[ToloNews] The Ministry of Defense has announced the activation of the Milan Konkursi (9M135) guided missile for the first time in Afghanistan.
According to the ministry, these missiles can target armored tanks, warships, and low-flying helicopters.
Enayatullah Khwarazmi, the ministry's spokesperson, stated that 13 personnel have completed training on operating these missiles.
He added: "Yesterday, 13 young personnel graduated after completing a one-month professional and practical training course on the Milan Konkursi guided missile under the Directorate of Artillery at the General Staff of the Ministry of National Defense. Notably, this guided missile, activated for the first time in the country, can target armored tanks and low-flying helicopters."
Yesterday, the Deputy Political Minister of Foreign Affairs, in a program in Kabul, emphasized the importance of equipping the Islamic Emirate's military with advanced weaponry.
Military experts in the country also consider the provision of advanced equipment vital for securing borders. Hamidullah Hotak, another military expert, said: "Defending Afghanistan's territorial integrity and illusory sovereignty, as our country has repeatedly faced invasions by foreign nations, requires more modern equipment and tools."
Previously, the Ministry of Defense had also stated that, in collaboration with the Directorate of Intelligence and the Ministry of Interior, it had finalized the security planning for the solar year 1404 and assured the nation of maintaining security across the country.
[Garowe] The Tigray Islamic Affairs Supreme Council has threatened to take action against the recent ban on hijab in Axum town, arguing that it shall take "further peaceful measures in consultation with believers" over the predicament.
"We request that the law issued by the Federal Ministry of Education regarding Moslem students’ dress code be respected," the Council said in a statement released in Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray.
According to the council, the violation of constitutional and fundamental rights shall be opposed, adding that the Ministry of Education should respect fundamental human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... and regional laws.
"This hijab ban violates citizens’ human rights, the constitution, Ministry of Education guidelines, and our regional laws." It further emphasized, "School regulations should not contradict the constitution. Our hijab-wearing request should be addressed according to Ministry of Education regulation number 6.3."
Haji Mohammed Kahsay, Secretary of the Islamic Affairs Council in Tigray, previously told Addis Standard that the ban disproportionately affected grade 12 students, Addis Standard reports.
"Some students have been prevented from registering for the national exams because they were not allowed to enter the school premises."
"The political and environmental crisis in Tigray is enough; opening another door for a religion-based crisis would push the region from bad to worse." The Council also underscored the impact on students, stating, "Preventing them from attending school just for wearing a hijab that reflects their identity is illegal and unjust."
The Æthiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council previously stated that "no resolution has been reached" regarding the case of Moslem students in Axum, Tigray Regional State, who were barred from attending classes for wearing hijabs.
More random spending by the Biden administration, this time with a five year commitment to bind President Trump, too. Or President Trump could shut it down…
[Garowe] The United States is set to pump $28 million into Somalia, specifically targeting matters of security and food safety, with a long-term plan of alleviating families that have struggled with harsh economic and environmental challenges.
The programme will target over 80,000 households with more than 500,000 families said to benefit from the programme within the next five years. The project aims at improving financial capital and increasing savings and assets.
"This year, the United States will complement its already huge investment in emergency assistance in Somalia with another 28-million dollar contribution to support the first year of two new five-year resilience and food security-focused projects," read the statement from Ambassador Richard Riley.
"Over the next five years, these programs will help more than 80,000 Somali households—or approximately 500,000 people—build sustainable livelihoods, develop financial capital, and increase their savings and assets."
In 2024, 6.9 million people in Somalia will need humanitarian assistance due to severe weather, insecurity, and poverty. This funding will help support 80,000 vulnerable households through partners like World Vision and Save the Children.
Further, the partnership would help build sustainable livelihoods for displaced and marginalized communities. With this support, USAID continues its commitment to addressing hunger, food insecurity, and the devastating impacts of climate-related disasters, the US said.
Somalia is grappling with a host of challenges including violent mostly peaceful extremism but the recent adverse climatic challenges have caused mass displacement of people besides killing livestock. The government is also partnering with other countries to mitigate the challenges.
Can they do that? This is treaty stuff, not discretionary, surely.
