[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A prominent religious holy man and former member of the provincial council of eastern Laghman ...It has a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a reputionagreat wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.
He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.
province departed this vale of tears he sustained during an attack by gunnies.
The provincial government 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.. said Qari Rohullah was shifted to Nangarhar for the treatment after he was critically injured in the attack.
Qari Rohullah was serving as the prayer leader of the central mosque of Sultan Ghazi Baba township in Mehtarlam city, the scenic provincial capital of Laghman province.
Provincial governor of Nangarhar Mohammad Gulab Mangal condemned the attack on Qari Rohullah in strongest words as he called him a patriotic religious figure who was tireless for the development of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least six forces of Evil were killed while planting an bomb on a roadside in the restive Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... in South of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the forces of Evil ere blown up as they were fixing the homemade Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Loy Bagh area located in Nad-e-Ali district. The source further added that four forces of Evil also sustained injuries in the incident.
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Presidency Council (PC) has declared its firm support for Misrata municipal council after hardliners announced it had been sacked and would be replaced by a steering committee . . .
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[NAIJ] Following new operations aimed at dismantling Boko Haram’s aggressive fundraising operations to finance its plans through kidnapping, armed robbery and gun-running, the DSS says it has arrested 32 Boko Haram members.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the DSS disclosed said it is questioning two suspects, Ibrahim Sule and Bello Shehu, who were arrested on March 13 at Nasarawa town in Kaduna State for alleged involvement in the abduction of two Germans – Dr. Peter Breuning and Johannes Brehinger at Pahkogo village in Kaduna State on February 22.
According to the DSS, about 32 suspected members of Boko Haram and other criminal gangs were arrested in operations conducted in Ekiti, Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, Nassarawa, Kaduna and Kogi states between February and March this year.
The statement said: “Determined to sustain the prevailing peace and stamp out all cases of kidnap in various states where it is taking root, the Service staged vigorous operations which recorded successes.
“The duo of Ibrahim SULE and Bello SHEHU were arrested on March 13, 2017 at Nasarawa town, Nasarawa LGA of Kaduna State for their suspected involvement in the kidnap of two German nationals – Dr. Peter Breuning and Johannes Brehinger – on February 22, 2017 at Pahkogo, Kagarko LGA, Kaduna state.
“On March 20, 2017, a suspected Boko Haram kingpin, Adenoyi Abdulsalam was arrested in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State by a Joint Military/DSS operation team and an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the suspect who is presently undergoing investigation; Abdulsalam was in the final stages of kidnapping some high level targets in Ekiti, not only to raise funds but to terrorize communities in the state.
"Prior to this arrest, several other Boko Haram suspects had been apprehended in various parts of Northern Nigeria especially in Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Kogi States.
“Typical cases of arrest include that of 29 –year-old Boko Haram member, Usman Ladan Rawa (a.k.a Mr. X) on March 17, 2017 at Lafia, Nasarawa State; he was discovered to have rented accommodation at Lafia for Abdullahi Isa, known for his notorious terrorist actions and his plan was to establish an effective base to conduct terrorism, kidnapping and robbery operations in Abuja, Minna, and other adjoining states.”
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[PREMIUMTIMESNG] A 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... commander who beat feet from prison in 2010 has been re-tossed in the slammer Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! , the State Security Services, SSS, said.
In a statement by a Tony Opuiyo, the SSS said that the service arrested Nasiru Sani, also known as Osama, in Bauchi on March 15.
He said Mr. Sani beat feet from Bauchi Central Prison in October 2010 and hid in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Mr. Opuiyo said that in continuation of the service crack down on murderous Moslems, it arrested another suspect, Adamu Jibrin, at Jeka-da-Fari Market in Gombe on March 13.
He said the suspect who operated under the pseudo name of Dantata Sule, serves as a middleman for Boko Haram members and their commanders.
He said the suspect had affirmed his membership of the sect.
Mr. Opuiyo said in sustaining its operation, the service also arrested a suspected Boko Haram commander and food supplier, Ibrahim Fulata, and three of his associates in Dustsen Tanshi area of Bauchi State on February 28.
He said the suspects were being questioned to establish other possible members of the network.
Mr. Opuiyo said that the service had also arrested Boko Haram suspects in Kano, Kogi and Yobe.
The activities of Boko Haram have caused the death of about 100,000 people since 2009 according to official figures.
Mr. Opuiyo attributed the recent successes recorded to the cooperation and support of Nigerians who volunteered useful information to the service.
He assured that the service would maintain the zeal to ensure safety of lives and property of Nigerians.
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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The Yemeni army and popular committees launched Zelzal rocket onto a Saudi military site in Najran and stormed Mesyal border position, killing a number of KSA soldiers.
Saudi Soldier Killed, Two Military Vehicle Bombed in Asir, Najran, Jizan
The Yemeni army and popular forces shot dead a Saudi soldier and bombed two military vehicle in Asir and Najran provinces, a military official told Saba on Wednesday.
The soldier was killed in al-Makhruqa military site and gatherings of Saudi soldiers were hit in a numbers of the military sites of Akafah camp, al-Hamadah, al-Shurfah and Nahiqah in Majran province.
Moreover, the national army bombed the two military vehicle in Raqabat Nashmah military site in al-Rabu’eh area of Asir province, the official said.
Meanwhile, the artillery of the army and popular forces shelled also other soldiers’ groups in military sites of al-Kars, al-Sudanih and al-Matan in Jizan province, the official added.
[Breitbart] Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed the Westminster attacker who killed three on Wednesday was "British-born" and had been investigated by security forces in the past.
Speaking in parliament, Mrs May said the man was known to police and MI5 and had been investigated "some years ago" "in relations to concerns about violent extremism".
However, she described him as a "peripheral figure" and said, "the case is historic". "Peripheral"... except to the innocent people he killed.
