MULTIPLE TALIBAN COMMANDERS KILLED — A Farsi journalism outlet, Independent Farsi, claims to have confirmed that 7 of the Taliban’s most capable military commanders have been killed in the recent fighting in Panjshir. While the Afghan Digest has not yet confirmed the deaths of all of those listed in the report, we do have confirmation for 5.
UULULULULULULULULU!!!
Those reportedly killed were:
Mullah Qayum Zakir, Special Military Commander for Panjshir (unconfirmed; mixed reporting)
Mullah Haroon, Deputy Special Military Commander for Panjshir
Hanzala Helmandi, Commander of Helmand Commandos
Qari Nasir Ahmad, Senior Officer of Badri Unit
Naser Kochi, Deputy Commander of Laser Unit
Mullah Shirin, Commander of Kandahar Forces
Mawlawi Nikmal Jani, Commander of Badri Unit (unconfirmed)
HEIST AT TALIBAN MINISTER’S RESIDENCE — A brazen break-in occurred at the Taliban Finance Minister’s residence in Helmand province, and the thieves stole $800,000. The Minister has reputedly ordered the arrest of nearly 30 people, including his nephew.
PASSPORT ARRESTS CONFIRMED — The Afghan Digest received confirmation of previous reporting about arrests related to the Passport Directorate. Sources indicate that those arrested are employees of the Directorate and had been caught up in a sting operation for selling black market passports to an undercover Taliban agent. The three took $5,000.00 from the agent for five passports. Sources in the Ministry of the Interior claim this is only the start of the investigation and that many future arrests are anticipated. The source said the Ministry was working with regional governments to identify black market channels for visa procurement as well.
TALIBAN ARREST TTP MILITANTS — A source in the Ministry of Defense claims that Taliban forces have detained several TTP (Pakistani Taliban) militants who were in Nangarhar and relocated them to an undisclosed location. Pro-TTP social media sites have been criticizing the move over the last 12 hours.
IRAN PROTESTS RISK BORDER CLOSURE — The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked a nationwide series of protests across Iran over the last few days. Women have removed and burned their hijabs in defiance of the Iranian regime, spurring a violent crackdown by Iranian security forces. It is believed that some deaths have occurred in clashes between police and protestors. Iran is threatening to cut access to the internet in an attempt to calm the situation. The border with Iran remains open, but if the domestic crisis deepens, the government may order them closed.
CONFLICT TRACKER Badghis: Talib commander Abdul Azir and his son were assassinated by unknown gunmen in Qalanu city. Bamyan: The senior intelligence officer for Sighan was reportedly assassinated along with one bodyguard by unknown assailants in an ambush. Kabul: An explosion in the Khair Khana neighbourhood of Kabul is said to have targetted a Taliban checkpoint (PD 17). The number of casualties is as yet unknown, nor has any group claimed credit for the attack. Panjshir: Talib commander a Mullah Noor Mohammad was killed in an undisclosed location during a clash withNRF forces.
NEXT 24 HOURS
IRAN BORDER SECURITY DOUBLES — A source in Kandahar states that Iranian border security forces have been doubled over the past two days. Reinforcements have arrived in vehicles with markings indicating they are likely used by the Quds forces, Iran’s special force branch. The source stated that senior Taliban leadership are perplexed by the development.
Local sources from #Afghanistan have reported that two senior @TOLOnews officials including the channel’s chief Khpolwak Sapai were detained by the #Taliban on Wednesday evening and were released later. No independent sources have yet confirmed it. pic.twitter.com/VZ2UYxPEtM
‘You Have One Week To Withdraw Soldiers From Nsukka Or There Will Be Trouble,’ Unknown Gunman Threatens Council Chairman In Enugu | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/Ji2yLfGjWApic.twitter.com/w8GNteGE5D
#France’s police have busted a major people-smuggling ring that has been sending migrants to #Britain in dinghies, with more than a dozen boats and 700 life jackets seized in a raid, French authorities say.https://t.co/xoBPaPinrQ
French police have busted a major people-smuggling ring that has been sending migrants colonists to Britannia in dinghies, with more than a dozen boats and 700 life jackets seized in a raid, French authorities said Thursday.
