#10
Merry Christmas to all at my most valued daily read. Thanks and God Bless all here and all who make this so important a place amidst the chaos. Well Done!
[ToloNews] Afghan women’s rights activist Freshta Kohistan ...a backwoods district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distinguished by being even more rustic than is the norm among the local Pashtuns.... i was assassinated along with her brother by unknown button men in Dahno village of Hes-e-Awal in Kohistan district of Kapisa province, a security source told TOLOnews on Thursday.
The liquidation comes a day after unknown button men killed Yousuf Rasheed, CEO of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) in Kabul along with his driver in the early morning.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior in a statement confirmed the killing of Freshta Kohistani.
"At around 5:00pm today, unknown button men riding on a cycle of violence martyred Freshta Kohistani in Hes-e-Awal area of Kohistan district of Kapisa, her brother was maimed in the attack, the intelligence units have launched an investigation into the attack," said the MoI in a statement.
But police in Kapisa said that Kohistani's brother was also killed in the attack.
‘GOVT IGNORED THREATS AGAINST HER’
No doubt.
On December 13, Freshta Kohistani in a Facebook post criticized the Afghan security agencies for not helping to ensure her security and she requested help from First Vice President Amrullah Saleh.
"Several times I asked the Ministry of Interior, the minister himself, the head of the anti-crime department and the head of the National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... to address the threats that I am faced with, but they disregarded me," wrote Freshta Kohistani.
"I again request that the responsible authorities take my issue seriously, otherwise those who never addressed my security and problems will be responsible for my blood. Now that the Ministry of Interior and the NDS did not take it seriously, I request Mr. Saleh and rest of the elders of the country to do something," she wrote.
On Wednesday, Yousuf Rasheed, CEO of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), and his driver Sami were killed in Kabul by unknown button men.
On Tuesday, 5 doctors were also killed in a assassination.
On Monday night, Rahmatullah Nikzad, a freelance news hound and head of a media safety union in Ghazni, was killed in an attack by unknown gunnies in the province.
The attack happened near his home, according to local officials.
Amnesia Amnesty International South Asia in a tweet said that the liquidation of Nikzad "is a horrific crime. "This is the fifth journalist killed in the last two months," Amnesty Intl said.
Nikzad was the fifth journalist killed in the country in less than two months. Former TOLOnews presenter Yama Siawash, Radio Azadi news hound Elyas Daee, Enekaas TV's presenter in Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. Malala Maiwand, and Ariana News presenter Fardin Amini were all killed in separate incidents since November 7.
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan National Army (ANA) discovered a vehicle fully loaded with kabooms during an operation in Laghman ...Afghan province with a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a repution for great wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.
He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.
After that it was mostly notable for the production of dirt, rocks, and holy men... province, said the Ministry of Defense in a statement Thursday.
"A car loaded with kabooms was seized by #ANA in Laghman province last night," said the MoD in a tweet.
According to the statement, the explosives materials were planned to be transformed in to various kind of explosives, targeting civilians and security forces across the country.
"The kabooms were going to be used in making bombs and IEDs for #Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... ’s terrorist activities," the tweet added.
Taliban did not comment on the incident immediately.
[KhaamaPress] At least 21 Taliban ...Arabic for students... killed and further nine maimed during a battle with Afghan National Army (ANA) in southern province of Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... , said the Ministry of Interior in a statement Thursday.
"21 #Taliban were killed and 9 others were maimed in Nawa district of Helmand province yesterday," said the MoD in a tweet.
According to the statement, the Taliban initially targeted Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the area but faced heavy retaliation.
"They were attacking #ANDSF positions when they were targeted by #ANA," the tweet. Added. "A large amount of their ammunition and weapons were destroyed as result of the reciprocal attacks."
Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his other leg...... in another battle in Kandahar, at least seven Taliban killed and further nine maimed in Zheria district of the southern province.
"7 #Taliban were killed and 9 others were maimed in Zheria district of Kandahar province, yesterday," said the MoD. "They were planning to attack #ANDSF positions when they were targeted by ANA."
