#3
'Twere old hat if Draper had drawn it,
Or written a sonnet upon it...
"Since she's in a hurry
To ride in her surrey,
I'll just snap a shot of that bonnet."
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Two forces of Evil were killed in a premature kaboom in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... province as they were planting an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in a roadside.
An official in the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Fraidoon Abedi said the incident took place in Qarabagh district.
He said the explosives went off as the murderous Moslems panicked to escape with the arrival of the security forces to the area.
According to Abedi, the Afghan police forces also defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by the forces of Evil in the vicinity of the same area.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan cops foiled a suicide kaboom plot by the hard boyz on a cop shoppe in Kandahar city in South of Afghanistan.
According to the local security officials, a jacket wallah was enjugged Please don't kill me! before he manage to attack the cop shoppe of Police District#14.
The anti-government armed murderous Moslem groups have not commented regarding the report so far.
The security situation in Kandahar province had improved during the recent months but the murderous Moslem groups have been attempting to carry out attacks as they continue to destabilize the southern provinces, specifically the southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province.
A policeman was killed and three others were maimed in a suicide boom-mobileing in Kandahar city on Saturday after the kaboomdestroyed a convoy of the police forces in Police District#9.
The officiasl said the target of the bomber was the police chief of PD#9 who escaped the attack unhurt.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Sunday said at least 3,600 military operations have been launched across the country over the past seven months – killing nearly 9,000 insurgents so far.
"We managed to carry out 10 to 30 military operations on a daily basis in various provinces. Thousands of insurgents have been killed and their important resources have been destroyed so far," said Mohammad Radmanish, deputy spokesman for the Defense Ministry.
According to the Ministry of Interior (MoI), at least 9,000 militants, including more than 100 commanders, designated governors and district governors of Taliban, have been killed in the military operations so far.
"Elimination of the enemy's main bases and clearing the regions where anti-government groups have influence, were the main goals of the operations," MoI spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said.
According to the ministry, Helmand, Farah, Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar, Faryab, Jawzjan, Maidan Wardak, Kandahar, Ghor and Nimroz provinces witnessed heavy wars and parts of the provinces collapsed to the Taliban during this period.
Shafaq Operation was a big military operation that covered all vulnerable parts of the country.
Meanwhile, a number of MPs criticized the leadership of the war by saying that there is a lack of coordination among the Afghan security forces.
"Many insurgents were killed in Shafaq Operation, but security forces have not gained the success that was expected. Meanwhile, the enemy has increased its attacks," said Iqbal Safi, an MP from Kapisa.
"Parts of some provinces fallen to the Taliban during the Shafaq Operation. Thousands of small and heavy weapons were seized by the Taliban and the enemy became stronger," said Hashim Alokozay, member of Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament).
Currently, Afghan security forces are conducting 15 planned operations along with night raids in 13 provinces in order to eliminate insurgents, reports say.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A huge weapons cache belonging to the Taliban group was discovered and destroyed n southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said Sunday.
The cache was discovered during an operation conducted in Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand as the Talibs were looking to use the weapons and explosives for the terrorist attacks.
"Last night, Afghan National Police (Special Units) launched a security operation in Nahar Saraj district of southern Helmand province," Moi said.
"As a result of this operation, Afghan National Police (Special Units) discovered and confiscated a weapon cache consist of: 10 rocket launchers, 400 rifle grenades, 12 hand grenades, 54 BM-16 rockets, 200 PK machine gun bullets, 5 cycle of violences, one radio handset and some amount of explosives," MoI added .
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
[PAJHWOK] Dozens Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers including their commanders in central Uruzgan province have ’defected’ to the Taliban after months of siege, security official said on Sunday.
The soldiers were stationed in ANA Mashal unit in Sajawal Kala area in Chori district.
District Police Chief Aka told Pajhwok Afghan News the military unit was under the Taliban siege from the past two months but was never attacked.
He said the Taliban send delegation of local tribal elders to the military unit for surrender and the soldiers finally decided Saturday evening to put their weapons down, surrender and join the Taliban.
The district chief said he informed authorities about the developing situations early on Saturday who promised to hold meeting and discuss the situation.
Another reliable source in Uruzgan said as many as 41 soldiers, including commanders, had defected to the Taliban ranks after surrender to the group.
According to the source ANA soldiers surrendered three armored tanks, military vehicles and huge quantity of light and heavy weapons to the Taliban.
Meanwhile Taliban Spokesman Qari Yosuf Ahmadi claimed No. 7 military unity and a base in Uruzgan’s Duroshan Saine locality was surrendered to the group through negotiation.
He said Taliban and the military unit commander talks were underway from the past few week and finally reached to a conclusion.
He said the military base Commander Col. Mohammad Ismael and Maj. Rafiqullah with 42 troops defected to the Taliban they surrendered 58 light and heavy weapons, three tanks, two pick up and other military gears to the Taliban.
