#2
Miss Hayward relaxes pre-retake
With tree on bleak beach full of cheesecake
And catches her breath
Before rematch with Death
In Ivanovo Detstvo, the Premake!
PAKISTAN MOSQUE BOMBING RAISES QUESTIONS – Exactly who carried out the suicide bomb attack that has now claimed over 100 lives in Peshawar is a topic of debate among Pakistan’s intelligence and security forces. The TTP initially claimed credit for the attack but later retracted the claim. Some think it could have been ISIS and meant as a riposte to the death of their leader in Africa at the hand of US forces. Even others say it was al-Qaeda’s message that they were back. The dominant theory is that it was a TTP attack and analysts have pointed to other instances where religious targets were hit and TTP never claimed credit but was found to be responsible later. Many say it is a ploy that has been used to get around their often-stated claims that they do not target Islamic religious sites. The reason it is important is that the new Pakistan regime seems inclined to take wider actions against the TTP and those actions could easily result in air strikes in Afghanistan. Further information is needed regarding this matter.
TALIBAN LESS CORRUPT THAN PREVIOUS REGIME ACCORDING TO REPORT – A recent report by Transparency International saw Afghanistan rise in the rankings of corrupt nations by several spots. The rankings use several metrics as criteria for creating the Corruptions Perceptions Index. It is likely the Taliban will use the report to attempt to reestablish some credibility lost after the gender restrictions imposed in the country.
TURKEY ASSISTING TALIBAN WITH DEVELOPING NEW UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMS – An Afghan team of educators is heading to Turkey to review the system of exams used there for potential adoption in Afghanistan. Several journalists were keen to ask if the new system would be used for women’s exams, but the delegation spokesman dodged the question. Turkey and its leader in particular have been critical of the Taliban’s decision to bar women and girls from education. It is possible that Turkey extended the invitation in a bid to convince the members of the delegation to lobby for a reversal of policies.
US SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE IN PAKISTAN FOR TALKS – As a part of a three-country visit, Thomas West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan met with his counterpart and other select officials in Islamabad. All agreed that further engagement was key to ameliorating security concerns. Some analysts ridicule West for continuing to meet with, “...everyone but Afghans.” The US Representative will travel to Germany and Switzerland next for further discussions about economic aid.
NEXT 24 HOURS
SEARCHES EXPECTED IN JALALABAD – Ministry of the Interior agents were dispatched to Jalalabad sometime over the previous days to try and root out a cell of ISIS-K operatives reputedly located in the eastern portion of the city. The Ministry officials have reportedly been operating out of the Nangarhar Customs offices and had visited the Jalat Apartment complex last night. No further information was available.
[ShabelleMedia] At least 13 al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... members were killed in a fresh military operation in central Somalia on Monday night, an official said.
Speaking to the media, a military officer who declined to be named said SNA along with pro-govt clan militia attacked al-Shabaab staging base in the vicinity of Mahas town.
The turbans resisted the offensive but later were overpowered by the combined forces who took over the base after hours long shootout.
For its part, al-Shabaab claimed it killed as many as 15 soldiers in the counter-attack.
There are no independent sources verifying the claims of both warring sides in Hiran region, Hirshabelle state.
Somali government has had the upper hand in the latest military operations in central regions.
The president of the country Hassan Sheikh who is credited for the victory over al-Shabaab war pledged to finalize the long war against the turbans by 2023.
[ShabelleMedia] At least seven civilians, including children, died in a new Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in central Somalia amid a ground military offensive by the Somali army against al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... , functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... The residents in the Hiran region reported that the air raid took place between Fidow and Qura’ley villages which lie on the Hiran-Middle Shabelle regions’ crossing border.
The area, where the jets bombed is a stronghold of al-Shabaab and the civilians bore the brunt of the foreign and local forces’ attacks aimed to recapture locations under the group.
Speaking to the media, the deputy Mahas district commissioner confirmed the deaths of the seven villagers as a result of the strike believed to have been carried out by the US military.
He called on the military both the Somali and the US to consult with local administration before conducting any airstrike to save the lives of the people in al-Shabaab-held areas.
The US often carries out airstrikes in some parts of Somalia, when the army of the country carries out operations against the areas where the Al-Shabaab organization is located.
[Garowe] Somali authorities arrested six traditional elders who are accused of signing an agreement with al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... , functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... , a group that has been causing havoc in the country for almost 15 years.
The government officials said the elders will be charged with violation of the directive that bans close association with al-Shabaab, a measure that was taken to minimize interaction between members of the community and designated groups.
