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At least 35 Russian mercenaries killed fighting for Haftar in Libya
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 05:51 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Another Bloid? Thank you, Fred
Posted by: Frank G || 10/04/2019 7:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Looks like Connie Stevens......yum
Posted by: AlanC || 10/04/2019 7:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Hooray!
Posted by: Bobby || 10/04/2019 8:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Yea! The iconic Scimitar returns. Always a pleasure to see.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/04/2019 9:43 Comments || Top||

#5  Fred must be between books. :-)
Posted by: gorb || 10/04/2019 12:09 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Airstrikes kill 18 Taliban militants in 6 provinces, destroy stolen Humvee
[KhaamaPress] A series of Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s killed at least 18 Talibs and destroyed a stolen Humvee Armored Personnel Carrier, the military officials said Thursday.

According to the officials, the security forces conducted the airstrikes in Kandahar, Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
, Zabul, Farah, Pashtun-infested Logar and Ghazni provinces.

The officials further added that the 3 of the holy warriors were killed in Arghandab of Kandahar, 3 others were killed in Nad Ali and Nahr-e Saraj districts of Helmand and 1 Taliban
...Arabic for students...
holy warrior was killed and another one was maimed in Qalat district of Zabul.

Similarly, the airstrikes killed 7 Taliban fighters in Baraki district of Pashtun-infested Logar and 4 other holy warriors in Giro district of Ghazni.

The officials also added that the airstrikes destroyed a stolen Humvee Armored Personnel Carrier and a small cache of weapons.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Special Forces kill, detain 9 Taliban militants; destroy caches of weapons in 3 provinces
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan Special Forces killed 4 Talibs, arrested 5 others and destroyed caches of weapons during the operations in 3 provinces.

The military officials said Thursday the Special Forces killed a Taliban
...Arabic for students...
krazed killer, arrested 4 others and destroyed a cache of weapons in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
According to the military officials, the Special Forces arrested another Taliban krazed killer during an operation in Chak-e Wardak district of Wardak province.

The Special Forces also killed 3 Talibs during an operation in Deh Yak district of Ghazni, the officials said, adding that they destroyed a cache of weapon as well during the same raid.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Residents Take Protest To Kabul As Takhar Security Deteriorates Despite Clearing Actions
[ToloNews] "The Afghan central government sent a delegation to Takhar three days ago...they only take pictures and post them on Facebook."

Some residents from the northern province of Takhar on Thursday staged a protest in Kabul to give get attention for what they described as an unprecedented wave of insecurity in the placid provincial capital Taluqan.

The protestors, who were carrying placards, warned that the city is on the verge of collapsing to Taliban
...Arabic for students...
control if the central government does not take action in time to thwart the bully boy threat.

They said that fierce battles are going on in the suburbs of the city, warning that if reinforcements weren’t dispatched to the area, there would be a human tragedy in the city.

"The Afghan central government sent a delegation to Takhar three days ago, but no breakthrough has been achieved out of this trip, they only take pictures and post them on Facebook. If they do not take action, our province will face a similar human tragedy that we witnessed in Kunduz," said Mehrullah Amiri, a civil society activist from Takhar.

"The main objective of our protest is to raise our voice in defense of our defenseless people. Fighting has been ongoing for several days in the suburbs of the city, and our security forces are under the siege," said Azizurrahman, a civil society activist in Takhar.

This comes a few days after the Taliban launched coordinated attacks on Takhar’s Baharak and Khawja Ghar districts from Kunduz province, and then infiltrated some areas near Taluqan city, the capital of Takhar.

On Thursday, provincial governor Abdul Haq Shafaq said that extra troops have been sent to Takhar to deal with the situation.

He said that the Taliban will never succeed in taking control of the city.

"There were reports that enemy forces had entered Taluqan city and that the city is on the edge of collapse; I strongly deny this, the fall of the city is impossible," said Shafaq.

Afghan Interior Ministry officials also said that the Afghan cops have repulsed the Taliban’s attack on Taluqan.

