#4
Those rumors concerning Jehovah,
The tribe, and the birth of Pavlova?
When she would dance "Swanee,"
You'd swear she was tawny,
A liquid ex-African nova!
[REUTERS] Government lawyers on Thursday said they would prosecute a former National Security Agency contractor accused of stealing classified information under an espionage law, a move carrying far more severe penalties than previously announced charges.
Harold Thomas Martin spent over two decades pilfering classified information from multiple government agencies, federal prosecutors said in a new filing made in a U.S. District Court in Baltimore. They expected to bring charges that included violations of the Espionage Act, the filing said.
The amount of stolen data is estimated to be at least fifty terabytes, enough to fill dozens of hard drives, prosecutors said, adding that the alleged criminal conduct "is breathtaking in its longevity and scale." Some officials have said the trove may amount to the largest heist of classified government information in history.
An attorney representing Martin was not immediately available for comment. "I can say no more!"
Among the material allegedly stolen by Martin included a top secret document that contained "specific operational plans against a known enemy of the United States and its allies," the prosecutors said.
U.S. officials announced in a criminal complaint earlier this month that Martin, 51, was taken into custody in Maryland in August and charged with felony theft of classified government material. It did not allege a motive.
The FBI is investigating possible links between Martin and the leak online this summer of secret NSA hacking tools used to break into the computers of adversaries such as Russia and China, U.S. officials said.
Martin was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton, the same consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden when he gave documents to journalists that exposed NSA surveillance practices in 2013.
Booz Allen said in a statement earlier in October that the company immediately fired Martin when it learned of the FBI's arrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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A factory producing Improvised Explosive Device (IED) for the Taliban militants was destroyed during an operation of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in southern Helmand province.
Officiasl in the 215th Maiwand Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces said the factory was destroyed during an operation in Nad-e-Ali district.
The officials further added at least 15 suspected Taliban insurgents were also arrested during the operation.
The Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report so far.
Taliban insurgents and militants belonging to the other insurgent groups frequently use Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as the weapon of their choice to target the security forces but the ordinary civilians are often targeted in such attacks.
This comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released the latest civilian casualties report late last month which stated at least 3726 civilians were killed or wounded between January and June of this year.
The UN mission said the civilian casualties in the country has reached to a record number since counting began in 2009, with 5,166 civilians recorded killed or maimed in just the first six months of this year, of whom almost one-third were children.
The total civilian casualty figure recorded by the UN between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2016 has risen to 63,934, including 22,941 deaths and 40,993 injured.
According to the UN mission, the anti-government elements remain responsible for 60 percent of the civilian casualties with ground engagements continuing to cause the highest number of civilian casualties, followed by complex and suicide attacks and improved explosive devices (IEDs).
A drone strike carried out by the foreign forces based in Afghanistan targeted a gathering of the Taliban group in northern Parwan province of Afghanistan.
According to the local security officials, the airstrike was carried out late on Wednesday afternoon in Siagerd district.
The officials further added that 8 Taliban insurgents including a commander of the group were killed and several others were wounded in the airstrike.
According to the officials, the militants were planning attacks during the gathering when they were targeted.
The Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report so far.
The US forces in Afghanistan have stepped up airstrikes against the militant groups during the recent months.
The Obama administration granted broader role to the US forces based in Afghanistan to target the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group as well as the Taliban militants.
The broader role was granted amid deteriorating security situation in the country and following concerns that the militant groups are attempting to expand insurgency in the country.
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) said Wednesday 108 flights were conducted in the past 24 hours to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
According to a statement by AAF, at least 14 of the flights were conducted to target the anti-government armed militant and terrorist groups in several provinces.
The statement further added that 22 of flights were conducted to train the Air Force pilots and 72 flights were conducted for the transportation of personnel and cargo.
At least 420 members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces were transported along with 25,210 killgrams of cargo, AAF added.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said earlier this year that the Afghan Air Force (AAF) participate in 50 to 180 missions a day to support the Afghan National Security and Defense (ANSDF) forces.
The Afghan Air Force has started the new fighting season with the increased capabilities as several combat planes have been added to the inventory during the past several months.
The Afghan Air Force received several A-29 Super Tucano fixed wing light attack aircraft and MD-530 Cayuse helicopters from the United States as well as surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle which are expected to further boost the capabilities of the Afghan forces.
Afghanistan also received 3 Mi-25 gunship helicopters from India last which are in service with the Afghan Air Force.
Assailants thought be Al Shabaab members have shot and killed an elder on Thursday evening in Somali capital, Mogadishu, according to eyewitness. Pistol-wielding men have gunned down the elder who was identified as Mohamed Tabari Shikhow,
Who?
80, at Suq Ba’ad in Mogadishu’s northern district of Yaqshidd in during the dusk.
The motive behind the elder’s killing is unclear, but unconfirmed reports suggest the slain elder was expected to take part the selection process of the next Somali parliament’s MPs.
That makes the motive clear...
