A number of journalists, including a senior AFP photographer, have died in a suicide attack in Kabul as a bomber disguised as a fellow cameraman detonated a second bomb at the site of an earlier explosion.
At least 29 people died in the two explosions on Monday morning in the Afghan capital Kabul, according to government officials.
The first blast took place at around at 8 a.m. local time in the Shashdarak area of the city, where the US embassy and Afghan government buildings are located, prompting journalists to rush to the scene.
The second explosion came as the attacker, posing as a cameraman, detonated explosives as journalists huddled around the scene, Kabul City Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai told CNN.
Nine journalists, including at least one woman, from different news media outlets died in the attack, ABC News reported.
Sharifi had earlier reported that nine journalists had died, but later revised the figure. He did not elaborate on the number of injured press.
A further 45 people were injured in the two incidents, and have been taken to city hospitals, according to Ministry of Public Health spokesman Wahid Majroh.
French news agency Agence France Presse confirmed that its photographer Shah Marai was among the dead.
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04/30/2018 07:11 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least sixteen Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... holy warriors including one of their local leaders identified as Omari were killed during the operations of the Afghan armed forces in southeastern Ghazni province.
The 203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan Military in the Southeast said the forces of Evil were killed in Khogyani district of Ghazni province during the operations of the armed forces of the Thunder Corps.
The source further added that the operations were conducted in Ganj, ZaraiQala, Deh Pirgai, Syedan Qala, Barwali, Larwali, and Pakawal areas.
According to the Thunder Corps, at least eight forces of Evil also sustained injuries during the same operations.
The Taliban leader Omar who was killed during the operation was originally a resident of Maidan Wardak district, the Thunder Corps added.
In the meantime, the Thunder Corps said some vehicles, weapons, and ammunition belonging to Taliban were also destroyed during the operations.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] An unwent kaboom! rocket belonging to the Taliban ...Arabic for students... group went off in eastern 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.. province of Afghanistan leaving at least 11 civilians dead or maimed.
The local authorities said a number of women and kiddies are also among those killed or maimed.
The provincial government media office in a statement said the incident took place in the vicinity of Surkh Rod district at around 7 am local time.
The statement further added that a woman was killed along with her daughter and another child in the kaboom and at least eight others were maimed.
According to the local authorities, at least eight other children including two girls sustained injuries in the kaboom.
The officials are saying that the Talibs fired a rocket late on Saturday night which landed in Surkh Rod district but did not go off.
The kaboom earlier today took place while the children were playing in the area, the officials said, adding that the injured civilians have been shifted to the provincial hospital for the treatment.
The statement by the provincial government also added that the health condition of two of the children has been reported as critical.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] An kaboom rocked Jalalabad city, the picturesque provincial capital 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.. province, targeting a mosque in the vicinity of the 4th police district of the city where registration for the elections was underway.
Security sources confirm the incident has taken place close to a mosque and as a result at least six people have sustained injuries.
The sources further added that the explosives were planted in a Rickshaw which exploded close to the mosque where registration process was underway for the upcoming elections.
However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... another official says at least seven civilians sustained injuries in the kaboom.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A top security official escaped unhurt in a suicide kaboom in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan, the local official said.
The incident took place at around 1 pm local time after a jacket wallah detonated his explosives near the vehicles convoy of Shahjoi district police chief.
The security and government officials are saying that the suicide bomber was looking to target the police chief Gen. Abdul Aziz Tokhi.
The officials further added that Gen. Tokhi escaped unhurt in the attack but two of his bodyguards were maimed.
According to the officials, the suicide bomber was riding a bicycle and detonated his explosives after getting close to the convoy of the vehicles.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have discovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition during an operation in capital Kabul.
The Kabul police commandment officials are saying that the cache was discovered in Mosahi district of Kabul and various weapons and ammunition have been confiscated from the depot.
The officials further added that the holy warriors were apparently looking to use the heavy and light weaponry in their future attacks in the capital.
The police officials did not provide further information in this regard but are saying that an investigation is underway and more details will be released as appropriate.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Talibs suffered heavy casualties during the joint operations conducted by the Afghan and US forces in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan.
The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North said the US forces carried out Arclight airstrikes on Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... positions during the Walid-5 operations in support of the Afghan armed forces.
The source further added that the operations were conducted in Chahar Bolak ditrict of Balkh province.