"There are no threats against Taluqan city. Joint operations of the Afghan Security and Defense Forces are on track, the operations will continue until all threats are tackled," said Nusrat Rahmi, a front man for the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI)

According to the residents, the Taliban have also attacked Afghan forces in Baharak, Khawja Ghar and Chah Ab districts.

Clearing Operations In Takhar Center, Taluqan

[ToloNews] Several days of fighting have resulted in over 30 killed, 40 wounded.

Afghan Army commandos, in coordination with other Afghan security forces in Takhar province, on Tuesday conducted a clearing operation in Taluqan, the provincial capital, the Ministry of Defense reported.

According to the statement, Taliban attacks in several parts of the city have caused heavy casualties.

A Takhar police spokesman, Khalil Aser, said that currently the defense and interior deputy ministers, and the provincial security chief, are in Taluqan to coordinate forces in the province.

Reports indicate that more than 30 have been killed and more than 40 wounded in the fighting, and that dozens of families have been displaced from Taluqan, Khowja Ghar and Baharak districts.

On Monday, Mohammad Jawad Hijri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said that over the past few days the Taliban attacked areas close to Taluqan, including Baharak district, in order to disrupt the election process and to take control of areas close to the capital.

Officials also said that the Taliban are from neighboring Kunduz and Baghlan provinces.

Hijri said that security forces now have control of the police headquarters, and that airstrikes have killed 36 Taliban. Also, ANDSF reinforcements have arrived to push back the Taliban.

Hijri did not provide specific numbers about military or civilian casualties.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Deadly airstrike targets a group of Taliban militants in Balkh province
[KhaamaPress] A deadly Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
targeted a group of Talibs in northern Balkh province with preliminary reports indicating the airstrike inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban
...Arabic for students...
fighters.

The 209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement that the security forces conducted the precision airstrike in Asyab Sharaf Village in Chemtal district.

The statement further added that the airstrike killed 8 Talibs and maimed 5 others.

However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by...
the 209th Shaheen Corps said the casualties’ toll of Talibs may further rise as a result of the airstrike.

The 209th Shaheen Corps also added that the airstrike has possibly killed many key figures of the group in Chemtal district.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


22 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Faryab province
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan forces killed 10 Talibs and maimed 12 others in two districts of Faryab province, the Afghan military said.

The 209th Shaheen Corps said late on Wednesday that the Afghan forces killed 4 Talibs and maimed 5 others after ambushing a group of Talibs Khawaja Mosahi area of Pashtun Kot district.

According to a statement released by 209th Shaheen Corps, the security forces also clashed with Talibs in Qazal Village of Khwaja Sabzposh district, killing 6 Talibs and wounding 7 others.

The statement further added that the two security personnel also bit the dust during the clash.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Airstrikes kill 11 Taliban and ISIS militants; destroy 3 car bombs in 4 provinces
[KhaamaPress] A series of Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s killed 11 Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
and ISIS
...embracing their inner Islamic Brute...
Khurasan snuffies and destroyed three boom-mobiles in four provinces.

The military officials said Wednesday airstrikes killed 6 snuffies of ISIS Khurasan terrorist group in Khugyani district of Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
The officials further added that similar airstrikes killed 3 Talibs in Shorabak district of Kandahar.

Airstrikes in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
killed 2 Talibs, the officials added.

The officials also added that airstrikes in Bala Boluk district of Farah province in the West destroyed 3 boom-mobiles.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


4 Pakistani militants killed after crossing Durand Line and engaging in gunfight with NDS forces in Khost
[KhaamaPress] The NDS Special Forces killed 4 Pak holy warriors who crossed the Durand Line and engaged the security forces in Tanai district of Khost.

The National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
said in a statement that the Pak holy warriors crossed the Durand Line and engaged the NDS Special Forces in Tanai district of Khost.

The statement further added that the holy warriors were looking to launch attacks on security posts in Tanai district.

According to National Directorate of Security, the NDS Special Forces eliminated all 4 assailants and confiscated a vechile, Ak-47 rifles, hand grenades and a radio sets following the clash.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


9 killed, wounded as Taliban militants open fire on civilians in Ghazni
[KhaamaPress] The Talibs deliberately opened fire on civilians in South-eastern Ghazni province, killing or wounding at least 9 civilians, the local authorities said.

