Hi there, !
Today Sat 04/08/2023 Fri 04/07/2023 Thu 04/06/2023 Wed 04/05/2023 Tue 04/04/2023 Mon 04/03/2023 Sun 04/02/2023 Archives
Rantburg
533915 articles and 1862580 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 70 articles and 174 comments as of 18:43.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
Clashes between armed groups in Syria's Aleppo lead to casualties
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 [13] 
5 22:35 The Walking Unvaxed [12] 
0 [13] 
0 [13] 
0 [6] 
0 [17] 
0 [7] 
0 [15] 
0 [17] 
0 [10] 
0 [22] 
0 [11] 
0 [9] 
0 [15] 
0 [15] 
6 17:27 irish rage boy [7] 
0 [11] 
0 [16] 
0 [17] 
1 23:22 Blackbeard Brown3830 [14] 
Page 2: WoT Background
2 08:04 USN, Ret. [9]
0 [18]
0 [10]
0 [16]
0 [9]
0 [14]
0 [8]
3 06:22 Skidmark [7]
4 19:00 Frank G [17]
0 [14]
0 [13]
Page 3: Non-WoT
15 22:12 Blackbeard Brown3830 [9]
6 14:06 Rambler in Virginia [5]
0 [4]
10 12:41 Tom [14]
1 10:44 swksvolFF [9]
8 14:36 Shonter Thoting6421 [5]
0 [7]
1 06:29 Skidmark [7]
10 21:48 Beavis [16]
1 06:33 Skidmark [9]
7 15:20 Rambler in Virginia [8]
Page 4: Opinion
2 23:11 Blackbeard Brown3830 [9]
8 21:01 DooDahMan [13]
3 07:11 49 Pan [12]
9 20:07 Super Hose [9]
3 12:54 Abu Uluque [6]
2 08:46 NN2N1 [9]
2 13:01 swksvolFF [9]
12 23:50 Blackbeard Brown3830 [17]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
0 [7]
1 13:06 Abu Uluque [14]
0 [16]
0 [9]
2 20:22 Slish Angunter7690 [11]
0 [14]
1 12:33 Abu Uluque [7]
0 [12]
0 [5]
0 [7]
0 [14]
Page 6: Politix
5 20:32 Deacon Blues [9]
16 19:50 Super Hose [18]
9 12:05 M. Murcek [11]
2 10:10 DarthVader [11]
12 23:13 SteveS [9]
1 12:18 Super Hose [15]
2 11:11 swksvolFF [7]
1 12:37 Super Hose [5]
1 12:39 Super Hose [10]
Good Morning

Kasich: Trump Will Never Be President %u2010
%u2018Normal,' Traditional Republicans Won't Vote for Him
Wednesday April 5th, 2023

mary-brian-3
Sweden foils 'terror plot tied to Koran-burning stunt' as five people with 'links to international Islamic extremism' are arrested
CTO in Ingushetia demonstrates the
unpreparedness of the security forces for clashes
Top court rules against booting E.
Jerusalem Palestinian family after 32-year battle
2 soldiers injured, one seriously,
in suspected terror stabbing near Tzrifin base
Senior IS commander planning attacks
in Europe is killed in Syria, says US military
Ex-PM Ehud Barak admits on
Twitter: Israel has nuclear weapons
Terrifying rap sheets of the ten worst NYC criminals who were REPEATEDLY released by Manhattan DA Bragg as he focused on Trump indictment

Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan
Daily Evacuation Brief April 5, 2023
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
  • MAJOR COMBAT OPERATION IN NIMRUZ – Early reports suggested that a relatively small security operation had been carried out in Zaranj, Nimruz on Monday night. However, follow-up reporting arrived with video and audio files that confirmed a major battle occurred and appears to have stretched into Tuesday. The Taliban have claimed they faced off against ISIS-K but additional information indicates that former members of the Afghan Army were involved. Many casualties on both sides have been claimed with as many as 40 dead or wounded Taliban and 10 dead on the other side. Several arrests were reported as well but these have yet to be confirmed. Air assets were employed to MEDEVAC some of the Taliban wounded. Our initial analysis suggests the battle is the largest confrontation the Taliban have faced in 2023 so far.

