportedly running a check post and a cell to torture the Afghan civilians during the devastating civil war for which Hekmatyar is believed to have a major role along with the other notorious jihadi leaders.

Apart from his supporters, the ordinary Afghan civilians were shocked with Zardad’s return who are pessimistic regarding Hezb-e-Islami’s role to ensure stability in the country by joining peace process as they believe Hekmatyar’s party is no more a prominent insurgent as compared to Taliban who are accused of the major stakeholders in the ongoing violence.

According to reports, commander Zardad was deported after serving in UK jail for several years for his involvement in the devastating Afghan civil war.

Posted by: Fred || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hizb-i-Islami-Hekmatyar

#1  Which tells you Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's security was like a sieve. The insurgency has obviously been a strain; a drain on Hezb-e-Islami's resources.
Posted by: Pappy || 12/16/2016 8:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Pappy dear, your room awaits. I'll have lunch sent up.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/16/2016 11:47 Comments || Top||

#3  So, he didn't convert to Pastafarianism?
Posted by: Raj || 12/16/2016 12:00 Comments || Top||

#4  The jails there are full of holes.
Posted by: gorb || 12/16/2016 18:34 Comments || Top||


Key ISIS figures involved in recent Kabul attacks arrested
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Several key figures of the loyalists of Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group involved in plotting and executing a number of deadly attacks in Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
city, were placed in durance vile
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
by the Afghan intelligence operatives.

The National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS) said at a group of at least 10 people were arrested in connection to the previous attacks and a number of other attack plots in the capital.

A statement by NDS said the snuffies were involved in plotting and executing the deadly attack on Sakhi shrine in Kabul and another deadly attack on the VIP protection unit in Kabul city.

The statement further added that the group was looking to carry out more attacks on Shi’ite sites in Kabul city, including an attack on Karte Se mosque and a number of televisions, including Tolo tv, Shamshad, and Arian television network.

NDS said the group was also tasked to spark religious and ethnic tensions among the city residents, specifically the Shi’ite and Sunni followers of the capital by equipping them with the necessary equipings to spread their propaganda.

The anti-government armed bad boy groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

The recent deadly attacks by the loyalists of the terror group include a coordinate suicide kaboom on Baqir-ul-Uloom mosque, Sakhi shrine, peaceful demonstration in Deh Mazang area, and some other deadly attacks that left dozens of people dead and hundreds of others maimed.

Posted by: Fred || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa North
Egyptian authorities execute Sinai militant Adel Habara
It is done.
[AlAhram] Habara was given final death sentences in 2 cases for his role in terrorist attacks against Egyptian security personnel.

Egyptian prison authorities executed Thursday morning Adel Habara,
...big man in Ansar Bayt al Maqdis since back when it was a mere Al Qaeda affiliate murdering police and soldiers in the Sinai. His full name is Adel Mohamed Ibrahim, but he is sometimes called Adel Mohammed...
a Sinai holy warrior who was convicted of murder in relation with terrorist attacks that killed dozens of Egypt's security personnel.

On Wednesday evening, Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified Habara's death warrant according to the law.

Habara was handed final death sentences in two cases for his involvement in terrorist attacks against Egyptian security personnel.

On Monday, Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld the second death sentence against Habara for killing a police detective in Sharqiya governorate in 2012.

The same court rejected Habara's final appeal against the other death sentence he'd received for plotting the execution-style killing of 25 soldiers in an ambush in North Sinai in August 2013, known as the "Second Rafah Massacre."

Habara was jugged
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
in September 2013 and first stood for trial in November that year.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/16/2016 01:06 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)

#1  Well...Bye
Posted by: Frank G || 12/16/2016 7:06 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Houthis pound Taiz with artillery
[Al Arabiya] Houthi militias and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh heavily shelled residential neighborhoods in Taiz on Wednesday night, Al-Arabiya’s correspondent has reported. There have also been violent clashes between the national army and rebels in the areas surrounding air defense military camp in north of Taiz.

Meanwhile, 11 headless bodies were found in the southern city of Aden where extremist groups are still active, a security source said on Wednesday, adding that residents found the bodies on Tuesday evening.

The police did not specify who the suspects are but it said the bodies were dumped in al-Hiswa natural reserve, west of Aden, more than a month ago. A security official told AFP that the bodies were decomposed and slaughtered.

Yemeni authorities have declared Aden as a temporary capital after regaining restoring it in 2015 from Houthi militias that control the capital Sanaa.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia's FSB foils ISIS Moskva bomb plot
[al-Manar] The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has prevented series of terrorist attacks in Moscow planned by terrorists of the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) terrorist group.

According to the FSB, the attacks were planned by a senior ISIL commander in Turkey who had been put on an international wanted list by Tajik authorities.

“The activity of a terrorist cell consisting of citizens of Tajikistan and a citizen of Moldova, who planned to commit a series of resonant terrorist attacks in Moscow using improvised explosive devices of high capacity, has been terminated,” the FSB said.

Four members of the terrorist group have been detained on Thursday. Improvised explosive devices, firearms and a “significant amount of explosive material to develop explosives of high capacity” have been found and seized from the suspected terrorists.

Earlier in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with senior officers and prosecutors that the FSB prevented 10 terrorist attacks in the first 10 months of 2016.

