Posted by: Frank G ||
09/09/2023 9:46 Comments ||
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#4
"I meant to do that..."
Right up there with "Hold my beer..."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/09/2023 10:00 Comments ||
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#5
My apologies. In my enthusiasm to reduce duplicate stories, I deleted the Mali report linked in the Bloid, instead keeping this one, which has additional information.
[8am] Local sources in Kabul and the northern provinces of the capital report that the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... have increased their detention of both former government military personnel and civilians in various parts of the country. According to sources, in just the past week, the Taliban have detained dozens of individuals from the provinces of Panjshir, Parwan, Baghlan, and Takhar. Sources add that the Taliban are detaining these individuals on various pretexts and releasing them upon payment of ransom. According to sources, the Taliban are subjecting the detainees to severe torture in their prisons to coerce them into making payments. Local sources accuse this group of extortion and call for an end to such detention practices.
Findings from the Hasht-e Subh Daily indicate that over the past month, the Taliban have detained at least 45 individuals in Takhar, 26 in Badakhshan, and more than 30 in Baghlan provinces. Most of those detained in Badakhshan are residents of the districts of Shiveh and Shuhada from this province. In Takhar, the majority of individuals detained are from Taloqan City, the scenic provincial capital. In Baghlan province, most of those detained are from the Khost district.
Continued on Page 49
1 TALIBAN BORDER GUARD KILLED IN WEDNESDAY’S TORKHAM CLASHES – Taliban authorities said that 1 border security member had been killed and 2 others were wounded in the gun battle that erupted on Wednesday at the border crossing. Pakistani authorities added that at least 4 Afghan children who had been acting as porters at the crossing had also been killed and 4 Pakistani nationals had been wounded. The Taliban claim that Pakistani border forces initiated the melee and several eyewitness accounts in the press seem to support this contention. The crossing remained closed for the second day after the events and both sides were negotiating to reopen the commercial transit point.
SITUATION IN CHITRAL REMAINS CONFUSED – Rumors continue to swirl on social media and in the press about the developments in North Waziristan’s Chitral after a large-scale attack by TTP militants on Pakistani security forces manning two outposts reputedly repulsed an attack. Many pro-TTP accounts contend that nearly 100 Pakistani soldiers/police have been taken prisoner and several towns have been ‘liberated’. Several photos of men in Pakistani Army uniforms who appear to be in restraints have surfaced on many websites. Pakistani reports claim that a major search operation is underway to try and capture those members of the TTP who were attempting to recross back into Afghanistan. A few videos were shared on social media that purportedly were taken in Chitral yesterday and depicted a TTP commander (Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud) calling on his followers to fight the Pakistani military.
AHMAD MASSOUD ADDRESSES THE UK PARLIAMENT, WARNS WORLD OF THREAT OF TERRORISM – The leader of the National Resistance Front and son of noted leader Ahmad Shah Massoud addressed members of the UK parliament on the anniversary of his father’s murder. He warned those in attendance that Afghanistan has become a sanctuary for both international and regional terrorist groups.
TALIBAN CLAIM TO HAVE ARRESTED A JAMIAT-E ISLAMI COMMANDER IN BADAKHSHAN – Local sources reported the news that Taliban security personnel raided the house of Sayed Abdul Hamd yesterday evening and placed him under arrest. Hamd is reputedly a senior commander of the ethnically Tajik group.
INTERNATIONAL EVACUATION EFFORTS RAMPING UP – Pakistan announced it had accepted an offer from Canada to evacuate as many as 6,000 Afghans who were living in the country. It appears Canada intends to resettle these people by the end of the year. France recently received several Afghan women and is being pressed to accept more under a program that would offer asylum to females from Afghanistan based on the policies the Taliban have implemented which curtail their human rights.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Parwan: An action attributed to the Front of the Unknown Soldiers was reported in Ghorband district yesterday morning. A force from this resistance group reportedly ambushed a potrol of Taliban militia and claimed to have killed 3 while a fourth man escaped. Jalalabad: A night operation was reportedly undertaken by and ALM strike force against a Taliban position near Adel Khel. The post was manned by 6 Taliban personnel. Ir is presumed they were killed in the action.
TORKHAM BORDER CLASHES, CROSSING CLOSED – Early reports suggest an exchange of fire took place between Taliban and Pakistani border security personnel on Wednesday. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Pakistan may have initiated the firing when Taliban border guards attempted to erect a checkpoint in the demarcation zone. As of publication, the gate remains closed and shops on both sides of the border were shuttered. There were no officially reported casualties. Local eyewitnesses say that both sides were negotiating to reopen the border. Pakistan is said to have sent reinforcements to the border crossing as an additional security measure.
