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Today: 55 articles and 107 comments as of 14:18.
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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
IS claims Sri Lanka blasts
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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3 11:59 Rambler in Virginia [] 
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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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5 22:08 Anomalous Sources []
5 12:01 Beldar Spoluque3195 []
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Page 6: Politix
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Afghanistan
37 militants killed in latest operations of Afghan Special Forces and in airstrikes
[KhaamaPress] At least 37 gunnies were killed in the latest operations of the Afghan Special Forces and Arclight airstrikes which were conducted in five provinces of the country.

Informed military sources said Monday that 9 Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
fighters were killed in an airstrike in Tarinkot city of Uruzgan province.

The sources further added that 9 more gunnies were killed in separate operations of the Afghan Special Forces and an airstrike which were conducted Paktika
...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo...
province.

The Afghan Special Forces also conducted two separate operations in Ghazni province leaving at least 11 gunnies dead while 3 more were detained, the sources said.

An airstrike in Shayb Koh district of Farah province killed 3 Taliban fighters, the sources said, adding that the 217th Corps conducted an operation in Burkha district of Baghlan province killing 5 Taliban fighters.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Afghan forces thwart militants bid to carry out a deadly car bomb attack in Kabul city
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan cops have thwarted hard boyz bid to carry out a deadly car kaboom in Kabul city, the Ministry of Interior announced Monday.

According to a statement released by MoI, the Afghan cops conducted a targeted raid in Surobi district of Kabul city on Sunday night and confiscated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device which the hard boyz wanted to use in a deadly attack in Kabul city.

The statement further added that two rockets, a PKM machine gun, an Ak-47 assault rifle, 350 kgs of Hashish, and some other munitions were also seized during th eoperation.

The anti-government armed hard boyz including Taliban
...Arabic for students...
have not commented regarding the operation so far.

This comes as a group of hard boyz launched a coordinated attack targeting the ministry of telecommunications in Kabul city on Saturday which left ten people dead including seven civilians.

The Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria’s offshoot in Afghanistan, ISIS Khurasan, grabbed credit for the attack.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Nangarhar: Talib big turban drone struck, ISIS kidnapees rescued


Taliban commander ‘Dada’ and his 7 fighters killed in U.S. drone strike in Nangarhar

[KhaamaPress] A commander of the Taliban group and his seven fighters were killed in a U.S. drone strike in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The 201st Silab Corps in a statement said the U.S. forces on Saturday carried out an airstrike using unmanned aerial vehicle targeting a Taliban commander famous as Dada and his fighters in Marki Khel area of Khogyani district.

The statement further added that a Taliban commander famous as Dada was killed in the airstrike with his seven fighters.

Another Taliban militant has also been critically wounded, the 201st Silab Corps added in its statement.

The anti-government armed militants including Taliban have not commented regarding the airstrike so far.

Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in East of Afghanistan but the security situation in some of its remote districts have deteriorated during the recent years as both Taliban and ISIS loyalists attempt to expand their insurgency in this province.

Afghan forces rescue 24 civilians abducted by ISIS militants in Nangarhar province

[KhaamaPress] The Afghan armed forces have rescued 24 civilians who were abducted by militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Khurasan (ISIS-K) in eastern Nangarhar province.

Provincial governor’s spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said ISIS-K militants had abducted 24 civilians of in Chaparhar district earlier today.

Khogyani further added that the hostages were rescued after due to the efforts of the armed forces.

According to Khogyani, at least three ISIS-K militants and a civilian were also wounded during the operation.

The anti-government armed militants including ISIS-K loyalists have not commented regarding the report so far.

ISIS militants are active in some remote districts of Nangarhar province and often attempt to carry out terrorist related activities against the government and security institutions as well as local residents of the province.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


18 Taliban militants killed in airstrikes conducted in Wardak province
[KhaamaPress] At least 18 Talibs were killed in the Arclight airstrikes which were conducted in central Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan.

The informed military sources said Sunday that the airstrikes were carried out in the vicinity of Chak district of the province.

In the meantime, the 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said the Afghan ground forces had also participated in the operations in Chak district.

