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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (Nusra) expels Jund Al-Aqsa from its ranks
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 11:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  wouldn't wanna wear that hat in a high wind
Posted by: Frank G || 01/25/2017 13:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Why not Frank? Worked for the Flying Nut.
Posted by: Shipman || 01/25/2017 14:16 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Kandahar resident arrested for having links with ISIS loyalists
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A resident of the southern Kandahar province was placed in durance vile
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
for having links with the loyalists of the 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....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

According to the local security officials 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..
, the suspect was arrested from the vicinity of Achin district.

The officials further added that the suspect has been identified as Abdul Satar and is in jug of the police forces for further investigation.

No further details were given by the security officials regarding the apprehension of the suspect.
Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Kidnapped Afghan policemen kill 5 Taliban militants in Baghlan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Two Afghan coppers have broken a Taliban cell in northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan, leaving at least 5 hard boyz dead.

According to the local government officials, the coppers were kept in a cell in Barak district.

Provincial police front man Zabiullah Shuja said the two coppers managed to break the Taliban jail after snatching the weapon of them and opening fire on the others.

He said at least five hard boyz were killed and a clash a broke out after the other coppers arrived to support the two captives.

According to Shuja, the clash between the two sides continued for at least three hours.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Growing foreign insurgents’ activities in Afghanistan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] New reports have emerged regarding the growing activities of the foreign bandidos murderous Moslems in Afghanistan amid concerns that the loyalists of the 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....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group are attempting to expand foothold in the country along with the other terrorist networks.

Local officials in eastern 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 first reported regarding the growing activities of the foreign bandidos murderous Moslems who are mainly operating under the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group, with the officials saying the majority of the fighters are hailing from Orakzai Agency
... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers...
The officials also added that foreign bandidos murderous Moslems from the Central Asian countries as well as Arab fighters are also fighting the Afghan government and security forces.

In the latest development, the Afghan cops placed in durance vile
Please don't kill me!
two foreign bandidos murderous Moslems in northern 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...
province who are hailing from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The two men were arrested during a night operation conducted in Qaflatoon area of Sayad district late on Friday.

Mohammad Zahir Wahdat appeared in a presser along with the detained myrmidons, saying four Afghan Taliban bandidos murderous Moslems were also killed during the operation.

He said the Death Eaters have been identified as Demir Zenliyov and Abdul Mateen who have confessed that they came from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Wahdat further added that another myrmidon hailing from Afghanistan was also maimed during the operation and is in jug of the police forces.

According to the provincial governor, the mean have also confessed that they visited Afghanistan to assist the Afghan fighters and train them in conducting insurgency.

The men have also added that they are experts and were trained on suicide kabooms, creating landmines, and other terrorist activities.

Wahdat said he is hopeful that the government will take immediate steps to conduct operations in Sar-e-Pul province, insisting that he has long been raising concerns regarding the presence of imported muscle in this province.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


Al-Qaeda militants among 31 killed in Zabul airstrikes
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least 31 turbans including members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network were killed in a series of Arclight airstrikes in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan.

Local officials said Tuesday that the Arclight airstrikes were carried out in Khak-e-Afghan district targeting the hideouts of the turbans.

Provincial governor’s front man Gul Islam said the Arclight airstrikes were carried out by the US forces based in Afghanistan.

He said at least 19 turbans were also maimed in the Arclight airstrikes.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Africa Horn
Al-shabab seizes Badhadhe after forces retreated
Al shabaab militants recaptured the coast town of Badhadhe in Lower Jubba region, hours after it was seized by Jubbaland troops, with the support of African Union soldiers (AMISOM).

The Al shabaab fighters launched a counter-offensive to retake Badhadhe from the allied troops on Tuesday afternoon, before seizing the town with out encountering stiff resistance.

Badhadhe – a key coastal town in Southern Somalia’s Lower Jubba region, 200Km south of Kismayo fell to Al shabaab after KDF forces withdrew from the town in January, 2016.