At least 35 snuffies were killed and 40 others sustained injuries during the air and ground operations, the Shaheen Corps said, adding that the snuffies were targeted in Arzankar village.
The Shaheen Corps also added that the village has been fully cleared from the presence of the Taliban Death Eaters.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Taliban ...Arabic for students... fighters seized a district centre in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, while a bomb at an army base in the southern province of Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... killed at least five people. The latest violence came as snuffies pushed ahead with a spring offensive.
Fighters captured the governor’s house and police headquarters in Aq Tapa, in the Qala-e Zal district of Kunduz province and Afghan government forces were fighting to drive them out, said Sayed Assadullah Sadat, a provincial council member.
The Taliban’s main front man Zabihullah Mujahid said fighters had captured a police headquarters, 10 security check posts and a market in Qala-e Zal, north of Kunduz city.
At the other end of the country, in Helmand, snuffies launched a vehicle kaboom on a military base in Nad-e-Ali district, killing four civilians and a soldier, according to a statement from the provincial governor’s office.
The Taliban announced the official start of their annual spring offensive this week, continuing the heavy fighting seen across Afghanistan recently as warmer weather has set in.
In the eastern province 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.. , a rocket fired by Taliban fighters hit a house in the Hoodi area of Goshta district on Friday night. Five non-combatants were killed and three were maimed.
The fighting may threaten preparations for parliamentary and district council elections planned in October.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A key Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... group Death Eater involved in the making of improvised bombs was killed along with five others during the operations of the Afghan Intelligence operatives, National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS), in eastern 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.. province.
The provincial government media office in a statement said the operations were conducted in Adwar area of Khogyani district in the early hours of Friday morning.
The statement further added that the Taliban IED maker killed during the operation has been identified as Zarin and at least one Death Eater was also maimed.
The NDS forces also placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! two suspects for having links with the anti-government gangs, the Nangarhar governor’s office added.
The provincial government also added that the NDS forces have confiscated one Ak-47 rifle, a communication device set, and five magazines of Ak-47 rifle during the operation.
The security forces and local residents have not suffered any casualty during the operation, the statement added.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[Libya Observer] One gunman was killed and two others were maimed in armed fighting among fuel smuggling gangs in Garyat town - 350 km to 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... 's south.
Local media reported that the festivities broke out late on Saturday between smugglers who were securing a fuel tank and others who wanted to take the smuggled fuel tank for themselves.
"An gang was securing the smuggled fuel but the other gang attacked them in an attempt to steal the fuel. They were four people in total." Sources told local media.
They added that the securing smugglers opened fire on the attackers killing one and injuring two others, pointing out that the body and injuries were sent to Garayt hospital.
"The exact spot was 150 km away from Mizdah. It is an area near Garyat." The sources indicated.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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More on this report from yesterday, but we still do not know which jihadis dunnit.
[DAWN] Suspected jihadists killed more than 30 Tuaregs, including women and kiddies, on Mali’s northeastern border with Niger, several sources said on Saturday as the second such attack in two days stoked fears of widespread unrest.
The former Tuareg rebel group MSA and tribal leaders said the massacre occurred on Friday, a day after another attack by button men on cycle of violences had left 12 people dead outside the town of Anderamboukane, which is also in the same area.
"There have been 43 deaths in two days, all civilians, from the same community," tribal leader Sidigui Ag Hamadi told AFP from the regional capital Menaka.
"Our fighters are destroying their bases and wiping them out. They are targeting innocent civilians," he added, saying he viewed the bloodletting as a reprisal for attacks on jihadists by armed Tuareg groups.
The group urged the governments of Mali and Niger to take steps to ensure that "an immediate end is put to these abominable crimes" and added that it would "not give in to any intimidation."
Two weeks ago, the UN’s MINUSMA peacekeeping operation said they had received "very serious" information that "summary executions of at least 95 people" had occurred during anti-jihadist operations in the northeastern Menaka region carried out by "a coalition of gangs" including MSA and Gatia.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Mali/Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen
[Breitbart] NUEVO LAREDO, Tamaulipas ‐ A series of raids by Mexican military forces in the downtown area of Nuevo Laredo uncovered a cache of military-grade weapons. Those weapons include rocket launchers, grenades, dynamite sticks, machine guns, rifles, and several cloned Mexican infantrymen uniforms and vest.
[DAWN] The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Saturday incarcerated Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! three suspects allegedly belonging to a banned outfit, which was involved in killings and attempted murders in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... and Quetta.