"He was not part of the current intelligence picture", the Prime Minister added. "His identity is known to the police and MI5, and when operational consideration allow he will be publicly identified".
She also confirmed that six addresses in Birmingham and London had been searched in relation to the investigation and police had made seven arrests.
The terror threat level, Mrs May said, had been set at "severe" (it’s second highest level) meaning that an attack was "highly likely". At the next, highest level, the security forces would consider an attack "imminent".
Despite Mrs May’s statement, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn immediately responded by demanding people do not "rush to judgement" and warned again "fear and hatred". No "rush to judgement" about out feckless immigration policies please.
Former interim Labour leader Harriet Harmen said the attack should not "be used as a pretext for division... and Islamophobia". The Prime Minister "absolutely" agreed.
[Telling excerpt from the Metro transcript] "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech."
They 'come together' alright, but sadly, not for the reasons the PM has mentioned.
#1
No Chinees shoot crackers at shindies,
Nor nice Hindu ladies with bindis.
Pashtun or Balochi?
No way. Tamagotchi?
And never suspect the West Sindhis!
#3
:. . . where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech."
There is one very important word that is missing its modifier in this sentence.
[METRO] The man who was initially identified as the London terror attacker is still in prison, according to his solicitor.
Hate preacher Abu Izzadeen ‐ formally know as Trevor Brooks
... also Omar Brooks and Abu Baraa for reasons that no doubt made sense at the time. He was born in Britain of Jamaican parentage and worked as an electrician before discovering the joys of Mohammedanism, followed on short order by the additional pleasures of Al-Muhajiroun and preaching fiery nothings for offshoot Al-Ghurabaa...
‐ was falsely named as the attacker in early reports. However, it later became clear the reports may be false with Channel 4’s senior home affairs correspondent Simon Israel confirming it ’may be we’re not as certain about the identity of the attacker as we thought’.
According to the Mail Online, senior security sources and Izzadeen’s lawyer both denied he could be the attacker. The show later carried confirmation from Izzadeen’s brother that he was still in jail.
The former BT electrician, who was once known as Trevor Brooks, is a former BT Electrician who converted to Islam aged 17. He was jailed for two years in January 2016 for breaching the Terrorism Act by leaving the UK illegally.
#3
Attack in the vicinity of the U.K. Parliament of great concern. Something similar taking place in Manchester, York, or Leeds.....not so much. Someone, please help me sort this out.
[Guardian] Here is the full interview from defence secretary Michael Fallon this morning.
Fallon says the belief is that the man was motivated by international terrorism
Their working assumption this is linked to Islamic terrorism but they don’t yet know and the investigation - and it is a very large investigation - has been underway since it happened.
Fallon said attacks are not part of normal life but London was clearly a target police were preparing for
The current warning is at severe - that an attack - and that has been the case for sometime, is likely but not imminent. There is no specific information about other attacks and let me emphasise today although there is intense security around palace of Westminster, London is going to work this morning, I passed school children going to school, there are school trips going ahead, parliament itself will resume at the normal time at half past nine.
This is the Guardian's very thorough liveblog of today's events.
Seven arrested in six counter-terrorism raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere following Wednesday’s terrorist attack on London
Four dead including the killer and a plainclothes policeman, 29 treated in hospitals
#2
Update from The Guardian. The current headline and key bullet points:
London terror attack: Khalid Masood named by police as responsible for Westminster attack
o Police name 52-year-old born in Kent as man responsible for attack in which three victims have died and seven more are critically injured
o Full report: Attacker was ‘peripheral figure’ who had fallen off intelligence radar
Scrolling down the live feed, one finds: 1h ago 11:33
Khalid Masood was known to police but not subject of surveillance
Masood, 52, was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases, police said in a statement.
Scotland Yard said Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.
However, he was known to police and had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.
His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.
He had not been convicted for any terrorism offences.
16:22 A Scotland Yard spokesman said research into other names the attacker used was ongoing, adding: “Khalid Masood is not at this early stage believed to be his birth name.”
3h ago
14:00 Eight arrests after raids
Counter terrorism detectives are investigating the possibility of a wider conspiracy that assisted the attack and made eight arrests after raids in Birmingham, and east London.
Seven people in Birmingham and one in London were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
Police still believe the attack was carried out by one person, and are examining what role if any, those arrested played.
Searches were also carried out in Carmathanshire, Wales, and Brighton, Sussex.
[AnNahar] Belgian police locked away Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! a man on Thursday after he tried to drive into a crowd at high-speed in a shopping area in the port city of Antwerp, a police chief said.
The man was of north African origin and used a car with French registration plates, Antwerp police chief Serge Muyters said.
The incident came a day after an attack on the British parliament killed three people plus the attacker, as well as after the first anniversary of the Brussels attacks in which 32 people died.
"A vehicle with French plates has tried to drive at high speed into the Meir (shopping street). A man in camouflage was taken away," Muyters told a news conference.
"The pedestrians had to jump aside," he said.
"My gratitude on behalf of all Antwerp to the soldiers who have intervened, the police services and the special intervention force," Antwerp mayor Bart de Wever tweeted.
- 'Continue to be vigilant' -
Prime Minister Charles Michel said the government was "following this situation as it develops" in the Phlegmish-speaking northern city.
"We continue to be vigilant. Our security services did an excellent job in Antwerp, thanks," he tweeted.
Meir is the main shopping street in Antwerp's historic center and is mostly pedestrianized. It is one of the most important shopping areas in the country.
With soldiers deployed at key sites, Belgium has been on high alert since March 22 last year when jacket wallahs attacked Zaventem airport and Maalbeek metro station that left 32 people dead and more than 320 maimed.
The high cost of resisting conquest.
Belgium suffered a further shock in August when a machete-wielding man shouting "holy shit! Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked two policewomen in the industrial town of Charleroi.