[IsraelTimes] US President Joe Biden’s administration will divert $95 million in military aid allocated for Egypt to Lebanon, which faces threats from Hezbollah and other non-state actors and is enforcing a ceasefire with Israel, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The State Department notification to Congress of the planned shift calls the Lebanese armed forces “a key partner” in upholding the Nov. 27, 2024, Israel-Lebanon agreement to cease hostilities and to prevent Hezbollah from threatening Israel.
The move comes after some of Biden’s fellow Democrats in Congress expressed deep concerns about Egypt’s human rights record, particularly the arrests of thousands of political prisoners.
The State Department and the Egyptian embassy in Washington do not immediately respond to requests for comment.
[MSN] The Biden administration has released 11 additional detainees from the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, sending the men, all natives of Yemen, to neighboring Oman, the Pentagon said Monday.
The move ends their more than two decades of imprisonment without charges and leaves the detainee population at 15. Over the years, the notorious prison in southeast Cuba has held roughly 780 men, all of them swept up amid the frantic global “war on terror” that followed 9/11.
Monday’s announcement is part of President Joe Biden’s fervent effort during his final weeks in office to reduce the number of those held Guantánamo.
Last month, the Biden administration repatriated four men, including two Malaysians who pleaded guilty to involvement in a Southeast Asian terrorist plot and will now serve out their prison sentences in Malaysia, plus a Tunisian and a Kenyan who were never charged.
The administration also is seeking to repatriate — to an Iraqi prison — a severely disabled Iraqi detainee who pleaded guilty to terrorist involvement, the New York Times reported. Attorneys for the man, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, have sued the U.S. government to block his transfer, arguing he will not be safe or receive adequate medical care in Iraq.
-------------- fwiw, it costs a lot to house these terrorists at GITMO, probably at least double what supermax would cost.
It would probably cost somewhat less if the rules for the guards weren’t so absurd, but President George W. Bush took bad advice about that in the hope that the carpers wouldn’t.
[AreaOcho] NORTHCOM has just announced increased security at all CONUS military installations, effective Monday morning:
The Commander of U.S. Northern Command has directed all military installations to immediately implement heightened security measures. These include:
100% ID checks
Random inspections
Suspension of the Trusted Traveler Program. (The Trusted Traveler Program was a procedure that allowed DoD-affiliated sponsors to vouch for vehicle occupants to gain entry onto an installation. )
Drivers should expect delays and random inspections at entry gates as we enhance the security posture of our installation to ensure our ability to project combat power when and where required. This is a critical step in ensuring the security and readiness of our installations. Drivers should expect delays at entry gates due to increased inspections.
Note that this move is supposedly in response to the events in New Orleans and Las Vegas, but if it was that serious, why wait nearly a week? Why would this move begin on the very morning that the Electoral College votes are to be certified?
Good questions. I’d be kind of happy never to discover the answer…
#8
^ that's how the Germans got surprise in Dec '44 for the battle in the Ardennes. All communications for the operation were hand carried and never intercepted by allied intelligence.
[KhaamaPress] Some Afghan migrants colonists in Pakistain report that Islamabad has intensified its efforts to deport Afghan citizens after the New Year. They claim that the Pak police have begun house-to-house searches, detaining and deporting Afghans under various pretexts.
According to Afghan migrants colonists in Islamabad’s Bari Imam area, the police have started conducting home inspections, arresting Afghan nationals.
Witnesses note that most Afghan residents in Pakistain reapply for visa extensions once their visas expire. Upon registration, the Ministry of Interior’s visa system provides a one-month grace period during which a confirmation document is issued. This document signifies that the legal process for visa renewal is underway.
In the past, this confirmation document was recognized as a legal proof of residence, and the police treated holders of these documents as having valid legal status. However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... in recent days, even those possessing these confirmation documents have been ignored by the police, with some holders being arrested.
Reports indicate that the Pak police, after arresting these individuals, deport them through the Torkham border.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) statistics reveal that from September 15, 2023, to December 15, 2024, nearly 800,000 Afghan citizens have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistain.
The intensified operations by the Pak police have created a dire situation for Afghan migrants colonists, who now live in constant fear and anxiety. These migrants colonists have appealed to the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... and the international community for urgent attention to their plight in Pakistain.
