Follow up to this story, and this, from yesterday.
[KhaamaPress] In a message released on the ISIS’s (ISIS) Aamaq news agency, the group grabbed credit for the Mazar-e-Sharif explosions.
In Balkh province, three kabooms killed at least nine people and injured 15 others on Wednesday, 25th May.
The first two explosions, according to local sources, targeted passenger vehicles in the Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... neighborhood.
An attractive nuisance, to be sure.
The ISISgrabbed credit for the attacks in Mazar-e-Sharif, according to the Aamaq News Agency, which frequently broadcasts ISIS-related propaganda and activity.
Additionally, a kaboom at a Traffic square in Kabul’s fourth police district killed at least 30 people and injured others at the Hazrat Zekriya Mosque.
The Emergency hospital said that 22 people had been injured and that 5 of them had died on their way before reaching the hospital.
No group or individual has grabbed credit for the blast in Hazrat Zekriya.
The Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... face a severe security threat from the Khorasan branch of ISIS, which has been active in Afghanistan since 2014.
Since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan, the group has carried out a series of operations against minorities and Taliban fighters.
Security officials in Balkh confirmed the occurrence of three consecutive explosions in Mazar-e-Sharif, yesterday, stating that two of the explosions happened in Mazar-e-Sharif’s district 10th and another occurred in Mazar-e-Sharif’s 5th district.
According to local authorities, the first two explosions in the Hazara neighborhood targeted passenger vehicles, killing at least 9 people and wounding 15 others.
Three explosions were confirmed in Mazar-e-Sharif, according to Mohammad Asif Waziri, the spokesman for the Taliban chief of police in Balkh, who said 9 people were killed and 15 others were injured.
According to Mohammad Asif Waziri, minibuses in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif were targeted and explosive materials were embedded inside the vehicles.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/27/2022 08:48 ||
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Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] Marking Israel’s 74th Independence Day, the Firqat Alnoor orchestra performs Egyptian classics in Cairo; Israeli ambassador touts the power music can have in bridging gaps.
An Israeli orchestra has performed in Egypt for the first time in 40 years, surprising locals by playing Egyptian classics from the 50s and 60s.
The event took place as part of Israel’s 74th Independence Day celebrations at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, according to a Tuesday report by public broadcaster Kan.
Ariel Cohen, the conductor and co-founder of the Firqat Alnoor orchestra, described the excitement of being able to perform in the Arab country, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1979, but has seen relations remain frosty.
"I couldn’t believe it," Cohen said during an interview with the Kan public broadcaster. "I couldn’t hold in my tears," he added, noting the warm welcome the group received wherever they went.
"Egyptian music has always been a big part of my artistic life. Personally, performing there for me was a dream come true," Cohen said.
"The Egyptian audience that attended the event were astonished to see an [Israeli] orchestra performing Egyptian music, and not pop or fusion, but the DNA of Egyptian music... and to play it as it was played in Egypt in the 50s or the 60s — they really appreciated it and complimented us. It was a great pleasure to perform in front of such an audience," he said.
And while Cohen said he wasn’t sure if music alone could create a warm relationship between Egyptians and Israelis, he said that "music, when it’s done properly, can bring people together, and that’s what we saw when we performed there."
Some, however, were less excited about the initiative.
Taking to social media, some Egyptians and others from the Arab world called the performance a "betrayal."
"The treacherous Egyptian regime led by [Abdel-Fattah] el-Sissi is opening its gates to the Israeli occupation," one user said in a tweet.
"Israelis celebrate their Independence Day at the pyramids, shame on Egypt," another wrote.
But the comments, if anything, show just how unusual and rare the Israeli performance on Egyptian land is perceived.
Israeli ambassador to Egypt Amira Oron, who spearheaded the initiative, touted the power music can have in bringing people together.
"There was a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, which proves that culture and music specifically are the best bridge for connecting peoples and countries," Oron said.
"Such events are a reflection of turning words like ’peace’ and ’stability’ into reality," she argued. "The visit was made possible thanks to the hard work of the embassy’s staff and was welcomed with great excitement by the many guests, Egyptians and foreigners alike," Oron added.
Firqat Alnoor orchestra (translates from Arabic as "the band of light") mostly plays Arabic and classic Mediterranean music. It was established in 2013 with the aim of promoting music shared by Jewish and Moslem cultures.
#3
Though Qom,Mecca, Quds, inter alia,
Go crazy for Jordi Savall --
"Ah, western! How spicy!" --
The Christians are icy...
So now he's on tour in Somalia.
[IsraelTimes] Israel’s approval needed since Egypt agreed in 1979 peace treaty to demilitarize Red Sea’s Tiran and Sanafir; Jerusalem asks Riyadh, in exchange, to take steps toward normalization.
