[GoobjoogNews] The Somali National Army have inflicted heavy losses on al-shabaab snuffies in after a heavy battle near Baidoa city in Bay region.
According to government sources, the snuffies launched an attack at the national forces’ bases located at Wargaduud and Xanano areas located North of Baidoa.
The National forces however retaliated and thwarted the attack, killing an unconfirmed number of the snuffies in the battle that lasted for about two hours
The battle came as the national forces have intensified attacks targeting to eliminate the al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... snuffies from the South West region where the snuffies are still believed to enjoy some dominance.
#1
Conflict is hard to follow in Somalia because an insurgency exists in the north, center and south. Victories in the center are well and good, however, as long as the Oltre Guiba (the rebel safe-haven area south of the Juba River to the border with Kenya, and into Kenya itself) is unpacified Somalia will remain a nation at war.
[ShabelleMedia] Troops from the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the Somali Security Forces have stepped up joint patrols in the Barawe district in South West State to thwart attacks by the al-Shabaab ...... the personification of Somali state failure... terror group.
The Commander for Battle Group 38 from ATMIS Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) based in Barawe, Col. Christopher Berochan, says the joint patrols would provide both proactive and reactive responses to activities threatening peace and security in the Lower Shabelle region.
"We have redoubled our efforts in joint operations with Somali Security Forces (SSF) to combat threats posed by al-Shabaab in Barawe and its environs," said Col. Berochan.
He assured residents of the African Union troops’ continued support and emphasising that the battle group will continue working jointly with the SSF.
"We want to assure all in the district that ATMIS is working jointly with the SSF around the clock to maintain peace and security in the district," said Col. Berochan.
Located 210 km southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, Barawe functions as the main port of South West State and is one of ATMIS’ is within ATMIS Area of Responsibility.
Col. Berochan reiterated that teamwork would be critical in ensuring Barawe district remains safe to allow residents to continue with their normal lives.
His remarks were echoed by Barawe District Commissioner, Omar Sheikh Abdi Shafana, who stressed that AU troops and SSF must remain vigilant to thwart any planned attacks by the terror group.
"The importance of these patrols is to foil al-Shabaab’s planned attacks and we are determined to maintain the tempo and ensure that it doesn’t happen in Barawe," said the District Commissioner who also participated in the joint patrols.
The Barawe district has been peaceful since 2014 when it was liberated from al- Shabaab who used the coastal town as a launching pad for terrorist activities in Mogadishu and other major towns.
ATMIS and SSF have in recent times stepped up patrols after intelligence reports revealed heightened al-Shabaab activities in the Lower Shabelle region.
[Garowe] The Somali government says its forces killed scores of al-Shabaab ...... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all ofwhich have enough problems without them... murderous Moslems just a day after a truck bomb killed at least 10 people in the central town of Beledweyne.
Deputy Information Minister Abdirahman al-Adalah says the Somali army and local militia attacked the holy warrior camp in Caad village in Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... state.
The number of al-Shabaab fighters could not immediately be verified and the group has not issued any statement about the government’s claims.
The government also says its forces have retaken villages from the jihadists in the western Hiiraan region.
It comes as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Djibouti to discuss the fight against the al-Qaeda-linked group, which has waged an insurgency in Somalia for more than 15 years.
In recent months, the Somali government has intensified its military campaign against al-Shabaab but has recently faced setbacks in the fight in central Somalia.
Somalia receives military, humanitarian and training support from the US, whose forces also help Somali troops by conducting air strikes against al-Shabaab.
Mr Austin is on a three-nation tour of the continent. He has already visited Djibouti, where he met President Ismail Omar Guelleh and discussed regional security.
He is due in Kenya's capital on Monday to sign a defence agreement and then wind down his tour in Angola.
[Garowe] Two senior al-Shabaab ...... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... holy warriors surrendered on Monday in Somalia, Defence Ministry reported, in the latest crackdown targeting the group across the country, which is struggling with violent mostly peaceful extremism and instability for the last three decades.
For the last 10 months, the government of Somalia and partners have waged sustained operations against al-Shabaab in various fronts, triggering defections. Those who defect, are usually taken through rigorous psychological lessons before they are integrated with the families.
According to the Ministry of Defence, those who surrendered on Monday were Hassan Hussein Ali and Derow Moallim, who were holding relatively senior ranks within the group in Mudug region. The defection took place on Harandhere, a town which has been under the holy warriors for long.