A couple of days back police commander ’defected’ to Talibs along with his 13 subordinates in Chori district. Police chief Aka said the 3rd police battalion commander based in the district had surrendered to Taliban along with his 13 men.
He identified the commander as Qahir Khan who had been serving as the commander for 3rd police battalion over the past two months.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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[NDTV] At least 19 Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... bad boyz were potted and eight others maimed in the Arclight airstrikes in Dangam district of eastern Kunar province ... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country..... , bordering Pakistain, Afghan government said today, signalling a major crackdown on the terror group operating from across the border.
The Arclight airstrikes in Airogoi village in Dangam district last evening also destroyed one BM-1 rocket launcher and one machine gun belonging to the Pakistain-based terror group, the Afghan Ministry of Interior said in a brief statement.
"19 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed and eight others were maimed," the statement said.
A major operation is underway in Dangam district to clear the area from the presence of terrorist groups, it added. The statement, however, did not provide the details of the air strikes and was silent on whether international coalition was involved in the operation.
The action against the terror group comes as local officials in neighboring Nuristan province said in mid-2014 that LeT is attempting to establish bases in eastern parts of Afghanistan, Khaama news reported.
"The officials further added that over 100 LeT Death Eaters were deployed in Nuristan province in an attempt to set up training camps in Kamdish district," it said.
The group, one of the largest and most proficient of the Kashmire-focused groups, was accused of coordinating and carrying out attack on Indian consulate in western Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... province of Afghanistan in 2014, it added.
Last month, Afghanistan's Vice President Sarwar Danesh had accused Pakistain of waging an "undeclared war" on its people by plotting "merciless" terror attacks and training and financing groups like the Taliban and Haqqani network.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba
At least seven Somali government soldiers were killed, and 14 others wounded after Al shabaab militants staged a massive attack on Goofgaduud area on Sunday.
Goofgaduud which is a small village located some 30Km north of Baidoa city fell to Al shabaab fighters following fierce fighting with pro-government forces. Pro-al shabaab media outlet reported militants attacked the area from four directions before capturing it. It said government forces suffered heavy losses.
Military officials who did want their names to published, told Radio Shabelle South-west state troops fled escaped from Goofgaduud after being overpowered.
Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed, an army colonel in nearby town said Al shabaab lost 7-8 combatants in the intense clash in the area lasted for several hourss in the day.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
Suspected Kenya military jets have conducted an airstrike in southern Somalia, targeting an Al shabaab training camp in middle Jubba region, sources said.
The Kenyan Air Force targeted Maleyda area located between Jilib and Bu’ale towns, where al shabaab has bases to train its fighters & organize its attacks on Somali and UU troops in the region. According to reports several militants were killed in the airstrike. Al shabaab did not comment on the reported air raid on its base in Middle Jubba region on Sunday.
Kenyan defense force (KDF) fighter jets have launched several airstrikes on Al shabaab camps in southern Somalia, in response to cross border attacks in Kenya by the militants.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Ynet] ISIS has grabbed credit for the killing of an Algerian police officer while he was reportedly dining in a restaurant.
The group has been trying to expand in Algeria, where al-Qaeda's North African branch and other Islamic myrmidon groups have been based and have long fought Algerian authorities.
The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said in a statement that ISIS fighters shot the officer and seized his weapon in the attack Friday in Constantine, 400 kilometers (240 miles) east of the capital Algiers. It later posted a picture of what it said was the officer's gun
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[AlAhram] Four Egyptian armed forces personnel were killed in North Sinai amid ongoing operations against myrmidons, according to a statement released Saturday by the spokesperson for the Egyptian armed forces. The statement did not include the names of the killed personnel or their ranks.
According to the statement, issued Saturday evening, military operations in al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid
...all near or on the border of the Gaza Strip...
resulted in the killing of six holy warriors and the arrest of two people wanted on criminal charges.
The statement added that security forces destroyed three warehouses used by holy warriors to store bombs. Security forces also detonated 12 bombs that they said were ready to be used against them on highways. The statement also said that three hideouts used by holy warriors were destroyed and a number of arms confiscated.
[AlAhram] Three policemen and three civilians were injured on Sunday after a car bomb detonated in North Sinai’s Al-Arish, Egypt’s interior ministry has said. According to a ministry statement, a suicide bomber was driving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which detonated next to a passing police patrol.
According to statement, the limbs of a person, believed to be the assailant’s, were found at the scene.
Initial reports had said that one Egyptian police officer and four civilians were injured in the incident, which took place near a bridge in the Granada district. The injured were transferred to hospital.
Last week, Egypt’s army launched a new campaign to fight Islamist militants in North Sinai, killing over 50 in response to a militant attack two weeks ago that killed 12 soldiers and injured six others.
In a statement posted on social media, the Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claimed the suicide car bomb, which damaged an armored vehicle and a police car.