The murder of the prominent elder becomes the latest in series of assassinations targeting key figures as the country set to hold an election in November 30.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[Libya Observer] Eight Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... n women enslaved by IS have turned themselves in to the Misrata-led forces of al-Bunyan al-Marsoos in Sirte, sources reported.
The sources indicated that the eight women were used as "sex slaves" by the terrorist IS leaders.
"The act of the eight women came in cohesion with the notices dropped from air by the Libyan air force on IS hideouts in Sirte over the last 24 hours." The sources explained.
"IS widows and children who are still in Sirte; we urge you to get out via the coastal road westward and we promise to treat you well." One of the notices reads, according to pictures circulated on social media on Monday.
Other notices called on the families of IS krazed killers, who wish to get out of Sirte, to lay aside their weapons, put their hands in the air once they reach al-Bunyan al-Marsoos forces.
On Sunday, the Misrata-led forces took control of al-Manara neighborhood (Campo) in Sirte, storming into a group of tunnels used for holing up and making ambushes by IS krazed killers. The forces also found a number of burnt IS bodies due to previous Arclight airstrikes.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[REUTERS] Libyan pro-government forces have freed five foreign nationals held by 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.... in Sirte after heavy fighting in their battle to capture the final district of the city, a local official said on Thursday.
Islamic State took over Sirte more than a year ago, profiting from chaos caused by infighting among rival brigades of Libyan forces who once battled together to oust Muammar Qadaffy ...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him... in 2011, but steadily turned against each other.
Two of the freed foreigners were from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , two from India and one from Bangladesh, said Rida Issa, a front man for the Bonyan Marsous forces which have been battling for six months against gunnies in Sirte.
"There was a desperate resistance by ISIS, but it was confronted by heavy weapons," Issa said, using one of the Arabic names for Islamic State.
Forces from the western city of Misrata, allied with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , have been leading the battle to oust Islamic State from Sirte, helped since August by U.S. air strikes and small teams of Western special forces.
But they have been facing fierce resistance from snipers, boom-mobiles and booby-traps as Islamic State fighters dig in for house-to-house fighting in the last residential districts held by the bully boy group.
On Thursday, pro-government forces killed at least 20 Islamic State fighters as they pushed into the 600 District of Sirte, one of the last held by gunnies who control an area now less than one square kilometer, local officials said.
After facing heavy casualties at the start of the campaign, Misrata forces have increasingly turned to the use of tanks and armed vehicles to clear a path for ground troops.
No details were given about how or where the five foreigners where captured, but Islamic State has attacked oilfields and kidnapped foreign workers over the last two years.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
"There was a desperate resistance by ISIS, but it was confronted by heavy weapons"
I've often wondered if the militias face the problem of running out of munitions. Then I remember the problem is often self-solving*.
* To paraphrase a line out of "Fistful of Dollars": "Crazy muezzin was right. There's money to be made in these parts."
[Libya Herald] Thirteen members of Sudan’s Dafuri rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), who have been operating in Libya for some months are reported to have been killed today after being attacked by a Salafist militia from Kufra near the oasis town of Jaghboub.
The militia, the Subol Al-Salam brigade, said it also managed to destroy two vehicles belonging to the JEM group. These latter were also alleged to includes a number of Tebus. The Kufra brigade, for its part, is largely made up of members of the Zwai tribe, inveterate foes of the Tebus.
A month ago, the JEM unit reportedly seized and held for ransom four Libyans who were hunting birds – two from Jaghboub, one from Beida and the other from Shahat. It is said to have been paid LD 320,000 to release the four: LD 80,000 each.
The Subol Al-Salam brigade was formed following the clashes in Kufra between Tebus and Zuwais in October 2015 and has become one of the main law enforcement bodies from Kufra to the Bu-Zerag checkpoint some 400 kilometres to the north on the road to Jalu. It controls that checkpoint as well.
Its commander, Abdulrahman Hashim Al-Kilani, is said to be operating in alliance with Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter from whom he reportedly received 40 armoured Toyota vehicles last month.
Scattered clashes between rebels and pro-government forces undermined a fragile ceasefire in Yemen on Thursday as global pressure intensified for a lasting truce in a country where millions are homeless and hungry. The ceasefire, for an initial period of three days,
plus or minus three days...
took effect shortly before midnight on Wednesday under a United Nations plan which aims to allow sorely needed aid to reach suffering civilians.
Coalition spokesman Major General Ahmed Assiri told Al Ekhbariya state television that there had been "a certain number of violations which we are going to prove".
If they continue, he said, the coalition "will take appropriate measures".
Shortly after the truce began, the coalition said it "will abide by the ceasefire", which aims for "distribution of the greatest possible humanitarian and medical assistance" to Yemen's people, especially the besieged city of Taez. It said it will continue an air and maritime embargo, to prevent weapons shipments to the rebels, and will maintain airborne reconnaissance.
The rebels' military spokesman, General Sharaf Lokman, said his forces will respect the ceasefire as long as "the enemy" also abides by it on land, sea and air. However, he urged his fighters to be ready to retaliate against "all aggression".
