TORKHAM GATE CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC – Several reports began circulating on social media that the Taliban had closed Torkham gate to all traffic and were turning people back. We confirmed the gate was indeed closed and it sounds as if it is related to Paksitan’s refusal to honor medical visas for Afghans. A source in Kabul said the Taliban intended to take advantage of Pakistan’s weak economic position by closing the portal to trade and humanitarian goods deliveries. Most expect a settlement to be reached and the gate should reopen eventually. Late reporting confirmed that Spin Boldak-Chaman remains open. At-risk Afghans intending to attempt a crossing should call ahead and monitor relevant social-media channels to ensure it is open before embarking on their journey.
NOTED AFGHAN JOURNALIST RELEASED FROM CUSTODY IN KANDAHAR – Mohammadyar Majrooh, a reporter for TOLO News was released from custody in Kandahar after being detained on unspecified charges for five days.
PAKISTAN IDENTIFIES TTP MILITANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR KARACHI ATTACK – Police officials in Karachi say they have identified two TTP terrorists who likely planned the attack on the police headquarters on 17 February. Zala Noor and a man called Kifayatullah were fingered as the planners of the attack. Noor is reputedly from North Waziristan and Kifayatullah is said to have come from the Lakki Marwat area. The two had conducted surveillance of the police facility for at least a month prior to the attack. Both men escaped after the attack and are on the run. Pakistani police are in the process of searching several known residences and have interviewed family members of the suspects.
TALIBAN ENFORCES BAN ON RUPEES IN URUZGAN – Several small business owners in the capital of Uruzgan have been arrested for violating the ban on accepting Pakistani currency. Their shops have been closed. The arrests came after a fourteen-day ‘grace period’ had expired. It is believed that over 50 people were arrested and may face public lashings and/or heavy fines for violating the ban. Several locals who were interviewed about the arrests appear to approve of the Taliban’s move and say they want to trade in Afghanistan’s currency.
AS MANY AS 100 TRAVELERS TRAPPED IN SNOW ON THE KABUL-GHOR HIGHWAY – A convoy of mini-vans that have been stuck in heavy snow on either side of the Kotal-e-Bakak pass in Bamiyan contains approximately 100 people. Many of the passengers are said to be women and children and they are believed to have been trapped for the past three days. It is not clear if a rescue attempt is underway.
CONFLICT TRACKER Khost:The bodies of 2 TTP commanders were said to have been discovered in the province (Buri Kaly hills). The commanders were identified as Naeemullah Wazir (a.k.a. Waqas) and a Hameed (a.k.a. Sangin). Photos of the bodies show they had been severely mutilated. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings and no further information was available.
NEXT 24 HOURS
TROUBLE BREWING BETWEEN IRAN AND PAKISTAN ON THEIR SHARED BORDER – Iranian border guards reportedly slaughtered large numbers of donkeys, mules, and livestock in Baluchistan. A VIDEO of the incident has circulated on social media and locals on both sides of the border have vowed revenge against the Iranian border forces for the senseless slaughter. The animals represented the livelihoods of many who live in the area. Pakistan is sending troops to reinforce its side of the border and they will begin arriving today. There is a potential for local reprisals against the Iranian border forces that could escalate into a cross-border incident. It is not clear what caused the incident.
PAKISTAN SECURITY OPERATIONS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED – Several local sources in Pakistan have reported additional search operations in Peshawar, Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi focusing on Afghan nationals. Police vehicles have been filmed outside of hostels, hotels, and guest houses. Pakistani security forces stationed at security checkpoints are said to be stopping 1 out of 4 pedestrians for periodic searches and identity checks. While the searches of homes, apartments, and guest houses have not begun in force yet, they are expected to take place soon. Some arrests have been reported but seem to be overwhelmingly Pakistan nationals rather than Afghans at this point. It is our assessment that these searches are focused on finding potential TTP terrorists and are not focused on Afghan refugees.
HUMAN SMUGGLING A PROBLEM FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES GLOBALLY – The discovery of 18 bodies, purportedly Afghan refugees, in a container truck in Bulgaria has sparked concern among refugee agencies. The truck was found on the outskirts of the capital on 17 February and there were 34 other people who survived the ordeal. All have been taken to hospitals for treatment. The problem is occurring elsewhere and several cases are being investigated in Europe and Latin America. The smuggling rings that control the pipelines have made huge profits from the business and it is not clear how many refugees have died while in transit to foreign countries. At-risk Afghans contemplating such journeys should consider the risks and reach out to legitimate refugee agencies before embarking on such potentially fatal journeys.