Residents in Badhadhe reported situation is back to normal, and Al shabaab seized the while town, and hoisted it black banner on the top of police and administrative headquarters.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Africa North
Libyan Army Announces New Victories in West Benghazi
The Libyan national army announced yesterday that it had achieved another victory yesterday against the remaining terrorist groups and extremists on fronts where there has been fighting, particularly in western Benghazi in the east of the country.

According to what a military official told Asharq Al-Awsat, the army’s forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar are still engaged in fierce battles against remaining terrorists that are holed up in the western region of the city of Benghazi. He also pointed out that “only a little time” was needed until they took full control of Benghazi and liberated it. However, he did not give a specific date.

The army’s media office said that Haftar held a meeting with staff from the operations room responsible for Operation Al-Karamah and a number of officers, non-commissioned officers and commanders. He oversaw what he called “the final arrangements for salvation from the grip of terrorist militias that have wreaked havoc and have wiped out crops and cattle”.

The office said in a statement that Haftar has made a plan for the final advance to liberate the area of Qunfudah from the remaining ISIS terrorists and the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries. The army also continues to control the resort Tira and has freed a number of prisoners and families that were being held in Qunfudah, west Benghazi.

The army’s special forces said that the resort of Tira had been liberated from defectors so that all of the west Benghazi coast is now under the control of the army’s forces.
Posted by: badanov || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
7 laboratories for making explosive belts uncovered
[Saudi Gazette] The ISIS (the so-called IS) terror group recruited 12 jacket wallahs to carry out its criminal agenda, including blasts at seven mosques in three regions.

Through its preemptive raids, the anti-terror security forces have uncovered seven laboratories to making boom belts in Riyadh, Qasim and Jeddah.

The first operation in which an boom belt was used took place in May 2015 and the last was the one that happened at a rest house in al-Harazat district in Jeddah on Saturday.

Out of the 12 suicide bombers, ISIS used nine to carry out kabooms in mosques in the Eastern Province, Najran and Asir.

The 10th suicide bomber went kaboom! when he detonated his boom belt near Solaiman Fakeeh Hospital near the US consulate in Jeddah.

The first terrorist operation in which an boom belt was used took place on May 22, 2015, when 22-year old terrorist Saleh Bin Abdul Rahman al-Ashqami targeted the worshippers at Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib mosque in al-Qadeeh town in Qatif region killing 22 people and inuring about 102 others.

Next Friday on May 29, 2015, Khaled Abid al-Shammari, a 20 -year-old terrorist went kaboom! when four citizens prevented him from entering into al-Hossain mosque in Dammam. The terrorist and the four citizens died in the kaboom.

The third terrorist operation in which an boom belt was used took place on Aug. 6, 2015. A suicide bomber named Youssef Solaiman al-Solaiman went kaboom! at the mosque of the emergency forces in Asir killing 15 people and injuring 22 others.

The fourth boom belt operation was carried out by Saad Saeed al-Harithy in al-Mashha mosque in Najran during the Magreb prayer.

The fifth operation which was to take place on Jan. 26, 2016 was foiled by a number of citizens who prevented two bandidos bully boyz from entering al-Rida mosque in al-Ahsa. One of the terrorists, Abdul Rahman Bin Abdullah al-Tuwaijri was killed when he detonated his boom belt but the second, Talha Hisham Mohammed Abdo, an Egyptian was caught by the police. Four people were killed in the operation and 36 others, including three coppers, were maimed.

The sixth suicide kaboom operation happened on July 4, 2016, when three terrorist operations took place simultaneously in Jeddah, Qatif and Madinah.

The terrorist, Nair Moslem Hamma al-Nijaidi al-Balawi, tried to carry out blast at the seventh mosque which was the Prophet’s Mosque after sunset during the Iftar time. The coppers guarding the Holy Mosque tried to stop him but he went kaboom!, killing four coppers.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Britain
Two arrested following explosion at east London block of flats
Possibly one to watch, it might evolve into terrorism as area is an islamic colony.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Apparently it was drug related. But often drug monies funds terrorislam.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/25/2017 6:10 Comments || Top||

#2  Meth Labs will blow up like that, BP.