A spokesman for pro-government forces also declared "respect for the truce" but similarly reserved the right of reply to violations.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[FoxNews] The refugees of Christian descent who fled persecution in places like Syria and Northern Iraq are facing different kinds of attacks in Germany.
According to the findings of a new survey from the Christian advocacy group Open Doors USA, religious minorities who seek safe haven in the European nation are finding a general lack of protection. Since February, nearly 800 Christians and Yazidi refugees were attacked by others at the relief centers and camps.
"They are starting to see a different kind of persecution," Emily Fuentes, an official with Open Doors USA, told FoxNews.com. "We normally monitor and rank countries where these incidents occur and typically Western countries do not make the list."
The survey was conducted between February and September of this year in camps near Berlin, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The findings showed that nearly half of the respondents said they suffered some sort of injury. Nearly 300 said they received death threats against themselves or their families. Others were sexually assaulted, insulted, discriminated against or subjected to psychological pressure.
Perhaps the most surprising findings- was that nearly a third of the respondents said that most of the discrimination and violence came mostly from refugee camp guards of Muslim descent.
According to the findings of a new survey from the Christian advocacy group Open Doors USA, religious minorities who seek safe haven in the European nation are finding a general lack of protection. Since February, nearly 800 Christians and Yazidi refugees were attacked by others at the relief centers and camps.
Unexpectedly. Of course there are all the others who never arrived because they found a general lack of protection from some of their Muslim fellows along the way.
"They are starting to see a different kind of persecution," Emily Fuentes, an official with Open Doors USA, told FoxNews.com. "We normally monitor and rank countries where these incidents occur and typically Western countries do not make the list."
The survey was conducted between February and September of this year in camps near Berlin, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The findings showed that nearly half of the respondents said they suffered some sort of injury. Nearly 300 said they received death threats against themselves or their families. Others were sexually assaulted, insulted, discriminated against or subjected to psychological pressure.
Perhaps the most surprising findings- was that nearly a third of the respondents said that most of the discrimination and violence came mostly from refugee camp guards of Muslim descent.
#3
And, of course, putting them in separate camps would be totally un PC.
Posted by g(r)omgoru
The important thing is they have been successfully routed from their rural homes (which they did not build) and placed into large konsentrasiekamp camps. Here, government services can be provided, law and order maintained.
[DW] The anti-racist, anti-sexist Conne Island Club in Leipzig caused a stir with a statement about sexual violence by refugees. But it was also keen not to align itself with populist racism, Ben Knight reports from Leipzig.
The Conne Island Club has put itself on the margins in more ways than one. The club is hidden from the road, tucked between a narrow river and a highway on the edge of the city's trendy Connewitz district. It also wears its politics on its walls, both inside and out, which are covered with "Antifascist" graffiti and "Refugees Welcome" stickers.
But on October 7, the club's political position became more subtle: it issued a 1,200-word article on its website entitled "One step forward, two steps back," which trod a careful path between the media's two predominant images of Germany over the past year: the applauding "Welcome Culture" volunteer-crowds at Munich train station and the anti-immigrant PEGIDA marches of Saxony.
The club initially aligned itself with the former (partly as an angry response to the racism of the latter), and offered space for integration projects like skateboarding workshops and German courses, while allowing refugees entry for 50 euro-cents ($0.55).
But, according to Conne Island's statement, "sexist advances and physical attacks have occurred more frequently ... in Conne Island and other clubs - with the consequence that female guests have stayed away."
This was a real problem for a place that had, it said, spent the 25 years of its existence fighting for certain principles, which included zero tolerance for "sexist attacks ... or anti-Semitic, racist, or any other type of discriminatory behavior."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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At least two people were killed and nine were wounded in a land mine explosion in Balochistan's Sibi district on Thursday.
A security official told DawnNews a vehicle carrying local tribesmen hit a land mine in Babar Kach area of Sibi district.
"Two tribesmen were killed on the spot whereas nine suffered wounds. The injured were rushed to district headquarter hospital Sibi for medical treatment," he said.
The official informed that unknown miscreants had planted the landmine on the roadside, which caused the human loss.
"The tribesmen were coming from Sangan area to Sibi when their vehicle hit the landmine in Babar Kach area. Security forces reached the spot as investigation into the incident went underway," the security official added.
Emergency was imposed in the hospital to treat the injured of the blast. The blast also damaged the vehicle carrying the tribesmen.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
[An Nahar] Kurdish forces launched a major assault Thursday on a town held by 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.... group near djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , opening a new front in the offensive to wrest back the jihadists' last Iraqi bastion.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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ISIS attempt to calm troops following coup plot Now called al-Baghdadi Bob
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Iraqi media outlets reported on Thursday that ISIS media launched a vast campaign to reassure its fighters and supporters about the presence of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the city of Mosul after a failed coup attempt against him.