THE “NEW” AND “OLD” TALIBAN – Much has been said about the chasm that has opened between Kandahar and Kabul. Rumors of coups and open civil war have been postulated by analysts and policy wonks over the last year. Speeches by the Ministers of both the Interior and Defense have been openly critical of the Supreme Leader and his Deobandist clique. However, no action has been taken and many are wondering why the two “young lions” simply don’t march on Kandahar and put their problem in the ground. A reasonable theory for the inaction has come out of some Ivy League researchers who question either faction’s ability to maintain control over the foot soldiers who give the Taliban their grip on power. According to their research, both Kandahar and Kabul have been forced to walk a fine line with their differing policy approaches because they both fear the same thing – pushing the Taliban mujahadeen into the waiting arms of ISIS.
Yes, that would be a problem.
Too much of a progressive agenda risks disillusionment within the ranks and the perception of abandoning the conservative 7th-century tenets of Islam they prefer. Overly regressive policies mean continued ostracization and condemnation from fellow Islamic states and no voice in international or regional affairs which is important for the more enlightened among the rank and file. Unquestionably, ISIS-K has continued to gain recruits and represents the most immediate threat to the regime. An internal power struggle between Kandahar and Kabul could result in mass defections that would add significant numbers and material to a resurgent ISIS, in a relatively short amount of time. The result would be a fresh layer of chaos to an already perilous situation. Perhaps the vision of such a reality is what has kept the young lions in check so far. Only time will tell.
PROTESTS IN IRAN BACK WITH A VENGEANCE – After a lull of several weeks, protestors in Iran took to the streets again in many cities across the country (including Tehran). Thousands of protestors flocked to public squares and marched on government buildings and other habitual demonstration rally points. Many were filmed chanting “freedom” and the reemergence appears to have been synchronized. In response, the regime began recalling police and military personnel who had been granted short terms of leave. A strong response is expected from the regime and violence seems likely.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN SEARCHES AND SECURITY OPERATIONS WILL CONTINUE – Based on actions and threats from the TTP, it appears their campaigns will focus on Pakistani Police infrastructure and personnel. In response, Pakistan has raised its security posture to the highest level and it is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. At-risk Afghans residing near police stations and/or facilities frequented by police (Mosques, shopping centers, apartment buildings, etc) are urged to stay alert and be ready to take shelter should an attack occur. They should not linger near these facilities and recognize that police vehicles, checkpoints, and other security-related locations are obvious targets for the TTP.
[ShabelleMedia] The police in the Garasbaley area on the outskirts of Mogadishu killed al-Shabaab ...... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... assassin who wanted to gun down a tax officer early on Sunday.
Banadir Regional Police Command said that the man who was armed with a pistol was shot by the forces at Tabeela Sheikh Ibrahim intersection after his liquidation attempt failed.
The reports further added that the police carried out security operations to prevent insecurity in the outskirts of Mogadishu following the incident which caused a disturbance.
Heightened security and transport disruptions affected the busy area for hours.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, Bart was wondering if fisticuffs would be appropriate at this point... Somali Police spokesperson major Sadik Doodishe told Radio Shabelle that the situation in the area has returned to normal after the shooting of the al-Shabaab operative.
Attacks and targeted liquidations may occur in the capital with little or no warning as al-Shabaab often gets facilitation from inside security agencies, according to the experts.
Al-Shabaab attacks involving the indiscriminate use of bombs and other weapons can take place anywhere in Somalia at any time due to the lack of alertness of the police.
[ShabelleMedia] A top military court in Somalia today sentenced Abdazis Hussein Nur Mursal, who was a member of the Somali National Army, to 15 years in military prison.
Mursal, 63 years old, born in Baidao, was accused of working with al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... , functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... and providing information on the SNA to the turban group, according to the court statement.
The retired officer who was serving as a mentor and trainer claimed fake rank of Lieutenant Colonel that was found during the bio-metric registration by the defense ministry.
His trial started on January 22 of this year, and finally the court slapped him with 15 years of imprisonment for his work with al-Shabaab as an informant within the army.
Last month, a former Military Officer Sharif Mohammed Barkhadle Ayanle has been sentenced to death for aiding al-Shabaab carry out car kabooms in Mogadishu. Ayaanle brought vehicles loaded with explosives into Mogadishu that al-Shabaab used for attacks on several commercial locations including the Village Hotel, Baar Italia and Bilsan Restaurant. The court said as many as 27 non-combatants were killed in the bombings facilitated by the officer.