Taliban did not immediately comment on the incident.
#1
Love it! Especially "Injun country"! Had the misfortune to work there for a few years, mining in no man's land near Baramcha. Interesting work, horrible place overrun by the drug cartels and their caravans.
#3
Baramcha (sometimes apparently spelt Bahram Cha) does not show up in the Rantburg archives by name, pakinut, though Dishu district has from time to time. See archive search here.
#4
We seem to have missed a Rolling Stone article from 2013 that names Baramcha as the center of Afghanistan’s opium trade, so I posted key bits for tomorrow. pakinut, I would be very happy if you took a look at it after the midnight (Eastern Time) rollover and added your comments.
[KhaamaPress] Ministry of Defense in a statement said that the security forces have discovered and defused at least eight Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Kandahar Province.
These IEDs were discovered in a series of Afghan National Security Force’s operations.
The IEDs were discovered in the Shorabak and Maiwand districts of the region before they could inflict injuries or result in the deaths of many civilians.
The ministry said the Afghan National Army "lives of tens of civilians were saved as a result".
Earlier, a special unit of the Afghan National Police (ANP) discovered at least four Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in a series of operations across the country, said the Ministry of Interior Affairs in a statement Thursday.
"The engineering teams of ANP following point-to-point search operations managed to discover & defuse four IEDs in Kandahar, Farah & Sar-e-Pul ...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone... provinces," MoI tweeted.
Officials did not provide further details, but said "the snuffies had planted the bombs to target the innocent civilians."
[KhaamaPress] Mohammad Omar Akhundzadeh, a provincial head to the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs, was maimed, said local authorities, after an armed attack by unknown button men on Thursday.
According to local officials, his bodyguard was maimed during the attack.
Abdulbashir Khaksar, deputy front man for the Kandahar police, told media the incident took place at around 9 a.m. Thursday in Chawoni area of Police District 13 (PD13) in Kandahar province.
According to Khaksar, during the attack Akhundzadeh was killed and his bodyguard was maimed.
While the suspect flee the scene, security officials assured an investigation is underway to bring the perpetrators to justice.
No group of individual has immediately grabbed credit for the attack.
I suspect it is the province of Sar-e-Pul, b, as in that little list it is the one with the dotted grey underline indicating Fred’s auto-translator in action, as well as being followed by a yellow-highlighted comment in the auto-translation font.
[KhaamaPress] At least 16 Taliban ...Arabic for students... gunnies killed and further two maimed after bearing heavy retaliation by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province, said the Ministry of Defense in a statement Thursday.
According to the statement, the Taliban initially carried an attack against the forces, but faced heavy retaliation.
"16 #Taliban were killed and 2 others were maimed in Shirzad district of Ningarhar province, yesterday," said the MoD in a tweet. "They were attacking #ANDSF positions when they were targeted by ANA."
Meanwhile, ...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin... in a separate news from Sar-e-Pul ...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone... , at least four Taliban krazed killer killed and further seven injured during festivities with Afghan forces.
"4 #Taliban were killed and 7 others were maimed in Gosfandi district of Sarpul province by #ANA last night," the tweet added.
Taliban did not immediately comment on the incident.
[AlAhram] More than 40 people were on board the makeshift boat, said Mourad Turki, a front man for the Sfax court.
Tunisia's coastguard on Thursday retrieved the bodies of 20 migrants colonists after their boat capsized at sea, with at least 15 more feared missing, including children, officials said.
Five other migrants colonists who were on board were rescued, defence ministry front man Mohammed Zekri told AFP, adding that a search operation was underway.
The rescue effort took place off the port of Sfax in central Tunisia, Zekri said, adding that those on board came from sub-Saharan Africa, without giving further details.
More than 40 people were on board the makeshift boat, said Mourad Turki, a front man for the Sfax court.
Thirteen of the 20 bodies recovered were women, Turki added.