Al Sumaria News stated, “ISIS media began a campaign to assure its fighters and supporters that Baghdadi would not leave Mosul, and denied any news regarding his escape to the Syrian city of Raqqa,” adding that, “ISIS propaganda did not provide any evidence that Baghdadi is still in Mosul, and this raised serious doubts among its fighters and supporters, who suffer from low morale.”
For the first time, ISIS media acknowledged the recent coup attempt against its leader and how the group was able to foil it.
“ISIS foiled the coup of its “Islamic Police” against its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and executed the coup leader, along with other ISIS members in some areas of central Mosul,” Al Sumaria added.
Earlier this week some members of ISIS announced through loudspeakers in Mosul that al-Baghdadi fled to the Syrian city of Raqqa and that his wife was arrested.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Rebel detachments pasted threatening leaflets on the houses of ISIS militants in the city of Mosul, Al Sumaria reported on Thursday.
Al Sumaria News stated, “Detachments of rebels pasted leaflets on the houses of ISIS militants, at a late hour yesterday, in a number of neighborhoods in Mosul,” and that “These rebels vowed through the leaflets to avenge martyrs.”
“These leaflets consider as another evidence on the rising popular resistance against ISIS in Mosul,” Al Sumaria added.
Two days ago, Mosul started to show signs of a popular armed uprising against the Islamic State, where a group of armed rebellious residents attacked a headquarters of ISIS and destroyed six patrols in less than five hours in the city.
ISIS forces Mosul residents to donate money to support Kalifate Or what we call taxes
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Iraqi media outlets announced on Thursday, that ISIS launched a large fundraising campaign to support its “Caliphate State” in the battles of Mosul and forced Mosul residents to donate their money to support this cause.
Al Sumaria News stated, “Today, ISIS launched the largest fundraising campaign, and forced the people of Mosul to donate their money to support the ‘Caliphate State’ in the battles against the government forces and other security forces.”
“The donations were coerced through threat of violence or severe pressure,” Al Sumaria added. “A significant rejection and resentment rose among the residents,” Al Sumaria explained.
ISIS has suffered from a severe financial crisis for months due to the loss of most of its major funding sources, including oil fields.
Posted by: badanov ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
“The donations were coerced through threat of violence or severe pressure”
At least the Clinton Foundation offered a quid pro quo.
(IraqiNews.com) Erbil – Today the battles to liberate the areas of Bashiqa, Tel Saqef and Nuran were launched with the participation of about 30,000 members of Peshmerga forces, Al Sumaria News reported on Thursday.
Al Sumaria News stated, “Anti-Terrorism forces, with the participation of Peshmerga forces began an offensive to recapture the areas of Bashiqa, Tel Saqef and Nuran, northeast the city of Mosul,” noting that, “President of the Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, supervises the battle in person.”
“Nearly 30 thousand fighters of Peshmerga will participate in this battle,” Al Sumaria added. “The security forces are advancing towards these areas without any resistance from the ISIS militants,” Al Sumaria explained.
The media outlet revealed, “The region is witnessing heavy air strikes and artillery shelling since last night,” pointing out that, “ISIS booby-trapped many buildings and main roads in these areas.”
The joint security forces, backed by the Army Aviation and international coalition air force, continue their progress in the battle to liberate Mosul city from the control of the ISIS.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Nineveh Member of Parliament Hossam al-Din Saffar announced on Thursday, that the joint security forces managed to liberate more areas in the province from the ISIS control.
Saffar said in a press statement, “Joint security forces from Peshmerga and Iraqi army managed to liberate the area of Bartella in Hamdaniyah district, and the area of Batanya northeast of Nineveh, from the ISIS control, and killed dozens of the ISIS terrorists.”
“ISIS booby-trapped many buildings in Hamdaniyah district,” Saffar added.
Meanwhile, Commander of the 5th brigade of Federal Police, Ali al-Lami, said, “Security forces also liberated Tlul al-Naser village and besieged Mishraq Sulphur State Company, south of Mosul.”
Joint security forces, backed by the Army Aviation and international coalition air force, continue liberating the rest of the city of Mosul from the ISIS control.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Nineveh Provincial Council member Hossam al-Din Saffar announced on Thursday that the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces liberated 10 villages in the axes of Qayyarah and Noran, south of the city of Mosul.
Saffar said in a press statement, “Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army managed to free five villages in Qayyarah axes,” and that “the joint security forces also killed dozens of ISIS terrorists.”
“The liberation operations of Noran axes were launched today, where five villages were liberated and controlled by the Peshmerga forces,” Al Sumaria added. “The engineering teams are working to dismantle the improvised explosive devices that were emplaced in the liberated villages,” Al Sumaria explained.
The joint security forces, backed by the Army Aviation and international coalition air force continue their progress in the battle to liberate Mosul city from the control of the ISIS.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – The al-Hashed al-Shaabi militia’s press office announced on Thursday that a senior ISIS leader was killed by an Iraqi Army’s air strike in Nineveh province.
Al-Hashed al-Shaabi press office said in a statement, “Today, the Iraqi Army’s air force bombarded one of the ISIS strongholds in the village of Tel al-Sheer in Nineveh Province, killing the ISIS leader Aziz Ali.”