The convict, who has been sharing critical details about the Somali National Army to the Al-Shabaab, was one time a trainer with the national army thus his immense knowledge of operations, the court noted. Evidence was tabled in the court on the allegations, leading to his imminent conviction.
"The Armed Forces Court has on Sunday sentenced Abdiaziz Hussein Nur, a 63- year old former military trainer to 15 years behind the bars for sharing army details with Al-Shabaab terrorists," state media confirmed in the latest judgment which has been hailed by members of the security forces.
The Al-Shabaab militants have been fighting hard to retain their bases but a much stronger national army has managed to topple them from various strategic towns. Spying on the national army is a traditional strategy by the Al-Shabaab which they use to wage sophisticated retaliatory attacks.
More often than not, the Al-Shabaab militants use available information on both the national army and the foreign troops to wage attacks in various Forward Operating Bases across the country. Cases of attacks at military bases are common in Somalia and are often blamed on insiders.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] An activist muppet was killed on Sunday in Shabwah province, during an attack by the so-called "Shabwah Defense" militia affiliated with the son of the governor on protests condemning the deterioration of services.
Medical sources reported that the activist muppet, Nasser Dilham, was killed and several others were maimed during a shooting at protesters who gathered in front of al-Saeed Hospital in the outskirts of Ataq city to demand better services.
Shabwah suffers from a collapse of services, despite looting and sales of oil and gas fields.
The incident would widen the popular tension against the governor loyal to Saudi-led coalition and overthrow him.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2023 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Ingush investigators put on the wanted list a woman suspected of transferring money to members of an international terrorist organization.
A criminal case against a 35-year-old resident of Ingushetia was initiated on the materials of the FSB by the investigation department of the TFR for Malgobek, it is being investigated under Part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (an organization to assist terrorist activities or an organization to finance terrorism), the press service of the republican department of the TFR reported today.
According to investigators, from August 2020 to February 2021, the suspect, "in order to facilitate the activities" of an international terrorist organization banned in Russia, transferred money to an electronic wallet issued to members of illegal armed groups.
"Currently, the suspect is on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, in connection with which she has been put on the wanted list," the publication on the agency's website says. No other details were given in the message.
Part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for from 15 years to life imprisonment.
[NYPOST] An apparent homemade pipe bomb was found behind a Catholic church Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, according to police.
The 18-inch PVC pipe bomb was spotted by a passerby at about 1:40 p.m. at the St. Dominic Catholic Church, Fox News reported, citing local authorities.
The device had capped ends and an unknown black powder on it, according to the report.
Nearby streets were blocked off as the city’s bomb squad rushed to the scene, the outlet reported.
The bomb was safely taken from the Holmesburg section of the city to bomb squad headquarters. No injuries were reported, police said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2023 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#3
Sounds like more harassment than anything else if there was no igniting mechanism. Maybe a case of somebody misplacing their pipe bomb like I misplace my car keys. I don’t know that praying to St Anthony to find a lost pipe bomb would be that effective. Maybe there is a different patron saint for pipe bombers.
Glad the person driving by was tuned in to potential pipe bomb attacks. If there was a parish school, perhaps there was an algebra test that someone hadn’t studied for.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/20/2023 15:55 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Daryle Lamonica would make a good patron Saint for bombers. Looks like he died not too long ago.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/20/2023 15:59 Comments ||
Top||
#5
^^ Almost a year ago already (I had to look it up). How time flies.
Yeah, remember him with the Raiders, and George Blanda was his back-up, IIRC.
[Dawn] • Another policeman dies
• Terrorism case registered against TTP
• Two helmet-wearing controllers caught on camera
While a case has been registered against the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistan for Friday’s attack on 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... Police Office (KPO), police and other allied agencies appear to be clueless about the criminal mastermind and controllers of the three bandidosforces of Evil who barged into the police compound and engaged law-enforcers in a fierce shootout for hours, it emerged on Sunday.
Also, corpse count rises to five as one of the maimedcoppers, identified as Abdul Latif, 50, died during treatment at a hospital on Sunday.
Two coppers, one Rangers official and a sanitation worker were martyred and 17 others, mostly law-enforcers, maimed in the Feb 17 attack. After hours-long shootout, two bandidosforces of Evil were shot full of holes while the third one went kaboom! on the fourth floor of the building.
DIG-South Irfan Ali Baloch, who is one of the members of the probe body, told Dawn that Sherlocks were looking into an aspect that the bandidosforces of Evil or their controllers got help from inside.
"We are looking into the matter from different angles. The point from where the bandidosforces of Evil cut barbed wire and made an entry was not covered by CCTV cameras," he said.
