[Garowe] A few days after recording a major win against the ISIS krazed killers, Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... has started mobilization of the local community ahead of the major operations against the krazed killer groups in the Bari region's mountains.
Local people living in the region started supporting the forces ahead of the all-out offensive against the ISIS group. The al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... and ISIS turbans operate within mountainous areas within the Bari region in northeastern parts of Somalia.
Mohammed Baari, Puntland’s first Deputy Speaker, survived an attack plotted by the ISIS turbans in Dharjaale village in the Bari region where at least 10 krazed killers, including 8 imported muscle were killed following a heavy exchange of gunfire and explosions at the main base.
In his assessment, Baari says the presence of krazed killer groups such as al-Shabaab and ISIS in some parts of the remote villages of Bari has affected the local communities hence the need for the people to participate in efforts to eradicate the groups from the entire of Puntland.
Security forces in Puntland have intensified the crackdown against the violent mostly peaceful holy warrior groups with no support from the Federal Government of Somalia in Mogadishu. The Federal State remains the most stable and progressive state of the country.
President Said Abdullahi Deni has often questioned the commitment of the federal government in the fight against terrorism, arguing that its persistent wrangles with federal states undermine the strides made in the fight against terror groups.
On his part, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has remained silent on the recent defeat of ISIS in the foiled attack at the Dharjaale area and didn't commend the troops for their sacrifice and heroic action to avert a major assault.
[Garowe] After exactly 14 days, the US officially confirmed the death of Mohammed Mire, who departed this vale of tears after a precision Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... at Quyno Barrow, following close coordination between the US Africa Command and the Somali National Army (SNA).
Usually, the US forces along with the elite Danab troops assess the situation by doing due diligence before and after the airstrike. This explains the long wait for the confirmation of the real victims of such sophisticated airstrikes, not just in Somalia but also around the world.
Also known as Abu Abdirahman, Mire was responsible for the regional governance in Somalia for close to two decades and was among those sitting in the group’s decision-making organs, often overseeing serious operations within the country.
"In addition to being one of al-Shabaab ... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... 's longest-serving members, Mire served as the interior minister and played a key role in the group's strategic decision-making," the US Africa Command observed.
The al-Shabaab, which dominates parts of central and southern Somalia, collects close to $130 million annually which is used for funding the fighters besides purchasing sophisticated weapons. At least $24 million is allocated to the purchase of weapons.
The US has remained one of the strategic partners in the fight against al-Shabaab within Somalia, working closely with the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) which has since transitioned to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
"As our National Security Strategy outlines, America remains steadfast in countering the evolving threats of terrorism," said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, AFRICOM commander.
"In 2024, the Global Terrorism Index highlighted that terrorist organizations remain a serious global threat. al-Shabaab is one of these threats, and we partner with like-minded nations in the region to combat them and other malign actors. Uniting against these transnational threats promotes regional security, stability, and prosperity."
Two years ago, the U.S. Department of State identified Mire as a specially designated global terrorist under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. For this period, the special forces have been tracking him, leading to the final onslaught a fortnight ago.
"Due to operational security concerns, the specifics of the mission cannot be disclosed; however, the command will continue to assess the results of the operation and provide additional information as appropriate," the Command noted.
U.S. Airstrike Takes Out Top Al-Shabaab Leader in Somalia – AFRICOM
06/01/2025
[ShabelleMedia] In a coordinated operation with the Somali government, U.S. Africa Command executed a precision airstrike on December 24, about 10 kilometers southwest of Kunyo Barrow, resulting in the deaths of Mohamed Mire, a high-ranking al-Shabaab official known as Abu Abdirahman, and another militant, according to AFRICOM.
Mire, who had been a central figure in al-Shabaab’s governance for 15 years, held the position of interior minister and was deeply involved in the group’s strategic planning.
U.S. Africa Command reported no civilian casualties in the initial assessment of the strike.
“Countering the evolving threats of terrorism is a cornerstone of our National Security Strategy,” said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, the head of AFRICOM. He highlighted the 2024 Global Terrorism Index, which underscores al-Shabaab’s status as a substantial threat, and reiterated the U.S. commitment to working with allies in the region to enhance security, stability, and prosperity.
Mire had been listed as a specially designated global terrorist by the U.S. Department of State in October 2022, under Executive Order 13224.
While operational details are being kept under wraps for security reasons, officials from AFRICOM have indicated they will keep a close watch on the aftermath of the strike and share further developments as they arise.
