[AlMasdar] The Saudi Coalition continued their wide-scale air campaign over Yemen, today, targeting several areas controlled by the Houthi ...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 Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. 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 ... forces (var. Ansarallah Movement).
Citing a local source, the Saba News Agency reported that at least eleven non-combatants were killed on Monday when the Saudi Coalition bombed residential building in the Bayda Governorate.
The Saba Agency added that one of the Arclight airstrikes struck a residential home in the Houran area of the al-Radman District.
[AlMasdar] Houthi ...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 Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. 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 ... rebels said they have used an armed drone to target Saudi-backed forces in west coastal province of Yemen.
According to a statement released by the Houthis, an operation room for the Saudi-backed troops were hit by an armed drone type Qasef-1, killing and injuring scores.
Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy was furiously chewing her cud and thinking... a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels hit another gathering for the pro-coalition forces in western Yemen.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Two prominent Islamic State leaders were arrested, southwest of Kirkuk, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Monday.
A press release issued by the ministry said “Federal Police forces managed to arrest two Islamic State members in Hawija town, southwest of Kirkuk.”
One of them, according to the ministry, “was involved in terrorist operations, while the other was in charge of providing the militants with food commodities.”
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Two civilians were kidnapped by Islamic State in Kirkuk province, a security source was quoted saying on Monday.
Speaking to AlSumari News, the source said “Islamic State members carried out, today, an ambush on Biji- Kirkuk road in Riyad town. They kidnapped two people to unknown destination.”
“Security troops cordoned off the region and conducted investigations,” the source, who preferred anonymity, said.
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09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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[AlMasdar] (9:30 A.M.) – A high ranking member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was reportedly killed by the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Iraq this past weekend.
According to the Turkish Army media account, their air force killed Murat Akdogan (AKA Ali Gever) in an airstrike over the Avasin-Basyan region of Iraq.
Akdogan was in the orange category of Turkey’s most wanted terrorist list before his death on Friday.
The PKK currently has a large presence in the northern region of Iraq; this has prompted the Turkish Armed Forces to carry out several military operations near their border.
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09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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It was a very busy day for all — except the firefighters, who for a change had nothing to do.
[IsraelTimes] Suspects approached border east of Khan Younis in southern Strip, are reportedly killed in Arclight airstrike; incident comes amid uptick in Gazoo violence
An Israeli aircraft fired at two Paleostinians whom the military said planted a "suspicious object" along the security fence in the southern Gazoo Strip on Monday night.
"An IDF aircraft attacked snuffies who approached the fence in the southern Gazoo Strip in a suspicious manner and planted a suspicious object along it," the army said in a statement.
Paleostinian media reported that the suspects were killed in the airstrike, east of the city of Khan Younis. This could not be immediately confirmed.
The Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",-run Gazoo health ministry said medical teams were searching the border region east of Khan Younis but had yet to find any casualties.
The Monday airstrike came amid a general uptick in violence along the security fence, with Paleostinians holding riots on the border both in the day and night.
A group of Gazooks were also said to have broken through the security fence and entered Israeli territory on Monday night, setting fire to an empty IDF sniper nest near the border.
The Israeli military refused to comment on the report.
Earlier on Monday evening, a balloon with a hand grenade attached to it was discovered in a peanut field near the Gazoo border, between the southern kibbutzim of Re’im and Urim.
Police volunteers identified the helium-filled balloon as it came down in the field. Police sappers were called the scene to disarm the grenade, and Route 234 between the two communities was temporarily closed to traffic. It was not immediately clear whether the weapon was a fragmentation, stun or tear gas grenade, but the pin appeared to have been pulled, making it unlikely that the grenade was still active.
An IDF front man said the army was investigating whether the balloon was flown over the Gazoo border.
Locals said harvest was planned for tomorrow, and a tractor could have set the grenade off had it not been identified by the volunteers.
Throughout the day, Paleostinians burned tires and rioted in the northern Gazoo Strip, as a 15-boat flotilla set sail from the area in an effort to break the Israeli maritime blockade.
