Hi there, !
Today Sun 11/24/2019 Sat 11/23/2019 Fri 11/22/2019 Thu 11/21/2019 Wed 11/20/2019 Tue 11/19/2019 Mon 11/18/2019 Archives
Rantburg
531687 articles and 1855967 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 71 articles and 251 comments as of 10:03.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Afghanistan’s president claims victory over IS
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 2: WoT Background
4 15:12 j morrissey [] 
5 12:35 Abu Uluque [] 
0 [] 
11 22:07 Dron66046 [2] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
14 22:10 DarthVader [] 
0 [] 
0 [1] 
0 [1] 
0 [] 
0 [1] 
0 [1] 
0 [] 
0 [2] 
0 [] 
2 13:18 lord garth [1] 
0 [1] 
1 13:21 Skidmark [] 
0 [] 
1 07:47 Frank G [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
3 02:54 Dron66046 [] 
3 13:23 Skidmark [] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
12 20:09 Spanky Whuter1088 []
7 09:59 M. Murcek []
1 11:56 Procopius2k [1]
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 [2]
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 [1]
0 []
Page 3: Non-WoT
1 22:38 Dron66046 []
9 17:01 Lex [1]
1 11:04 Matt [1]
10 16:58 Pancho Snomp1274 []
3 22:07 Lex []
5 21:18 trailing wife [1]
5 18:01 Lex [2]
5 13:31 Skidmark []
2 08:02 Rambler in Virginia []
8 22:12 DarthVader []
8 16:10 Lex []
1 01:35 Lex []
2 09:59 Lex []
3 18:33 jpal []
1 01:06 Dron66046 []
11 22:19 KBK []
4 12:35 Rex Mundi []
Page 4: Opinion
8 16:07 Lex [2]
10 22:26 Dron66046 [2]
15 20:09 Procopius2k []
2 16:00 JohnQC []
4 17:07 Daniel []
9 16:37 Bobby []
Page 6: Politix
0 []
7 15:46 JohnQC [1]
13 16:22 Lex []
5 14:09 Skidmark []
12 22:17 trailing wife []
7 16:25 Lex []
9 19:38 charger [1]
0 []
1 01:31 Dron66046 []
6 15:50 JohnQC []
-Obits-
'Black Hawk Down' Veteran Dies at Age 64
[MIL.com] ROCKFORD, Illinois -- Delta Force sniper Sgt. 1st Class James P. McMahon's face was so badly battered and cut, "he looked like he was wearing a fright mask" as he stood atop a downed Black Hawk helicopter and pulled free the body of a fellow soldier from the wreckage.

That's the first description of McMahon in the book by journalist Mark Bowden called "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War." It is a detailed account of the horrific Battle of the Black Sea fought in the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993. It claimed the lives of 18 elite American soldiers.

Among the survivors was McMahon, a 1972 Durand High School graduate who served in the U.S. Army for nearly three decades.

Friends and family along with fellow soldiers and veterans on Saturday will lay McMahon to rest at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Durand. He died Nov. 5 at age 64, according to his obituary, which did not reference a cause of death.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/21/2019 08:08 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  RIP SFC - Oppressors Beware!
Posted by: Bangkok Billy || 11/21/2019 8:26 Comments || Top||

#2  McCorkle Funeral Home:

Obituary for Sgt. Major-Ret. James P. McMahon
Sgt. Major-Ret. James (Jim) P. McMahon, 64, of Fayetteville, NC died November 5, 2019.

Jim was born in Rockford, IL to Maurice and Helen (Glau) McMahon on December 14, 1954. He was a 1972 graduate of Durand High School. During his career in the U.S. Army (1975-2002), Jim spent more than 16 years serving both as a U.S. Ranger in the famous U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment and then later in Special Operations as a member of the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force. Jim is a highly decorated war hero and received numerous awards and commendations, such as the Purple Heart and Silver Star that he was awarded for distinguished valor in 1993 in Mogadishu in a battle that has become known as “Blackhawk Down”. Even though Jim was severely wounded in a helicopter crash, he continued fighting to protect his fallen comrades until reinforcements arrived.

