[ToloNews] At least eight non-combatants were killed in an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Surkh Rod district in the eastern province of 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.. on Friday evening, a front man for Nangarhar governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said. they're non-combatants now
Khogyani said that one child was also among those killed in the airstrike that was carried out in Karak village in Surkh Rod district in the north of Nangarhar.
Sources from Nangarhar said those who were killed were the civilians who were going to their homes after shopping at a local market. Simple, well-armed, rustic civilians
The Ministry of Defense has not commented on this incident. A statement by the ministry released on Saturday morning reads that five airstrikes were conducted over the past 24 hours including an airstrike in Sherzad district in Nangarhar in which six Lions of Islam were killed and four others were maimed.
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan Special Forces ...established in 2007 with the intent of taking one conventional infantry kandak (battalion) from each of the regional ANA corps, giving them special training and equipment, and reorganizing based on the U.S. Army Rangers. Each battalion is assigned to one of the six regional corps. The commandos comprise 7% of the Afghan National Security Forces but conduct 70% to 80% of the fighting... arrested a Pak family during an operation in Ghazni province during which they seized a large cache of explosives belonging to Taliban ...Arabic for students... The Special Operations Corps in a statement said the Special Forces discovered and seized the cache during a raid in Geru district.
The statement further added that the Special Forces confiscated 200 sacks of explosives, 4 cycle of violences and a vehicle during the raid.
According to Special Operations Corps, the Special Forces also arrested a Pak family including a woman and 6 children whose head of the family was involved in the making of improvised bombs.
The Taliban group has not commented in this regard so far.
[KhaamaPress] An Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... killed seven Talibs including the deputy commander of the Red Unit of the group in North-eastern Takhar province.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said the security forces conducted a precision airstrike in Baharak district of Takhar on Friday night.
The statement further added that the airstrike killed 7 Talibs including Jalal Sirat alias Nasrat, the deputy commander of the Red Unit of Taliban ...Arabic for students... in Takhar.
The airstrike also killed Ahmadullah Taloqani, one of the senior commanders of the group in Takhar and maimed 3 other bad boys, the statement added.
The Defense Ministry also added that the airstrike also destroyed multiple cycle of violences of Talibs.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the airstrike so far.
[KhaamaPress] An airstrike killed 5 Taliban militants in North-eastern Takhar province of Afghanistan, the military officials said Saturday. The officials further added that the security forces conducted the airstrike in Baharak district of Takhar.
This may or may not be the same airstrike as above — we go to press with the articles we’ve got.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella went down under the weight of the custard... the Afghan Special Forces ...established in 2007 with the intent of taking one conventional infantry kandak (battalion) from each of the regional ANA corps, giving them special training and equipment, and reorganizing based on the U.S. Army Rangers. Each battalion is assigned to one of the six regional corps. The commandos comprise 7% of the Afghan National Security Forces but conduct 70% to 80% of the fighting... arrested 6 Talibs during the operations in Giro district of Ghazni,
Muhammad Aghah district of Pashtun-infested Logar and Farah district of Farah province.
The Special Forces also destroyed a small communications cache of Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... in Pashtun-infested Logar and two weapons cache of the group in Pashtun-infested Logar and Kandahar provinces, the officials added.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.
[Aljazeera] Yemen's Houthi rebels say more than 30 civilians have been killed in air raids carried out by a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition, with the United Nations confirming the death toll as it deplored a "shocking" failure to protect the war-torn country's unarmed population.
Saturday's air raids in northern al-Jawf province came hours after the Houthis said they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet in the same area with an advanced surface-to-air missile.
"Preliminary field reports indicate that ... as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in attacks that hit al-Hayjah area of al-Maslub district in al-Jawf governorate," said a statement from the office of the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.
The statement said "humanitarian partners" deployed rapid response teams to provide medical assistance to the wounded, many of whom were being transferred to hospitals in al-Jawf, as well as the capital, Sanaa.
#1
The graphic (nothing to do with the article), a vintage French marked Westland carrying a re-supply pod. One of the unsung heroes of WWII and the cross-channel effort.
#2
Love that graphic. My taste trends to Porter and Twin Otter. And the C-130.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
02/16/2020 10:35 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Sometimes the internet's not so bad. A while back, I notice the other Lysander pic and think, "Ah, Lysanders, of course... but how the hell do I even know that?" Fifteen minutes later, I still have no idea -- Janes forty years ago was not that memorable -- but I'm ready to take one up myself. Well, with a cheatsheet. And maybe not at night.
