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U.S. Officials Confirm Iran Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
More Than 1,000 Daesh Fighters Active In Kunar: Governor
[ToloNews] Local officials in the eastern province of Kunar on Wednesday raised concerns over ISIS activity in four districts of the province.

The governor of Kunar, Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal, said that around 1,200 fighters--including foreigners-- are active locally.

"According to our intelligence, there are up to 1,200 fighters, including fighters from Central Asian countries, Arabs, Punjabis and even Bangladeshi citizens and two to three Iranian families," said Mirzakwal.
Good to know.
According to local officials, ISIS fighters are active in the Narang Aw Badil, Nurgal, Sawkai and Chapa Dara districts.

"A few days ago we arrested seven women--four were Pak nationals and the other three were Turkmen nationals--and we handed them over to the appropriate agencies,” said Shafiqullah Sahar, Kunar police chief.

Meanwhile,
...back at the saw mill, Scarface Al had tied Little Nell to the log and was about to turn on the buzz saw...
Kunar’s provincial council and a number of residents in the province warned that ISIS fighters will pose serious threats in the future if they are not dealt with now.

"ISIS fighters operate from high up, and we are with the government if the government acts," said Abdullah, a resident.

"The ISIS fighters are numerous and are on the mountain tops--during the day they came down and then they return to the mountain top," said Rasoul Khan, another resident.
In my ignorance, that sounds like a perfect siege opportunity...
Kunar’s provincial council said that most of the ISIS fighters came from Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
and they called for a crackdown on ISIS in the province.

"They (ISIS fighters) may become a threat, so, to prevent this in the future, the provincial council demands that the government crackdown on them (ISIS) in order to eliminate them like in Nangarhar," said Malak Sherzamin, a provincial council member.

Although the government takes credit for defeating ISIS in Nangarhar, the Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
also claims they were involved in defeating the group in that eastern province.

In recent years, Nangarhar was named a key ISIS base in Afghanistan.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Horn
Sudan suspends 4 TV channels and newspapers over support from the former regime
[Sudan Tribune] The Sudanese government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of tow TV channels and two newspapers on suspicion of receiving funding from the regime of ousted President.

On Tuesday evening, security forces raided the premises of Ashorooq TV, Taiba TV, Alsudani and Alray Alam newspapers. Also, the authorities closed the office of the Holy Koran Association.

The closure came in implementation of a decision by a committee tasked with the dismantlement of the former ruling party and the institutions liked to the al-Bashir’s regime.

The Committee member Taha Osman confirmed the closure of the four media organs in a presser held at the Sudanese presidency together with the front man of the Sovereign Council, Mohmed l-Faki.

Al-Faki, who is also the vice-chairman of the committee, stressed that these institutions were funded by public funds.

"We want to return the money of the Sudanese people, and the workers in these institutions will not be affected."

Al-Bashir’s regime used to control the media inside the country to censure the independent media which was even prevented from the advertisement of public companies and government institutions.

The editor-in-chief of Alsudani Diaa al-Din Bilal newspaper rejected the committee’s decision, describing it as vague and did not include any details.
Bilal challenged any political, judicial, and legal authority to prove that his newspaper received a single "pence" from any government or party institutions.

He further said they consider to take legal measures to challenge the decision.

In the same vein, Alray Alam Chairman of the Board of Directors Ali Ismail al-Atabani rejected the decision and described it as "unjust".

He said that his family, which founded the newspaper in mid-1945, was forced during a period of the previous regime to sell its shares but they recently repurchased it after the revolution.

Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Africa North
Putin and Erdogan piously call for Libya ceasefire
[Al Jazeera] Russian and Turkish leaders, who back opposing sides in Libyan conflict, call for ceasefire to begin on January 12.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  Piety is a characteristic in one of my role playing games did you know that people?
Posted by: Ebbaiting Ghibelline1490 || 01/09/2020 6:43 Comments || Top||

#2  More examples of Zeros increased flexibility?
Posted by: AlanC || 01/09/2020 7:41 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Mexico reports over 61,000 people missing, discovery of 873 burial pits amid raging drug war
[FOXNEWS] The Mexican government released "statistics of horror" on Monday that showed nearly 62,000 citizens have vanished since the government began its increasingly violent offensive against ruthless narco mobs in 2006. Karla Quintana, head of the National Registry of Missing or Missing Persons (RNPED), revised the number of missing to 61,637 people, a figure far surpassing a previous estimate of 40,000 from June.

"We have to remember we’re talking here about lives and families and people who are still missing," Quintana said during a presser in Mexico City. "These are statistics of horror behind which lie so many stories of such great pain."

While the statistics date back as far as the 1960s, more than 97.4 percent of the total have disappeared since 2006, when the country first waged its drug war against the cartels. Women represent 25.7 percent of the missing, Quintana said.

In 2006, then-President Felipe Calderon had his army take the fight against narcos to the streets ‐ a move that fragmented the cartels and made it more difficult to oppose them, Rooters reported.

The revised numbers come as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has faced criticism for his policy of using "hugs, not bullets" when fighting narco mobs amid a skyrocketing murder rate during his first year in office.

In November, new figures from Mexico's Secretary General of National Public Safety showed that the country's homicide was on pace to reach its highest overall annual total since the government started tracking in 1997. The data showed that there had been 29,414 homicides in 2019 ‐ that's nearly 100 people killed each day.