TTP LAUNCHES LARGE ATTACK IN CHITRAL – A spokesman for the Pakistani military said that two of its security outposts in the Kalash Valley had been attacked by a large force of TTP militants. The spokesman confirmed that 4 Pakistani soldiers had been killed and that 12 TTP fighters also lost their lives in the action. Of note, the spokesman claimed that Pakistan had conducted surveillance of the forces as they moved from Afghanistan to aggress the Pakistani bases. For its part, the TTP claimed to have inflicted ‘heavy casualties’ on the Pakistani military and also claimed to have captured the outposts during the attack. Several rumors have circulated online that the TTP had occupied several villages and towns in the area and that they had taken approximately 100 prisoners during the melee. However, no evidence has yet been provided to confirm this information. Additional clarity will likely be forthcoming over the next twenty-four hours.
TAJIKISTAN BORDER GUARDS KILL 3 INFILTRATORS AT BORDER – A spokesman for the Tajik government said that its border security forces had engaged and killed 3 members of a terrorist group who had infiltrated the country from Afghanistan. The men were killed yesterday but Tajik authorities said they had crossed into Tajikistan on 30 August and were planning a terror attack that would coincide with the September 9th national holiday. It is important to note that the 3 men were identified as Tajik nationals. It was not clear which terrorist organization the 3 may have been a part of.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN COULD LAUNCH AIR OR ARTILLERY STRIKES – As many leaders in Pakistan have stated that yesterday’s TTP attack in Chitral likely originated in Afghanistan, it is entirely possible that Pakistan may launch punitive strikes on suspected TTP bases across the border. In the past, such incidences have forced a closure of the entire border and Spin Boldak Gate could be closed (Torkham remains closed due to a separate incident). Pakistani military forces were already repositioning along the border to reinforce outposts and military convoy traffic had reportedly doubled over the last twelve hours. While no definitive information has been received that an impending strike was being planned, we assess there is a reasonable chance it could occur.
POSSIBLE ARRESTS OF 2 AID WORKERS IN GHOR PROVINCE – Several rumors have been circulating that Taliban security personnel may have arrested 2 aid workers from the International Assistance Mission in Ghor yesterday. 1 of the workers was said to be an Afghan and the other was thought to be a foreign national. This information has yet to be confirmed.
FRANCE SPIRITS 5 AFGHAN WOMEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY – The 5 Afghan women arrived in France on Monday and were evacuated as part of a new program that was established by a presidential order that mandates special consideration be given to women who held important positions and/or who may have had close contact with Westerners. Women in these categories are considered to be especially at risk, not from arrest at the hands of the Taliban, but for having no future in the tyrannical system due to past work/associations. At least one of the women arrived with accompanying children. Organizers of the program say that France will likely evacuate more women in similar circumstances. The program was said to have been developed after an Afghan refugee NGO in France, Accueillir les Afghanes, called on the government to establish a protocol for women in dire straits.
SEVERAL ACTIVISTS IN THE UK CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE UK-BASED ISLAMIC SCHOLARS WHO RECENTLY VISITED AFGHANISTAN – About 50 activists representing academia, journalism, human rights, and civil society penned a letter to the British government decrying the visit as a Taliban-backed propaganda stunt that was intended to soften criticism of the regime. The signatories went on to call for an investigation into future trips made by such groups. It is not clear if there is a means of preventing such trips under current British law.
MORE JOURNALISTS SET FREE – After a widespread crackdown on the media in August 2023, the Taliban have slowly begun releasing those who found themselves under arrest. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) announced yesterday that 3 of the journalists had been released over the weekend and that 9 had been released since the August roundup began. The IFJ welcomed the news and called on the Taliban to release all others still in custody.
CONCERNS RAISED IN IRAN ABOUT A RUMORED DEAL BETWEEN TALIBAN AND 2 TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS TO CONDUCT SECURITY IN WESTERN PROVINCES – Security in Herat, Farah, and Nimruz Provinces could soon fall under the responsibility of Jaish al-Adl and the Rigi Network (two terror organizations) if reports from the Iranian newspaper, Jumohri-e-Islami are correct. Journalists for the paper said sources had indicated that a recent deal had been struck between the Taliban and both organizations to provide security in the three Provinces. It is not clear if their roles would be to augment Taliban security forces or to manage all security on behalf of the Taliban. Regardless of their roles, the news will likely make Tehran nervous as both organizations have been accused of planning and carrying out terror operations in Iran.
MORE CHINESE WORKERS TARGETED IN IED ATTACK IN PAKISTAN – The Balochistan Liberation Front has claimed credit for an IED blast that reportedly targeted a vehicle carrying several Chinese workers along the Karachi-Quetta highway Sunday evening. It is not immediately known whether any casualties occurred as a result of the incident.
PAKISTAN’S ANTI-CRIME OPERATION ACHIEVING RESULTS – The large-scale police/military operation across Sindh Province has turned in some impressive results since launching a few days ago. Street crime has reportedly dropped significantly and police have seized significant amounts of narcotics from several raids over the last forty-eight hours alone. Weapons, foreign currency, fake medications, and stolen cell phones have also been recovered. Citizens interviewed in Karachi appear to be grateful and are largely supportive of the operation.