[IsraelTimes] The United States has determined that members of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan and it imposed sanctions on the group’s leader over a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says in a statement the RSF and aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians, adding that they have systematically murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of sexual violence.
The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping conflict, Blinken says.
“The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities,” Blinken says.
Washington announces sanctions on the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemedti, barring him from traveling to the United States and freezing any US assets he might hold.
“For nearly two years, Hemedti’s RSF has engaged in a brutal armed conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan, killing tens of thousands, displacing 12 million Sudanese, and triggering widespread starvation,” the Treasury Department says in a separate statement.
Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in conflict for more than 18 months, creating a humanitarian crisis in which UN agencies have struggled to deliver relief.
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.
[IsraelTimes] Australia’s ice hockey federation says it has canceled a planned international qualifying tournament due to safety concerns, with local media reporting the decision is linked to the participation of the Israeli national team.
Multiple local media outlets cite an internal email from Ice Hockey Australia (IHA) to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) saying it cannot hold the tournament due to safety and security concerns over Israel’s attendance.
IHA says in a statement it has decided to cancel the event, due to take place in Melbourne in April, after consultation with local police and the participating venues.
The statement does not mention Israel, with the body saying it cannot comment on “global issues outside the sport.”
“The decision was primarily made to ensure the safety and security of athletes, volunteers, spectators, and other participants,” the statement says. “IHA does not shy away from making this decision with safety at the forefront.”
The IIHF does not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The cancelation follows a spate of antisemitic attacks in recent months, including graffiti daubed yesterday on a car in Sydney.
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the cancelation is “unfortunate,” but that the government has taken sufficient action to protect Jewish people in Australia.
Clearly not, when even tough hockey fans in their vicinity are afraid.
“This is a decision made by Ice Hockey Australia,” he says in an interview on Channel Nine. “We’re addressing in every single way possible these issues because we understand that [antisemitism] is very hurtful for the Jewish community.”
[CNN] African governments have criticized a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he said that some leaders showed "ingratitude" for the deployment of his nation’s troops in the Sahel region in battling Islamist extremism. Macron "speaks truth to power" but will other world leaders pay any attention ?
Macron told French ambassadors at a conference in Paris on Monday that Sahel nations — beset by civil conflicts and violent extremism — only remained sovereign because of the deployment of French forces.
Macron also dismissed the notion that French troops had been expelled from the Sahel, an area that sits just below the Sahara Desert, as Paris’ influence on its former colonies wanes.
"We had a security relationship. It was in two folds: One was our commitment against terrorism since 2013. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It does not matter, it will come with time," Macron said at the conference.
"Ingratitude, I am well placed to know, is a disease not transmissible to man." "Disease" or simple phychological projection?
Macron’s comments were denounced by Chad’s foreign affairs minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, who accused the French leader of showing "a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans." Is Abder Koul's attitude toward the French and other Westerners not "contemptous?"
The French leader blamed the exit of his country’s forces from the region on successive coups.
#3
"Macron’s comments were denounced by Chad’s foreign affairs minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, who accused the French leader of showing 'a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans.'"
If there is any African nation more deserving of contempt thatn Chad, perhaps it is the Sudan. Or maybe Somalia.
One nation’s people after another is choosing leadership from the populist right — leaders who appear to love the people instead of despising them.
[IsraelTimes] Herbert Kickl – whose Freedom Party won September election, but was initially shunned by other factions – says he is prepared for new elections if coalition talks fail
Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl said Tuesday, in his first comments after being tasked to form a new government, that he aspires to "govern Austria honestly," as he prepared for talks on a potential coalition with conservatives who criticized him sharply in the past.
Kickl said he is prepared for new elections if they fail.
His Russia-friendly, anti-immigration, euroskeptic Freedom Party won Austria’s parliamentary election in September, but was initially shunned by other parties. Their efforts to put together a coalition without it failed.
On Monday, Kickl received a mandate to try to form what would be the first national government led by the far right since World War II. That came after the conservative Austrian People’s Party of outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who announced his resignation Saturday, made an abrupt U-turn on its previous refusal to contemplate working with the Freedom Party under Kickl.
Kickl — a 56-year-old with a provocative style — made clear he has not forgotten past friction with the People’s Party. Nehammer has described him as a "security risk." The party’s interim leader, Christian Stocker, said during the election campaign that anyone voting for Kickl "is voting for five years of high risk with radical ideas."
"Our country was driven into the wall in the past five years," Kickl said, pointing in particular to Austria’s large budget deficit and what he said was "a massive trust deficit" accumulated by mainstream parties. He said he has "a very, very simple aim, and that is to govern Austria honestly."