In 2018, there were a total of 36,685 murders in Mexico, the most since the office started gathering data on the crime more than two decades ago. This year, the number of homicides is expected to surpass that figure.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  In 2018, there were a total of 36,685 murders in Mexico

aka I think you are losing the war.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2020 8:46 Comments || Top||

#2  BINASH
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 11:28 Comments || Top||

#3  Mexico = Failed dangerous state.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/09/2020 15:30 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Japan's Plans to Send Patrol Ship to Gulf of Oman Unaffected by Iran-US Conflict
[SPUTNIKNEWS] The confrontation between the United States and Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
does not affect Tokyo's plans to send a warship to patrol the Gulf of Oman, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.

"At the moment, the course has not changed", Suga said at a briefing, commenting on the issue.

Tokyo will monitor the situation and fully prepare to send self-defence forces to the region, he added.

The one-year operation will also involve a Lockheed P-3 Orion coastal surveillance aircraft. A total of 260 Japanese troops will take part in the operation. It is expected that they will start the mission in February. They are allowed to use weapons only in the event of an emergency to protect Japanese ships. The mission's budget for 2020 is 4.7 billion Japanese yen (about $43 million).
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Cyber
Iran Attempts 10,000 Cyberattacks Against Texas Every Minute
[Newsmax] The state of Texas is grappling with up to 10,000 attempted cyberattacks from Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
every sixty seconds.

Gov. Greg Abbott
... governor of Texas. Abbott is a Republican. His 2014 Dem opponent, state senatrix Wendy Davis, thought the absolute, most pressing, most important issue facing the state was abortion. Abbott beat the pantyhose off her. His 2018 opponent, Lupe Valdez didn't dwell too heavily on abortion, but she lost too...
revealed the startling news Tuesday, saying the uptick in attempted intrusions on Texas Department of Information Resources servers began this week.

"We have no way of knowing whether anything is government-based or not, or government-sanctioned. What we're doing is scanning on our state networks, and we can see where attacks are coming from," the agency's executive director Amanda Crawford told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
They can? How clever of them.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no computers or servers had been compromised in the ongoing cyberattack.
Goodness. Those Iranians are just all kinds of incompetent these days.
"These sorts of attacks happen every day. It happened yesterday. It's going to happen tomorrow," Crawford said. "This is just in particular because of events that are going on, we're being extra vigilant."
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Bad DOS attack?
Posted by: Woodrow || 01/09/2020 0:46 Comments || Top||

#2  and Utah
Posted by: Frank G || 01/09/2020 5:17 Comments || Top||

#3  How about some counterattacks?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/09/2020 6:40 Comments || Top||

#4  g(r)om_ they're still picking pieces of their first set of centrifuges out of the walls. Ima think there are still some fingers in that pie.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/09/2020 7:39 Comments || Top||

#5  So that's why my MMO was wonky yesterday. The servers are in TX.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2020 8:32 Comments || Top||

#6  Democrats are probably doing 20,000/day.
Posted by: Beau || 01/09/2020 8:50 Comments || Top||

#7  "The Iranian mad mullahs are trying to attack the Alamo, Commander!" Davy Crockett

"Thank gawd it's not the meskins again!" Jim Bowie

Posted by: Slairt Hatfield8691 || 01/09/2020 10:01 Comments || Top||

#8  Those are rookie numbers.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/09/2020 10:34 Comments || Top||

#9  There are people in the government who know the range of internet addresses that are assigned to Iran. It should be a simple matter to put a firewall in front of all of our backbone nodes that would prevent anything from any of those addresses getting through to Texas or Utah or any other computer in America. Why is this not being done?

And while they're at it they should do the same to China, Russia and Ukraine.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 01/09/2020 11:35 Comments || Top||

#10  Maybe we should be trying ti increase system security rather than agitating for government backdoors.
Posted by: Thaise Guelph8492 || 01/09/2020 15:56 Comments || Top||

#11  How about some counterattacks?

Poss as unproductive as shooting people throwing stones.

It should be a simple matter to put a firewall in front of all of our backbone nodes that would prevent anything from any of those addresses getting through to Texas or Utah or any other computer in America.

The long game con backtracks IP relay cluster pathing. Neophytes believe anonymity abstraction is insulation but given sufficient analysis even multi-link random routing, clusters. Link analysis gives optimized target points.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2020 16:08 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
US judge keeps block on immigration 'public charge' rule
The next circuit to get the attention of the Senate’s judge-approval machine, methinks.
[Al Jazeera] A United States federal appeals court in New York has refused to lift an injunction blocking the administration of President Donald Trump
...Oh, noze! Not him!...
from enforcing a rule that would have allowed it to connect the use of public benefits with whether immigrants colonists could be granted visas or become permanent residents.

The so-called "public charge" rule unveiled last year would make it harder for immigrants colonists who are poor or need government help to secure a visa or a green card that would allow them residency in the country.

The new rule would significantly expand what factors would be considered to make the determination of whether an applicant would need public assistance. If it is decided that immigrants colonists could potentially become public charges at any point in the future, their visa or residency could be denied under this rule.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So quit giving out Green Cards. Easy peasy.
Posted by: Glinter Jaique8353 || 01/09/2020 0:54 Comments || Top||

#2  No green cards to ANYONE earning less than average.

Don't harm the economy.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/09/2020 8:11 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
India Seeks Local Production of 'Total Kill' Ammunition for Russian-Origin T-72, T-90 Battle Tanks
[SPUTNIKNEWS] New Delhi (Sputnik): Kinetic energy penetrator Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) is the primary ammunition of any armoured regiment. It can effectively engage targets at ranges even beyond 2,000 metres.

India has moved to produce the primary ammunition for its Russian-made T-72 and T-90 tanks at local factories. Issuing an Expression of Interest (EoI) to local vendors, the Indian Army aims to purchase 85,000 rounds of 125mm ammunition in a bid to expedite the supply of the ammunition that it has been importing from Russia. EoI is the first step in the procurement procedure.