GENERAL AMNESTY MUST BE HONORED - HANAFI SAYS – Abdul Salam Hanafi warned the Taliban rank and file that anyone found guilty of violating the amnesty for former government officials would be prosecuted on Sunday. The Taliban have been under scrutiny for reported violations of amnesty since virtually taking power in 2021. Several procedures to prosecute Taliban members who have sought retribution against former officials are being discussed at the International Criminal Court and in other judicial bodies around the world. A definitive report issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) last month claimed credible proof of serious human rights abuses against hundreds of former government/military members as well as 218 extrajudicial killings. While the Taliban has repeatedly claimed its members observe all the rights and privileges extended under the amnesty program, very few of its personnel have ever been prosecuted for these crimes.
A man shot and wounded a Christian priest in Eastern Pakistan after a Muslim man stopped him after a sermon and demanded he recite a Muslim religious text. The priest chose to recite a Christian prayer in response and was shot in the arm.
TALIBAN CRACKS DOWN ON PRIVATE VEHICLE USE AS TAXIS – Thousands of Afghan citizens have used their personal vehicles to supplement their income by providing taxi-like services throughout the country. The Taliban’s Ministry of the Interior plans to put a stop to the practice and warned citizens yesterday that a vehicle owner must obtain a license to conduct such business or face legal consequences. The edict presents a conundrum for the Taliban as many of their own security forces members have ‘confiscated’ vehicles owned by those from the previous government and often engage in the scheme to make additional money for themselves.
IRAN SAYS THAT APPROXIMATELY 6,000 AFGHAN NATIONALS REMAIN IMPRISONED IN THE COUNTRY – Iran’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement yesterday after several international NGOs called on the country to provide statistical information about those being held. The official report was unavailable but a spokesman for the Ministry said that over half of those in prisons had been convicted of petty crimes while the other half consisted of serious offenders and those awaiting trial.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Laghman: Members of the Afghan Liberation Front resistance group claim to have launched a night attack on a Taliban facility (possibly a courthouse) in the Daulat Shah district. The fighting reportedly continued for several hours. An ALF spokesman claimed that 5 Taliban were killed and 2 others were wounded during the fray.
4,000 PROSPECTIVE MEDICAL STUDENTS TAKE THE FINAL EXAM, ZERO WOMEN – As Afghanistan struggles with a ‘brain-drain’ of health care professionals, Universities are pushing to add more doctors into the ranks of the nation’s health care system. However, only men are allowed to compete for the positions. The head of the Afghanistan Medical Council said that it did not have a procedure that would allow women to take the exam and that a recommendation had been submitted to the supreme leader but was still not approved. Few believe the hard-liner Akundhzada intends to reverse the self-defeating policies regarding women’s roles in Afghan society.
AFTER RECENT TERROR INCIDENTS ALONG THE BORDER, PAKISTAN AGAIN CALLS ON THE TALIBAN TO TAKE ACTION – Pakistan said it had communicated to the Taliban that they must police the TTP on its side of the border. Officials at the Foreign Ministry invoked the tripartite agreement between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China to drive the point home to Taliban officials. Reports from Pakistan indicated that the Taliban had recently detained as many as 6 TTP suspects. The Taliban subsequently rejected these claims and the Foreign Ministry felt the regime needed to be reminded of their obligations under the trilateral agreement.
6 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN MAZAR-I-SHARIF FOR PLAYING MUSIC – The Ministry of Vice and Virtue announced it had arrested 6 people for reportedly playing music during a circumcision ceremony on Friday night. The 6 unidentified men were apparently still in Taliban detention facilities as of publication.
Security forces disarmed an IED that had been placed on a railroad track in the Sehrish Nagar area of Qasimabad on Saturday. Locals reported two masked men who were seen planting the device to police. Arrests have not yet been made.
Counter-terrorism officers arrested 5 female members suspected of colluding with ISIS-K in Lahore on Saturday.
STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT SAYS THAT OVER 840,000 AFGHANS WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR RESETTLEMENT ARE STILL WAITING – The US Department of State released a report on Thursday that broke down the challenges the Department has faced in dealing with the massive backlog as well as describing new procedures it was forced to adopt. The institution showed the sizable increase in applications it was forced to deal with and said that roughly 30,000 cases were pending prior to the withdrawal which has now skyrocketed to over 840,000 cases. The Department said that approximately 50% of the cases are rejected because they do not meet the requirements of the special immigrant visa program. The report concludes with several recommendations to improve the program.
MANY AFGHAN REFUGEES IN THE US NERVOUS ABOUT THE EXTENSION OF THEIR TEMPORARY IMMIGRATION STATUS – Many Afghans who were brought to the United States under the Humanitarian Parole program are being told their status will affect their employability if authorities do not act in the coming weeks. In addition to facing termination from their jobs, many will be forced to reapply for driver’s licenses which could disrupt their ability to support themselves and their families. Apparently, there was a significant amount of confusion after conflicting forms were sent to the parolees that were difficult to understand. State agencies are rushing to assist those requiring assistance but many states do not have systems in place to rapidly issue new state licenses and identification cards.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Kapisa: An NRF strike team struck the Taliban base in Pozeh Khamzargar last night, claiming to have wounded 2 Taliban security forces members. Kabul: AFF fighters claim to have killed 2 Taliban intelligence agents yesterday evening in the Shakradara area of Kabul.