The Biden administration, the guys that caused the debacle in Afghanistan ...the collection of boodlers, grifters, hangers-on, and self-proclaimed experts affiliated with the Biden Crime Family. Entrusted with an entire nation as the result of a suspicious election, they set about happily implementing stuff they absorbed in college, all of which blew up and splattered the rest of us... is reportedly brokering talks aimed at finalizing the transfer of two Red Sea islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/27/2022 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[12 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
Weren't these the islands Saudi Arabia just transferred to Egypt? Or were those some other islands?
[AnNahar] The United States on Thursday urged 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... rebels to release all U.S. Embassy local staffers that they had detained, following the death of one of them after seven months in captivity.
The Iran-backed Houthis seized the headquarters of the U.S. Embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa last October. They detained dozens of former staffers, many of whom were later released but at least 11 remained in the rebels' custody.
Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation, has been fractured by a brutal civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war a year later to try and restore the government to power. Washington shut down its embassy in 2015.
In a tweet, the embassy, now operating outside of Yemen, said it was mourning Abdulhameed al-Ajami, a retired employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development, describing him as "an innocent grandfather" and "a proud Yemeni" dedicated to educating children in his country.
"We extend our condolences to his loved ones and call on the Houthis to end this injustice and release every single current and former U.S. Embassy employee now," it said.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement confirming al-Ajami's death but did not mention any details on the time or the circumstances of his death.
"The United States has been unceasing in its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of our Yemeni staff in Sana'a. We demand the Houthis release detained current and former U.S. employees," front man Ned Price said.
The Houthis never charged al-Ajami or any of the other captives or brought them to trial.
The former USAID worker was already suffering from moderate kidney failure at the time of his detention and his condition worsened in recent weeks but he had no access to medication or medical help, according to an international aid worker. The aid worker spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the detentions with the media.
The war in Yemen has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and over the years turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi 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. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century... and Iran. More than 150,000 people have been killed, including over 14,500 civilians.
The fighting has stalemated and the warring sides agreed to a two-month cease-fire, which expires next week. The United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... is now pushing to extend the truce.
Occasional violence has persisted, however, On Thursday, at least five non-combatants were killed in the southern port city of Aden when a man dropped a hand grenade in a crowded market. The blast also maimed at least 20 people.
[IsraelTimes] Invoking La Belle France’s ’Islamist separatism’ law, French judges strike down local law enabling women to wear full-body swimwear.
A French court stepped into a row over the wearing of burkinis in municipal swimming pools, suspending a council’s decision to allow Moslem women to wear them. The administrative court in the Alpine city of Grenoble blocked the rule change by the council there, arguing that it "seriously violated the principle of neutrality in public service."
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin welcomed the court ruling as "excellent news" in a post on Twitter Wednesday evening. The ruling was the latest development in a long-running dispute that has set defenders of La Belle France’s secular values against those arguing that a burkini ban constitutes discrimination.
The all-in-one swimsuit, used by some Moslem women to cover their bodies and hair while bathing, is controversial in La Belle France, where critics see it as a symbol of creeping Islamization.
The governor of the Isere region in southeast La Belle France had asked the court to intervene to stop the rule change from coming into effect in June. The new rule had been championed by Grenoble Mayor Eric Piolle, one of the country’s highest-profile Green politicians, who leads a broad left-wing coalition locally.
The rule changes the council had approved would have allowed all types of swimwear, not just traditional bathing suits for women and trunks for men. Women would also have been free to bathe topless if they chose to.
The judges delivered their ruling on Wednesday evening after hearing arguments earlier the same day. In their judgment, they said that the council’s rule change meant some people could invoke religious grounds for not respecting the usual dress code in council pools.
Under a new law to counter "Islamist separatism" passed by parliament last year, the government can challenge decisions it suspects of undermining La Belle France’s strict secular traditions intended to separate religions from the state.
Attempts by several local mayors in the south of La Belle France to ban the burkini on Mediterranean beaches in the summer of 2016 kicked off the first firestorm around the bathing suit. Those restrictions were eventually overturned for being discriminatory.
#1
"Unless if you look like Whoopi or Stacy Abrams. Then we require hefty trash bag or Weber BBQ coverings"
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/27/2022 12:44 Comments ||
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#2
I see public indecency everywhere. It's usually in the form of women wearing spandex that is about to burst or men wearing t-shirts that don't cover their gut.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/27/2022 12:48 Comments ||
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[JustTheNews] Social services provider Family Endeavors' link to Biden transition provokes investigative scrutiny by the press and spending watchdogs in public and nonprofit sectors.
#1
I wonder how man companies would not exist at all but for sweetheart gummint contracts. It's an old story, the brother-in-law who creates a business out of thin air to take on a gummint contract.
End the cross-eyed brother-in-law employment act.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/27/2022 1:39 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Cash awards will be distributed at the end of the rating period for these outstanding civil servants.
Since TTP is a spin off Afghan Taliban and they are an asset of the ISI and the political noise with the Khan issues might cause the Pakistani people to not pay attention to this the ISI can create a more effective tool and tool-space for its players.