The elders are accused of traveling to the areas which are directly under the control of the al-Shabaab near Beledweyne, where the Death Eaters have bases. According to the military, the elders agreed with Al-Shabaab to withdraw their clan forces from the ongoing offensive.
For the last five months, the Somalia National Army has been pursuing al-Shabaab in central and southern regions, leading to massive successes. The Death Eaters have lost key towns to the national army and are enjoying support from the US Africa Command [AFRICOM] and the local militia.
The government said the military has killed over 1,000 Death Eaters while arresting several others in the process. The military will continue with the operation for the next months until all villages in the country are safer, SNA chief Gen Odowaa Yusuf Rageh said in a statement.
On Sunday, a Somali military court sentenced three elders named Omar Mohammed Jimale Adan [Omar Faninte], Ali Ahmed Hayle Araalle [Ali Yare], and Sugaal Warsame Ali Yarow to five years in prison for dealing with al-Shabaab in Harardhere, Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... State.
They were arrested in late December after defying a government directive not to contact or cooperate with Al-Shabaab Death Eaters.
Community elders are regarded as very important operatives in Somalia's culture and even governance, and the administration regularly consults them on a number of issues. In fact, the elders at times negotiate on behalf of the government whenever the Death Eaters kidnap innocent civilians.
Importantly, the elders have been choosing leaders in clan-based elections. However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... Somalia is striving to embrace universal suffrage elections which will see the country elect leaders directly for the first time in decades. al-Shabaab has been dislodged from critical towns across the country.
Ahead of the deadline of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy, suspected 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.... of West Africa Province, ISWAP, members have reportedly distributed some huge sums of old naira notes to commuters in the Lake Chad Basin.
The incident occurred after Mairari village, along the Maiduguri/Monguno highway on Saturday in the Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, Daily Trust reports.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 23, 2022, unveiled redesigned N200, N500, and N1000 notes and the CBN immediately fixed January 31 as the date for the expiration of the old notes.
On Sunday, the apex bank extended the deadline for the swap of the old naira notes at commercial banks by 10 days.
The naira redesign is believed to be targeted at stopping vote buying in the 2023 general election scheduled for February 25 and March 11.
Some ISWAP members who were said to have driven two gun trucks and dressed in military camouflage on Saturday distributed huge amounts of the old notes to scores of commuters.
A resident of the area, Bakura Ibrahim, said the hard boyz positioned themselves under a tree and stood by the roadside with bags of old naira notes.
"We left Monguno at about 12 noon. As we approached Mairari, there were no existing checkpoints in the area; we were apprehensive.
"They stopped us and asked if we were going to Maiduguri, then they started giving each person 100,000 old naira notes, but we could not believe it. They gave each occupant of the Golf Volkswagen," Bakura said.
Another source added, "The group simply told us, "If you think you can go to their banks and change it to new naira, go and do so; may Allah make it beneficial to you."
At least four officers of the 25 Task Force Brigade of Operation Hadin Kai have been reportedly maimed after running into an improvised bomb (IED) in Borno.
A counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
The troops were said to be on a fighting patrol along Wajiroko-Sabon Road in the Damboa Local Government Area when their vehicle drove over the planted IED.
The IED was allegedly planted by Boko Haram ...not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... bad boys.
"At least four soldiers were maimed after a roadside improvised bomb (IED) struck a convoy of troops during a fighting patrol along Wajiroko-Sabon in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State on January 30," Zagazola tweeted.
"They were believed to be from Wajiroko under the 25 Task Force Brigade, Operation Hadin Kai. The maimed soldiers were transferred to the Maimalari hospital for medical management."
Improvised bombs and ambushes continue to pose a major threat to soldiers fighting Boko Haram and ISWAP Death Eaters in Northern Nigeria.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2023 00:00 ||
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[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)
[An Nahar] Three alleged al-Qaeda bully boyz were killed in a suspected U.S. dronezap in northeastern 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... on Monday, local government officials said.
The attack was carried out on a car in Marib province, the scene of heavy fighting in 2021 in Yemen's long-running civil war, the officials said.
"Three al-Qaeda members were killed in a strike by a drone that is believed to be American," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"The three were in a car in Wadi Obeida when they were targeted by the suspected U.S. strike that killed them immediately."
A second Marib government official confirmed the strike on al-Qaeda bully boyz and the corpse count. There was no immediate comment from Washington.
The United States considers al-Qaeda's Yemen branch -- al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000... (AQAP) -- among the most dangerous branches of the global jihadist network.
AQAP, and other bully boyz loyal to 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.... group, have thrived in the chaos of Yemen's civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government against Iran-allied 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.AQAP has carried out operations against both the Huthis and government forces as well as sporadic attacks abroad.