After his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2002, Jim continued to serve his country as a defense contractor until his death in 2019. He worked on security details in Iraq in 2003, helped provide humanitarian aid in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake, and provided both security and humanitarian aid in Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. As a certified Information Technology specialist, Jim provided cybersecurity assistance to companies and the U.S. Government. Since 2013, he served as a Special Operations Instructor at Fr. Bragg.

He is survived by his brother, Daniel McMahon, Roscoe, IL; sister, Carla (Rick) Vendel, Rock City, IL; three nieces, Lisa Judd, Traci (Dan) DiGvonni and Julie (Chris) Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A special thanks to his extended family and comrades at PSI, Fayetteville, NC for such incredible assistance during this difficult time.

Prayers will be Saturday at 10:00 a.m., November 16, 2019 in McCorkle Funeral Home-Durand Chapel, 101 W Main Street, Durand, IL with Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m., at St. Mary Catholic Church, 606 W Main Street, Durand, IL. Burial will be in St. Mary Catholic Cemetery, Durand, IL. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday, November 15 with Scripture Service to be held at 6:45 p.m.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/21/2019 8:31 Comments || Top||

#3  RIP
Posted by: Frank G || 11/21/2019 8:47 Comments || Top||

#4  Amen
Posted by: j morrissey || 11/21/2019 15:12 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Who defeated DAESH?
How very florid — and yet it fails to persuade.
[ALEMARAHENGLISH] The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
...the formal name of the Taliban...
under the leadership of the martyred Amir ul Mumineen Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor (May Allah have mercy on him) started the fight against the Khawarij
...Khawarij is a fancy Muslim word for Splitters!!1! ...
known as ISIS after they attacked innocent Afghans and tried to impose barbarism over the communities in different parts of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers the defense of Afghans and Afghanistan against all the enemies whether internal or external as a binding obligation and has shown the entire world that the struggle and fight of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate is for the defense and independence of Afghanistan.

When the fitnah of ISIS ‐ launched by foreign intelligence agencies and nurtured by the local stooge regime ‐ started their activities by targeting mosques, weddings, public gatherings and other political events to discredit the Mujahideen and tarnish the image of Jihad and Mujahideen, the wisdom of the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan played central role in countering these mercenaries with ideological and military mobilization. This scourge was exterminated in the southern parts of Afghanistan while those holed up in the northern parts of Afghanistan after being routed out by the forces of the Islamic Emirate were rescued in regime helicopters. Following crushing defeats around the country, the remnants of ISIS gathered in eastern provinces of Nangarhar
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  "They promote barbarism by bombing weddings in Afghanistan ! Weddings must only be bombed if they don't pay us protection money !!"
Posted by: Dron66046 || 11/21/2019 2:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Nobody, DAESH is the very spirit of Islam.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/21/2019 2:47 Comments || Top||

#3  100% correct. It is the most purist form of islam.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 11/21/2019 2:54 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Sabha military commander slams southern Libyan fighters who support Haftar's Tripoli offensive
[Libya Observer] The commander of the Sabha
...After the Libyan Civil War, Sabha grew in importance as a slave auctioning town. However, an investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that while there was illegal slavery, reports were exaggerated, as slave auctions were rare and not made public. This was a great comfort to everyone but the slaves peddled in secret. The city was later seized by forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar in January 2019, probably for its collection of MiG-25 aircraft....
military zone of the Presidential Council's government Ali Kanna has called on the southern Libyan military units 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 their attack against 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...
to immediately withdraw.

Kanna told news hounds that Sabha military zone is with the Libyan Army of the Presidential Council's government in defending the capital in coordination with central and western military zones.

"All security forces in the south should be on alert to secure the southern region, oil fields and vital institutions. Also, all elders in the south should do their jobs by resolving the issues in the region." Kanna added.

The commander of Sabha military zone said they are in agreement with the National Oil Corporation in the need to leave the oil facilities out of the political conflict so the revenue can be distributed to all Libyans.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves...
the recruits of the Sabha military zone warned against any attacks that destabilize the southern region in Libya.