The statement further added that 17 Talibs were killed and 11 others were maimed during the same operations.

The anti-government armed snuffies including Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
have not commented regarding the operations so far.

Maidan Wardak is among the relatively volatile provinces in central parts of Afghanistan where Talibs have active presence in some of its districts and often attempt to carry out terrorist related activities against the government and security institutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Iranian ship Shahr e Kord on its way to Misrata
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Arabia
Saudi security forces arrest 13 accused of planning attacks: SPA
[AlAhram] Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
said on Monday it had locked away
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
13 individuals in connection with planning attacks in the kingdom, a day after security forces said they had thwarted an attack north of the capital, state news agency SPA reported.

Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group grabbed credit for Sunday’s attempted attack on a state security building in the central Riyadh province. Security forces said they had killed four alleged Islamic State faceless myrmidons who had planned Sunday’s attack.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Caribbean-Latin America
Mexican Police Detain Hundreds of Central American Migrants During a Large-Scale Caravan Raid
[Yahoo] Mexican police and immigration agents detained hundreds of Central American migrants Monday in the largest single raid on a migrant caravan since the groups started moving through the country last year.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/23/2019 01:34 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I hope it's long and painful for the 'migrants'.
Posted by: Raj || 04/23/2019 11:04 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm sure the Mexican coppers prefer rounding up migrants to facing off against cartel gunnies. Not a bad thing from the American perspective.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 04/23/2019 11:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Unfortunately there are thousands of migrants in this caravan.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 04/23/2019 11:59 Comments || Top||


Frustration grows among migrants in Mexico as support fades
[AyPee] Madison Mendoza, her feet aching and her face burned by the sun, wept as she said she had nothing to feed her 2-year-old son who she'd brought with her on the long trek toward the United States.

Mendoza, 22, said an aunt in Honduras had convinced her to join the migrant caravan, which she did two weeks ago in the capital of Tegucigalpa. The aunt said she'd have no problems, that people along the route in Mexico would help as they did for a large caravan that moved through the area in October.

But this time, the help did not come. The outpouring of aid that once greeted Central American migrants as they trekked in caravans through southern Mexico has been drying up. Hungrier, advancing slowly or not at all, and hounded by unhelpful local officials, frustration is growing among the 5,000 to 8,000 migrants in the southern state of Chiapas.
Soon to be followed by "disappointment", then "disillusionment". Senor Soros can only do so much...
Members of the caravan in October received food and shelter from town governments, churches and passers-by. Drivers of trucks stopped to give them a lift. Little of that is happening this time. And local officials who once gave them temporary permits to work in Mexico, now seem to snare them in red tape. Truckers and drivers have been told they will be fined if caught transporting migrants without proper documentation.

Mexico is under pressure from the Trump administration to thwart them from reaching the U.S. border. In April, President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border before changing course and threatening tariffs on automobiles produced in Mexico if that country does not stop the flow of Central American migrants.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  too many trips to the well will do that.

Posted by: AlanC || 04/23/2019 7:21 Comments || Top||

#2  I was enjoying the first four paragraphs and startled by the fifth - that it's all Trump's fault. Silly me!
Posted by: Bobby || 04/23/2019 7:46 Comments || Top||

#3  Caravans became a popular way of making the trek because the migrants find safety in numbers and save money by not hiring smugglers.

You mean criminals and the cartels are taking advantage of the situation? Seems the AP let the cat out of the bag.
Posted by: Bobby || 04/23/2019 7:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Frank G, I’ve been enjoying your dry little in-lines. I’ve started looking for your sage green before reading the article, just to see what you have to say.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 15:40 Comments || Top||

#5  *blush* why, thank you :-)
Posted by: Frank G || 04/23/2019 20:51 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Member of ruling AKP arrested for attack on Turkish opposition leader
[Rudaw] A member of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the most dubious NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure....
ally....

’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been incarcerated
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
in connection with an attack on the head of the country’s main opposition party. AKP will consider dismissing the member who is currently in jug, according to the party’s spokesperson.

Osman Sarigun was one of six people arrested on Monday in connection with the Sunday mobbing of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Sarigun’s role within AKP is not immediately clear.