Source: Sputnik
The Times of Israel adds:
Many foreign fighters from Russia’s Muslim-majority Caucasus republics such as Chechnya and Dagestan have gone to Syria to fight on behalf of the Islamic State. The Islamic State has a local branch in Russia known as the Caucasus Province, which broke off from the al-Qaeda linked Caucasus Emirate in 2014 and has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Russia.
And from AnNahar:
The Russian defense ministry told local media Thursday that more than 2,000 jihadists from Russia and other former Soviet republics were killed in Syria last year.
Finally, the Daily Mail has pictures.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1 
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/16/2016 3:18 Comments || Top||

#2  It would take more TV time than an election.
Too much negative exposure of the perp demographics.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/16/2016 10:45 Comments || Top||


Europe
Belgian Police Move on Libya Arms Smuggling Ring
[AnNahar] Belgian authorities have detained four people after a series of raids to break up a weapons smuggling ring trying to send guns into Libya in defiance of a U.N. arms embargo.

The Federal Prosecutor's office said Thursday that the raids are part of an inquiry into money laundering and arms smuggling involving companies in the U.S., United Arab Emirates, Niger and Belgium.

It said the weapons were imported and exported with fake "end user certificates."

None of the four people detained had permits to import or export weapons or military equipment.

The four weren't identified, but one of them, a Belgian, was charged with belonging to a criminal organization and breaking an arms embargo.

Several objects, including computer materials, were seized during the raids, which took place Wednesday.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/16/2016 01:06 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Europe migrant colonist briefs
Fugitive ex-Syrian Diplomat Arrested in France on Rape Charge

[AnNahar] A former Syrian diplomat convicted in Geneva of raping and torturing a 60-year-old woman has been arrested in France after 15 years on the run, Swiss officials said Wednesday.

A statement from the Geneva prosecutor's office said the fugitive targeted in an international warrant was picked up on Tuesday in Versailles, where he had been living under a false identity with refugee status.

An extradition process to return the 54-year-old to Switzerland has been launched, the statement said.

The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was convicted in Geneva in absentia in 2001 for the 1997 rape which the court said amounted to torture. He was given a 13-year prison sentence at the time and has been "on the run" ever since, the statement further said.

Following the crime, Switzerland asked the Syrian government to lift the suspect's diplomatic immunity. Instead, he was quickly recalled to Damascus, which meant he no longer had immunity in Switzerland.

CSU's Seehofer: cap on migrants a precondition for next government

[DeutscheWelle] Never before has Bavaria's Minister President spoken so bluntly about limiting the influx of migrants. Now, Merkel's conservative ally has said a cap will be a prerequisite to forming a new government next year.

German high court stops one Afghan deportation, dozens more go ahead

[DeutscheWelle] Germany's Constitutional Court has postponed the deportation of an Afghan man until he can complete an application for asylum. The court did not, however, stop the deportation of some 34 other Afghans.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


India-Pakistan
Three suspected gangsters killed in ‘encounter’
[DAWN] The Pakistain Rangers, Sindh, on Thursday claimed to have killed three suspects involved in Lyari
...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot....
gang warfare while their accomplice managed to flee in an ’encounter’ in Yousaf Goth.
He was a small fish, so they threw him back while carefully placing bullets behind each ear of the other three. They did shout "Bang! Bang! Bangetty-bang!" while doing so, though, for that all-important air of verisimilitude.
Two Rangers personnel also sustained injuries during the exchange of fire, officials said.
A stubbed toe and a hangnail. Both were briefly life-threatening.
One of the dear departed, Nawaz Ali alias Mulla, had received military training along with Taliban for three months in Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
, according to the Rangers spokesperson.
Didn't seem to do him any good in the end, though.
The official said that the paramilitary force conducted an intelligence-driven targeted raid at the hideout of the suspects in Yousaf Goth in the early hours of Thursday.
Sounds dreadfully impressive. Mahmoud the Weasel's nephew's cousin -- Abdullullahullah has the local territory -- called it in, then.
On seeing the troops, the suspects resorted to firing,
"Hark! My Spidey Sense --
"Lookit that over there! Commence random firing, boys!
"prompting the law enforcers to cordon off the area, he added.
"A row of garbage cans right about....there should do it, Cpl. Ibrahimullah."
"Yessir, Sarge! Garbage cans there it is, sir!"
"After a heavy exchange of fire, three suspects got killed while one managed to escape," said the paramilitary force spokesperson. The dear departed were identified as Nawaz Ali alias Mulla, Junaid and Amin Mustafa alias Chamber.
I will never understand the naming conventions in that part of the world.
"They belonged to Lyari gang warfare and were wanted in cases of assassination'>assassination
s and terror incidents," according to the Rangers statement.
Not to mention mopery and dopery on the spaceways.
"A large quantity of arms and ammunition and hand grenades were seized from their custody," said the Rangers official.
Back in Bangladesh the newest RAB recruit would be set to polishing those up for storage in the sergent's vault until next needed -- Bangladeshis are a saving sort of folk -- but in Pakistan the sergeant sells such things at the station's back door to cover the cost of tea and biscuits in the break room. Miscreants bring their own weaponry in Pakistan.
Link with Taliban
"Nawaz Ali alias Mulla got training along with Taliban for three months in Chaman, Balochistan, in the year 2011," said the Rangers spokesperson.
Three months? Golly.
He was a member of the ’Kutchhi Group’ of gangsters.