The ring was run by Iraqi Kurdish migrants colonists and had a logistics hub in Lille, a northern French city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the northern Channel beaches around Calais that are used for crossings.
Three Iraqi men have been charged, along with three French suspects after their arrest on Monday.
Police discovered "a real factory supplying nautical equipment" in Lille, the head of French anti-migration agency Ocriest, Xavier Delrieu, told AFP.
In what was their biggest ever seizure of equipment, they found 13 inflatable boats, 14 outboard engines, 700 life jackets, 100 pumps and 700 liters (185 gallons) of fuel, Delrieu said.
The group is suspected of organizing 80 Channel crossings over the summer, of which 50 succeeded, with the smugglers netting around 80,000 euros ($80,000) for each one.
The arrests came due to intelligence-sharing between authorities in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Britannia which are attempting to crack down on migrants colonists crossing the Channel by boat.
The original tip-off came after a border guard control discovered a group of young French people carrying inflatables from Germany into the Netherlands.
More migrants colonists have crossed the Channel to the UK from northern La Belle France so far this year than in the whole of 2021, British government figures showed on September 13.
So far this year, 28,561 people have made the dangerous trip across one of one of the world's busiest shipping routes, according to provisional ministry of defense figures.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2022 00:00 ||
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In near simultaneous raids across the length and breadth of the country, a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency on Thursday led to the arrest of 106 activist muppets of the Popular Front of India in 11 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country, officials said.
The maximum number of arrests were made in Kerala (22) followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka (20 each), Tamil Nadu (10), Assam (9), Uttar Pradesh (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry and Delhi (3 each) and Rajasthan (2).
According to the officials, the arrests were made during the raids which have been termed as the "largest-ever investigation process till date".
Details of the arrested activist muppets were not available immediately, but officials said the arrests were done by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the police forces of 11 states so far.
The officials said the searches are taking place at the premises of persons involved in terror funding, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join proscribed organizations.
Formed in 2006, the PFI claims to strive for a neo-social movement ostensibly for the empowerment of marginalised sections of India. It is, however, often accused by law enforcement agencies of promoting radical Islam. In a statement, the PFI said "the raids are taking place at the homes of national, state and local leaders of PFI. The state committee office is also being raided".
"We strongly protest the fascist ...anybody you disagree with, damn them... regime's move to use agencies to silence dissenting voices," it said.
The ED has been investigating the PFI's alleged "financial links" on charges of fuelling the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in the country, the 2020 Delhi riots, alleged conspiracy in Hathras (a district in Uttar Pradesh) over alleged gang-rape and death of a Dalit woman, and a few other instances.
The Popular Front of India was formed in 2006 in Kerala and is headquartered in Delhi.
The probe agency has filed two charge sheets against PFI and its office-bearers before a special PMLA court in Lucknow.
In February last year, the ED filed its first charge sheet against PFI and its student-wing Campus Front of India (CFI)
..the student/campus wing of an Islamist organization, the Popular Front of India. PFI is an Indian jihadi group, the latest identity of the National Development Front (NDF) and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). They’re fond of IEDs, swords, Al Qaeda and Taliban propaganda, the perverse pleasures of Love Jihad, and have surprisingly well-trained connections with jihadis in Bangladesh and Pakistan...
on money laundering charges, claiming its members wanted to "incite communal riots and spread terror" in the aftermath of the Hathras gang rape case of 2020.
Those named in the charge sheet include K A Rauf Sherif, national general secretary of CFI and a member of PFI; Atikur Rahman, national treasurer of CFI; Masud Ahmed, Delhi-based general secretary of CFI; journalist "associated with PFI" Siddique Kappan; and Mohammed Alam, another CFI/PFI member.
In the second charge sheet filed this year, the ED had claimed that a hotel based in the UAE "served" as a money laundering front for the PFI.
[IsraelTimes] Paleostinian attacker opens car doors near Shilat junction, stabbing two men and macing several others with pepper spray; separately, soldier hurt in suspected West Bank car ramming
Eight Israelis were lightly hurt in a suspected terror stabbing attack near the central Israeli city of Modiin on Thursday evening, medics and police said.
Officials said the assailant stopped his vehicle at a traffic light, close to the Shilat junction, and began to open car doors and attack people with a knife and pepper spray.