He badly injured one in the face, before a third officer shot him dead.
- IS fighters coming home -
They are going to have to make it a jailable offense to be involved in any sort of pro-jihadi activity whatsoever, like watching videos. Waiting for someone to commit an actual attack is entirely too expensive in terms of manpower and risk to the populace. So are we.
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.... Jihadists have grabbed credit for a number of attacks using vehicles in Europe in recent months, including Wednesday's carnage in London.
Attackers rammed lorries into crowds in the French city of Nice in July last year killing 86 people and a Christmas market in the German capital Berlin last year.
On Wednesday, Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde led ceremonies commemorating the Brussels bombings, which were also claimed by IS.
Interior Minister Jan Jambon told AFP in the runup to the anniversary that tighter security had made Belgium safer safer than it was a year ago.
However he said it faced the threat of continuing radicalization at home and from battle-hardened fighters returning from Middle East battle fields.
Belgium's federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw told AFP in November that the cell that carried out the Brussels bombings, and was involved in the Gay Paree attacks, had got its orders from high up in the IS command.
Numbering around 500, Belgium is the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... 's largest per capita source of so-called foreign jihadist fighters, but Jambon said none had left the country for the Middle East since January 2016.
#2
There will be more.
But first they must be on the dole long enough to buy or buy-into a car consortium, then learn how to drive it.
Posted by: al aSha-med ||
03/23/2017 15:07 Comments ||
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#3
We have a name, or part of one, courtesy of the Daily Mail:
Belgian police arrested a man named as Mohamed R, 39, on Thursday after he tried to drive into a crowd at high-speed in a shopping area in the port city of Antwerp at around 11am.
The suspect, who has not been confirmed as a Muslim but is named after the religion's prophet and is said to be of North African descent, was wearing camouflage when he was arrested.
Belgian security forces found a rifle as well as bladed weapons in the car driven by the Frenchman who tried to ram a crowd in the main pedestrianised street in the port city, described by the French President Francois Hollande as an 'attempted terrorist attack'.
The federal prosecutor's office also said bomb disposal units were sent to the scene to examine the vehicle.
'Different arms were found in the boot - bladed weapons, a riot gun (rifle) and a container of liquid that is still unidentified,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.
'The suspect is Mohamed R, born on May 8, 1977, of French nationality and a resident of France,' the statement said.
The driver sped off after Belgian soldiers, who have been deployed around the country to assist the counter-terrorism fight, tried to stop the car.
'A short while later, a rapid intervention force from Antwerp police was able to stop the car,' the statement said.
The man was “under the influence of something” but it was not clear what substance, a source close to the investigation tells AFP.
Authorities were not certain if it was an attempted attack and the incident remained under investigation, several Belgian sources added on condition of anonymity.
The prosecutor’s office says the man was a national of France, but a French police source told AFP he was a Tunisian holding French residency papers.
Armed attackers hurled a hand-grenade at a government girls' high school in Balochistan's Killa Abdullah district near Pak-Afghan border on Wednesday, security sources said. No loss of human life was reported.
Levies sources said two armed militants riding on a motorcycle hurled a hand-grenade at girls high school in Killi Pir Alizai area of district Killa Abdullah. The blast smashed the glasses of school.
"Fortunately, the girls were inside their classes at the time of attack, " Zamarak Achakzai, the parliamentary leader of Awami National Party (ANP) who belongs to the same village told DawnNews via telephone.
"We strongly condemn this terror act and demand the arrest of culprits behind the attack," Achakzai said.
The assailants sped away on their motorcycle after the attack.
Levies personnel reached the girls high school as investigation into the incident went underway. Panic prevailed among the students in the aftermath of the attack.
This was for the first time in the area to target any educational institutions. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
[DAWN] At least five people were maimed as students from the Islami Jamaat Taleba (IJT) allegedly gatecrashed a Pakhtun cultural event being held at Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... University (PU), Lahore, police sources said.
IJT members allegedly tried to halt the proceedings, which resulted in a clash between students at the university, DawnNews reported.
Following the clash, police reached the campus and used tear gas to disperse the violent crowd.
The five injured have been shifted to Jinnah Hospital, police sources added.
"The cultural show was being held with the PU administration's permission, but IJT had issues with the activity being held so they tried to halt the proceedings," PML-N stalwart Rana Sanaullah told DawnNews
"Measures are being taken to make sure that the students involved in the disruption are held accountable," Sanaullah said.
"[Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... leader] Sirajul Haq ...current head of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Siraj was born in 1962 and entered politics shortly after that... talks about fighting terrorism, the National Action Plan and building a positive narrative on one hand, but his own people are involved in creating such disruptions on the other," the provincial politician said.
Sanaullah further said the police had been asked to inquire from the PU administration about the people involved and file a case against those involved in violence.
'Will not tolerate attacks at unarmed students'
Nationalist and religious political parties termed the Punjab government equally responsible for the altercation at the university.
The Awami National Party founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986. Part of the PPP-led cabinet 2008-13. The ANP is considered left wing, advocating for secularism, democratic socialism, public sector government, and economic egalitarianism.... ’s Zmarak Khan Achakzai announced the launch of a protest movement.
"The Punjab government gave a free hand to the gunnies of a religious party," said Achakzai. He added that no negotiations would take place until the enrolment of students involved in the attack is revoked.
"We will not tolerate attacks on unarmed students," said Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... -Fazl’s Amir Zaman.
He added that his party would support every protest against the 'attack on Pakhtun students'.
Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... National Party’s Majeed Kakar referred to the incident as an "act of terror".
History of intimidation
The IJT is a right-wing student body that often operates in university campuses across the country as the de facto moral police. IJT members have in the past objected to Valentine's Day celebrations and the playing of music at certain cultural events.
University administration officials have also complained to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... about the "Jamaat's negative activities on the university campus".