Its leaders have been targeted by a US drone war for more than two decades, although the number of strikes has dropped off in recent years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2023 00:00 ||
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[11125 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
It would be helpful if Al Estiklal gave even the slightest hint of whose house it was and why the Israeli authorities decided to actually act on an outstanding order to demolish.
The only recent story I can find on the internet is this, is several variations:
JAN 29, 2023
[IMEMC] On Sunday, Israeli forces invaded the town of Jabal al-Mukaber, in the southeastern part of the Jerusalem municipality with an armored Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer and demolished a two-story home belonging to the Matar family, rendering eight family members homeless and wounding one family member who tried to protest the demolition.
The demolition was a punitive demolition, a form of collective punishment frequently enacted against Palestinian family members of a person charged with or convicted of a crime under Israeli martial law. Such collective punishment is a direct violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, but Israel carries out such attacks on a daily basis in Occupied Palestine.
In this case, the demolished home was the home of Palestinian prisoner Hussam Matar, who was the subject of an international human rights campaign in December when his health began to seriously deteriorate due to medical negligence, after he had been held in solitary confinement for 74 days.
Local sources reported that the Israeli occupation forces stormed Jabal al-Mukaber and proceeded to demolish a two-story house belonging to the Jerusalemite Ratib Matar. Ratib lived there with 7 members of his family, including his brother, the captive Hussam Matar.
According to the Palestinian Wafa News Agency, the Israeli occupation municipality crews began to unload the contents of the house, before demolishing the house, claiming that the house was “built without a permit”. This is a false pretext frequently used by Israeli authorities to justify their demolition policy – but the reality is that Israeli authorities have refused to issue any permits for Palestinian homes since they began their military occupation of Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967.
Ratib Matar’s house was constructed 15 years ago. At the time, for the ‘crime’ of building on their own land, Israeli authorities imposed a fine of more than 700,000 shekels on the family.
During the demolition, one member of the family was injured by rubber-coated metal bullets in the hand, after Israeli forces assaulted the residents in the vicinity of the house.
[IsraelTimes] Army says Paleostinian driver accelerated toward troops at Tapuah Junction before fleeing scene; he reportedly claims accident due to poor visibility, fled fearing he’d be shot
Two Israeli soldiers were hurt in an alleged ramming attack in the West Bank on Tuesday evening, the military and medics said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, a Paleostinian driver accelerated and intentionally slammed his car into the two soldiers at the Tapuah Junction, near the settlement of the same name in the northern West Bank.
The alleged attacker initially expeditiously departed at a goodly pace, and soldiers launched a manhunt for him.
The driver, a 21-year-old from Nablus, turned himself in to security forces a short while later, claiming the incident was an accident due to low visibility amid heavy fog in the area, Army Radio reported. The driver claimed he initially fled for fear he would be shot by soldiers.
"The individual suspected of the ramming is currently held by security forces and he was transferred for further questioning," the IDF said.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was taking the victims, both in their 30s and listed in moderate and light condition, to the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikvah.
The IDF described the incident as an intentional ramming attack, despite the claims of the driver.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2023 00:00 ||
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[11127 views]
Top|| File under:
[IsraelTimes] Astiyazh Haghighi and fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi posted clip of themselves in front of Tehran’s landmark Azadi Tower, she without compulsory headscarf.
The United States on Tuesday added seven Iranian entities to its trade blacklist for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine, pic.twitter.com/qTHjmlLkkt
#SDF announces it discovered a tunnel in the city of #Raqqa that dates back to the period of #ISIS rule over the city years ago. https://t.co/SBUQG9fLUF
[An Nahar] A roadside kaboom targeting a bus transporting Syrian police in the country's south has maimed 15 of the officers, the Interior Ministry said.
The ministry said in a terse statement that the officers were returning to the capital Damascus from the southern province of Daraa. The bomb went kaboom! on the north-south highway near the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh.
It said seven officers were seriously maimed.
Such attacks are not uncommon in Syria, where a nearly 12-year-old conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country's pre-war population of 23 million.
In October, a bus bombing killed 18 Syrian soldiers in a Damascus suburb and maimed at least 27 others.
Similar attacks over the years have killed and maimed dozens of soldiers in government-held parts of the war-torn country. In March last year, Death Eaters attacked a military bus near the historic town of Palmyra in central Syria, killing 13 troops and wounding 18 others.
Syrian authorities usually blame members of 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.... group who have been active in southern and central Syria, despite their formal defeat in Syria in 2019.
The leader of IS, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in battle with Syrian opposition fighters in Daraa province in mid-October.
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.
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
...
...... Somalia's version of the 
...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 
...not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