Khaled Hayouni, a front man for the interior ministry, said the boat was heading to Italia when it sank.
He said that some of the bodies had been taken to a Sfax hospital for autopsies to determine the cause of death.
Tunisian fishermen, who were nearby after the sinking, said that children were also on board the boat and are still missing, said Turki.
Tunisia is just a few hundred kilometres (miles) from mainland Europe, and has long been a launchpad for illegal migration to the continent.
Departures by desperate migrants colonists seeking a new life in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... peaked in 2011, following the revolution that overthrew Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Although numbers have dropped significantly in recent years, illegal crossings from Tunisia to Europe jumped by more than 150 percent in January to April compared to the same period last year, according to the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... refugee agency.
Many of the migrants colonists are from sub-Saharan African countries fleeing economic hardship and crisis at home.
According to the interior ministry, 8,581 migrants colonists were intercepted after setting off on the perilous Mediterranean crossing between January and mid-September.
Of those, 2,014 were non-Tunisians.
Earlier this month, the Tunisian navy said it had intercepted 93 migrants colonists after their boat broke down off Sfax during an attempt to reach Italia.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/25/2020 01:12 ||
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[11125 views]
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[AnNahar] Seven troops and 11 suspected jihadists have died in festivities in a troubled western region of Niger ahead of elections this weekend, the defence ministry said Thursday.
An army patrol in the Taroun area in the Tillaberi region was ambushed early Monday morning by "heavily armed terrorists" travelling aboard cycle of violences and other vehicles, it said in a statement, using a term that typically denotes jihadists.
The country, the poorest in the world by the benchmark of the UN's Human Development Index, is to stage presidential and legislative elections on Sunday.
The statement said seven troops died and two others and a civilian were maimed, while 11 attackers were killed, seven of them after the army launched a "spontaneous riposte".
"Motorbikes and weapons were seized. Followup operations are under way in the area," it said.
Tillaberi is located in the so-called tri-border area, a jihadist-plagued zone where the mostly non-existent borders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... converge.
Travel by motorbike has been banned there since January in a bid to prevent incursions by highly mobile jihadists riding on two wheels.
Niger is eyeing Sunday's two-round ballot as a historic moment, setting the country on course for its first peaceful handover between elected leaders since independence from La Belle France 60 years ago.
President Mahamadou Issoufou, who was elected in 2011 after the country's last coup in 2010, is voluntarily stepping down after two terms.
A landlocked state located in the heart of the Sahel, Niger is being hammered in the southwest by jihadists from neighbouring Mali and in the southeast by jihadists from Nigeria, the cradle of the decade-old insurgency launched 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... Four thousand people in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger died last year from jihadist violence and ethnic bloodshed stirred by Islamists, according to the UN.
On December 12, 34 villagers were massacred in the southeastern region of Diffa on the eve of municipal and regional elections that had been repeatedly delayed because of poor security.
Rat bastards. Try ‘em fair, then burn ‘em at the stake.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Militant far-left group Shut Down DC announces it will try to infest hotels and accommodation facilities in the capital with bed bugs in order to harm the Proud Boys. pic.twitter.com/92yOAHQZS8
#4
Maybe all they are doing is making the Homeless and Anti-Fart/BLOM types, that they will be trucking in for Crowd Size Photo Op's, feel at home?
Besides given the general weirdness of Liberals and Socialist-Democrats. Who is to say they aren't just getting to DC Whortel rooms more Earth Friendly?
#5
Well, I think those who have actively encouraged this sort of thing and those who have gone along to get along should all share equally in what they have unleashed now.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 13:29 Comments ||
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New report: 4 far-left activists have been arrested following ATF investigation into firebombing attacks in Little Rock. Renea Goddard, one of the suspects, is a journalist. Other arrestees include Brittany Jeffrey, Aline Espinosa-Villegas & Emily Nowlin. https://t.co/rc5jTMUKmn
[Post Millennial] At 11:45 am on Tuesday, a BNSF train derailed and caught fire north of Bellingham, WA. The disaster resembles what alleged terrorists have been attempting and arrested for in Washington state since earlier in the year.