[AlAhram] Egypt's interior ministry announced Sunday that it arrested five men suspected of carrying out an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on Gesr Al Suez road in Cairo hours after the explosion killed one civilian on Friday. According to a statement on the ministry’s official Facebook page, the men claimed responsibility for the IED attack, saying that they were targeting security forces.
The explosion, which killed a passerby and injured one other person in Cairo's Ain Shams district, is thought to have been intended for a passing security convoy.
The statement added that the attackers were plotting "other attacks targeting army and police personnel."
[ALBAWABA] The kaboom occurred in the al-Kesh district of Benghazi late Saturday, killing TV host Mohammed Bougages, who was close to controversial General Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... Local officials said at least 10 people were also injured in the incident.
Some reports say the kaboom was caused by a bomb that had been planted in the car. Even if confirmed, it would be hard to know whether it was targeted specifically against Bougages. He hosted a daily talk show aired on state TV, during which he voiced views supportive of Haftar; but it is not clear how much weight he carried and whether he could constitute enough of a threat to Haftar’s opponents for them to plan his liquidation.
Haftar and a faction of loyalist army personnel have taken it upon themselves to fight holy warriorholy warriors in Benghazi. In so doing, they have been defying the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya.
The renegade general used to be an ally of Libya’s long-time dictator, Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest... . He, however, joined the Libyan revolution against Qadaffy in 2011.
He has refused to profess allegiance to the internationally-recognized GNA in 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... Haftar and his forces have been fighting in Benghazi since 2014. They describe the operations as a "correction to the path of the revolution" and a "war on terrorism."
The rebel general claimed to have liberated Benghazi from holy warriors earlier this year but violence still continues in the city.
The opponents of Haftar say he is essentially involved in a struggle for power.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Ynet] Witnesses say Nigerian troops shot a man with explosives strapped to his torso trying to enter a refugee camp in northeastern Maiduguri city where another jacket wallah killed five people a day earlier.
The Sunday morning kaboom is the fifth in three weeks in Maiduguri, the birthplace of the 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... Islamic Lion of Islam group blamed for the bombings.
Resident Abubakar Gajibo said he saw the bomber walking toward the camp "clearly displaying the strapped explosives on his body." He said they alerted soldiers who asked the man to surrender and fired when he ran. One explosive blew up and a second was safely detonated.
[CNN] Female jacket wallahs are suspected to be behind the twin kabooms that rattled the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday near a refugee camp and a fuel depot, officials said.
The attacks targeted the city's Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons camp and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.'s Mega Filling Station, the Nigerian army said in a statement.
At least nine people were killed and 24 injured in the two kabooms, according to the country's National Emergency Agency (NEMA).
In the first attack the suspected bomber ran into a crowd at the entrance of the Bakassi IDP camp, killing five people, the army said.
Ten minutes later and a mile away, a second blast killed three occupants on a motorized rickshaw at the entrance of a fuel depot owned by the National Oil Company. The army puts the total number of dead at 8.
"While we commiserate with the families of the late victims of this cruel act and wish those injured speedy recovery, we would like to assure the public that efforts are ongoing to track those behind the dastardly acts," an army front man said.
"However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... it is equally important to reiterate the need for more vigilance and security consciousness among all."
Pictures posted on NEMA's Twitter account show rescue workers at the scene of one of the bombings amid debris and destroyed cars.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Boko Haram
[GUARDIAN.NG] Following incessant attacks and killings by Fulani Herdsmen, the Southern Kaduna Elders Consultative Forum (SKECF) has called on the Kaduna and federal governments to urgently intervene in order to put an end to the ongoing genocide in the Southern part of Kaduna state.
This call came on the heels of the killing of seven people on Thursday night in an attack in four villages, Pasakori, Mile One, Misisi and Tudun -Wada, Jema’a Local Government Area of the state by gunnies suspected to be Fulani herdsmen. In fact, the latest attack came barely a fortnight after the Godogodo massacre in which 40 people were killed and several houses burnt by suspected herdsmen.
The elders in a statement yesterday, signed by its chairman, retired Major General Zamani Lekwat and the Secretary, Mr. Peter Buba, said they were deeply concerned about the killings and destruction of properties by herdsmen in rural communities in Southern Kaduna. The elders noted that for centuries, Southern Kaduna communities had lived in peace with the herdsmen and wondered why the herdsmen suddenly changed.
They urged both Governments to take urgent steps to bring an end to the mindless killings and destructions going on in the area.
The elders called on the youths to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their hands while urging the government to restore permanent peace and stability in the communities.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had escaped from his bonds and overwhelmed his guard using the bludgeon the faithful Filomena had smuggled to him in the loaf of bread... members of Kaninkon Development Association (KADA) whose communities were affected in the latest attacks have accused the state and federal government for alleged complacency in addressing the security challenges in the a Addressing a presser yesterday in Kaduna, the National chairman, KADA, Mr. Waje Goska Williams said the attacks are meant to wipe out communities in southern Kaduna. "We are particularly worried because there seems to be a conspiracy of silence and complacency on the part of the Security Agencies and the Kaduna State and Federal Governments on the plight of our people".