"Today, former Khawarij members Hassan Hussein Ali and Derow Moallim Ibrahim surrendered in Harardhere, Mudug region," the ministry of Defence reported on Monday, while encouraging more youths who have joined the group to quit and walk the right path of state building.
"Citing unbearable conditions due to government offensives and air strikes as the reason, showing the effectiveness of SNA's efforts, they chose to lay down arms," added a statement from the ministry, which also lauded security forces on the frontline..
The defection comes a few weeks after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Galmadug state where he encouraged locals to join hands in the fight against al-Shabaab. The group lost huge swathes in Somalia during the first phase of operations against them, with 3,000 reportedly getting killed.
So often these things turn out to be false flag ops someone thought clever…
[GEO.TV] Swedish police are investigating a fire that burned down a mosque in Eskilstuna, central Sweden, as a possible case of arson.
The blaze occurred on Monday, causing extensive damage to the mosque, but fortunately, no injuries were reported.
In a statement on their website, the police said "The investigation into the fire is continuing. Police will question witnesses and verify whether there were security cameras in the area."
Police have not made any arrests and are currently seeking witnesses and examining security camera footage in their ongoing investigation.
"The mosque is almost completely destroyed, nothing can be saved," mosque front man Anas Deneche told AFP.
Deneche mentioned that the mosque had been targeted in previous incidents of violence over the past year, and his family had faced threats.
However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... he emphasised the need to wait for the police to complete their investigation before drawing any conclusions about the cause of the fire.
Very judicious of him.
Approximately 15,000 to 20,000 Moslems reside in Eskilstuna, making the mosque an essentially religious and community centre for local residents.
CALL TO BAN ACTS DISPLAYING OF RELIGIOUS HATRED
In July, the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... Human Rights Council approved a resolution on religious hatred, which was introduced by Pakistain on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The resolution called for the UN rights chief to publish a report on religious hatred and for states to review their laws and plug gaps that may "impede the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred".
The same month, the UN General Assembly adopted, by consensus, a Moroccan resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistain, calling for countering hate speech and strongly deploring attacks against places of worship, religious symbols and holy books.
The resolution, titled ’Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech’, won the approval of the 193-member assembly and stated: "Strongly deploring all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed against their religious symbols, holy books, homes, businesses, properties, schools, cultural centres or places of worship, as well as all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines in violation of international law."
[Dawn] Three bad boyz were potted by security forces in an operation carried out in the Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on the night of September 25/26, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the general area of Tirah, Khyber district, on the reported presence of terrorists.
During the operation, the ISPR said, an intense exchange of fire took place between the Pak troops and terrorists, which resulted in the killing of three terrorists, including commander Kifayat, also known as Tor Adnan, "who was actively involved in multiple terrorist activities against law enforcement agencies as well as the killing of innocent civilians".
It added that "sanitisation" of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other holy warriors found in the area. "Security forces of Pakistain are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism," the ISPR said.
The development comes as security forces continue counter-terror operations across Pakistain.
[GEO.TV] A day after the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order, authorities on Tuesday shifted incarcerated Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... to Rawalpindi's Adiala jail from Attock prison following high drama.
The PTI chief was shifted to Adiala jail amid tight security. An 18-vehicle convoy — including 15 vehicles of Islamabad police — two armoured vehicles and an ambulance escorted Khan from Attock to Adiala prison via motorway.
A day earlier, IHC CJ Aamer Farooq expressed his annoyance over keeping an ’under-trial prisoner’ in Attock jail instead of Adiala jail and directed the concerned authorities to move Khan — who is currently serving a three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case. — to the Adiala jail.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[19 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Shafaq News] Iraqi intelligence agencies has apprehended two "high-profile" Death Eaters in the southern governorate of Babel, an official blurb said on Tuesday.
The blurb said anti-terrorist units in Babel procured critical information regarding the presence of "Death Eaters implicated in many crimes, like murder, kidnapping, and forced displacement of numerous families."
"Acting immediately, an intelligence task force, accompanied by a specialized unit, planned an ambush. The first terrorist was apprehended sheltering in a residential area, while his associate was subsequently trappee and captured in one of the northern governorates," it said.
The detainees admitted their involvement in a plethora of armed activities, including the kidnapping, murder, and displacement of families, as well as active participation in combat against security forces during liberation operations.
The intelligence agency said the arrestees were the referred to the relevant judicial authority.
[Jpost] Israel on Wednesday arrested an Iranian-led terror cell planning to carry out terror attacks against Israelis and assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Shin Bet security agency announced.