A BNSF Railway spokeswoman said that the train was comprised of "around 108 cars" was carrying crude oil to the Phillips 66 refinery in Ferndale when seven cars derailed. Two of the cars caught fire and spewed black smoke into the air. Alberta heavy crude - "tar sand"? The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been investigating the placement of "shunts" on the BNSF tracks since January. US Attorney Brian Moran said, "...since January there have been 41 incidents of shunts placed on the BNSF tracks in Whatcom and Skagit counties—causing crossing guards to malfunction, interfering with automatic braking systems, and, in one case, causing the near-derailment of tanks of hazardous chemicals." Shunts are more likely to cause collisions, not derailments. However -
On Nov. 28, two women from Bellingham, Samantha Frances Brooks, 27, and Ellen Brennan Reiche,
... “radical queer” environmental activist who co-founded the Bellingham Lesbian Collective, she currently works as a mentor for Wild Whatcom, engaging children and families in nature programs year round ...
23, were arrested and charged with terrorism after an attack on BNSF railroad by allegedly placing a "shunt" on the tracks which disrupts the low-level electrical current on the tracks and can disable the train’s safety features. Unexpectedly -
On a now-deleted LinkedIn page, Reiche was previously employed as a Deputy Field Organizer for Washington State Democrats.
Related: Heavy.com has more on the ladies and the events around their arrest.
#5
EO 13224 allows POTUS designation of foreign terror groups. This is because the Constitution allows POTUS broad authority in foreign relations.
It is not likely that designation of domestic terror groups is constitutional without a Congressional action authorizing it. This situation should have been rectified during Trump's administration but it wasn't.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/25/2020 8:10 Comments ||
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#6
#2 is correct, in England.
In the US, a shunt is a temporary electrical connection, for testing. One 'shunts' between the two rails to verify the signals work.
If one were to leave a shunt in place, the grade crossing gates would stay down (irritating) but the train signals would stay red until the shunt was removed.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/25/2020 8:32 Comments ||
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#7
On a now-deleted LinkedIn page, Reiche was previously employed as a Deputy Field Organizer for Washington State Democrats.
Still working for the Democrats -- just shifted over from part-time, political wing to full-time paramilitary wing
#10
#9 EC1560, "countries of historical origin": What about mutts like me?
I can prove ancestry in Germany, Austria, Moravia, Holland, England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Of course, I can also prove a tiny bit of American Indian (I won't call them Native Americans; I was born in America and that makes me a Native American. ;-)
Posted by: Barbara ||
12/25/2020 16:36 Comments ||
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#11
Heavy.com has an article about the two ladies and their arrest, which I’ve added to the bottom of Bobby’s article for easy future reference. They write that there have been 41 shunt incidents in that area in the first eleven months of 2020, adding:
Shortly after the first shunts were discovered in January, “a claim of responsibility was published on an anarchist website,” the release says. The complaint names that website as itsgoingdown.org.
“This claim of responsibility stated that the shunting activity was carried out in solidarity with Native American tribes in Canada seeking to prevent the construction of an oil pipeline across British Columbia, and with the express goal of disrupting BNSF operations and supplies for the pipeline,” says the complaint.
[AA.TR] Ottoman Turkish security forces seized a large cache of illegal drugs as part of nationwide counter-narcotics operations, authorities said Thursday.
In the eastern province of Van bordering Iran, police teams found over 220 kilograms (485 pounds) of heroin in two different vehicles; a car and a truck.
While one driver was arrested, police continue their search for two more runaway suspects.
Acting on a tip-off, [RING!] Cop shoppe! Sergeant Shafiq speaking! Lissen! Dis is Mahmoud da Weasel! I got a tip for youse... Istanbul police raided a warehouse in Gaziosmanpasa district. In the raid, over 285 kg (628 lbs) of marijuana and at least 45,000 ecstasy pills were confiscated.
