CLASHES IN KABUL’S 6TH POLICE DISTRICT – Explosions and gunfire were reported in Police District 6 of Kabul as Taliban forces fought with suspected ISIS-K terrorists. No reports of casualties have been received yet but the fighting lasted for over an hour and the Taliban have sealed the area off completely. Uncharacteristically, the Taliban have not made an announcement about the operation which suggests the ISIS-K cell may have initiated the fighting. Previous reporting (January 19th) had indicated that search operations had been reported in the neighborhood over the days leading up to the clash. No further information was available.
THE PASSPORT DIRECTORATE ANNOUNCED THE RESUMPTION OF OPERATIONS – A spokesman for the Passport Directorate announced that a full resumption of the application and issuance process had started yesterday. While we have only confirmed offices open in 7 Provinces, it is believed that all will soon begin working on the backlog.
INTERNATIONAL NGO REPRESENTATIVES CONCERNED THE WFP WILL COMPLY WITH TALIBAN DEMANDS – A US-based journal, Foreign Policy, has spoken with several of the leaders of humanitarian aid-focused NGOs that were operating in Afghanistan and they voiced concerns about a possible decision from the World Food Programme to force female aid workers to abide by Taliban dress codes. The chief complaint is that female workers will be demoralized by any forthcoming decision and may decide to abstain from work in protest.
CONFLICT TRACKER Kabul: Taliban security forces engaged suspected ISIS-K militants in Police District 6 of Kabul. Explosions and heavy weapons were used in the fighting, No information about the clash has been released, and the area has been sealed shut by the Taliban.
NEXT 24 HOURS
FURTHER CLEARING OPERATIONS POSSIBLE IN KABUL – Due to the significant Taliban activity in the aftermath of fighting that erupted in Police District 6, at-risk Afghans are likely to see additional clearing operations in the city over the coming days. A source with the Police said that significant intelligence was gathered from the location of the fighting that has identified a second group in Kabul.
ADDITIONAL FORCES BEING SENT TO TAKHAR – A convoy of military vehicles is expected to depart for Takhar after officials there claimed that more NRF forces were in and around the city than had previously been thought. Approximately 20 trucks are expected to depart with an unknown number of Taliban security forces personnel aboard.
[ShabelleNews] al-Shabaab ...... the personification of Somali state failure... has carried out a morning attack on Somalia’s military base in GALCAD, newly reclaimed Town in Galgaduud region.
Residents said they woke up to a series of explosions followed by sustained gunfire at the DANAB camp in the town before daybreak.
Several soldiers and the Deputy Chief of DANAB major Hassan Mohammed Osman (Hassan Tuure) who led the elite SNA brigade were killed in the attack which becomes the second deadliest base raid in a week.
Early this week, al-Shabaab raided a military outpost in Hawadley, Middle Shabelle region, where the turbans detonated explosives-filled vehicles. Colonel Abshir Shataqey, the leading commander of SNA’s 3rd battalion was among those who died in the dawn attack in Hawadley.
Al Shabaab increased attacks on army bases in the towns it lost to the government and allied clan militias who are playing a vital roles in the liberation efforts.
Somalia has been fighting to win the longest war against al-Shabaab since 2007, with the support of AU and US troops.
President Hassan Sheikh has recently announced that the first phase of the operation nears compleation point and he said the 2nd phase will soon start in Southwest State of Somalia.
Barely a week after the liberation of the strategic town of Gal'ad in central Somalia, the al-Shabaabforces of Evil waged an attack on Friday morning in the town, targeting members of the Somali National Army [SNA] who camped within the vicinity to restore order.
Earlier this week, Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohammed Nur confirmed capturing of Gal'ad and the neighboring Haradhere town in Somalia's Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... state 2 days ago, noting that the forces of Evil suffered casualties following intense gunfire exchanges with the Somali National Army.
According to the group's proxy media houses, the forces of Evil returned to the town on Friday morning where they opened fire randomly, killing several government troops. The forces of Evil did not give exact numbers of those killed but were quick to note that a number of military vehicles were seized.
The al-Shabaab usually target members of security forces in their Forward Operating Bases, innocent civilians, and senior government officials. The news about a fresh attack at Gal'ad town has since been independently verified, with reports now indicating that a top commander of the elite Danab Special Forces was killed.