The Governor’s Office of Ghazni said in a statement the Talibs opened fire on civilian homes and vehicles in Imam Raza, Shash Gor and Shohda areas along Dara-e Qayaq route in Jaghatoo district.

The statement further added the shootings killed 3 civilians including two children and maimed 6 including a child.

The statement also added that two members of the security forces also sustained injuries after arriving in the area to respond to Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
shootings.

The Taliban group has not commented in this regard so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Afghan Special Forces destroy multiple caches of weapons in 3 provinces
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan Special Forces destroyed multiple caches of weapons of Taliban
...Arabic for students...
in Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
and Ghazni provinces.

The military officials said Wednesday the Special Forces arrested 2 Talibs and destroyed a narcotics and a weapons of Taliban in Zindah Jan and Shindand district of Herat.

The officials further added that the Special Forces destroyed another cache of weapons of Taliban in Nad Ali district of Helmand.

The Special Forces arrested a Taliban turban and destroyed a weapons cache of the group in Ghazni district of Ghazni province.

The officials also added that the Special Forces destroyed another weapons cache of Taliban during a similar operation in Andar district of Ghazni.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 05:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Blast Kills 6 In Kapisa, Women and Children
[ToloNews] Members of the same family were killed by roadside explosion.

At least six members of the same family were killed by a roadside IED blast on Tuesday in Kapisa province, according to local officials.

Two children and four women were killed in Baies Khail village of Najrab district in Kapisa province, when an improvised roadside mine placed in farmlands by Taliban
...Arabic for students...
Death Eaters detonated, said Abdul Shayeq Shoresh, front man for the Kapisa Police.

One man and one other women were also maimed in the blast, Shoresh added.

The maimed were moved to a nearby hospital, and one is at death's door, Shoresh said.

The Taliban denies allegations, saying that the non-combatants were killed by government forces in the district.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 05:49 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Militia groups kidnap seven women in Derna
[Libya Observer] Seven women from the Shiha district of Derna, east Libya, have been kidnapped by a militia group on Monday night, a source from the city disclosed.

The source added that four of the kidnapped women were released on Tuesday while the fate of the other three ones remains unknown.

The militias loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
have continued their abduction of mothers, sisters and wives of Derna Protection Force fighters since the takeover of the city in June 2018.

The number of kidnapped women by the militias loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar rose to 27 in August.
Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 05:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Haftar's forces shell residential areas in Tripoli, woman and her child killed
[Libya Observer] A woman and her child were killed Wednesday night after Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
's forces had shelled their residential neighborhood on Wali al-Ahed street on Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
Airport Road. Eight others were maimed.

The front man for the Ambulance Apparatus of the Health Ministry Osama Ali said a random shell fell on the woman's house on Wali al-Ahed street and killed her along with her baby girl - who was picked from under the rubble.

Ali told news hounds that a warning for all residents of Sidi Salim and al-Hadab was made by the apparatus so they can remain in downstairs floors and away from windows amid the constant shelling of Haftar's forces.

The residents of Sidi Salim and Wali al-Ahed confirmed that several rockets hit their neighborhoods and some were left unwent kaboom!.

Haftar's forces carried Wednesday overnight attacks covered by heavy airpower - foreign backers - on Tripoli frontlines. The festivities lingered through Thursday as the Libyan Army under the command of the Presidential Council's government managed to foil their attacks inflicting on them a heavy corpse count and loss of military equipment.
Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 05:42 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


At least 35 Russian mercenaries killed fighting for Haftar in Libya
[Libya Observer] Meduza news website - based in Latvia and operating in Russian language - has reported citing unnamed colleagues and veterans that between 10 and 35 Russian mercenaries may have died while fighting for Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
's forces in "Libya’s civil war."