They said in a televised statement on Tuesday that they were ready to secure the southern region and to execute the orders of the Sabha military zone commander.

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Arabia
Houthis release all crew, vessels seized in Red Sea: South Korea
[PRESSTV] South Korea says all the crew members and the three vessels seized earlier by 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...
’s 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...
Ansarullah movement in the Red Sea have been released.

The three vessels and the 16 people on them were tossed into the calaboose a few miles off Uqban Island, off the western coasts of Yemen, on Sunday evening.

"The vessels and crew members that were seized and detained in Yemen have all been released," South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

It said the ships included a South Korean tugboat and a drilling rig, and one Saudi-flagged tugboat.

Two South Koreans were among the crew, the statement said.

The Houthi movement has not yet commented on the statement.

It announced early on Tuesday that the Yemeni coastguard "is doing its job to determine whether it... belongs to the aggressors or to South Korea."

"If it is for South Korea, they will be released after legal procedures... we assure everyone not to worry about the crew," said the chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi.

By "aggressors," he was referring to Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and a number of its regional allies that have been waging war against Yemen since March 2015.

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  Why?

China Signs Defense Agreement with South Korea

Ooooh.
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/21/2019 13:21 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Turkey says about 100,000 Syrians left Istanbul since early July
...and all of them left “willingly”.
[AlAhram] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
's Interior Minister said on Wednesday that around 100,000 Syrians living without approval in Istanbul had left it since early July, when the government set a deadline for Syrians not registered in the city to leave for other provinces.

As sentiment towards Syrian refugees among Turks began to sour in recent years, authorities said Syrians not registered in Turkey's largest city should return to the provinces in which they are registered by Oct. 30, or face forced removal.

Turkey hosts some 3.6 million refugees who fled the eight-year-old civil war, more than any other country. The Syrian population in Istanbul, home to some 15 million people, had swollen to more than half a million, more than those in any other Ottoman Turkish city.

Syrians registered in other cities came to Istanbul, leading to an acculumation in the city, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told parliament.

"Around 100,000 Syrian have returned to provinces in which they are registered since July 12," he said, adding that a total of 200,000 migrants colonists had left the city.

Turkey also houses migrants colonists from other Middle Eastern and African nations.

On Friday, the Istanbul governor's office said more than 6,000 Syrian migrants colonists in Istanbul were sent to temporary housing centres in other provinces since early July.

Ankara wants to settle some Syrian refugees in a swathe of land it now controls in northeast Syria, after it launched an offensive last month against the Kurdish YPG militia.

Amnesia Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch last month published reports saying Turkey is forcibly sending Syrian refugees to northern Syria. Turkey's Foreign Ministry called the claims in the reports "false and imaginary."

Turkey has deported 86,625 illegal migrants colonists so far this year, compared to 56,000 in all of 2018, Soylu said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 00:55 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


Home Front: WoT
US man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Rep. Ilhan Omar
[IsraelTimes] Patrick Carlineo admits to charges that carry up to 10 years in prison, insists he never meant to actually harm the controversial congresswoman.

A western New York man pleaded guilty Monday to threatening to kill US Rep. Ilhan Omar
...Somali-American Dem representative from Minnesota. She is apparently married to her brother and may be her own grandmaw on her mother's side...
of Minnesota.

Patrick Carlineo entered the plea Monday in Rochester, admitting to charges that carry up to 10 years in prison. His sentencing is set for February 14.

US Attorney James Kennedy Jr. said the case highlights that free speech rights carry the responsibility "that individuals not make threats to harm politicians simply because they may disagree with them."
"Unless if they're Republicans. Then it's 'anything goes'". See Dick
"Dick" Durbin's correspondence friend James Hodgkinson

Omar, a Democrat, is among the first Moslem women in Congress. Her office had no immediate comment on Carlineo’s plea.

Prosecutors say the 55-year-old called Omar’s office March 21, told a staffer the congresswoman was a "terrorist" and threatened to shoot her.

Carlineo later told the FBI that he is a patriot, hates people he perceives to be radical Moslems in the US government, and loves Republican President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons......
, according to a criminal complaint.

