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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Battle for Idlib & Hama finally begins
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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Afghanistan
Taliban’s military commission chief for Badakhshan killed with his comrades
[KhaamaPress] The military commission chief of the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
group for northeastern Badakhshan province has been killed with his lovers comrades during the military operations.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North in a statement said Mawlavi Hamidullah was killed with his six comrades in Orgu district.

The statement further added that three bandidos holy warriors were also maimed during the same operations which are being conducted to suppress the bandidos holy warriors in this province.

According to 209th Shaheen Corps, the bandidos holy warriors were killed or maimed as part of the ongoing Khanjar-14 operations.

The anti-government armed bandidos holy warriors including the Taliban group have not commented regarding the report so far.

Badakhshan was among the relatively calm provinces in the Northeastern parts of the country but the security situation of the province has tanked during the recent years as the anti-government armed bandidos holy warriors have been attempting to expand their activities in this province and other key provinces in the Northeastern regions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336073 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Taliban militants blown up by own explosives in Laghman province
[KhaamaPress] At least three Talibs were blown up by own explosives in eastern Laghman
...It has a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a repution for great wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.
He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.
After that it was mostly notable for the production of dirt, rocks, and holy men.

province of Afghanistan, the Afghan Military said.

According to 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military in the East, three Talibs were killed while planting an improvised bomb in Gardi Salaw area of Alisheng district.

The source further added that the murderous Moslems were killed after the improvised bomb went off prematurely.

Taliban
...Arabic for students...
and other murderous Moslems often use IED as the weapon of their choice to target the security forces and government but in majority of such attacks ordinary civilians are targeted, besides such attacks often claims the lives of the murderous Moslems as well.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in its latest report stated that 1,692 non-combatants were killed in the first six months of 2018.

According to UNAMA, the use of improvised bombs (IEDs) in attacks by Anti-Government Elements remained the leading cause of civilian casualties.

"The combined use of suicide and non-suicide IEDs caused nearly half of all civilian casualties. Continuing trends first documented last year by UNAMA, the majority of IED casualties were caused by suicide and complex attacks, which again were responsible for record high civilian casualties, resulting in 1,413 civilian casualties (427 deaths and 986 injured), a 22 per cent increase," UNAMA said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336069 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  "Own Gooooooaaaallllll!"
Posted by: Frank G || 09/09/2018 0:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Dominating the Field!
Posted by: newc || 09/09/2018 2:23 Comments || Top||

#3  From desert, sierra, and Andes,
Cathedrals still echo on Sundays
To tsunamis of prayer
For a straight-shooting player...
And the soul of Roberto Hernandez.

Seriously, I loved that dude, though I never watched him until his dotage. If he's turned out to be a perv or something... for once, I don't want to know.
Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 || 09/09/2018 16:36 Comments || Top||

#4  Uh... soul sooooooooooooooooouuuuuul! Duh.
Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 || 09/09/2018 16:37 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Egypt sentences 75 to death, hundreds to jail over 2013 sit-in
[ARABNEWS] An Egyptian court on Saturday issued death sentences for 75 people and locked away
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
more than 600 others over a 2013 sit-in which ended with the killing of hundreds of protesters by security forces.

The sentencing concluded the mass trial of some 700 people accused of offenses including murder and inciting violence during the pro-Moslem Brüderbund protest at Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo.

The government says many protesters were armed and that eight members of the security forces were killed. It initially said more than 40 police had died.

Rights groups say more than 800 protesters died in the single most deadly incident during the unrest that followed Egypt’s 2011 popular uprising. Amnesia Amnesty International condemned Saturday’s decision, calling the trial "disgraceful."

In Saturday’s hearing at the vast Tora prison complex south of Cairo, a criminal court sentenced to death by hanging several prominent figures including senior Brotherhood leaders Essam al-Erian and Mohammed Beltagi and preacher Safwat Higazi.

Moslem Brüderbund spiritual leader Mohammed Badie and dozens more were given life sentences, judicial sources said. Others received jail sentences ranging from five to 15 years.

Cases were dropped against five people who had died while in prison, judicial sources said, without giving further details.

