[TWITTER] On Jan. 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s launched a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.
Eighteen OWA UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34). This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. There were no injuries or damage reported.
Mic drop.
On Jan. 3, 14 countries, including the U.S, issued a joint statement stating, "The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2024 00:00 ||
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Armed men took hostage the presenters of the Ecuadorian TV channel TC Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Armed men, hiding their faces under masks, burst into the studio of the Ecuadorian television channel TC in Guayaquil during a live broadcast and took the TV presenters hostage, La Nation newspaper reported on Tuesday, January 9.
According to the source, the attack occurred at approximately 14:20 local time (22:20 Moscow time). A group of 20 armed men entered the building and planted explosives at the entrance to the editorial office, after which the attackers broke into the premises and took journalists and other television company workers hostage.
One of the members of the armed group demanded that they be given microphones and the ability to speak live.
The Ecuadorian police, in turn, promptly sent specialized units to the channel’s studio to eliminate the emergency situation. At the same time, the Ecuadorian broadcaster Ecuavisa and the magazine Vistazo evacuated their staff.
As Regnum reported, on August 9, attackers killed Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio Valencia during his election rally in Quito. According to the country's Prosecutor General's Office, Villavicencio, a suspect in the murder, died from gunshot wounds received during arrest. The next day, a state of emergency was declared in the country.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa introduced a regime of internal armed conflict in the country amid riots with hostage-taking in various cities, he announced this on the social network X, attaching the text of the decree to the post.
“I have signed an executive order declaring an internal armed conflict and have designated the following transnational organized crime groups as terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors...” Noboa wrote.
In the document, the head of state listed more than 20 groups and organizations. He ordered the neutralization of their participants as part of military operations.
On Tuesday, unknown masked men with bladed weapons and firearms broke into the studio of the TC television channel in Guayaquil. On live television, the bandits stuffed a stick of dynamite into the presenter’s jacket pocket and shouted “let the police go away.” The police sent special forces to the studio and later reported that several intruders had been detained and people had been evacuated. Meanwhile, unrest continues in the city related to the reorganization of the country's prisons.
The day before, Noboa, after a series of prison riots and the escape of the leader of the largest gang, declared a state of emergency for 60 days in order to involve the armed forces in regaining control over the penitentiary system.
That sounds like narco gangs. And the narco gangs down there are connected to Iran and Hezbollah, right?
The actions of the Ecuadorian government caused a wave of unrest in the country's cities - on the night of January 9, criminals began to burn cars and buses, and improvised explosive devices were detonated in Guayaquil. Police said unknown assailants kidnapped seven police officers in Quito and the southwestern city of Machala in less than 24 hours. According to the prison service, criminals are holding 125 security officers and 14 administrative workers hostage in prisons.
Authorities in the Ecuadorian capital Quito, after the unrest broke out, strengthened security measures and called on the country's government to attract the army to protect strategic sites.
Noboa became president of Ecuador at the end of November last year. The new head of state called the fight against crime one of his main tasks. To solve the problem of a complex criminal situation and drug trafficking, he proposed strengthening borders with the help of the military, as well as building new prisons and dividing them into several categories, depending on the criminals who would be held in them. For the most dangerous prisoners, Noboa planned to create barge prisons, placing them at sea 150 kilometers from the country's coast and monitoring them from drones.
Shortly after the button men stormed the TV station, Noboa issued another decree designating 20 drug trafficking gangs operating in the country as terrorist groups and authorizing Ecuador’s military to "neutralize" these groups within the bounds of international humanitarian law.
Ecuador’s national police chief announced a short time later that authorities had arrested all the masked intruders. Police commander César Zapata told the TV channel Teleamazonas that officers seized the guns and explosives the button men had with them. He said 13 people were arrested.
The government has not said how many attacks have taken place since authorities announced that Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macías, alias "Fito," was discovered missing from his cell in a low security prison Sunday. He was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility that day.
Authorities also have not said who is thought to be behind the attacks, which included a kaboom near the house of the president of the National Justice Court and the Monday night kidnappings of four coppers, or whether they think the actions were coordinated.
Police said one officer was kidnapped in the capital, Quito, and three in Quevedo city.
Los Choneros is one of the Ecuadorian gangs that authorities consider responsible for a spike in violence, much of tied to drug trafficking, that reached a new level last year with the liquidation of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The gang has links with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, according to authorities.
Macías’ whereabouts are unknown. Prosecutors opened an investigation and charged two guards in connection with his alleged escape, but neither the police, the corrections system, nor the federal government confirmed whether the prisoner fled the facility or might be hiding in it.
In February 2013, he beat feet from a maximum security facility but was recaptured weeks later.
Macías, who was convicted of drug trafficking, murder and organized crime, was serving a 34-year sentence in La Regional prison in the port of Guayaquil.
