[FOX] Attack drones, fixed-wing surveillance aircraft and Apache helicopters continue to patrol the Afghanistan skies to find and destroy enemy targets and weapons in the austere, mountainous terrain of a war-weary country still immersed in more than 15-years of combat.
When an Apache attack helicopter 30mm Chain Gun fires on an enemy target in Afghanistan, the strike is often a result of a complex mix of interwoven variables -- to include networked drones, fixed-wing intelligence aircraft and helicopters coordinating real-time video feeds with target analysis and aircraft-mounted electro-optical sensors.
Most of these kinds of offensive military operations, still going on in Taliban-occupied areas of Afghanistan, can be attributed to a decade old elite unit referred to as Task Force ODIN -- Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize. ODIN is a precisely choreographed attack force combining medium and low-altitude drone sensors with fixed-wing aircraft intelligence analysis and nearby Apache helicopters. In effect, targets are found by overhead cameras and sensors, analyzed by combat engineers in the sky and sent via satellite or other networks to ground-based military commanders.....leading up to what becomes exact targeting -- and then..attack.
Despite the longevity of the Afghan war, Task Force ODIN has been extremely active and successful over the past year, according to Lt. Col. Jarred M. Lang, the A11 Task Force ODIN (Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize) commander and 206th MI (Military Intelligence) Bn. Commander.
According to an April 17 report in the Fort Hood Sentinel newspaper, Lang told his unit that over the past year... "You detected and neutralized more than 700 enemy combatants in conjunction with supported units, and directly eliminated over 250 enemy combatants through organic lethal strikes."
ODIN mission successes, Lang continued, also extended to the successful destruction of enemy IEDs, explosive materials and Taliban revenue-generating narcotics. Much of this activity resulted from more than 13,000 sorties, 78,000 flight hours and 25,000 signals intelligence reports -- resulting in more than 43,000 hours of full-motion video, Lang told his soldiers.
#2
Honestly the best way to deal with drug crops like this is spray them with persistent nerve agents right before harvest. 2-3 years is likely enough to make people stop wanting to grow them.
#3
Is there a path to victory here? If so, I don't see it.
What I see is a high tech high dollar campaign of minor harassment that does little more than annoy the bastards. Let me know what victory looks like and what it will take to get there.
[KhaamaPress] The Talibs suffered heavy casualties during a three-hour clash in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan, the Afghan Military in the North said.
According to a statement released by 209th Shaheen, the clash broke out late on Monday night in the vicinity of Sherin Tagab district.
The statement further added that 8 Talibs including two of their local commanders were killed and 13 others were maimed during the clash.
The two Taliban ...Arabic for students... commanders killed during the clash have been identified as Qari Rahmatullah and Mullah Sher mohammad, the 209th Shaheen Corps added in its statement.
The anti-government armed holy warriors including Taliban have not commented regarding the casualties inflicting on their bad boys.
#1
I don't understand the Afghan knack for exaggeration. Heavy casualties might or might not be 100 or more. It's definitely not a single digit number.
[KhaamaPress] At least twenty two Talibs were killed or maimed during the operations of the Afghan armed forces in southern Uruzgan, Kandahar, and Zabul provinces.
The 205th Atal Corps in a statement said the operations were conducted in the framework of Khalid-98 operations.
The statement further added that 11 forces of Evil belonging to Mullah Sakhidad and Mullah Ghulam Rasool groups were killed in deh Joi Barekzai and Alizai Kali of Uruzgan district and two of their hideouts were destroyed.
At least two Talibs were killed in a separate operation conducted in Maiwand district of Kandahar province, the 205th Atal Corps said, adding that four others were also maimed.
The 205th Atal Corps also added that two forces of Evil were killed in a similar operation conducted in Chino area of Shahjoi district of Zabul province and three others were maimed.
The Afghan armed forces also discovered and defused seven improvised bombs during the same operations.
[KhaamaPress] A deadly Arclight airstrike targeted the fighters of a prominent Taliban ...Arabic for students... leader in western Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... province of Afghanistan leaving at least 11 dead.