If so, extremely bad for unprepared emergency workers (and building residents) as the chemicals used for the production are extremely toxic.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/25/2017 8:23 Comments || Top||

#3  If so, extremely bad for unprepared emergency workers (and building residents) as the chemicals used for the production are extremely toxic.

Hey, Ryan, be careful what you spray at. Most things in here don't react too well to water.
/Ramius
Posted by: swksvolFF || 01/25/2017 11:09 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
1 shot to death in Karachi sectarian attack
A man was gunned down on Tuesday night in suspected sectarian attack in Gulistan-i-Jauhar area of Karachi, police said.

Mohammed Kazim Raza, 39, was riding a motorcycle when unknown pillion riders targeted him from behind near Mir Munawar Chowrangi, said a police official, adding that he sustained critical bullet injuries and died on the spot.

“It appeared to be a targeted killing incident linked with sectarianism,” opined Superintendent Police Dr. Fahad Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) condemned the incident and demanded of the law enforcement agencies to take notice of the rising "sectarian killings" in the city.
Posted by: badanov || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Indian troops kill three suspected separatists in India-held Kashmir
[DAWN] Indian police and troops have killed three suspected separatists in two separate shootouts in India-held Kashmire (IHK) on Tuesday, one of them near the de facto border with Pakistain, officers claimed.

Soldiers and members of the police's special operations group surrounded Hadoora, some 25 kilometres north of the main city of Srinagar, after a tip-off about suspected separatists inside a house in the village.

"In the ensuing shootout two Lions of Islam were killed. Both are foreigners," claimed police Superintendent Imtiyaz Ismael while talking with AFP.

In a separate incident a group of separatists reportedly attempted to cross the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmire between India and Pakistain in the Sundabani sector, but were intercepted by Indian soldiers.

"One terrorist was eliminated in the operation while the others fled towards Pakistain's portion of Kashmire," an army statement claimed.

Several separatist groups have spent decades fighting Indian forces deployed in the disputed territory, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistain which also claims the Himalayan region in its entirety.

Tens of thousands, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.

Dozens of local youths joined the separatist ranks following the killing of a popular separatists leader Burhan Muzzafar Wani by Indian forces in July last year. The incident sparked months of anti-India unrest which left more than 90 civilians dead.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies


Iraq
Mosul Offensive News


Iraqis prepare for offensive in western Mosul

(Reuters/IraqiNews.com) Iraqi forces have started preparing an offensive to capture the western side of Mosul from Islamic State, campaign commander Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah said.

Popular Mobilization “is preparing an operation in the next two, three days, to back up the operation to retake the right bank” of the city, on the western side of the Tigris river, Mosuliya TV cited him as saying on Tuesday.

Popular Mobilization is a coalition of predominantly Iranian-trained Shi’ite groups, formed in 2014 to take part in the war on Islamic State. It became officially part of the Iraqi armed forces last year.

Iraqi officials on Monday announced that the eastern side of the northern Iraqi city has been taken from Islamic State, after nearly 100 days of fighting. A statement by the Defense Ministry said the whole region had been retaken. Though the announcement was disputed by a spokesperson of the Joint Operations Command, Yahia Rasoul, who said a few areas were awaiting incursion, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed final victory over IS in the eastern region.

Military officials and observers are predicting a tougher battle in the west, where IS has already, according to reports, begun clearing residential areas from civilians, erecting roadblocks and deploying snipers.

Iraqi militia begins road clearing operations

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Al-Hashd a-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) launched on Tuesday a military operation to secure the roads linking Baghdad and Salahuddin with Mosul.

A reporter for the PMU’s media service said three brigades from the units, backed by Federal Police personnel, launched an operation on Tuesday morning to secure 7 kilometers of the road between Baghdad and Mosul, which passes at the north and northeast of Salahuddin’s town of Shirqat.