“The Army’s air force bombarded the stronghold based on accurate intelligence,” the statement added.
The joint security forces, backed by the Army and international coalition air force, continue their progress in the battle to liberate Mosul city from the control of the ISIS.
The ISIS took over the city of Mosul in Nineveh province in the tenth of June 2014, before extending its terrorist activities to other areas in Iraq, and committing many violations, genocides and crimes against humanity.
[ARA News] Erbil – Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces liberated on Thursday 15 more villages from militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) as part of the ongoing battle for Mosul.
The Kurdish Peshmergas continued their progress against ISIS militants in the northeastern countryside of Mosul during the fourth day of an extensive operation aimed at retaking Mosul from ISIS.
“Backed by an air cover from the US-led coalition, the Kurdish forces expelled Daesh terrorists from 15 more villages on Thursday,” a Peshmerga officer told ARA News, using another acronym for ISIS.
The Kurdish Peshmerga have taken the lead in the battle for Mosul. On Monday, they pushed Islamic State (ISIS) militants out of nine villages in an area measuring approximately 200 square kilometres, and extended their control over the Erbil-Mosul road.
“Our forces have liberated 24 villages since the start of the Mosul operation,” the Peshmerga official said.
“With the Kurdish forces advancing towards Mosul from the northeast and the Iraqi Army from the south, the process of liberating Mosul countryside may not take too long, especially that Daesh is more focused on maintaining the city,” he told ARA News. “But the military campaign will continue until we liberate entire Mosul from the terrorist group.”
Posted by: badanov ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
ISIS staged a spoiling attack in Kirkuk proper early this morning and stopped the Mosul offensive in its tracks for now. It appears that some ISIS fighters may have infiltrated into the city with the "displaced person" refugee crowd. They hit schools, prisons and power plants. It will take awhile to dig them out.
#2
Got a feeling this Mosul Offensive News is gonna be a very long running feature. And if Peshmerga does the bulk of the fighting they're gonna expect something in return.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/21/2016 10:42 Comments ||
Top||
[CNSNEWS] A U.S. military member assisting Iraqi forces in their push to retake djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... was killed by a roadside kaboom Thursday, marking the first American combat casualty in the campaign to oust 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.... group from its last major stronghold in northern Iraq.
U.S. officials said the American was fatally maimed near the town of Bashiqa, north of Mosul. He was operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who are part of an effort to recapture Mosul that began Monday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details.
The American was in or near a vehicle when he was hit, the officials said. He later died of his wounds. His identity was being withheld pending notification of his family.
He was the fourth U.S. combat death in Iraq since the U.S. began military operations against the Islamic State with Arclight airstrikes in August 2014.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] Four men indicted for planning attacks under the instruction of a senior Islamic Jihad official in Gazoo.
Security services announced on Thursday that they had thwarted an Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... plot to attack a wedding hall in the South and to kidnap and kill a soldier for the purposes of bargaining with Israel.
Mahmoud Yusef Hassin Abu Taha, a resident of Khan Yunis in the southern Gazoo Strip, was tossed in the calaboose Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! last month while entering Israel through the Erez crossing, ostensibly for purposes of commerce.
Abu Taha was enlisted by Wael Sufian Abu Taha, a senior Islamic Jihad official in Gazoo, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said. He instructed Mahmoud to form a cell in order to carry out a terrorist attack in the South and to kidnap a soldier to be used in a prisoner swap, the agency said.
The three men whom Mahmoud enlisted to help him with the attacks were also arrested.
One of the suspects, Shafik Hamed Ahmed Abu Taha, 55, was illegally residing in Israel and was an employee of the wedding hall that the cell planned to attack. A second suspect, Ahmed Tisir Abdulrahman Abu Taha, 39, from Gazoo, was also illegally residing in Israel. A third suspect, a 40-year-old from Deir el-Balah in central Gazoo, was living in southern Israel legally after having gained residency through marriage by way of the "family reunification" law.
The suspects had carried out reconnaissance at the wedding hall, devising a plan they hoped would kill as many people as possible, the Shin Bet said.
At the same time, Mahmoud began planning the kidnapping, receiving thousands of shekels from Wael Abu Taha in order to rent an apartment in Israel to which he planned to lure a soldier.
According to the Shin Bet, Mahmoud planned to kill the soldier, bury him and send his belongings back to Gazoo to use as bargaining chips with Israel.
"This grave affair yet again exhibits the efforts of terrorist elements in Gazoo to carry out murderous terrorist attacks in Israel," the agency said.
The affair also shows the way in which bandidosforces of Evil take advantage of entry permits to Israel, given for humanitarian porpoises to improve the economy of Gazoo, the Shin Bet said.
In addition, the plot shows the danger posed by Paleostinians illegally residing in Israel, the agency warned.