Kickl said he is reaching out to Stocker, "and you can believe me, that isn’t easy for me either. We have an interesting past together — but it is honest."
Kickl added he has clear expectations, including "an awareness of who won the election, and who finished second and isn’t the winner." He also demanded "an understanding of who is responsible for the mistakes of the past" and a partner with stable and consistent leadership.
Advertisement
"If this isn’t assured... I can say that’s it," Kickl said. "Then there will be new elections — we are prepared for that."
The Freedom Party won 28.8% of the vote in September. That was a nearly 13-point gain from five years earlier, when the party was punished by voters following the collapse of a conservative-led government in which it was the junior partner at a time of scandal surrounding the Freedom Party’s then-leader.
The Austrian People’s Party came in second with 26.3% and the center-left Social Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... , post-war Austria’s other traditional big party, were third, with 21.1%.
The Freedom Party’s poll ratings have risen since the election as its rivals struggled and failed to find common ground. Surveys published in December put its support at between 35% and 37%.
Kickl did not address any specific policies for Austria, which is a member of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... but not of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... , in his lengthy statement to news hounds. He took no questions.
The Freedom Party is part of a right-wing populist alliance in the European Parliament, Patriots for Europe, which includes the parties of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and of the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders, whose party dominates the Netherlands’ new government.
Nehammer has said he will step down on Friday. It is not clear who will serve as interim chancellor while Kickl explores a possible coalition.
[JustTheNews] DPS will also work with local partners to train and educate Texas communities about terrorism and targeted violence prevention and awareness and with local law enforcement partners to enhance security for special events and mass gatherings.
[Rudaw] Armenian Christians have historically been part of the Iraqi community but their numbers are drastically decreasing as most have left the country due to instability and violence.
In Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... a small part of the community remains. They celebrated Orthodox Christmas, which is on January 6.
"There are four of us: my wife, a son, and a daughter. We stayed in this city, but after [the year] 2000 the number has decreased to 30 to 35 families," Awadis Humberso, an Armenian in Kirkuk, told Rudaw.
The Armenian Orthodox Christmas mass in Kirkuk lasted two hours and about 30 people attended, mostly elderly, saying there were only a few young Armenians left in Iraq.
"The difficult situation in Kirkuk has led Christians to migrate, some to Erbil and some abroad," said Harut Krikor, a retired teacher.
One student said they would also like to leave the country but their current situation does not allow it.
Most of the Armenians left Iraq in search of better job opportunities, according to community members.
"I came from Baghdad yesterday, today, and tomorrow to celebrate Eid [Christmas]. We used to have many more Armenian families in Iraq, about 20,000, but now that number is gone," a priest in the Armenian church explained.
In 1987, an estimated 540 Armenian families were living in Kirkuk, making up 2,300 people in total. They still have their churches and cemeteries.
The Kurdistan Region recognizes Armenians as an ethnic component, provides the right to mother-tongue education in the Armenian language, and previously reserved one seat in parliament for Armenians before an Iraqi top court ruling removed it.
There are six Armenian churches in the Kurdistan Region - four in Duhok province, and one each in Erbil and Kirkuk.
Armenian churches in the Region house memorial statues placed to honor those massacred during the Armenian Genocide - the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, in which approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed.
#3
Seems likely that the J-Staff thinks some new directions might be coming to CENTCOM on the afternoon of 20Jan25 and maybe some new Commanders Intent, updated Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace and Course of Action analysis might be needed. Just spitballing of course!
#4
Here’s my idea:
I don’t think the Houthi are manufacturing sophisticated drones and missiles. Cut their supply lines. That’s what stopped the Somali pirates.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/08/2025 17:00 Comments ||
Top||
[ZeroHedge] The Palestinian Authority (PA) asked the United States to approve a four-year $680m plan
…or $170 mil/year….
to boost the training of its special forces and bolster its supply of ammunition and armoured vehicles, an American source and a source close to PA revealed to Middle East Eye.
The request was made in mid-December at a meeting with US security officials at the PA's Ministry of Interior in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. At the meeting, PA security officials expressed frustration over what they believed was the US’s failure to fulfil its commitments to the authority by replenishing arms supplies and training special forces.
"Authority officials requested in the meeting that their needs for armored vehicles and ammunition be met urgently in light of the difficulty of the clashes and their inability to resolve the situation in the Jenin camp," a source told MEE.