  • BLAST REPORTED NEAR THE AIRPORT IN KABUL – Multiple sources reported a blast in Police District 9 (near the airport) at approximately 2000hrs local. The roads leading to the airport have had significantly increased Taliban traffic but details about the explosion are not clear and it may have been due to an accident.

  • THE UN IMPASSE – The United Nations ordered its staff to remain at home for the next two days while it attempts to unravel a Taliban order that was issued on Tuesday that bars female employees from working on various humanitarian projects. Women staff members were actively barred from entering offices in Eastern Nangarhar early on Tuesday morning. UN officials have said they have not received a copy of the order and are asking for clarification from the Taliban. All staff have been ordered to remain at home (both male and female). If the situation is resolved, UN offices would likely reopen on Sunday at the earliest due to the weekend. A Taliban decree issued in December 2022 banned women from working for foreign and domestic NGOs but has largely been selectively enforced.


CONFLICT TRACKER
Nimruz: The Taliban claim to have carried out a counter-ISIS-K mission in Zaranj late yesterday evening, The intense fighting lasted fir over an hour and several arrests were made. Sources say the Taliban suffered 3-14 dead and 18 injured, while eyewitnesses say approximately 10 gunmen were killed. It is not clear if the clash actually involved ISIS-K or former Afghan Army personnel. Radio intercepts of the Taliban operation dispute the official claims as well.
Balkh: A Taliban spokesman announced that last night’s raid in the province has resulted in the death of 6 ISIS-K terrorists. No details were provided and some are skeptical of claims that the dead were IIS-K. An accurate count of Taliban casualties was not provided.

NEXT 24 HOURS
BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES SUFFERED IN NIMRUZ, ADDITIONAL SECURITY OPERATIONS ARE EXTREMELY LIKELY – It is not clear who or how many combatants the Taliban may have squared off against on Monday and Tuesday in Nimruz, but we have confirmed that many casualties resulted from the fray. There are reports that additional Taliban units have been ordered to Zaranj and that even border security forces were being stripped to respond to the threat. At-risk Afghans in Zaranj and across the Province will see significantly reinforced Taliban units on roadways and in the air. After having lost so many of their comrades, it is possible they may seek to take vengeance on non-combatants. The Province has not been a habitual battleground for ISIS-K or the Resistance and the bulk of the Taliban deployed in the area are considered to be inexperienced. Historically, inexperienced fighters have a tendency to overreact and such actions can cause collateral damage. We recommend that at-risk Afghans shelter in place until the situation becomes clearer.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 03:29 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under: Taliban/IEA


Afghan Security Forces Kill 6 Key Daesh Fighters in Balkh Province
[KhaamaPress] The Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
Security forces in the Northern Province of Afghanistan, Balkh, killed six ISIS key fighters in a special operation late Monday.

Mohammad Asif Waziri, a spokesperson for Balkh provincial police, confirmed that in a special raid by the Taliban security forces, six key fighters of 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...
Khorasan were killed in Nahr-e-Shahi District of Balkh province on late Monday.

The operation occurred after one of the perpetrators was arrested on Sunday by the Taliban intelligence Department which was involved in several deadly attacks in the Balkh province, including the liquidation of Mohammad Dawood Muzamal, governor of the province.

The accused person allegedly said that he had contributed blast in the office of the Balkh governor, Tebyan Cultural Center and several others.

Earlier in March, the Taliban governor of Balkh, Mohammad Dawood Muzmal, was killed in the blast with two of his aide. Two days after the Balkh governor blast, a journalists’ gathering was targeted in Tebyan Cultural Center, leaving at least three people dead and more than 30 others injured.

ISIS, or the group also known as Islamic State-Khorasan, grabbed credit for both incidents.

Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, ISIS faceless myrmidons have been considered the main security challenges for the de facto government amid an economic and humanitarian crisis.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 03:03 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Horn
Al Shabab Infighting Escalates: Attack on Senior Foreign Leader's House in Jilib City
It’s always exciting when a jihadi group reaches the infighting stage. And lots of new names for the Rantburg archives, should they turn out to be interesting.
[Garowe] In a surprising development, the Al-Shabaab
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
terrorist group has attacked the house of one of its own big shots, Jabir, in Jilib city, situated in the Central Juba region. Jabir is an influential member of the group and is known to have originated from Kenya. His residence is located in the fish market of Jilib district in the Middle Juba region.

According to reports, murderous Moslems under the command of Mahad Karatey launched an assault on Jabir's house. Somali national TV confirmed that there was a direct confrontation between two factions of the al-Shabaab in the center of Jilib city. The infighting led to the death of five al-Shabaab murderous Moslems, while eight others were maimed.

During the conflict, foreign leader Jabir sustained injuries and was escorted from the scene by Al-Shabaab militia members defending him. Reports suggest that the murderous Moslems who attacked Jabir's residence aimed to weaken the foreigners who were opposed to the recently nominated Al-Shabaab commander, Jafar Sudani.

Simultaneously, there are indications that other murderous Moslems loyal to a former leader, Salman Muhajir, are planning to attack a prison in Jilib city. The facility, which is currently under the control of Bashalow, a close associate of Mahad Karatay, has recently detained several foreign murderous Moslems and leaders.

These imported muscle were captured by Al-Shabaab group leader Mohammed Amin in the nearby Kobsuuma area. Amin is known to have close ties with senior Al-Shabaab commander Mahad Karatay. The murderous Moslems are said to be targeting another foreign commander, Salman Muhajir, who is currently in hiding in areas under Jilib district control.

The Al-Shabaab group has been experiencing internal conflict since their defeat in battles across the Hiran, Middle Shabelle, Galgaduud, and Mudug regions. The recent infighting has escalated tensions within the group, potentially undermining their operations and overall unity.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 02:49 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Africa Subsaharan
Terrorists Abduct 10 Secondary School Students In Fresh Attack In Kaduna State
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Europe
Sweden foils 'terror plot tied to Koran-burning stunt' as five people with 'links to international Islamic extremism' are arrested
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • The five suspects with links to extremism were detained across three cities

  • Comes after Rasmus Paludan sparked outrage by burning Koran in January
Far-right journalist Chang Frick - who has links to Putin's Russia - is alleged to have paid the fee for the shocking demonstration - and promised to cover any damages he incurred as a result.

The activist wanted to 'mark some freedom of speech' by burning the Koran after the hanging of an effigy of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan near the Stockholm city hall provoked a strong response in Turkey. Sweden also condemned the stunt.

Riots erupted in Malmö in April last year after Paludan visited Sweden ahead of an election, intending to burn the Koran to drum up support for his movement, and previously in August 2020 when activists burned the Koran after Paludan was arrested.

Pauldan, who holds both Danish and Swedish citizenship, further infuriated the Muslim world by burning a Koran outside a mosque in Copenhagen a week later after doing so in Stockholm.

During Paludan's protest outside the mosque on January 27, loud music blared from inside the holy building in an apparent attempt to drown him out.

The politician, who has police protection and was then driven away by officers, said in a live broadcast: 'This mosque has no place in Denmark.'

The activist, who had police protection, was then driven away in a police car.

In his live feed, he said he would repeat the demonstration outside the Turkish and Russian embassies.

Paludan, who has previously been convicted for racist abuse, has been at the centre of anti-Islamic politics in northern Europe for several years.

He rose to fame with the launch of his far-right party Stram Kurs, which translates as 'Hard Line', in Denmark in 2017.

Meanwhile, his far-right party in Sweden received just 156 votes nationwide in last year's parliamentary election.

The lawyer and YouTuber is known for burning the Koran and for calling for the deportation of all Muslims from Denmark.