The Shin Bet arrested five suspects, three Palestinians and two Israeli citizens, who were recruited by the Iranian regime in order to destabilize Israel's security, it said. Are they sure it was an Iranian (and not their friends in USG) plot?
The article has been updated since it was originally posted. As of 1:20 p.m. EDT:
IRAN TELLS ISRAELIS TO SET CARS ON FIRE
Kafr Dan resident Murad Kamamja met an Iranian citizen known as Hassan Zakharna in Jordan in 2022, who informed him multiple times that he was an Iranian intelligence asset according to the indictment. Zakharna asked Kamamja to smuggle weaponry from Jordan into Judea and Samara, and to create chaos by setting fire to vehicles and gas stations, breaking windows of businesses.
Kamamja recruited Jenin resident Hassan Mujarima, who was a prior acquaintance, who suggested they have Jenin resident Ziad Shanti join the cell. Shanti recruited two Israeli citizens, Yusuf Hamad and Hamad Hamadi, who were respectively from Mukiblah and Nazareth.
Hamadi was contracted and paid by Shanti to smuggle five infiltrators from Jordan into Israel in March. Hamadi met with Shanti for consultation for further smuggling, but turned down requests to photograph a senior police officer in Holon, transport drugs and ammunition.
Shanti contracted Hamadi in June to set fire to cars belonging to Jews and film the results. Hamadi, who was offered NIS 5000 per vehicle destroyed, sub-contracted Hamad to help him with the task for NIS 1000 per vehicle. Together, the two set four cars on fire in Haifa. The Shin Bet suspected that this was a test mission for further sabotage missions and to see if the Israeli operatives were willing to act on their behalf.
The Shin Bet said that further indictments over the next few days for the suspects detained by Israeli security forces.
The investigation illustrated Iran's efforted to undermine security, social, and political stability in Israel, said the Shin Bet, utilizing a modus operandi of using citizens with criminal backgrounds and enticing them with monetary reward.
This is not the first time criminal elements have been hired to facilitate Iranian espionage and terrorist action. In August four Arab Israelis were indicted for smuggling and distributing Hezbollah drugs and Iranian explosives. One of the suspects had intended to use one of the explosive devices for a criminal plot.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
09/27/2023 06:59 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[14 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
[IsraelTimes] IDF responds to 12th consecutive night of riots along security fence as Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, seeks to draw attention to its economic woes and put pressure on foreign donors, experts say
Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s hit several targets 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 on Tuesday, the IDF said, after Paleostinian protesters flocked for the 12th straight day to the enclave’s frontier with Israel for demonstrations that have devolved into violent mostly peacefulfestivities with Israeli security forces.
There were no reports of casualties in Gaza from the Israeli airstrikes, but Paleostinian health officials reported that Israeli forces shot and maimed 11 protesters during Tuesday’s rioting along the border.
The Israeli army said that it used a drone, helicopter and tank to strike multiple posts in northern and southern Gaza belonging to the Strip’s Hamas rulers in response to what it described as "violent mostly peaceful riots" at the security fence between Gaza and Israel.
The protests involve Paleostinians throwing stones and bombs, burning tires and, according to the Israeli military, shooting at Israeli soldiers.
Hamas, the terror group that seized control of Gaza in 2007, has said that young Paleostinians have organized the protests in response to surging violence in the West Bank and alleged provocations in Jerusalem.
In recent days, Paleostinians have also floated incendiary kites and balloons across the border into southern Israel, setting fire to farmland and unnerving Israeli civilian communities close to Gaza.
The unrest first erupted earlier this month, shortly after Hamas’ Finance Ministry announced it was slashing the salaries of civil servants by more than half, deepening a financial crisis in the enclave that has staggered under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for the past 16 years.
Under arrangements stemming from past ceasefire understandings with Israel, the gas-rich emirate of Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... pays the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip, provides direct cash transfers to poor families and offers other kinds of humanitarian aid.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it had begun the distribution of $100 cash transfers to some 100,000 needy families in the impoverished territory. Disbursements for civil servants’ salaries have suffered delays since May.
The sudden violence at the security fence has stoked fears of a wider escalation between Israel and Hamas, which have fought four wars and engaged in numerous smaller battles since Hamas took over the territory.
On Sunday, three Paleostinian terror groups announced plans to escalate their fight against Israel and to increase cooperation between them. Hamas, 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... and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine made the statement after a meeting of brass hats in Beirut.
The groups "stressed the importance of escalating the comprehensive resistance, especially the armed resistance, in the face of the Israeli occupation, and agreed to strengthen all forms of coordination between the three organizations on all issues."