The report said the move is designed to clear villages along that road which had previously been infiltrated by Islamic State militants sneaking from Hawija, Kirkuk. It added that the units recaptured the villages of jaber Huweidi, Hindi, Admana and Fayyad al-Thalj on the Tikrit-Mosul road.

Iraqi joint forces recaptured the whole of the eastern side of Mosul on Monday, and plan to move to the western side to battle IS militants out. The extremist group has stepped up bloody attacks in Salahuddin and Baghdad in recent weeks, a development which observers believe is aimed at making up for losses in Mosul and to distract security authorities.

Al-Hashd was formed from a coalition of Shia militias in 2014, and has been fighting Islamic State militants on the side of the Iraqi government since then. It gained government recognition as a national armed force late last year.

Security forces seize munitions cache in Hamam al-Alil area

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Federal Police Command announced on Tuesday discovering a warehouse containing rockets and missiles in Hamam al-Alil area, south of Mosul.

The Command said in a press statement, “Today, Federal Police’s 3rd brigade discovered a warehouse containing rockets and missiles in Hamam al-Alil area.”

“The warehouse contains 100 Katyusha rockets, 7 120mm mortar shells, 40 60mm mortar missiles and 100 120mm mortar rockets,” the source added.

Nineveh Province is witnessing, since October 2016, extensive military operations to retake the city of Mosul that was captured by the Islamic State in June 2014.
Posted by: badanov || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Baghdad Bomb and Bullet Bulletin: 4 die


3 die in bombing and mortar attacks

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Three people killed and 13 others were wounded when two explosions hit areas in central and western Baghdad, while a mortar missile wounded others in the west, security sources said Tuesday.

The sources told Alsumaria News that an explosion in al-Nahda region in central Baghdad killed two people, wounded six others and burned several vehicles. Other news sources said the blast was caused by a booby-trapped car.

Another police source told Alsumaria News that an IED planted on the side of a road in al-Iskan, west of Baghdad, killed a civilian and wounded seven others.

The sources also added that a mortar missile landed on a house in Radwaniya, west of the capital, wounding two persons.

Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings targeting civilians and security personnel. Nobody has claimed responsibility yet for the Tuesday bombings, but IS militants have said they were responsible for several bloody explosions that hit the capital in the past weeks, bringing the governorate municipal and security officials under critics’ fire.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said violence in the country left 19000 casualties in nine months of 2016.

Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.

While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers believe attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat.

1 dead in car bombing in Talibiyah are

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A police source revealed that a person was killed and six others were wounded in the explosion of a booby-trapped vehicle, east of Baghdad, Alsumaria News reported on Monday.

The source said, “A booby-trapped vehicle, parked on the roadside in Talibiyah area exploded, today, killing one person and wounding six others.”

“Security force imposed strict procedures in the area to prevent any further violations,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

Earlier today, Federal Police arrested two members of the Islamic State while attempting to place an adhesive explosive device under the vehicle of a police officer in the area of Abu Gharib.
Posted by: badanov || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Using duct-taped gun, Palestinians shoot in air at IDF checkpoint
[IsraelTimes] Soldiers nabs 2 suspected of breaking through barrier, firing shots; overnight, 5 suspected Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", members tossed in the calaboose.

Israeli troops incarcerated
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
a pair of Paleostinians who are suspected of firing a homemade gun into the air after breaking through a checkpoint in the West Bank on Tuesday, the army said.

Earlier, a car burst through a checkpoint set up outside the Ofra settlement, northeast of Ramallah, while one of its occupants shot into the air.

No one was injured, and no damage was caused, the army said.

"An IDF force gave chase after the car and caught two suspects inside it, who were in possession of a makeshift weapon," the army said.

A picture of the gun, provided by the military, shows a slapdash device, apparently constructed from water pipes and held together with duct tape.

The two were handed over to the Shin Bet security service for questioning.