According to the Riga-based website, Russia is reportedly providing unofficial assistance to Haftar with a private army linked to President Vladimir Putin
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 05:42 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Seems like Wagner specializes in cannon fodder....
Posted by: Slanter Flaque1346 || 10/04/2019 7:28 Comments || Top||

#2  And the downside of this is.....?
Posted by: Sonny Black || 10/04/2019 9:03 Comments || Top||

#3  ^....I'm thinking......
Posted by: Slanter Flaque1346 || 10/04/2019 11:09 Comments || Top||

#4  Maybe Wagner's writing a sequel to Tannhäuser... Death and Redemption in Libya?
Posted by: Lex || 10/04/2019 12:27 Comments || Top||

#5  ^ 'Taint over 'til the fat lady sings....
Posted by: Slanter Flaque1346 || 10/04/2019 15:23 Comments || Top||

#6  Given Russian demographics, are they really in the position to send their sons to foreign wars?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/04/2019 15:28 Comments || Top||

#7  Gonna run out of Russians at this rate....
Posted by: DarthVader || 10/04/2019 22:26 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Chinese Grenades Recovered in Operation in Kashmir
[IndiaToday] Terror hideout busted near LoC in Poonch, 17 hand grenades recovered

Army and police personnel launched a joint search operation in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district and busted a terror hideout in Khara Gali area in Poonch district.

A total of 17 Chinese hand grenades were seized by authorities, said a senior police officer. The search operation was launched on specific information in Khara Gali area of Loran border belt and the terror hideout was busted.

According to police, the 17 hand grenades appear to be around 3-4 months old.
How they arrived at that bit of deduction is beyond me. Maybe the things had serial numbers ?
Posted by: Dron66046 || 10/04/2019 17:46 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies

#1  Of course, whom the Chinese consider their closest competitor?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/04/2019 18:02 Comments || Top||

#2  China has been a sponsor of Pakistan for some time. Not a surprise. As Grom said.
Posted by: ruprecht || 10/04/2019 19:32 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm sure the HK protesters shared them

/sarc
Posted by: Frank G || 10/04/2019 19:43 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraq’s foreign ministry summons Iranian ambassador over threats to US
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraq’s foreign ministry has summoned Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad to denounce his threat that Tehran would retaliate to an American attack anywhere in the world, including in Iraq.

The development comes as deadly protests have gripped Baghdad and spread since Tuesday to southern Iraqi provinces. So far, 19 people have been reported killed, including one policeman.

Thursday’s ministry statement said Iraqi official Abdul-Karim Hashem told Iran’s envoy, Iraj Masjedi, that American troops are in Iraq and the request of the Iraqi government.

It said Hashem told Masjedi that Iraq would not accept becoming an arena for international conflicts.

Masjedi recently told Iraq’s Dijla TV that if the Americans attack Iran, Tehran "will strike back anywhere, including (in) Iraq."

Iraq has been caught in the middle of US-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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
tensions in the Middle East, putting an additional strain on the fragile government in Baghdad that hosts thousands of US troops and Iran-backed militias.

Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 04:26 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iraq: Internet Switched Off And At Least 33 Killed As Protests Break Out
[Hot Air] Iraq is suddenly looking a bit like Hong Kong. But in Baghdad police were quick to open fire on protesters with live ammunition as the government shut down the internet to stop the flow of information:
Anti-government demonstrators defied an around-the-clock curfew in Baghdad and other cities Thursday as Iraqi security forces used live ammunition and tear gas during a third day of unrest that has left 33 people dead, most of them protesters.

Authorities cut internet access in much of Iraq since late Wednesday in a desperate move to curb the rallies. By Thursday afternoon, the curfew was extended to three other southern provinces...

Middle East expert Jennifer Cafarella, with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said the immediate and widespread use of force against protesters in multiple provinces demonstrates "that the security forces are overwhelmed by the volume and rate of spread" of the rallies.
The protests began Tuesday and appear to spread very quickly. The source of the protester’s anger is economic more than political, though protesters are calling for the ouster of the current government:

Posted by: Besoeker || 10/04/2019 04:06 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies


Iraq's PM calls for talks as thousands of protesters defy curfew
[Aljazeera] Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has called for dialogue after a third consecutive day of deadly anti-government protests in the capital, Baghdad, and several southern cities.

In a statement quoted by local media on Thursday, Abdul Mahdi's office said the prime minister was "continuing contacts" with protesters in a bid to end the political crisis and "return to normal life".