In response, IDF troops reportedly launched tear gas canisters at the rioters and fired live rounds to disperse the protest in Beit Lahiya.
Reports in Paleostinian media said dozens of people were maimed by Israeli fire and tear gas.
[PhilStar] Seven people, one of them a three-year-old girl, were wounded in an explosion in Barangay Apopong, General Santos City late yesterday morning. Malacañang condemend the bombing and vowed to run after its perpetrators.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms (yesterday’s explosion that comes) at an unfortunate time when the nation is reeling from the effects of Ompong. Authorities are now conducting an investigation. We vow to bring the perpetrators of this brazen attack to justice."
Investigators said that two suspected Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were behind the bombing. The militants asked a roadside barbecue vendor at the Makar-Apopong intersection if there was pork barbecue and left when told there was none. A witness confirmed seeing one of the suspects leave his bag behind, which exploded minutes after they left.
[SunStar] A suspected hitman of the New People’s Army has surrendered and returned to the folds of the law over the weekend. A certain Bryan Fabre alias Alex, resident of Valencia City, turned himself in to the Eighth Infantry Battalion in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon. The military said Fabre was a member of Squad 1, SDG Platoon "Thunder", North Central Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA.
The military reported that the former communist guerilla gave up because he got tired of running and hiding from the Philippine troops.
In a statement, the military said Fabre got fed up with the false promises of the organization "that left him with nothing but a life filled with fear and starvation".
"It is never too late to go back and start again. The government will be there to support and help you get back on your feet only if you give peace a chance," 8IB commander Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Illana said.
[PhilStar] Seven Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed and 17 soldiers were injured in gunfights Saturday in Patikul town in Sulu.
Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City said the hostilities in Barangay Bakong, Patikul broke out when Abu Sayyaf rebels opened fire from two directons on soldiers approaching their lair. The soldiers returned fire and succeeded in driving their attackers away after killing seven of them in the two-hour exchange.
The soldiers were to check out Barangay Bakong due to the reported presence there of notorious Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron and his lieutenants, Hatib Sawadjaan and Idang Susukan, all wanted for crimes, including multiple murder, frustrated murder and kidnappings.
Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo of the Joint Task Force Sulu said seven bodies of Abu Sayyaf militants were found scattered in the scenes of the running firefights. Six other rebels were reportedly injured in the clash. Pabayo also reported that 17 of his men were injured as they exchanged fire with Sahiron and his followers.
Sawadjaan reportedly sustained a bullet wound in the lower torso.
Posted by: ryuge ||
09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] 14 servicemen aboard plane which went missing over Mediterranean; Syria claims 2 killed after Israel fires missiles from Lebanese airspace toward chemical weapons-linked facility
A Russian military plane with 14 servicemen aboard was accidentally shot down by Syrian air defenses as they tried to repel an alleged Israeli strike on Monday, a US official told CNN.
The official added that the plane was downed by a Russian-made missile system which was sold to Syria.
Whoops! Still, it looks like the thing works as promised.
Russian state news TASS said the IL-20 disappeared over the Mediterranean on Monday evening.
According to TASS, the ministry of defense said "the mark of IL-20 went off the radars disappeared during the attack of four Israeli F-16 aircraft on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia."
Israel does not regularly comment on alleged strikes in Syria.
A Syrian facility linked to the country’s chemical weapons program was bombed on Monday night, triggering Syrian air defenses, state media reported.
The state-run al-Ikhbariya TV reported loud kabooms in the coastal Latakia province, saying they were likely from Israeli strikes targeting a state company for technical industries.
The Syrian army said that Israel fired missiles from Lebanese airspace, adding that two people were killed in the attack and the facility was severely damaged, Hadashot reported early Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense denied that the American military was behind the attack, telling the Voice of America news outlet, "I can unequivocally say this is not us."
Syrian military sources told SANA that the attack came from the direction of the sea and targeted an Organization for Technological Industries center in Latakia.