Carlineo’s lawyer, Sonya Zoghlin, says Carlineo is passionate about his political beliefs and his right to express them.

"He has taken responsibility for using threatening and inappropriate language to express those beliefs in this instance," she said in an email, adding that Carlineo never intended to harm Omar and never made any plans to do so.

Carlineo’s plea included admitting he illegally had guns. He’d been barred from possessing them after a 1998 felony criminal mischief conviction, prosecutors said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 01:50 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Never warn a politician you are about to wack them. The jail time is only bearable if you succeed.
Posted by: Uleck Spererong9442 || 11/21/2019 6:41 Comments || Top||

#2  Do or do not. There is no try.
Posted by: AlanC || 11/21/2019 7:24 Comments || Top||

#3  I mean, I despise Omar, but I don't want her dead. Thrown out of office, impoverished, deported maybe, but not killed.
Although I admit that I would read her obituary with great joy.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 11/21/2019 8:00 Comments || Top||

#4  Good thing she doesn't play baseball.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/21/2019 8:14 Comments || Top||

#5  That's a crime?
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/21/2019 9:42 Comments || Top||

#6  time to lock up DeNiro and all the other presidential would be killers
Posted by: 746 || 11/21/2019 12:14 Comments || Top||

#7  The only thing he's guilty of is not doing it.

People should have torn that bitch to shreds just for saying that 'some people did something' shit the way she did.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 11/21/2019 12:26 Comments || Top||

#8  WTF?

Where are the arrest warrants for DeNiro, Griffin, and 1,000+ other nuts who have called for, or directly threatened, the assassination of Republicans?
Posted by: Lex || 11/21/2019 14:41 Comments || Top||

#9  I'm sure the FBI put strongly worded letters in their files.
Posted by: Bobby || 11/21/2019 18:00 Comments || Top||

#10  ...hmmm...not the FBI, the Secret Service. From the likes of this failed coup, a letter should go into the FBI's files.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/21/2019 19:57 Comments || Top||

#11 
The [insert alphabeteer agancy] must inform you that due to your involvement in acts/speech/activities encouraging and/or supporting a physical threat to the President of the United States of America, there may be considerable threat to you an/or your family's lives and/or property. If you wish to avail of our benevolent federal services for security, you may write to your congressman and request a small constabulary to start living with you. Although we must inform you that not everybody in federal agency protection has met with success in their plans, to proceed to live.

We strongly urge you to cease and desist from your social life, and making statement further non-conducive to your existence. - Chief Bobby [alphabeteers]
Posted by: Dron66046 || 11/21/2019 22:07 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Trump Administration approves sale of USD 1 billion worth of naval guns to India
[NewIndianExpress] The Trump Administration has notified to the US Congress its determination to sell USD 1 billion worth of naval guns to India for use against warships, anti-aircraft and shore bombardment, in a move that would enhance the lethal capabilities of the Indian Navy.

The proposed foreign military sale of up to 13 MK-45 5inch/62 caliber (MOD 4) naval guns and related equipment is at an estimated cost of USD 1.0210 billion, Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in its notification to the Congress on Tuesday.

To be manufactured by the BAE Systems Land and Armaments, the proposed sale will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems, the notification said.

"The MK-45 Gun System will provide the capability to conduct anti-­surface warfare and anti-air defence missions while enhancing interoperability with US and other allied forces," the notification said.

India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defence, it said.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region, it said.

According to the notification, this notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

With this, India has become one of the few countries that the US decided to sell its latest version (Mod 4) of its naval guns.

The other countries to have been sold with MOD 4 naval guns so far are Australia, Japan and South Korea.

The one given to Thailand is an upgraded MOD 4 version.