THE ISIS-K RECRUITMENT STRATEGY IN AFGHANISTAN – Several sources in Afghanistan have assisted with providing clarity on how ISIS-K intends to destabilize the Taliban regime over the coming year.
1. A Revamped Strategy - ISIS-K has rejected the notion that it will be able to compete with the Taliban militarily. Apparently, this was an early hope in late 2021 and early 2022 but the efforts to mass-recruit followers resulted in significant losses at the hands of the Taliban. Thus, it has now pivoted to a more traditional role of targeting the Taliban hierarchy and critical infrastructure in a prolonged terror campaign. There was a schism between senior leaders within ISIS-K at the outset of the Taliban’s rise to power and those voices that felt that public opinion/sympathy would swell the ranks of the organization and, more importantly, would drive many Taliban and Resistance fighters to bring weapons, vehicles, and material into the crusade won out over those who preferred the more traditional footing. Also discussed at the meeting was the inclusion of Chinese targets in future operations as a perception persists that China is assisting the Taliban with counter-terrorism training and intelligence activities. However, specific targets were not discussed. The reversal in strategy signals a return to its historic role.
2. Recruitment Within the Taliban - The organization has prioritized recruiting mid-level Taliban members to gain access/information about the Taliban hierarchy. In a meeting that took place in Jalalabad in late March 2023, several proponents of this technique pointed out that senior Taliban leaders were becoming more openly corrupt and that mid-level leaders were fast becoming disillusioned with the direction of the regime. ISIS-K apparently had access to financial records from contacts within the Da Afghanistan Bank that detailed several questionable accounts and transfers on behalf of certain Ministers and those with ties to the Taliban which suggested some were involved in corruption. Consensus to adopt this strategy was reportedly achieved at the Jalalabad meeting.
3. Recruitment of Resistance Forces - Also discussed at the meeting in Jalalabad were overtures that had been made to the various Resistance forces over the course of 2022. Apparently, this was the key component of the organization’s initial strategy, as most felt the technical competence of former Afghan military personnel would be critical to engage with the Taliban in direct operations. Many of those in attendance at the meeting complained that the offers they had made to members of the Resistance had been rebuffed. It was decided to keep a few channels of communication open with two (unidentified) Resistance groups but that active recruiting efforts would be dropped.
INTEL SUMMARY: While much has recently been reported about the strength and capabilities of ISIS-K in Afghanistan, it is not clear what is fact and what is fiction. It appears the group has learned several painful lessons from the early adoption of mass recruitment and they have suffered significant losses from a far more effective than anticipated General Directorate of Intelligence over the course of 2022-23. If the information gleaned from the March Jalalabad meeting is accurate, it seems logical to presume that the group will focus on targeted assassinations of senior Taliban personnel throughout the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. To accomplish this, they will attempt to recruit disillusioned mid-level Taliban functionaries to aid them in their goal.
SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 9 PAKISTANI SOLDIERS IN KP – A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle rigged with explosives targeted a military convoy in Bannu. At least 9 soldiers were killed and 20 more were wounded in the blast. Reinforcements were ordered into the District and a search for possible accomplices was underway but authorities have remained tight-lipped about the tragedy so far.
Pakistani officials say that a senior TTP leader (Sharka Din aka Umar Khalid) and 3 additional TTP militants were killed in a clash with counter-terrorism forces in an Afghan refugee camp in Pishin. 21 other suspects were arrested in the operation.
Logar: ALM fighters claim to have attacked a Taliban convoy and a Taliban security checkpoint yesterday afternoon in undisclosed locations in the province. They claim to have inflicted an unknown number of casualties and to have burned three Taliban vehicles.
Three Taliban terrorists were injured in an attack by the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in Takhar province.
Around midnight last night, on August 30, 2023, freedom fighters from the National Resistance Front launched an attack on a Taliban terrorist base in the Rostaq… https://t.co/6ewNVx1veS
— National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@NRFafg) August 30, 2023
...in the Rostaq district of Takhar province. As a result, three Taliban terrorists were injured.
No damage was inflicted on the National Resistance Front’s forces during this operation.
Three Taliban terrorists were killed or injured in an attack by the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in Baghlan province.
The National Resistance Front’s forces launched a rocket attack around 9 p.m. last night, on August 30, 2023, on a Taliban terrorist base located in… https://t.co/xct2rp8tXQ
— National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@NRFafg) August 31, 2023
... a Taliban terrorist base located in the village of "Awr" in Farghabel valley, part of Khost district in Baghlan province. In this attack, one Taliban terrorist was killed and two others were injured.
In an attack led by the forces of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, two Taliban terrorists were injured in Kapisa province.
The National Resistance Front’s brave forces attacked an enemy base in the Puzeh Kham-Zargar area, part of the first district of Kohistan in… https://t.co/yjXLfSzKz7
— National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@NRFafg) September 1, 2023
... part of the first district of Kohistan in Kapisa province, last night, Thursday, August 31, 2023 . As a result, two Taliban terrorists were injured.
No harm came to the freedom fighters of the National Resistance Front in this operation.