The sources also claimed the country’s air defenses shot down a number of incoming missiles. The Syrian army has regularly been accused of exaggerating its interception capabilities.
The attack caused a large kaboom and knocked out power to the surrounding area, according to local media.
The Organization for Technological Industries is a subsidiary of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and has been tied to the developments of both missiles and chemical weapons.
The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the kabooms, saying the target appeared to be an ammunition depot, part of the compound of the organization. The war monitoring group said it was not clear if the depot was for Iranian or Syrian forces.
The strikes followed a similar attack on Damascus International Airport late Saturday, which Syrian state media also blamed on Israel. A military official quoted then on state media said Syrian air defenses intercepted some missiles coming from the sea.
Air traffic controllers at the Khmeimim Air Base "lost contact" with the aircraft on Monday evening, during the attack of Israeli F-16 fighters on Latakia, said the Russian Defense Ministry. The plane was 35 kilometers off the coast of Syria when it vanished.
A search and rescue mission is underway.
Russian radars also registered the launch of missiles from a French frigate in the Mediterranean on the evening of September 17.
The Ilyushin 20 (IL-20) surveillance turboprop plane is an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) platform, equipped with a wide range of antennas, infrared and optical sensors. The aircraft's SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) and the plane's satellite link allows the Russian military to monitor Syrian skies in real time.
An hour-long attack on Latakia began around 10 pm local time, and targeted a power station as well as two facilities belonging to the Syrian military. Syrian officials said the attack was "foreign" and came "from the sea," but could not initially confirm rumors that Israel was behind it. Seven people were maimed in the attack, according to Syrian officials.
While the Russian military said it recorded four F-16 Israeli jets over Syria at the time of the attack on Latakia, the IDF has refused to comment on the report.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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Mysterious Mideast ascriptions:
If Russia is having conniptions,
Refer to past slips...
And aren't airplanes like ships?
Say, those vicious old Hunt-class Egpytians?
#11
That is what happens in a clustered and confused airspace.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Israeli F-16s came up close to where the IL-20 was, fired missiles and hauled ass out of there with the thought they could use the Russians as cover.
#12
"The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defense," Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Russia said Israel did not warn it of its operation over Latakia province until one minute before the strikes, which did not give the Russian plane enough time to escape. The official added that the plane was downed by a Russian-made missile system which was sold to Syria.
[AlMasdar] Kurdish units continue to hunt down Ottoman Turkish-backed rebel fighters across Afrin region in northern Syria in spite of the strict security measures taken to prevent such incidents.
The YPG press office released a video showing an FSA rebel fighters being assassinated, his rifle seized by a Kurdish unit. The incident took place on the road leading to the village of Berbene in Afrin’s Rajo district.
This comes as the Ottoman Turkish-backed groups in Afrin imposed a curfew across the region to safe their fighters from the Kurdish fire.
According to a Kurdish source, more than 10 FSA militates were killed across Afrin in the past 7 days.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
unless Turkey commits its own troops and tanks in substantial numbers, it's toadies will melt away as, IIUC, the Afrin population, by and large is pro Kurd even those who are Shia or Arab
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/18/2018 10:04 Comments ||
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[Alamasdar] (8:30 A.M.) – A US-backed rebel group has reached an agreement with the Russian Reconciliation Center to leave the Tanf region for northern Syria.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Quraytayn Martyrs Brigade has reached an agreement with the Russian Reconciliation Center to leave the Tanf region for the northern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate.
The SOHR report said that the rebel group will be evacuated from the Tanf region alongside their family members that are present in the Rukban Refugee Camp.
The rebel group will also be allowed to keep their military vehicles and weapons, which is different from most factions that are evacuated.
The Quraytayn Martyrs Brigade and their family members will be evacuated through the Syrian government’s territories until they reach the areas of the Aleppo Governorate that are controlled by the Turkish-backed rebels.
With the departure of the Quraytayn Martyrs Brigade from the Tanf region, only one rebel group remains in this large desert area controlled by the US forces.
[AlMasdar] (9:20 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a big counter-offensive against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), today, after the latter regained all of the territory they lost to the government forces in east Homs.