Following weeks of protests in 2013 against the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Mursi by the military, security forces violently broke up the demonstrators at Rabaa square.
Posted by: Fred || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336083 views] Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood

#1  The MB are Nazis. Morsi is a world leader nothing but ideology.
Posted by: newc || 09/09/2018 4:00 Comments || Top||

#2  U.N. rights chief urges Egypt court to overturn mass death sentences
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/09/2018 8:34 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Many feared dead after Islamist attack in northeast Nigeria: Witnesses
[AlAhram] Many people are feared dead after an Islamist murderous Moslem attack on a northeast Nigeria
... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border...
n town, two residents and a vigilante said on Saturday.

The Lions of Islam struck Gudumbali in the Guzamala region of Borno state at around 4 p.m. on Friday wearing military uniforms and firing upon Nigerian soldiers and residents, the witnesses said.

The Nigeria troops and thousands of residents have fled, they said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336070 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Nigeria: 'Air Force Destroys Boko Haram's Facilities'
[All Africa] The Nigerian Air Force says its air task force against Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
has successfully destroyed some facilities and equipment of the terror group at Alafa Yagayaga in Sambisa forest.

According to the Air force, the unit has also destroyed a suspected Boko Haram ammunition depot in Kusuma on the fringes of Lake Chad, Borno.

Ibikunle Daramola, NAF director of public relations and information disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

The air commodore said that the air strikes was in continuation of Operation Thunder Strike 2 which commenced on September 3.

"The air strikes against BHTs at Alafa Yagayaga were targeted at structures within the settlement identified via previous Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions to be rendezvous (RV) points for the hard boys.

"Consequently, a combination of NAF fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships were detailed to carry out air interdiction on the locations while the NAF ISR aircraft conducted Battle Damage Assessment (BDA).

"The attack platforms acquired the targets and took turns to attack the location, destroying the structures and killing most of the BHTs in the process.

"The few surviving BHTs, seen fleeing the area, were strafed and neutralised by the helicopter gunships," he said.

Mr Daramola said the attack at Kusuma was initiated, following credible intelligence indicating the presence of a Boko Haram logistics/ammunition depot within the settlement.

He explained that at end of the attacks, the force confirmed a direct hit on the ammunition depot which was engulfed in fire.

He said some other adjoining BHT structures were destroyed and the occupying murderous Moslems neutralised.

Posted by: Fred || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Iraq
3 Islamic State militants killed in bomb blast in Iraq
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Three Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(IS) gunnies were killed Saturday in a kaboom on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin province.

A security source told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) said that "the cause of the kaboom is still unknown."

The three IS gunnies killed in the kaboom are from Salahuddin province, added the source.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336069 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Seven Islamic State members killed, four others arrested in operation in Salahuddin
Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Seven 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....
members were killed, while four others were maimed in Salahuddin, a security source from the province said on Friday.

"Troops of the Counter-Terrorism Service set up an ambush for the gunnies north of Telool al-Baj region in Shirqat town, at noon. They managed to kill seven gunnies and arrest four others, as they were on vehicles intending to pass through the desert of Shirqat from al-Ramdaniyat village, west of the town," the source told al-Quds al-Arabi news website.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336071 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Five people injured in two bomb explosions, north of Baghdad
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Five civilians were maimed in two bomb kabooms, north of Baghdad, a security source was quoted saying on Friday.

Speaking to AlSumaria News, the source said "a bomb placed by unidentified people near a playground in Sabaa al-Bor region, north of Baghdad, left three civilians injured."

Earlier today, a police source said two civilians were maimed in a kaboom, north of the capital.

"A bomb, placed near stores in al-Taji district, north of Baghdad, went off, today, leaving two people injured," the source said.

The injured, according to the sources, were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336067 views] Top|| File under:


Twenty Islamic State members killed in operation, west of Anbar
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Twenty 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....
members were killed in an operation, that targeted three secret tunnels used by the group, west of Anbar, a leader with the mobilization forces said on Friday.

Speaking to Almaalomah website, Qutri al-Obeidi, from the mobilization troops in Anbar, said "security troops carried out an operation in al-Hussainiyat region in Hit town, west of Anbar. Three secret tunnels used by the bad boy group were destroyed."

The operation, according to Obeidi, "left twenty bad boys, including foreigners, killed."
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336073 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraq parliament holds emergency talks as Basra burns, new security commander in town, temporary curfew lifted
[ARABNEWS] Iraqi politicians met Saturday in emergency session Saturday to discuss the crisis in public services in main southern city Basra after 12 protesters were killed, the Iranian consulate torched and the airport hit by rockets.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described the unrest as "political sabotage" as he joined the session with several ministers.