He said that the CCTV footage showed that two faceless myrmidons, wearing helmets, saw the three bandidosforces of Evil off outside KPO and left the place on a cycle of violence before the attack began.
DIG Baloch said that the third holy warrior was still unidentified.
TERRORISM CASE REGISTERED
Saddar SHO Khalid Memon lodged the FIR against the three holy warriors, their controllers and TTP spokesperson under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 34 (common intention) read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 3/4 of the Explosives Act 1908.
The investigation has been handed over to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), the Saddar SHO said.
The FIR stated that three bandidosforces of Evil came in a car and they were followed by two men riding a cycle of violence. The FIR said when the attackers got out of their car the motorcyclists "indicated them towards the KPO, hugged them and rode away".
The bandidosforces of Evil entered the KPO from the Saddar police line by cutting the barbed wire on the wall at the backyard of the police headquarters.
[KhaamaPress] Pak security forces arrested a woman who was preparing to launch a suicide kaboom in Quetta city of the 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... province, on Sunday, according to police officials.
The woman reportedly linked with the banned holy warrior Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) was transported to Quetta for allegedly carrying out a suicide attack.
"The woman was arrested from near a park in Quetta’s Satellite Town when teams of CTD and intelligence agencies conducted an operation against the outlawed Baloch Liberation Front," a CTD official said.
"She had a bag with the suicide jacket that had four to five kilograms of explosives on it," he said.
"We got an intelligence tip-off that the BLF had sent a jacket wallah to attack a key installation in Quetta. We have identified her as Mahbal, wife of Bebagar alias Nadeem," he added. So, BLF sent a MILF?
The arrest occurred a few days after Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain (TTP) forces of Evil killed nine people, including five attackers and many security personnel, in a fatal attack on the 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... Police Chief’s headquarters on Friday.
Moreover, the TTP group released a statement on Saturday warning the security agencies of Pakistain for more severe attacks if the Pak agencies do not stop killing TTP’s prisoners under the fake encounter.
Since last November, after the break of the unilateral ceasefire, the TTP groups and other forces of Evil intensified their attacks aiming at law enforcement officers, government agencies, foreign nations and people.
The current economic crisis in Pakistain on the one side and the presence of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan have taken the initiative from the government of Pakistain to carry out a consistent operation against the Taliban Pakistain and Baloch Liberation Army in the country.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/20/2023 03:37 ||
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[15 views]
Top|| File under: Baloch Liberation Army
[The Nation (Pak)] The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... on Saturday arrested eight alleged bandidosbandidos hard boys during the intelligence-based operations (IBOs), in the province. According to a front man, the CTD Punjab conducted 35 IBOs in different districts of the province, investigated 36 suspected persons and arrested eight alleged terrorists, along with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials. The spokesperson said that one suicide jacket, 6,552 grams of kaboom, 17 feet of prima card, 12 feet of safety fuse, five detonators, one hand-grenade, nine ball-bearing boxes, one AK-47 rifle with 57 bullets one pistol of 30-bore with 24 bullets, one metal jar, electric wire 5.4 feet, one electric switch, one battery, one tape, one knife, 45 stickers and 26 pamphlets of a banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization, two mobile-phones and Rs 28,480 in cash were recovered from them. The alleged bandidosbandidos hard boys told the Sherlocks they had planned to carry out sabotage activities across the province, he said. Also, during the week, a total of 483 combing operations were conducted with the help of local police and law-enforcement agencies, he said and added that during these operations, 23,882 persons were checked, 127 suspects were arrested, 79 FIRs were registered and 76 recoveries were made.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2023 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: Pak Taliban (TTP)
[Rudaw] The US Central Command on Sunday said that an Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) Syria official was captured in a raid in collaboration with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the east of the country.
The statement said that the raid was carried out on Saturday and that neither civilians nor US or SDF forces were killed or injured.
US forces and the SDF "conducted a helicopter raid in eastern Syria, capturing Batar and ISIS Syria Probince Official involved in planning attacks on SDF-guarded detention centers and manufacturing improvised bombs."
Kurds in Syria have been Washington’s main allies on the ground in the fight against ISIS since the group seized control of swathes of land in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The US has provided ammunition and military support to the SDF.
Syrian state media on Friday said that at least 68 people were killed in an ISIS attack in eastern Homs.