Paludan previously said: 'The enemy is Islam and Muslims. The best thing would be if there were not a single Muslim left on this earth. Then we would have reached our final goal.'
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Setting fire to the world's no affront,
Nor is forming a Popular Front,
And to boom a few Jews
Is a bit of a snooze,
But to burn one Korean is a stunt?
Posted by: Blackbeard Brown3830 || 04/05/2023 23:22 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Turkey's border guards shoot three Syrian civilians and arrest another on Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


India-Pakistan
Residences of two Hurriyat leaders among six locations raided by SIA in Kashmir: Officials
[GreaterKashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
] The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir carried out raids at six locations in central and north Kashmir parts on Tuesday morning as part of its investigation of a militancy funding case registered at SIA.

Quoting an official, Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com reported that sleuths of the investigating agency with the assistance of the local police and the CRPF carried out raids at six locations. The searches were carried out in the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara, he said.

In Srinagar, the searches were carried out at the residences of two Hurriyat leaders identified as Bilal Ahmad Sidique at Rajbagh and Bashir Molvi at Aloochi-Bagh.

The searches are being carried out in a militancy funding registered case under FIR no 22/2022 of cop shoppe CIK/SIA Kashmir, the official said, adding that further details of the raids will be shared later.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 03:01 || Comments || Link || [17 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies


Iraq
Kurdish Peshmerga member abducted by commandos forces in al-Sulaymaniyah
Trouble in Paradise?
[Shafaq News] In an alarming incident, a member of the Zarwani forces, a division of the Kurdish Peshmerga Ministry, was reportedly kidnapped by the Commandos forces in al-Sulaymaniyah governorate on Tuesday.

The Zarwani command issued a statement, asserting that on Monday evening, a Commandos force, led by Bafel Talabani, raided the house of Salah al-Din Jalal Ahmad, a Peshmerga member of the Fourth Battalion under our command in al-Sulaymaniyah organization office, without any court order or consent.

In a statement, the command condemned the illegal act and held the group responsible for disrupting the security and stability in al-Sulaymaniyah.

They urged for a halt to such behavior and stressed the importance of preserving the safety of the Peshmerga member.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 02:49 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service announces arresting four militants of ISIS
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli fighter jets strike Hamas weapons facility after violence, 350 arrested at Jerusalem holy site
[FOX] The Israeli Defense Forces launched an airstrike on a Hamas weapons facility on Wednesday, following a series of back-and-forth agitations between Israeli officials and Palestinians earlier in the day, officials said.

"Fighter jets recently attacked a site for the production of weapons and another site for the production and storage of weapons used by the terrorist organization Hamas in the center of the Gaza Strip," the IDF said in a statement.

According to the Israeli military, the attack was in retaliation for a volley of rockets being fired at them from the Gaza Strip.

"This attack constitutes an injury to the ability of the terrorist organization Hamas to strengthen and arm itself," the IDF statement added.
The Times of Israel adds:
Media reports indicated that the rockets were fired by the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
terror group, but the Israeli military holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from the territory it rules.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/05/2023 06:02 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


#2  Stay out of it.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/05/2023 7:59 Comments || Top||

#3  ...except to note that our domestic commies will whine about it after saying nothing about the fatal assault upon a Christian school.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/05/2023 9:18 Comments || Top||

#4 
Posted by: ACA JOE || 04/05/2023 21:14 Comments || Top||

#5  Gotta be quick to read am Aca comment.
Posted by: The Walking Unvaxed || 04/05/2023 22:35 Comments || Top||


Rockets fired at Gaza border towns following clashes inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
[IsraelTimes] IDF says 9 projectiles launched by bandidos murderous Moslems in Strip, causing no injuries but damaging factory in Sderot; soldier maimed in shooting attack near Hebron, is taken to the hospital

Terrorists in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip fired rockets at several towns in southern Israel early Wednesday morning, following festivities between police and Paleostinians inside the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Hours later, an Israeli soldier was maimed in a suspected shooting near the West Bank city of Hebron, amid heightened Israeli-Paleostinian tensions during Ramadan and the start of Passover.

The launches set off alert systems in Sderot and a number of nearby communities. Around 20 minutes later, further warning sirens sounded at a kibbutz in the area.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, five projectiles were launched in the initial salvo, four of which were intercepted by air defense systems. The military said four more rockets were fired shortly after, all of which fell in open areas.

The Sderot Municipality said one of the rockets struck a factory in the industrial area, causing damage. There were no reports of injuries.