In a counter-attack by the brave forces of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, Taliban terrorists were killed and wounded in Baghlan province.
In a counter-attack by the forces of the National Resistance Front in the district of Khost and Fring in Baghlan province, one… https://t.co/2oO54LbIzC
— National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@NRFafg) September 1, 2023
... in Baghlan province, one Taliban terrorist was killed and two others were wounded. This event occurred as the forces of the Taliban terrorist group were attempting to carry out their invasive attacks from the routes of Deh Lala, Deh Valley, and Kehzar Charkh-o-Falak, where around 8 o'clock tonight, Friday, September 1, 2023, they faced a counter-attack by the freedom fighters of the NRF and were forced to retreat after suffering casualties.
No damage has been inflicted on the forces of the National Resistance Front in this engagement.
7 Taliban terrorists were killed and wounded in an attack by the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in Takhar province.
The National Resistance Front’s forces attacked a Taliban terrorist compound near a crossroads in the vicinity of Baharak district, Takhar province, at… https://t.co/mDfKDJkfEZ
— National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@NRFafg) September 2, 2023
... Takhar province, at around 2 AM last night, Saturday, September 2, 2023, using light and heavy weapons. As a result of the attack, 5 Taliban terrorists were killed, and 2 others were injured.
During the approximately half-hour clash, no harm came to the freedom fighters of the National Resistance Front.
The National Resistance Front will escalate its targeted attacks across the country aimed at liberating the people and the country from the grip of terrorist and criminal groups.
[Garowe] The uncoordinated abrupt withdrawal of the Somali National Army [SNA] from various frontlines almost landed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in unfamiliar territory, details have now emerged, leading to possible disciplinary actions against some soldiers.
On Tuesday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud revealed that a number of soldiers have been summoned by the court martial where they will undergo trial over their unbecoming conduct, which is directly linked to their decision to abandon the frontlines without permission.
The government acknowledged "mistakes" in the plan for Cowsweyne by not securing supply routes to the troops. Officials now believe al-Shabaab
Continued on Page 49
[AFRICANEWS] A Malian army camp was targeted by a suicide kaboom in Gao on Friday, the day after a double attack blamed on jihadists which killed at least 64 civilians and soldiers in the north, where tension is growing day by day.
The army spoke in a brief message on social media of a "complex" attack in the airport area, meaning it involved different means. She did not provide an assessment, merely saying that "response and assessment (were) in progress".
Very few details are available. An airport employee contacted by AFP reported an attack carried out using two vehicle bombs, accompanied by shooting. The airport was closed, he said.
This attack comes against a backdrop of growing pressure from gangs on the state in the north in recent weeks, raising fears of an eruption of violence.
At least 64 people, including 49 civilians and 15 soldiers, were killed Thursday between Gao and Timbuktu.
The two separate attacks attributed to jihadists targeted the boat Timbuktu on the Niger River and an army position in Bamba, in the Gao region, according to a government statement which did not specify how many people died respectively on the ship and in the military base.
The Bamba attack was claimed by the Support Group for Islam and Moslems (GSIM or Jnim according to the Arabic acronym), a jihadist alliance affiliated with al-Qaeda,
...slightly more specifically, Al Qaeda in North Africa...
on the al-Zallaqa propaganda platform, according to SITE, an American NGO specializing in monitoring radical groups.
The army's response made it possible to "neutralize around fifty terrorists", the government said. Authorities have declared three days of national mourning starting Friday.
The Timbuktu, a boat of the Malian navigation company (Comanav, public), was targeted by at least three rockets in the Gourma-Rharous sector, between Timbuktu and Gao, according to the company which, with a few vessels, provides an important link on several hundreds of kilometers from Koulikoro, near Bamako, to Gao, passing through the major towns on the river.
Several passengers jumped into the water as soon as the first shots were fired, said a Comanav official.
The Timbuktu can carry around 300 passengers, Company agents said on condition of anonymity without commenting on the number of people actually on board.
Soldiers were on board as an escort amid the security threat in the region, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
A boat had already been attacked with rockets on September 1 in the Mopti region, further south, killing one, a 12-year-old child, and injuring two. The river link was used by different users, traders or families, and seemed safer to many than the road, said a Comanav agent.
The GSIM announced, at the beginning of August, to impose a blockade on Timbuktu, in a context of ongoing security reconfiguration around "the city of 333 saints" listed as a World Heritage Site.
The UN mission (MINUSMA), pushed from Mali by the ruling junta, has just left two camps near Timbuktu, Ber and Goundam, transferred to the Malian authorities. This takeover by the Malian state gave rise to battles with jihadists but also festivities with ex-Tuareg rebels.
Timbuktu, with its several tens of thousands of inhabitants on the borders of the Sahara, is one of the large northern cities that fell into the hands of Tuareg rebels, then Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... after the outbreak of the insurrection in 2012. French forces and Malians took over the city in 2013.
Courtesy of badanov, Regnum describes the location of the military camp as follows:
...in the Bourem region, an administrative unit of the Gao region in northeastern Mali.