Abdul Mahdi was prepared to meet with "representatives of peaceful demonstrators to consider their legitimate demands", the statement added.

The announcement came as 4,000 protesters rallied in Baghdad, defying a government-enforced curfew to call again for improved services, more jobs and an end to widespread corruption.

The crowds gathered in Baghdad's Tayaran Square and attempted to march onto the central Tahrir Square only to be met with open fire and heavy tear gas. Police also used live ammunition in the Zafaraniya district of Baghdad and there were protests in the northwestern Shula district.

The demonstrations, which appear to be independent of any political party, started in the capital on Tuesday, and later spread to cities across Iraq's mainly Shia south. At least 31 people have been killed in three days of clashes.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/04/2019 03:49 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  hmm... shia south.... Iran creating a distraction/second front?
Posted by: Slanter Flaque1346 || 10/04/2019 7:30 Comments || Top||


Iraq declares curfew in Baghdad to protect residents, 31 total dead and 1188 maimed since Tuesday
[PRESSTV] Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has declared a curfew in the capital, Baghdad, until further notice as protests continue against alleged economic problems.In a statement released on Thursday, Abdul-Mahdi said "all vehicles and individuals are totally forbidden to move" in Baghdad from 05:00 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT).

Travelers to and from the city’s airport, and ambulances, babus government employees in hospitals and in electricity and water departments, as well as religious pilgrims are exempt from the curfew, the statement added.

It gave provincial governors discretion whether to announce curfews in their provinces.

GOVERNMENT STRESSES RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST
Before announcing the curfew in Baghdad, the Iraqi premier held an emergency meeting with members of the National Security Council.

"The council stressed that appropriate measures should be taken to protect citizens and public and private properties," read a statement released by Abdul-Madhi’s office on Wednesday, expressing the government’s resolve to make all efforts "to meet the legitimate demands of the demonstrators."

The council further affirmed the demonstrators’ "right to protest" and "freedom of expression..., but at the same time condemns the acts of vandalism that accompanied the protests."

Curfews had already been imposed in the Iraqi cities of Nasiriyah, Amarah, and Hilla.

Demonstrations erupted on Tuesday over what is said to be unemployment and poor public services.

31 dead, 1188 maimed in Iraq since anti-gov’t protests started Tuesday

[Rudaw] Iran urges pilgrims to postpone Iraq visits as deadly protests spread.

Shiite pilgrims should postpone their Arbaeen pilgrimage to Iraq’s holy shrine cities until mass protests sweeping the country die down, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.

"We are certain that the government and the people of Iraq will act to calm down the tense atmosphere and will not allow some movement to continue which will be taken advantage of by foreigners," Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

However,
the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything...
it called on Iranians "to postpone their trips to Iraq until the conditions settle down and heed the warnings of the political and security officials of the Arbaeen".

A senior pilgrimage official told Iranian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
the Khosravi border crossing between 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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and Iraq has been closed, but other crossings will remain open, Rooters reports.

Millions of Shiite Moslems from across the world travel to Iraq’s holy shrine city of Karbala to mark Arbaeen every year. The ministry’s call to postpone the pilgrimage reflects how violent the protests have become since they began in the capital Baghdad on Tuesday.

Protesters rallied in Tahrir Square to demand action on corruption, unemployment, and the lack of basic services, among other burning issues facing the Iraqi public. Security forces were heavy handed in their response, firing on protesters with live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons.

Thirty-one people have been killed and 1,188 maimed across the country since the protests began on Tuesday, Hemin Bajalan, a member of Iraq’s Human Rights Commission, told Rudaw. At least 257 people have been detained. Of these, 209 are still in jug.

Internet services are down across southern Iraqi cities, which have also been placed under curfew.

"The Iraqi government intentionally cutting off internet services for Baghdad and the rest of Iraqi provinces constitutes a violation of the freedom of expression and silences the people," Sarmad al-Badri, media officer of the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, told Rudaw on Thursday.

Rudaw’s news hound in Baghdad could not broadcast live from the protests due to the internet blackout. Reporting from the scene by telephone, he said security forces had imposed an indefinite curfew since 5am. All vehicles and pedestrians have been prevented from entering public spaces including Tahrir Square.