They also complained that the US had yet to approve funding for renovation works at prisons in Bethlehem and Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
The meeting came as the PA launched a crackdown on Palestinian fighters belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin. Fighting in the northern West Bank city, long a bastion of Palestinian resistance, has killed at least eight people, according to local media reports.
One former US intelligence official told MEE that the PA’s request for additional funding and arms made sense because the US has been pressing the PA for months to ramp up security operations in the occupied West Bank. The PA has been critical of the departing Biden administration’s post-war planning for the destroyed Gaza Strip.
Since the summer, the US has tried to bolster coordination with the PA. A think tank panel staffed by former US officials even presented a plan to bring cooperation with the PA's security forces under the purview of Centcom, MEE reported previously.
'NOT A HAPPY RELATIONSHIP'
According to Israeli media reports, the US Security Coordinator (USSC) for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, General Michael Fenzel, met with PA officials and reviewed their planning for the raid on Jenin.
The US has provided security assistance to the PA since the 1990s. After the Second Intifada, it established the USSC to train its security forces. While the Jerusalem office is tied to the US State Department, American intelligence agencies and the Defence Department have the most regular contact with the PA’s forces.
"It's not a happy relationship," William Usher, a former CIA officer who was based in Israel, told MEE previously. "And has little depth. It's been reduced at heart to a security relationship."
Complicating the PA’s request for US weapons, Israel can veto security assistance to the authority. According to Axios, the US asked Israel to approve the aid package in December. The previous Trump administration downgraded ties to the PA and former US security officials expressed doubts the US president would press Israel to approve the aid when he returns to office in late January.
#2
Pensions for the dead ones, salaries for the living ones, overdue utilities bills owed to Israel, weapons for the boys, and a great many personal bank accounts that haven’t been fed in entirely too long — weeks in some cases. ;-)
[IsraelTimes] A Palestinian who was assisting Israeli forces in searching potentially booby-trapped buildings and tunnels in the Gaza Strip over the summer was shot dead by an officer, according to a report by online magazine, Hamakom Hachi Ham Bagehenom (The Hottest Place in Hell).
According to the report, the Palestinian was serving as a human shield for the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, when the unit was deployed to the Rafah area in August.
The Palestinian would be sent to search buildings and tunnels before troops did, a practice that has been reportedly commonplace in the IDF during the war in Gaza. The IDF has not denied that the practice has been carried out, but says that such conduct is prohibited.
Hamakom says the Palestinian was also allowed to reside alongside the Nahal troops inside a building.
One of those quid pro quo thingies — food and shelter in exchange for service?
A commander in the battalion who entered the building spotted the man and opened fire on him, without knowing he was cooperating with the military, the report says.
Fog of war, unfortunately. Even the IDF has to deal with imperfect knowledge. Shocking, I know.
The IDF Spokespersons Unit confirms the incident to Hamakom, saying that “the case was investigated by the brigade commander. The lessons of the investigation have been implemented into the forces’ activities.”
[IsraelTimes] Operative says terrorists saw north Gaza hospital as ‘safe shelter,’ used it as armory; unclear whether statements were made under duress, and whether other detainees agree
The IDF released on Tuesday interrogation footage of a Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... operative detained by troops at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern 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 which he says that the terror group uses the medical center as a shelter.
Over 240 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... were detained by troops at Kamal Adwan during an operation there last month, according to the military.
"They [the terror operatives] think it is a safe shelter for them, because the army cannot strike it directly," the operative, Anas Mohammad Faiz a-Sharif, said in the interrogation video.
It is unclear whether the statements were made under duress and if they represent the stances of the other detainees.
A-Sharif said the operatives would move weapons to and from the hospital, as well as set out from the medical center at night to carry out surveillance operations and patrols.
"From the hospital the grenades and mortars were given out, to attack the tanks, for ambushes, and for tunnels," he said.
A-Sharif said he worked at Kamal Adwan as a janitor but was also a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force.
The IDF said that the operatives interrogated by the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 have so far provided "a lot of intelligence information that helps the IDF in its activities in the area.
The IDF’s recent raid on Kamal Adwan, which began in late December and lasted a few days, saw the arrest of over 240 members of Hamas, Paleostinian Islamic Jihad and others suspected of being members of terror groups, the military said last week.
The IDF said some of the terror operatives "tried to impersonate patients and medical staff, and some tried to escape in ambulances."
Among those detained was the director of Kamal Adwan, Hussam Abu Safiya, who the IDF said is suspected of being a Hamas operative.