The 207th Zafar Corps in a statement said the airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Chesht district targeting the fighters of Abdul Rahman alias Maldar, the military commission chief of Taliban for the district.
The statement further added that 11 Taliban fighters including nephew of Abdul Rahman.
A Toyota Land Cruiser type vehicle was also destroyed in the airstrike, the 207th Zafar Corps added in its statement.
The anti-government armed bully boyz including Taliban have not commented regarding the airstrike so far.
Herat is among the relatively calm provinces in West of Afghanistan but Talibs are active in some of the remote districts of the province including Chest district where often attempt to carry out terrorist related activities against the government and security institutions.
[KhaamaPress] At least 19 Talibs were incarcerated Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! and another turban was maimed during the operations of the Afghan Special Forces which were conducted in past 24 hours.
Informed military sources said Wednesday that the Afghan Special Forces conducted a raid in southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... detaining 4 Taliban ...Arabic for students... fighters and destroying 5,000 pounds of homemade explosives and other bomb-making materials.
The sources further added a similar was conducted in Mohamad Agha district of Pashtun-infested Logar province during which 7 Taliban fighters were arrested.
The Afghan Special Forces conducted a raid in Pul-e Alam district of Pashtun-infested Logar province wounding 1 Taliban fighter and detaining 2 others.
The Afghan Special Forces conducted another raid in Zanakhan district of Ghazni destroying 10 kg of Hashish, 4 remote controlled IEDs and a small weapons cache, the sources said, adding that 6 Taliban fighters were detained in another operqation conducted in Bak district of Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... and a small weapons cache was destroyed.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Arab Coalition confirmed it had launched air strikes targeting the al-Dulaimi air base near Sanaa's airport, sources said.
Air strikes launched at the al-Dulaimi Air Base targeted a drone maintenance site and another location in which Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... experts and operators were present at.
According to the coalition, the Houthi militias have been using Sanaa airport to carry out terrorist and hostile operations.
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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As has been mentioned before, the typical jihadi cell is a family.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The first of two brothers charged with plotting to bring down a flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi with a crude bomb concealed in a meat grinder was found guilty on Wednesday.
The loving Khayat brothers prepared the bomb at the behest of third brother Tarek Khayat, a senior ISIS emir in Syria. They planned to give to yet another brother who was associated with the airlines — without telling him what he was carrying. Thank goodness it was too heavy to be carried on....
were charged in July 2017 with planning to bring down an Etihad Airways passenger jet in a plot police alleged was under the instructions of ISIS.
The improvised device, using "high military-grade explosive,"
...they mean that plastic stuff...
was due to be smuggled onto a July 15 service from Sydney, but the attempt was aborted before they reached security.
Police claimed that communications with ISIS began in April 2017, with the group sending the men components and propellants through international cargo from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the most dubious NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... ally.... Khaled’s sentencing is due July 25, while the jury is still deliberating a verdict for his brother. Both men face life sentences.
This article starring:
Mahmoud Khayat
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The brother of a Paleostinian man who died in a Ottoman Turkish prison on suspicion of allegedly spying is refuting claims by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the most dubious NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... ally.... that his brother did away with himself, and instead says that he was "executed."
"I have a voice recording of the lawyer who I was in contact with through Zaki Mubarak,
...also known as Zaki Hassan and Zaki Y.M. Hassan, the former Palestinian intelligence general and father of nine fled Gaza after the Hamas takeover, getting asylum in Bulgaria before settling last year in Turkey...
of reports that he was assassinated from inside the prisons of the Ottoman Turkish government," Zainuldin Mubarak told Al Arabiya.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Zaki Mubarak died while in jug, and Ottoman Turkish authorities called his death a suicide. Mubarak’s family are skeptical of the suicide scenario and called for an investigation into the matter. Ottoman Turkish authorities are yet to release the body or provide any evidence that would point to a suicide.