In response, Paleostinian media reported Wednesday morning that Israeli forces struck targets in Gaza, after which sirens were again triggered in a number of southern communities. There was no immediate confirmation of the strikes from the IDF.

Prior to the sirens, the Gaza-ruling Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, terror group denounced the police’s actions at the flashpoint Jerusalem holy site as "an unprecedented crime" and urged Paleostinians "to go en masse to the al-Aqsa Mosque to defend it." People started gathering in the streets, with calls to head for the heavily guarded Gaza-Israel frontier for more violent mostly peaceful demonstrations.

Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
, another Gaza-based terrorist organization, similarly called for Paleostinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to go and gather around the mosque and confront Israeli forces.

Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....
’s front man warned Israel against "crossing red lines" at holy sites, saying this could trigger a "big explosion."

"We hold the occupation government fully responsible for any deterioration, and it must act responsibly and stop this absurdity, which will have dangerous consequences for everyone," Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement carried by the Ramallah-based PA’s official Wafa news agency.

Jordan, which controls the body that administers the Temple Mount, also denounced Israel, accusing police of "storming" al-Aqsa and assaulting worshippers. Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
’s foreign ministry issued a condemnation that used nearly identical language.

"The foreign ministry calls on Israel to immediately withdraw its police and special forces from the compound," the Jordanian statement said.

According to police, dozens of masked youths barricaded themselves inside the mosque atop the Temple Mount with fireworks, clubs and rocks following evening prayers, while locking the doors and placing barricades at the entrances.
That sounds like the work of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, the militant arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Israel. They regularly hole up in the Al Aqsa mosque with a stockpile of rocks and so forth for using to attack Jews who venture on to the platform or pray at the Wailing Wall below.
The force said in a statement that officers tried to convince those inside to leave but were ultimately forced to enter the mosque, where they were attacked with rocks and fireworks.

Police added that dozens of suspects were arrested and that "the rioters caused damage to the mosque and desecrated it."

During the festivities, an officer was struck in the leg by a rock, according to police, who did not provide any details on his condition. Paleostinian reports said dozens were maimed, many of them apparently from smoke inhalation.

"Unfortunately at the same time many police are working to allow freedom of worship while maintaining security, the law and [public] order... There are those who choose to riot and disturb public order. These same rioters are first and foremost harming the Moslem public which comes to pray at the mosque," the police statement said.

The violence at the mosque came after officers shot and maimed a 15-year-old Paleostinian boy in the nearby Silwan neighborhood late Tuesday. Police said the teenager was among a group of suspects who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at a security vehicle, with officers opening fire after they tried to open one of the car’s doors.

The suspect was in stable, pH balanced condition and taken to the hospital for treatment, according to police.

In the shooting near Hebron, the military said the soldier was taken to a hospital in Jerusalem after being struck by gunfire during festivities between troops and Paleostinians in the village of Beit Ummar. No word was given on his condition.

The IDF said troops were searching the area for suspects.

The Moslem holy month of Ramadan, which began last week and will end April 21, often sees elevated Israeli-Paleostinian tensions, with frictions already high this year in Jerusalem and across the West Bank following months of deadly violence.

Paleostinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank in recent months have left 15 Israelis dead and several more seriously hurt.

At least 86 Paleostinians have been killed since the beginning of the year, most of them while carrying out attacks or during festivities with security forces.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 03:18 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood


2 soldiers injured, one seriously, in suspected terror stabbing near Tzrifin base
[IsraelTimes] 20-year-old suspect from Hebron is arrested on scene in center of count.

Two soldiers were maimed in a suspected terror stabbing near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel Tuesday morning.

The two injured were in serious and good condition, respectively, and were taken to a hospital for treatment, the Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement.

Both of the injured individuals were said to be in their 20s.

Police said the suspected attacker was arrested and taken for questioning.

Central police commander Avi Bitton said in a statement at the scene of the attack that the suspect was a 20-year-old from the West Bank city of Hebron.