“The armour protection on the adversary’s tanks is gradually increasing, which requires higher penetration capability to defeat. There is a requirement to indigenously develop an improved 125mm APFSDS ammunition for tanks T-72/T-90", the EoI document reads.

The current T-72 and T-90 tank barrels are incapable of firing high penetration APFSDS rounds due to a limitation of safety margins of 600 Mega Pascals. Therefore, the Indian Army has put up a requirement to domestically develop ammunition with a minimum depth of penetration of 530mm in order to enhance the lethality of the armament, within the existing “safety”, “consistency”, and “shelf life” criteria.

The Indian Army expects the supply of the ammunition by the end of this year.

In September 2019, maintaining focus on the "Make in India" initiative, the defence acquisition council - the Indian defence ministry's apex procurement body - accorded approval for the domestic development and production of the main gun to provide more lethality to its armoured regiment.

India imports such kinetic energy penetrators for approximately 3,500 T-90 and T-72 tanks, worth over $70 million annually.

Since 2012, the Indian Army has been relying on Russia for such critical ammunition, following the blacklisting of the Israeli military Industry by the Indian government for alleged wrongdoing in military purchases.

Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  'Local production'. Hyeh !!

Because of the utterly useless nature of the Indian bureaucracy, a procurement process created by politicians for graft, an overstaffed defence ministry, and thoroughly incompetent REMFs hogging policy discussions - unfortunately India is never going to achieve parity with other nations in this regard.

Nobody in the Indian political class trusts the military with direct purchase budgets or even entertains our requests for a fucking meeting about the needs of the fighting arms, unless it's for political posturing. Right, Left, the gummint doesn't matter. Policy is determined by civil servants with no clue about reality. And the entire decision tree is populated by prize assholes and their petty departmental fiefdoms, not one soldier.

Eventually, an engineering firm with no clue about battle or even explosive - all lawyers, accountants and MBAs will purchase a license from the same Russian manufacturer we could directly buy from, and build a facility somewhere in India inflating the costs. They'll also present a nice jingoist AV presentation to the cabinet. And we'll buy it, telling ourselves it's all us. Indian ammo is finally made in India !

Pakis will laugh as they unbox the next shipment of ammo for their Al-Khalid tanks, with 125 mm smoothbore ESR molded cannons. They can fire APFSDS, HEAT-FS, HE-FS, DU ammo all out of the crate; with integrated night fighting and thermal; and integrated battlefield tech. No mods and upgrades necessary.

We'll still slay them in any war of course, that's not the point.

An officer was being felicitated after Kargil by a minister who was eulogizing about Indian hubris. Quite pissed after ten minutes of froth, he said to his face, 'No thanks to you. We don't win wars because we're Indian, we win wars despite being Indian, our boys will fight with sticks and knives and still win'.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/09/2020 10:57 Comments || Top||


India’s ballistic missile shield ready, IAF & DRDO to seek govt nod to protect Delhi
[THEPRINT.IN] New Delhi: India’s indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme is complete, and the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are now working on a proposal to seek the government’s nod to install the missile shield for the national capital, ThePrint has learnt.

The BMD, along with the Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system, aims to secure the country from all kinds of incoming missiles, including nuclear, and flying objects.

“The BMD programme has been completed. All tests carried so far have been successful, including the radars and missiles. The IAF, which is responsible for the country’s air defence, and the DRDO, which has developed the system, will now move a joint proposal for the government’s clearance,” a top government official told ThePrint.

The official, however, didn’t reveal much about other details of the programme. The successful test of the anti-satellite (A-SAT) missile last March was a big boost to the BMD programme. India’s leap in space with the A-SAT test is especially significant because inter-continental ballistic missiles like China’s Dongfeng series travel through space before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere to hit the target.

Asked whether the Ministry of Defence would be the nodal authority for approving the installation of the missile shield, a government source said the matter comes directly under the Prime Minister’s Office.

Once the permission is granted, the source added, it will take three to four years to put the shield in place because production of the required systems would take time.

Asked if the shield is not meant for Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, the top government official quoted above said, “BMD is for Delhi. It is up to the government to decide which other cities will get it.”

The official added that the BMD programme was envisaged for the national capital only.

India’s BMD programme was launched in 1999 after Pakistan’s maiden nuclear test in 1998 and China’s leaps in this sphere.

The BMD works on two levels — endo-atmospheric (within Earth’s atmosphere) and exo-atmospheric (the space stretching beyond Earth’s atmosphere).

While phase one deals with destroying incoming missiles at endo-atmospheric level, phase two works on the same at exo-atmospheric level.

India’s BMD arsenal consists of a Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile to intercept incoming missiles at a range of about 80 km in altitude and an Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile for altitudes of 15-25 km.

Pakistan had last year claimed that it has the capabilities to counter the BMD.

Asked about this, another government source said the BMD is a state-of-the-art defence system with very unique features.

Posted by: John Frum || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Iraq
Milley: Iranian missiles were meant to kill US troops in Iraq
[TaskAndPurpose] THE PENTAGON ‐ The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is disputing speculation that the Iranians tried to avoid killing any U.S. troops during their recent missile attacks on two bases in Iraq.

No U.S. troops were harmed by the missile attacks on Al-Asad Airbase or Irbil, prompting some U.S. and European government officials to tell Reuters they believed the Iranians purposely avoided hitting barracks and other buildings that house American service members.

But Army Gen. Mark Milley said on Wednesday that in his "own personal assessment" was that Iran intended to kill U.S. troops.

Of the 16 short-range Iranian ballistic missiles fired, 11 struck Al-Assad, Milley told reporters at the Pentagon.