Mubarak was one of two suspects charged with international, political and military espionage by Turkey. The pair were incarcerated Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! on April 19 and had allegedly confessed to spying on Arab nationals, a senior Ottoman Turkish official said at the time.
But Mubarak’s brother refutes the Ottoman Turkish claims.
"We have verified information from his lawyer that there were no confessions from Zaki," Zainuldin told Al Arabiya. "There were absolutely no confessions from him as opposed to what has been promoted by global media outlets.
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
who cares
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05/02/2019 5:27 Comments ||
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[AlAhram] A suspected kaboom by Maoist rebels killed 16 Indian elite commandos on Wednesday, police said, the latest incident of election-time violence in a decades-long insurgency.
"Maoists attacked a team of commandos travelling in a private vehicle to inspect an earlier attack. So far 16 men have died," an official at police headquarters in the western state of Maharashtra told AFP.
"More teams have been sent to site for rescue and combat operations," said the officer, who did not want to give his name.
India is holding elections and attacks by Maoist rebels, who are active in several states, often spike as the country goes to the polls.
A second police official put the corpse count in the latest incident in the Gadchiroli region of Maharashtra at 15.
"Maoists torched over 30 vehicles in Gadchiroli today at 12.30pm (0700 GMT). In another blast, 15 security officers were killed and rescue operations are ongoing to ascertain the damage," Gadchiroli police official Prashant Dute told AFP.
Indian forces have been fighting Maoists rebels for decades in several areas, in an insurgency that has killed tens of thousands.
The Maoists are believed to be present in at least 20 Indian states but are most active in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand -- and Maharashtra.
India's nationwide election began on April 11 and runs until May 19.
Last weekend rebels opened fire on Indian police, killing two constables and wounding a villager in the central state of Chhattisgarh, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.
One constable and an assistant constable died at the scene and the villager, shot in the chest, was taken by local residents for treatment, PTI reported.
A roadside kaboom on a political convoy in early April killed five people in Chhattisgarh, two days before the world's biggest election began.
#1
All our election disrupters do is slash a tire or two or stand around with billy clubs looking intimidating. We wait until after the elections to conduct lawfare against the winners.
[DAWN] Firebrand Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain (TLP) patron-in-chief Pir Afzal Qadri, who is currently on judicial remand pending multiple cases against him, has announced his retirement from the movement and issued an apology for incendiary remarks made by him during a protest against the Supreme Court's acquittal of Asia Bibi.
Qadri was booked under sedition and terrorism charges in Gujrat and taken into "protective custody" by the state during a crackdown in November after the TLP announced it would observe deaders’ day on Nov 25, 2018.
Currently, the Lahore High Court is hearing a bail plea filed by Qadri and TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi since their earlier applications were rejected by an anti-terrorism court. In the last hearing of the case, the court had asked police to submit a record of proof that led to the arrests of Rizvi and Qadri.
Pir Afzal Qadri read out a statement announcing his retirement in a video shared with DawnNewsTV on Tuesday night. An accompanying blurb stated that the TLP patron-in-chief is sorry for "hurting the sentiments of the government, the judiciary and the chief of army staff".
"I am a patient of heart disease, paralysis, kidney disease, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure etc, and when the verdict of the Asia Masih case was pronounced, my religious sentiments got hurt and I delivered a speech. I am very sorry for hurting the sentiments of the government, the judiciary and the chief of army staff," he said.
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Suspected leftist turbans killed at least 15 police and a civilian driver in a landmine attack on two security vehicles on Wednesday in the western state of Maharashtra in India, police said, as the state celebrated its foundation day.
The Maoist Death Eaters, known as Naxals, have battled the state for decades, saying they are fighting for people left out of a long economic boom in Asia’s third-largest economy.
Security forces killed at least 37 Maoist gunnies last year in Gadchiroli, the same district where Wednesday’s attack took place.
In a post shared on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack.
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[DAWN] Three soldiers were martyred and seven others injured when a group of 60 to 70 holy warriors from bases in Afghanistan attacked Pakistain Army troops undertaking fencing efforts along the Pak-Afghan border in Alwara, North Wazoo, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
According to a statement issued by the ISPR, the troops effectively responded and repulsed the attack, killing and injuring scores of terrorists.