"AKP is against any form of violence. Our principles certainly reject violence. There is no room for violence in democratic politics," AKP spokesperson Omer Celik said on Twitter, confirming Sarigun’s membership in the party and that he will face a disciplinary hearing.

Kilicdaroglu, 70, was attacked by a crowd when he attended the funeral in Ankara for a Ottoman Turkish soldier killed in festivities with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He was hurried to a safe house by security forces and, unhurt, later gave a speech to supporters.

"The assailants have no respect for the martyr," he said, AFP reported. "They are not genuine Moslems."

AKP and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) quickly condemned the attack on the CHP leader. Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin also tweeted his condemnation.

President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
tweeted Monday afternoon that the attack was an "unwelcome act of violence," and will be investigated.

Political tensions are high in the country after AKP lost key cities in the March 31 mayoral election. CHP’s candidate in Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, won the mayorship of Istanbul with a slim majority over his AKP rival. AKP requested several recounts and a demand for a full rerun of the election in the metropolis is still before the electoral authorities.

In the election campaign, Erdogan frequently accused CHP of backing the PKK. The crowd at the funeral picked up on the theme, chanting "Kick out PKK parties!"

Erdogan’s rhetoric probably played a role in the attack, said Kati Piri, the European parliament’s rapporteur for Turkey. The incident was "likely inspired by hate speeches of ruling politicians," she tweeted on Sunday. "This radical polarization must end."
Al Ahram adds:
Turkish police on Monday arrested nine people, including a member of the ruling AKP party, after a mob attack on opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu that sparked widespread criticism.

The chief suspect in Sunday's attack, identified only by his initials O.S., was arrested in Sivrihisar in central Anatolia and was being taken to Ankara, private NTV television reported. The AKP later identified him as Osman Sarigun and said he was a party member who would face expulsion.

Eight other people have also been detained, officials said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


India-Pakistan
PIA flight from Karachi to Peshawar cleared after bomb hoax
[DAWN] A Pakistain International Airlines (PIA) flight was cleared by security officials at Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
airport after a hoax bomb alert, a spokesperson for the national carrier said.

The flight, PK-350, was en route to Peshawar from Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
when the flight dispatch centre in Karachi received a phone call alerting about the presence of a bomb onboard the plane 10-15 minutes before landing.

The Airbus A320 aircraft safely landed at Peshawar airport at around 11:50am, PIA front man Mashhood Tajwar told DawnNewsTV.

Since the pilots had alerted the control tower about the bomb threat, an emergency was declared at the airport, a source at the facility said.

Posted by: Fred || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq
Iraqi special forces conduct airborne operation to kill 7 ISIS leaders
[AlMasdar] Iraqi security forces on Sunday killed seven leaders of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(IS) bad boy group in the eastern province of Diyala, a security source said.

A joint force of the Iraqi intelligence service and Counter-Terrorism Service conducted airdrop operations on IS hideouts in Himreen mountain range, some 65 km east of the quiet provincial capital Baquba, Sadiq al-Husseini, head of the security committee in Diyala’s provincial council, told Xinhua.

The operations resulted in the killing of seven IS leaders in Diyala, including Abu Idris, dealing the latest major blow to the Death Eater group in the province, al-Husseini said.

The killed leaders are the criminal mastermind behind IS violence and terrorist attacks in the province, al-Husseini said, adding the operations carried by the security forces were difficult as the IS leaders were hiding in rugged areas and inside underground hideouts.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:22 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  "hiding". But they were found. Which means somebody leaked. Who? They'll have to stop operations until they're confident they have that figured out.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 04/23/2019 6:33 Comments || Top||


Iraqi security thwart Islamic State infiltration scheme in Anbar
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Iraqi security forces foiled on Monday a plot by Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
gunnies to sneak into Ramadi city in Anbar, a security source said as the country steps up efforts to eliminate the dormant cells of the terrorist group.

"Security forces received intelligence data on the presence of IS gunnies besieged in the desert areas, west of Anbar, who seek to infiltrate into some liberated areas in Ramadi," the source told Almaalomah news website.