The US has also determined to sell these to a few other allies and friends including Britain and Canada.
Posted by: John Frum || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  up to 13

Big headline, little number.
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/21/2019 8:02 Comments || Top||

#2  A billion USD for 13 5" guns does seem a bit spendy (roughly $77 million per). Must be that stylish gray paint they put on naval stuff.
Posted by: SteveS || 11/21/2019 12:15 Comments || Top||

#3  These are prob the nuke launch capable units.
Where did that sniper rifle money go?
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/21/2019 13:23 Comments || Top||


International-UN-NGOs
US sees sweeping international condemnation over decision on Israeli settlements
[AlAhram] The US administration declared on Monday that it no longer considers Israeli settlements illegal, which has put the US at odds with the international community.
All the usual suspects are listed in the article, should you care to spend the time reading it, dear Reader, and their complaints lovingly enumerated. Nonetheless, the thing is done, and like the boycott of Iranian goods, will be quietly adopted by almost everyone.

Budapest blocks joint EU statement condemning US shift on settlements

[IsraelTimes] Hungarian FM said to instruct his diplomats to block any text on the legal status of settlements; La Belle France, Germany issue their own statements.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 01:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  Sweep away.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/21/2019 2:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Cry me a river.
Posted by: Uleck Spererong9442 || 11/21/2019 6:43 Comments || Top||

#3  And we should be concerned about this because ... ?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 11/21/2019 8:01 Comments || Top||

#4  Globalist Astroturf good for Hungary
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/21/2019 8:03 Comments || Top||

#5  Must be doing something right.
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/21/2019 9:44 Comments || Top||

#6  I'm so used to sweeping international condemnation that I damned near qualify for Israeli citizenship.
Posted by: Matt || 11/21/2019 11:03 Comments || Top||

#7  Is there an international signal code for "Bite Me"?
Posted by: SteveS || 11/21/2019 12:03 Comments || Top||

#8  I feel a government just hasn't arrived until they earn one o' those international condemnation sweepstakes.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 11/21/2019 12:31 Comments || Top||

#9  Is there an international signal code for "Bite Me"?

T-R-U-M-P
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/21/2019 12:51 Comments || Top||

#10  "the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on"
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 || 11/21/2019 13:01 Comments || Top||

#11  Is there an international signal code for "Bite Me"?

Posted by: Skidmark || 11/21/2019 13:18 Comments || Top||

#12  Just like moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, they will get over it.
Posted by: bbrewer126 || 11/21/2019 20:11 Comments || Top||

#13  Hope. Progress.
Posted by: Lex || 11/21/2019 21:52 Comments || Top||

#14  I love it when we butthurt the entire world.
Posted by: DarthVader || 11/21/2019 22:10 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Barzani blames recent incidents in Iraq on marginalization of law
[THEBAGHDADPOST] Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani blamed the recent incidents and protests Iraq on the accumulated and longstanding problems as well as the marginalization of the Constitution.

In a speech at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK), Barzani highlighted the need to meet the demands of the protests and respond to them seriously.

Concerning the ISIS, Barzani said the war against the terrorist group has not been over yet, adding that ISIS Lions of Islam still pose a danger to Iraq, the Middle East and the World.

He urged the international community to pay attention to the current danger of ISIS.
Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Abd al-Mahdi says protests revealed errors in political system
[THEBAGHDADPOST] Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi said on Wednesday that the demonstrations exposed the errors in the political system, adding that these errors must be addressed.

Implicitly announcing the decision to stay in power despite people’s calls on him to step down, Abd al-Mahdi noted that his government is determined to serve Iraq and its people, fight poverty and corruption and achieve the desired reform.

In a meeting with tribal leaders on Wednesday, Abd al-Mahdi spoke about the reform measures and solutions to enhance security and stability and meet the legitimate demands of the demonstrators and other citizens.
Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Iraq political deal hands Abdul Mahdi a reprieve in face of protests
[THEBAGHDADPOST] Iraq’s political forces have signed an agreement that will allow the government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the current Parliament to continue to operate until the end of the year.

In return, they have pledged to implement a number of demands issued by protesters, including a crackdown on corruption, amendments to the electoral law, changes to the Independent High Electoral Commission and a comprehensive ministerial reshuffle within 45 days, politicians involved in the talks said on Tuesday.

However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
the announcement of the deal, late on Monday, was criticized by protesters as an attempt by the political forces to give themselves some breathing space in the hope that the protests will run out of steam.