The three Pakistain Army soldiers ‐ Lance Naik Ali, Lance Naik Nazeer and Sepoy Imdadullah ‐ were martyred in the exchange of fire and seven others were maimed.
"While Pakistain security forces are solidifying border security through fencing and construction of forts to deny liberty of action to the terrorists, Afghan Security Forces and the authorities need to have more effective control in [the] border region to support Pakistain’s efforts as well as deny use of Afghan soil against Pakistain," the statement read.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said that the Afghan charge d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and "Pakistain’s strong protest was lodged" over the incident.
"The Afghan Cd’A was informed that Pakistain strongly protests such provocations which are detrimental to peace and stability along Pakistain-Afghanistan border," the spokesperson stated. "The Afghan side was urged to take immediate action against the terrorist elements on their side and ensure effective measures so that such incidents are not repeated in future."
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... ’ 1267 Sanctions Committee on Wednesday placed Jaish-e-Mohammad ...literally Army of Mohammad, a Pak-based Deobandi terror group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in 2000, after he split with the Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin. In 2002 the government of Pervez Musharraf banned the group, which changed its name to Khaddam ul-Islam and continued doing what it had been doing before without missing a beat... (JeM) leader Masood Azhar on its global terror list after China removed its objection to his listing.
The committee on 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.... and al-Qaeda announced in a blurb the designation of Azhar over his organization's ties to al-Qaeda.
India had been seeking Azhar’s listing since 2016, but the latest push came after the Feb 14 Pulwama attack on the Central Reserve Police Force in India-held Kashmire, which was claimed by the JeM.
The Indian resolution was backed by UNSC permanent members the US, United Kingdom and La Belle France. China had been halting the process by applying technical holds.
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[Rudaw] 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.... faceless myrmidons claimed to have killed a member of the Kurdish security forces who was one of five people seized by the jihadists near Makhmour on Saturday. The krazed killer group released a photograph on Tuesday purportedly showing Bazhdar Safar Mohammed.
Safar and four others had gone "to search for desert truffles" near Ali Rash village, close to Mount Qarachogh, Rashad Galali, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)’s office in Makhmour told Rudaw on Wednesday after he met with the four who were freed.
The five were captured by ISIS faceless myrmidons who then "took them to a nearby cave in Ali Rash village, grilling them with questions for four hours," Galali said, recalling the account of the four who had been released.
Safar was the only one of the five who had a smart phone. The faceless myrmidons checked his phone and saw photos of Safar in uniform.
"After investigation, ISIS released four of them, but they decided to keep Bazhdar Safar after checking his mobile and seeing photos of him in Asayesh [security] uniform," said Galali.
They believe Safar was killed on or near Mount Qarachogh. The body has not been recovered.
Nashir, an ISIS-linked outlet, published a photo on its Telegram account on Tuesday purportedly showing Safar just before he was killed.
Safar was a member of PUK’s Asayesh forces and a law student at Kirkuk University, according to Galali.
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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Maysan (IraqiNews) An official source informed that security forces dismantles an IED (landmine), which was emplaced in Halfaya oilfield in Maysan Province.
Maysan, near the Iranian border, is usually quiet, though they apparently have a lot of leftover mines and ordnance lying about.
The source said in a statement to Alsumaria News that security forces from the bomb squad dismantles a landmine, which was emplaced in the site if Petrogina Company in Halfaya oilfield.
The landmine was dismantled without causing any human losses, the source added on condition of anonymity.
It is noteworthy that Halfaya oilfield is located east of Amarah, in Maysan Province. According to Wikipedia, Halfaya is proven to hold 4.1 billion barrels (650,000,000 m3) of recoverable reserve and has production potential of 200,000‐535,000 barrels per day, the China National Petroleum Corporation-led group finished the first phase in June 2012 and increased production from 3,000 barrels per day (480 m3/d) to 100,000 barrels per day (16,000 m3/d) 15 months ahead of schedule.