In February, as many as 15 students were maimed in a clash between two organizations at a Punjab University hostel on the playing of loud music at hostel no 4.
Pushtoon and Baloch Educational Development Movement’s Imran Kakar said some students were playing music in their room when a group of IJT activists reached there.
He said the IJT activists torched the room, while those who were playing music moved away after the incident.
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi fighter jets pounded Islamic State locations in western Mosul on Wednesday, killing 14 militants and destroying the group’s vigilantism office, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry media.
The War Media Cell said 14 militants were killed while two booby-traps were destroyed when Iraqi fighter jets bombarded Ras Sinjar and 17 Tamuz (July 17th) regions in western Mosul. It added that six booby-trapped vehicles belonging to the extremist group were destroyed.
17 Tamuz (July 17th) district in western Mosul (google maps)
Other strikes destroyed the group’s so-called “Islamic police” office in al-Baaj area, also west of Mosul, according to the statement. Islamic police was IS’s vigilantes service which observed civilians’ commitment to its extreme religious rules.
Iraqi government forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting, and launched an offensive in February to recapture the western region.Iraqi troops are currently working to retake central Mosul districts from IS militants, specifically eyeing the city’s grand mosque where the group’s self-styled “Caliphate” was declared in 2014.
Earlier this week, the Iraqi air force said strikes it had carried out since the start of Mosul operations in October killed 2200 Islamic State members.
Iraqi field commanders were quoted earlier this week saying that bad weather, coupled with the narrowly-structured residential areas of western Mosul, had forced troops to halt ground incursions at some stages and to rely instead on air assaults and artillery bombardments to avoid fires and suicide attacks by Islamic State snipers and attackers who, Iraqi commanders say, use civilians as human shields. Google Map at the link
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army forces took over an Islamic State command center in northwestern Mosul on Wednesday, killing 40 fighters in the process as operations continue to clear the west of the city from militants.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that armored divisions took over the group’s command center in Badush, an area north of the western side of Mosul and near the Tigris River, killing more than 40 members of several nationalities, including a senior leader nicknamed “Abu Adul-Rahman”, according to the ministry’s statement.
Badush town, northwest of Mosul (Google Maps)
The forces seized locally-made rockets, communication sets and a network of underground tunnels at the area, the statement added.
The development put Iraqi forces in full control over Badush as well as over the western bank of the Tigris River, which bisects Mosul, according to the statement.
Iraqi government forces and allied paramilitary forces have been recapturing several areas around Badush since operations launched mid February to retake western Mosul. The troops recaptured eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting, and launched an offensive in February to recapture the western region.Iraqi troops are currently working to retake central Mosul districts from IS militants, specifically eyeing the city’s grand mosque where the group’s self-styled “Caliphate” was declared in 2014. Google Map at the link
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) lraqi forces advanced towards more districts in western Mosul on Wednesday as operations against Islamic State militants proceed to retake the region.
The army’s Counter-Terrorism Forces command said its troops moved towards the Shuqaq al-Yarmouk (apartment buildings) and Yabessat districts in western Mosul, having recaptured nearby districts of Shuqaq Nablus and al-Resala on Tuesday.
Yarmouk district, western Mosul (google maps).
Meanwhile, Ikhnews quoted a security source in Nineveh saying two civilians were wounded by mortars fired from IS militants at Ghizlani, south of Mosul’s western side. The source said the pair was going to Nabi Shiit district, which was recaptured weeks ago by security forces, to pull out the bodies of relatives buried under debris.
Iraqi government forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January and launched an offensive in February to recapture the western region.Iraqi troops are currently working to retake central Mosul districts from IS militants, specifically eyeing the city’s grand mosque where the group’s self-styled “Caliphate” was declared in 2014.
Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition generals have admitted that battles in western Mosul were much more difficult due to the region’s high population and the complex structure of its residential areas.
Iraqi government data reveal that at least 355.000 civilians have been displaced since operations began in October. Google Map at the link
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A Federal Police Officer announced on Wednesday, that security forces killed 15 members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, and arrested several sleeper cells belonging to the group in central Mosul.
Captain Khalil Haider said in a press statement that Iraqi security forces killed 15 members of the Islamic State group, as well as arresting sleeper cells belonging to the terrorist group, including four women, in central the city of Mosul.
Meanwhile, army forces also managed to kill an IS suicide bomber, before blowing himself up near the great mosque in Mosul, Haider added.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) We Are Coming Nineveh Operations Command announced on Wednesday liberating the villages of Al Yassin and Arhila, north of Badush, and raising Iraqi flag over their buildings.
Commander of Operations, Abdel Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement that troops of the army’s 9th armored brigade liberated the villages of Al Yassin and Arhila, north of Badush, and also liberated the Iraqi flag over their buildings.
The security forces inflicted heavy human and material losses on the enemy, Yarallah further added.
Nineveh Province is witnessing extensive military operations, after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced launching an offensive to liberate the western side of the city of Mosul, in addition to capturing the last stronghold of the Islamic State in the city.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Security forces arrested the suspects behind a deadly car blast that rocked a district in southwestern Baghdad on Monday, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
“A security force arrested perpetrators behind the explosion that occurred at St. 84 in al-Amel neighborhood on Monday and left 44 casualties,” according the ministry’s statement.
It said forces also arrested another group suspected of carrying out another attack in February that killed five people in al-Aalam district, also southwest of the capital.
Al-Amel district, Baghdad (google maps)
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count. It excludes death toll among security members after Iraqi authorities had asked to get such information exclusively from security commands.
While several blasts are not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.
Some 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. They are concerned that the group could, however, shift to a guerilla-style war and lone wolf attacks after the recapture of Mosul. Google Map at the link 1 dead in al-Shaab bombing attack
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One civilian was killed and six others were wounded on Wednesday in two separate bomb blasts north and west of Baghdad, according to security sources.