Overnight, IDF troops arrested eight Paleostinian suspects across the West Bank, the army said. Five of them were suspected members of the Hamas terrorist group, picked up in Hebron, Tulkarem and the Jalazoun refugee camp. The rest are believed to have taken part in so-called "popular terrorism," a catch-all term used by the military that generally refers to rock throwing or participating in violent protests.

IDF shells Hamas position in Gaza after troops come under fire

[IsraelTimes] An IDF tank destroyed a Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", position in the southern Gazoo Strip on Tuesday night after Israeli troops came under fire near the border, the army said No Israeli troops were maimed in the exchange.

The soldiers were involved in "routine activities" near the security fence when the shots were fired at them, the army said. In response, an Israeli tank shelled the Hamas post, the IDF said.

No group immediately grabbed credit for the gunfire.

This was the second such incident in as many week. On Sunday, an Israeli tank also shelled a Hamas post in the southern Gazoo Strip, after a military bulldozer was attacked near the security fence.

According to Hamas’s interior ministry, the shelled post, which was destroyed, was located in the town of al-Fukhari, east of Rafah, in the southern Gazoo Strip..
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  "Popular terrorism" - catchy words, apply to some events in the US, too.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/25/2017 0:47 Comments || Top||

#2  bringing a gun to a tank battle?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/25/2017 10:37 Comments || Top||

#3  Not even duct tape can fix a paleostinian.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 01/25/2017 10:41 Comments || Top||

#4  But it can hold him in place for juuuust long enough...
Posted by: Steve White || 01/25/2017 14:36 Comments || Top||

#5  To weld down.
Posted by: Shipman || 01/25/2017 20:31 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Turkey will not hand over al-Bab to Syrian regime
[Hurriyet Daily News] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
will not hand over control of al-Bab to the Bashir al-Assad regime after it clears the town of 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....
of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) jihadists, Deputy Prime Minister Kurtulmus has stated.

"Al-Bab belongs to the people of Al -Bab," Kurtulmus told state-run Anadolu Agency, stressing that local people must be in charge of running the town, as in Jarablus.

He denied claims that Turkey will conduct its military offensive on al-Bab and then leave it in the hands of regime forces.

"The Euphrates Shield Operation to al-Bab is not an operation that aims to clear the area and then hand it over to the regime," Kurtulmus said, adding that the offensive is about "Turkey’s national security."

"It is an operation to protect the borders of Turkey and to immediately eliminate the threats to Turkey south of the border," he said.

The deputy prime minister recalled mortar shells fired by ISIS into the southern Turkish province of Kilis and noted that YPG elements, which Turkey sees as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), were leaking into Turkey through the border.

"The main purpose of this operation is to clear the cities there and to hand over those cities to the local people. Jarablus is a successful example of that," he noted, also reiterating that the anti-ISIS coalition forces have failed to support Turkey’s Euphrates Shield Operation.

"The problem is not only about al-Bab. From the very beginning the B.O. regime has not had a plan for resolving the Syrian crisis," Kurtulmus said, while expressing hope that the new Trump administration in Washington will make efforts in favor of the people of the region.

It has been speculated that the Russia and Turkey have been discussing the possibility of a Syrian regime offensive into al-Bab, which Turkish army-backed forces have been besieging for weeks against stubborn ISIS resistance.

More than 40 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the offensive on al-Bab, where Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA) fighters backed by the Turkish army have reached the town’s western and northern outskirts.
Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  so turn it over to the locals who will then be slaughtered by ISIS or Nusra
Posted by: lord garth || 01/25/2017 9:15 Comments || Top||

#2  The locals are Turkmen; they'll have covert and not-so-covert Turkish support.
Posted by: Pappy || 01/25/2017 11:28 Comments || Top||


Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (Nusra) expels Jund Al-Aqsa from its ranks
[ALMASDARNEWS] Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
...formerly al-Nusra, the current false nose and mustache of al-Qaeda in the Levant...
(formerly Nusra Front) released a statement expelling the al Qaeda-linked Jund al-Aqsa terrorist group from its ranks following increased tensions between the latter and other rebel groups in Idlib and Hama countrysides.