Basra has been rocked by protests since Tuesday, with demonstrators setting ablaze government buildings, the Iranian consulate and the offices of pro-Tehran militias and political parties.

The anger flared after the hospitalization of 30,000 people who had drunk polluted water, in an oil-rich region where residents have for weeks complained of water and electricity shortages, corruption among officials and unemployment.

At least 12 demonstrators have been killed and 50 maimed in festivities with security forces, according to the interior ministry.

Iraqi officials announced Saturday a citywide curfew for Basra starting at 4pm local time, a military statement said.

7 killed, 50 injured during Basra protests Friday: Health Ministry

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Seven people were killed and 50 others injured during Basra protests on Friday, the Iraqi Health Ministry announced.

In statements to Alsumaria News TV channel on Saturday, Seif al-Badr, the ministry’s spokesman, said that “the injured included 48 civilians and two security men.”

Earlier in the day, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that unrest in the southern province of Basra could turn into an armed conflict.

“We have to separate the political aspect from the security and service one, otherwise, the disagreement will develop into an armed conflict,” Abadi told an exceptional parliament session on Saturday.

Also, a security source noted that a security campaign will be launched soon in the governorate to arrest rioters involved in burning of building and state institutions.

Iraq replaces Basra security commander, airport under fire: official

Basra (IraqiNews.com) A security commander for southern Iraq’s Basra province has been replaced as violence rages amid popular protests decrying poor services.

Iraqi website Al-Mirbad quoted Yahia Rasoul, spokesperson of the Iraq Security Media Center saying in a statement that Lit. Gen. Gamil al-Shamri was replaced by Rasheed Feleih as commander of Basra Operations.

Rasoul said in his statement that the replacement came after protests left severe damage to several facilities in the province.

Protests have recently caused the province’s government office and the Iranian consulate to catch fire.

Meanwhile, Rasoul revealed that four mortar missiles were fired on Basra Airport, but pointed that all of them fell near the airport’s outer fence.

Rasoul assured that aviation at the airport was not affected by the incident.

Health authorities were quoted saying that violence since yesterday have left three more protesters dead. Authorities earlier counted at least seven fatalities.

Iraq lifts citywide curfew in protest-hit Basra

Basra (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi authorities lifted on Saturday night a curfew in Iraq’s southern oil hub Basra seven hours after it was enforced there to quell escalating protests, an Iraqi security source told Sputnik.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that “the curfew was lifted at 11 pm (local time) after it came into effect at 4 pm.”

According to the source, “the decision to lift the curfew in Basra was taken following the heavy deployment of security forces in the governorate and improvement of the security situation there.”
Posted by: Fred || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336074 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  ~90% Iraq’s revenue is generated in Basra
Posted by: mossomo || 09/09/2018 19:52 Comments || Top||


Basra airport targeted by rocket fire as violent protests grip Iraq
[ARABNEWS] Basra airport was targeted by rocket fire on Saturday after a night of protests over perceived misrule by Iraq's political elite during which demonstrators torched the Iranian consulate and briefly took oilfield workers hostage.
Welcome to Tripoli...
That's be the third one, right?
Oh my goodness, you’re right: Tripoli, Lebanon, and now Iraq.
Iraqi security sources said three Katyusha rockets fired by unknown assailants had hit the perimeter of the airport, although no damage or casualties had been reported. The US Consulate is adjacent to Basra's airport.

An official at the Iraqi airport said there was no disruption to operations, and flights were taking off and landing as normal.

The attack came shortly after a citywide curfew was lifted and hours after the reopening of Iraq's main seaport of Umm Qasr where protesters had blocked the port's entrance, forcing a halt to all operations.

Another citywide curfew for Basra will come into effect at 4pm local time, Iraqi officials announced Saturday.

Posted by: Fred || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336099 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  In honor of the passing of John McShame, Trump should drop Dubya on Basra with a JDAM kit attached to his ass.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/09/2018 10:13 Comments || Top||

#2  From the halls of Hill and Huma to the triple Tripoli?
Posted by: Jumbo Ebbitle2941 || 09/09/2018 16:52 Comments || Top||

#3  Delightful, Jumbo Ebbitle2941. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 23:07 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Gazans carrying knife, ax caught trying to enter Israel
[IsraelTimes] A group of Paleostinians carrying a knife and an ax were locked away
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
Saturday while trying to infiltrate into Israel from the Gazoo Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The four Paleostinians were spotted by security forces as they attempted to breach the security fence along the border in northern Gazoo.