"While these attacks are going on", he said, "we do not observe the presence of coppers in the area giving protection to our people since we are not at war with anybody".
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Boko Haram
[AlAhram] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... said Sunday it broke up two Lion of Islam plots in recent weeks, one with Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Lions of Islam trying to kill coppers and the second involving parking a boom-mobile at a soccer match with the United Arab Emirates.
The two disrupted plots announced by the Interior Ministry come as the Sunni-ruled kingdom grapples with a local Islamic State affiliate, as well as unrest in its predominantly Shiite east.
The first plot aimed to kill coppers by a group in Saudi Arabia's central Shaqraa province, the country's Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. It said four Saudis who received instructions from an Islamic State leader in Syria were tossed in the calaboose Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! before they could carry out the plan.
The second plot involved a group of Lions of Islam who hoped to plant a boom-mobile at the soccer match between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at a stadium in Jiddah. It said two Paks, a Syrian and a Sudanese national were arrested Oct. 10, the day before a FIFA fixture between the two sides was to be played.
It wasn't immediately clear if the second plot involved the Islamic State group as well. The Interior Ministry did not say whether those arrested had lawyers.
Separately, the Interior Ministry identified eight Saudis and one Bahraini it wanted for attacks on security forces and sabotage in the kingdom's east. The area has seen a series of shootings targeting police in the wake of the kingdom's January execution of a prominent Shiite holy man.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
German police say four people have been injured in a stabbing attack at a commuter rail and subway station in downtown Frankfurt.
Frankfurt police spokeswoman Chantal Ench said the attack took place on Saturday afternoon inside the Hauptwache station. Ench says four people were taken to the hospital with stab wounds, but she didn't have details beyond that.
The knifeman was reported to still be on the run.
She says police are investigating to find out how many people were involved. She also didn't have any details on the ages and genders of the injured.
According to Hessenschau, a local news outlet, one person was seriously hurt in the incident while the three others sustained light injuries. It said the incident, which involved youths aged between 16 and 18 erupted at about 17.40 local time.
Blood stains were seen on the concourse of the station.
The motive for the attack remained unclear. Police in Frankfurt urged the public to avoid fear mongering.
"We are asking to refrain from speculation... You are scaring your fellow citizens. There is no danger," Frankfurt police said on their official Twitter account.
"All is well! All is well!"
Could be Sudden Jihad Syndrome/Lone Known Wolf, a psychopath or someone mentally unstable, gang or intra-refugee violence...
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants have attacked the local office of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Kızıltepe district of the southeastern province of Mardin with bombs and rifles, wounding three policemen.
The militants held the bomb attack on the office 9:50 p.m. on Oct. 30. Policemen taking guards in front of the office responded the gunfire by the militants after the bomb attack. Three of them were wounded in the clash, daily Hürriyet reported on its website.
There were no civilians in the office during the attack, it said. The wounded policemen remain in critical condition.
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10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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[Daily Excelsior] Army today said that they destroyed four Pak posts and inflicted heavy casualties on their troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector after day long mortar shelling in the area.
The ADGPI of Army tweeted: "Four Pak posts destroyed in massive fire assault in Keran sector. Heavy casualties inflicted."
Sources said that the number of casualties inflicted on Pak troops could be around 20. They said that the four posts were completely destroyed and it was response to the killing of a soldier and mutilation of his body in Macchil sector yesterday.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies
Qayyarah- Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces militias said they started an offensive on Saturday against ISIS positions in the town of Tal Afar west of Mosul, assisting in a campaign to take back the city.
Earlier announcements by the militias on advancing toward Mosul, has drawn warnings from human rights groups concerned about sectarian violence in the mainly Sunni province.
Shiites make up a majority in Iraq but Sunnis are predominant in the north and the west.
The PMF, a coalition of mostly Iranian-trained militias, said it had started moving early on Saturday toward Tal Afar from positions south of Mosul, ISIS’s last major city stronghold in Iraq.
“The operation aims to cut supplies between Mosul and Raqqa, tighten the siege of ISIS in Mosul and liberate Tal Afar,” PMF spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi told AFP, adding that the operation aimed to retake the towns of Hatra and Tal Abta as well as Tal Afar.
The operation could bring the fighting perilously close to the ancient city of Hatra, located northeast of the town of the same name, a UNESCO world heritage site that has already been vandalized by ISIS.
The involvement of Shiite militias in the Mosul operation has been a source of contention, although some of the PMF’s top commanders insist they do not plan to enter the largely Sunni city.
Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Arab politicians have opposed their involvement, and Baghdad promised earlier that only government forces will enter Mosul.