Led by their Republican Guard forces, the Syrian Arab Army managed to retake all of the territory the Islamic State captured on Sunday evening.
According to a military report from Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army was able to retake all of the territory they lost after the Islamic State failed to secure their gains this morning.
However, despite the fact they recaptured these areas in the Badiya Al-Sham region of east Homs, the Syrian Army still suffered heavy losses over the last 24 hours.
The Syrian Army reported over 25 casualties after the Islamic State launched their big counterattack near the western border of the Deir Ezzor Governorate.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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[AlMasdar] (10:15 A.M.) – The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) launched a large-scale counter-offensive in the Badiya Al-Sham region of western Deir Ezzor on Sunday.
The Islamic State began their assault, yesterday, by storming the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions at the northeastern and southeastern axes of the Badiya Al-Sham region.
According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army was forced to withdraw from the areas they recently liberated in western Deir Ezzor after their first line of defense collapsed.
As a result of this Islamic State assault, more than 25 Syrian Arab Army soldiers were killed and dozens more were wounded.
The Islamic State reportedly recaptured all of the territory they lost to the Syrian Arab Army earlier in the week.
While the Russian and Syrian air forces entered the battle late last night, the Islamic State was still able to recover all of the ground they lost in the previous days.
[AlMasdar] (3:45 P.M.) – The US-backed Kurdish militia continues fight against the Islamic State in eastern Syria amid stiff resistance from the terror group.
Backed by US and French soldiers, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are attempting to break through ISIS defense lines in Hajin and Baghuz towns of Deir Ezzor eastern countryside.
However, the extremist organization has so far managed to repel all assaults; thus keeping its bastions under control in spite of the heavy airstrikes conducted by the US coalition.
Footage released by pro-SDF media shows US and French servicemen launching mortar and artillery strikes against ISIS militants.
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[AlMasdar] (1:45 P.M.) – Minutes ago, the Syrian Arab Army launched a powerful assault on the jihadist strongholds in the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate.
According to a military source in nearby Hama, the Syrian Army launched a large number of missiles and artillery shells towards the jihadist trenches are the towns of Umm Khalkheel and Khuwayn.
In addition to the attacks on the aforementioned jihadist trenches, the Syrian Army also targeted the militant positions around the provincial border towns of Sukeek and Taman’ah.
The Syrian Arab Army is now raining missiles on Jaysh Al-Izza’s positions in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate.
With the Russian and Turkish leaders meeting in Sochi to discuss the fate of Idlib, the Syrian Arab Army has been limited to missile and artillery strikes inside the province.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/18/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
it is not a 'heavy attack' if you are just doing missiles and artillery
I don't know how many loyal and high quality ground troops Assad still has but I doubt he can afford to lose a lot of them in an actual 'heavy attack' on Idlib. That may be the reason for the slow motion of this offensive.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/18/2018 12:36 Comments ||
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#2
The SAA has Syrians, but Lebanese and Palestinian troops as well. Likely a contributor to slow progress.
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.
[PhilStar] Seven people, one of them a three-year-old girl, were wounded in an explosion in Barangay Apopong, General Santos City late yesterday morning. Malacañang condemend the bombing and vowed to run after its perpetrators. 
[SunStar] A suspected hitman of the New People’s Army has surrendered and returned to the folds of the law over the weekend. A certain Bryan Fabre alias Alex, resident of Valencia City, turned himself in to the Eighth Infantry Battalion in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon. The military said Fabre was a member of Squad 1, SDG Platoon "Thunder", North Central Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA.
[PhilStar] Seven Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed and 17 soldiers were injured in gunfights Saturday in Patikul town in Sulu.
[IsraelTimes] 14 servicemen aboard plane which went missing over Mediterranean; Syria claims 2 killed after Israel fires missiles from Lebanese airspace toward chemical weapons-linked facility
A Syrian facility linked to the country’s chemical weapons program was bombed on Monday night, triggering Syrian air defenses, state media reported.