Bitton said the attacker was believed to have acted alone, after initial reports had suggested he may have had an accomplice.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from a terror group, it was welcomed by Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", which tied it to expected attempts by Jewish forces of Evil to sacrifice an animal at the flashpoint Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem ahead of the upcoming Passover holiday.

"We welcome the stabbing attack which is the first response to the war that Israel is waging in the al-Aqsa Mosque and the intention to make a sacrifice. What is to come will be even worse," a spokesperson for the terror group said, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

"Israel and the settlers will remain in a state of fear and lack of security," the terror group said.

A front man for the police told the Kan public broadcaster that the attacker had been "neutralized" by civilians on the scene.

Unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show a man held on the ground as he was handcuffed by an officer.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [17 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
4 Uzbek turbans tied up in Indonesia for propagandizing
[AfghanDigest] Indonesian authorities say they have arrested 4 Uzbek men suspected of belonging to the Katiba Tawhid Wal Jihad (terror group). The four appear to have financial support and are accused of spreading terror propaganda on social media platforms.

Who is Katibat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad?
Article dated 4/20/2022
[Syrians for Truth and Justice] The Uzbek jihadi faction based in Idlib recently designated a terrorist organization by the US

On 7 March 2022, the United States declared Idlib-based jihadi faction Katibat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad (’Tavhid va Jihod’ or KTJ) a terrorist organization. In addition to the US’s Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list Katibat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad was placed on the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
Security Council’s ’ISIS and al-Qaeda Sanctions List,’ meaning all UN member states are now required to implement an asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo on the organization and its membership. According to the U.S. Department of State this decision was due to the Katibat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad’s alleged affiliation with al-Qa’idah, its cooperation with several other designated terrorist groups such as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
(HTS), and it being linked to several attacks outside of Syria since 2017.

Katibat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad, also known as "Jannat Oshiklari" (’Lovers of Heaven’), ’Tavhid va Jihod,’ or KTJ, is a small jihadi organization primarily made up of ethnic Uzbeks and other imported muscle from Central Asia. The group was created at some point in 2013 or 2014 out of a jama’at of Uzbeks affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
and its ally Katibat al-Imam al-Bukhari, the largest Uzbek-run jihadi faction in Syria. The reasoning behind Tavhid va Jihod’s initial formation as an independent group is unclear, for it remained close with Jabhat al-Nusra ever since, formally pledging bay’ah to Nusra (and al-Qa’idah) in September 2015.

OPERATIONS
Since Tavhid va Jihod’s formation in 2014 it has operated across opposition-controlled Northwest Syria. Its fighters have participated in numerous battles fought against the regime over the years, from Jisr al-Shughur and Latakia in the west, to various fronts across Idlib and northern Hama, to Aleppo in the east. Most recently Tavhid va Jihod fighters have been seen manning the frontlines in Jebel al-Zawiyah, around the Aleppo-Idlib border near al-Atarib, and in the mountains of Latakia.

As with other small muhajirin factions, many Tavhid va Jihod fighters have combat experience outside of Syria and carry out various specialized tasks such as serving as inghimasi shock troops and or in sniper squadrons.

Like all armed factions in northwestern Syria, Tavhid va Jihod primarily operates Soviet-era Russian and Eastern European-produced weapons, either captured over the years from the Syrian army or bought on the Idlib black market. At times its fighters have been seen using Ottoman Turkish and American made weaponry.

These most likely stem from stockpiles of other groups in Idlib that have since been sold to or seized by jihadi factions. Tavhid va Jihod’s possession of such weaponry, including a plethora of Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) systems implies that it is relatively well funded, likely through clandestine donations by supporters over the internet. On at least one occasion Tavhid va Jihod has been seen operating a Suicide Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SVBIED). This occurred on 1 March 2020 when a KTJ fighter went kaboom! in a car kaboom targeting a regime position during the defense of Jebel al-Zawiyah.