Acting on a tip-off, [RING!] Cop shoppe! Sergeant Shafiq speaking! Lissen! Dis is Mahmoud da Weasel! I got a tip for youse... the CTD team conducted a raid near a bakery in Saddar and arrested Yusuf, Akbar and Masoom and seized three donation chits from them, said CTD DIG Saqib Ismail Memon.
Addressing a presser at his office, the officer claimed that the held suspects were involved in fundraising and associated with the krazed killer wing of a banned outfit that had carried out killings and attempted murders in Karachi and Quetta.
During the initial probe, the held suspects disclosed that on January 25, 2014, they made an attempt on the life of Mohammed Husain in Clifton in which he was maimed.
The victim was admitted to a private hospital in the city from where he was discharged and when he was coming out of the hospital building, he was again attacked by the same suspects at the main gate of the hospital in which he was killed, the police said.
the suspects had also ’confessed’ to the involvement in assassinations in Quetta, the officer added.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] At least three people were killed and two others injured in a firing incident in Quetta on Sunday evening, DawnNewsTV reported.
According to police, unidentified attackers shot up people sitting inside a shop on Quetta’s Jan Muhammad Road. The assailants managed to escape unhurt after the attack, police said.
The injured were rushed to nearby Civil Hospital, Quetta, for medical treatment.
Police are suspecting it to be an act of murder, however, the actual motive behind the attack remains unknown so far as police are carrying out investigations into the matter.
The identities of those killed and injured in the attack are yet to be ascertained.
A state of emergency has been imposed at the hospital where the injured have been shifted. Moreover, shops in the area were closed following the incident.
On Saturday, two shopkeepers belonging to the Shia 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... community were killed in a drive-by shooting in Quetta's Jamaluddin Afghani Road.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) ‐ A civilian was maimed Sunday in a boom-mobile blast in northern Baghdad, a security source was quoted as saying.
Speaking to Alghad Press, the source said, "An explosive charge fixed into a car went off at Bub al-Sham neighborhood in northern Baghdad, leaving the driver maimed."
"Security forces cordoned off the blast site and opened a probe into the incident," the source said.
"The injured civilian was moved to the nearest hospital for treatment," added the source.
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi police said on Sunday they arrested nine Islamic State female members, including foreign nationals, at the group’s formerly proclaimed capital: Mosul.
Maj. Sallam al-Ekeidi from Nineveh police force, told state-owned daily Al Sabaah that the nine women were arrested in a village in Qayyara region, south of Mosul after intelligence information received from locals told they had snuck into three villages.
The women, who used to work for the extremist group’s Hisbah “vigilantism”, were taken to the Nineveh operations command for interrogation over crimes committed against the women of Mosul, according to the officer.
Ekeidi said those included three “biters“, two of whom are a Russian and a Syrian, who had caused the death of Mosulian women.
A biter was an infamous term given to women from IS who were assigned to punish local women violating the group’s extreme religious rules by biting them brutally at various parts of the body.
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi troops have arrested a prominent Islamic State (IS) warlord during a raid in Mosul city, a police chief was quoted as saying Sunday.
“The 5th emergency brigade of Nineveh police arrested Islamic State’s so-called emir in Nineveh province Ibrahim Mesha’al Hassan Marei during a security crackdown at al-Entesar district in Mosul’s eastern side,” chief of Nineveh police Brig. Gen. Hamad Names al-Jabouri told the Jordan-based Al Arab Al Yawm daily.
“Law enforcement forces acted on precise intelligence data as they made the arrest,” Jabouri noted, adding that Marei was handed over to the authorities concerned to interrogate him.
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – A notorious Islamic State (IS) leader was killed Sunday by pro-government forces in the northern province of Nineveh, an Iraqi security source was quoted as saying.
“The 90th brigade of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) killed Ibrahim el-Yassin, a prominent IS leader, in an ambush in al-Safina village, south of Mosul,” the source, who preferred to be unnamed, told Sputnik.
The paramilitary forces acted on precise intelligence data as they managed to kill Yassin while buying some food, according to the source.
The source pointed out that Yassin was wanted on charged of killing Iraqi policemen in southern Mosul.
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi intelligence services killed on Sunday three Islamic State (IS) terrorists in the group’s last bastion of Mosul, a military spokesman was quoted as saying.