SDF-affiliated media said that on Thursday, an aerial raid targeted a senior ISIS member called Hamza al-Homsi in Deir ez-Zor. Homsi reportedly went kaboom! in response, injuring four members of the coalition.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/20/2023 01:50 ||
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[16 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[NYPOST] An Israeli rocket strike early on Sunday hit a building in central Damascus’s Kafr Sousa neighborhood near a large, heavily guarded security complex close to Iranian installations, killing five people, witnesses and officials said.
The rare, targeted strike damaged several buildings in the densely populated district close to Omayyad square in the heart of the capital, where multi-story security buildings are located within residential areas.
A police official said on state media that there were several casualties and injured.
An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.
Citing a military source, state media said Israel had carried out air strikes targeting several areas in the capital shortly after midnight, causing five deaths and 15 injuries among civilians, and damage to several residential buildings.
A barrage of Israeli missiles hit several locations in Syria in the early hours of Sunday, including the center of Damascus and an area believed to host members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its militias, causing casualties, a war monitor reported.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least 15 people had been killed in an Israeli attack targeting "Iranian militia and Lebanese Hezbollah" near an Iranian military base cultural center outside Damascus, near Sayeda Zainab area. It added that some of the projectiles hit Kafr Sousa, an area where bigwigs and intelligence bases are located.
Out of the at least 15 killed, "seven of them are Syrian," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of SOHR, told Rudaw English.
"At 00:22am the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several areas in Damascus and its vicinity, including residential neighborhoods," Syrian state media reported, adding that at least five people, including a soldier, and 15 civilians were maimed.
Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites.... state media reported the news of the attack but made no mention of Iranian military personnel.
A defense news hound from IRGC’s Tasnimnews tweeted shortly after the attack and said that there were no Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel killed or maimed in the attack.
Footage posted by Syria’s SANA showed the aftermath of the attack with large chunks from the buildings hit lying on the streets below and windows missing from residential buildings. This marks the first attack targeting residential areas in the Syrian capital. Significant damage was also caused to the medieval Citadel of Damascus.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2023 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[19 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
...Or one of their hyper-reliable Russian SAMs went sideways.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/20/2023 4:27 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Israel hit the "Smite" button.
Posted by: Too Old To Work ||
02/20/2023 8:19 Comments ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] Al-Hadath: US military base on fire after rocket attack in Syria
Generally this is an action of Iranian sockpuppets venting their spleen. Again.
One of the shells that hit the helipad of the US military base in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor ignited a fuel tank. This caused a fire to start at the facility, Al-Hadath TV channel reported.
There are no reports of casualties or casualties during the attack. At a military facility located near the El Omar oil field, an alarm was announced. Troops at a nearby American base are on alert.
According to media reports, the attack was organized by Shiite groups supporting the Syrian army.
As REGNUM reported , at least three missiles fell on the US military base. The facility near which the incident occurred is located in northeastern Syria near the Koniko and Al-Omar oil fields. The Syrian agency SANA noted that this territory is illegally controlled by the US military.
CENTCOM said that two rockets landed near Green Village in Deir ez-Zor without causing casualties. The Green Village military installation is located in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, within areas controlled by the SDF. Such attacks are often attributed to Iran-backed militias and factions, but are rarely claimed.
[JPost] This development represents the significant risk that the country's unrestrained atomic activity could bring about a global crisis. No shit?
International atomic monitors in Iran last week detected uranium enriched to levels nearly high enough for a nuclear weapon, according to a Bloomberg News report based on the testimony of two senior diplomats.
This development, emphasized by the monitors, represents the significant risk that the country's unrestrained atomic activity could bring about a global crisis.
Inspectors need, according to Bloomberg, to determine whether Iran intentionally produced the enriched uranium or if the concentration was the result of an unintended buildup within the network of pipes connecting the hundreds of fast-spinning centrifuges used to separate isotopes.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticized Iran on Wednesday, February 1 for making an undeclared change to the interconnection between the two clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, at its Fordow plant.
The production of high-enriched uranium by Iran at Fordow carries significant proliferation-related risks and is without any credible civilian justification, the joint statement said, adding Iran has not offered a credible answer yet to the IAEA's outstanding questions as part of its safeguards investigation.
Fordow is so sensitive that the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers banned enrichment there. Since the United States pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions against Iran, the Islamic Republic has breached many of the deal's restrictions on its nuclear activities.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
#BREAKING: The International Atomic Energy Agency is trying to clarify how Iran accumulated uranium enriched to 84% purity … a concentration just 6% below what’s needed for a weapon- two senior diplomats tell Bloomberg https://t.co/LG4cM0avqf
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.
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
...... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
...... Somalia's version of the 
...Arabic for 
...Arabic for 
...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 
Hezbollah
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