But experts said that the violent mostly peaceful protests — which have persisted with Hamas’ tacit consent for nearly two weeks now — have more to do with Hamas’ efforts to manage the territory and halt its spiraling economic crisis than draw Israel into a new round of conflict.
"It’s a tactical way of generating attention about their distress," Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center, a Paleostinian research group based in the West Bank, said of Hamas. "It’s not an escalation but ’warming up’ to put pressure on relevant parties that can come up with money to give to the Hamas government."
Israel, he added, also seeks to contain the exchanges with its precise strikes on apparently abandoned Death Eater outposts — so far avoiding a mishap that could spiral into a conflict that neither side wants.
[IsraelTimes] Two Arab Israeli residents of East Jerusalem, Hadar Barani, 35, and Mohammad Nimar, 19, are charged with transferring money to the Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, terror group.
The two are charged in Jerusalem District Court with contact with a foreign agent and contributing to terrorist acts.
Prosecutors ask that they be held in jug until the end of proceedings.
[IsraelTimes] Police are investigating reports that an Arab man was stabbed by several Jews on the Bat Yam promenade on Yom Kippur eve, the Ynet news site reports.
The man was hospitalized in moderate condition.
The suspects expeditiously departed at a goodly pace and police are investigating the motive for the attack, Ynet said.
[IsraelTimes] Residents of Khorramabad said to hear ’terrible sound,’ feel the ground shake near Imam Ali underground base, which makes Shahab-3 missiles capable of hitting Israel
A suspected explosion rocked the area of the Iranian city of Khorramabad on Monday evening, with some unofficial reports speculating it could have been a sabotage operation in a nearby underground ballistic missile base.
Iranian media outlets affiliated with the country’s Islamic regime reported that a "terrible sound" was heard by local residents, who also said the ground had been shaking. "It was like Yoko Ono was singing! It was horrible!" However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... official reports said later that no earthquake had been recorded in the area, and authorities also denied that a kaboom had taken place, adding that the source of the disturbance was being investigated.
Situated some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Khorramabad is the Imam Ali base, one of Iran’s two underground missile silos, where former president Mohammad Khatami ordered the production of Shahab-3 medium-range missiles — new variants of which have a range of 2,000 kilometers and are thought to be capable of hitting Israel and of carrying a nuclear warhead.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that around 10 p.m. on Monday, "strong shocks accompanied by a terrible sound caused tremors in parts of the city of Khorramabad, causing panic and disrupting the peace of the people at night."
The report added that after it became clear that no earthquake had been recorded, "the occurrence of the earth-shattering kaboom became more prominent in the minds of the people."
Some observers, such as US-based Iranian-American Middle East researcher Erfan Fard of the Counter-Terrorism Center, suggested the incident could have been a successful operation by Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
Unofficial and unverified reports said the operation may have been conducted using attack drones.
Israel views Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... as its greatest threat and has repeatedly threatened to take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking such weapons and has vowed a harsh response to any Israeli aggression.
IRAN DENIES 'FALSE NEWS' OVER MISSILE-RELATED BLAST
Iranian media quoted officials in Lorestan, who allegedly expressed concern about “false news and speculation,” indicating that this may be a security and political issue. “We request the people of Lorestan not to pay attention to rumors and to receive news only from official authorities and media,” the authorities said.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against a Nuclear Iran, noted that “there have been mysterious explosions at Imam Ali Base before in Iran,” in a post on social media, referencing similar incidents that have occurred there, including in 2010.
#3
Alma Research: "In 2019, in light of several attacks against the [Imam Ali] base, Iran began digging tunnels suitable for the entry and passage of large transport vehicles such as trucks. These tunnels are apparently used to store heavy weapons. Towards the end of 2019, large-scale construction was carried out, and the base was expanded. Now, the Imam Ali base is built of three main complexes.
The area where the tunnels for storing heavy weapons were dug in the Imam Ali military base.
The first base compound is very significant in bringing weapons into Syria. There are at least 60 bunkers and large warehouses in this complex for, inter alia, storing ballistic missiles. The second base complex, closest to the border, contains air defense systems and platforms for launching ballistic missiles and rockets of various types. There may be crossborder tunnels into Iraq. The base’s third complex, the western one, contains air defense systems. Its main purpose is apparently to protect the other two compounds..."
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.
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
...... the personification of Somali state failure...
...... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all ofwhich have enough problems without them...
...aka 
...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