Spokesman for the Iraqi Security Media Council Brig. Gen. Yehia Rasool told Alghad Press that the 20th division of the Iraqi Military Intelligence targeted the three terrorists, who were carrying food supplies to a terrorist hotbed from Nimrud city to Qayyarah subdistrict in Mosul.
The 2nd rapid response team of Nineveh police also arrested three other terrorists, who are wanted on terror charges, in al-Qawsiyat village, north of Mosul.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Iraq on Sunday sentenced 19 Russian women to life in prison for joining the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group, the latest in a series of heavy verdicts against foreign women linked to the krazed killers.
The head of Baghdad's Central Criminal Court, which deals with terrorism cases, said the women were found guilty of "joining and supporting IS", according to an AFP journalist at the hearing.
Six women from Azerbaijan and four from Tajikistan were also condemned to life in prison on Sunday on the same charge.
The women, who have the right to appeal against the sentences, entered the court one-by-one dressed in black headscarves and pink blouses, most of them accompanied by their children.
They addressed the court through a translator, a Russian-language professor at Baghdad University hired by their embassy for the trial.
"We will contact the parents to inform them of the verdict," a Russian diplomat at the hearing told AFP.
IS took over nearly one-third of Iraq in a blistering 2014 offensive, seizing control of the country's second-largest city, djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , among others.
Baghdad declared military victory over the faceless myrmidons in December, after expelling them from all urban centres.
It has detained at least 560 women and 600 children identified as faceless myrmidons or relatives of suspected IS fighters, and is wasting no time in putting them on trial.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) At least 60 Russian women are awaiting trial in Iraq over illegal entry and involvement with Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... krazed killers, said a member of the Russian Federation Council.
Ziyad Sabsabi, the representative of Chechnya in the council, was quoted by Russia Today saying that though most of the suspects deny the charges, they could face sentences that amount to death.
He pointed that 11 of those will stand trial on April 29th, according to the channel’s website.
He complained that local lawyers abstain from defending those suspects citing ethical reasons, decrying also a lack of interest from Russian lawyers.
Sabsabi pointed that there are children less than three years of age staying in jail with their mothers, while older ones are put into juvenile mansions since it is difficult to repatriate them before deciding on the fate of their mothers.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The parliament of the Paleostine Liberation Organization convenes for the first time in decades Monday, as aging President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... seeks to strengthen his hand ahead of the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem.
Analysts said the three-day meeting of the Paleostinian National Council (PNC) in the West Bank city of Ramallah is unlikely to produce major policy shifts, but it will elect the 18 members of the PLO's executive committee that effectively forms Abbas's cabinet.
More than 100 of the 740-member body will be absent, including dozens allied to Islamists Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", -- the largest Paleostinian party behind Abbas's Fatah -- who have signed a letter opposing the meeting.
On Saturday Hamas called on Abbas to postpone the assembly until unity was reached between rival factions.
The meeting comes as relations between Abbas and U.S. President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... 's administration have broken down ahead of the controversial relocation of the U.S. embassy, which is set to open in the divided holy city of Jerusalem on May 14.
The PNC has not held a regular session since 1996, and last held an special session in 2009.
- 'Consolidation of power' -
The session is expected to begin Monday night with a lengthy speech from Abbas in which the 82-year-old is likely to address the embassy move, among other topics. His rhetoric has become more agitated as relations with the U.S. have worsened since Trump's December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
That move broke with a decades-old international consensus that the holy city's status should only be determined in negotiations between Israel and the Paleostinians. Paleostinians see annexed east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. In March, Abbas called U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, a Trump appointee and long-time supporter of Israeli settlements, a "son of a dog."
His position is weakened by the ongoing split with Hamas, which rules Gazoo, after a reconciliation deal collapsed.
Analysts say Abbas, elected to a four-year term in 2005, is seeking to further centralize power within the institutions he controls.
Hugh Lovatt, a regional expert at the European Council for Foreign Relations, said he expected the meeting to "mark a further milestone in Abbas's consolidation of power and marginalization of political rivals."
The names selected for the executive committee will be seen as a key indicator of who is in favor in moderate Paleostinian politics, Lovatt added, and even "provide an indicator of frontrunners in the race to succeed Abbas."
Abbas will be one of three representatives of Fatah, along with long-time chief negotiator 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... and Azzam al-Ahmed, negotiator of the failed reconciliation agreement with Hamas.
Seven smaller parties, excluding Hamas, will each nominate a candidate, while eight independents will also be selected.