The gangster was involved in 66 cases of assassination'>assassinations, 11 hand grenade incidents besides extortion and robberies, the official said.
Good lord. He certainly was both ambitious and effective.
Mulla had killed 15 members of the Baba Ladla gang, besides being involved in nearly a dozen hand grenade attacks in Lyari and Old Golimar since 2012, said the paramilitary spokesperson."He used to collect Rs120,000 as extortion money from different people in Pak Colony on a monthly basis," said the official, adding that he was allegedly involved in the murder of three brothers in September and the killing of at least six people last month.
But his mother and all his female friends and relations simply loved the pretties their dear Mulla bought them will his ill-gotten gains, in their selfishness never thinking on the harm they were doing to his soul.
The dear departed was allegedly involved in Rs20.5 million robberies in Hub, the official said.
That looks awfully impressive.
"Nawaz Ali had also procured illegal weapons worth Rs20 million from Quetta, Balochistan," added the Rangers statement.
The sergeant will be able to afford the good biscuits when he sells those, and some bottles of something stronger than tea to warm the bellies of the lads on patrol this winter. It's medicinal, so that's permitted donchaknow.
Amin Mustafa alias Chamber was involved in 21 assassination'>assassinations. He was wanted by the police in connection with the killing of Urdu-speaking persons in different areas in 2012 and 2013. The suspected gangster used to kill the people brutally and threw their bodies in the Lyari river.
What on earth did he have against Urdus?
The other deceased, Junaid, was allegedly involved in 10 assassination'>assassinations besides armed robberies, the Rangers said, adding that most of the victims were Urdu-speaking people while he had killed a Sindhi-speaking person in the Manghopir area in 2012, according to the Rangers official.
*GASP!*
He added that the paramilitary force would continue the targeted operation till the elimination of all turbans and targeted killers.
Infinite employment, then. They generate spontaneously over there, you know, like flies from dung.
Posted by: Fred || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Four LeJ suspects apprehended
GUJRANWALA: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested four militants of banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and recovered explosives here on Thursday.

A CTD spokesman said that a team of the department on an intelligence tip-off conducted a search operation in Gujranwala.

He said that during operation four alleged militants of banned LeJ were apprehended with explosive material.

The alleged militants identified as Rafique, Javed, Ashraf and Faheem were shifted to an undisclosed location for investigation and according to CTD spokesman important revelations were expected.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Jhangvi


LeT behind bank robberies, Rs 9.8 lakh looted from Pulwama
[Daily Excelsior] Militants today looted over Rs 9 lakh from Jammu and Kashmire Bank and Police said that Lashkar-e-Taiba
...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...
(LeT) murderous Moslems are behind the recent bank robberies in Kashmire.

Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, Rayees Bhat said that LeT is responsible for the recent bank robberies in Kashmire. He said that they have identified two foreigners and one local who are among the robbers.

Bhat said: "From the Ratnipora bank branch, Rs 9.84 lakh have been looted and out of which 16,000 is old currency while rest is new currency. We have taken CCTV footage from the bank and we have been able to atleast identify two of these dacoits."

The SP said that in Budgam and Pulwama, same group was involved in robbery. "And in Budgam we have shown the photographs to the employees and two of the dacoits have been identified as Abu Ali and Abu Ismail, both foreign snuffies and one local holy warrior Arif of Lelhar. Today when we spoke to the bank officials, same identification was established", he said.

"Today we got the CCTV footage from the bank and it has been established that Lashkar-e-Taiba is behind the bank robberies. The murderous Moslems involved in today’s robbery are Arif Dar of Lelhar and Abu Ali. They are wanted in the bank robbery and two others who were outside acted as scouts and were guarding their colleagues".

The SP said that after recent bank robberies, police had taken certain measures which helped them. "After bank robbery at Arihal we had taken some security measures and we had given bank officials the list of banks which are sensitive and where response time is more for us. There are some branches which are nearer and near our establishments and there are banks which are in far flung areas. We had asked the officials of far flung areas when there are huge transactions they should cooperate with us", he added.

Bhat said that police reached in no time but murderous Moslems had managed to flee. "Today we had put some our men in civvies in the bank and some private persons as well. By this our response time was quick. We reached immediately and we thought two of them are still inside. We laid the cordon and searched the area but unfortunately they had left", he said.

The SP said that stone pelting diverted the attention of police which gave murderous Moslems enough time to flee. "Due to stone pelting our attention got diverted. Otherwise the leads we had got we could have chased them", he said.

Last Thursday, gunnies targeted a branch of the J&K Bank at Arihal in the same district and looted Rs 13.38 lakh. This is the fourth bank robbery in the State since November 8.



Posted by: Fred || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba


Iraq
The Beatings Will Continue: Iraqi Edition
ISIS executes 28 in Kirkuk

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State (ISIS) militants have executed 28 army recruits and tribal fighters southwest of Kirkuk, a police official said Wednesday.