Experts and authorities have acknowledged that gang members practically rule from inside the prisons, and Macías was believed to have continued controlling his group from within the detention facility.
Prison transfers of gang leaders have historically led to violence, with hundreds of inmates killed in recent years.
Gang wars over lucrative cocaine smuggling routes have also fueled the instability.
Peru declared an emergency along its border with Ecuador, while other alarmed South American nations Brazil, Colombia and Chile all expressed support for Noboa's government.
China, a major investor in Ecuador, closed its embassy and consulates until further notice.
PRISON GUARDS CAPTURED
Prisons agency SNAI said earlier on Tuesday a group of prisoners escaped from a penitentiary in Riobamba, including accused gang member Fabricio Colon Pico, who was suspected of a plot against the attorney general. Seventeen of the 39 escapees have been recaptured, the prosecutor's office said.
Eleven prison guards taken hostage over the past two days have been released, SNAI added, but 139 guards and other staff are still being held.
Authorities in Guayaquil said there were "takeover" incidents at five hospitals, but that police and soldiers had restored order. It was unclear what the incidents entailed.
Video footage on social media showed armed men on the streets, traffic at a standstill, and businesses and offices closed in major Ecuadorean cities.
Some Ecuadoreans are questioning Noboa's efforts to control violence, which stymied his predecessor. He plans a plebiscite this year focused on security.
Violent deaths rose to 8,008 in 2023, nearly double the 2022 figure.
"The previous government declared (a state of emergency) almost 22 times without any result. They (government) have to take more drastic measures and use the police and the armed forces to put some order in the country," said Quito resident Marcelo Gordillo.
[KhaamaPress] Security officials in Serbia have announced the arrest of an Afghan citizen on charges of human trafficking and weapon possession.
Serbian media reported on Tuesday, December 26th, citing the Ministry of the Interior that the arrest of the Afghan citizen occurred in the Subotica area.
According to the Serbian Interior Ministry, a sniper rifle, two Kalashnikovs, and over 550 bullets were recovered from the arrested individual.
Previously, Serbian police authorities had reported the arrest of two Afghan citizens on charges of "human trafficking" at the Croatian border.
It is noteworthy that the operations of the Serbian security forces have increased in recent months aimed at arresting illegal immigrants colonists and traffickers.
Based on the provided statistics, nearly 7,000 illegal immigrants colonists, 38 machine guns, 13 handguns, and 3,700 bullets have been discovered and confiscated by the country’s forces so far.
Following the Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... ’s takeover of Afghanistan, many Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Pakistain and Iran, with aspirations to reach European nations. This exodus is driven by a multitude of factors impacting their homeland.
The runaway of Afghans is attributed to various reasons including persecution, security threats, and a lack of job opportunities amid a deteriorating economy. Additionally, the stringent restrictions on women’s and girls’ education and employment have significantly contributed to the mass migration.
The dire situation in Afghanistan has prompted a large-scale humanitarian crisis, with neighboring countries and European destinations becoming primary refuges for those escaping the harsh realities of life under the Taliban regime. The international community continues to witness the movement of Afghans seeking safety and a more stable future.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/10/2024 00:00 ||
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The demonstrators used spray-paint on the entrance to the cemetery, illustrating phrases like 'Free Gaza' and 'intifada' on Sunday
The Los Angeles National Cemetery is the final resting place of around 90,000 veterans from World War I to Vietnam
The protesters also chanted the phrase 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' which has been deemed anti-Semitic by many
The demonstration shut down an area near Interstate 405 on Wilshire Boulevard that afternoon.
The cemetery is in an area that has seen several protests during Israel's response to the Hamas terror attack on October 7. One protest, saw marchers s blocking the entrance to LAX just after Christmas.
Terrence Hayes, a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs, condemned the action in a statement.
'VA national cemeteries are where our nation's heroes are laid to rest, and any act of vandalism is unacceptable,' he said.
'We are taking immediate steps to restore the wall at the Los Angeles National Cemetery to its original state.'
Cleaning crews were seen soon after the vandalism cleaning up the graffiti on the entrance.
Congressman Brad Sherman, a Democrat who represents the district, slammed the protesters as anti-American.
'More proof that the people who hate #Israel, also hate America,' he wrote.
'Here, at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in my district, they deface a cemetery for those who gave their lives to end slavery and protect the world from fascism.'
[GEO.TV] Incarcerated former premier and Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) founder Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... was on Tuesday arrested in GHQ attack case pertaining to May 9 mayhem.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi had summoned the PTI founder, who is already behind bars in cipher and grafts cases, in May 9 cases on today (Tuesday).
However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... the PTI founder attended the court’s proceedings via video link as he could not be produced in the court by Adiala jail authorities owing to security concerns.