"What do we want? We just want these young people to have jobs, to have money. That is why we are out. We don’t need another thing. Don’t we have oil? We just want to become like an Arab Gulf country," one protestor told Rudaw near the square.

The protests have spread beyond the capital. Rasheed al-Saray, a member of Dhi Qar provincial council, told Rudaw on Thursday protests had broken out there too.

"The protests started in Nasriyah, al-Rafai, al-Shiyukh bazar, al-Shatrah, and al-Diwaya," al-Saray said.

"It is possible for the protests to resurge Thursday evening in a number of towns in Dhi Qar province," he added.

A medical source at the Dhi Qar Health Directorate told Rudaw on Thursday that al-Nasiryah hospital has received three dead and 35 maimed. They expect the number of casualties to rise.

Canada issued new travel advice on Thursday for nationals visiting Iraq.

"Expect road closures, including those leading to the Baghdad International Airport, and areas to be sealed off, including the Green Zone. Curfews and other security restrictions can be imposed at short notice. Restrictions to internet and social media may occur," the Canadian government said.

The protests pose a serious threat to the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who has been in office for less than a year. Last summer, Iraqis also erupted into the streets to demand jobs, electricity, and basic services. The violent crackdown which followed cost former prime minister Haider al-Abadi’s chances of securing a second term in office.
Al Ahram adds:
More than half of those killed in the last three days have been in the southern city of Nasiriyah, where six protesters were shot dead and dozens wounded on Thursday alone.

Nearby Amarah has also seen significant bloodshed, with medics and security sources reporting four protesters shot dead on Thursday.

Later in the day, two protestors and a police officer were killed in Diwaniyah, 150 kilometres (100 miles) south of Baghdad, and a curfew was subsequently imposed.

ANGER BOILS OVER
Rallies began Tuesday in Baghdad but have since spread across the mainly Shiite south, including the provinces of Dhi Qar, Missan, Najaf, Basra, Wasit and Babylon. Several cities have imposed curfews, but protesters flooded the streets regardless.

The Kurdish northern regions and Sunni western provinces, meanwhile, have remained relatively calm.

Tensions have been exacerbated by the closure of government offices in Baghdad and calls by firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for "a general strike". Sadr was behind the last round of major protests in Baghdad in 2016, when his supporters stormed the Green Zone, home to some ministries and embassies. His involvement appears much more limited this time, but if his followers join the protests en masse, the rallies will likely balloon even further.

Approximately 75 percent of Iraq is "offline" after major network operators "intentionally restricted" access, according to cybersecurity monitor NetBlocks.

Coalition troops in Iraq ‘reserve the right' to self-defense after Green Zone blast

[Rudaw] The US-led coalition in Iraq said in a Thursday statement they would reserve the right to defend themselves following a blast earlier this morning in Baghdad’s Green Zone amid escalating unrest nationwide as protesters demand an end to rampant corruption and lack of basic services.

“This morning’s blast in the international zone is under investigation by the Iraqi security forces,” the emailed statement read. ”No coalition facility was struck.”

“We always reserve the right to defend ourselves, attacks on our personnel will not be tolerated,” the statement added.
Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  Reads like it is that Donk stronghold, Chicago on a busy weekend.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/04/2019 9:45 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF Thwarts Weapons Smuggling Attempt From Lebanon To Israel
[Jerusalem Post] The IDF and Israel Police thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons from Lebanon into Israel in September, according to an IDF spokesperson.

An IDF field observer from the 869th battalion spotted two suspects acting suspiciously on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel near the border fence. IDF soldiers went to the scene to check the issue.

Bags found in the area contained about 40 pistols and magazines which were meant to be smuggled from Lebanon into Israel. The background of the incident is being looked into.

One suspect was arrested on the Israeli side of the border and was transferred for questioning by security forces.