MEMBERSHIP
According to a source of STJ’s within an Idlib opposition faction, Tavhid va Jihod’s members and largely reside in Jebel al-Summaq and in the Jisr al-Shughur countryside and maintain a distance from local civilian life. The source estimated that Tavhid va Jihod fields approximately 500 fighters, the majority of whom are ethnically Uzbek or Tajik, many from the Fergana valley. Ali al-Hamwi, an expert on Islamic groups in Syria placed the number higher, at 1,200, and told STJ that many of them gained fighting experience in Afghanistan, in support of the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
against the US military. One noteworthy aspect of Tavhid va Jihod’s membership is the group’s repeated claims to attract new recruits from abroad, a quite rare phenomenon since The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
clamped down on cross border traffic in and out of Syria beginning in 2014. These claims correspond with reports of Tavhid va Jihod recruitment networks still active in Central Asia.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 02:18 || Comments || Link || [17 views] Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Clashes between armed groups in Syria's Aleppo lead to casualties
[NPASYRIA] Heavy festivities erupted on Tuesday between a military group under the command of the so-called Abu Zayd Hassano, the director of the Molham Volunteering Team in the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo, and other groups affiliated with the Ottoman Turkish-backed Northern Storm Brigade.

An exclusive source told North Press that the festivities started after an altercation between an IDP from the town of Hayan in the northern countryside of Aleppo and another person who barged in with his car into an IDP gathering in the Molham camp east of the city to develop into a dispute.

The festivities resulted in casualties from both sides.

The source added that members of the armed faction assaulted one of the IDPs in the camp, causing serious injuries. The maimed was taken to the Public Hospital in Azaz.

Amid the high alert status of the Abu Zayd Hassano group from the town of Hayan, it evolved into heavy festivities between both sides. Later, military factions interfered to stop the conflict.

The festivities recommenced at dawn, leading to the death of two people and the injury of five from both sides.

The source noted that a curfew was declared in Azaz as a result of the festivities, whereas the Third Legion advanced military reinforcements to stop the dispute.

Mosques called for a ceasefire between both sides on Tuesday morning, according to the source.

The city of Azaz in the north of Aleppo has been under the control of Ottoman Turkish-backed opposition factions since 2012.

Areas held by Ottoman Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions, witness security chaos, including arrests, kidnappings, thefts, fighting and successive murders in light of the factions’ disability to maintain security.

Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [22 views] Top|| File under: Ottoman Proxies


Gunmen kill three Turkish-backed SNA militants in Sere Kaniye (Ras al Ain)
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under: Ottoman Proxies


HTS sends military reinforcements to Syria’s northwest city of Afrin
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)


HTS arrests seven people including a woman in the north of Idlib, northwest Syria, after al-Qaeda leader was killed
Responding to this story from yesterday?
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The General Security Apparatusof Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
(HTS, formerly al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front) carried out a series of arrests on Monday hours after the death of one of the commanders of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din (Guardians of Religion) by a guided missile launched from a drone likely to be of the US-led Global Coalition on the outskirts of the town of Killi in the north of Idlib, northwest Syria.

Hurras al-Din is an Islamist radical group established in Idlib, northwest Syria, in early 2018 as part of al-Qaeda’s global network.

An exclusive source of the General Security Apparatus told North Press that the arrests occurred in the towns of Haznawa and Killi and some nearby camps. They arrested seven people, including an Iraqi woman, Abla al-Rawi. The arrests ended on Tuesday at dawn.

The source added that the arrests were conducted based on information from cooperative sources in addition to looking into the criminal history and security behaviors of some civilians in the targeted area. The detainees were taken to Prison 106 in the city of Sarmada in the north of Idlib for investigation amid fears of a secret execution.

The arrests were ordered by Abu Maria al-Qahtani, HTS’ most notable security official, with the consent of the Shura Council, according to the source.

The HTS, founded in 2017, controls the city of Idlib using its Salvation Government as a political and administrative umbrella since
Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)


Senior IS commander planning attacks in Europe is killed in Syria, says US military
[IsraelTimes] Officials say Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was target of American dronezap, operation will temporarily disrupt terror group’s ability to carry out assaults

A dronezap carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member 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...
terror group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday.

The man killed Monday in the strike was identified by a US military statement as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri.
...but his friends called him Joe — after the president, donchaknow...
The military statement added that his death "will temporarily disrupt the organization’s ability to plot external attacks."