“ISIS members executed today 28 army and Sahwa recruits by a firing squad at a district in Hawija (55 km southwest of Kirkuk,” said the head of municipalities police, Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader. “The group executed them over charges of collaboration with government forces and Peshmerga. They had been detained earlier,” he said, adding that the executioners filmed the process.

Since taking over several regions of Iraq in 2014 to establish a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate”, ISIS militants occasionally posted videos and photos of executions of civilians and security personnel over multiple reasons, most commonly collaboration with security authorities.

40 civilians die in crossfighting between ISIS and Iraqi troops

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) At least 40 civilians were killed and scores were wounded in bombardments of liberated areas of Mosul as battles continue between Islamic State militants and Iraqi security forces since the dawn of Wednesday, according to local and medical sources.

The shelling was concentrated on the districts of al-Nour, al-Falah and al-Quds, east of Mosul, according to London-based The New Arab newspaper.

ISIS has reportedly bombarded areas it had lost to Iraqi troops since a major security campaign launched in October to retake Iraq’s second largest city. The newspaper said, however, it was still premature to decide whether Iraqi forces were involved in the civilian deaths.

It quoted sources as saying that the majority of victims were still under debris, and that it remains difficult to reach them as fighting intensifies.
More at the link

Dozens flee ISIS areas in Kirkuk

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) A security source in Kirkuk Province revealed, that dozens of civilians who fled ISIS-held areas in Hawija district, arrived in the center of the city, Alsumaria News reported on Wednesday.

The source said in a statement, “Tens of displaced families, mostly women and children, arrived today in Maktab Khaled area, in western Kirkuk.”
More at the link

ISIS recruiting drives to include fleeing civilians

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State (ISIS) has deployed its local members in Mosul to the frontline of battles with Iraqi troops, replacing foreign fighters as a punishment for tolerating escapes by civilians, an intelligence source said Thursday.

The extremist group withdrew its foreign fighters to the inside of the city, the source told Alsumaria News. He explained that the move came as a punishment for “slackness among local members regarding civilians escaping ISIS-controlled areas,” and for the fighters’ “turning themselves in for Iraqi security forces”.
More at the link

Video discloses how ISIS dealt with civilians

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) In a video released by Alsumaria News, Abdel Azim Laith, one of the displaced people from the city of Mosul, talked about the IDP camps, and how was the Islamic State (IS) dealing with the people of Mosul.

Laith, who was flogged by members of the extremist group for not attending prayers at the mosque, revealed that the situation in the IDP camps is agonizing, and displaced people are suffering from cold weather.

IS was also flogging anyone who smokes or sells cigarettes, while some persons were selling cigarettes secretly, Laith added.

Furthermore, he said that the Islamic State group was deploying detectives in the streets of Mosul to arrest anyone who smokes or not attends prayers at mosque, as well as monitoring the implementation of its instructions.
Video at the link

Iraqi brothers detail travails in ISIS occupied area

(Reuters) His right arm strapped with a tourniquet and numbed by anaesthetic, Azad Hassan sat before the crowd waiting for Islamic State militants to chop off his hand as a punishment.

First, he had watch them do the same to his brother.

Freed from Islamic State rule in Mosul by Iraqi forces who are fighting to recapture the city, the Hassan family bear more scars than most from two years under the jihadists’ self-declared caliphate.

The family tragedy parallels Mosul’s own recent history, from its storming by Islamic State in 2014, and the imposition of the group’s ultra-hardline rule in its de facto capital, to the Iraqi military campaign to retake it which has led to ferocious fighting in eastern districts.

A dispute over flour deliveries brought the two brothers before an Islamic State court more than a year ago. Militants had already taken another brother a few months before – a document given to the family says he was shot suspected of working with the Iraqi army, but they never saw his body.
More at the link

ISIS redistributes Zakat in Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh province revealed, that the Islamic State group redistributed Zakat (alms-giving treated as a religious tax in Islam) in the neighborhoods of the eastern side of Mosul, Alsumaria News reported on Thursday.

The source said, “The Islamic State group redistributed ‘Zakat’ in the neighborhoods of the eastern sides of Mosul during the so-called ‘Zakat Festivals’ that are attended by poor families.”

“The Zakat, which ranges between 100-150 thousand dinars, will be given to any poor family on condition that one of its members join the ranks of the Islamic State,” the source explained.

“Some of the poor families were forced to accept, while other families refused to go to mosques to receive the Zakat,” the source further added.

Joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and international coalition forces, continue liberating the remaining areas of the city of Mosul, after an offensive being launched in October to free Nineveh province.
More at the link

ISIS calls for capturing wimmin
Everybody wants to capture them. No one wants to be a ring on their fingers
[Al Arabiya] ISIS infiltrated the liberated neighborhoods of al Noor, al Ilam, and al Taameen in Mosul on Wednesday evening, taking advantage of the cloudy weather conditions that led to the ease of air-strikes that target them, reported Al Arabiya’s correspondent in Iraq.

This pushed the Counter-Terrorism forces to send more back-up to the neighborhoods to repel the counter-attacks in which ISIS used car bombs and mortars.

The correspondent reported that ISIS called on their supporters to kill the men and capture the women in the liberated neighborhoods, prompting residents to flee to more secure areas such as Kokajala neighborhood.