The Emir of Jund al-Aqsa had pledged allegiance to JFS several months ago when an intra-jihadist civil war almost blew up due to Aqsa's unrelenting harassment of other factions most dominantly the powerful Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham
...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014...
rebel group.

With Jund al-Aqsa's violations unwavering and the prospects of a jihadist civil war increasingly becoming likely with infighting breaking all over Idlib's Jabal al-Zawiyah region, Nusra decided to expel Aqsa citing their lack of commitment to the agreement hoping to avoid a bloodbath that could take rebel-dominated Idlib by storm.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Russian bombers destroy Islamic State’s arms depots in Deir ez-Zor
[ALMASDARNEWS] Six Tupolev-22M3 bombers have dealt strikes against arms and ammunition depots of the 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....
(outlawed in Russia) in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province to wipe out all targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a statement obtained by TASS.

"On January 24 six Tupolev-22M3 bombers took off from an airdrome in Russia to fly over the territories of Iraq and Iran to eventually deal a massive air strike against an ammunition and explosives production facility and weapons and ammunition depots of the Islamic State, as well as groups of IS military vehicles and equipment in Deir ez-Zor province," the report runs.

The Defense Ministry said objective monitoring means confirmed all attacked targets had been wiped out.

All bombers have returned to base. Sukhoi-30SM and Sukhoi-35S fighters provided protection for their mission from the Hmeymim base.

Earlier, the chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operations Directorate, Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy described as complicated the situation near Deir ez-Zor, whose defendants had to confront continued attacks by outnumbering enemy forces. Rudskoy said should the city fall, the local population would face the risk of genocide.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Syrian Army liberates several villages in east Aleppo as ISIS falls apart
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their large-scale advance in the eastern countryside of Aleppo on Monday, liberating several villages from the 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....
forces in southern al-Bab.

Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army began the day by storming the southern flank of al-Bab, inflicting heavy damage on the Islamic State's defenses.

The Tiger Forces managed to liberate 3 villages, including Umm al-Imad and Tal Rahal, and one hilltop before reaching the key village of Khashbah on Monday afternoon.

Not long after reaching Khashbah, the Syrian Arab Army overran the Islamic State's defenses, imposing full-control over the village as the terrorist group's defenses continued to collapse during the day.

With several sites liberated from the Islamic State in the last 24 hours, the Syrian Arab Army is setting themselves up for their upcoming al-Bab and Deir Hafer attacks to expel the terrorist forces from east Aleppo.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Russia, Turkey and Iran agree system to monitor Syria ceasefire
[MIDDLEEASTEYE.NET] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
, Russia and Iran have reached agreement on forming a three-party mechanism to monitor ceasefire violations in Syria, the states said on Tuesday as talks came to a close in Astana, Kazakhstan.

In a joint statement, the states said the agreement would prevent any provocations and determine exactly how the ceasefire will work.

Concluding the Syria talks in Astana, Tehran, Moscow and Ankara also said they supported the willingness of the armed opposition groups to participate in the next round of negotiations to be held in Geneva on 8 February and the implementation of "roadmap for peace" outlined in UN Security Council resolution 2254.

UN Special Representative for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the Syrian grinding of the peace processor should remain guided by the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
and continue in Geneva.

"We (the UN) are the main player in regards to the political process," he said, praising the Astana talks' role in reaching an agreement to consolidate a ceasefire.

'Birth' of Astana process
The head of the Russian delegation at the Astana talks said the negotiations had been positive and that he believed a new process had been born to kickstart negotiations between warring Syrian parties.

"Despite a lot of time spent on agreeing the communique, we have managed to give birth to the Astana process," Alexander Lavrentyev told news hounds.

He said Russia, Turkey and Iran, as guarantors, of the agreement to set up a ceasefire mechanism, would now work closely to implement it. However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened...
he sought to play down the impact the talks would have on a U.N. led political process.