An explosive device placed on the side of al-Seha road in al-Shaab, north of baghdad, exploded, leaving one person wounded, sources were quoted saying.
Another bomb planted near a popular market in Subaihat, in Abu Gharib, west of Baghdad, also exploded, killing one and wounding five others, the sources added.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count. It excludes death toll among security members after Iraqi authorities had asked to get such information exclusively from security commands.
While several blasts are not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.
Some 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. They are concerned that the group could, however, shift to a guerقilla-style war and lone wolf attacks after the recapture of Mosul. Google Map at the link
[Iraq News] Iraqi army commander announced on Wednesday, that dozens 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.... members were either killed or maimed by Iraqi aircraft air strikes in Anbar Province.
Commander of the army’s 7th brigade, Lieutenant General Numan Abd al-Zawei said in a press statement that Iraqi Sukhoi aircraft bombarded an explosive plant, a cache of weapons and a hideout belonging to the Islamic State in al-Karabla area in the city of Qaim.
The aerial bombardment resulted in the full destruction of the explosive plant, cache of weapons and hideout, as well as killing and wounding dozens of the terrorist group, Zawei added.
Zawei further explained that another air strike targeted a gathering of Death Eaters in al-Okashat area, north of Rutba, leaving dozens of casualties among the ranks of the Islamic State group.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW.NET] Yezidi forces fended off an ISIS attack south of Shingal mountain, Monday night and into Tuesday.
Around midnight on Monday, ISIS murderous Moslems began an attack on positions of the Shingal Protection Units (YPG) in the villages of Skiniye and Hayale, at the southeast base of the mountain, the YBS command detailed in a statement published Wednesday.
Clashes continued through midday on Tuesday near Tewra village, 8 kilometres southwest of Skiniye and Hayale.
"As a result of actions our forces implemented, the gangs’ attacks were broken and they had to retreat," the statement read, as published by ANF News and confirmed to Rudaw English by YBS commander Zardasht Shingli.
One member of the PKK’s armed wing, the HPG, was killed when their forces came to assist the Yezidi forces.
The YBS reported killing 11 ISIS murderous Moslems and destroying several of their vehicles.
As many as 13 villages and complexes in the Shingal region are still held by ISIS despite major setbacks of the group across the northern part of Iraq.
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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I lack both polite and impolite language to properly express my feelings at this moment.
[IsraelTimes] After months-long undercover investigation, police and FBI say suspect used voice-altering technology to make threatening calls.
A Jewish Israeli teenager, 19, has been tossed in the calaboose Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! on suspicion of issuing dozens of fake bomb threats against Jewish institutions in North America and elsewhere in recent months, police said on Thursday.
Police said the resident of the southern city of Ashkelon was the subject of a months-long undercover investigation by police’s Lahav 433 cyber unit and the FBI. It said in a statement the motive behind the bomb threats was unclear.
The suspect will be brought before the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court later on Thursday for a remand hearing. His father was also summoned by police for questioning.
The suspect, who was not named, faces charges of extortion and is accused of sowing widespread fear and panic.
According to police, he used advanced voice-altering technology to call in fake bomb threats to Jewish community centers in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel.
Sources confirmed the suspect is a dual US-Israeli citizen. He was exempted from the mandatory IDF service after recruiters deemed him unfit for military service, according to the Haaretz daily.
What exempts a Jewish male from the draft for unfitness?
Sources said the suspect also phoned in a threat to a Delta plane, rerouting the aircraft.
Nearly 150 bomb threats have hit JCCs, Jewish day schools and other Jewish institutions since the beginning of the year,
...that's just in the U.S. How many for the other countries?
causing the evacuation of dozens of Jewish community centers. The threats have mostly come in waves, via phone and email. Many of the institutions have been threatened more than once.
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies have been investigating the threats. Juan Thompson, a St. Louis resident, has been charged with committing eight of the threats, but appears to be a copycat. Earlier this month, a top New York police official said most of the threats were likely being carried out by a single individual using phone spoofing technology to mask the source of the calls.
15:06 JCC bomb hoaxer also grounded flights with bomb threats
In addition to being suspected of carrying out hoax bomb threats on US Jewish Community Centers, a Jewish teen arrested by Israeli police made threats to airlines, causing Delta flights to change course after receiving a call, sources tell The Times of Israel.
In January 2015 two Delta Air Lines flights arriving at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, one continuing to and one arriving from Tel Aviv, were evacuated following a bomb threat.
An anonymous caller to an unnamed airline reported that a pipe bomb had been placed aboard Delta’s flight 468, according to reports. The airline has two flights with the same number.
One of the flights, a Boeing 777, was waiting to depart from Kennedy Airport at 9:23 p.m. when the call came in. The passengers were evacuated and waited on buses on the tarmac while security officials searched the plane. The luggage also was removed and rescreened. No explosives were found on board.
The second flight, a Boeing 757, arrived at the airport from San Francisco at 8 p.m. and was scheduled to continue on to Tel Aviv. After the passengers disembarked, the plane was searched. No explosives were found.
14:54 Israeli JCC bomb threat suspect is also a US citizen
The suspect arrested by Israeli police in suspicion of carrying out hoax bomb threats on US Jewish Community Centers has dual Israel-US citizenship, sources say.
Upon searching his house, police discovered advanced communication equipment including satellites and antennas used to cover up the origin of his calls, police told The Times of Israel.
Regaining the textile factory in northern Jobar and killing over 150 terrorists, the Syrian army and allies on Wednesday repelled attempts by terrorist groups to break the siege imposed on the area.
A military source said that army units repelled repeated attempts by al-Nusra terrorists and groups affiliated to them to break the siege imposed on terrorist groups trapped in the textiles factories north of Jobar.