"The security forces immediately launched a campaign to chase IS gunnies and tossed in the calaboose
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
many of them in al-Taamim and Ramadi districts," the source said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Sri Lanka
IS claims Sri Lanka blasts, as government says probe making progress
[REUTERS] 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....
grabbed credit on Tuesday for the kabooms in Sri Lanka that killed 321 people in what officials believe was retaliation for assaults on mosques in New Zealand.

The claim, issued through the group’s AMAQ news agency, was made after Sri Lanka said two domestic Islamist groups with suspected links to foreign bandidos murderous Moslems were suspected to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels. About 500 people were also maimed in the bombings.

Three sources told Rooters that Sri Lankan intelligence officials had been warned hours earlier by India that attacks by Islamists were imminent. It was not clear what action, if any, was taken.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he would change the heads of the defense forces following their failure to act on the intelligence.

"I will completely restructure the police and security forces in the coming weeks. I expect to change the heads of defense establishments within the next 24 hours," Sirisena said in an address to the nation.

"The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. I have decided to take stern action against these officials."

Posted by: Fred || 04/23/2019 14:12 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  I expect them to go full scorched earth on these groups. After what Sri Lanka went through with the Tamils, I don't think they will screw around with this.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 04/23/2019 15:53 Comments || Top||


Day 3: Group responsible for the attacks in Sri Lanka was inspired by ISIS
Day 2 can be seen here.
[TWITTER] Comes as a surprise, huh? I know. Floored me too.

Summary from yesterday’s Guardian liveblog:
  • Sri Lankans have observed three minutes of silence at the start of a national day of mourning for the victims of Sunday’s bomb attacks.

  • The death toll remains just under 300, with some 500 injured.

  • Parliament will resume on Tuesday with a statement expected from the prime minister.

  • A second night of national curfew lifted at 4am local time but a state of emergency came into force at midnight on Monday night.

  • Local victims and those injured are to receive financial compensation., damaged churches will be renovated at government expense.

  • No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but questions continue to be asked about what the Sri Lankan government knew about the bombings prior to Sunday. On Monday it emerged that authorities were warned of possible incidents two weeks ago.

  • A blackout on social media in Sri Lanka continues.

  • Interpol has deployed a response at the request of Sri Lankan authorities.
The Guardian continues liveblogging today here.

10th Colombo bomb explosion (by police)
[TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  The Times of Israel has video of a jacket wallah wandering through one of the churches. The article also mentions that the death toll is up to 310.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 4:57 Comments || Top||

#2  "Some people did something in Sri Lanka"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/23/2019 7:27 Comments || Top||

#3  From the Guardian liveblog:

  • Syrian national arrested following interrogations
  • Sri Lanka defence minister: Death toll up to 321, attack response to Christchurch
  • ISIS claims attack on Amaq site
  • Columbo police looking for van carrying bombs
  • Attacks must have taken months to prepare



  • Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 8:46 Comments || Top||

    #4 
    Official ISIS claim
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:46 Comments || Top||

    #5  rough translation:
    "Soldiers of Islamic State carried out the attack against citizens of the coalition partners against IS and the Christians in Sri Lanka"
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:48 Comments || Top||

    #6  detailed claim:

    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:49 Comments || Top||

    #7  Perps:
    Inghimasi fighters from Sri Lanka attacks identified by Islamic State in latest statement:

    - Abu Ubaida
    - Abu al-Mukhtar
    - Abu Khalil
    - Abu Hamza
    - Abu al-Barra
    - Abu Muhammad
    - Abu Abdullah
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:50 Comments || Top||

    #8  translation:
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:51 Comments || Top||

    #9  Supposed group photo prior to suicide:

    Why a mask over your face when you are going to die anyway puzzles me. Cowards!
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:54 Comments || Top||

    #10  Their celebration posters:

    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 11:56 Comments || Top||



    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Russian Air Force pounds Nusra in Idlib, 4 Nusra turbans mysteriously toes up
    [AlMasdar] The Russian Air Force has unleashed a new series of airstrikes over the Idlib Governorate this evening, targeting several sites under the control of the jihadist rebels.