Widespread anti-government demonstrations began in Baghdad and nine Shiite-dominated southern provinces at the start of October. Since then, more than 300 people have been killed and 15,000 injured, mainly in Baghdad, by bullets and tear gas canisters during efforts by Abdul Mahdi’s government and its allies to suppress the unrest.

Protesters first erupted into the streets on Oct. 1 demanding action to address corruption, high unemployment and a lack of basic daily services and amenities. This prompted a brutal crackdown by Abdul Mahdi and his Iran-backed armed allies, during which 147 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured.

This temporarily halted the demonstrations but protesters returned to the streets on Oct. 24, after domestic and international pressure led to a pledge from security forces that they would not use live ammunition against demonstrators.

When the demonstrations resumed, protesters added a number of new demands, including the resignation of Abdul Mahdi’s government, changes to election law, early national parliamentary elections, and the formation of a new electoral commission.

Key Iraqi political forces, especially those backed by Iran, subsequently agreed to meet the demands of the demonstrators, with the exception of the resignation or removal of Abdul Mahdi and the holding of early elections.

However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
growing internal pressure from the supreme religious authority in Najaf, led by Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani, international pressure from the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
and other diplomatic missions in Baghdad, and the high number of fatalities plus an increase in kidnappings and arrests of activists and journalists forced them to reconsider the demands they had rejected.

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


HaidarAlAbadi voices rejection of #Iran’s interference in #Iraq’s affairs
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Iranian ambassador to #Baghdad #IrajMasjedi is the actual leader responsible for oppressing #Iraqi protesters
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Netherlands cuts aid to Palestinian Authority over terrorist salaries
[Jpost] The country had given about $1.6 million directly to the Paleostinian Authority annually to pay the salaries of justice ministry employees.

The Dutch government has cut funding for the Paleostinian Authority over its salaries to holy warriors serving time in Israeli jails.

The aid ministry announced the move Wednesday during annual budget talks.

In 2017, the Paleostinian Authority paid about $198 million to a fund for the families of holy warriors killed during their attacks and about $160 million to Paleostinians being held in Israeli jails, according to Israeli Defense Ministry figures.

The Netherlands spends several million dollars each year on aid to the Paleostinian Authority and Paleostinian populations elsewhere in the Middle East but most of that money is given to agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

The country had given about $1.6 million directly to the Paleostinian Authority annually to pay the salaries of justice ministry employees.

The aid ministry said that talks with the Paleostinian body "did not lead to the desired outcome."
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 02:38 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  Blind sow finds acorn moment.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/21/2019 2:47 Comments || Top||

#2  Still funded via the EUSSR I'll bet
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/21/2019 5:53 Comments || Top||

#3  I think the tipping point is approaching. Ad rejecting the return of mooks who went off to do jihad and it's moving in the right direction. Watch out climate crazies, you are next.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 11/21/2019 9:53 Comments || Top||

#4  Blind sow finds acorn moment.

Maybe. But TrumpHitler* might have started something with moving our embassy to Jerusalem and cutting funding for the Paleos. The other day we had an article about the Netherlands rejecting that EU settlement labeling nonsense, and if memory serves, there have been some Eastern European countries cutting back on funding.

*Worst Hitler ever!
Posted by: SteveS || 11/21/2019 10:48 Comments || Top||

#5  Aren't they afraid of rioting in their Muslim neighborhoods?
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 11/21/2019 12:35 Comments || Top||


Israel closes PA-funded TV station, Palestinian education office in Jerusalem
[IsraelTimes] Director of the Paleostinian Authority-funded al-Araz production company that hosts Paleostine TV temporarily arrested; correspondent for the channel summoned for questioning.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan confirmed the closure of offices used by Paleostine TV and the Ministry of Education.

"I will continue to pursue a firm policy against any attempt by the Paleostinian Authority to violate our illusory sovereignty in the capital," Erdan said in a statement seeking to justify the closures.