Police teams also detained three suspects and seized a pistol.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2020 00:00 ||
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[11122 views]
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Police say an "intentional act"
[USA Today] An explosion was reported in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning that was felt for miles.
Police and firefighters responded to an area near Second Avenue and Commerce Street about 6:45 a.m. Friday. Officials are on the scene trying to put out the fire and see if anyone is inside the building.
The fire department confirmed a bomb squad was on the scene with an active investigation by Metro police and federal agenices. It sent out a tweet asking residents and others to avoid the area
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/25/2020 10:01 ||
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#1
Fox has aerial footage. Looks like a Beirut street
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/25/2020 10:09 Comments ||
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#2
I suspect it's something local. Nashville isn't exactly most terrorists first choice of location.
I realize it's a potential test run by someone as well, but right now I still think it's unlikely. Now if we see more like this in a week or so, then I'll suspect something bigger.
And if BLM/Antifa is involved, I expect they would wait til after Jan 20 to go kinetic.
#3
Apparently at 6AM, a call came in about a suspicious vehicle. The investigating cop wisely called out the bomb squad. The destruction is considerable
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/25/2020 10:22 Comments ||
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Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
12/25/2020 10:45 Comments ||
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#7
RV. Just a guess but maybe someone sleeping over night in a rarely used RV visiting family for Christmas that filled with leaking propane until they got up at 6AM and turned on the heat or whatever that sparked the whole thing.
#9
/\ I was thinking of a propane tank as well, but can such a tank cause so much damage (along with the fuel tank full, perhaps) and to be heard "12 miles away"?
#10
Check out the pics of the extent of damage. This was no leaking propane tank. The FBI is taking the lead, so expect "White Rightwing Extremists™" to be the focus
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/25/2020 11:03 Comments ||
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#12
Lots of extremists of all shapes and sizes around Nashville. It does appear to be a fuel air/propane type of explosion. That street is like a canyon and would have magnified the effect of the blast. Intentional or unintentional remains to be seen...first reports are always suspect.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 13:10 Comments ||
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#16
The audio warning is particularly ominous, MM.
Is the action an overall warning of what is to come?
Don't know if this is Antifa as the voice warning was grammatically coherent and audio had associated warning tones, not unlike a robotic Mass Notification message.
I'm going to wait on a bit more info.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/25/2020 13:23 Comments ||
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#17
Some speculation it was and LRAD message. Even more ominous.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 13:27 Comments ||
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#18
My SWAG:
Suspicious vehicle report.
RV with multiple propane tanks or other explosives
Call the bomb squad
Start evacuation
Earth Shattering KABOOM
#20
The IRA shifted from blowing up people to blowing up property to avoid scaring off their fan club in Boston which started freaking out about the murders. Could be something similar once we know who set it off.
#21
It's a weird story. There was a warning and then a countdown before the kaboom. Intentional. Someone didn't like their cable bill or service? AT&T owns CNN, the communist news network.
My mother-in-law lives out near Bellvue and it seems her landline phone is affected as we can't get in touch with her.
#25
Wow. Multiple warnings, a countdown, and a dangerous wake up call with a fuel air explosive device on Christmas morning in Nashville...
If that device would've been detonated without warning on a regular New Years Eve anywhere near Broadway in the Nashville party district it would've been devastating.
BLM and Antifa were there in force back in the late spring...Muslim extremists dwell in the greater Nashville area as well (my son was stopped in traffic and threatened by one these fools several years ago - a bunch of mouth about the mosque that was burned and he sped off)...although that has quietened down. The Muslim extremist recruiting is heavy in the prison system though. The frustrated right wing is very loud, not sure how organized. They were very organized back in 1993. This kinda has a 1993 OK City feel to it...that feeling is offset by the fact that this is an attack in the South on Christmas Day.
There are cameras everywhere downtown...MTF I guess.