"Our troops rushed to the location and arrested the suspects, who were transferred to the security forces for questioning," the army said.

The IDF did not indicate whether the Paleostinians were affiliated with any Gazoo-based terror group.

Separately, the Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",-run health ministry in Gazoo on Saturday announced that a 16-year-old Paleostinian died from wounds sustained by IDF gunfire during festivities with Israeli troops the day before.

Paleostinian media outlets on Saturday released a video clip which they said showed the incident. (Warning: Graphic content.)

The ministry said Friday that a 17-year-old was also killed and that nearly 400 were maimed in the violent protests.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336074 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Battle for Idlib & Hama finally begins: Syrians & Russians unleash, jihadis bombard Hama, Russian & Syrian airstrikes, Turks enter stage left


Battle for Idlib begins as Syrian, Russian forces unleash massive attack

[AlMasdar] (2:30 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) battle for Idlib has begun after several weeks of speculation and military buildup.

According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian and Russian air forces unleashed a massive assault across the Hama-Idlib axis, hitting a number of sites controlled by the jihadist rebels.

The source added that the Syrian Arab Army has yet to storm any areas in the Idlib and Hama governorates; the ground attack is likely to commence in the next few days.

Jihadists respond to Syrian Army attack with major assault of their own in Idlib, Hama

[AlMasdar] (4:45 P.M.) – The jihadist rebels in the Idlib Governorate have launched a retaliatory attack against the government this afternoon, a military source in the army stronghold of Mhardeh told Al-Masdar News.

According to the military source, the jihadist rebels heavily bombarded the town of Salhab in northern Hama, causing several casualties in the process.

The source added that most of the casualties from this large attack on Salhab were civilians that were inside of their homes.

Earlier today, the Syrian Arab Army and their Russian allies began their long-awaited attack on the Idlib and Hama governorates.

Using their Air Force, the Syrian military unleashed a massive attack that targeted a number of jihadist areas in Hama and Idlib.

Syrian Army launches massive attack in northern Hama

[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army unleashed a powerful assault inside the northern countryside of the Hama province tonight, a military source told Al-Masdar News.

According to the military source, Syrian Arab Army fired a plethora of missiles and artillery shells towards the jihadist rebels in the northern countryside of the Hama province.

Among the many targets for the Syrian Army were the towns of Kafr Zita, Zakat, Alayweh, and Al-Lataminah.

This attack by the Syrian military comes just shortly after the jihadist rebels fired several muscles towards the Syrian government stronghold of Mhardeh.

Syrian, Russian forces launch nonstop attack on Idlib

[AlMasdar] (12:00 A.M.) – The Russian and Syrian air forces have been hard at work, tonight, as their fighter pilots carry several airstrikes across the Hama-Idlib axis.

Led by their Sukhoi jets, the Syrian and Russian air forces initially began their aerial campaign on Saturday morning, when they repeatedly bombarded the jihadist rebels in both the Idlib and Hama provinces.

The Syrian and Russian air forces would not stop there; they would since launch over 70 airstrikes above several jihadist sites in northwest Syria.

According to a military communique from the Hama Governorate, the Russian and Syrian air forces launched over 100 airstrikes in the last 24 hours, hitting jihadist trenches, bases, and hideouts in the process.

Among the several sites targeted by the Syrian and Russian air forces were the towns of Khan Sheikhoun, Taman’ah, Sukeek, Kafr Zita, Al-Lataminah, Zakat, Alayweh, Ma’arat Al-Nu’man, Jisr Al-Shughour, Qal’at Al-Madiq, and Ma’arat Al-Nu’man.

The Syrian and Russian forces will likely continue their heavy bombardment throughout the night and early into tomorrow, as their ground troops make their final preparations before they launch their assault.

Massive Turkish Army convoy enters Idlib with large arsenal of weapons

[AlMasdar] (2:45 A.M.) – A massive Turkish military convoy entered the Idlib Governorate from the Hatay Province, tonight, opposition activists reported.

According to the Syrian opposition activists, the Turkish military convoy consisted of more than 300 vehicles, including tanks, MLRS launchers, and BMPs.

The Turkish military convoy reportedly entered Syria through the Kafr Losen Crossing; it was heading towards the rebel front-lines in the Idlib and Hama governorates.