On Friday, the Malian armed forces published a statement on Facebook reporting a “complex Kamikaze attack” on the airport area of a Gao military base with no further details about the casualties.
A day earlier, two separate attacks targeted a ferry on the Niger River near Timbuktu as well as an army position at Bamba, also in the Gao area.
The assaults left 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead, according to a statement by the Malian interim government.
[AFRICANEWS] Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni ...President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote... has reported that since December 2021, more than 560 members of a rebel group linked to 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.... have been killed in Uganda's operations.
This rebel group, known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), is based in the jungles of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... . They have been launching attacks in both Congo and Uganda.
With the permission of the Congo government, Uganda's military launched operations against the ADF to destroy their camps and capture or eliminate their fighters.
President Museveni recently stated that they have successfully killed 567 ADF fighters and captured 50 more. They also seized 167 pieces of equipment from the rebels, including submachine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
Museveni emphasized that the ADF is in a desperate situation, and their only option now is to surrender. He urged businesses in Uganda, such as bus operators, markets, and hotels, to be vigilant and register all customers to prevent potential ADF attackers from using their facilities.
In recent developments, the Ugandan police have discovered at least six improvised bombs that the ADF planned to use, including one recovered from an individual just outside a church. This underscores the ongoing threat posed by the ADF.
The ADF has been responsible for several devastating attacks in Uganda, including suicide kabooms outside a major cop shoppe and near the parliament building in 2021, which resulted in the deaths of seven people.
Additionally, in June of this year, a tragic incident occurred where 42 people, mostly students, were massacred at a school in Western Uganda.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/09/2023 00:00 ||
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[AFRICANEWS] Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni ...President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote... has spoken out about the importance of staying alert due to terrorism threats.
He's urging all Ugandans to be cautious when it comes to their places of worship and places for fun.
In a TV speech to the nation, President Museveni advised everyone not to let unfamiliar people enter their churches and mosques. If you see someone strange, tell the police about it.
He said, "Don't let anyone you don't know into your church or mosque. If strangers want to enter, ask them questions, keep them away, and let the police know."
He also mentioned hotels and lodges, saying they should take down the information of people who stay there. Make sure they show you their ID cards with their pictures on them.
President Museveni wants everyone to stay calm despite the threats from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) krazed killers. He assured people that the security forces are actively searching for them.
This comes after the police in Uganda stopped a kaboom at a church in Kampala and found five more explosives the following day. So, it's crucial to stay vigilant to keep everyone safe.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/09/2023 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Police say Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, snuck out of Wandsworth Prison earlier this week while working in the kitchen, apparently by clinging to the underside of a food-delivery truck
British police scoured a huge London park on Friday for an ex-soldier who beat feet from prison while awaiting trial on terrorism charges.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the search of Richmond Park in the city’s southwest, which involved two helicopters and officers on the ground, was connected to the hunt for Daniel Abed Khalife. The 21-year-old slipped out of Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning while working in the kitchen, apparently by clinging to the underside of a food delivery truck, police said.
Khalife is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base and of violating Britannia’s Official Secrets Act by gathering information "that could be useful to an enemy."
According to the BBC, Khalife is accused of trying to gather information for Iran, and has also been charged under the Terrorism Act.
He was discharged from the British army after his arrest earlier this year and had denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! His trial is set for November.
His escape has prompted extra security checks at airports and the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to La Belle France. But activity is focused on Richmond Park, 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of woods and grassland about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Wandsworth Prison.
Opposition politicians demanded to know how Khalife managed to escape from the medium-security prison and why he was not being held at a maximum-security facility. The Conservative government has said there will be an independent investigation.
Metropolitan Police counterterrorism commander Dominic Murphy said there had been no confirmed sightings of Khalife since his escape and described the prisoner as "very resourceful."
"He was a trained soldier — so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have," Murphy said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] At least seven people were injured in a shooting by unknown assailants in the resort town of San Felice Circeo, south of Rome. This was reported on September 8 by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
It is specified that the incident occurred at night. First, a gang of unknown people shot at passers-by with an air rifle on the embankment of the city of Terracina. The attackers drove a car and aimed at people from the window. The gang later moved to the neighboring city of San Felice Circeo.
It is noted that there were five shooters, they shot, aiming at passers-by at eye level. Among the seven victims were those who were wounded in the shoulder, neck, and ear.
“If they got into someone’s eyes, the person would go blind. Fortunately, not a single vital organ of the wounded was damaged,” a law enforcement officer told the publication.
The police managed to track down the car with the attackers in hot pursuit. During the arrest, one suspect managed to escape and is wanted. Two adults and two minors were detained. During a search of the car, police found, in addition to an air rifle, a utility knife, several metal bullets and two grams of drugs.
Investigators do not rule out that there could be more people who suffered from the actions of the group of suspects, so they called on all possible victims to contact the police and give evidence.
Earlier , Regnum reported that in the south of Ottawa, two people were killed and six more were injured as a result of shooting at a wedding. Guests claim to have heard about 25 shots. The dead and injured were among those invited to the celebration.