According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service, two men in separate cars — aged 39 and 23 — were treated for minor stab wounds to their hands.
Another five people — passengers of the two cars — were treated by MDA medics after being maced with pepper spray.
The attacker was rubbed out by an off-duty Border Police officer who was in the area, police said.
MDA added that the officer was also treated for a minor injury.
Police officials said the assailant was a 22-year-old Paleostinian from the Ramallah area. In a separate statement, police said he was a resident of East Jerusalem.
Police described the incident as a terror attack. The Shilat Junction is close to the West Bank security barrier.
Speaking to Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, the Border Police officer, Sgt. Maj. ’Dalet’ — identified only by his rank and initial of his first name in Hebrew — said he saved his partner from being stabbed.
"I was at a red light so I slowed down. Just as I was stopping, I saw a man running on the shoulder toward the car. He opened my partner’s door and tried to stab her," Dalet said in a video published by police.
"I hit the gas, stopped the vehicle nearby, and got out and shot him," he said.
The incident came hours after a suspected car-ramming attack against Israeli troops in the northern West Bank.
A Paleostinian man hit a soldier stationed near Huwara with his car, lightly injuring him, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Troops shot up the vehicle, and the driver crashed. He was arrested and taken for further questioning.
The military initially believed the incident was an accident, but later said it was still probing the matter.
The incidents come at a time of rising violence in the West Bank, particularly in the northern area.
Earlier Thursday, shots were fired early toward the West Bank settlement of Har Bracha near Nablus and a nearby military post, the IDF said.
Paleostinian button men in recent months have targeted numerous military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, and Israeli civilians on the roads.
Israeli security officials have warned in recent months that the Paleostinian Authority is losing control of the northern West Bank.
[IsraelTimes] Troops find dozens of shell casings near Har Bracha following early morning shooting; nine wanted Paleostinians detained in nighttime raids
Shots were fired early Thursday morning toward the West Bank settlement of Har Bracha near Nablus and a nearby military post, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Some 60 shell casings were found by troops in the area.
A video published by an armed Paleostinian group calling itself "Lion’s Den," purported to show the moment of the shooting.
No soldiers or civilians were hurt in the incidents, which came amid an uptick in shooting attacks and rising violence in the West Bank, particularly in its north.
Paleostinian button men in recent months have targeted numerous military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, and Israeli civilians on the roads.
Israeli troops have also repeatedly come under gunfire during nightly raids in Paleostinian cities in the West Bank. Early Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces said troops detained nine wanted Paleostinians in raids across the West Bank, with violent mostly peaceful incidents in some areas.
[Rudaw] An explosion took place in Afrin city centre, northern Syria on Thursday, injuring four civilians, according to a local group.
Syria Civil Defence, which is affiliated to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... -backed Syrian opposition, said in a tweet late Thursday that "four civilians, including a child and a boy, were maimed" after an explosive-laden cycle of violencewent kaboom! in a crowded market in downtown Afrin.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported the blast, saying a number of people were maimed and nearby shops and cars were damaged.
Afrin is located in Aleppo province.
Turkey and its Syrian mercenaries occupied the Kurdish city of Afrin in 2018, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Kurds. The city was previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Explosions often take place in Afrin, with Ottoman Turkish officials blaming Kurdish forces. The SDF has denied targeting civilians.
[DAILYSABAH] At least 34 migrants colonistsbit the dust when a boat carrying them sank off Syria after departing from Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , Assad regime authorities said Thursday.
Lebanon, a country that hosts more than a million refugees from Syria's civil war, has been mired in economic crisis for the past three years, prompting a rise in clandestine attempts to leave for the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... "The number of people found dead has risen to 34," Syria's Health Ministry said in a statement, adding that 20 survivors were being treated in Basel hospital in Tartus.
Syrian authorities initially reported 15 dead, before revising that figure to 28 and, shortly afterward, revising up by a further six.
The country's SANA news agency and the Health Ministry reported that the migrant boat sank.
"According to survivors, their boat left Lebanon days ago," the head of Syrian ports Samer Kbrasli said in the initial statement released by the ministry of transport.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/23/2022 00:00 ||
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The #US military announces that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) they back foiled an #ISIS suicide bomb attack on the al-Hol camp earlier in the week. https://t.co/lhi3DQtJA9
The US military announced Thursday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) they back foiled an ISIS suicide kaboom on the al-Hol camp.