Some opposition activists have claimed that the Turkish military was heading to the Idlib Governorate with manpads, which, if true, would mean that they are preparing to down any Syrian warplane flying over their positions.

Turkey appears to not be backing down from the Syrian government forces, despite the fact that the latter is backed by Ankara’s allies: Iran and Russia.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:35 || Comments || Link || [336125 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  Nice composite, TW.
Posted by: Skidmark || 09/09/2018 2:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Damned If I Know which side to cheer on.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/09/2018 3:45 Comments || Top||

#3  Nice composite, TW.

Thank you, Skidmark. Today will be another busy day over there, no doubt.

Cheer for a hot fight, g(r)omgoru. I was thinking of ordering a nice selection of hors d'oeuvres and a truckload of popcorn from Barbara Skolaut’s usual supplier. It’s been a while since we had a battle to watch. And Dave D. used to get the best prices for Yuengling beer...
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 5:39 Comments || Top||

#4  How many civilians are trapped in the battlezones? Hama (I think) has - was about 310.000. Idlib 110,000 or much less. Minding those numbers are pre civil war.

I think it was Bruce Stanley and Michael Dumper who wrote that some districts of the city are exclusively Christian. And there was one observation about Hamas supposedly being the most conservative Sunni Muslim city in Syria.

At least arse Assad didn't F with the Christians. Much to Barry's dismay.

Nice breakdown TW.
Posted by: Woodrow || 09/09/2018 7:50 Comments || Top||

#5  A prime tenet of muzz war philosophy is "There are no civilians." See Zawahiri right after 9/11...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/09/2018 10:17 Comments || Top||

#6  #5 nails it.

As for rooting interest, Kissinger's remark on the Iran-Iraq War comes to mind here.

I think this will definitely speed up the process of Turkey's "alienation" from NATO, as we're not about to bail them out if things go badly for them.

The Turks themselves are no loss, but it'd be a shame to lose Anatolia.
Posted by: charger || 09/09/2018 11:41 Comments || Top||

#7  Wasn’t Hama the home of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria back in Hafez Assad’s day? Whoever it was, Assad pére bounced the rubble when they got uppity back in 1982. Tom Friedman at the New York Times shortly after 9/11:

In February 1982 the secular Syrian government of President Hafez al-Assad faced a mortal threat from Islamic extremists, who sought to topple the Assad regime. How did it respond? President Assad identified the rebellion as emanating from Syria's fourth-largest city -- Hama -- and he literally leveled it, pounding the fundamentalist neighborhoods with artillery for days. Once the guns fell silent, he plowed up the rubble and bulldozed it flat, into vast parking lots. Amnesty International estimated that 10,000 to 25,000 Syrians, mostly civilians, were killed in the merciless crackdown. Syria has not had a Muslim extremist problem since

Woodrow, I’m glad you find this set-up useful. I just stacked the Al Masdar articles on the subject together under one heading — in as chronological order as I could so our readers would have a proper feel for the progress of events. Dr. Steve started us doing that during the reconquest of Iraq after ISIS exploded. All images came from Rantburg’s extensive collection.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 13:26 Comments || Top||

#8  .....I just stacked the Al Masdar articles on the subject together under one heading

But wait! Isn't that how Google got started?
Posted by: Black Charlie tse Tung4989 || 09/09/2018 13:37 Comments || Top||

#9  what is missing from the NYTimes quote is that the Islamic Extremists were the Muslim Brotherhood

by late 2009, the Obama administration was working hand in glove with the brotherhood and by 2012 the Muslim brotherhood was running Egypt
Posted by: lord garth || 09/09/2018 14:33 Comments || Top||

#10  "Huma"
Posted by: Frank G || 09/09/2018 15:13 Comments || Top||

#11  Damned If I Know which side to cheer on.

Just continuously arm up the losing side until the desired result is achieved.
Posted by: gorb || 09/09/2018 17:42 Comments || Top||


Clashes between Kurds and Syrian army troops leave 18 dead, Syrians prev. blocked Yankee troops
[AlAhram] Clashes erupted on Saturday between U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters and Syrian troops in the centre of the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria that left at least 18 people killed, Kurdish forces said.

The fighting took place after a Syrian military convoy entered areas in the city which the Kurdish YPG militia's internal security forces said were under their control.