Erdan also accused Paleostine TV of producing anti-Israel content in which the country is presented as "responsible for war crimes and ethnic cleansing."
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 02:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Protests Continuing in Lebanon as Uprising Enters Day 35
[AnNahar] University and school students in several parts in north Leb skipped classes on Wednesday in a stand of solidarity with Leb’s uprising and the latest arrests of protesters in Beirut's Downtown area.

In Akkar’s al-Joumeh area students staged sit-in "in solidarity with the incidents in Riad al-Solh," in Beirut said the National News Agency.

Three protesters were maimed and several arrested --released Wednesday-- in scuffles with riot police in Riad al-Solh Square Tuesday evening.

Activists invited Leb’s schools to suspend classes and partake in a sit-in held Akkar's town of al-Ayoun.

Also in Akkar, protesters blocked several major roads protesting the incident. In the city’s major square in Halba and in the town of Rahbeh protesters marched the streets forcing the closure of institutions, banks, private and public schools.

Moreover, in al-Koura district a number of students gathered on the campus of Balamand University in solidarity with the demands of the popular movement.

Leb has since October 17 been rocked by an unprecedented wave of popular street revolt that have cut across sectarian lines.

Leb's parliament, besieged by angry protesters , for a second time postponed on Tuesday a session to discuss draft laws which critics charge would let corrupt politicians off the hook.

After a morning of noisy demonstrations outside the chamber, and after several political parties had said they would boycott the session, parliament official Adnane Daher appeared before TV cameras announcing the news.

Tuesday evening, NNA said the Riad al-Solh skirmishes broke out after some protesters tried to cross the barbed wire and enter into Nejmeh Square where parliament building is located.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 01:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arab League denounced #Iran's recognition of #Houthi militia's representative in #Tehran as ‘flagrant’ violation of diplomatic norms
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Iranian regime continues to threaten its opposition figures in Europe through secret networks and assassination
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iran buries martyrs as anti-rioting rallies expand
[PRESSTV] Iranians lay to rest a serviceman and a civilian martyred recently at the hands of rioters as demonstrations expand nationwide in condemnation of the agitators working to sow unrest in the country under the pretext of protest against fuel price hikes.

The burial procession and a subsequent interment ceremony took place in Tehran Province’s Malard County on Wednesday, IRNA reported. The attendees bade farewell to deaders Morteza Ebrahimi, one of the commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Imam Hossein Battalion in the county, and Mostafa Rezaei, an employee with Malard’s Municipality.

Elsewhere in the country, people rallied in the city of Gorgan, the capital of northwestern Golestan Province, to voice outrage against the anarchists, according to Tasnim News Agency.

They shouted slogans against the United States and Israel, and expressed resentment at those defying the country’s Islamic establishment.

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  how bout that, the protesters in Iran got an IRGC commander killed!!!
Posted by: lord garth || 11/21/2019 9:31 Comments || Top||

#2  rumor; Iran activated 100k IRGC reservists two days ago to deal with protests
Posted by: lord garth || 11/21/2019 13:18 Comments || Top||


Muslim unity key to countering enemy plots: IRGC chief
I guess they’re toast, then.
[PRESSTV] Speaking with Pakistain’s army chief, the top commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has called for stronger unity among Islamic nations as the key to countering malevolent enemy plots
They're everywhere! They're everywhere!
targeting the Moslem world.

Major General Hossein Salami made the remarks while meeting Pakistain’s General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the IRGC’s Joint Staff headquarters on Wednesday.

Salami said the United States and Israel are the common enemies of the Islamic world, praising Pakistain’s efforts in reducing regional tensions.

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Rouhani: #Iranian people prevented enemies from taking advantage of #gasoline protests
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Why are the #UAE and #SaudiArabia trying to hijack the protests in #Lebanon?
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  PressTV = Iranian Whining
Posted by: Frank G || 11/21/2019 7:47 Comments || Top||


Rouhani on riots: Iranian people passed another historic test
[TWITTER]
Meaning the govt will let them remain.
Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iran minister due in #Russia to 'operationalize' $5billion loan
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 11/21/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Terror Networks
More Countries Affected by Terrorism Even as Deaths Fall, Index Shows
[AnNahar] The number of global deaths from terrorism fell 15.2 percent in 2018, even as the number of countries affected by krazed killer violence continued to grow, the 2019 Global Terrorism Index showed.