This is insane. This isn't a peace deal, this will be a Pakistani surrender to TTP.
Also, remember: These are all TTP demands. TTP has not budged one inch from its demands since 2011.
Posted by: 3dc ||
05/27/2022 15:26 ||
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[19 views]
Top|| File under: Pak Taliban (TTP)
#1
Well, shoot. It looks like the Taliban are getting their emirate after all, but all of Pashtunistan, not just the Afghan part. Only it won’t be the refuge from the Indian hordes that Pakistan’s generals had planned on. Will the generals accept the treaty that two civilian governments negotiated and will soon sign?
#2
well, with the current other turmoil going on in Pakistan maybe someone in Pakistan is hoping they'll be able to use the TTP as muscle against other locals?
[IsraelTimes] Bill also forbids ’financial or moral assistance’ to Israel, UK’s Jewish News reports, raising concern for Iraq’s Jewish community; UK Jewish leader from Iraq calls bill ’barbaric’.
A drastic anti-Israel law set to come into effect in Iraq will see citizens who communicate with Israelis in any way sentenced to death, the UK’s Jewish News reported Monday. The bill will apply to all Iraqi citizens, foreigners visiting Iraq,
...soon Saudi Arabia will no longer require that visitors’ passports have no Israeli entry stamps, but Iraq now will. Easy enough to get a second passport — the State Department is very understanding in these situations, but still...
and Iraqis abroad, and will extend to Israeli-linked organizations and online communication via social media.
[IsraelTimes] Appointment will strengthen bigwig’s position in potential bid to succeed 86-year-old Paleostinian Authority President Abbas.
Senior Paleostinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh has been appointed secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Paleostine Liberation Organization, a spokesperson for al-Sheikh said on Thursday.
A longtime member of the ruling Fatah party and a top adviser to Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase.... , al-Sheikh is viewed as one of several contenders to succeed the 86-year-old leader. His appointment could put him in a prime position to do so.
Abbas directly appointed al-Sheikh to "take on the duties of the secretary-general," according to a PA presidential memo issued on Wednesday. al-Sheikh wasted little time, amending his biography on Twitter to add the new title of secretary-general as of Thursday afternoon.
For decades, Paleostinians viewed the Paleostine Liberation Organization as the standard-bearer of their national movement. Though the PLO has become largely devoid of power since the establishment of the Paleostinian Authority in the mid-1990s, an appointment to its leadership still carries symbolic weight.
The position has been unmanned since former secretary-general Saeb Erekat ...negotiated the Oslo Accords with Israel. He has been chief Paleostinian negotiator since 1995. He is currently negotiating with Israel to establish a de jure Paleostinian state... died of COVID-19 in November 2020.
One of Abbas’s closest aides, al-Sheikh has long played a key role in Paleostinian politics. In recent years he has taken over various diplomatic duties, often meeting with American and European diplomats and flying to summits in Cairo with the ailing PA leader.
Al-Sheikh also enjoys close ties with his Israeli counterparts. Along with PA intelligence chief Majed Faraj, al-Sheikh attended every meeting between Abbas and senior Israeli officials over the past year.
Al-Sheikh’s Civil Affairs office controls the pipeline of coordination between Israel and the Paleostinian Authority. The bureau exerts tremendous influence over Paleostinian daily life, handling everything from prized permits to work in Israel to infrastructure projects in the West Bank.7
However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... Sheikh also has little public legitimacy, having never been democratically elected to a senior position. He is also disliked by many for his close ties to Israeli officials and to the unpopular Abbas.
In March, al-Sheikh met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. He said he spoke to Lapid of the need for an Israeli-Paleostinian grinding of the peace processor.
"I emphasized to him the need for a political horizon based on signed agreements [between Israel and the PA] and international resolutions, as well as the cessation of unilateral measures that impede a two-state solution," al-Sheikh wrote on Twitter then.
Al-Sheikh was first handed a seat on the PLO Executive Committee at a February conference of the organization. The confab was largely seen as having been convened by Abbas to hand PLO posts to close aides, such as al-Sheikh.
In light of #Turkey’s threats of a possible military operation on northern #Syria, the Syrian Democratic Council said that any operation on the Syrian territory targets Syria’s sovereignty. @SDCPresshttps://t.co/Ljox8H8xPm
— NORTH PRESS AGENCY - ENGLISH (@NPA_English) May 26, 2022
Posted by: badanov ||
05/27/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[12 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
Syrian Sovereignty is a threat on Turkey’s Pan-Ottoman ambition.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/27/2022 13:06 Comments ||
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#2
is Syria actually a country at this point?
Posted by: Chris ||
05/27/2022 13:25 Comments ||
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#3
If UN and DoS say so, regrettably, yes.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/27/2022 13:27 Comments ||
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#4
Erdogan wants his caliphate. Why won't other countries play nice with him?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...the collection of boodlers, grifters, hangers-on, and self-proclaimed 
...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. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century...
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....