“The Iranians and the PMF plan to take Tal Afar because of the Shiite significance and use that as a way to angle in to Mosul,” said a senior Iraqi official who asked not to be named.
“But they also want to use it as a way to angle into the Syria fight.”
Iraqi and Western military sources say there has been debate about whether or not to close off the western route in and out of Mosul.
Leaving it open would offer ISIS militants a chance to retreat, potentially sparing civilians inside the city who might otherwise be trapped in a bloody fight to the finish, according to Reuters.
Moreover, the PMF’s movement towards Tal Afar is considered a strategic target for Iran, especially in light of news that Tehran is seeking to provide a direct land route to Syria.
Posted by: badanov ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Leaving the [western route in and out of Mosul] open would offer ISIS militants a chance to retreat, potentially sparing civilians inside the city who might otherwise be trapped in a bloody fight to the finish, according to Reuters.
Apparently the Iranians (and the Rooshuns) have voted otherwise.
[ARA News] Erbil – Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces have cleared out more than 500 square kilometers, including 28 villages, and received more than 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) after two weeks of anti-ISIS operations near Mosul, the Kurdish Peshmerga Command said on Sunday.
“Since the start of the military operation on October 17, Peshmerga Forces have cleared more than 500 square kilometres from ISIS, including at least 28 villages in North and East of Mosul, as part of the ongoing campaign to clear ISIS terrorists from Nineveh province,” the Peshmerga General Command in the Kurdistan Region said in a statement obtained by ARA News.
“As of 15:30hrs on October 30, Peshmerga Forces have cleared six villages in North and East of Mosul: Faziliya, Kevrok, Khrab Bet, Kani Shirin, Khadheir and Qebr Esaaq. They have also secured the Mar Oraha monastery, close to the town of Batnaya,” it said.
The Kurdish Peshmerga forces also extended control over several ISIS lines of communication into Mosul. “This includes major roads from Bashiqa, Batnaya, Filfel and Nawaran in an effort to tighten the grip on ISIS’s last major stronghold and significantly limit their ability to reinforce their positions,” the General Command said.
In almost two weeks, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces killed dozens of ISIS militants and destroyed over 50 VBIEDs. “To date, in support of liberating forces, Global Coalition warplanes have conducted approximately 550 airstrikes,” it added.
Moreover, at least 800 ISIS IEDs have been dismantled across frontline positions and major roads. Counter-IED teams continue to clear the heavily-mined areas, the command said.
In the efforts to demine the areas, two demining experts lost their lives. This included Rasol Mehamadzadeh, a bomb expert from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDK-I), and Dr Sait Curukkaya, a Kurdish expert from southeast Turkey.
Also, more than 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDP) have fled to the Kurdistan Region since the start of the offensive.
Lieutenant General Jabbar Yawar, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, told ARA News that after liberating Bashiqa District from Islamic State (ISIS), Kurdish forces will not push on to Mosul city.
“According to the agreement with Baghdad, the Peshmerga will create a [defensive] line, while the Iraqi Army will advance further. We will not go to the centre of Mosul,” Yawar said, in an exclusive interview with ARA News. “Only the Iraqi Army, federal police and local police will ever enter the city.”
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Federal Police Chief, Raed Shaker Jawdat, announced liberating 61 villages and 1400 square kilometers during the battles to liberate Nineveh.
Jawdat said in a press statement, “Federal Police forces recaptured 61 villages, as well as liberating 1400 square kilometers of the province and evacuating 1369 families since starting the battles to liberate Nineveh.”
“747 ISIS terrorists were killed and 88 others were arrested during the battles,” Jawdat added.
“Security forces destroyed 164 booby-trapped vehicles belonging to the ISIS, 42 armed vehicles, 61 explosive belts and 47 booby-trapped motorcycles,” Jawdat explained. “We were also able to seize 25 vehicles, 170 pieces of weapons, 13 explosives plants, as well as dismantling 1066 improvised explosive devices,” Jawdat added.
Security forces from the army, al-Hashd al-Watani and Kurdish Peshmerga continue advancing in the liberation battles of Nineveh, backed by the international coalition and Iraqi aviation.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Kurdish Peshmerga forces managed to recapture two villages near Bashiqa, after besieging them for several days, media outlets reported on Sunday.
Al Sumaria News stated that Kurdish Peshmerga forces managed to storm into the villages of Kanona and Rozbayan in Bashiqa area, and pointed out that the two villages were besieged by the Peshmerga for several days.
“The military engineering brigades are now dismantling improvised explosive devices and other explosives in the two villages,” Al Sumaria added.
Security forces continue advancing in the battle to liberate Mosul from the ISIS grip, backed by Iraqi Army Aviation and international coalition air force, after General Commander of the Armed Forces announced launching the battle to liberate Mosul in 17 October 2016.