    According to a military source in northwestern Syria, the Russian Air Force primarily targeted Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s positions around Idlib city tonight.

    In particular, the source said the Russian Air Force heavily bombarded the Idlib Central Prison and several small towns near the provincial capital.

    No further details have been released at this time.

    Meanwhile, in eastern Syria, the Syrian Air Force is currently bombarding the terrain around the key desert city of Al-Sukhnah; this is the area the Islamic State attacked last week.

    The Syrian Army is looking to retake the territories they lost near the small desert town of Al-Kawm.

    Four jihadists mysteriously gunned down in southern Idlib

    [AlMasdar] Four jihadist rebels were gunned down mysteriously on Sunday after a group of unknown assailants opened fire on them in the southern countryside of the Idlib governorate.

    According to pro-militant media, four memebrs of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham were killed while they were traveling near the town of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib.

    No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    In the past, the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) sleeper cells have carried out similar attacks like this, prompting Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham to launch a security operation to crack down on these strikes.

    Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham is currently the most powerful rebel group in northwestern Syria; they control most of the Idlib Governorate and much of western Aleppo.
    Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:19 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


    Fierce clashes breakout in eastern Deir Ezzor as large group of ISIS terrorists cross the Euphrates
    [AlMasdar] The Islamic State
    ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
    (ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS) terrorist group managed to sneak out of the Baghouz Mountain region in eastern Deir Ezzor and cross the Euphrates River this evening.

    According to a military source in nearby Homs, the Islamic State hard boyz reached the town of al-Sayyal in eastern Deir Ezzor, where they were eventually spotted by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

    Once the Syrian Army spotted the ISIS hard boyz in al-Sayyal, a fierce battle would ensue between the two parties.

    Intense festivities are still ongoing at this moment, as the Syrian Arab Army looks to eliminate all of the Islamic State hard boyz that infiltrated from the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

    The ISIS hard boyz are trying to reach the Badiya al-Sham region in order to meet up with their comrades and evade capture by either the Syrian Army or Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

    While the ISIS hard boyz are besieged by the SDF, they have managed to reach the Euphrates on a number occasions using surprise attacks to break out.
    Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 00:19 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


    Iraq Popular Mobilization sent reinforcements to Albu Kamal
    [TWITTER]

    Posted by: Fred || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

    #1  Does pre-fabricated living quarters mean tents, or do Iranian catspaws rate something fancier?
    Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 11:04 Comments || Top||

    #2  Could be an assumption about shipping containers...which later could be used as housing, though probably more spartan.
    Posted by: Skidmark || 04/23/2019 12:31 Comments || Top||


    Russia Air Force now target positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Southwest of #Aleppo
    [TWITTER]
    Al Masdar adds:
    The Russian Air Force has unleashed a massive attack over the western countryside of Aleppo this afternoon.

    According to a military source in Aleppo city, the Russian Air Force has joined the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in heavily bombarding Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s positions in the western part of the governorate.

    The source said the Russian airstrikes have hit Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s positions in Kafr Hamra, Ma’arat Al-Artik, and several other sites along the western and northwestern axes of the Aleppo Governorate.

    Earlier today, the Syrian Arab Army kicked off the attack by launching several surface-to-surface missiles and artillery shells towards Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s positions in western Aleppo.

    The strikes by the Syrian Arab Army and Russian Air Force was conducted in response to the jihadist attacks on Aleppo city that killed 19 soldiers and more than 15 civilians.

    Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham has attempted to respond to the Syrian Army’s ground assault, but they failed to do any damage.

    Syrian Army kills jihadist named ‘Bin Laden’ and 2 associates in west Aleppo

    [AlMasdar] Over the weekend, the special forces branch of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham carried out an operation behind the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) lines in the western part of Aleppo city.

    The attack would prove successful as the jihadist rebels killed 19 Syrian soldiers that were entrenched in the Aqrab area of western Aleppo.

    During the attack, however, the jihadist rebels also lost a number of fighters, including a Yemeni militant.