Major Hassan Mohammed Osman alias Hasan Tuure was among the top officers who were coordinating attack on Gal'ad. He becomes the third high-ranking military officer to die in the hands of al-Shabaab in as many months, joining Jamal Ahmed, the Beledweyne's CID boss who was killed in Halgan Jan 16, and Col Abshir Shataqey the commander of SNA's 3rd battalion who was killed in Hawadley this week.
Tuure was the deputy DANAB commander and led several successful operations that saw the liberation of key areas from al-Shabaab, including Galcad, where he was killed today.
For the last couple of months, the government of Somalia has been actively pursuing the forces of Evil through the Somali National Army, the US Africa Command, the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and the local militia. Hundreds of al-Shabaab gunnies have been killed in the process.
On Thursday, a military court in Somalia convicted Mohammed Abdinur Jirow alias Dr. Fanah of al-Shabaab membership and sentenced him to death for his role in deadly attacks in Mogadishu. He told the court he masqueraded as a neurologist and an army officer to cover his work with al-Shabaab according to audio that was played in court.
Mohammed Abdinur Jirow was said to be an agent w al-Shabaab’s explosions department; who used aliases - Mohammed Dhere, Khalid, and Mustaf Aato. "I covered the case of Ilkacase, an AS operative who worked as a college teacher as cover,' he said. Ilkacase was executed in November 2020.
The information ministry said that a senior military commander was among those killed after the Islamist holy warriors stormed the camp in Galcad, a town in central Somalia about 375 kilometres (230 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.
More than 100 fighters from the al-Qaeda affiliated group were killed, it added.
The information could not be independently verified.
"There was heavy fighting there in which the (jihadists) were defeated," the ministry said, adding that "the site is now under the full control of the Somali forces".
Al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... , functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... said it was behind the attack, claiming its fighters had overrun the camp and killed more than 150 soldiers.
"The Shabaab button men blasted two trucks loaded with explosives before face-to-face fighting started," Abdilahi Rage, a resident of Galcad, told AFP by telephone.
"They briefly managed to push back the troops out of the camp, but reinforcements came and they have retreated."
NEW PHASE OF OFFENSIVE
In a significant blow to al-Shabaab, the Somali National Army and local clan militias on Monday captured of the strategic Indian Ocean port town Haradhere as well as Galcad, both without a fight. Haradhere had been a key supply route for al-Shabaab for both people and goods after it seized the port in 2010, dislodging local militias and pirates.
In recent months, the army and the militias known as "Macawisley" have retaken chunks of territory in the central Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... and Hirshabelle states in an operation backed by US air strikes and an African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... force.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS] A senior military commander of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s militia was killed on Thursday in a bomb attack in Abyan province, south of Yemen.
Tribal sources said that an explosive device exploded and targeted a military vehicle carrying the commander Basheer al-Sha’ieri, while passing through Mudiyah district.
The sources explained that the explosion resulted in the death of Al-Sha’ieri and two of his companions.
This came a few hours after a similar explosion targeted Security Belt Forces commander Abdul Rahim al-Maker in the same district, killing him instantly and injuring six others.
The STC’s factions in Abyan are subjected to the largest attrition operation in recent times, in light of an almost daily series of explosions targeting military and security commanders, after their failure to control the province, for the fifth consecutive month since the start of their military operation in early September.
Moslem names, but no indication whether the miscreants are jihadis or something else.
[KavkazUzel] A court in the Nadterechny district imposed fines on local residents Magomed Amaev and Usman Tutaev, finding them guilty of failing to inform the security forces about the plans of an acquaintance to create an illegal armed formation.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that criminal punishment for non-information was introduced in Russia in July 2016 after the signing of the "Yarovaya package" by the President. The corresponding article 205.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (failure to report a crime) provides for a fine of up to 100,000 rubles or up to a year of forced labor or imprisonment. Consideration of the amendments was accompanied by protests in Russia.
The Nadterechny District Court of Chechnya found two local residents, Usman Tutaev and Magomed Amaev, guilty of failing to report the crime. The court concluded that in January 2022, Tutaev and Amaev met with five acquaintances, one of whom announced his intention to create an illegal armed formation "in order to counter law enforcement agencies" and invited those present to join it.