CNPC has started preliminary work on the second phase of Halfaya, which will bring the capacity to 200,000 bpd.
ISIS remnants, other jihadis, a criminal gang, locals taking advantage of the situation to fatten their wallets?
Kirkuk (IraqiNews) Military Intelligence Directorate announced, on Wednesday, foiling a large oil smuggling operation in Kirkuk Province.
The Directorate revealed that based on the orders of the Director of Military Intelligence to monitor the smuggling operations and prosecute smugglers, the detachments of the Military Intelligence Directorate, in cooperation with the forces of the 51th Infantry Brigade, thwarted a large oil smuggling operation.
It also added that its forces managed to arrest the smugglers and trucks in al-Zab area, in Kirkuk Province. The smugglers and trucks were sent to the relevant authorities to take the necessary legal procedures.
Earlier last month, Iraqi police forces seized two trucks which were used to smuggle crude oil from a pipeline in Kirkuk Province, where the smugglers used an extended 20-meter plastic pipe long to siphon the crude oil.
Salahuddin (IraqiNews) An official source informed that security forces thwarted an attempt to shell al-Taji Military Base with Katyusha rockets, Alsumaria News reported on Wednesday.
The source said that security forces seized a number of Katyusha rockets, which were ready to be launched, in Taji District, north of Baghdad. The rockets were set to be launched toward Taji Military Base, he added.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Iraqi military intelligence forces locked away Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! on Wednesday an 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.... bully boy, who was responsible for collecting information about the families fleeing the areas held by the bully boy group.
The arrestee "was behind the murder of 40 people at the hands of Islamic State jihadists after he informed the terrorist group of their location," Alghad Press website quoted the Military Intelligence Forces as saying in a press statement.
"The terrorist was arrested in the eastern side of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... ," the statement read.
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] No injuries in attack; IDF raids came in response to wave of arson balloons that sparked brushfires in Eshkol region.
Paleostinian snuffies in the Gazoo Strip launched at least two rockets into southern Israel early Thursday, the military said. The projectiles fell in an open area, and no injuries were reported.
The rocket fire came after Israeli aircraft bombed a Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", base in the northern Gazoo Strip around 3:30 a.m. Thursday in retaliation for a wave of balloon-borne incendiary devices that were launched into Israel from the Strip the day before, which sparked at least two fires.
"Earlier today, explosive and arson balloons were launched from the Gazoo Strip," the army said. "In response, overnight, an IDF fighter jet and an IDF aircraft struck a number of terror targets in a Hamas military compound in the northern Gazoo Strip."
The Israel Defense Forces said it held Hamas, the de facto ruler of Gazoo, responsible for all violence emanating from the Strip.
There were no immediate reports of Paleostinian injuries.
At 5:37 a.m., warning sirens sounded in the communities of Alumim and Nahal Oz in the Sha’ar Hanegev region. The IDF said it had detected at least two launches into Israel. A spokesperson for the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council said the rockets apparently landed in open fields and caused no injuries.
The Israeli Air Force strikes came after two brushfires broke out in the southern Eshkol region on Wednesday night, caused by an incendiary device from the Gazoo Strip, the fire department said.
The arson attacks came amid heightened tensions between Israel and terror groups in the Strip, after a rocket was launched from the coastal enclave, landing several kilometers off shore on Monday night.
Throughout the day, Paleostinians launched dozens of incendiary devices, carried by balloons, into southern Israel from the Gazoo Strip.
On Tuesday, a fire broke out near Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Sha’ar Hanegev region. That blaze was caused by a balloon-borne incendiary device launched into Israel from Gazoo.
Also Tuesday, the Israeli military deployed Iron Dome missile defense batteries throughout the country, following a rocket attack from Gazoo the previous night and ahead of what is expected to be a sensitive next few weeks.
The military expects the coming days to be particularly tense, as they will see the start of the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, the international Eurovision song competition in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Memorial and Independence days, and the first anniversary of the opening of the contentious US embassy in Jerusalem.