At least 10 of the current 18 committee members are expected to be replaced.
"The mere fact that he is looking to an institution that has not met for 20 years just shows how illegitimate he is," said Diana Buttu, a former Abbas employee and now fierce critic.
The split with Hamas has made elections impossible, so he has remained in power without a mandate. She said she was not expecting any serious challenges to his rule, though candidates are seemingly jostling behind the scenes for the post Abbas era.
"They know in this environment not to indicate in any way they want to run against Abbas or seek to position themselves as successor as that is enough to provoke his wrath," she said.
The Times of Israel has a good deal more here, for those interested.
[Ynet] Taken during weekly March of Return protest, footage shows Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,’s modus operandi to infiltrate into Israel, damage border fence, as Israeli communities and farmers suffer heavy losses due to incendiary kites.
[IsraelTimes] Paleostinians attack troops with bombs; separately, others try to damage security fence, enter Israeli territory; 3 locked away
In two separate incidents, one of which included an attack on Israeli forces, troops opened fire on four Paleostinians who tried to enter Israeli territory from the southern Gazoo Strip on Sunday evening, killing three of them, the army said.
In a third case, also in the southern Gazoo Strip, two Paleostinian suspects were jugged Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! after they crossed into Israeli territory, the military said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, in the first incident, two of the Paleostinians were spotted trying to damage the security fence and infiltrate into Israel. IDF soldiers opened fire, killing one of them, and took the second into custody.
"Two suspects tried to cross the border into Israel and damage the security fence in the southern [Gazoo] Strip. One suspect was killed, the other apprehended for questioning," the army said.
Minutes later, the army reported that a second pair of Paleostinian suspects had broken through the security fence and hurled improvised bombs at IDF soldiers.
The troops fired at them, killing the two attackers, the army said.
In the third incident, the two Paleostinians were spotted as they tried to cross the security fence. They were detained, shortly after they made it across the border. The men were found to be in possession of wire-cutters and knives, the army said.
The two men, along with the surviving suspect from the first breach, were handed over to the Shin Bet security service for questioning.
The army refused to specify what type of munitions it used against the Paleostinians in the first two incidents, but residents in the area reported hearing loud kabooms, indicating a tank may have been used in at least one of the incidents.
There were no special instructions given to residents of the Israeli communities near Gazoo, despite the multiple security incidents along the border.
Earlier on Sunday, the IDF said it arrested an alleged Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", operative who was attempting to sabotage a security camera near the defunct Karni crossing on the Gazoo border under cover of a dense early morning fog.
Despite the weather, the soldiers tracked the saboteur’s movements and arrested him after he broke the pole on which the camera rested.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit released video footage of the attempted sabotage of the border fence.
"This is yet another terrorist action," the IDF said, accusing Hamas of "taking [such actions] in an attempt to infiltrate into Israeli territory and hurt Israel’s citizens. This is part of a broader effort by Hamas to give its terror efforts a civilian cover and turn the border fence area into a battle zone."
The statement added: "The IDF is determined to carry out its responsibility to defend Israel’s citizens, and won’t allow the security infrastructure that protects them to come to harm."
Sunday night’s festivities brought to 47 the Gazoocorpse count since the start of the riots on March 30, according to statistics from the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry.
[Mindanao Examiner] A Philippine soldier was killed and two more injured in fierce clashes with communist militants Sunday afternoon in Davao del Norte province in southern Philippines.
The military said the fighting erupted in the town of Asuncion where troops engaged members of the New People's Army in a running firefight. There was no report of enemy casualties, but soldiers recovered eight high-powered firearms and an improvised explosive left behind by after the gunfight.
The army said fighting also broke out in Laak town in Compostela Valley province between soldiers and militants, but there were no reports of casualties on either side. It said the rebels belong to the Pulang Bagani Command 4 of the NPA’s Sub-Regional Command under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee.
Army officials did not release the identities of its casualties, however, radio reports claimed that Private First Class Arman Campos was killed in the clashes while the wounded were Privates First Class Ruben Lambac Jr. and Ralph Ryan Baldomar.
The fighting coincided with ongoing efforts by the government to reopen stalled peace talks with rebels who are waging a secessionist war for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
[Mindanao Examiner] The Philippine Army said it has three Islamist insurgents in custody after they surrendered to troops in Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao.