"They entered our areas of control and placed in durance vile
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
civilians and members of the patrol targeted our forces," the internal security forces, known as the Asayish, said in a statement.

Kurdish forces said seven of its fighters and 11 Syrian military were killed in the festivities.

Pro-government sources told state media an army patrol was attacked by Kurdish forces while on its way to the airport. It said several troops were killed.

The Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), controls most of the city and pro-government forces holding the airport and part of its centre.

Fighting in Qamishli, near the Ottoman Turkish border, which erupts occasionally, disturbs a peaceful co-existence where the Syrian state has slowly expanded its influence, residents say.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has turned a blind eye to YPG control of Kurdish-populated cities since the 2011 uprising in which his army has focused on fighting mainly Sunni rebel factions seeking to topple his rule.

But the government has not ruptured ties with salaries of many state employees in these areas still paid and authorities still getting a share of proceeds from oilfields now under Kurd control.

The SDF has expanded beyond mainly Kurdish parts of the north, where the forces have carved out autonomous cantons since the onset of Syria's conflict.

The region they control spreads across much of northern and eastern Syria, which is rich in farmland, oil and water.

Senior members of the YPG have recently held talks with Syrian officials seeking a political deal which would retain their autonomy in Syria.

Syrian soldiers killed by Kurdish forces previously blocked US troops from entering Qamishli

[AlMasdar] The 13 Syrian soldiers killed by the Kurdish-led Asayish police forces had previously encountered a group of U.S. troops attempting to enter the city of Qamishli, a military source told al-Masdar News this evening.
According to the military source, the Syrian soldiers prevented the U.S. forces from entering Qamishli through the government’s checkpoint.

The source added that the Syrian military believes the Asayish forces that attacked them were doing so in retaliation for this previous engagement with the U.S. troops.

The Asayish police forces have not commented on this latest encounter; furthermore, the situation remains tense among the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

Most residents of Qamishli have opted to remain home in order to avoid anymore violence between the government and Kurdish forces.

Posted by: trailing wife || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336071 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Iran executes Kurdish separatists
[ARABNEWS] Iran executed three alleged Kurdish separatists on Saturday, local media reported, despite criticism by the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
that at least one had been tortured in prison.

Ramin Hossein Panahi, Zaniar Moradi and Loghman Moradi were all executed on Saturday, according to the conservative Fars news agency.

It said Panahi had planned to bomb a rally in Iran’s Kurdish province last June.

Zaniar and Loghman Moradi were accused of membership in an unnamed "terrorist separatist group" and of killing four people, including the son of the Friday prayers leader in the Kurdish city of Mariwan.

Panahi was accused of membership in Komala, which has been waging a long-running separatist insurgency in Iranian Kurdistan from bases across the border in Iraq.

He was sentenced to death in April, drawing criticism from UN human rights
When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much...
experts, who said his execution "would be unconscionable."
Posted by: Fred || 09/09/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336073 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Ass Holes
Posted by: newc || 09/09/2018 2:18 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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1Houthis
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2018-09-09
  Battle for Idlib & Hama finally begins
Sat 2018-09-08
  Syrian army advances in al-Safa, killing over 40 turbans, 1000+ trapped on volcano
Fri 2018-09-07
  Houthis fire missiles toward two southern Saudi airports, hit one
Thu 2018-09-06
  Two major Syrian Army divisions head toward Hama for upcoming offensive
Wed 2018-09-05
  Al Qaeda trying to regain primacy as Islamic State loses ground: NATO
Tue 2018-09-04
  Jalaluddin Haqqani joins the Choir Eternal
Mon 2018-09-03
  Islamists militants in northeast Nigeria kill up to 30 48 soldiers: Sources
Sun 2018-09-02
  Yemen’s army imposes full control over Saada’s Al-Zaher directorate
Sat 2018-09-01
  Dutch police shoot suspect after he stabs two people at an Amsterdam train station
Fri 2018-08-31
  ISIS leader Yasir Khurasani killed with 5 comrades in Nangarhar drone strike
Thu 2018-08-30
  Egyptian forces kill 20 militants in Sinai operation: Army
Wed 2018-08-29
  Syrian Army foils ISIL breakout attempt in east Sweida
Tue 2018-08-28
  Idlib: Nusra arrest 20 ISIS turbans, Gov’t closes key crossing
Mon 2018-08-27
  Elite Army units moving to Idlib for major assault
Sun 2018-08-26
  John McCain dies at 81

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