In contrast, Abdulwahab al-Saadi, head of the Counter-Terrorism forces called on the civilians to stay in their homes and not flee, stressing that things are under control
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


16K Iraqi troops prepare attack near Kirkuk
Krikuk (IraqiNews.com) More than 16800 soldiers and volunteer combatants have been prepared to retake Islamic State (ISIS)-held towns in southwest of Kirkuk, a security source has told Alsumaria News.

The forces are comprised of personnel from the ministries of defense and interior, as well as from al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) volunteers, said the source, adding that they are all from Iraq’s Arab sect and “fully prepared to set on the liberation battle.”

“They had all been well-trained by experts from the (US-led) international coalition,” the source added.

“Al-Hashd al-Shaabi in Hawija comprises 2800 of locals, and the expansion of that force is under way so as for it to have a role in liberating and taking hold of territory,” the source stated, adding that security authorities maintains a database of ISIS leaderships and affiliates in the targeted regions.

“The timing of the operation remains up to the government and and the Joint Operations Command,” the source explained.

Al-Zab, al-Abbasi, al-Riyadh, al-Rashad and Hawija are all Kirkuk precincts remaining under ISIS control and are all launching points for attacks on several provinces.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Kops dismantle 26 militant cells in Diyala
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Diyala Police Chief, Lieutenant General Jassim Hussein al-Saadi, announced on Wednesday, that police forces dismanted 26 terrorist cells, as well as arresting 36 of their members, during search operations in the province.

Saadi said at a press conference in the Command’s headquarters in central Baqubah, “Diyala Police managed to dismantle 26 terrorist and criminal cells, in addition to arresting 36 of their members during search operations in different areas of Diyala.”

“Diyala Police Command continue exercising efforts to pursue and dismantle terrorist cells, as well as capturing their members,” Saadi added.

“The police command also managed to lessen abduction rate by 90% compared with last year,” Saadi explained.

Noteworthy, security forces were able in the previous months to dismantle and arrest a large number of terrorist cells in Diyala Province.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Basra kops arrest terrorists in Samarra
Basra (IraqiNews.com) Basra Police Directorate announced on Wednesday, that security forces captured wanted persons on charges of terrorism, including one of the perpetrators of a car bomb explosion in al-Ishaki area.

The Directorate said in a press statement, “Forces from police’s 5th emergency regiment that participate in Samarra Operations arrested persons wanted on charges of terrorism,” pointing out that, “One of them participated in car bomb explosion in al-Ishaki area.”

“The operation was carried out based on accurate intelligence information,” the statement explained. “The police forces handed over the suspects to the Commando Brigade’ intelligence of Samarra Operations Command to start the interrogation,” the statement added.
"Mahmoud! Wax my mustache. And bring me the Number Seven truncheon!"
Security and military forces moved to Basra province that witnessed large military operations against the Islamic state.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Mosul Offensive News
13 ISIS Turbans now Pining for the Fjords

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Thirteen Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed on Wednesday when US-led international coalition fighter jets carried out two airstrikes in eastern Mosul, a security source told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA).

The deaths included foreign senior members, according to the source.

Federal Police forces are, meanwhile, advancing at the districts of Wahda, Mithaq and Sabaawi in southeast of the eastern shore of the city.

Earlier on Wednesday, London-based the New Arab reported that at least 40 civilians were killed and scores were wounded in bombardments of liberated areas of Mosul as battles continue between Islamic State militants and Iraqi security forces since dawn.The shelling was concentrated on the districts of al-Nour, al-Falah and al-Quds, east of Mosul, according to the newspaper.

In western Mosul, Al-Hashd al-Shaabi militias said they thwarted an attack by ISIS militants on Wednesday west of the strategic town of Tal Afar. The militia’s media service added that four vehicles belonging to the extremist group were destroyed in the failed attack.

Iraqi government troops, backed by popular mobilization militias and US-led air forces, continue to advance in the eastern section of Mosul against a fierce resistance from ISIS. Iraqi commanders have said they became in control over most of eastern Mosul, and that only a few districts remain to declare the whole region free from ISIS. But the extremist group has reportedly made it a difficult endeavor for the Iraqi troops by relying on street-to-street fights, booby-traps and suicide bombings. The existence of civilians in the battlefield had also slowed down progress, according to Iraqi field commanders.

Iraqi security forces hope to reach the eastern shore of Tigris River as soon as possible so as to proceed towards the western section, where ISIS strongholds have been cut off from group-held territories in Syria, according to popular militias fighting ISIS in that region.

Dozen die in eastern Mosul fighting

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Five Iraqi army troopers and dozens of Islamic State (ISIS) militants died in battles in the eastern section of Mosul on Wednesday as a security campaign launched in October continues to recapture the city from militants.

Anadolu Agency quoted Lit.Col. Khalaf al-Qaisi, an Iraqi army officer, as saying that the battles occurred southeast of the eastern shore of Mosul. “Troops from the 9th division advanced today towards al-Salam hospital in Wahda district, and has been engaging in fierce street-to-street fights with Daesh (ISIS) who used high buildings as firing positions so as to hold off the advancing troops,” he said. “The clashes left five soldiers dead, eight others wounded and one army Hummer vehicle destroyed,” Qaisi said, adding that scores of militants were also killed and had their military equipment destroyed.