Military spokesman Clint Antipala said the three are members of the so-called Dawlah Islamiah and the Maute group which besieged Marawi City last year and left hundreds of people dead. He said the rebels surrendered in the village of Pawak in Saguiaran town on Friday afternoon.
Regional army commander Roseller Murillo urged other rebels to surrender peacefully. He said, "We are willing to accept surenderees and encourage others to return to the mainstream society. Their surrender is significant and we hope this would inspire other members to do so. Rest assured that we will take care of their welfare."
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The Syrian government and rebels have reached a deal to evacuate opposition fighters from an area of southern Damascus near the site of a regime offensive against jihadists, state media said Sunday.
The announcement comes more than a week into a regime assault to oust Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group fighters from the capital's southern suburbs, including the Paleostinian refugee camp of Yarmuk.
On Sunday, state news agency SANA said a deal had been reached to evacuate opposition fighters and members of their families from rebel-held areas east of Yarmuk.
SANA reported "an agreement reached between the Syrian government and terrorist groups in southern Damascus, in the areas of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem," using its usual term for all rebels.
The deal gives fighters the choice between leaving the area with their families or handing over their weapons and staying, SANA said.
The reported deal is the latest in a string of such agreements that have seen the regime retake areas near the capital after rebel withdrawals.
Such a deal around Yalda could allow the regime to deploy forces on the eastern edges of Yarmuk after other units advanced towards the camp from the west, a Britannia-based war monitor said.
Over the past two days, the army has retaken large parts of the district of Qadam on Yarmuk's western flank, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added.
On Saturday, IS seized a hospital and surrounding buildings on the eastern edges of Yarmuk as it tried to push towards Yalda, the Observatory said.
On Sunday, regime war planes pounded Yarmuk and the neighboring district of Hajar al-Aswad, it said.
Yarmuk and its surroundings are now the jihadist group's largest urban redoubt in Syria and neighboring Iraq, after IS lost most of the swathes of territory it once held in both countries.
The jihadists have held parts of Yarmuk and Hajar al-Aswad since 2015, and overran Qadam in a surprise assault last month.
At least 85 regime fighters and 74 IS jihadists have been killed in ten days of fighting in southern Damascus, the Observatory says.
The announcement of an evacuation deal on Yalda and nearby areas comes after the regime reconquered what was once a key rebel bastion east of Damascus earlier this month.
Eastern Ghouta fell after a brutal military operation and a series of similar evacuation deals brokered by regime ally Russia that saw tens of thousands of residents bused to northern Syria.
More than 350,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011 with a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
[AlAhram] A deal has been reached for the evacuation of the Paleostinian refugee camp of Yarmuk where Islamic State group fighters have been holed up in southern Damascus, state media reported Sunday.
The transfer of "terrorist groups" to rebel-held areas of northwestern Syria would begin on Monday, said the official SANA news agency, which did not name IS jihadists.
It comes hours after the Syrian government and rebels agreed to evacuate opposition fighters from the areas of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem, also in southern Damascus, according to SANA.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Several Syrian military bases have been struck by a missile strike in Hama and Allepo provinces, according to a report by local television.
The Syrian Sana news agency has reported earlier that kabooms had been heard near the cities of Hama and Aleppo.
"The arms depot of the 47th brigade of the Syrian army was attacked near Hama. Powerful kabooms and major fire have occurred as a result," a source in Syria’s law enforcement told Sputnik.
According to Surya TV Channel, the syrian army positions have been attacked by a missile strike. According to the channel, the missile strike was conducted at 19:30 GMT.
Earlier, state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
said successive blasts were heard in rural Hama province and that authorities were investigating the cause.
This video shows kaboom in the ammunition depot of #Syria Arab Army’s 47th Brigade in South of #Hama after the #Israel Air Force (#IAF) Arclight airstrike at the #IRGC forces in the base almost 40 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/dh1svPynXN
Israel might be responsible for the attack, according to Haaretz.
Haaretz is proud to be known as the New York Times of Israel, with all that entails. Hardly anyone reads it anymore, which is a bad omen for the American New York Times...
Earlier Sunday, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel will maintain freedom of operation in Syria, the website reports.
"We have no intention to attack Russia or to interfere in domestic Syrian issues," Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said at the annual Jerusalem Post conference. "But if somebody thinks that it is possible to launch missiles or to attack Israel or even our aircraft, no doubt we will respond and we will respond very forcefully."