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05/02/2019 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) forces of Evil on Tuesday grabbed credit for two ambushes on Syrian forces in the desert regions of Palmyra and Homs, the latest in a string of jihadist attacks which have killed up to 70 regime troops in the last month alone.
Despite its territorial defeat in Baghouz, Deir ez-Zor province on March 23, ISIS still maintains a significant presence in Syria’s central deserts, spanning an area of some 4,000 square kilometers, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Damascus has boosted its troop presence in the region to counter the ISIS threat.
However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... on April 30, ISIS announced on its Telegram channel it had killed six regime troops and injured four more in two separate ambushes in Palmyra and Homs.
The first took place on the Oweiridh road in Palmyra on April 29. In the ensuing festivities, three Syrian soldiers were killed and two injured. There are no reports of jihadist casualties.
The second took place on the road leading to the al-Aatshana barracks in the desert hinterlands of Homs. There, ISIS says it targeted a vehicle transporting Syrian troops, killing three and injuring two.
ISIS attacks in the area have surged in recent weeks, according to SOHR and pro-regime media.
"Military situation in central Syria is not good. ISIS is carrying out ambushes nearly every night. ISIS killed over 70 soldiers in the month of April alone. This is the highest total of any month this year," Leith Aboufadel, founder of the pro-Damascus al-Masdar news agency, tweeted Wednesday.
Al-Masdar reported Tuesday that ISIS had killed at least 10 Syrian troops in an ambush in the eastern countryside of Homs near the town of al-Sukhnah, where the group has a large presence.
Eight more soldiers were captured alive but later executed, al-Masdar reported, and as many as 40 troops have been killed since April 19 alone.
Attacks are concentrated along the highway between Palmyra and al-Sukhnah, two desert cities.
The ancient city of Palmyra was retaken from ISIS by regime forces and their Russian backers in 2016 ‐ but not before several of its archeological treasures were destroyed.
From March 24 to April 20, no less than 69 Syrian soldiers and pro-Damascus bandidosturbans have been killed, according to SOHR.
On April 21, ISIS seized the mountain town of al-Kawm in Raqqa governorate, killing 15 Syrian soldiers, al-Masdar reported, corroborated by SOHR.
Raqqa was the de facto capital of the so-called ISIS caliphate before it was retaken in a coalition backed operation in 2017.
The group’s return to insurgency tactics has also been observed in Iraq, where the group was declared territorially defeated in December 2017.
ISIS forces of Evil have taken shelter in the demarcation line between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the disputed territories. Here too it has resorted to hit-and-run attacks, liquidations, and the execution of alleged informants.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Fighting in northwestern Syria has displaced nearly 140,000 people since February, the UN said on Wednesday, as the regime and its ally Russia have stepped up their bombardment.
"Since February, over 138,500 women, children and men have been displaced from northern Hama and southern Idlib," said David Swanson of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA.
"Between 1 and 28 April, its estimated more than 32,500 individuals have moved to different communities in Aleppo, Idlib and Hama governorates," he told AFP.
Idlib has been protected from a massive regime offensive by a September deal inked by Damascus ally Russia and rebel backer The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund.... But the region of some three million people has come under increasing bombardment since the murderous Moslem Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group took full control of it in January.
The escalation has killed more than 200 civilians since February, the UN said last week.
A new wave of shelling and Arclight airstrikes this week targeted schools and medical centers, according to Swanson.
"The UN is deeply concerned over the recent escalation," he said.
The attacks targeted parts of Hama and southern Idlib, including the village of al-Qasabiyah.
"The majority of the al-Qasabiyah village residents reportedly displaced to safer villages due to hostilities in the area," Swanson said.
AFP correspondents saw intense bombardment of al-Qasabiyah on Wednesday, with bombs dropped by warplanes sending huge plumes of grey smoke billowing into the sky.
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05/02/2019 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.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Arab Coalition confirmed it had launched air strikes targeting the al-Dulaimi air base near Sanaa's airport, sources said.
Wazoo