"At approximately 12:25 am on Sept. 20th, seven ISIS fighters in two vehicles headed in the direction of the Internally Displaced Persons camp at al-Hol were interdicted by US partnered Syrian Democratic Forces," United States Central Command communications director Col. Joe Buccino said.
After one of the cars went kaboom! prematurely, around 12 miles northeast of al-Hol, which CENTCOM said was the intended target, SDF forces arrived within minutes and surrounded the second vehicle.
Two ISIS bully boyz got out of the car wearing boom jackets, and one detonated his vest. SDF fighters shot and killed the second man.
According to Buccino, their vehicle was rigged with at least 50 kilograms of explosives.
No SDF fighters were killed or maimed, and one ISIS fighter was taken into SDF custody. Four ISIS fighters were killed.
"By taking immediate action, and showing disregard for their own safety, the Syrian Democratic Forces demonstrated their professionalism and commitment to creating and maintaining a safe and prosperous region for the people who make it their home," Buccino said. "The response of our partnered forces highlights not only dedication to their people, but also their tenacity and commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS."
Earlier this month, CENTCOM chief Gen. Erik Kurilla became the first US official to enter the camp and speak with detainees.
After his vist, Gen. Kurilla sounded the alarm and warned that ISIS was seeking to exploit horrific conditions inside the camp. "With approximately 80 births in the camp each month, this place is a literal breeding ground for the next generation of ISIS," the US general said, adding that approximately 70 percent of the population is under 12.
Protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles as unrest triggered by the death of a woman detained by the morality police intensified, with reports of security forces coming under attack https://t.co/k3bRIwx6v4pic.twitter.com/1cNWvO9w80
Iranian digital artist @MamadNoohi created this video after President Raisi claimed to be a staunch defender of women’s rights in his UN speech. pic.twitter.com/t4ZjmeCkth
Hello @elonmusk. Many tragedies like this are happening to innocent Iranians who’re fed up with this oppressive regime. Their giving their lives for freedom. Are you willing to give them Starlink?#MahsaAminihttps://t.co/msH6NztuKJ
A young Iranian woman without a headscarf is pictured standing on a wheelie bin in Tehran tonight amid near total shutdown of internet connections by the state to crack down on nationwide protests over the death of #MahsaAmini in morality police custody.#مهسا_امینیpic.twitter.com/YSzuhG6KH6
Heartbreaking video. More than 40 people got killed be security forces in Iran protest over the murder of #MahsaAmini. This is in the city of Dehdash, In Amol city more than more than 10 killed. People Telling me that the Internet is very slow But they will stay in the streets. pic.twitter.com/AGmsE0qW9p
Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour said Thursday that an interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was scrapped after he insisted she wear a headscarf, the focus of major protests in the cleric-run statehttps://t.co/zZFTMHbi44
Iranian women without headscarves dance around a bonfire last night in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan province, during nationwide protests over the death of #MahsaAmini, 22, following her arrest by morality police for "inappropriate hijab".#مهسا_امینیpic.twitter.com/9KKVRD5Nlg
Roozbeh Khademi, 32, was shot and killed last night in Fardis, southern Alborz province.
In his last Instagram post (seen below) he wrote: "You stand behind... I will give my life for your freedom," referring to Iranian women. 💔 #Mahsa_Aminipic.twitter.com/5jqrANgCsG
Stunning! While Raisi was spreading lies abt his respect for the will of Iranians w the US media in NY, security forces were behind the door to arrest activist @HosseinRonaghi, who was speaking w @Sima_Sabet about the protests & ppl’s courage. #Mahsa_Aminipic.twitter.com/T2jhNk1lG8
Tonight in Bandar Anzali, Gilan province, a woman allows several protesters chased down a street by riot police into her house. Riot police damage her property and try to break in to detain the protesters, on sixth night of unrest in Iran for #MahsaAmini.pic.twitter.com/9uvYLY6Qzx
Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards called on the Islamic Republic's judiciary to prosecute 'those who spread false news and rumours' about Mahsa Amini, a young woman, whose death in police custody has triggered nationwide protests https://t.co/t7V5oIX5bN
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.
...anybody you disagree with, damn them...
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