"I saw a suspect approaching the fence and immediately realized that this was an unusual incident," said Pvt. Adi ben Naim, the field observer who identified the suspects. "I alerted the troops and directed them to the location. It was only after the incident that I realized that a very large weapon-smuggling attempt was thwarted. My job as a field observer is to identify what takes place in the field and alert my commanders; which is exactly what I did in this incident.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/04/2019 04:27 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I struggle to grasp the lack of sophistication of this 'smuggling' effort. Two guys with guns in a bag, spotted by Pvt. Fence Watcher.
Posted by: Skidmark || 10/04/2019 9:26 Comments || Top||


IDF nabs 2 Gazans with knife near border fence
[IsraelTimes] Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrest two Paleostinians near the border fence with 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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, one of whom was found carrying a knife.

The IDF says the two were taken for questioning.

It doesn’t specify what side of the security fence they were on.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Police say they foiled gun-smuggling operation on Lebanese border
[IsraelTimes] Police say they foiled an attempt last month to smuggle guns from the Lebanese border to Israel.

On September 14, Israeli forces spotted two suspects near the border town of Metula and subsequently found two bags filled with 39 handguns at the scene, according to a police statement.

A suspect from the northern Druze town of Yarka who police say arrived to gather the guns was arrested. He was released after 14 days in jug.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Same story different paper?
Posted by: Skidmark || 10/04/2019 9:31 Comments || Top||

#2  Same story? Yes. These things happen, though we try to keep a watchful eye.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/04/2019 22:48 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Russian journalist arrested in Iran for spying for Israel
[Jpost] Russian journalist Yulia Yuzik was arrested in Tehran by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday for allegedly cooperating with Israeli intelligence, according to the Russian TASS news agency.

Yuzik was arrested in the airport after flying to Tehran.

The Russian Embassy in Tehran stated that they are aware of the incident and are trying to find out more.

"The embassy is aware of this, we are sorting out the situation," said Andrei Ganenko, the embassy's press officer.

"Yulia worked as a reporter in Tehran a few years ago," said Boris Wojciechowski, a colleague of Yuzik's, according to Radio Farda. "She was invited to Iran some time ago and traveled to Tehran shortly thereafter. However, as soon as she arrived in Tehran, security officials seized her passport and told her that she could take it on his return. However, that same evening, several Revolutionary Guards officers arrested Ms. Yuzik by breaking into her room at the hotel."

Yuzik has only been allowed to talk to her relatives in Moscow for a minute since she was arrested. Her trial is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/04/2019 12:56 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:



ISIS suffers heavy losses in failed attack along key Syrian highway
[ALMASDARNEWS] 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
...embracing their inner Islamic Brute...
/ISIS/IS/ISIS) took a big risk on Wednesday when their forces attempted to attack the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) troops along the Deir Ezzor-Sukhnah Highway.

Under the cover night, the Islamic State snuffies began their attack by storming the Syrian Army’s defenses along the part of the highway that stretches from al-Sukhnah in eastern Homs to al-Shoula in western Deir Ezzor.

During the fierce confrontation, the Islamic State tried to advance their positions in this desert region, but were ultimately forced to retreat after several hours of battle along this key roadway in eastern Syria.

According to a military source in the Palmyra (var. Tadmur) area, the Syrian Arab Army managed to kill and wound several Islamic State terrorists, while further securing the road between al-Sukhnah and Deir Ezzor.

The source said the Syrian Arab Army had recently deployed several units to this front in order to ensure the safety of the Deir Ezzor-Suknah Highway.

He would add that all reports about the Islamic State capturing al-Sukhnah from the Syrian Army are false and spread by pro-militant media.

Since the Syrian Army’s successful military operation in western Deir Ezzor in September, the Islamic State has been forced to concentrate their attacks on the al-Sukhnah and Palmyra area of eastern Homs.

Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


IRGC's intelligence unit thwarts Arab-Israeli plot to assassinate Gen. Soleimani
[PRESSTV] The intelligence unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has thwarted an Arab-Israeli plot to assassinate Major General Qassem Soleimani
, a globally famous defense strategist who played a key role in the counter-terrorism operations that led to the collapse of the ISIS
...embracing their inner Islamic Brute...
terror group in Iraq and Syria.

Hossein Taeb, the head of the IRGC’s intelligence unit, said on Thursday that plot ‐ hatched by Hebrew-Arab intelligence services
...an oddly specific combination...
‐ would see a team of terrorist recruits enter 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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
to pave the way for a kaboom targeting Soleimani, who commands the IRGC’s Quds Force, in the country’s southeastern province of Kerman.