In May, Islamic Jihad in Gazoo released a propaganda video threatening IDF soldiers in response to the recent "Israeli escalation" in the Strip. The minute-and-a-half video, titled, "We Will Show You a Shadow of Fear," presents four fighters in Islamic Jihad’s Quds Brigades conducting observation of IDF jeep stationed behind Israel’s border with the Gazoo Strip and preparing to fired Sager rockets at the vehicle. Although the fighters did not attack the jeep, the video ends with a message translated to Hebrew: "We will show you a shadow of fear."
[IsraelTimes] Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced Thursday that he will revoke the residency permit of a Gazoo man indicted for being part of a terror plot.
Hani M’suad Nasir Abu Amrah, 40, a Gazook who has lived in the southern Israeli town of Tel Sheva for the past 16 years after being granted Israeli citizenship under the family reunification program, was one of four members of a terror cell that allegedly planned to carry out a terror attack at a wedding hall and also kidnap and kill an IDF soldier to use his remains as a bargaining chip against Israel.
Family reunification in Israel typically involves an Israeli citizen requesting citizenship for his or her non-Israeli spouse. Most unification applications are submitted by Israeli Arabs on behalf of a Paleostinian spouse living in the West Bank or the Gazoo Strip.
The terror cell consisted of three other men from the Gazoo Strip, two of whom were residing in Israel illegally, including one who worked at the targeted wedding venue, the Shin Bet security agency revealed Thursday. Southern state prosecutors filed indictments against the men at the Beersheba District Court Thursday.
Deri said Abu Amrah’s residency permit would be revoked, adding that he would fight "seriously and uncompromisingly" against "situations whereby residents take advantage of their status to try and carry out a terror attack and kill Israeli citizens."
"I will take all legal steps and measures against those who wish to commit terror," Deri said.
The process of family reunification for Paleostinians has been suspended in recent years due to concerns it was being abused by terror groups to gain access to Israel.
[Ynet] After throwing rocks at an IDF patrol vehicle, a Paleostinian was killed by IDF fire on Thursday, north of Hebron. The rock throwers continued pummeling the soldiers even after the soldiers stopped and left their vehicle and yelled at the Paleostinians to stop.
The event took place south of Gush Etzion Junction at a spot known for such altercations. As a result of the current rock throwing, one soldier was lightly injured, though he did not need to be evacuated for treatment.
Upon leaving their vehicle, the soldiers commenced with the rules of engagement toward the rock throwers, and after shooting a warning shot in the air, they opened fire on their attackers, killing one of them.
#2
An elderly nun, from the basement:
"You teachers today... too complacent!
We focused our pupils
And woke up their scruples
By wielding... the Rule of Engagement."
[Jpost] Sakhnin couple locked away You have the right to remain silent... in September following long-winded return from Iraq with their three children, the Shin Bet announces Thursday.
Security forces have arrested an Arab-Israeli couple accused of joining the terrorist group 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.... in Iraq, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced Thursday.
The couple, Wisam and Sabrin Zabeidat from the northern city of Sakhnin, were arrested at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport on September 22 following their return from Iraq with their three children.
According to a statement released by the Shin Bet, the couple had traveled to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... for a family event with their three children, aged eight, six and three. From there, they made contact with another Arab-Israeli who had joined ISIS in 2013 and then helped the Zabeidats cross the border into Syria.
The family was recruited by ISIS near the Syria-Turkey border and their Israeli passports were confiscated, according to the Shin Bet release.
At one point, Wisam Zabeidat was separated from his family and sent to Iraq for further training and ideological indoctrination.
According to the Shin Bet, investigations revealed that the couple had decided to try to return to Israel in June in light of the worsening situation in the Iraqi city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... According to details of the investigation, the family had needed to pay thousands of dollars to border smugglers in attempt to return to Israel. The family had allegedly failed in multiple long-winded attempts to cross the border between Syria and Turkey.
After eventually entering Turkish territory however, the couple was arrested by Turkish police and placed in a detention camp. Days later, Turkish authorities released the family members who then traveled back to Israel, where they were again arrested.
The couple told Sherlocks that ISIS media and video propaganda had led to their interest in the terrorist group. On Thursday, the couple was indicted in Haifa for departing to an enemy country and joining the terrorist organization.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[NST.MY] A factory clerk's strong curiosity about terrorist groups and possession of terror-related items has landed her in jail for two years.
Rafidah Juma'at, 26, who was clad in all black, admitted to committing the offence before High Court judge Datuk Mohamad Shariff Abu Samah today.
In his judgement, Mohamad Shariff said even though no evidence proved that the accused has any intention of joining a terror group, keeping books and photos linked to bully boyz shows that the accused is a supporter of terrorists.
"You have to be careful. You have a family and whenever you feel like you want to join in the fight, please remember their faces.
"If you really want to fight, fight for your family members first or for our friends in Baitul Maqdis," Mohamad Shariff said.
He ordered Rafidah's jail sentence to run from the date of her arrest on March 24.