The source said that army units are engaged in violent clashes with terrorist groups north of Jobar, and that they are shelling the terrorists’ gatherings and movements in the depths of Jobar and surrounding areas.
The source added that the operations in Jobar resulted in the death of more than 150 terrorists, including foreigners and some of their leaders, in addition to injuring hundreds of them, destroying 3 car bombs, and killing 7 suicide bombers before they could reach army positions.
In the same context, SANA’s reporter said that the Syrian Air Force carried out since dawn a number of airstrikes targeting the terrorists’ movements and supply routes coming from the Eastern Gouta towards the north of Jobar neighborhood, inflicting heavy losses upon them in personnel.
The reporter said that clashes continue between army units and terrorists that infiltrated the factories area on the northern outskirts of Jobar neighborhood on Tuesday, leaving many of their members dead and injured and destroying large amounts of their weapons and equipment.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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(Reuters) The Syrian army is sending reinforcements to face a major rebel offensive in Hama province, a Syrian military source told Reuters on Wednesday, as insurgents pressed an attack in a western area critically important to President Bashar al-Assad.
The assault spearheaded by jihadist fighters got under way on Tuesday and follows two attacks on Assad’s seat of power in Damascus in recent days, showing the lingering threat posed by rebels even as Assad enjoys the military upper hand in the war.
The areas of Hama province targeted in the latest assault form part of the western region of Syria where Assad has shored up his rule during the six-year-long war with crucial military support from Russia and Iran.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization that monitors the war, said insurgents had captured the towns of Soran, some 20 km north of Hama city, and Khattab, some 10 km northwest of it, confirming rebel accounts.
The military source said there were clashes in both places but the situation was not yet decided, adding that the insurgents had mobilized large numbers for the assault.
“Reinforcements are now being sent” by the army, the source said. “There are fierce battles between the two sides.”
The attack is being led by Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of Islamist factions dominated by a group that was formerly al Qaeda’s official affiliate in the Syrian war. Groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner are also taking part.
An FSA rebel commander, in an interview with the pro-opposition Orient TV, said the Hama assault had been long in the planning, and insurgents were ready for a protracted fight.
“The battle – praise God – has been prepared for a long time and all capacities have been prepared for it so that we can wage a long battle,” said the FSA commander identified as a lieutenant in the Ezza Army group.
The escalation in Hama province follows two rebel assaults on government-held areas in Jobar in Damascus, launched by opposition fighters from the Eastern Ghouta, an opposition stronghold east of the capital.
State media said on Wednesday the army was waging fierce clashes with insurgents in northern Jobar.
The Ezza Army commander said the rebel attack in Hama was coordinated with the one in Damascus. He also said that more attacks would be launched “in a number of other areas”.
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03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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(Reuters) Turkish shelling of Syrian villages in the predominantly Kurdish region of Afrin near the border wounded 10 civilians on Wednesday, the Kurdish YPG militia said.
“This morning from 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) the Turkish artillery began shelling the border villages in the Afrin area,” YPG spokesman Redur Xelil told Reuters.
“The Turkish army shelling is continuing,” he said. “Any response by our forces in this region comes as self defense,” he added in a written message.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[AA.TR] Hundreds of Syrian civilians were reportedly killed in two U.S.-led coalition Arclight airstrikes in northern Raqqah province, according to local sources who spoke to Anadolu Agency.
The first Arclight airstrike targeted a school housing displaced people late Monday in the town of Mansura, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Raqqah on the shores of Euphrates River, sources said, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Although the school is located in a ISIS-held area, the sources said there was no presence of the Lions of Islam in the area.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio had his hands full of angry bleached blonde... local sources said 40 others were killed in another U.S.-led coalition strike on Monday in al-Tabqah, west of Raqqah.
Mostly women and kiddies were killed in the attack.
Anti-ISIS coalition front man U.S. Army Col. Joe Scrocca said he was unable to confirm the strike on the school was a coalition action but confirmed the coalition carried out strikes in the area.
"We have not been able to look at all the evidence to determine whether that was one of our strikes or not," he said.
Scrocca said he would not put it past ISIS "to blow up a school or something.
"We see them targeting civilians all the time," he said.
ISIS-held Raqqah and its surroundings lack Internet connections, hindering efforts to deliver images or videos to mainstream media.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[AA.TR] U.S.-backed forces have started a "multi-pronged" campaign to wrest control of Syria's Tabqa Dam from ISIS, the U.S.-led coalition confirmed Wednesday.
Spokesman Army Col. Joe Scrocca told news hounds the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) offensive took ISIS by surprise when the fighters carried out a "daring air assault" behind enemy lines.
"It takes audacity and courage, and the SDF has that in spades," he said.
The coalition backed the offensive with helicopters and other aircraft to airlift the SDF, Arclight airstrikes, M777 Howitzer artillery, special operations advisors, and Apache helicopters that provided close air support.
"This is a message for ISIS: their day is done," Scrocca said, referring to 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, another name for ISIS.
Scrocca said the airlift was the first such action taken by the coalition, and he didn't know if it would be the last.
"I’m sure ISIS will be expecting nothing less," he said.
The Tabqa Dam sits on the southeastern outlet of Lake Assad. It lies about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the city of Raqqah, ISIS's self-declared capital that the SDF has been working to encircle.
Retaking the dam, "a key element of northern Syria’s economy", and the surrounding areas is considered a major goal in the effort to isolate Raqqah.
"The dam, city, and air fields are locations critical to ISIS’ ability to import and harbor imported muscle, export terror, and is ISIS’ last link to their territory west of the Euphrates," said Scrocca.
He said the dam's potential destruction would create a humanitarian catastrophe, and the coalition is "taking every precaution" to make sure that does not happen.