Another hour... "Well, I'd hate to wreck your lovely historic Spitfire, but if you're sure it's all right..." Thanks... and for the history and nostalgia items generally (painful poignancy of many notwithstanding).
[BREITBART] Another three "Asian" grooming gang abusers have been sentenced for multiple rapes, indecent assaults, and drug dealing offences in Oxford, England.
41-year-old Naim Khan (24/8/1978), 44-year-old Mohammed Nazir (20/3/1975), and 42-year-old Raheem Ahmed (22/2/1977) were convicted of the following crimes, respectively, according to a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announcement:
Seven counts of rape (two counts were multiple incidents covering at least 12 occasions); four counts of indecent assault (two counts were multiple incidents covering at least 15 occasions); one count of procuring a man to rape the victim; two counts of procuring men to indecently assault the victim; one count of supplying class B drugs on at least 12 occasions (Victim 1)
one count of indecent assault (Victim 2)
Six counts of rape (four counts were multiple incidents covering at least 14 occasions); five counts of indecent assault (all counts were multiple incidents covering at least 27 occasions); one count of procuring a man to rape the victim; three counts of procuring men to indecently assault the victim (one count was a multiple incident covering at least three occasions); one count of supplying class B drugs on at least 10 occasions (Victim 1)
Two counts of indecent assault, and one count of supplying class B drugs on at least 10 occasions (Victim 1)
A fourth man, 42-year-old Afzal Mohammed of Randolph Street, Oxford, was acquited of one count of rape.
Prosecutors claim the convicted trio have been "placed in durance vile ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... for a total of 49 years", with Khan, Nazir, and Ahmed receiving terms of 24 years, 20 years, and five years ‐ but this may be misleading.
In the British criminal justice system, criminals handed multiple sentences are generally told they will serve them concurrently ‐ i.e. all at the same time, rendering all but the longest effectively meaningless.
They are also typically eligible for automatic early release on licence halfway through non-"life" terms, or else at the two-thirds point with Parole Board approval if handed special "extended" sentences.
While the CPS did not make the details of the Oxford gang’s sentencing immediately clear in their announcement, the above was certainly the case for Telford rape gang ringleader Mubarek Ali, who became eligible for release on licence ‐ which he received ‐ less than five years into a supposed 22-year sentence.
[BREITBART] According to a new investigation by Swiss media, a cell of jihadists based in Geneva plotted to bomb cisterns full of oil near the city’s airport in a major terror attack.
The plot, which was set to take place last year before being stopped, revolved largely around a man named Daniel D., who also went by the Islamic name Abu Ilias al-Swisri, a convert to Islam who went on to join the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... terror group two years later, Le Temps reports.
Al-Swisri, now 25-years-old, had attended the Petit-Saconnex mosque where he met two other bully boyz named "PF" and Ramzi, who would also join his Islamic State terror cell.
In 2015, both al-Swisri and Ramzi took a trip to Syria where they met with a branch of Islamic State and received weapons training. PF, who remained in Geneva, requested to join the two men in Syria but was told by al-Swisri that the group wanted to plot an attack in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... Al-Swisri is said to have formed relationships with several more Switzerland-based jihadists, all of whom are currently, like al-Swisri, detained in Kurdish prison camps, and plotted the bombing attack with them.
Thank goodness for the SDF prison camps, without which Europe and England would be aflame from one end to the other.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Several blasts hit a US-led coalition military base in Baghdad early on Sunday from an apparent rocket attack, a US military official said.
The official did not immediately say if the attack caused any casualties or significant damage.
This is the 19th attack against US assets in the country since late October.
The blasts were followed by aircraft circling over the Green Zone.
Earlier, Al Arabiya correspondent reported strong explosions near the vicinity of the US embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.
The explosion sent warning sirens blaring across the high-security diplomatic compound.
The attacks are never claimed but the US has pointed the finger at Iran-backed groups within the Hashed al-Shaabi, a military network officially incorporated into Iraq’s state security forces.
In late December, a rocket attack on the northern Iraqi base of K1 left one US contractor dead and unleashed a dramatic series of events.
Washington responded with retaliatory strikes against a hardline Hashed faction in western Iraq and days later, an American dronezap in Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and his right-hand man, Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes.
Hashed factions have vowed Dire Revenge for the pair’s death, insisting US troops should immediately leave Iraq.
Sunday’s attack came just hours after one of the Hashed’s Iran-backed factions, Harakat al-Nujaba, announced a "countdown" to ousting American forces from the country.