"The points of impact were close enough to personnel and equipment and so on and so forth, I believe based on what I saw and what I knew that they were attempting to cause structural damage; destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft; and to kill personnel," Milley said.

It is not possible to determine if the one missile that struck Irbil was meant to cause American casualties because "it's only one round; it's not enough data to know for certain," Milley said.

He quickly added that professional intelligence analysts will look at the data to come up with their own assessment about whether the Iranians wanted to kill U.S. troops.

"Intent has to do with reading someone's mind: What they wanted to do," Mlley said. "All I can tell you is that, factually, they landed at certain points in a populated camp and they did certain amounts of damage and there were no casualties. Why there were no casualties, from my estimation, from what I know now; I think it has to do more with the defensive techniques that our forces uses as opposed to intent."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper also tried to knock down claims that the Iraqi government had warned the U.S. military about the attacks ahead of time and that is one reason why no American troops were killed.

In fact, the U.S. military tried to give the Iraqis a heads up about the attack, not the other way around, Esper claimed.

"We had a heads up in the sense that our warning systems and all those things were activated and watching and were able to give us sufficient warning," Esper told reporters.

The U.S. military's early warning system helped to ensure that no U.S. troops were killed by the Iranian missile attacks, Milley said.

When asked if U.S. troops might have been killed by the Iranian missiles without the heads up from the early warning system, Milley replied: "I think that's a reasonable conclusion, sure."
Posted by: Glinter Jaique8353 || 01/09/2020 00:08 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Note that we (Israel) have the same (smaller scale) scenario with Gaza 2 - 3 times a year.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/09/2020 6:36 Comments || Top||

#2  if this is true then Iran didn't have precision guidance on those missiles

that is hard to believe

unless the precision guidance devices were removed

if so they 'meant to kill' but they didn't 'really mean to kill'
Posted by: lord garth || 01/09/2020 8:32 Comments || Top||

#3  I read that the faster a GPS receiver moves, it is harder to get an accurate GPS reading. Makes sense that Iranian engineers haven't figured out the finer points of GPS for ballistic missiles, especially since they don't have access to military grade GPS receivers.
Posted by: Gomez Ominter3435 || 01/09/2020 9:31 Comments || Top||

#4  I would have assumed Iran was smart enough to buy military grade GPS devices from one of the dark markets.

On the other hand maybe the USA had some 'just a bit defective but not so you can tell' devices on a CIA controlled supplier that offered the GPS devices at a discount. If so then the Obama cash might have been used by Iraq to buy defective military equipment from the USA. That would be a ROFLMAO situation.
Posted by: lord garth || 01/09/2020 11:04 Comments || Top||


Iraq PM Says Iran Warned Them of Missile Attack Ahead of Time
[EpochTimes] "We received an official verbal message from the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
that the Iranian response to the liquidation of Qassem Soleimani
had begun or would begin shortly, and that the strike would be limited to where the US military was located in Iraq without specifying the locations," Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s office said in a statement, reported the AFP news agency.
Reeeally? How utterly fascinating.
His office said it was contacted by the United States at the same time. It came as missiles hit the Ain al-Asad military base in western Iraq and another base in the north.

Iran launched more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. and other coalition troops late on Tuesday after an American dronezap killed Soleimani, a top Revolutionary Guards commander, last week in Baghdad.

"We immediately warned Iraqi military commanders to take the necessary precautions," Mahdi’s office added.

He said no Iraqi forces were hurt or killed in the attack. "Iraq rejects any violation of its illusory sovereignty and attacks on its territory," the premier’s office also said, but didn’t elaborate.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iraq needs foreign troops due to increasing ISIS activity: Kurdish President Barzani
[Rudaw] Iraq still requires support of the US-led International Coalition against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS), Kurdistan Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani said on Wednesday. His statements contested the Iraqi Parliament’s "unilateral decision" to call for the expulsion of foreign troops from Iraq.

"We in the Kurdistan Region assert that we believe Iraq generally needs the support of the Coalition Forces to fight against ISIS terrorists," President Barzani, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS, told news hounds in a presser following a meeting with top leaders of Kurdish parties.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Time for an ‘Iraqi response’ to a US drone strike that killed the network's deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  Network? A first I thought it this was a CNN story.
Posted by: Woodrow || 01/09/2020 0:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Network chief Abu Mahdi Al-Zucker
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 0:46 Comments || Top||

#3  I thought that the party had already started?
Posted by: AlanC || 01/09/2020 7:36 Comments || Top||

#4  yah, because that worked out so well the last time......
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/09/2020 7:36 Comments || Top||

#5  well if al-Muhandis worked for MSNBC it would explain a lot
Posted by: lord garth || 01/09/2020 9:10 Comments || Top||


Muqtada al-Sadr advises pro-Iranian armed groups not to start a military action, ‘the crisis is over’
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  should have took his ass out to
Posted by: Chris || 01/09/2020 10:05 Comments || Top||

#2  That's why he won't go to the dentist. Afraid of exploding fillings...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2020 13:26 Comments || Top||

#3  Was there a lot ululating and gnashing of teeth over Soleimani in Iraq? Maybe I just missed it.
Posted by: jpal || 01/09/2020 15:23 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hezbollah Working Towards Gov't Formation
Lebanon has been without a functioning government since Saad al-Hariri quit as prime minister in October after protests against the political elite over corruption, leaving the country without a rescue plan as financial and economic crises deepen.

The worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war has led the Lebanese pound to slump amid a dollar shortage and banks to tightly control access to cash and block transfers abroad.

Spiralling regional tensions since the killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, a close ally of Shi’ite Hezbollah, by the United States last week have added to the risks facing the heavily indebted state. Hezbollah has said Iran’s allies in the region should help avenge the killing.