U.S. support for the YPG-backed SDF has long vexed The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , who views the YPG as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed PKK group. Turkey, the U.S. and the EU have designated the group a terrorist organization, but neither the U.S. nor EU have followed Turkey's lead on the YPG.
Asked if the SDF forces included Kurdish forces, Scrocca said they did, but he did not confirm whether the YPG had participated.
Approximately 80 percent of the SDF's forces were Arab fighters, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In recent months, Iran has increased its role in the war in Yemen, according to regional and Western sources, by sending hi- tech weapons and military advisers to the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... militias.
A senior Iranian official revealed that Qassim Soleimani, Commander of the Quds Force, met with senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials in Tehran last month to discuss ways to "empower" the Houthis with weapons, ammunition and military counseling.
According to many sources, Iran’s support for the Houthis has increased significantly in recent months, despite Iran’s persistent attempts to deny it.
In a recent Rooters report on Tehran, sources maintained that Qassim Soleimani and senior IRGC officials agreed to increase aid to the Houthi militias through training, weapons and financial support.
Strenghthen grip
A former senior Iranian security official was quoted by Rooters as saying that Iranian regime is planning to assist the Houthi militia in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... to strengthen their grip in the region, similar to the Hezbollah militia in Leb.
Iran is using ships to deliver supplies either directly to Yemen or through Somalia to circumvent the coalition’s efforts.
After the ships arrive in the region, the cargo is transported to small fishing boats that are difficult to monitor on Yemen’s 2,700-kilometer coastline.
The report asserted that the Houthi militia received several hi-tech weapons recently such as the Kornet anti-tank guided missile which were not available in Yemen before.
In January, the Houthis launched an attack on a Saudi frigate through a remote-controlled boat. A Coast Guard boat was also destroyed near Mukalla region this month by mines laid by the Houthis.
The equipment that was smuggled included long-range ballistic missiles and drones with explosive warheads.
In addition to weapons, Tehran sends Afghan and Arab Shiite experts to train the Houthi militia and to act as advisers, including Afghans who fought in Syria under the Quds Force.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
After the ships arrive in the region, the cargo is transported to small fishing boats that are difficult to monitor on Yemen’s 2,700-kilometer coastline.
Isn't there a spring storm season in that region that makes transit hazardous for cargo ships?
Posted by: al aSha-med ||
03/23/2017 1:15 Comments ||
Top||
#2
al ashamed
yes, in the Gulf of Aden there is elevated risk of tropical storms during the months near the equinox - in Nov 2015 there was a monster 120mph cyclone
also, there is considerable piracy
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/23/2017 1:51 Comments ||
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#3
There should also be some subs there sinking their asses
Posted by: chris ||
03/23/2017 17:28 Comments ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The US-led coalition has air-dropped US and allied Syrian forces near Tabqa in Raqqa province, expanding a campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias against ISIS, the SDF said on Wednesday.
The operation aims both to capture the al-Tabqa area, across the Euphrates from the SDF’s other main holdings, and to curb Syrian government advances in that direction, the SDF’s Raqqa campaign said in a statement on social media.
The landing forces had seized four small villages in the area west of al-Tabqa and cut a main highway that links the provinces of Raqqa, Deir al-Zor and Aleppo, the SDF, a US-backed alliance of militias said.
"American forces have conducted a landing operation for US ground forces, along with special forces" from the Raqqa campaign, it said.
A local official familiar with SDF operations told Rooters the air-drop operation aimed to secure a crossing point for forces coming in boats across the Euphrates, which began arriving at dawn on Wednesday.
The official described it as "a pioneering step by the coalition and SDF in the framework of the war against ISIS," using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
With the help of air strikes and special forces operations from the US-led coalition, the SDF is waging a campaign to encircle Raqqa city, ISIS’s most important holding in Syria.
The SDF, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia as well as Arab groups, is fighting to isolate Raqqa ahead of an anticipated assault on the city, which ISIS has used as a command node to plan attacks abroad.
The Kurdish-led alliance cut the last main road out of Raqqa earlier this month, narrowing in on the city from the north, east and west.
The only way out of Raqqa now is over the Euphrates that borders the city to the south, the Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor has said.
ISIS is losing ground to three separate campaigns in northern Syria - by the SDF, by the Russian-backed Syrian army and by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.
The Syrian army and allied forces have made rapid gains east of Aleppo in recent weeks, edging towards the provincial border with Raqqa, close to al-Tabqa.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2017 00:00 ||
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Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) One civilian was killed and three others were wounded, including a security soldier, in a mortar shelling by Islamic State militants on areas at central Mosul Wednesday with mortar missiles, according to security sources.
Shafaaq News website quoted the source saying that a girl was killed and two other civilians were injured when a mortar shell launched by militants landed on al-Farouq area, in central Mosul.
Other rockets fell on Souq al-Arbaa market and Bab al-Toub, wounding a member of the Rapid Response forces.
The Federal Police command said earlier on Wednesday that IS members have begun to shell areas recaptured by security forces in western Mosul, but said they became in control over passageways in the Old City which militants used to pass through to carry out suicide attacks on troops.
Iraqi government forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January and launched an offensive in February to recapture the western region. Iraqi troops are currently working to retake central Mosul districts from IS militants, specifically eyeing the city’s grand Nuri al-Kabir mosque in the Old City, where the group’s self-styled “Caliphate” was declared in 2014.
There have been several instances of civilians’ deaths since operations launched in October to retake Mosul, with international rights groups blaming all parties to the conflict for the deaths. Google Map at the link
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A Police Officer informed on Wednesday, that 20 civilians were either killed or wounded in a mortar shelling launched by the Islamic State group on the liberated areas, south of Mosul.
Captain Amir Wathiq said that seven civilians were killed and 13 others were wounded in a mortar attack launched by the Islamic State on the areas of al-Jawsak and al-Dindan, south of Mosul.