More from ARA News
Duhok – Kurdish Peshmerga forces hit Islamic State’s (ISIS) positions northeast of Mosul city on Sunday, and liberated four villages.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces expelled ISIS militants from the villages of Kanouna, Abu Jarbouh, Roshbiyan and Fadiliya.
“The liberated villages are located in the vicinity of Bashiqa town northeast of Mosul,” a Peshmerga spokesman told ARA News.
Engineering teams of the Peshmerga Ministry started on Sunday evening to clear the villages through dismantling explosives and landmines planted earlier by ISIS.
“Daesh terrorists have left behind a large deal of explosives around and inside those villages. Even civilian houses are filled with explosive devices, in an attempt by the terror group to kill as many people as possible,” the Kurdish official said, using another acronym for ISIS.
ISIS Under Siege
Sunday’s developments come just one week after the Kurdish troops launched an operation from two fronts in Bashiqa District, breaking through the Islamic State’s (ISIS) defensive lines and encircling the capital of the district, Bashiqa city.
Peshmerga spokesman Halgurd Hikmet told ARA News that forces on the Naweran and Bashiqa fronts have linked up. “We’ll wait […] to liberate Bashiqa, but first mine sweeping teams need to clean the villages,” he said.
A Peshmerga volunteer on the front told ARA News that the Peshmerga forces had cut off all of the roads from Mosul to Bashiqa. Kurdish soldiers are reportedly fortifying the newly unified front in anticipation of a breakout.
Thousands of Peshmerga soldiers participated in the multi-prong offensive, fighting to push ISIS out of Bashiqa District. “The operation follows recent, successful Peshmerga advances north and east of Mosul,” the Peshmerga General Command said in a statement last week.
“The morale of ISIS is gone; they have become very weak,” Peshmerga General Bahram Ali Siyasi, the commander of the Bashiqa operation, told ARA News. “Whereas the Peshmerga’s morale is high and their capabilities have improved, and the coalition has stepped up its support.”
Last week, the Kurdish forces secured more than 25 villages in the northeastern countryside of Mosul after clashes with ISIS.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – The Badr Organization announced on Sunday that it had liberated five villages west of the city of Mosul from the control of the Islamic State.
The organization’s brief statement mentioned that “Our forces managed to liberate the villages of lower al-Gorn, upper al-Gorn, al-Amrini, al-Salmani and al-Zarka, located west of the city Mosul, from ISIS control.”
“ISIS fighters retreated due to the advance of our liberation security forces,” the statement added.
Earlier today, the Badr Organization announced that 23 families who were held hostage by ISIS as human shields were freed in the village of al-Gorn from captivity.
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Spokesman for Baghdad Operations Command, Colonel Saad Moen, announced that a suicide bomber blew up himself near al-Beiruti Café, in central Baghdad, and pointed out that the attack left a number of casualties.
Moen said in a press statement, “A suicide bomber blew up himself, yesterday, near al-Beiruti Café, in central Baghdad, after the security forces besieged him, resulting in the injury of a number of people.”
“Security forces cordoned off the area of incident and barred approaching it, while transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital,” Moen added.
Yesterday, Baghdad also witnessed a suicide attack on a Husseiniyah March under Jaber Ibn Hayan Bridge in al-Iskan area, in central Baghdad, killing and wounding a number of civilians.
[REUTERS] Iraqi troops and security forces edged closer to djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... on two southern fronts on Sunday but a leader of the Shi'ite militias newly participating in the offensive warned that the battle for Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... 's Iraq stronghold would be long and grueling.
A military statement said the army's Ninth Armoured Division raised the Iraqi flag in the village of Ali Rash, about 7 km (4 miles) southeast of Mosul, after recapturing it from the ultra-hardline Sunni Moslem hard boys.
Further south, an Interior Ministry officer said security forces were advancing from the town of al-Shura, recaptured from Islamic State (IS) on Saturday, along the Tigris river valley towards Mosul 30 km (20 miles) to the north.
The army and security forces, along with Kurdish peshmerga fighters, have been backed by U.S.-led air and ground support in their two-week-old campaign to crush Islamic State in the largest city of its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
Their battle for Mosul, still home to 1.5 million residents, could be one of the toughest in a decade of turmoil since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Moslem, brought Iraq's majority Shi'ites to power.
On Saturday thousands of Iranian-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militia fighters, known as the Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) forces, joined the Mosul offensive, launching a campaign to take territory to the west of the city.
Their target is to seize the town of Tal Afar, 55 km (35 miles) west of Mosul, from Islamic State.
That would cut off any chance of the jihadists retreating into - or being reinforced from - their positions in neighboring Syria, Ahmed al-Asadi, a front man of the Popular Mobilisation, told a news conference. IS fighters have been "flowing into Mosul" from Syria, he added.
Iraqi troops and Kurdish peshmerga fighters are already driving Islamic State fighters back on the southern, eastern and northeastern approaches to Mosul.