[IsraelTimes] A senior US State Department official is in Israel this week to urge the government to wrap up ongoing investigations into Palestinian Americans killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank and improve treatment of Palestinian Americans at border crossings in order to maintain membership in the US Visa Waiver program.
“During her visit, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter will meet with US Embassy staff in both cities to tour consular operations and meet with US citizens in Israel and the West Bank impacted by the Israel-Hamas conflict,” the State Department says.
“Bitter will also engage with Israeli officials to emphasize the need to complete investigations into the recent killings of US citizens in the West Bank, ensure fair and reciprocal treatment of US citizens traveling to and through Israel, and reinforce continued cooperation in providing consular assistance to US citizens,” the US readout adds.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in consultation with the State Department, permits citizens of 42 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa.
Hamas has released a list of 34 hostages presented by Israel to be exchanged in a possible ceasefire deal, according CBS News' partner, BBC. A senior Hamas official reiterated that any deal is contingent upon reaching an agreement on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a… pic.twitter.com/gRvpgo9Lvv
… withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. The ages of those on the list range from just one year old to 85 years old. It also includes children who Hamas previously said had been killed in an Israeli air strike.
@RamyInocencio reports.
PM Netanyahu has repeatedly said this is only the first step, not a permanent ceasefire, and that he will accept only living hostages in the first round, not bodies. In two weeks President Trump comes over the horizon, with the promise of horrible vengeance if Hamas doesn’t cough up all the American hostages. Iran can no longer help, and Allah clearly is uninterested, so the deus ex machina Hamas depended upon isn’t going to happen despite the Biden administration’s best efforts.
[IsraelTimes] US President-elect Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... reiterates his warning to Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... to release the hostages it is holding in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , in a radio interview with conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt.
Asked what he meant when he said previously that there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages aren’t released before he takes office on January 20, Trump says: "Exactly what it says — if those hostages aren’t released by the time I get office there will be hell to pay."
"I don’t think I have to get into it... But it won’t be the word ’don’t,’ you know," he adds, referring to a warning made by US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing... on October 10, 2023, in a speech pledging support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 atrocities.
"There will be hell to pay," he repeats, "Those hostages have to get out, they have to get out now."
Earlier in the interview Trump says, "I’m with Israel. I think that’s pretty obvious to everybody... I do have to add, I’m also for peace. It’s time. This fight’s been going on for a long time, longer than people would understand."
Here’s wishing all goes well for all involved. And if not, that the Filipino police quickly stomp down hard where and on whom it’s needed.
[KhaamaPress] A plane carrying 300 Afghan citizens arrived in the Philippines on Monday to have their U.S. immigration visa applications processed. Under an agreement between Washington and Manila, these individuals will temporarily reside in the Philippines until they receive their U.S. visas.
U.S. and Filipino officials announced at a presser in Manila that the eligible Afghans, who had previously worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan, were relocated to the Philippines. They are expected to receive special immigrant visas.
A Filipino official stated during the presser, "This agreement is for a 100-day period, after which the process will conclude."
Reports indicate that all applicants underwent various pre-screening procedures, including medical examinations, before receiving their Philippine visas.
The Afghan individuals can stay in the Philippines for a maximum of 59 days after their arrival. They will be housed in an undisclosed facility, where they will receive support, including social, educational, religious, and other services.
Officials did not disclose the exact location of the facility but emphasized that the applicants would have access to essential resources and services during their stay.
An official added, "The U.S. must complete the processing of each applicant’s visa request within this 59-day period."
Under the agreement, the U.S. government will bear all expenses related to the Afghan citizens’ stay, including housing, security, food, medical services, and transportation.
This program represents a vital effort to support Afghan allies who worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan. The relocation and visa process aim to ensure their safety and provide a pathway to a secure future in the United States.
the Afghan nationals had completed extensive security vetting and undergone full medical screenings before they arrived. She also said the U.S. government is covering the costs of their stay in the Philippines, including food, housing, security, medical and transportation expenses.
[IsraelTimes] Two rebel groups from Syria’s Druze minority say they’re ready to join a national army after Islamist-led opposition fighters toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month.