The accused was charged on June 8 at the Seri Manjung magistrate's court in Perak for having in her possession items related to terrorism at a house in Taman Bistari, Air Tawar, on March 24, this year. The terror-related items were linked to murderous Moslem groups 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.... (IS), al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). She was charged under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of not more than seven years or a fine.
In pleading for leniency, Rafidah's counsel, PA Sharon, said her client, who is the fourth child out of seven siblings, is supporting her mother and younger siblings.
"She had no intention of being exposed to the terrorist group... it was just her strong curiosity to know about what was happening.
"Now she wants to become a better person and intends to continue working at a concrete production factory to support and care for her mother and younger siblings, as she is the one who has been taking care of them before she was tossed in the calaboose Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! ," Sharon said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[GMANETWORK] An Abu Sayyaf ...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder... member with a P600,000 bounty on his head was nabbed Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! Wednesday by government security forces in a manhunt operation in Maluso, Basilan ...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts... A news release from the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on Thursday said Ibrahim Akbar, also known as Ustadz Atti Lintogan, Ustadz Atti, or Ustadz Namir, was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant.
Akbar is facing charges of multiple murder with multiple frustrated murder.
CIDG Region 9 chief Senior Superintendent Anthony Aberin said Akbar was involved in a bombing attack in Kidapawan City in 2006, and the abduction of Spanish priest Bernardo Blanco in 1993. He was also allegedly involved in a firefight against military troops in 1982 in Basilan.
Elements of the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police Special Action Force, and Maluso Municipal Police joined the CIDG in the manhunt operation.
The Abu Sayyaf is a loosely organized band of Islamic fundamentalists operating in Basilan and Sulu and is known to conduct bombing and kidnapping activities.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido stepped from behind the suit of armor, rapier in hand. Ciccolini snarled and reached for his own weapon... the CIDG served four search warrants against against two members of a criminal group on Thursday morning in Maghayag, Zamboanga Del Sur.
Authorities identified the suspects as Julie Monsanto Lato and Rodrigo Monsanto Lato Jr., both alleged members of the Lato Gun-for-Hire Group.
The suspects will face charges in violation the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and Illegal Possession of Explosives for possessing a hand grenade, shotgun, one caliber .45 pistol, magazines, and assorted ammunition.
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10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Treasury freezes assets, blocks transactions for affiliates of Lebanese terror group supporting Syrian leader Assad.
The United States and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... on Thursday imposed sanctions on alleged Hezbollah members and financial backers, accusing them of funneling money to the Lebanese terror group or engaging in terrorism.
The US Treasury Department said it targeted four individuals and one company, effectively freezing their US assets and blocking any transactions with them, while also announcing related action by Saudi Arabia.
In a related action, the US State Department also blacklisted alleged Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai, alias Abu Ali al-Tabatabai, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
Tabatabai has commanded Hezbollah special forces, operated in Syria, and is now believed to be in Yemen, the State Department said. His actions in Syria and Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... "are part of a larger Hezbollah effort to provide training, materiel and personnel in support of its destabilizing regional activities."
The State Department declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 1997 and long-standing US efforts have sought to disrupt the organization’s funding.
Founded in the 1980s in Leb, the Shiite murderous Moslem organization and political party has provided military support to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... in the Syrian conflict, and American officials blame it for attacks stretching back to the 1980s.
"Hezbollah continues to plan, coordinate and execute terrorist attacks around the world, and Treasury will continue to aggressively target Hezbollah and those supporting its terrorist activities," Adam Szubin, acting Treasury under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
The US designations were imposed under an executive order issued by former president George W. Bush in the immediate aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The men blacklisted by the Treasury included Muhammad al-Mukhtar Kallas and Hasan Jamal-al-Din, purported accountants for Hezbollah financier Adham Husayn Tabaja, as well as Yosef Ayad and Muhammad Ghaleb Hamdar, described as members of Hezbollah’s External Security Organization who were accused of plotting attacks in Thailand and Peru.
Kallas and al-Din worked with Tabaja to move bulk cash shipments between Leb and Iraq and had assisted other Hezbollah members who were already blacklisted, according to the Treasury.
The Treasury also blacklisted the Tabaja-controlled company Global Cleaners, which it said had won sanitation services contracts in Baghdad.
Saudi Arabia designated Kallas, al-Din and Global Cleaners under a local counter-terrorism law, freezing their assets and prohibiting any commercial licenses for the men in the kingdom.
#7
In November 2014 Hamdar was captured shortly after entering Peru via Brazil. Peru news reports claimed Brazilian newspaper O Globo detailed ties between Hamdar, Hezbollah and a Brazilian prison gang the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital). For some reason he was released and then dropped out of sight.
[An Nahar] A "humanitarian pause" in the Syrian army's Russian-backed assault on Aleppo took effect Thursday, but despite a drop in violence there was little sign residents were heeding calls to leave.
Moscow said the truce would be extended by 24 hours, and the U.N. said it hoped to carry out the first medical evacuations from Aleppo on Friday, after getting clearance from all warring parties.