    Three of the jihadist rebels that were killed by the Syrian Arab Army were identified as the following:

  • Saiyaf Al-Sanaani (Yemeni national)
  • Bin Laden Al-Baniyasi (Syrian)
  • Abu Ahmad Al-Homsi (Syrian)

  • Posted by: Fred || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


    Happening or rumor?
    [Twitter]

    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  I haven’t seen anything about this in my usual sources, including Debka and Al Masdar. Though in general the Israeli media get their information on such things first — and often only — from Syrian news reports, not their own officials.
    Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 1:18 Comments || Top||

    #2  There is this from Al Masdar today — it’s the same location...

    Syrian military denies US attack on IRGC forces in eastern Syria
    2019-04-23

    BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:00 A.M.) – A Syrian military source in Deir Ezzor told Al-Masdar News this morning that all reports claiming the U.S. Air Force bombed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Albukamal are false.

    The source said reports claiming that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian Arab Army (SAA) clashed near Albukamal are also false.

    He would add that there are tensions in the area because the Syrian military and Hashd Al-Sha’abi believe the U.S. is preparing an operation to capture the towns of Albukamal and Al-Mayadeen.

    The Syrian military believes the U.S. wants to take hold of Albukamal to prevent Iran from using the international highway that links Tehran, Baghdad, and Damascus.

    Iran is eager to reopen this highway because the ongoing economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. have prevented them from not only delivering oil to Syria, but also military supplies to their allies like Hezbollah.
    Posted by: trailing wife || 04/23/2019 11:13 Comments || Top||

    #3  Personally, I'm disappointed.
    Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 04/23/2019 15:50 Comments || Top||


    First all Armenian battalion has been formed in Northern Syria
    [Twitter]
    The ghost of the Turkish led genocide returns?
    *snicker* A nice poke in the eye for President Assad’s former BFF, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First “the much beloved”.
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  They've certainly kept the grudge alive. They're almost up to the Irish.
    Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 04/23/2019 0:21 Comments || Top||


    Terror Networks
    ISIS past 3 months activity in Syria & Iraq as a heat map


    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


    Omaima Abdi, a German ISIS who lost her phone in Syria.
    [Twitter]
    More on this story from Sunday.
    The previous story described dear Omaima A., 34, as a retiring housewife with an active chat life, completely missing The Times’ report of her active recruitment of dozens of British women for ISIS.

    This article starring:
    Omaima Abdi
    Posted by: 3dc || 04/23/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

    #1  Slipped back into Germany in the horde?

    Who needs borders?
    Posted by: Bobby || 04/23/2019 9:04 Comments || Top||



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    Two weeks of WOT
    Tue 2019-04-23
      IS claims Sri Lanka blasts
    Mon 2019-04-22
      Sri Lanka explosions, 24 arrested, 290+ dead, 8 kabooms
    Sun 2019-04-21
      3 churches bombed at Easter services in Sri Lanka 262 Dead
    Sat 2019-04-20
      Woman killed after shots fired during violent riots in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
    Fri 2019-04-19
      Islamic State Declared A New Wilaya In Africa
    Thu 2019-04-18
      German Police Arrest Man Suspected Of Recruiting ISIS Members To Syria
    Wed 2019-04-17
      Houthis in Yemen introduced a new airburst ballistic missile that spreads 14,000 pieces of shrapnel over a large area
    Tue 2019-04-16
      Violence and dozens of arson attacks in Copenhagen after anti-Islam politician throws Koran in migrant neighbourhood
    Mon 2019-04-15
      Notre Dame Cathedral is burning
    Sun 2019-04-14
      Taliban’s shadow governor for Helmand succumbs to injuries sustained in an airstrike
    Sat 2019-04-13
      Algerian police fire water cannon at protesters
    Fri 2019-04-12
      Sudan President al-Bashir officially arrested
    Thu 2019-04-11
      Ecuador withdraws asylum from Julian Assange, arrested by UK police
    Wed 2019-04-10
      Election Council Rejects Erdogan's Party Demand for Full Istanbul Recount
    Tue 2019-04-09
      Maryland man accused of stealing U-Haul truck in 'ISIS-inspired attack'

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