According to investigators, Amaev and Tutaev "out of a misunderstood sense of camaraderie" did not inform the security forces about the plans of their acquaintance. The court fined Amaev and Tutaev 20,000 and 25,000 respectively. A criminal case has been initiated against their friend for creating an illegal armed group, Kavkaz.Realii* reported on the evening of January 19.
Magomed Amaev and Usman Tutaev were charged under Article 205.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, according to the cards of criminal cases posted on the court website. On January 18, the cards of the cases of Amaev and Tutaev were updated, they published the texts of the sentences to the defendants. The verdicts indicate that both defendants fully admitted their guilt and asked for sentences "in a special manner, without a trial."
The court considered as mitigating circumstances the confession of guilt and repentance for the deed, the presence of positive characteristics of both defendants and the absence of a criminal record, and Tutaev also had a minor child.
"The court considers it necessary to impose a punishment on the defendant within the limits of the sanctions provided for by Article 205.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, in the form of a fine," both verdicts say.
During the investigation, both Amaev and Tutaev were given a preventive measure in the form of "a written undertaking not to leave and proper behavior." Both were provided with legal assistance by court-appointed lawyers, according to the text of the verdicts.
[Dawn] The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday that four security personnel were martyred during "terrorist activity" from across the Pakistain-Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites.... border in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... ’s Panjgur district.
"Today, in a terrorist activity from across Pakistain-Iran border in Chukab sector, district Panjgur, Balochistan, four security forces personnel have embraced martyrdom," the statement said.
It further said that the forces of Evil used Iranian soil to "target a convoy of security forces patrolling along the border".
Iran has been asked to hunt down the gunnies on their side, the ISPR statement said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident. "Nation pays homage to the sacrifices of their martyred soldiers in [the] line of duty. We expect Iran will ensure that its soil is not used for cross-border attacks," he said.
President Dr Arif Alvi condemned the attack, and paid tribute to the services and sacrifices rendered by the martyred officials.
He stated that the whole nation had resolved to fight terrorism.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also condemned the attack, and expressed grief and sorrow at the martyrdom of the security officials.
"Martyrs officials are the country’s heroes. The krazed killer who carried out the attack will have to pay," he said in a statement.
Last year in October, the Iranian authorities had closed the border with Pakistain at Taftan for two days after festivities between protesters and security forces in Zahedan, the capital city of Sistan-Baluchestan.
In February 2021, the border in Panjgur was closed after violent mostly peaceful demonstrations and attacks on government offices in Saravan area of Sistan-Balochestan.
#1
Martyrdom - These people were not killed because of their religious beliefs; therefore , they are not martyrs. They are just like FBI or CIA today, they are supporting a failing government.
ICYMI: At least fifteen people were injured when a #bomb blast derailed a passenger train in the southwestern Pakistani province of #Balochistan, a provincial government official says.#Pakistanhttps://t.co/LpO7uPqbA5
At least fifteen people were injured when a bomb blast derailed a passenger train in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Friday, a provincial government official said.
The attack - which was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army, a regional separatist group - derailed eight carriages including the locomotive, Deputy Commissioner Bolan Agha Samiullah told Reuters.
He said a rescue team was facing difficulties as the site was in a mountainous area.
The Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) stated aim is complete independence for Balochistan, an arid mountainous province that is Pakistan’s largest by territory but smallest by population.
Pakistani security forces have been the separatist militants’ main focus, through they have also targeted Chinese interests, given Beijing’s increasing economic footprint in the region.
Among China’s major projects in Balochistan is the port of Gwadar located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea.
[An Nahar] A sit-in inside the parliament building was still underway Friday, with more politicians joining the two independent politicians who had announced they won't leave until Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri ...Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... holds an open-ended session to elect a new president.
MPs Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba of the Change parliamentary bloc had begun on Thursday the open-ended sit-in inside parliament to press for an end to the presidential deadlock.
The authorities locked the doors and cut off power but after nightfall, the sit-in was still underway.
"We slept here, and we hope that today will bring new hope to Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...In 2020 Hezbollah blew up a considerable portion of Beirut and many of its inhabitants when its ammonium nitrate facility exploded. They blamed it on... somebody else. It wasn't them though. Trust them on that. And it ain't never coming to trial... ," said Saliba in a video posted on social media on Friday.