But referring to the regional conflict, senior Hezbollah official Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed said nobody including Hezbollah wanted “a government of confrontation” in Lebanon but one that could save the country.

“We are carrying a very important and exhausting role to reach an agreement as soon as possible to prevent this collapse,” Sayyed said.
Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Desert || 01/09/2020 11:39 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah


Barack Obama Paid for the Missiles Used to Attack U.S. Forces, Says Trump
h/t Instapundit
[PJ] - In an appearance on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News Tuesday night, Senator Ted Cruz discussed the situation in Iran, maintaining that Trump had the constitutional authority and justification to order the strike on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Cruz also downplayed Democrat hysteria over fears of a new World War and trashed Barack Obama's Iran policy, noting that the attack on our troops wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Obama's nuclear deal with Iran and his overall policy of appeasement.

"The policy under the disastrous Iran nuclear deal under Obama was to give over $100 billion to Iran. They literally flew $1.7 billion in cash, in unmarked bills on pallettes in the dead of night into Iran," Cruz said. "In a very real sense, the missiles that we saw fired on U.S. servicemen and women tonight were paid for by the billions the Obama administration flooded the Ayatollah with." (Emphasis added)

...This fact was echoed by President Trump in his remarks about the Iran situation Wednesday morning.

"Iran’s hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013, and they were given $150 billion, not to mention $1.8 billion in cash. Instead of saying 'Thank you' to the United States, they chanted, 'Death to America!' In fact, they chanted, 'Death to America!' the day the agreement was signed," Trump said. "Then, Iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal, and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration. The regime also greatly tightened the reins on their own country, even recently killing 1,500 people at the many protests that are taking place all throughout Iran."
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/09/2020 07:28 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Absolutely brilliant. The fact there has been no effort to deny it proves the point.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2020 8:20 Comments || Top||

#2  1. Obama had no problem blaming Bush II for crap
2. Money is fungible
3. Give someone more money to play with they can shift money around to cover anything

See - Dangeld
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2020 8:43 Comments || Top||

#3  It was THEIR money though, held by the U.S. for decades. Whether it made sense to release it at that time is another matter.

Iran didn't use it wisely, that's for sure.
Posted by: European Conservative || 01/09/2020 8:47 Comments || Top||

#4  The unmarked dollar bills and method of return sure looked DODGY
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/09/2020 8:58 Comments || Top||

#5  The 150 bn dollars seem to be exaggerated. 50 bn is more closer to the truth and almost all of it was NOT under the control of the United States or any U.S. bank. Most of it was in central and commercial banks overseas.

The cash payments look dodgy, but this was money paid by Iran during the times of the Shah for U.S. military equipment that was never delivered (including interests).

The issue seems to be quite complicated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/03/01/was-obamas-1-7-billion-cash-deal-with-iran-prohibited-by-u-s-law/
Posted by: European Conservative || 01/09/2020 9:14 Comments || Top||

#6 
For that matter, all the NH4NO3 used in taliban IEDs from 2010-2014 came from two Pakistain fertilizer factories, both owned by an individual granted citizenship by Obama. He still lives in America. The ammonium nitrate is still flowing.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/09/2020 9:15 Comments || Top||

#7  It was THEIR money though, held by the U.S. for decades.

And Suleimani was their general. Money is war material - the most important one.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/09/2020 10:00 Comments || Top||

#8  #5 WAPO fact checker?
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/09/2020 10:46 Comments || Top||

#9  It was THEIR money though, held by the U.S. for decades.

Yeah, but when you declare war on the United States of America we reserve the right to withhold that money at least until the war is over. When they seized our embassy in Tehran, that was a de facto declaration of war and if they're shooting missiles at us then it is obviously not over yet. Obama was foolish at best and, more likely, in reality, a treasonous bastard. He handed that money over to the Mad Mullahs as part of an "agreement" that he knew the Senate would never ratify into a treaty. He handed that money over to the Mad Mullahs while they were chanting "Death to America". So, the war is not over and yet Baraq gave aid and comfort to the enemy.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 01/09/2020 11:27 Comments || Top||

#10  Obama had no problem blaming Bush II for crap

But they do have a problem with Trump blaming 0bumhole for the mess he left. And 0bumhole is working against Trump behind the scene.
Posted by: gorb || 01/09/2020 11:34 Comments || Top||

#11  It was THEIR money

See: Riverboat Slim - "Suckers aren't supposed to have money..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2020 11:42 Comments || Top||

#12  Actually I don't see what legal claim the "Islamic Republic" would have, given that they refused to assume any obligations of the predecessor government. If they didn't assume the Shah's liabilities, they have no standing to claim ownership of his receivables.

In any case the coup was not a legitimate seizure of power, and their intended use of the Shah's money paid for US weapons was to turn those weapons against the US and its allies. Which they did. Contract breached, end of story.

We have zero obligation under any remotely sensible reading of the law to pay these f---ers anything.
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 12:13 Comments || Top||

#13  Dron, do you have a reference to that?
Posted by: 49 Pan || 01/09/2020 14:08 Comments || Top||

#14  Dron, Is the Pakistani you reference part of Obama's merry college roommate crew? Friend of Sohale Siddiqi, perhaps?
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 14:16 Comments || Top||

#15  Other Pakistani buddies of Obama from his LA/Occidental College days: Imad Husain, Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 14:27 Comments || Top||

#16  Dron, do you have a reference to that?