The same division had sustained severe losses at the hospital’s vicinity which forced troops to withdraw a week ago.

Earlier on Wednesday, 13 Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed on when US-led international coalition fighter jets carried out two airstrikes in eastern Mosul, a security source told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA). London-based the New Arab reported that at least 40 civilians were killed and scores were wounded in bombardments of liberated areas of Mosul as battles continue between Islamic State militants and Iraqi security forces since dawn.

ISIS Mad Bombers die attacking neighborhoods

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Security Committee of Nineveh Provincial Council announced on Wednesday killing a number of the Islamic State (IS) suicide bombers who attacked three neighborhoods in the eastern side of Mosul.

Head of the Security Committee, Mohamed al-Bayati, said in a press statement, “Members of the IS attacked the neighborhoods of al-Nour, al-Ta’mim and al-Qadisiyah in the eastern side of Mosul.”

“The terrorist group used suicide bombers and booby-trapped vehicles in the attacks that were repulsed by the Counter-Terrorism forces,” Bayati added.

“The Counter-Terrorism forces killed a number of the attackers, as well as destroying some of the booby-trapped vehicles used in the attack,” Bayati further explained.

Moreover, Bayati revealed that the IS takes advantage of the bad weather to launch attacks on liberated neighborhoods.

He also revealed that security forces are completely controlling the situation in these neighborhoods, and IS couldn’t advance any further in these areas.

Joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and international coalition, continue liberating the remaining areas of Mosul.

40 of 56 Mosul districts captured

Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service has so far recaptured 40 out of 56 districts in eastern Mosul from Islamic State militants, the force’s commander was quoted as saying on Thursday as forces struggle to reach the eastern shore of the Tigris River.

The force’s commander, Abdul Ghani al-Assadi, was quoted as saying that “the first phase of operations to liberate the eastern shore has been concluded with 40 districts out of 56 liberated.”

Iraqi government forces, backed by tribal militias and US-led air forces, have been leading a military campaign to retake Mosul from ISIS since mid October. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday during a visit to Mosul’s Hammam al-Alil that two thirds of Nineveh have been retaken from ISIS. Government forces are eyeing the eastern shore of the Tigris River, which cuts through Mosul, so as to consummate the liberation of the eastern region.

ISIS remains in control of several areas of the western section, which is adjacent to its strongholds in Syria, but Al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces are reporting daily advances towards liberating ISIS locations in that region.

Commanders from the US-led coalition have been quoted recently as saying that ISIS lost 75 percent of their fighters in Iraq and Syria.

70 ISIS Turbans die in airstrikes in Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Seventy Islamic State militants were killed in Iraqi army airstrikes on western Mosul on Wednesday, said the defense ministry.

Those included twenty senior leaders as well as their guards who were holding a meeting a few kilometers west of the town of Tal Abta to plan for Iraqi troops besieging the strategic town of Tal Afar , the ministry said, quoting intelligence information.

Iraqi government forces, backed by tribal militias and US-led air forces, have been leading a military campaign to retake Mosul from ISIS since mid October. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday during a visit to Mosul’s Hammam al-Alil that two thirds of Nineveh have been retaken from ISIS. Government forces are eyeing the eastern shore of the Tigris River, which cuts through Mosul, so as to consummate the liberation of the eastern region.

ISIS remains in control of some areas of the western section, which is adjacent to its strongholds in Syria. But Al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces are reporting daily advances towards liberating ISIS locations in that region, saying the region had been isolated from Syria, depriving the group of supplies from Syria.

Earlier on Thursday, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service declared it had has so far recaptured 40 out of 56 districts in eastern Mosul from Islamic State militants.

Iraqi kops detain ISIS Golden Throat in Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Federal Police Chief, Raed Shaker Jawdet, announced on Thursday capturing the Media Center Official of the Islamic State (IS) group, south of Mosul.

Jawdat said in a press statement, “Federal Police forces arrested the Media Center Official of the Islamic State, the so-called Saleh Najem Abdullah, during a security operation in al-Shura area, south of Mosul.”

Joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and international coalition forces, continue liberating the remaining areas of the city of Mosul, after an offensive being launched in October to free Nineveh province.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Anbar Antics: 8 die


3 ISIS Bad Guys die in failed attack on al-Haditha dam

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Three Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed and two others were arrested Wednesday in a foiled attack on al-Haditha dam west of Anbar, a local intelligence commander said.

“A force from Haditha’s popular mobilization troops managed to thwart an attack with Katyusha missiles on Haditha dam,” said Nazem al-Jugheifi, intelligence official at Haditha tribal mobilization.

“The force killed three Daesh (ISIS) terrorists and arrested two, while two others fled,” he added.

Iraqi government and tribal forces are imposing full control over the town of Haditha, and have occasionally fought off attacks by ISIS which remains in control over other towns in the west, most notably Annah and Rawa, for which Iraqis are preparing a security campaign to recapture from the militant group.

5 ISIS Turbans eat dirt in Rawa airstrike

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army aircraft killed five Islamic State (ISIS) militants on Thursday west of Ramadi, Anbar province, an al-Hashd al-Shaabi intelligence official said.

The five killed in a haven at the center of the town of Rawa included five foreigners, according to Nazem al-Jugheifi, an intelligence official at Anbar’s popular mobilization.