#28
My mother-in-law lives out near Bellvue and it seems her landline phone is affected as we can't get in touch with her.
Multiple 911 lines down in Middle Tennessee - not sure if this is connected via a separate event or due to a report that the Nashville explosion damaged an AT&T data center...outages to ATT&T service reported across the South.
#31
The shots fired an hour or so before the countdown and audio warning suggoa way to draw serious attention to the area and the bomb squad callout to an RV hints at some sort of visual clue to promt the uniform to get a bomb squad out on Christmas morning. While the ATT link to CNN is a stretch it might have a connection to the importance of that site and/or the locality of choice cor the bombers. FBI lead is predictable and given their current behaviors worrisome since they will play the usual games if there is a political aspect the 7th floor finds unacceptable to Obama 3.0 and Xi.
#34
A colleagues son was in the Marines in Fallujah and he said that for really dangerous buildings they would attach a fused stick of C-4 on a propane tank and roll it through the door. The explosion would take the roof off—-problem solved.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/25/2020 15:42 Comments ||
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#35
Good finds, all. Thank you for posting this for us this morning, Frank G. It will be very interesting to see who was so criminally stupid as to do this thing in Tennessee instead of California or elsewhere in the Northwest.
The local newspaper, The Tennessean is also updating as new information comes in:
Just before the blast, witnesses in the area reported a dire warning coming from the RV: “Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode."
Then, the voice started a 15-minute countdown.
Officers were conducting door-to-door checks in the area and redirected a man walking his dog along the street. The force of the explosion knocked an officer to the ground and gave another officer what police hope is temporary hearing loss. Three people were hospitalized with injuries, police said.
#36
How much stuff easily tracked down or right out in the light of day is ignored now by the media, the FBI, the DOJ, state election bureaus, CDC, NIH, etc?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 16:34 Comments ||
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#37
Motive?
Mass casualties. No.
Terror. Not really. Terrorists just don't set up speakers announcing an explosion in advance.
#38
The amount of damage doen doesn't seem consisten with the amount of propane + liquid fuel an RV that size might carry. AT&T blackout covers a large area. Commercial flights shut down. Somebody got some serioys band for the buck. Time of day suggests civilian fatalities / injuries were not what was desired.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 16:58 Comments ||
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#39
Serious bang for the buck...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 17:00 Comments ||
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#40
Fauxi says we have to stop using telephones / driving RVs / going to Nashville in 3-2-1...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 17:02 Comments ||
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#41
"FBI vows to find culprit."
Right. And they had Hunter Biden's laptop for a year and....
#42
The "usual suspects" are smoking meth in a trailer somewhere in Idaho right now...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 17:09 Comments ||
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#43
Perhaps this is a preemptive warning about what they could do if Trump does something before he leaves off, if he does? The rumor of a strike on an Iranian nuke site, or some other Trumpian act might be why this was done to show what consequences might follow? It is the highest Holy Day in Christianity, if that has some bearing? But it was also planned for max visibility, least casualities, so that suggests it wasn't to draw a reaction, but make a point about what could be. As for the ATT/airplanes impact, it might be a feature of the site choice, not a coincidence. Something was on/around that RV that had a message/motive that the FBI are not sharing...?
#44
Current center of the US, population wise, is one state to the west...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 17:18 Comments ||
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#45
At least one fatality reported now, not confirmed yet...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 17:32 Comments ||
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#46
An RV is a curious choice. Only someone with actual experience of leisurely travel and camping in an RV would know or consider that it uses propane. So very likely not a jihadi or other foreign-born ... unless he's from one of those north European countries where "caravan" holidays are common.
Prob'y white + prob'y Antifa + prob'y someone with experience of RV or "caravan" camping. That's a pretty tiny population I'd wager ..
#51
Started looking into WHO is in the general area.
But nothing I would see as a worthy target (still looking) doing a GOOGLE Street View drive around...???