It was also reported that in the US state of Ohio, a police officer shot and killed a pregnant black woman. The police approached a 21-year-old woman who was sitting in her car in the parking lot, accused the woman of theft and demanded that she get out of the car.
The woman tried to leave the scene, the police opened fire. The car crashed into a store building. Both the woman and, as it turned out later, the child died.
[ANSA] An Afghan migrant stabbed to death a fellow Afghan migrant after a row in a refugee centre near Florence Thursday, local sources said.
The man then jumped out of a window and fled, they said.
The incident took place in centre run by Catholic charity Caritas withing the framework of Italia's SPRAR refugee reception scheme at Tavarnuzze, in the comune of Impruneta, in the province of Florence.
[Shafaq News] The Ottoman Turkish Ministry of National Defense reported on Wednesday that three members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) surrendered after fleeing from their camps in northern Iraq.
According to the ministry's statement, the three bully boyz beat feet from the PKK's camps in northern Iraq and turned themselves in at a cop shoppe in the border region of Habur, as reported by the official Ottoman Turkish news agency, Anadolu.
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[Dawn] Five alleged turbans of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain (TTP) were killed during an operation by 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... Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Aghberg area of Quetta, police said on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the CTD, an operation was planned over information provided by an alleged TTP terrorist, identified as Naseebullah, who was in jug.
The CTD added that during the course of an investigation, he revealed the presence of his associates in Quetta and divulged that they were "in advance planning of carrying out a terrorist activity in Quetta soon".
"An operation was planned and turbans were identified over the information provided by the arrested accused person who was nominated in FIR number 84-2023," the statement said.
Elaborating on the details of the operation, the CTD statement said when police were setting up a security cordon outside the TTP hideout, turbans opened indiscriminate fire and tried to escape.
"Two turbans tried to escape on a cycle of violence but the raiding party took precautionary measures and retaliated," it added. "Additional force was called and the fleeing turbans were contained."
As a result, the CTD said, four TTP murderous Moslems were killed, while the "arrested accused person" was severely injured by the firing of his associates.
"He was rushed to the hospital but he departed this vale of tears," it said, adding that a sizeable quantity of ammunition and explosives were recovered from the scene of the crime including one suicide jacket, five hand grenades, two pistols, one rifle, two cycle of violences, and kaboom.
The statement highlighted that the slain alleged turbans were involved in the killing of officials of the Eagle Squad and CTD in Kuchlak and Frontier Corps ...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and a..the Antwerp-based Salafist organization that had campaigned to introduce Sharia law to Belgium before single-handedly making Belgium the highest per capita supplier of jihadis to Syria in Europe. There was a big trial in Antwerp in 2015, but most of those convicted were in absentia...nti-smuggling operations.... personnel at the Kuchlak Bypass.
"This is a huge success for the CTD and law enforcement agencies as their efforts have prevented turbans from carrying out another terror activity in Quetta," it further said.
The statement concluded that further investigation was under way.
On Sep 2, the CTD said it had killed eight TTP and IS members in two intelligence-based operations conducted in Balochistan’s Quetta and Washuk districts on Saturday.
The counter-terror police had said the first operation was conducted in a mountainous area near Kurragi village of Basima tehsil in Washuk, a district bordering Iran.
As soon as counterterrorism officials cordoned off the area and launched the operation, the armed murderous Moslems opened fire and lobbed hand grenades, prompting the raiding party to take positions and return fire.
"A heavy shootout continued for an hour, resulting in the killing of five armed terrorists," the CTD spokesperson had said, adding that the killed murderous Moslems belonged to the outlawed TTP and had previously launched attacks on forces and citizens.
However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... three murderous Moslems had managed to escape under the cover of darkness.
[Shafaq News] The Directorate of Military Intelligence in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced on Friday the capture of five individuals linked to ISIS in the provinces of Baghdad and al-Anbar.
According to a official statement, the operations were conducted separately and involved extensive efforts based on precise intelligence provided by the Tenth and Seventeenth Divisions of the Directorate of Military Intelligence. These operations, carried out in collaboration with ground security forces, successfully set up ambushes at the Falcon checkpoint and in one of the areas in the Latifiyah district. These efforts led to the apprehension of five suspects.
The detainees are now in jug and will be prosecuted under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law in the jurisdiction of Fallujah and the Latifiyah district.
[ShafaqNews] On Thursday, a confrontation occurred between Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) members and a group of ISIS bandidos Death Eaters in the southeast of Saladin governorate.
According to a PMF source, a unit from the Second Regiment of the 88th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces detected the movements of ISIS members in the al-Sifuna area of al-Mu'tasim district, situated southeast of Tikrit ...birthplace of Saddam Hussein... . This led to an exchange of gunfire between the two sides.
Ultimately, the ISIS members retreated to remote areas without inflicting casualties or injuries.
The forces of the 88th Brigade are strategically positioned in areas marked by elevated security risks, particularly in the eastern part of Saladin and the southeast of Tikrit. Over the past years, they have faced numerous terrorist attacks and hostile actions, highlighting their persistent commitment to countering threats posed by murderous Moslem elements in the region.