"There will be some speculation that Astana is considered as a substitute of the Geneva process. That's not true - Astana (talks) is a complement to Geneva," he said, adding though that other groups could join the Astana process.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Syrian rebel alliances shatter as former al-Qaeda group attacks FSA


[MIDDLEEASTEYE.NET] Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate on Tuesday launched major co-ordinated assaults on Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
groups in northwestern Syria as FSA representatives attended peace talks in Kazakhstan.

Reports suggest mass assaults by members of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
...formerly al-Nusra, the current false nose and mustache of al-Qaeda in the Levant...
(JFS) on FSA factions around Idlib and Aleppo province. Heavy artillery, suicide bombs and even attacks on internet access in Idlib were reported on Twitter, suggesting JFS was executing a planned strategy across a wide front.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said the festivities began early in the day with an attack by JFS on a base belonging to the Jaish al-Mujahideen faction of the FSA. That attack prompted further festivities along the border between Idlib province and northern Aleppo province.

Officials from JFS, previously known as the Nusra Front and the Syrian arm of al-Qaeda, could not immediately be reached for comment. Ahrar al-Sham
...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014...
, an ally of the FSA which has already fought battles with JFS this week in Idlib, released a statement apparently warning its rival to cease fire or face further resistance.

The statement said the JFS assault was "without justification or legitimate reason", an aid to the rebels' enemies, and that Ahrar would join its "brothers" to contain JFS.

Tensions have been building between JFS and more moderate rebel groups since the opposition was defeated in Aleppo last month. JFS is not covered by a shaky truce between government forces and rebels who are meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The aim of the meeting, organised by Russia, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
and Iran, is to shore up the ceasefire.

The JFS assault focused on rebel-held areas to the west of Aleppo, and adjoining areas of Idlib province, which is almost entirely in rebel hands.

An official in one of the rebel groups, Jabha Shamiya, told Rooters the attack began overnight, describing it as a large assault in several areas. The official said it was the first time JFS had attacked the FSA groups in that area.

"What they are doing serves Iran and the regime - so there is no FSA left in the north - particularly with the factions' delegation now in Astana where the regime offered nothing with regards to the ceasefire," said the Jabha Shamiya official.

The FSA groups now needed to coordinate their efforts to repel the attack, he said.

The commander of a second FSA rebel group, Jaish al-Mujahideen, told Rooters the "extremely fierce" JFS attack aimed to "eliminate the revolution and turn it black", a reference to the black flag flown by the Lions of Islam in Syria.

Posted by: Fred || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Terror Networks
The Beatings Will Continue: Iraqi Edition


14 die in ISIS artillery attack

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Fourteen civilians were killed and 13 others were injured on Tuesday when Islamic State militants bombarded residential areas in eastern Mosul recently recaptured by government forces.

DPA quoted Dureid Saeed, a colonel from the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Forces, as saying that five Katyusha rocket fired by the extremist group had landed von the districts of al-Zerai and Mohandessin in the northeast of the city.

The development comes as Iraqi forces continue to clear a handful of areas witnessing a presence by militants in the east, amid conflicting statements regarding the full recapture of that region.

A statement by the Defense Ministry’s media service, the War Media Cell, said brigades from the 15th and 9th division had invaded and recaptured the villages of Baawiza, Shreikhan, Baisan and a so-called “Nineveh dairy plant”.

The latest military advancement comes hours after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the defense ministry said Monday that the eastern region of Mosul had become totally free from IS extremists, an announcement that was dismissed by a spokesperson of the Joint Operations Command who said troops were still fighting the militants at a few regions.

Military commanders are reportedly making preparations to move onwards to western Mosul, a region that is predominantly under IS control and a home to nearly 750.000 civilians.

ISIS evacuates HQ in Tal Afar

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh Province revealed that the Islamic State group evacuated its headquarters, and burnt tons of its archives in Tal Afar District, west of Mosul, Alsumaria News reported on Tuesday.

The source said, “The Islamic State group evacuated its alternative headquarters that substituted its main ones after the launch of the battles to liberate the city of Mosul three months ago.”

“The group also burnt tons of its archives amid strict procedures,” the source explained.