Despite the lull, NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... chief Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... that a Russian aircraft carrier battlegroup, on its way from the North Sea and currently off the coast of Britannia, could join attacks on Aleppo.
The unilateral ceasefire began at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) with the aim of allowing civilians and fighters to evacuate the city's opposition-controlled east.
Shortly after the pause began, gunfire and artillery exchanges erupted around one crossing point, with state news agency SANA saying "terrorist groups" had targeted the area "in an attempt to hinder the humanitarian pause".
But by afternoon, the festivities had subsided and the east was calm, though the streets were empty.
The truce was initially described as lasting just 11 hours, but Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced Thursday afternoon it would be extended.
"A decision was made to extend the 'humanitarian pause' by 24 hours," he said in a statement, leaving unclear exactly when the truce was now scheduled to end.
He also announced that the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier, part of its Northern Fleet, would be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to boost Russian naval forces in the area.
Reacting to the deployment, Stoltenberg said: "We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering.
Around Aleppo on Thursday, Syrian soldiers were calling through loudspeakers for residents to "seize the chance" to evacuate.
Russia announced the ceasefire earlier this week, amid growing international pressure over its support for Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... 's campaign to recapture the city.
More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict began in March 2011, and the violence in Aleppo has been described as some of the worst of the war.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[SCMP] Indonesian police rubbed out a man carrying knives, suspected pipe bombs and a symbol 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.... group after he launched a daylight assault on officers near Jakarta on Thursday, an official said.
The man was shot three times as he stabbed wildly at officers on a busy intersection in Tangerang, a satellite city outside the capital, Jakarta police front man Awi Setiyono said.
Setiyono said the perpetrator threw two suspected pipe bombs at the officers, but neither detonated, and displayed a symbol of the IS group on a nearby traffic pole during the frenzied attack.
Footage broadcast showed the man limping around a busy city road carrying weapons including what appeared to be a pipe bomb. At one point, the footage showed him running toward an officer.
"A man suddenly stuck an IS logo sticker on a traffic police post, took a machete from his bag and blindly attacked our personnel," Setiyono said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[al-Manar] The Syrian Army and Armed Forces continued on Thursday carrying out counter-terrorism operations across Syria, thwarting ISIL terrorist attack in Hama and targeting terrorists in several areas around the country.
Hama
Units of army and armed forces, in cooperation with the supporting forces and backed by the air and artillery forces, thwarted ISIL terrorists’ attempt to attack a number of military posts and the villages of al-Taybeh, al-Mofakar al-Sharqi and Aqareb and some defensive points on the oil line in the eastern countryside of al-Salamiyeh city in the countryside of Hama province.
Heavy losses were inflicted upon terrorists in personnel and equipment.
Posted by: badanov ||
10/21/2016 00:00 ||
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Homs – Russian warplanes launched on Thursday several airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria’s central governorate of Homs, killing and wounding a number of militants.
The airstrikes targeted strongholds of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants south of the Sha’er Gas Field in the countryside of Homs.
“At least seven ISIS militants were killed and more than a dozen wounded in the Russian air raids on Thursday,” local media activist Amro al-Hussein told ARA News, citing an ISIS source.
Russian fighter jets also targeted ISIS headquarters in the al-Sukhna town and in the vicinity of Huwesis District in eastern Homs, destroying several ISIS machine guns and armoured vehicles.
This comes just three days after an attempt by ISIS fighters to storm a Syrian army base in Huwesis in eastern Homs Governorate. ISIS jihadists softened the fortified base with a protracted bombardment before attempting to infiltrate through the periphery. More than 35 Syrian Army soldiers were reportedly killed and dozens more were wounded, local sources told ARA News.
ISIS has recently brought reinforcements to the eastern countryside of Homs in a bid to protect the Sha’er Gas Field and its remaining positions in the governorate.
Posted by: badanov ||
10/21/2016 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.
[REUTERS] Government lawyers on Thursday said they would prosecute a former National Security Agency contractor accused of stealing classified information under an espionage law, a move carrying far more severe penalties than previously announced charges.
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) said Wednesday 108 flights were conducted in the past 24 hours to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
Assailants thought be Al Shabaab members have shot and killed an elder on Thursday evening in Somali capital, Mogadishu, according to eyewitness. Pistol-wielding men have gunned down the elder who was identified as Mohamed Tabari Shikhow, 
Scattered clashes between rebels and pro-government forces undermined a fragile ceasefire in Yemen on Thursday as global pressure intensified for a lasting truce in a country where millions are homeless and hungry. The ceasefire, for an initial period of three days, 
[FoxNews] The refugees of Christian descent who fled persecution in places like Syria and Northern Iraq are facing different kinds of attacks in Germany.
Related article from ZH:
[DW] The anti-racist, anti-sexist Conne Island Club in Leipzig caused a stir with a statement about sexual violence by refugees. But it was also keen not to align itself with populist racism, Ben Knight reports from Leipzig.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Homs – Russian warplanes launched on Thursday several airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria’s central governorate of Homs, killing and wounding a number of militants. 