Change MPs Firas Hamdan, Cynthia Zarazir, Elias Jrade, Paula Yacoubian, Halima Kaakour, and Waddah al-Sadek and Kataeb MPs Sami Gmayyel and Elias Hankash visited Khalaf and Saliba in the evening, while journalists were not authorized to enter the building.
Members of the group posted videos showing them sitting in the dark against the light of their mobile phones, as Lebanon suffers from chronic electricity cuts of up to 23 hours a day.
The cash-strapped country for over two years has struggled with rampant power cuts. Today, households only receive about an hour of state electricity per day, with millions now relying on expensive private generator suppliers.
Khalaf on Thursday affirmed that he can easily stay in parliament even if authorities cut power off. "All Lebanese have no electricity," he said.
Parliament had convened Thursday for an 11th bid to elect a new president, but failed again to come up with a candidate.
"We will not leave," Khalaf told news hounds.
But it could be a very long wait.
The 2016 election of former president Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... followed a more than two-year vacancy at the presidential palace, as politicians made 45 failed attempt ...Curses! Foiled again!... s to elect a new head of state.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/21/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
[An Nahar] Three suicide drones attacked a U.S. base in eastern Syria on Friday, wounding two Syrian opposition fighters, the U.S. military said. No Americans were hurt in the attack.
It was not clear who was behind the drone attack, but Iran-backed fighters in the region have carried out such operations in the past. Sleeper cells of 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.... group are also active in the area.
Two of the drones were shot down and the third struck the compound at al-Tanf base where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan meet, the U.S. military said.
The military said the drone that struck the building maimed two members of the Syrian Free Army, who received medical treatment.
The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the attack was likely carried out by Iran-backed fighters who are deployed in different parts of war-torn Syria.
"Attacks of this kind are unacceptable — they place our troops and our partners at risk and jeopardize the fight against ISIS," U.S. military front man Joe Buccino said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
There are roughly 900 U.S. troops in Syria, including in the north and the farther south and east of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/21/2023 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[18 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
#1
The system failed these drones. Other drones should have reached out. Be a drone ally.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/21/2023 9:04 Comments ||
Top||
On the fifth anniversary of the so-called "Olive Branch" operation in 2018, the Turkish forces shell villages where #Afrin IDPs take shelter in the north of Aleppo. #TwitterKurds#Turkeyhttps://t.co/krY9DP3ZTe
Three drones targeted a U.S. base in Syria's Al-Tanf region on Friday but no American troops were injured, the U.S. military said in a statement.
U.S. Central Command said two of the drones were shot down while the remaining drone hit the compound, injuring two members of the Syrian Free Army forces.
The al-Tanf military base in southeastern Syria is situated in the border triangle between Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, the CENTCOM said. It was established by the US-led Global Coalition in the context of its war against the ISIS.
It was not clear who was behind the drone attack, but Iran-backed fighters in the region have carried out such operations in the past. Sleeper cells of the Islamic State group are also active in the area.
Posted by: badanov ||
01/21/2023 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[22 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
#1
US Special-Ops Base at Al Tanf Syria Under Fire in Iran …
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-special...
WebNov 1, 2022 · Al-Tanf garrison, a US base typically housing between 100 and 200 US troops alongside coalition forces, has for years been a hub for operations against ISIS as well as Iran and its proxies.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/21/2023 9:06 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Get our troops out of Syria, there problem solved.
Posted by: Chris ||
01/21/2023 12:49 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Troops are there to assist the Kurds (oil).
Everyone bitches that the US does nothing for the Kurds. When the US does, everyone moans about US military presence.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...... the personification of Somali state failure...
...... Somalia's version of the 
[KavkazUzel] A court in the Nadterechny district imposed fines on local residents Magomed Amaev and Usman Tutaev, finding them guilty of failing to inform the security forces about the plans of an acquaintance to create an illegal armed formation.
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
...In 2020 Hezbollah blew up a considerable portion of Beirut and many of its inhabitants when its ammonium nitrate facility exploded. They blamed it on... somebody else. It wasn't them though. Trust them on that. And it ain't never coming to trial...
...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 