Before launching the operation, the IDF said it enabled the evacuation of 350 patients, caregivers, and medical personnel to other hospitals, in an effort coordinated by the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
In the weeks prior to the operation, "tens of thousands of liters of fuel, food, and medical supplies for the essential functioning of the hospital" were delivered to Kamal Adwan.
During the raid itself, the IDF said another 95 patients, caregivers, and medical personnel were evacuated from Kamal Adwan to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, where 5,000 liters of fuel, two generators, and medical equipment were delivered "to maintain and operate essential systems in the hospital."
Hundreds of Paleostinian civilians also left the hospital area "via defined evacuation routes," the military added.
In response to the raid and detention of the hospital’s director, the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... Security Council met on Friday for an emergency session to discuss the raid, though there were not any practical implications from the meeting.
A number of countries such as La Belle France, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... condemned the raid as a violation of international law, and urged Israel to protect hospital infrastructure in Gaza.
Hamas has fought from within hospitals throughout the war and even periodically hid some of the Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7 inside them. International law generally prohibits targeting hospitals during wartime, but hospitals can lose this protection if used for military purposes.
Since October, Israel has intensified its land and air offensive in northern Gaza, stating its goal is to prevent Hamas from regrouping in the area.
Israel had ordered civilians to evacuate the area amid preparations to invade Gaza in October 2023 in response to the Hamas onslaught, which saw thousands of Lions of Islam storm southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Tuesday that more than 45,885 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, and at least 109,196 people had been maimed, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel says it has killed some 18,000 combatants in battle as of November and another 1,000 Lions of Islam inside Israel on October 7. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
[IsraelTimes] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm... will be prosecuted for his role in the war in Gazoo, says a senior Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... official.
"His statements are misleading and we do not trust them, and his partnership in the crimes against our people will be pursued legally," threatens Hamas politburo member Osama Hamdan at a presser in Algeria, calling Blinken "a partner in the war of extermination."
In a weekend interview with The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , Blinken put the blame squarely on Hamas for the failure to reach a hostage release agreement.
"What we’ve seen time and again is Hamas not concluding a deal that it should have concluded," Blinken said.
"Why there hasn’t been a unanimous chorus around the world for Hamas to put down its weapons, to give up the hostages, to surrender — I don’t know what the answer is to that. Israel, on various occasions, has offered safe passage to Hamas’s leadership and fighters out of Gaza. Where is the world? Where is the world saying, Yeah, do that! End this! Stop the suffering of people that you brought on!" he said.
Hamdan claims that negotiations with Israel have proven that the only way to achieve rights for the Paleostinians is by force.
"We are determined to stop the aggression and for the enemy to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and for relief and reconstruction to be without Israeli conditions," says Hamdan. "We hope that this will be achieved as soon as possible."
He calls for a "national committee" to manage Gaza and "block the path of every corrupt argument that seeks to oppress our people."
Indirect talks on a potential hostage deal between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , but progress has been slow.
Hamdan says that Hamas hopes that Syria "will remain in the position of resistance" due to Israel’s control of the Golan Heights and beyond. "One of the most important values launched by al-Aqsa Flood [the Hamas name for the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught] is that peoples will not be liberated except through resistance."
Referring to a wave of legal complaints against IDF soldiers vacationing abroad, Hamdan says that "pursuing Zionist war criminals is a Paleostinian national goal and a goal for all free people in the world. Those who raised the case in Brazil and elsewhere are people whose consciences pushed them to take action against the crimes of the occupation. Those who commit crimes of genocide must be pursued all over the world."
...Metrópoles reported on Monday that the Brazilian Federal Police filed a request to the Federal Court to reconsider a Sunday arrest warrant for a visiting IDF reservist for alleged war crimes.
The police chose to open a crime report instead of a formal investigation while awaiting the judicial process. They argued that the case required more detailed analysis before a formal investigation, and the issue generated internal debate about the legitimacy of an investigation and the relevance of Brazilian criminal law.
Wouldn’t it be fun for Israel to be an approved supplier the next time a Democratic president deliberately screws up inventory, as happened under the Biden administration. Ditto for Germany…
[IsraelTimes] Elbit Systems also contracted to establish manufacturing plant for raw materials, in deals worth $275 million; Israel hopes to reach ‘full independence’ in munitions manufacturing
The Defense Ministry on Tuesday signed two major deals with Elbit Systems for the local arms contractor to supply the military with thousands of heavy bombs and establish a new facility to manufacture raw materials.
The deals were estimated at NIS 1 billion ($275 million), the Defense Ministry said.
The ministry said the agreements were "crucial for enhancing the IDF’s operational endurance and force build-up capabilities," and represented a "central lesson learned from the war."