Noteworthy, al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces were assigned to liberate the western part of Mosul, after liberating many areas and villages, including Tal Afar, west of Mosul.

ISIS Big Turbans remove logos from vehicles

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State vigilantes in the western side of Mosul are obscuring any signs identifying them, fearing that they might make them obvious targets for security forces.

A local source in Nineveh told Alsumaria News on Tuesday that members of the extremist group’s Hisbah (vigilantism) bodies began to remove the service’s logos from their vehicles, fearing that they could make them easy targets for security forces-guided drones that have killed many members recently.

Hisbah committees are Islamic State’s religious law enforcement arm, which arrests violators of the group’s rules and carries out sentences issued against them.

IS militants have occupied Mosul since they emerged in 2014 to proclaim an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq. A three-month-old military campaign by Iraqi joint government forces, backed by troops and advisers from a U.S.-led coalition, has managed to recapture the eastern section of the city, and is preparing to cross the Tigris River, which bisects the city, to recapture the western region, where militants still maintain a majority of districts inhabited by nearly 750.000 civilians.

The extremist group has lost many of its senior leaders and personnel over the past three months, and reports of infighting and division within its ranks have been recurrent.

ISIS imposes curfew on Hawija following abduction

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Kirkuk Province revealed that the Islamic State imposed a curfew in Hawija after the abduction of one of its leaders, Alsumaria News reported on Tuesday.

The source said, “An unidentified armed group abducted one of the Islamic State’s prominent leaders in Hawija.”

“The abducted leader is the execution official of the areas southwest of Kirkuk,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

“The group imposed a curfew in the district after the abduction of its leader,” the source further added.

Noteworthy, Hawija District and the areas of Rashad, Zab, Riyad and Abbasi, southwest of Kirkuk were captured by the Islamic State in June 2014.

ISIS recovers 30 troops' bodies from Tigris

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh revealed that the Islamic State group recovered the bodies of 30 members belonging to the group, who were killed by a coalition air strike few days ago, from the Tigris River in western Mosul, Alsumaria reported on Tuesday.

The source said, “The Islamic State group recovered the bodies of 30 members from the Tigris River in western Mosul.”

“Those members were killed by a coalition air strike that also destroyed dozens of boats that were carrying the Islamic State’s members,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

Yesterday, member of Nineveh Provincial Council Hossam al-Din Abbar announced that dozens of the Islamic State’s leaders fled from the city of Mosul toward Syria.
Posted by: badanov || 01/25/2017 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State



Who's in the News
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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2017-01-25
  Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (Nusra) expels Jund Al-Aqsa from its ranks
Tue 2017-01-24
  Yemen army claims control of port city of Mokha
Mon 2017-01-23
  Nearly 70 killed in fresh Yemen fighting
Sun 2017-01-22
  Suicide bombers blow themselves up in Saudi Arabia
Sat 2017-01-21
  Over 100 Al Qaeda fighters killed in 'major' US air strike in Syria
Fri 2017-01-20
  Over 80 IS Fighters Killed in U.S. Strikes in Libya
Thu 2017-01-19
  Suicide blast kills 33 at north Mali military camp
Wed 2017-01-18
  US Air Force kills high ranking Al-Qaeda leader in Syria
Tue 2017-01-17
  Obama Releases 10 More GITMO Detainees Just Before Leaving Office
Mon 2017-01-16
  Noor Salman, wife of Orlando bomber, now jugged by FBI
Sun 2017-01-15
  Three arrested during Belgian police raid on Molenbeek street where Paris attacks mastermind Salah Abdeslam lived
Sat 2017-01-14
  Islamic State supporters face jail after infiltrated in undercover police sting
Fri 2017-01-13
  Belgium charges pair over fake papers for jihadist in Paris, Brussels attacks
Thu 2017-01-12
  36 Afghan parliament staff killed in Kabul attack
Wed 2017-01-11
  Airport Shooter Converted to Islam, Identified as Aashiq Hammad Years Before Joining Army

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