Security forces rushed to the areas of incident, while ambulances transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital and the bodies to the forensic medicine department, Wathiq added.
Iraq is witnessing an extraordinary security situation, where ongoing military operations take place to drive out the Islamic State, while the US-led international coalition intensifies its air strikes on the group’s headquarters.
(Reuters) As Islamic State loses ground in Iraq and Syria, the Sunni militant group which once held territory amounting to a third of those countries is turning to sabotage to ensure its enemies cannot benefit from its losses.
As the Syrian army and allied militias advanced under heavy Russian air cover on the ancient city of Palmyra three weeks ago, Islamic State leaders ordered fighters to destroy oil and gas fields.
“It is the duty of mujahideen today to expand operations targeting economic assets of the infidel regimes in order to deprive crusader and apostate governments of resources,” an article in the group’s online weekly magazine al-Nabaa said.
The strategy poses a double challenge to Baghdad and Damascus, depriving their governments of income and making it harder to provide services and gain popular support in devastated areas recaptured from the militants.
The March 2 article said operations by Islamic State in the area around Palmyra “prove the massive effect that strikes aimed at the infidels’ economy have, confusing them and drawing them … into battles they are not ready for.”
It’s not just oil wells the group has targeted. Twice in the last two years it has taken over Palmyra, about 200 km (130 miles) northeast of Damascus, and both times destroyed priceless antiquities before being driven out.
A Syrian antiquities official said earlier this month that he had seen serious damage to the Tetrapylon, a square stone platform with matching structures of four columns positioned at each corner. Only four of the 16 columns were still standing.
In their earlier occupation of the city, the militants ruined an 1,800-year-old monumental arch and the nearly 2,000-year-old Temple of Baalshamin.
However, the article in al-Nabaa suggested Islamic State sees the destruction of tangible economic assets as a greater weapon against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, who is from Syria’s Alawite minority.
“In the first days of the second conquest of Palmyra, where fighters secured the city and other vast areas to the west that include the Alawite regime’s last petrol resources … the Alawite regime and its allies rushed to the depth of the desert to reclaim them,” Islamic State wrote.
“But the caliphate’s soldiers had beaten them to the punch and destroyed the wells and refineries completely so that their enemies could not gain from them and so that their economic crisis goes on for the longest time possible.” More at the link
[ARA News] The Islamic State (ISIS) radical group has executed and dumped the bodies of possibly hundreds of detainees at a site near Mosul, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.
More and more mass graves are being discovered now that ISIS is being slowly defeated in Iraq, and pushed out of Mosul, the group’s de-facto capital in Iraq.
Multiple witnesses said that the bodies of those killed, including bodies of members of Iraqi security forces, were thrown into a naturally occurring sinkhole at a site known as Khafsa, about 8 kilometers southwest of Mosul.
Local residents said that before pulling out of the area in mid-February, ISIS laid improvised landmines at the site, which are sometimes referred to as improvised explosive devices or booby traps.
“This mass grave is a grotesque symbol of ISIS’s cruel and depraved conduct – a crime of a monumental scale,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Laying landmines in the mass grave is clearly an attempt by ISIS to maximize harm to Iraqis.”
“Iraqi authorities should make it a priority to mark and fence the site for the protection of the mass grave and those in the area, until deminers can clear the site,” the HRW said.
Residents said that water runs through the bottom of the sinkhole, which may make it difficult to exhume the human remains there. If exhumation is possible, the process should be carried out under international standards. Authorities should turn the site into a memorial and support families of victims seeking justice for the executions, according to the human rights watchdog.
The site is one of dozens of ISIS mass graves found between Iraq and Syria, but could be the largest discovered thus far, Human Rights Watch said.
While it is not possible to determine the number of people executed at the site, the estimates of residents, based on executions they witnessed and what ISIS fighters in the area had told them, reaches into the thousands.
Some of the victims may also have been detainees at Badoush Prison, 10 kilometers west of Mosul, which ISIS captured on June 10, 2014. On that day, ISIS fighters executed about 600 prisoners at a ravine in the nearby desert, nine survivors told Human Rights Watch.
On March 11, 2017, the Iraqi Security Forces announced that they had found another mass grave, about two kilometres from the Badoush Prison, that held between 500 and 600 men – though it is unclear how they determined these numbers.
On March 15, a general in the Iraqi military’s 9th Division said that under the division’s supervision, medical experts from Baghdad had exhumed about 400 bodies from the site.
“These excavations are unacceptable. They must be carried out by trained teams with sufficient experience, because they are dealing with human remains at a crime scene,” Fawaz Abdulameer of the International Committee for Missing Persons told HRW.
This is the second report of ad hoc and unprofessional exhumations taking place without authorization.
“To facilitate accountability for these crimes, Iraq should ratify the Rome Statute, giving the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity there, and should incorporate the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide into its domestic law,” HRW said.
“The strong desire to exhume the remains of loved ones from ISIS mass graves is perfectly understandable, but hastily conducted exhumations seriously harm the chances of identifying the victims and preserving evidence,” Fakih said.
“While exhuming the remains of those killed at Khafsa may be difficult, authorities should do what they can to make sure that those who lost their loved ones there have access to justice.”
Posted by: badanov ||
03/23/2017 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)] At least six 
[NAIJ] Following new operations aimed at dismantling Boko Haram’s aggressive fundraising operations to finance its plans through kidnapping, armed robbery and gun-running, the DSS says it has arrested 32 Boko Haram members.
[METRO] The man who was initially identified as the London terror attacker is still in prison, according to his solicitor. 
[DAWN] At least five people 
[AA.TR] Hundreds of Syrian civilians were reportedly killed in two U.S.-led coalition 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In recent months, Iran has increased its role in the war in Yemen, according to regional and Western sources, by sending hi- tech weapons and military advisers to the 