From: Fertilizers Sector of Pakistan
by Punjab Board of Investment & Trade | Transactions Department

Being primarily an agrarian state, Pakistan's growth is heavily dependent on the fertilizer industry. According to reports, Pakistan's fertilizer demand has always remained higher than its supply. However, with the advancement of technology and increased number of players in the industry, production capacity has increased to approx. 9 million tons per year, which has consistently surpassed the national demand over the last few years. (refer section production vs. capacity)

and

Currently, in Pakistan, there are six major producers of fertilizers which include Fauji Fertilizer, Engro Fertilizer Company, Dawood Hercules, and Fatima Fertilizers. Media reports suggest that the Chinese government is keenly looking for avenues to enter Pakistan's agriculture and fertilizer sector. The Chinese state and banks are expected to provide capital and loans to Chinese companies interested in setting up ventures in Pakistan. There are rumors that China is going to set up a fertilizer plant that will produce 800,000 tons per year.


It seems production capacity already exceeds agriculture demand. Perhaps Pakistan IS a shithole.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2020 15:05 Comments || Top||

#17  Further:
The government should expedite remedy of cash-flow challenges caused by large amounts mired in overdue refunds and sluggish reimbursement of subsidy to the fertilizer companies.

Unpaid, Gov. subsidized manufacturers continue to overproduce.

Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2020 15:15 Comments || Top||

#18  Thanks Skid
Posted by: 49 Pan || 01/09/2020 15:49 Comments || Top||

#19  It was THEIR money though

It was the Imperial State of Iran's money, not theirs.

They destroyed a struggling and deeply flawed constitutional monarchy and replaced it with a hyper aggressive sharia abomination that has since 1979 poisoned world politics.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 01/09/2020 16:04 Comments || Top||

#20  Dron, do you have a reference to that?

Sorry, everyone. Power failure had me tuned out. Actually my office was part of the effort to get this info to your guys. But Washington sat on it for days. The US only acted when the story was broken to the BBC by us, and they couldn't help but act. Obama must have really hated us and the Israelis.

I found this old article, maybe it should suffice.

US to cut off fuel for IEDs from Pak

About the Arif Habib Group, owners of the fertilizer factory. Habib also owns the Fatima group. If you search for a Fatima group, it's still functional in the US.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/09/2020 16:11 Comments || Top||

#21  There, I found it. This is still a very watered down version from Fox. The reality will enrage you.

Fatima Group - Paki IED chem suppliers in Indiana ?
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/09/2020 16:18 Comments || Top||


Iran: Total ‘Annihilation of Israel' Will Be Price for Soleimani Killing
[Free Beacon] Iranian leaders are issuing renewed calls for the destruction of Israel, saying the "annihilation" of the Jewish state is the only fair price for America's recent killing of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani.

Seyed Hashem al-Heidari, cultural chief of Hashd al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary force directed by Iran, said Tehran is eyeing Israel as a primary target of retaliatory military strikes following Soleimani's death last week in a U.S. airstrike.

"Annihilation of Israel and the U.S. is the price of the blood of martyr Soleimani," al-Heidari said early Wednesday during an anti-U.S. gathering in the Iranian city of Qom.

"This aggression should be responded to by the tough revenge stressed by Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Khamenei] and all options are on the table," al-Heidari said in remarks published by Tehran's state-controlled press. "All U.S. bases in the region, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, and all their soldiers are within the range of resistance missiles because annihilation of Israel and the U.S. is the price of the blood of martyr Soleimani, and God willing the entire region will be liberated."

Iran's continued threats of violence followed the Islamic Republic's Tuesday evening attack on U.S. military outposts in Iraq. Iranian military sources said the strike, which was comprised of about 15 ballistic missiles, hit at least "20 sensitive points" and resulted "in the destruction of a considerable number of drones and helicopters."

Iran has signaled that it has no plans to scale back its regional terror operations. Iranian military officials said they have identified at least 104 "sensitive U.S. positions" that could be the site of its next missile attack.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2020 00:16 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  Oh that is rich.
Posted by: Uleck Spererong9442 || 01/09/2020 5:14 Comments || Top||

#2  "Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice skate uphill." - Blade (1998)
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/09/2020 5:30 Comments || Top||

#3  Restraint is a mistake with these "people".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/09/2020 6:39 Comments || Top||

#4  Make sure when calling Israel that you dial one first followed by country code!
Posted by: Unegum Creaque1751 || 01/09/2020 6:41 Comments || Top||

#5  Hadith #26453: When in doubt, [try to] punch a Jew.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/09/2020 7:40 Comments || Top||

#6  Actually Iranian press reported that they had completely destroyed the airbase. Maybe "annihilation" should be taken with a grain of salt.

At least Teheran created a new job... for Comical Ali.
Posted by: European Conservative || 01/09/2020 7:58 Comments || Top||

#7  The biggest place the islamic revolution damaged was iran
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/09/2020 8:05 Comments || Top||

#8  Now that's definitely true. But once the mullahs are gone Iran will quickly recover.
Posted by: European Conservative || 01/09/2020 8:11 Comments || Top||

#9  Does anybody in the Iranian leadership understand how pathetic they appear on the world stage today after the alleged face saving missile attacks?
Posted by: John Frum || 01/09/2020 8:15 Comments || Top||

#10  ...its purely for internal consumption. If they lose that, they're left hanging.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2020 8:34 Comments || Top||

#11  Can we start calling the next Iranian spokesman 'Tehran Tom' or something semi-insulting like that?
Posted by: Raj || 01/09/2020 9:29 Comments || Top||

#12  Some of the best of Baghdad Bob's quotes. Iranian leaders like Baghdad Bob, are masters of hyperbole (Blather and BS).
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/09/2020 10:03 Comments || Top||

#13  As though Israel doesn't have a shit load of Hellfire missiles.
Posted by: Creling Pelosi3622 || 01/09/2020 10:39 Comments || Top||