According to Taeb, the holy warriors were supposed to buy a place next to a Husseiniyah (religious hall) belonging to General Soleimani’s late father, plant 350-500 kilograms of explosives beneath the place, and blow up the site during Tasu’a and Ashura mourning processions marking the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PTUI!), the third Shia Imam, on September 8-9.

The plotters were, however, under watch since they transferred the terrorist cell’s members to a neighboring state
...Israel is not a neighbour of Iran, as I understand the region’s geography. Looking at a map, Pakistan’s Balochistan province facing Iran’s southeastern Sistan&Baluchistan province, both sides of the border populated by excitable Sunni Balochis. A number of jihadi groups find sanctuary on the Pakistani side of the border, from there stealing into Iran to cause problems for those dreadful Shiites...
for high-cost training programs before carrying out the terror plot, the IRGC official said.

Following a “precise and smart intelligence operation,” the IRGC’s intelligence unit “succeeded in arresting the three-member team,” he said, adding that the “Hebrew-Arab services” had spent several years to draw up the plot for such crime.
Rudaw adds:
Qasem Soleimani has been on the US Department of State’s list of sanctioned holy warriors since 2007. He is believed to receive direct orders from Khamenei and is the main architect of the Iran policy across the Middle East.

Soleimani is a central figure in the dispute between Iran and the United States over IRGC activities across the Middle East, including in Iraq, 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...
and Leb.

Related: Iran Warns Pakistan over Harboring Sunni Terrorists, about a Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) suicide bomb attack that killed 27 IRGC troops back in February.
Posted by: Fred || 10/04/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  a globally famous defense strategist
So many other descriptions could have been used ahead of this one.....
Posted by: Slanter Flaque1346 || 10/04/2019 7:32 Comments || Top||

#2  I sure hope nobody on their side notices that Soleimani escaped a whole lot of Mossad assassination attempts.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/04/2019 12:47 Comments || Top||

#3  globally famous defense strategist

He plots like a motherfucker.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 10/04/2019 18:47 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
45[untagged]
9Taliban
5Govt of Iran
4Govt of Pakistan
3Arab Spring
2Hamas
2Govt of Iran Proxies
2Salafists
1Hezbollah
1Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (IS)
1Antifa
1Islamic State
1Govt of Syria
1Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan
1Sublime Porte
1Govt of Saudi Arabia
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1Govt of Iraq
1PFLP

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2019-10-04
  At least 35 Russian mercenaries killed fighting for Haftar in Libya
Thu 2019-10-03
  Breaking: Paris knife attacker kills 4 people at police headquarters
Wed 2019-10-02
  Soleimani claims he and Nasrallah barely escaped Israeli air raid in 2006
Tue 2019-10-01
  Uzbekistani militant among 64 killed, wounded in Faryab clashes
Mon 2019-09-30
  Yemeni army captured over '2000 troops', inflicted heavy casualties on Saudi army
Sun 2019-09-29
  Susan Rice: Obama Put Call Transcripts On Top Secret Server, Too
Sat 2019-09-28
  Egypt Armed Forces kills 118 takfiris in anti-terrorism operations in north, central Sinai; 10 army personnel killed, injured: Statement
Fri 2019-09-27
  US deploys air defense systems, troops to Saudi Arabia
Thu 2019-09-26
  Israeli woman stabbed near Modiin; 14-year-old Palestinian arrested
Wed 2019-09-25
  High Alert In India As JeM Cells Feared Active | Balakot Camp Reopens For Business
Tue 2019-09-24
  Iraqi court sentences 6 IS militants to death over 2013 car bomb attack
Mon 2019-09-23
  Aramco’s Repairs Could Take Months Longer Than Company Anticipates
Sun 2019-09-22
  Greek police make arrest in 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847
Sat 2019-09-21
  US to send troops to Saudi Arabia, hold off on striking Iran
Fri 2019-09-20
  NJ man charged with scouting landmarks for Hezbollah, trying to kill Israeli spy

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