"There is cooperation between ... the army, federal police, Hashid and counter-terrorism (forces) and also the (local Sunni) tribes," said Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organisation, the most powerful group within the Popular Mobilisation forces.
Speaking in the village of Ain Nasir in the semi-arid land west of the Tigris, Amiri said the fight against Islamic State bandidos krazed killers holding Mosul, who have already launched waves of suicide boom-mobiles, roadside kabooms and sniper attacks to slow down the advancing forces, could be long and bloody.
"The battle of Mosul will not be a picnic. It needs time, it needs precision, it needs a deep breath," he said, wearing military fatigues and with his face wrapped in a white checked headscarf against the wind and sand.
"We are prepared for the battle of Mosul even if it lasts for months".
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
note this Shiite commander doesn't mention anything about protecting civilians - perhaps he doesn't consider the Sunni population to be worth protecting
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/31/2016 7:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Actually, LG, his culture doesn't have a concept of "civilians".
The Iraqi security forces on Sunday retook control of 11 villages from the Islamic State (IS) group around the group's stronghold of Mosul, as major anti-IS offensive continued to seize more ground around the city, a security source said, Xinhua reported.
The paramilitary units of Hashd Shaabi continued their operation launched on Saturday to advance in the vast rugged land in southwest of Mosul toward the town of Tal-Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul, a statement by the Hashd Shaabi's media office said.
The paramilitary units backed by the Iraqi aircraft managed during the day to free eight villages located in southwest of Mosul after sporadic clashes with IS militants, according to the statement.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Three Border Police officers were lightly injured Sunday afternoon in an apparent car-ramming attack in the West Bank.
The incident occurred on Route 60 near Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.
The driver of the vehicle was rubbed out by security forces at the scene. The Paleostinian health ministry identified him as Khaled Ahmad Aylan, 23 years old, of Beit Ummar.
The coppers were taken to Jerusalem’s Shaarei Tzedek Hospital for treatment. They suffered injuries to the lower extremities.
Also Sunday, an Israeli child was injured in the same area when a number of Paleostinians threw rocks at cars along the highway. The rocks hit two vehicles, according to the IDF, including the one near the settlement of Ma’ale Amos in which the five-year-old boy was travelling. A rock shattered one of the windows, lightly wounding the child. He was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem for treatment.
Forces in the vicinity launched a searched for the perpetrators following the attack. An IDF front man said the search was ongoing.
[GULFTODAY.AE] The military reported that a member of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf ...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder... terror group was slain in an encounter on the island province of Sulu in Mindanao even as it announced the arrest of four other suspects in the Sept.2 terror bombing of a popular night market in Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo "Rody" Duterte.
Brigadier General Arnel dela Vega, the chief of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said the slain krazed killer was among the eight heavily gunnies who clashed with an elite team of Army Scout Rangers in a village in the town of Indanan at dawn on Sunday.
Dela Vega said the clash occurred when a team of Scout Rangers was sent to check on the complaint of residents regarding the presence of eight heavily armed Abu Sayyaf turbans in their village.
When they fled, the turbans left behind their slain comrade along with an M16 assault rifle to which was attached a grenade launcher as well as an improvised bomb, Dela Vega said.
The killing brought to 37 the total corpse count suffered by the Abu Sayyaf since Duterte ordered the military in July to launch an intensified "search and destroy" operation against the Abu Sayyaf who operate with impunity on the island provinces of Sulu and Basilan ...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts... A total of 15 soldiers were also killed with 28 others maimed, Dela Vega said as he vowed: "The focused military operation will continue until we deal a crippling blow to the Abu Sayyaf and rescue their remaining hostages."
Regional and Filipino security experts have confirmed the link of the Abu Sayyaf to the global Al Qaeda terror network through the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah murderous Moslems.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido stepped from behind the suit of armor, rapier in hand. Ciccolini snarled and reached for his own weapon... Colonel Benjamin Hao, the Army front man, reported the arrest of four other suspects in the deadly on Sept.2 terrorist bombing of a night market in Davao City that killed at least 15 people and maimed 68 others.
Hao said the suspects were members of the Dawla Islamiya Fi Cotabato-Maute Group, a criminal organization that claims to have links with the ISISfaceless myrmidons in the Middle East and the Abu Sayyaf.
The suspects, Hao said, were tossed in the slammer Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in separate raids in Cotabato City that also resulted in the confiscation of several short firearms and hand grenades based on search warrants issued by a regional court.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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ALEPPO: Syria’s regime and rebels were locked in fierce fighting Sunday on Aleppo’s western edges, where 38 civilians have been killed in an opposition offensive to break a devastating government siege.
Rebels have unleashed a salvo of rockets, car bombs, and shells to break through government lines and reach the 250,000 people living in the city’s east.
Syrian state media on Sunday accused them of firing shells containing toxic gas into government-controlled districts.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: badanov ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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Turkey hit 162 Daesh and 12 PKK/PYD targets on Saturday as part of Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, the military said Sunday, Daily Sabah reported.