[IsraelTimes] 10,000 rally outside court in Jerusalem ahead of crucial hearings; organizer says there’ll be ’chaos’ if judges nullify legislation; Smotrich: Don’t you dare invalidate Basic Laws
Thousands of government supporters rallied Thursday evening outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, encouraging the coalition to continue its push to weaken the judiciary ahead of crucial High Court of Justice hearings on the divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... judicial overhaul.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other ministers at the protest warned the High Court against striking down part of the coalition’s legislative package after the hearings, with Smotrich telling Chief Justice Esther Hayut that she had better not "dare" to overturn the law.
There were no official turnout figures, but some 10,000 people were estimated to attend the protest, lower than at previous pro-government demonstrations and far lower than the mass anti-overhaul rallies held in Tel Aviv every week.
Exposing the extreme nature of some the demonstrators, groups of them were seen donning stickers that expressed support for Jewish bully boyz such as Baruch Goldstein, who murdered 29 Paleostinians in Hebron in 1994; Amiram Ben Uliel, who is in prison for the 2015 deadly Molotov cocktailing of a Paleostinian family in the West Bank village of Duma; bad boy rabbi Meir Kahane; and former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin Yigal Amir.
Some being an undefined small number, some of whom will turn out to be far left agitators in mufti, there to make the real protesters look bad. The Times of Israel does like to dwell on the degeneracy of Israel’s deplorables, completely missing that Antifa is the core of the anti-judicial overhaul. And of course not to mention that the Biden administration and international Progressive billionaires are funding the anti-overhaul protests — the latest iteration of the rabid effort to drive Bibi Netanyahu and the right out of public life.
Many of the demonstrators carried signs with pictures of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Hayut and former prime minister Ehud Barak, with a caption saying “the ruling elite.”
[IsraelTimes] Saeed Nakhleh detained in Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah; Border Police officer lightly hurt in festivities near Bethlehem
Israeli forces arrested a senior member of 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 early Thursday morning in a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Saeed Nakhleh, reported by Paleostinian media to be the leader of Islamic Jihad in the Jalazone refugee camp, was detained during an overnight raid.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the report, saying troops detained two wanted Paleostinians in Ramallah and in Jalazone, including "a senior operative belonging to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization."
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-based Islamic Jihad did not immediately comment on the arrest, though over the past year, the terror group has launched rockets at Israel in response to members being killed or arrested in the West Bank.
The IDF said that during the raids in Jalazone and Ramallah, soldiers also confiscated military equipment and ammunition.
Paleostinian rioters hurled stones, Molotov cocktails, and an bomb at the troops, who responded with crowd dispersal means, the IDF added.
In a separate raid in the Dheisheh refugee camp, near Bethlehem, troops detained three desperados, and Paleostinians hurled bombs, stones, and Molotov cocktails at Israeli forces, injuring one Border Police officer. She was taken to a hospital in good condition, the military said.
In all, 18 wanted Paleostinians were detained during the overnight raids across the West Bank, the military said. They were handed over to the Shin Bet security agency for questioning.
[AnNahar] Clashes resumed in Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... 's largest Paleostinian refugee camp overnight, with heavy gunfire and shelling wounding at least 20 people and prompting residents of the camp and the surrounding area to flee on Friday.
There had previously been several days of street battles in the Ein el-Hilweh camp
...known to residents and neighbours alike as Ein el-Hellhole...
between Paleostinian 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.... ' Fatah movement and Islamist groups after Fatah accused the Islamists of gunning down one of their military generals on July 30. Those street battles left at least 13 dead and dozens maimed, and forced hundreds to flee from their homes.
An uneasy truce has been in place since Aug. 3, but festivities were widely expected to resume as the Islamist groups have not handed over the accused killers of the Fatah general, Mohammad "Abu Ashraf" al-Armoushi to the Lebanese judiciary as demanded by a committee of Paleostinian factions earlier this month.
A committee of Paleostinian factions in Ein el-Hilweh announced on Tuesday that their joint security forces would launch raids in search of the accused killers.
Maher Shabaita, head of Fatah in the Sidon region, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that the Islamist groups had launched an attack Thursday night in an attempt to forestall plans by Paleostinian forces to clear hard boyz out of schools they had been occupying in the camp.
By late morning Friday, the fighting had at least temporarily subsided.
The state-run National News Agency reported 20 people were maimed, including an elderly man, and transported to hospitals overnight. Shabaita said the maimed included three civil defense volunteers who came under shelling as they were working to extinguish fires.
There were no immediate reports of deaths. The public Lebanese University announced it would close its branches in the city of Sidon, which is adjacent to the camp, and postpone scheduled exams in light of the fighting.
Officials with the U.N. agency for Paleostinian refugees, UNRWA, could not immediately give information on the number of casualties or displaced.
UNRWA appealed last week for $15.5 million to repair infrastructure damaged in the last round of festivities in the camp, provide alternative education locations for children whose schools were damaged or occupied by bad boys, and give cash assistance to people who have been displaced from their homes.
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.
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote...
...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 
...Arabic for 
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