From a high of 33,555 deaths in 2014, when 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....
(IS) group lured tens of thousands of jihadists to the Middle East, the number of terrorism deaths has more than halved to 15,952 in 2018, the index published by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) showed.

The largest declines in 2018 were recorded in Iraq, which proclaimed a military victory over IS the previous year, and Somalia, where US forces have been conducting Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s against Shabaab gunnies since 2017.

For the first time since 2003, Iraq was not the country worst-hit by terrorism, according to the index which defines terrorism as "the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non‐state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation".

Afghanistan, where the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
succeeded IS as the world's deadliest terror group, topped the table with 1,443 attacks killing 7,379 people, ahead of Iraq with 1,131 attacks that left 1,054 dead and Nigeria, with 562 attacks that killed 2,040 people.

Syria, which counted 131 incidents that claimed 662 lives, ranked fourth.

In Europe
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
, where no major terror attack was recorded in 2018, the number of deaths fell from over 200 in 2017 to 62.

"The collapse of ISIS (IS) in Syria and Iraq was one of the factors allowing Western Europe to record its lowest number of incidents since 2012, with no deaths attributed to the group in 2018," IEP executive chairman Steve Killelea wrote in a statement accompanying the report.

"However,
nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits...
the situation still remains volatile, with large parts of Syria being contested and many smaller groups sympathetic to ISIS philosophies being active, leaving the possibility of further Islamist attacks in Europe," he added.

The report also noted that while "the intensity of terrorism has declined...terrorism is still widespread and increasing."

In 2018, 71 countries suffered at least one terrorism-related death, the second-highest number since the beginning of the century.

The index meanwhile noted a huge leap in the deaths caused by far-right terrorism in Western Europe, North America and Oceania, with the number of deaths growing by 320 percent over the past five years.

It cited the March attacks on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, which killed 51 people, as an example of far-right ideology spreading to a country with "almost no prior history of terrorist activity".

In the US, the increase in far-right terrorism was mirrored by an increase in hate crimes, the report found.

But an overwhelming majority of terror attacks took place in countries involved in violent conflict.

The full text of the report is available at http://visionofhumanity.org.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/21/2019 01:02 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
34[untagged]
7Govt of Iran
6Govt of Iraq
4Taliban
3Arab Spring
3Houthis
3Palestinian Authority
3Govt of Iran Proxies
2Moslem Colonists
2Commies
2Govt of Pakistan
1Islamic State
1Govt of Syria

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2019-11-21
  Afghanistan’s president claims victory over IS
Wed 2019-11-20
  SpaceX Starship BLOWS UP!
Tue 2019-11-19
  Iran’s Guards threaten petrol protesters with ‘revolutionary’ response
Mon 2019-11-18
  Basra roads closed as national protests continue
Sun 2019-11-17
  Today's Hong Kong Images on Twitter -
Sat 2019-11-16
  Protests erupt across Iran, burning banks, angry over gas prices
Fri 2019-11-15
  Roger Stone found guilty by D.C. jury.
Thu 2019-11-14
  121 ISIS militants and relatives surrender to Afghan forces in Nangarhar, 300+ in past week
Wed 2019-11-13
  Live: the House’s Trump Impeachment hearings starting at 10 a.m. ET
Tue 2019-11-12
  Israel hit by rockets after killing Islamic Jihad leader Abu al-Ata in Gaza
Mon 2019-11-11
  Thanks to all the veterans on Veterans Day!
Sun 2019-11-10
  Bolivia's president announces his resignation
Sat 2019-11-09
  Will Julian Assange Die in Prison? Is that why a "dead man" data dump just took place?
Fri 2019-11-08
  WikiLeaks just dropped their databomb
Thu 2019-11-07
  Extremist outfit Allahr Dal banned in Bangladesh

Better than the average link...



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.
54.144.219.156
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (13)    Non-WoT (17)    Opinion (6)    (0)    Politix (10)