During the hearing of the cases, RA Bazar Police Station officials sought physical remand of the PTI founder in May 9 cases, however, ATC Judge Malik Aijaz Asif turned down the request.
The ATC judge directed the police to interrogate the PTI founder in Adiala prison.
The development comes days after PTI big shot Shah Mahood Qureshi was also arrested in the May 9 cases after the Supreme Court approved his bail in cipher case.
A local court in Rawalpindi sent Qureshi to Adiala jail on a 14-day remand in connection with May 9 cases including the one related to the attack on GHQ on December 28, 2023.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2024 00:00 ||
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U.S. Army C-RAM intercepting Islamic Resistance strike with Iranian-made kamikaze UAV in Iraq at American Harir base near Erbil. pic.twitter.com/jzWL6rnjxH
A US Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on a rocket launcher last night foiled an attack on Ain al-Asad airbase, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq, two Iraqi army sources say.
Iraqi military sources say a rocket launcher fixed on the back of a small truck had been parked in a rural area about 7 kilometers (4 miles) to the east of the base, with at least two rockets ready to be fired toward Ain al-Asad.
The US airstrike destroyed the launcher, an army official says.
US-led coalition officials are not immediately available to comment on the strike.
[IsraelTimes] Police find signed farewell letter in capital’s Old City, track down author, who admits wanting to carry out assault; father was killed carrying out West Bank attack last year
A 14-year-old girl from East Jerusalem wrote a farewell letter to her family declaring her intention to die carrying out a terror attack, but was arrested shortly before she could carry out her plan, police said Tuesday.
Officers first became suspicious when on Monday evening they found a pile of papers close to a Jewish home in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Israel Police said in a statement.
One page in particular caught their attention, and a closer look revealed that the author intended to become "a martyr" and was saying farewell to her family, according to the statement. She also expressed support for the Hamas ...one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... terror group and signed her name.
Officers, together with Border Police, used surveillance footage to track down and arrest the teenager. She was found to be carrying photos of Paleostinian terrorists.
During her interrogation, the suspect told officers she intended to carry out a terror attack.
The investigation revealed that the suspect’s father was killed last year while carrying out an attack in the West Bank that injured several members of the security forces, police said. The statement did not specify exactly when the attack occurred or the father’s name.
A court on Tuesday extended the suspect’s remand until January 12 as the investigation continues.
[IsraelTimes] The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday released details of its initial probe of a deadly blast in the central Gaza Strip a day prior, in which six combat engineers were killed and several others were wounded.
The reservists were killed when explosives intended for demolishing a Hamas tunnel in Bureij detonated prematurely.
According to the IDF’s initial probe of the blast, the early explosion of the tunnel system was caused by a tank shelling.
Combat engineers had been preparing the tunnel for demolition, rigging the underground passages with explosives.
Half an hour before the detonation was supposed to be carried out, a tank stationed near the detonating cord fired shells at a nearby building after identifying suspicious movement.
According to the probe, one of the shells hit an electricity pole, and the blast somehow activated the detonating cord, leading to the premature massive explosion of the tunnel system while the combat engineers were still working on preparing it for demolition.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
01/10/2024 00:00 ||
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“Preparation for the expansion of the fighting in the north: the Ministry of Health ordered the hospitals to be prepared to receive thousands of casualties in a short time” https://t.co/qbsM19Hrq8
[Rudaw] 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) Lions of Islam launched an attack on a bus carrying Syrian regime troops in the vicinity of central Homs province, killing at least 14 soldiers, a war monitor reported on Tuesday.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that at least 19 others were maimed in the attack, amid an escalation of ISIS attacks since the start of the year in areas under the control of the Syrian government.
The war monitor also reported that festivities occurred between ISIS Lions of Islam and Syrian regime soldiers in Raqqa, which ended with the Lions of Islam withdrawing towards the Syrian desert.
A Syrian army lieutenant was killed in the Raqqa skirmish, according to SOHR.
[IsraelTimes] Eight soldiers and one civilian were killed and 13 people were maimed in an attack on a military bus in Syria’s Palmyra on Tuesday, the Syrian defense ministry says in a statement.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in an evening press conference confirms the military targeted Ali Hussein Burji, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for dozens of drone attacks on northern Israel.https://t.co/VrQe8MuiNa
....Ali Hussien Barji, the commander of Hezbollah's aerial forces in southern Lebanon, was struck in the town of Khirbet Selm, during the funeral of senior Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil, who was killed yesterday.
The IDF has not issued an official comment on the strike.
IDF releases footage of the airstrike on Ali Hussein Burji, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for dozens of drone attacks on northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/KOEBgJvvMG
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
...aka 
...
...one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...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 