#14  Charlie Sheen could use a job ....
Posted by: gorb || 01/09/2020 11:49 Comments || Top||

#15  Re: Baghdad Bob

According to Wiki:
On 25 June 2003, the British newspaper The Daily Mirror reported that al-Sahhaf had been captured by coalition troops at a roadblock in Baghdad.[10] The report was not confirmed by military authorities and was denied by al-Sahhaf's family through Abu Dhabi TV. The next day al-Sahhaf himself recorded an interview for the Dubai-based news channel, al-Arabiya.[11] He was reportedly paid as much as $200,000 for the television interview, during which he appeared very withdrawn in contrast with the bombastic persona he projected during the war. Many of his answers consisted of a simple "yes" or "no". He refused to speculate on the causes of the downfall of the Iraqi government and answered only "history will tell" when asked if video clips purporting to prove that Saddam Hussein was alive were genuine, amid speculation at that time that Hussein had been killed during the war.

His fame quickly evaporated as the war continued into the insurgency phase; from the middle of 2003 onward, he faded from the public spotlight, and was no longer a figure in the war. Al-Sahhaf said that he had surrendered to US forces, had been interrogated by them and released.[12][13] He was not charged for his role in Saddam Hussein's government.[citation needed]

In March 2008, it was reported by the British press that Ali was living in the United Arab Emirates.[14]
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/09/2020 11:52 Comments || Top||

#16  but, what about their cultural sites?
Posted by: Chris || 01/09/2020 12:48 Comments || Top||

#17  Muzzizm is not a culture or a race. It's a cult and a delusion. This fries the brain cells of "the faithful" and western self-haters alike.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2020 13:21 Comments || Top||

#18  Is Iran competing for #1 in the Top Ten Glowers List?
Posted by: SR-71 || 01/09/2020 18:18 Comments || Top||

#19  This sounds like justification for a well-planned visit by Sayeret Matkal, followed by a series of well-aimed nuclear strikes against Iranian nuclear weapons installations. Preventative hygiene.
Posted by: Steve S || 01/09/2020 20:55 Comments || Top||

#20  Just wanted to say that #19 ain't me.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2020 21:00 Comments || Top||

#21  I wonder how many nukes the Israelis have and if they are mounted on ready to go rockets?
"Glow little glow worm , shimmer , shimmer . "
Posted by: Thaith Elmeresing6163 || 01/09/2020 21:38 Comments || Top||

#22  #19 ain't me

Uh-huh. Now ya know how I feel!
Posted by: Paulie Adorer of the Adults2468 || 01/09/2020 22:04 Comments || Top||

#23  ^ And that totally wasn't me, either!
Posted by: Paul Kurgman || 01/09/2020 22:06 Comments || Top||

#24  #10: "they're left hanging"

Oh, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease . . .. I'll donate to the rope fund. :-D
Posted by: Barbara || 01/09/2020 22:16 Comments || Top||

#25  Steve S vs. SteveS. But y’all are both members of the Army of Steves. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2020 22:18 Comments || Top||


Several Kurds among victims of plane crash in Iran
[Rudaw] There were at least 10 Kurds among the 176 passengers and crew of the Ukrainian International Airlines plane which crashed in Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
early on Wednesday.

The Boeing 737-800 crashed only minutes after it took off from Tehran airport. No one survived.

The Canadian government confirmed that 63 of the 176 passengers were Canadian citizens. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he and his wife were "shocked and saddened" by the news.
"This is my black sad face"
"On behalf of the government of Canada, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to those who have lost family, friends and loved ones in this tragedy," he said in a statement.

Many Kurds and Persians live in Canada, and the cheapest route between Tehran and Toronto is via Kiev. Therefore, many Iranians with dual citizenship or family ties in both countries fly with Ukrainian airlines.

According to sources on social media, at least ten Kurds are among the dead.

NNSROJ, a news outlet, named ten people - originally from Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Saqiz and Muhabad cities - who are believed to have died in the wreckage.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iran said it would not hand over to Americans the recovered black boxes of the crashed Boeing 737
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  Aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing are deadly serious about debugging any problems with their machines. That the Persians are not providing the data recorders strongly suggests there is a back story they want hidden. Yes, you are as surprised as I am. Dollars to donuts, the satanic Americans have some satellite or radar data that would clear up the mystery.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2020 0:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Before this stunt by the death-cult mad mullahs I would've pegged the odds of a SAM strike bringing down the Ukrainian airliner at maybe 8 or 9 to 1. Now I think those odds are about 999 to 1.
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 0:40 Comments || Top||

#3  Hand them over to the French, they have the capability and equiments to read Boeing black boxes.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 01/09/2020 1:49 Comments || Top||

#4  and, sad to say, the French may be more competent, given recent Boeing foo-pahs.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/09/2020 7:36 Comments || Top||

#5  Ukrainians are leaning towards a SA-15 (TOR) strike apparently, based on the damage patterns visible and missile pieces near the crash site.

Iran does have some of those.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/09/2020 8:28 Comments || Top||

#6  To be fair Iran is under no obligation to "hand over" the black boxes to Boeing or the NTSB.

There are several institutions that could handle the data including the Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) in Germany, the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) in France and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the UK.

In the case of MH17, Ukraine handed over the black boxes to the Netherlands (reading was done by British experts).

Iran has announced that specialists from Ukraine, Sweden and Canada will be invited. Who will do the reading of the data has not been determined yet but I guess international pressure will be high to have this done by a neutral institution. If evidence points to a technical failure, specialists of Boeing will have to be involved. Ukraine will certainly share the data.

If Iran already knows that they shot down the plane they will most likely want to make sure that the black boxes won't deliver usable data.