Under the first agreement, Elbit was to supply thousands of heavy air munitions used by the Israeli Air Force.
This would apparently reduce Israel’s need to rely on the United States, which in late spring held up a shipment of heavy bombs.
Since the beginning of the war, the IAF has launched over 83,000 munitions in Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, according to the military.
Under the second agreement, Elbit was to establish a "national raw materials plant to produce raw materials that were sourced mainly from abroad before the war."
"The new facility will feature advanced production lines for energetic materials that Israel’s defense industry uses," the ministry said, adding that the project is expected to "strengthen domestic manufacturing independence and reduce reliance on imported raw materials."
Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir said the deals were "laying the foundations for expanding manufacturing independence in two critical areas for the IDF’s operational sustainability: domestic production of heavy air munitions and establishing a national raw materials plant."
"Both agreements will ensure sovereign capability in producing bombs and munitions of all types," he said in remarks provided by the ministry.
"We initiated this historic move before the war but accelerated it during it. Under both agreements, initial capabilities will soon gradually expand until we achieve full independence in both areas," Zamir said.
"This is a central lesson from the war that will enable the IDF to continue operating powerfully in all theaters," he added.
The Defense Ministry said in August that the US has sent over 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment to Israel since the war began.
The aggression against Israel throughout the Middle East, which has been described as a seven-front war, began with the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... October 7, 2023, massacre, which saw thousands of Lions of Islam invade Israel from the 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... Strip, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251.
In Gaza, fierce fighting in the north continues, with Hamas still demonstrating it is still capable of firing rockets at Israel after nearly 15 months of war.
In Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... , a delicate ceasefire holds as Israeli forces continue to uncover Hezbollah infrastructure in the country’s south.
Meanwhile,
...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind... over the past month, Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...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 legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. 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 They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... ballistic missiles from 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... have repeatedly sent millions of Israelis to bomb shelters in the middle of the night.
[IsraelTimes] Jews were the target of the majority of hate crimes in New York City last year, according to statistics reported by the NYPD.
Data compiled by the department showed that there were 345 anti-Jewish hate crimes across the US city in 2024, nearly 54% of the 641 total hate crimes tallied. The next-largest category of hate crimes were those related to sexual orientation, at 78.
The number of antisemitic hate crimes in 2024 was slightly larger than in 2023, when police recorded 323 total anti-Jewish crimes. That year’s total was driven by a recorded surge in antisemitism following Hamas’s invasion and onslaught of October 7 of that year, which sparked the war in Gaza. The increase in antisemitism year over year comes as the total number of hate crimes in the city decreased slightly from 2023 to 2024.
High-profile antisemitic incidents occurred last year across New York, which has the largest Jewish population in the United States.
The NYPD data are preliminary figures and are subject to change. Not every recorded hate crime leads to an arrest or prosecution.
[Rudaw] Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is prioritizing efforts to release the country’s frozen assets through diplomatic measures with large sums remaining blocked, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday.
"The issue of frozen assets is consistently on the agenda of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant institutions," Araghchi said, as cited by Iran’s state IRNA news agency.
He emphasized the necessity to relieve the Islamic republic from external economic struggles, with the country crippled by heavy sanctions and internal challenges.
The US and European countries have continued to impose sanctions to hold Iran accountable for its actions and attacks targeting Western allies.
"A portion of the funds has been released as a result of the efforts made, while another part remains frozen," Araghchi added.
To secure the release of its frozen funds, Iran stated that it requires "ongoing meetings, reviews, and new initiatives."
Iran has faced heavy sanctions for aiding Russia, contributing to Moscow's war against Ukraine by providing drones and the October missile attacks on Israel, a Western ally.
Iran in November condemned the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and the UK for committing a "systematic violation" through imposing sanctions, labeling them "unjustified" following fresh measures against Tehran by Western countries.
The latest sanctions imposed on Iran by the US’s Department of the Treasury for interference in the country’s latest presidential elections aimed to "stoke sociopolitical tensions."
The US in 2018 under former president Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... ’s administration withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and imposed biting sanctions on Tehran.
The JCPOA was signed between Britannia, La Belle France, China, Germany, Russia, Iran, and the US in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to ensure it does not enrich enough uranium to develop a nuclear weapon.
[Rudaw] Ottoman Turkish foreign minister warned on Tuesday that Ankara plans to carry out a fresh military operation against the northeast Syria (Rojava) if the alleged cadres of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) do not leave the country, adding that they have given a deadline to the Kurdish authorities through Western countries.