The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that one person was killed in a dronezap near the rebel-held village of Kefteen.

The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said it evacuated the man from the scene of the attack and he later succumbed to his wounds.

The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting al-Qaeda-linked holy warriors and senior members of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria.

Most of those killed by US strikes in the rebel-held Idlib province over the past years were members of al-Qaeda offshoot Horas al-Din, which is Arabic for "Guardians of Religion." The group includes hardcore al-Qaeda members who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
, the strongest Death Eater group in Idlib province.

In February, a dronezap killed two men, whom local deep thinkers initially identified as Horas al-Din members. The Observatory later said that one of the two killed was a senior member of the Islamic State group, which was defeated in Syria in March 2019.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Terror Networks
CENTCOM announces conducting 37 operations in Syria and Iraq against ISIS in March, resulting in the killing of nine militants and the injury of 18 others
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 04/05/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  To what purpose?
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/05/2023 6:15 Comments || Top||

#2  How to measure success. Percentage indicates serious failure rate.
Posted by: Slavising Unineting5672 || 04/05/2023 10:51 Comments || Top||

#3  37 operations, 27 operators reduced. I assume remaining 10 operations were against depots, etc.
Somebody at CENTCOM can't spin numbers.

So at $100,000/mission almost $4M was spent to knock 9 guys off the board.

"But these were important guys!"

Also assuming the knockoffs were clustered in groups of 2-3. So possibly only 3 of the 37 operations had any success. Terrible.
Posted by: Skidmark || 04/05/2023 12:09 Comments || Top||

#4  "But these were important guys!"

"The graveyards are full of indispensable men."

- Charles DeGaulle
Posted by: M. Murcek || 04/05/2023 12:11 Comments || Top||

#5  What the hell are we doing over there anyway!
Posted by: Spavick Speater7712 || 04/05/2023 15:58 Comments || Top||

#6  #5: yea why are we there? We were in Iraq and to what end? If Centcomwants a target how about iran. Thy declared war on us in 1979 by occupying our embassy. Oh, Val-Jar and Susan Rice have Centcoms/Bidens ear.
Posted by: irish rage boy || 04/05/2023 17:27 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
45[untagged]
4Islamic State
3Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
2Hamas
2Taliban/IEA
2Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
2Ottoman Proxies
1Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Pak Taliban (TTP)
1Sublime Porte
1Boko Haram (ISIS)
1[untagged]
1Govt of Iran Proxies
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1Govt of Syria
1al-Shabaab (AQ)

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

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

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

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

Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2023-04-05
  Clashes between armed groups in Syria's Aleppo lead to casualties
Tue 2023-04-04
  al-Qaeda commander dronezapped in Syria's Idlib
Mon 2023-04-03
  Car bombing rocks Syrian capital Damascus, state media says
Sun 2023-04-02
  ISWAP Terrorists Launch Midnight Attack On Nigerian Police Station In Borno State
Sat 2023-04-01
  California police union executive director ran fentanyl operation from home: feds
Fri 2023-03-31
  Gun control activists storm Tennessee State Capitol
Thu 2023-03-30
  Fort Campbell helicopter crash: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirms multiple fatalities expected
Wed 2023-03-29
  IEDs kill 10, injure 12 in Syria’s Hama
Tue 2023-03-28
  ISWAP Commander, Abu Muhammed, Allegedly Executes Deputy Over Military Attack On Hideout
Mon 2023-03-27
  Nigerian Troops ‘Storm ISWAP Hideout, Kill Commander, 40 Other Terrorists’ In Borno
Sun 2023-03-26
  Putin says Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
Sat 2023-03-25
  Syria, Saudi Arabia to restore ties after decade of estrangement
Fri 2023-03-24
  Finland to Grant Asylum to All Afghani Women and Girls
Thu 2023-03-23
  Saudi Arabia Postpones Return of ''Presidential Council''
Wed 2023-03-22
  Trump Grand Jury Session Abruptly Canceled


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.
3.144.86.134
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Background (11)    Non-WoT (11)    Opinion (8)    Local News (11)    Politix (9)