According to the Orient news outlet, which is affiliated with the Syrian rebels, the blasts occurred in a base belonging to the Syrian army’s 47th Brigade, which is being used by Iran-backed Shiite militias.
The base is located just south of Hama. The facility was said to house a weapons depot, which accounted for the size and intensity of the blast, which could be seen from kilomters away and reportedly registered one seismographs in the area.
The Orient news outlet noted that the base was known to be the headquarters of Iranian bandidosforces of Evil and had been "heavily involved" in attacks against rebel forces in the area.
The naive might suppose those rebels are upset about being attacked...
Posted by: Fred ||
04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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Missile strikes against Syrian regime forces in the central province of Hama overnight destroyed 200 missiles and killed 16 people, including 11 Iranians, an official from a pro-Assad alliance says.
The unnamed official tells The New York Times the strikes hit a storage facility on the 47th Brigade base and said they had destroyed 200 missiles and killed 16 people, including 11 Iranians. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.
He says other regional officials allied with Iran believe Tehran will retaliate against Israel for the strikes in the near future.
#13
... And Prime Minister Netanyahu is making a 'major announcement' regarding Iranian nukes at 1pm Eastern. Stay tuned...
Mike
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04/30/2018 11:20 Comments ||
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#14
Photos from @uunionnews indicate multiple GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) hit this location near Aleppo IAP/Al-Nayrab Airbase 36.188347 37.240221. The SDB's 110km range would put Israeli jets deep inside Syria. pic.twitter.com/UXYvYM5Uov
#15
You know, if I were in charge of a small western-connected-country's weapons development program I'd have a program to put a small-diameter bomb on top of a MLRS rocket or something, and get a really long range guided "glide bomb."
I'd also look at sticking an engine on one and turn it into a cruise missile.
It's probably overkill for Israel's purposes... but if you could use off-the-shelf components from other weapons to make something that could "plink" artillery weapons from a hundred miles away without needing an airplane.
[ALMASDARNEWS] Earlier on Sunday, the Syrian Army and allied paramilitary groups launched a surprise attack against US-backed forces along the eastern shore of the Euphrates.
According to reports, the government assault resulted in at least five towns and villages ‐ Junaynah, Jayah, Shamrt Hossan, Huwayjat Ma’ishyah and Shaqrah ‐ coming under Syrian Army control, at least so for several hours.
New information from official sources suggests that government troops have since retreated from all five settlements following a counter-attack by US-backed forces ‐ whether or not American airpower was involved in the engagement remains unclear.
According to various sources, anywhere between six to nine US-backed fighters and possibly a top commander were killed in the festivities that took place; government losses are unknown.
It is still unclear why Syrian pro-government forces attacked US-backed factions today.
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] An al-Qaeda branch in Syria has recently merged their group with another jihadist faction to form a new terrorist legion in the northern part of country.
According to a statement from Tanzim Hurras al-Deen, their organization has merged with another jihadist group, Ansar al-Tawhid (formerly Jund al-Aqsa), to form a new legion called "Nusret Islam."
Tanzim Hurras al-Deen is led by Abu Hammam al-Shami, who was also a former member of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Shami would leave Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham with many of its members to form this al-Qaeda linked group in northern Syria.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Amateur video footage has emerged showing a huge Syrian Army convoy comprising dozens of tanks moving north from the province of Damascus towards Homs.
The convoy is part of an ongoing reinforcement of Syrian Army forces near areas held by armed rebel groups in Homs province’s northern countryside as well as small parts of southern Hama province.
To this effect, Syrian government forces are pitted launch a major offensive in and around the city of Rastan – a key militant stronghold in the region.
According to sources, some of the more than fifty armored vehicles seized from rebel forces in eastern Qalamoun earlier in April will be used by the Syrian Army for the upcoming Rastan operation
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04/30/2018 00:00 ||
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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 number of journalists, including a senior AFP photographer, have died in a suicide attack in Kabul as a bomber disguised as a fellow cameraman detonated a second bomb at the site of an earlier explosion.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least sixteen 
[DAWN] Iraq on Sunday sentenced 19 Russian women to life in prison for joining the 
[Mindanao Examiner] A Philippine soldier was killed and two more injured in fierce clashes with communist militants Sunday afternoon in Davao del Norte province in southern Philippines.
[Mindanao Examiner] The Philippine Army said it has three Islamist insurgents in custody after they surrendered to troops in Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao.