Report that US tells Iraqi officials it is ready to withdraw from Shia areas in Iraq such as Balad Airbase & Baghdad, except forces to protect US Embassy. US will not, under any circumstances, withdraw from Ein al-Asad Airbase in Anbar Province. https://t.co/CQ5Qw5mIEz
[IsraelTimes] Police say incident occurred during attempt to disperse demonstrators, investigation opened; father says boy may lose one or both of his eyes.
A 9-year-old boy was seriously maimed on Saturday after he was apparently injured by a sponge-tipped bullet during a police operation in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, Hebrew media reported.
The boy’s father told the Haaretz daily that his son had serious facial injuries, may be suffering from brain damage and there are concerns he may lose one or both of his eyes as a result of his wounds.
“Doc Avi says there is a shallow scratch on one cheek — you can see it if you look closely under a strong light. He gave my son a Superman bandaid.”
Israel Police said in a statement that the boy was hurt during an attempt to disperse demonstrators during a police operation, and that an investigation had been opened.
“Yep. Shallow scratch. The bandaid had Original Superman, not one of those namby-pamby remake versions.”
The boy’s father denied that there were demonstrations prior to the incident.
“We do civil, well-reasoned discourse here in the ancient city, and everyone knows what that means.”
Community leaders have argued that the police have unreasonably stepped up its operations in Issawiya over the past several months and employed excessive force against residents, undermining stability and stoking tensions in the neighborhood.
Requiring the residents to live with law and order — how hateful!
Police officials, however, have pushed back against the charges, asserting that the heightened operations in Issawiya directly correlate with what they describe as increased violence emanating from the neighborhood.
Since May, the police have raided over 500 homes in Issawiya and arrested more than 600 residents ‐ only about 20 of whom were indicted, Mohammed Abu Hummus,
Look — these articles come to us with the names already written in. There’s nothing we can do about ’em.
a member of the neighborhood’s Parents Committee, said in an interview earlier this year
Locals, meanwhile, have lately stepped up violence against coppers, according to Israel Police front man Micky Rosenfeld.
Saturday’s incident came a day after an Israeli soldier was lightly injured by a stone and four Paleostinians were hurt in a protest in the West Bank village of Budrus. The soldier was treated at the scene northwest of Ramallah and then sent to a hospital, according to Hebrew media reports. The condition of the Paleostinians was not clear.
Protests were also reported in Ramallah, Nablus and near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Troops fired tear gas at Paleostinians who threw rocks and set tires on fire.
Israeli air force strikes Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave into Israel, says a military statement.https://t.co/e2pWyQwp9L
“Fighter planes and helicopters have targeted positions of the terrorist organization Hamas in central Gaza Strip,” including a military post, said the Israeli military, which earlier reported two projectiles had been fired into the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip.
Following the rocket fire, Israel announced it would cancel a slight easing of the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
“The extension of the fishing zone, the restoration of 500 commercial permits and the delivery of cement have been cancelled,” because of the rocket fire, COGAT, the Israel defense ministry unit that oversees civilian activities in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
“The hudna was a test, and y’all failed. Consequences, dudes.”
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11131 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
[ALMASDARNEWS] The jihadist defenses in western Aleppo have completely collapsed after a short battle with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) at the outskirts of the placid provincial capital.
According to a military source in western Aleppo, the Syrian Arab Army captured the strategic al-Mansoura District this evening, following the withdrawal of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) from this area.
Al-Mansoura had been a long-time stronghold for the jihadist rebels before its capture by the Syrian Arab Army this evening.
In addition to capturing al-Mansoura, the Syrian Army also took control of several sites at the western outskirts of Aleppo, including the last building blocks near the Scientific Research Building.
These areas captured by the Syrian Arab Army on Saturdaywere captured in one day, but they were fought over for most of the war.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is steadily advancing south along the Kafr Halab-Taftanaz Road, as their forces attempt to capture the key town of Taftanaz and its corresponding airbase.
According to a field source from the Syrian Army, their forces captured the town of Ma’arat al-Na’asan this afternoon, which is one of the last points before Taftanaz, after a fierce battle with the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS).
The source said that since the capture of Ma’arat al-Na’asan, the Syrian Army has consolidated their gains and begun the push south towards Taftanaz.
He would add that the Syrian Army is determined to capture the Taftanaz Airbase because it has become a main hub for HTS and other Death Eater forces in Idlib.
Since the Syrian Army lost the Taftanaz Airbase in early 2013, the Death Eater forces in the Idlib Governorate have used the installation for training purposes and housing their fighters.
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.
...
...Arabic for 
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
[BREITBART] Another three "Asian" grooming gang abusers have been sentenced for multiple rapes, indecent assaults, and drug dealing offences in Oxford, England.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