Davidson County Election Commission 2nd Ave S 1st Floor Nashville, TN (Too far away)
Stacy Abrams & AOC offices and several others running have offices On GAY St. (Too Far away)
Maybe this was a Heads up warning shot for bigger demands yet publicly released.
BTW: the video of the blast shown on FOX showed a BRIGHT WHITE FLASH, not YELLOW. Which points to a certain type of harder to acquire explosive materials.
#55
Witnesses heard 4 volleys of gun fire before the explosion.
Hero alert. Video shows a police officer warning a man walking his dog of a bomb threat and was escorting him and his dog back to his home when the explosion occurred, the officer assisted the man and dog back into their home and immediately returned to the street seconds after the explosion.
#58
Trivial and less than anecdotal, but... one San Diegan flipped through this morning's OTA network news-n-schmooze every few minutes for a solid hour without seeing any trace whatsoever of this event. Struck me as a little odd even for a Christmas morning in 2020.
#61
"This kinda has a 1993 OK City feel to it...that feeling is offset by the fact that this is an attack in the South on Christmas Day."
OK City was a couple of idiots upset that Iraqi civilians were caught up in the war their government started. Supposed right-wing groups rejected the idiots; the supposed militia connections were their failed attempts to get support.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/25/2020 20:06 Comments ||
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#62
Blew up AT&T. Affected internet in the wider area. If they can't pin this RV on someone, could be government operation. Or something similar.
#63
OK City was a couple of idiots upset that Iraqi civilians were caught up in the war their government started. Supposed right-wing groups rejected the idiots; the supposed militia connections were their failed attempts to get support.
Posted by: Rob Crawford
What?
Ok City bombing in 95 was in response to the Waco siege and Ruby Ridge... Anniversary of Waco fiasco.
#65
flipped through this morning's OTA network news-n-schmooze every few minutes for a solid hour without seeing any trace whatsoever of this event. Struck me as a little odd even for a Christmas morning in 2020.
They're scrambling to fit it into the narrative.
Trying to find a way to blame Trump, deplorables, Whitey etc
[IsraelTimes] TV network says man confesses, gives details on attack; reports indicate he is a released security prisoner; security forces also detain several potential accomplices.
Security forces arrested a Paleostinian man Thursday suspected in the murder of Israeli Esther Horgen early this week in the West Bank, as well as several suspected accomplices.
The Shin Bet security service announced on Thursday that it had arrested a man suspected in the murder, a resident of Jenin. Later in the day the military said additional suspected accomplices were detained for questioning, without specifying how many.
Horgen, 52, a mother of six, went for a run in the Reihan forest near her house in the settlement of Tal Menashe on Sunday afternoon and did not return, whereupon her husband, Benjamin, notified the police. Her body was found in the early hours of Monday in the forest, apparently after she was killed violent mostly peacefully.
According to Channel 13 news, the interrogation of the suspect revealed he was not a member of a terror group and had waited in the forest to attack any Israeli who passed by. The suspect snuck up on Horgen, striking her several times in the head before hiding her body, the report said.
Investigators were reportedly looking into how long the suspect waited in the forest and whether he brought a weapon with him. The network said security forces received intelligence Thursday on his identity and waited to determine he was home before arresting him.
Paleostinian media named the detainee as a 36-year-old man from Tura, a town in the Jenin governorate around 2.5 kilometers’ drive from Tal Menashe. The reports further indicated that he had served time in Israeli prison for security offenses. The Times of Israel confirmed the detainee’s arrest and prior jail time, but the prisoner’s identity remains under a gag order.
Col. Yair Peli, the head of the Menashe Regional Brigade, said the other detainees were suspected accomplices in the killing.
Horgen’s murder sparked several days of tension in the West Bank. On Monday night, dozens of settlers marched through Huwara, a Paleostinian village close to Nablus, in response to the murder. According to Israeli media reports, 13 allegations that settlers threw stones at Paleostinians were reported on Tuesday alone.
[Jpost] The process of mapping the house was done in order to examine the possibility of demolishing the house.