He said military equipment belonging to the group were destroyed in the strike.

Some regions in western Anbar are still under ISIS control since the extremist group came to light in 2014. The province is anticipating ground operations by security and tribal forces to liberate those towns which the group used as launching points for attacks on security and civilians.

Iraqi government forces, assisted by popular mobilization groups and US-led air forces have been launching offensives on several ISIS strongholds in Iraq since October, most notably at the city of Mosul, ISIS’s last bastion in Iraq and the country’s second biggest city.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Baghdad Bomb and Bullet Bulletin


Double IED blast wounds 1

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A civilian was wounded on Wednesday when two IEDs exploded in central Baghdad, a security source has said.

The bomb went off inside an alley near an oil station in Fadwat Arab, and originally targeted an alcoholics shop, the source told Alsumaria News.

A civilian was passing by at the moment of the explosion and was wounded, while a number of shops sustained damages from the blast.

Violence surged across Iraq as Islamic State extremists captured several Iraqi cities in 2014, and continues even as the group is sustaining defeats during a current wide-scale campaign by Iraqi forces and tribal militias.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said early December that violence during November claimed the lives of 926 civilians and wounded 930 people.

Observers believe ISIS have begun to target several areas across Iraq to divert security focus on Mosul, where the group fights to defend its last bastion in Iraq under the brunt of continuous advancements by Iraqi government and popular troops.


2 die in al-Washash bomb attack


Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Two people were killed and ten others were wounded when a booby-trapped car exploded west of Baghdad, a security source said.

The car was parked near shops at al-Washash area, the source said in a press statement.

No one claimed responsibility for the explosion.

1 kop dead in Abu Ghraib bombing

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One police officer was killed, two policemen and nine civilians wounded when blasts rocked areas west and north of Baghdad.

One policeman was killed and two others were injured when an IED blast hit western Baghdad, according to a security source.

“An IED exploded at a police patrol passing at Hamid Shaaban neighborhood, Abu Gharib, west of Baghdad,” the source was quoted by Rudaw agency as saying.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile in al-Shaab region, north of Baghdad, six IEDs exploded at different areas, wounding nine people, according to a statement by the Interior Ministry’s Baghdad Operations.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Six more arrests in Bangkok bomb plot
[Khaosod] Thai officials disclosed Wednesday the arrests of six more people accused of plotting bomb attacks in Bangkok but had yet to say they were linked to southern separatists. Police spokesman Chayapol Chatchaidej said, "Primarily we did not find their history with the movement yet. But we are still investigating."

In their announcement, police did not say when the men were arrested, but indicated they had been held under special policing powers before being charged on Tuesday. Authorities said they had confessed to planning a series of bomb attacks in Bangkok.

Few details of the plot were made public other than warnings put out in October listing several possible targets in the capital. On December 1, police arrested three people from the southern border province of Narathiwat they accused of being involved in the plot. They were said to have links to the southern insurgency.

They were also said to be connected to 14 other people, including the six new arrests: Niheng Yeeing, Usman Jor-ngor, Meeseh Jehha, Patomporn Mihi-ae, Umrum Mayee, and Wirat Hami. They now stand charged with possessing explosives and being part of a criminal conspiracy.

Five of the suspects were arrested in the southern border provinces, while one was taken into custody in Bangkok. Police said they were tracking down eight other suspects.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
4 die in Homs bombing attack
[al-Manar] A bomb blast killed four people and wounded others near a Red Crescent centre in government-held Homs city in central Syria on Thursday, state television said.

“A bomb exploded near a Red Cross centre in the Zahraa neighborhood,” a breaking news alert said.

“Four civilians were killed and others wounded, some of them seriously,” it added.

In September, four people were killed in an explosion at the entrance to the neighborhood that was claimed by the ISIL group.

The terrorist group also claimed a double bomb attack in the neighborhood in February that killed 57 people.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syrian forces fire on medical convoy, 1 dead
(Reuters) Ambulances trying to evacuate people from rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Thursday came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian government, who killed at least one person, a rescue service spokesman said.

But other buses and ambulances later started moving into rebel-held areas of the city under a deal to evacuate civilians and fighters following rapid advances by government forces, while the Russian defense ministry said the evacuation of 5,000 rebels and their family members had begun.

The evacuation of Aleppo’s last rebel enclave would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“(Pro-government fighters) fired at us and at ambulance vehicles and those people opening up the road,” the rescue service spokesman told Reuters, adding that one person was killed.

A Reuters witness in nearby government-held territory heard a burst of gunfire that lasted several minutes.

An official with an Aleppo rebel group said the medical convoy had stopped before clearing the besieged eastern part of the city.

Another group of ambulances, and more than 20 buses, began to move towards the rebel-held area of Aleppo.

“Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick and children, including orphans,” said U.N. humanitarian adviser for Syria Jan Egeland.

A Reuters witness in government-held territory said columns of black smoke could be seen rising from rebel-held area.

Residents hoping to be taken out have been burning personal belongings they cannot take with them. “Outside every building you see a small fire, papers, women’s clothes,” one resident told Reuters.

Russian soldiers were preparing to lead rebels out of Aleppo, the defense ministry in Moscow said. Syria had guaranteed the safety of rebels and their families, who would be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria.