"We have given an ultimatum to the YPG through Americans and the West," Hakan Fidan told CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... Turk, referring to the People’s Protection Units (YPG), backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
"The PKK cadres, who carry the international characteristics and came from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , Iraq and Iran, have to leave [Syria]. They have to leave and they know this. To be honest, we do not see any preparation and intention in this regard. We are waiting," he added.
He warned that if Turkey’s demands are not met "there will be a military operation."
Turkey and the Syrian militia groups it supports, who call themselves the Syrian National Army (SNA), have recently intensified their attacks on the SDF-held areas near Manbij, including Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge.
The SNA has controlled Manbij and Til Rifaat towns from the SDF since the collapse of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... ’s regime on December 8.
The issue of the alleged presence of PKK cadres in Rojava has recently resurfaced. The new government in Damascus and Ankara have called for their departure.
The PKK has repeatedly said that it has no presence in Rojava.
"We openly announce that we as the PKK are not present in Rojava. We do not have any organic ties with any organizations, " Murat Karayilan, a top PKK commander said in mid-December.
He added that their fighters entered Rojava to defend Kurds from 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.... (ISIS) attacks and returned to their places.
Turkey has carried out three major military campaigns against the SDF since 2016 on the grounds the YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK and poses a threat to Ankara’s national security.
Turkey’s last offensive against the SDF was in 2019 when it took control of Sare Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad). The campaign was halted after Americans and Russians mediated a ceasefire.
US President-elect Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... said on Tuesday that Turkey suspended the operation after he, then president, intervened.
Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... "started and I said please don’t do that and he didn’t do it," Trump said, adding that he and Erdogan are friends and have mutual respect for one another.
Fidan warned on Tuesday that his country plans to carry out a new military if the YPG fails to meet its conditions.
"If you do not want a military operation in the country from us or the new Syrian administration, the conditions are clear. We are openly announcing the conditions: the imported muscle should leave Syria and the PKK leadership cadres -Syrians who hold leadership positions - should leave the country. They know who [we mean] and we have their names," said the top Ottoman Turkish diplomat.
He noted that the rest of the YPG fighters should lay down their weapons.
"This is a bloodless and problemless process. In return, the non-PKK , dear Syrian Kurds, will live their normal lives without being harmed. The new Syrian administration has guaranteed us this," he noted.
Mazloum Abdi, SDF chief, has also said several times that the PKK no longer exists in Rojava.
In an unprecedented move in mid-December, the Rojava administration decided to only allow the new Syrian flag, SDF flag and the emblems and symbols of the administration, effectively banning PKK slogans and banners.
Fidan said Kurds would enjoy equal rights in the new Syria.
Thousands of Kurds living in Syria had been deprived of citizenship by the ousted regime. Fidan said that they have urged the Syrian authorities to address this issue.
HTS has not clashed with the SDF and has allowed the US-backed force to remain in control of both Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo.
Sharaa has said that the country's new security apparatus will include "Kurdish forces in its ranks," calling Kurds an "integral part" of Syrian society but stressed that his administration will not allow the country to become a "launchpad" for the PKK.
SDF’s Abdi has declared that they are willing to merge the SDF into the new Syrian army if both sides agree on a "suitable formula through negotiations."
[IsraelTimes] The US military general leading the committee tasked with enforcing the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah hails the efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces
…are they half or three quarters Hezbollah nowadays?
in implementing the early stages of the agreement following a visit to one of the LAF’s bases in southern Lebanon.
US Major General Jasper Jeffers and French Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin visited the LAF’s 5th Brigade headquarters, which is located five kilometers northeast of Naqoura — one of the two towns from which Israeli forces have withdrawn as part of the ceasefire.
“As part of the Mechanism-enabled transition, the LAF immediately deployed forces to the area to clear roads, remove unauthorized munitions, and provide security for the people of Lebanon,” a statement from the US Embassy in Beirut says.
“Jeffers and Ponchin viewed stockpiles of weapons to be destroyed in the coming days, which the LAF seized from unauthorized armed groups,” the US readout reveals.
“The LAF is the legitimate security provider for Lebanon and continues to demonstrate to me and the rest of the Mechanism it has the capability, intent, and leadership to secure and defend Lebanon. They have acted decisively, rapidly, and with clear expertise. Today, we saw an example of this with the soldiers of the 5th Brigade. The engineer corps in particular is full of true professionals, removing and rendering safe hundreds of pieces of unexploded ordnance every week,” Jeffers says in his own statement.