IDF soldiers entered the Paleostinian village of Tura early Friday in order to map the house of the terrorist suspected of murdering Esther Horgen, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit reported.
The process of mapping the house was done in order to examine the possibility of demolishing the house, in case the suspected killer is found guilty.
Horgen’s body was found on the side of a path in the forest and showed signs of violence, including to her head. Her family reported her missing on Sunday. She is survived by her husband, Benyamin, and six children. Her youngest child celebrated his bar mitzvah three months ago.
A suspect in the murder of Horgen, who was killed in the northern West Bank in an alleged terrorist attack, was arrested in a joint operation by the Police, the IDF, and the Border Police on Thursday.
On Thursday, at around noon, intelligence units found that the suspect was staying at his mother’s house in the village of Toura, near Jenin.
The Yamam (Israel Police National Counter Terrorism Unit) then arrived at the scene and with assistance from intelligence drones, the suspect was located on a rooftop and was later apprehended. He was taken questioning by the Shin Bet.
The paratroopers special unit came to the scene after the arrest and detained family members and other suspected accomplices.
The suspect is a 40-year-old Paleostinian who has had previous involvement in security-related activity. His political affiliation isn’t clear.
Israeli Jets Fly Low over Lebanon to Strike Syria's Hama
[AnNahar] Israeli warplanes violated Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... 's airspace late Thursday to carry out a strike in neighboring Syria, sparking panic among residents on Christmas Eve.
The jets were heard flying at low altitude over Beirut and Sidon shortly before the strikes. Social media reports also said that blasts were heard in the northern regions of Akkar and Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... . It was not immediately clear whether those were bombardment sounds or the sounds of jets breaking the sound barrier.
Israeli jets regularly violate Lebanese airspace and have often struck inside Syria from Lebanese territory. But the Christmas Eve flights were louder than usual, frightening residents of Beirut who have endured multiple crises in the past year, including the catastrophic Aug. 4 explosion at the city's port that killed over 200 people and destroyed parts of the capital. That explosion resulted from the detonation of a stockpile of ammonium nitrates that was improperly stored at the facility.
Syria's state news agency SANA said Syrian air defenses intercepted missiles fired by Israel on the western province of Hama.
"Our air defenses intercepted an Israeli attack on the Masyaf area" in rural Hama, SANA reported.
Syrian state TV aired footage purporting to show air defenses responding to the Israeli attack.
The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported strikes on Masyaf, saying Israel was "likely responsible."
The war monitor said the attack targeted "positions of regime forces and Iran-backed militias," without providing additional details.
Israel, which did not immediately comment on the reports, has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011.
It has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria, but says Iran's presence in support of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... is a threat and that it will continue its strikes.
A security source told Sputnik news that the airstrike targeted the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center in the Masyaf area.
The area of Masyaf has been a target in several attacks in recent years, mostly attributed to the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The last time an airstrike attributed to Israel targeted the area of Masyaf was in early June, when an alleged Israeli airstrike targeted Syrian defense factories near the city. At least nine people, including four Syrian nationals, were reported dead as a result.
A site belonging to the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) is located in Masyaf and has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes in the past. In 2017, two soldiers were killed in an airstrike blamed on Israel, according to the BBC. The SSRC site in Masyaf was used to produce chemical weapons, according to the BBC.
Masyaf is a significant military area for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime that includes a military academy and a scientific research center. The general area around Masyaf is also believed to have a major Iranian presence.
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.
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...Arabic for 
...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone...
About 1.5 hour's MRAP ride from Spin, if nothing happens along the way. 
...Arabic for 
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
... 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...
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been investigating the placement of "shunts" on the BNSF tracks since January. US Attorney Brian Moran said, "...since January there have been 41 incidents of shunts placed on the BNSF tracks in Whatcom and Skagit counties—causing crossing guards to malfunction, interfering with automatic braking systems, and, in one case, causing the near-derailment of tanks of hazardous chemicals."
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