Russia would use drones to monitor how rebels and their families were transported on 20 buses, accompanied by 10 ambulances, along a humanitarian corridor, the ministry said.

A truce brokered by Russia, Assad’s most powerful ally, and opposition backer Turkey on Tuesday broke down following renewed fighting on Wednesday and the evacuation did not take place then as planned.

An official from the Jabha Shamiya rebel group said a new truce came into effect at 2.30am (0030GMT) on Thursday.

Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo.

Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari – one of a handful of districts still held by rebels – and brought half of the neighborhood under their control, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group.

The Russian defense ministry said – before the report of the government forces’ advance in Sukkari – that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).

RAPID ADVANCES
The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia’s air force and an array of Shi’ite militias from across the region.

Rebels have been backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia’s decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad’s favor after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

Carla del Ponte, a United Nations investigator and former U.N. war crimes prosecutor, told German newspaper Die Zeit that Russian and Syrian bombing of homes, hospitals and schools amounted to war crimes, as did the starving out of parts of Aleppo for months by militias loyal to the government.

Aleppo evacuation starts with UN assistance

[ARA News] Aleppo – The United Nations was invited on Thursday to assist and monitor the evacuation of thousands of sick and injured people, including civilians and opposition fighters, from the remaining rebel-held districts of Syria’s war-torn city of Aleppo, officials reported.

After a meeting with members of the Humanitarian Access Task Force of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Geneva, UN senior advisor on Syrian, Jan Egeland, explained the UN’s “three-pronged evacuation plan”.

“The plan includes medical evacuations for the wounded and sick, evacuations for vulnerable civilians, and evacuations of fighters,” according to Egeland, who added that the agreement was not made on behalf of the UN, “but rather through direct talks of the various parties to the Syrian war.”

The evacuees from the formerly rebel-held eastern Aleppo will be accompanied by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with assistance and monitoring from the United Nations. Most of the evacuees are expected to head to Idlib Governorate.

According to Mr Egeland, Russia will also monitor the situation and ensure that the evacuations that follow are “swift, [non-bureaucratic] and non-intrusive” and that those being evacuated would be guaranteed safety.

“We all feel strongly that the history of Aleppo through this war will be a ‘black chapter’ in the history of international relations. It took 4,000 years to build Aleppo, hundreds of generations, yet one generation managed to tear it down in four years. Aleppo, for three thousand years, gave to the world civilization and world civilization was not there to assist the people of Aleppo when they needed us the most,” the senior official said.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


ISIS withdraw members from Anbar to join Syria’s Palmyra battles
ISIS has been shifting forces from Iraq since three weeks ago
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State (ISIS) extremists are withdrawing many of their militants from the western regions of Anbar to Syria to join the extremist group’s battles against Syrian and Russian forces, a high-profile Iraqi army officer has said.

ISIS are withdrawing a “large number” of militants from the towns of Rawa and al-Qaem to join battles in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra which the group reportedly took over recently after fierce battles with Syrian troops backed by Russian aircraft, the senior officer was quoted as saying by Almaalomah news website.

The officer attributed the move to to offset what he described as “severe human losses” the group sustained at the Syrian front.

ISIS is currently in fierce battles against US-backed Iraqi troops seeking to recapture the city of Mosul, the group’s last bastion in Iraq which Iraqi government and militia commanders say had been isolated from ISIS’s Syria strongholds.
Posted by: badanov || 12/16/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State



Who's in the News
28[untagged]
7Islamic State
5Govt of Syria
4Govt of Pakistan
1Govt of Iran
1Govt of Iraq
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1Hizb-i-Islami-Hekmatyar
1Houthis
1Lashkar e-Jhangvi
1Lashkar e-Taiba
1Moslem Colonists
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Taliban
1Thai Insurgency
1TTP
1al-Qaeda in Arabia
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)
1Boko Haram

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2016-12-16
  Belgian Police Move on Libya Arms Smuggling Ring
Thu 2016-12-15
  11 headless bodies found in Aden
Wed 2016-12-14
  Jihadist rebels agree to ceasefire deal in east Aleppo
Tue 2016-12-13
  Mosul Offensive News: Iraqi forces move into Mosul's biggest district
Mon 2016-12-12
  Syrian army equipment falls into ISIS' possession in Palmyra
Sun 2016-12-11
  Death toll rises to 20 25 in Cairo Coptic cathedral bombing
Sat 2016-12-10
  Record airstrike hits over 100 ISIL oil trucks gathered in Syria
Fri 2016-12-09
  Schoolgirl suicide bombers kill 30/injure 57
Thu 2016-12-08
  SC upholds death penalty for Mufti Hannan, 2 others
Wed 2016-12-07
  Syrian rebels repel attack in Aleppo by Iranian militia
Tue 2016-12-06
  Cincinnati: "Allah is in control!" shouts man after sentencing
Mon 2016-12-05
  Syrian Army Regains Full Control Over Al-Tall City
Sun 2016-12-04
  Puntland army launch anti-ISIL offensive in Qandala
Sat 2016-12-03
  IS uses female suicide bombers in Sirte
Fri 2016-12-02
  Aussie, French warships intercept arms for Houthis

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