The new Syrian authorities face the mammoth challenge of rebuilding state institutions shaped by the Assad family’s repressive five-decade rule, including the army and security apparatuses that have all but collapsed.
“We, the Men of Dignity movement and the Mountain Brigade, the two largest military factions in Sweida, announce our full readiness to merge into a military body… under the umbrella of a new national army whose goal is to protect Syria,” the groups from south Syria’s Sweida province say in a joint statement.
They add, however, that they will categorically reject “any factional or sectarian army used as a tool in the hands of the authorities to suppress the people, as was the case with Bashar al-Assad’s army.”
The new leadership last month unveiled a plan to dissolve the myriad of armed groups operating in Syria and integrate them into the military.
The Druze, who also live in Lebanon and Israel, make up about three percent of Syria’s population, around 700,000 people.
[IsraelTimes] Hochstein admits ceasefire not going as smoothly as hoped, but insists it’s still on track to succeed, with Lebanese army replacing IDF and ensuring Hezbollah can’t rebuild
US envoy Amos Hochstein, visiting Beirut on Monday, said Israeli forces began withdrawing from a south Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... border town more than halfway into a fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah.
It is the second such pullout since the ceasefire came into effect on November 27, coming after United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... peacekeepers and Lebanon’s prime minister late last month called on the Israeli army to speed up its withdrawal from Lebanon’s south.
"The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqura... and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line," Hochstein told news hounds, referring to the UN-demarcated boundary between the two countries.
"These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely, and as the Lebanese army continues to deploy into the south and all the way to the Blue Line," he added after meeting with parliamentary speaker Nabih Knobby Berri
...perennial Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... , an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.
"I have no reason not to expect that all parties — all parties — will remain committed to implementing the agreement that they agreed to," he said after meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and following accusations from Israel and Hezbollah that each side was violating the deal.
’ON THE RIGHT TRACK’
Under the terms of the ceasefire that Hochstein helped to broker, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah is to pull its forces north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
The Lebanese military said Monday that "army units have stationed around the town of Naqura... and began deploying there in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon," referring to UNIFIL, whose headquarters is in Naqura.
The deployment came "in parallel with the Israeli enemy’s withdrawal," the statement said, and coincided "with a meeting of the five-member committee" overseeing the ceasefire that was also attended by Hochstein.
Specialized units will survey Naqura to help remove unwent kaboom! ordnance, the army statement added, urging people "not to approach the area."
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and US delegates alongside a UNIFIL representative is tasked with ensuring any ceasefire violations are identified and dealt with.
Hochstein said he co-chaired the third meeting of the committee on Monday together with United States Major General Jasper Jeffers, adding that "the mechanism is working well."
He said that while the ceasefire implementation may not have proceeded "as quickly as some wanted... what I heard in Naqura today gives me hope that we’re on the right track."
IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani has said Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese towns has been slower than anticipated because of a lack of Lebanese army troops ready to take over.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday accused Hezbollah of not withdrawing beyond the Litani River as stipulated, and of not meeting other terms of the ceasefire after Hezbollah accused Israel of violations.
On December 11, Lebanon’s army said it deployed around the border town of Khiam in coordination with UNIFIL, also following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area. The US military said it was the first such Israeli force withdrawal and subsequent Lebanese army deployment under the ceasefire.
#1
Jeffers, another non-Academy grad makes his way toward the top: BG Jasper Jeffers graduated from Virginia Poly in 1996 and was commissioned as an
Infantry officer. His first assignment was Rifle Platoon Leader and Operations Officer in 4-31 Infantry Regiment, Fort Drum,
NY. He then served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer in 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, GA. Etc.
[Rudaw] About half of the Lebanese refugees who fled to Iraq late last year have returned home, the spokesperson for Baghdad’s migration and displaced ministry said on Saturday.
"The number of Lebanese returning to their country is more than 11,000, according to information from the residency department," Ali Abbas told Rudaw, adding that about the same number are still in the country.
"Those who left under the Iraqi guests' return program at the expense of the Iraqi government included about seven flights we sent to Beirut, carrying more than 1,200 Lebanese," he said.