I also guess that the sky over Teheran was extremely well monitored by Western intelligence, and rocket launches from the vicinity would not have gone unnoticed.
Posted by: European Conservative || 01/09/2020 8:43 Comments || Top||

#7  I also guess that the sky over Teheran was extremely well monitored by Western intelligence, and rocket launches from the vicinity would not have gone unnoticed.

And I don't believe that, if true, such data would be divulged.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/09/2020 10:05 Comments || Top||

#8  Who will do the reading of the data has not been determined yet but I guess international pressure will be high to have this done by a neutral institution

Bets on whether the data is "unreadable"?
Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2020 10:53 Comments || Top||

#9  Bet on who's considered "neutral"?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/09/2020 10:53 Comments || Top||

#10  ^ "We'll let Yemen inspect it. They'll give an unbiased report to Boeing."
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/09/2020 11:12 Comments || Top||


Ukraine does not rule out attack as cause of plane crash in Iran
[Al Jazeera] Ukrainian authorities are not ruling out that its plane, which crashed early on Wednesday in Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
killing all 176 passengers and crew on board, was downed by a missile or an attack amid a sharp escalation of tension between Tehran and Washington.The Ukrainian International airliner bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, plunged from the sky minutes after takeoff from the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Receiving intelligence #Iran is telling militias not to move against US targets, @VP says
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

meaning they control them
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  Having trouble selling the fake war it needs more Hollywood hype and special effects!
Posted by: Ulealing Shesing1659 || 01/09/2020 6:44 Comments || Top||


Videos: US anti-war protesters demonstrate following US, #Iran strikes in #Iraq
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

LOL.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/09/2020 0:31 Comments || Top||

#2  File under: Democrats
Posted by: Woodrow || 01/09/2020 0:39 Comments || Top||

#3  A.N.S.W.E.R.-manufactured signs. Of course.
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 0:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Where are the giant puppets? You can't have a proper anti-war demonstration without giant puppets.
Posted by: Matt || 01/09/2020 11:47 Comments || Top||

#5  The demonstration is itself one giant puppet
Posted by: Lex || 01/09/2020 11:48 Comments || Top||

#6 
Posted by: Frank G || 01/09/2020 11:58 Comments || Top||


Esper Says US Military Remains 'Poised And Ready' After Iran's Airstrikes
[SPUTNIKNEWS] US military facilities in Erbil and the Ayn al-Asad Air Base became targets on early Wednesday in what was dubbed as Operation Martyr Soleimani, an act of "Dire Revenge" conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force for the killing of Iran's top military figure Qassem Soleimani
.

US Secretary of Defence Marc Esper said that the US military remains "poised and ready" following Iran's Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s that targeted US military bases in Iraq, Rooters reported on Wednesday.

Esper said that the damage in the Iranian missile attack was minor, the airstrikes hit tents, a parking lot and also a helicopter. Washington also confirmed earlier that no US personnel was injured in the attack.

At least 11 missiles impacted al Asad Air Base in western Iraq and at least one impacted the US military facilities in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to the Pentagon chief. On the whole, Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
launched 16 short-range ballistic missiles from at least three locations, Esper said.

US Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley also told Pentagon pool news hounds that Iran intended to kill American soldiers by attacking their bases in Iraq.

"I believe based on what I saw and what I know that they were intended to cause structural damage destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft and to kill personnel. That's my own personal assessment", Milley said.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Our operators are standing by waiting for your calls! They all have special ceramic finger nail polish ergo chairs and low glare computer screens call now!
Posted by: Chiger Speaking for Boskone3189 || 01/09/2020 6:45 Comments || Top||

#2  I suspect the Persians will pull in their horns for a while, perhaps several months, before they arrange for a "plausibly deniable" strike on US interests by one of their catspaws. Perhaps here, perhaps Israel, perhaps other places in the Mideast. But even though they speak Farsi, they know the meaning of hudna.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/09/2020 7:33 Comments || Top||

#3  ...got to find those leaks.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2020 8:30 Comments || Top||



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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.
Click here for more information

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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2020-01-09
  U.S. Officials Confirm Iran Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner
Wed 2020-01-08
  Iran informs the United Nations and #UNSC that they ''do not seek war and warn of any military adventures"
Tue 2020-01-07
  Iraq Under Missile Attack From Iran
Mon 2020-01-06
  3 Americans Dead, 6 Aircraft Destroyed Or Damaged, Including A Rare Spy Plane, In #Kenya Attack
Sun 2020-01-05
  Iran Puts $80M Bounty on Trump's Head for Soleimani Hit
Sat 2020-01-04
  6 More Iran-Backed Leaders Zapped, incl. Shibl al-Zaidi, commander of Kataib Imam Ali
Fri 2020-01-03
  Lebanon Hizbullah: "It's war!"
Thu 2020-01-02
  Qassim Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds force, zapped in Iraq
Wed 2020-01-01
  Hashid Al Shaabi #PMF leader Abo Alaa Al Walae threatens to attack Embassies of #Saudi, #UAE, #Bahrain and others in #Baghdad.
Tue 2019-12-31
  Crowd storms US Embassy compound in Baghdad
Mon 2019-12-30
  Qais al-Khazali was a close associate of Qassem Suleimani - killed by USAF.
Sun 2019-12-29
  Iraq launches new military operation against ISIS 4 provinces
Sat 2019-12-28
  US civilian contractor killed and several US and Iraqi personnel wounded in Kirkuk rocket attack
Fri 2019-12-27
  Libya's Tripoli-based govt makes formal request for Turkish military support, Turkey gets ready to rock
Thu 2019-12-26
  Jihadists suffer heavy losses in failed attempt to retake strategic southeast Idlib town


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