The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that a terrorist was injured in two airstrikes carried out by U.S.-led coalition forces in the Maaret al-Numan region.
Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield was launched in late August to clear Syria's northern border area of terrorists. It is now in its 68th day. The operation targets Daesh and PKK/PYD terrorists and is jointly carried out by the Turkey army and the Turkey-backed FSA.
The FSA have taken the control of around 164 residential districts since the beginning of the operation, the Turkish military said. The army added that since the beginning of the operation in late August, 33 mines and 1,369 handmade explosives had been destroyed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Iraqi media outlets reported on Sunday, that the so-called ISIS Assra army started to hide its military troops to protect it from aerial bombings, while pointed out that a large number of Assra army’s leaders fled using civil vehicles.
Al Sumaria News stated, “ISIS terrorist gangs started to hide its vehicles inside houses and bury its troops in the center of city, in order to protect them from the air strikes by Army Aviation, international coalition and Iraqi air Force.”
“A large number of al-Assra army’s leaders fled using civil vehicles from the city of Mosul toward the Syrian city of Raqqa,” Al Sumaria added.
ISIS tried to use thousands of families as human shields, while prevented the families of liberated areas from communicating with Mosul residents.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – The British newspaper ‘The Observer’ reported on Sunday, that the Islamic State hid explosives inside children’s toys as a new method to hinder the battle to liberate Mosul.
The Observer stated that a teddy bear is propped on top of the explosives it was designed to hide and detonate. An adult would probably have walked by, but to a child the wide eyes and fuzzy orange fur would have been irresistible.
Colonel Nawzad Kamil Hassan, an engineer with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces said, “Why would ISIS use something nice, like a bear or a rabbit? They used this toy because they know the Peshmerga will pay much attention to it, but children will,” pointing out that, “Our brigade has cleared more than 50 tons of explosives from areas liberated from the ISIS control.”
Hassan also decided to preserve some of the most creative, cruel and unusual of those homemade bombs to use as training aids for new recruits.
The Observer also revealed that a toy, a playing card and an abandoned watch are all detonators designed to spark the acquisitive curiosity of a returning civilian, who would be maimed or murdered by the explosion.
“The expertise of ISIS with explosives and extensive use of suicide bombs and booby traps makes attacking them particularly dangerous, and slows recovery when they are defeated. Because there is no area, civilian or military, that the group will not lace with explosives, many Iraqis fear that returning to their homes and former lives could be deadly, even long after militants have left,” The Observer added.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Iraqi media outlets reported on Sunday, that the forensic medicine department in Nineveh Hospital received 134 bodies belonging to members of the Islamic State.
Al Sumaria News stated, “The forensic medicine department in Nineveh Hospital received, today, 134 bodies belonging to members of the Islamic State, including 40 members holding Arab and foreign nationalities, who were killed in the ongoing liberation battles of Shura area and Tel Keppe axis south and north of Nineveh.”
“The ISIS has imposed strict procedures around the hospital and barred approaching it, and evacuated a number of hospitals in the city to provide treatment for its members,” Al Sumaria added.
Security forces continue advancing in the battle to liberate Mosul from the ISIS grip, backed by Iraqi Army Aviation and international coalition air force.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – On Sunday, Badr Organization announced freeing 23 families from ISIS control in the village of al-Gorn, west of Mosul.
The organization said in a press statement, “Forces from Badr Organization managed, today, to free 23 families in the village of al-Gorn, west of Mosul, from ISIS control.”
“ISIS was using the families as human shields,” the statement explained. “Badr Organization’s forces continue liberating the village from the ISIS control,” the statement added.
Yesterday, spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq Jawad Telbawi announced launching the battle to liberate the western areas of Mosul, and pointed out that all factions of al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia will participate in the battle.
[ARA News] Idlib – Militants of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) executed on Sunday two civilians in Syria’s northwestern city of Idlib, after accusing them of spying on behalf of the Syrian regime.
The JFS militants executed Muhammad Jabalak, 39, and Ammar al-Ali, 54, by firing squad in central Idlib.
“These two infidels have been cooperating with and spying for the Assad regime,” the group said in a public statement before carrying out the execution.
“The execution took place in front of hundreds of people,” local media activist Aiman al-Hussein told ARA News.
“The two men were executed right after being arrested. There has been no interrogation or material evidence about their involvement in any spying activities,” al-Hussein reported. “The incident angered the people of Idlib.”
JFS is an Al-Qaeda splinter group, which was previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra. The group shares control of Idlib with other Islamist rebel factions, including Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Conquest [Jaish al-Fateh].
Posted by: badanov ||
10/31/2016 00:00 ||
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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.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Two 
Suspected Kenya military jets have conducted an airstrike in southern Somalia, targeting an Al shabaab training camp in middle Jubba region, sources said.
[CNN] Female 