More than 20,000 Lebanese nationals sought refuge in Iraq after their towns and cities came under an Israeli offensive late last year.
Baghdad welcomed the refugees as "guests of Iraq." A large majority of them stayed in the holy Shiite cities of Karbala and Najaf, where they were being aided by religious authorities in addition to the Iraqi government.
A late November ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah has allowed thousands of refugees to return home.
Remember the Jews of Nazi Germany, guys. Don’t do it.
[Regnum] The new Syrian authorities, during negotiations with representatives of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), demanded that they lay down their arms. This was reported on January 6 by the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, citing sources.
According to them, the new Syrian administration held two meetings with the PKK leadership, during which the Kurdish representatives demanded, in exchange for the surrender of weapons, that they be given a division or army corps in the Syrian army being created and that the oil fields in the north of the country, controlled jointly with the United States, be equally divided.
“The new authorities did not even discuss this issue, setting the PKK the condition to unconditionally lay down their arms,” the publication says.
“We have conquered. You are conquered and must submit,” is the entirety of their position, it seems. Possibly they mistake Kurds for Arabs.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on December 25, 2024, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the PKK had no choice but to lay down their arms. He also promised to bury the Kurdish fighters along with these weapons if they did not.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK began in 1984. Ankara considers the group a threat to national security, regularly conducting raids against its supporters in the country and operations in northern Iraq and Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 19 that there is a possibility of Turkish military operations in Syria to push Kurdish forces back from the border. The head of state added that Ankara is trying to create conditions for the return of refugees from its territory to Syrian lands.
Unrelated from regnum.ru US Temporarily Eases Sanctions on Syria
The United States has temporarily allowed some financial transactions to be carried out with the new Syrian authorities, as well as transactions related to energy resources within the republic. This is evidenced by the license of the US Treasury Department published on January 6.
“Today, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License (GL) 24 to extend authorizations for activities and transactions in Syria beyond December 8, 2024. This action underscores the United States’ commitment to ensuring that U.S. sanctions do not interfere with activities that meet basic human needs, including the provision of government services or humanitarian assistance. This authorization is for a period of six months as the U.S. government continues to monitor the evolving situation on the ground,” the document, published on the Treasury Department’s website, says.
Thus, the US department lifted the ban on transactions with structures of the new Syrian authorities that were concluded after December 8, 2024. At the same time, sanctions were temporarily lifted with respect to operations on the supply of oil, gas and electricity within Syria. In addition, the US Treasury Department allowed operations to be carried out through the republic's central bank.
It is noted that the license expires on July 7, 2025. At the same time, the United States maintains a ban on operations that are carried out "in the interests of the authorities of Iran and Russia," including those transactions affecting the supply of goods, technologies, and services from these two countries. At the same time, previously introduced restrictions against oil imports from Syria to the United States remain in place, according to the license.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on December 30, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote that high inflation, Western sanctions and loss of control over oil fields are preventing the new Syrian authorities from restoring the country's economy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had failed to cope with social problems in the country, including due to the destructive actions of the United States, which occupied the resource-rich northeast of Syria. The minister emphasized that it was the strangulation of the Syrian economy that contributed to social tension in the country, and Damascus had to resort to unpopular measures, including reducing subsidies for socially significant goods and services.
Russia has supported the Syrian government led by Assad in its fight against terrorist forces for several years. Moscow has pledged to provide support as long as the fighting is carried out by the Syrian state itself, President Vladimir Putin noted. Back in 2015, he emphasized that “we are not going to be more Syrian than the Syrians themselves.”
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[PUBLISH.TWITTER] Like Hamas, they expected Iran, the Biden administration, or Allah to step in on their side. Despite the best efforts of the parties of the first and second parts, Allah was uninterested in supporting such a disappointment. President Trump will take over in two weeks, and then they’ll have the rare privilege of learning quickly to adjust to an entirely new situation. Congrats and enjoy your personal growth, guys.
🚨 Israel Defense Minister Katz in the Northern Command: "The first condition for the agreement to be implemented is Hezbollah's complete withdrawal beyond the Litani - something that has not yet happened. If this condition is not met - there will be no agreement." pic.twitter.com/fbBPiafvt3
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.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?...