[IsraelTimes] Drills come after Israel said to have destroyed much of Iran’s air defenses in recent strikes and after US examined plans to attack nuclear program
Iran’s military has begun drills focusing on air defenses near the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in the center of the country as part of exercises planned nationwide, state media reported on Tuesday.
The drills — dubbed Eqtedar, or "might," in Farsi — have involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological branch of Iran’s military, alongside the army.
"The first phase of the joint Eqtedar exercises in the air defense zone of the Natanz nuclear facility has commenced under the orders of the air defense headquarters commander," state TV said.
It added that IRGC air forces were undertaking "an all-out point defense" of the site "against a multitude of air threats in tough electronic warfare conditions."
On Monday, IRGC front man Ali Mohammad Naini said the drills, which will also cover other parts of Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... until mid-March, were being conducted in response to "new security threats," without elaborating.
Several branches of the IRGC, including the navy and the paramilitary Basij forces, will also take part in the exercises, he added.
At the end of October, Israel attacked key military targets in Iran, degrading its air defense and missile production capabilities in retaliation for a massive ballistic missile attack on Israel earlier that month.
Iran’s attack was launched in response to Israel’s killings of Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... leader Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continued as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintained a separate PM in the West Bank. Zapped during the 2023-24 war, to eveyone's satisfaction... in Tehran in July and Hezbollah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> in September and involved hundreds of ballistic missiles being shot at Israel, triggering sirens across the country.
There were no casualties, but the IDF said that certain airbases were hit, although the Air Force’s capabilities were unaffected.
Israel’s response damaged Iran’s missile production capabilities as well as elements of the nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF said, although they added that the damage to the nuclear program was not significant enough to thwart it.
They did say, however, that Iran’s ability to produce ballistic missiles and solid fuel, which is used for long-range missiles, was greatly diminished.
The Israeli strikes also reportedly destroyed much of Iran’s air defense system, including its four Russian-made S-300 systems.
Last week, US news website Axios reported that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan had presented President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. The very model of probity.... with options for a potential US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if Tehran moved toward developing a nuclear weapon before January 20, when Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... takes office.
Iran’s foreign ministry front man Esmaeil Baqaei lambasted the reports, saying threats against the country’s nuclear facilities were "a gross violation of international law."
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons. "Nuclear? Yes. Atomic? No." However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... Iran, which is sworn to destroy Israel, has in recent years increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium, and it is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60 percent, the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog said.
That level is well on the way to the 90% required for an atomic bomb and beyond anything needed for a civilian nuclear program.
Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program soared after the United States, during Trump’s first term in office, withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear ambitions.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/08/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11129 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
So Iran is trapped in the Aerial attack mindset.
What will we see from the Israelis next.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The United States has issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with the ruling Hayat 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) administration in Syria for six months, as part of efforts purportedly seeking to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance following the downfall of President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... 's government.
The exemption, known as a general license, also allows some energy transactions and personal remittances to Syria until July 7. The action did not lift any sanctions against the Arab nation.
The US Treasury said the move sought ''to help ensure that sanctions do not impede essential services and continuity of governance functions across Syria, including the provision of electricity, energy, water, and sanitation.''
The United States, Britannia, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and other Western governments imposed tough sanctions on Syria at the height of the foreign-sponsored militancy against the country in 2011.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered... , claimed that the move showed goodwill toward the Syrian people rather than the new HTS administration.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo also alleged in a statement that Washington ''will continue to support humanitarian assistance and responsible governance in Syria'' during the current period of transition.
Maher Khalil al-Hasan, the trade minister in the HTS administration, said on Monday the country is unable to make deals to import fuel, wheat or other key goods due to strict US sanctions.
Syria faces a ''catastrophe'' if sanctions are not frozen or lifted soon, he said.
Militants, led by HTS, took control of Damascus on December 8 and declared an end to Assad's rule in a surprise offensive that was launched from their stronghold in northwestern Syria, reaching the capital in less than two weeks.
The situation in the Arab country remains very fluid and fragile, amid the ongoing political instability.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11129 views]
Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
#1
"The situation in the Arab country remains very fluid and fragile, amid the ongoing political instability." Americans used to refer to this kind of situation as a SNAFU. I think the modern Arabic term is "al-Fuqdup"
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.
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
...
[CNN] African governments have criticized a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he said that some leaders showed "ingratitude" for the deployment of his nation’s troops in the Sahel region in battling Islamist extremism.
Yet another teachable moment. Gratitude which was never there, can likely never be restored. 
...every time you hear the phrase 
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
