MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR FIRES BACK AT UK AMBASSADOR IN PAKISTAN – Anas Haqqani, Minister of the Interior for the Taliban lashed out at the statement made by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, who said that the TTP was attacking Pakistan from Afghanistan. Haqqani rebutted Marriott’s claims on social media and said that she had fallen victim to propaganda that terror organizations are receiving sanctuary from the Taliban.
IRAN FAR FROM ACCEPTING CURRENT RATES OF FLOW FROM HELMAND RIVER – After seemingly accepting the Taliban’s assertion that water levels are abysmally low and was affecting the ability to deliver on its commitment to Iran in accordance with the 1973 water treaty. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, went on the attack in a phone call with the Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, when he demanded the Taliban release more water to fulfill its obligations. Muttaqi reportedly invited his Iranian counterpart to Kabul for discussions but it was unclear whether the offer would be accepted. Clearly, the issue is not resolved and will likely affect Taliban/Iranian relations going forward.
AFGHAN SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER WHO FOUGHT WITH BRITISH FORCES AND WAS WAITING FOR EVACUATION DIES AFTER BEING BEATEN BY TALIBAN – An unidentified Afghan Army Special Forces officer succumbed to his injuries after being beaten and tortured by Taliban security forces personnel in a hospital in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. The name of the man has been purposefully withheld but is expected to be released in the coming days in an effort to urge British authorities to step up their evacuation efforts. The unidentified man had been arrested on at least two other occasions and reputedly suffered beatings and torture at the hands of the Taliban. A group that represents many of the Afghan wartime allies in Great Britain confirmed that the individual in question had applied for asylum under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) but could not verify if he had received approval for acceptance into the program. It is not clear how many former wartime allies have been caught and killed by the Taliban to date but reports indicate they are taking the brunt of the Taliban’s campaign of revenge.
TALIBAN LEADERS DEPLOY ADDITIONAL SECURITY FORCES TO THE BAND-E-AMIR NATIONAL PARK TO ENFORCE RIDICULOUS FEMALE BAN – The Vice and Virtue Ministry’s recent decree banning all women from visiting the popular National Park has drawn more international criticism from abroad and sources say that additional security personnel have been deployed to ensure compliance with the decree. Some rumors that a planned protest at the Park never materialized but the reinforcements suggest the Taliban are taking the issue seriously.
VIDEO OF RESIDENTS IN KABUL BEATING A TALIBAN FIGHTER SURFACES ON X – A viral video was released on X (formerly Twitter) showing a large group of men in an undisclosed area of Kabul setting upon a Taliban security forces member and beating him. No reason was provided for the act but the video clearly depicts the mob disarming the Talib and dragging him to the ground where he was kicked many times. While a few similar incidents have been reported in the past, very few have taken place in Kabul.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Laghman: An attack by a strike team from the Azadi Front (AFF) reportedly targeted the Taliban security checkpoint in the Daulat Shah district at approximately midnight, 2 Taliban were reportedly killed, 3 others were sounded, and a Taliban truck was damaged.
Local sources in Badakhshan province have reported that unidentified individuals hanged a 10-year-old child who was the offspring of a high-ranking local commander from the former government in the region.
Sources confirmed to Hasht-e Subh on Saturday, August 26th, that this incident occurred two days prior in the village of Ghazalew, located in the Shohada district of Badakhshan province.
The victim, identified as Motasem Billah, was playing in front of his younger sister when unknown individuals first suffocated him and then proceeded to hang him.
While the motives behind Motasem Billah’s tragic death remain unknown, sources claim that approximately two years ago, the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... had fatally shot the child’s father, who held a position as a local commander, in the Shohada district of Badakhshan.
As of now, the Taliban have refrained from providing any comments or statements regarding this matter.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had escaped from his bonds and overwhelmed his guard using the bludgeon the faithful Filomena had smuggled to him in the loaf of bread... on August 20th of this year, the lifeless body of another child was discovered within the confines of their home in the Jani-Khel district of Paktika ...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo... province.
A gang of eleven armed thieves raided the residence of Abdul Wase Gholebahari, the former security commander of the provincial police in Parwan province, making off with approximately 700,000 Afghanis in cash, as well as various valuable items.
Local sources have reported that this audacious event occurred on the night of Friday, August 25th, in Sabzi Khil village, situated in the Gplbahar region of Jabal al-Saraj district within Parwan province.
According to these sources, the masked thieves forcefully entered the house of the former security commander and subdued his parents. Subsequently, they proceeded to ransack the residence, absconding with the cash and other valuable belongings.
Further elaboration from sources indicates that the house is currently inhabited by only three members of the former Parwan security commander’s family—his father, mother, and sister.
It has come to light that the family of the ex-security commander has been enduring the pressure of extortion from these criminals for months leading up to this daring incident.
Of note, there has been a recent surge in armed robberies within Parwan province, often involving perpetrators utilizing the name and military equipment associated with the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... Just last week, another instance of armed thievery targeted the home of a resident in Miana Guzar village of Jabal al-Saraj district, Parwan province, resulting in the loss of 600,000 Afghanis in cash and the family’s precious jewelry.
[Garowe] The US Africa Command in collaboration with the Somali National Army [SNA] fired at the al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... Lions of Islam on Saturday, it has emerged, leaving at least 13 Lions of Islam dead and several others fatally injured, in the latest crackdown against the group which is stop dominant in Somalia.
Preliminary reports indicate that the US force unleashed a dronezap about 50 kilometers northwest of Kismayo ...a port city in the southern Lower Juba province of Somalia, at the extreme southern end of the country (always assuming Somalia can be called a country). It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.... , the regional administrative capital of Jubaland, killing the 13 bandidosDeath Eaters who were probably preparing to wage an attack against innocent civilians in the country.
The al-Shabaab have been dominating Lower Jubba for the last 16 years but the national army is in the process of unleashing against them, with the second phase of operations against the group scheduled to kick off in coming weeks. The operation will target Jubaland and Southwest states.
Lower and Middle Jubba are viewed as strategic areas where al-Shabaab has been making gains and once liberated, the country could be on the path to major victory. The regional troops have been preparing to face the Lions of Islam with the support of the national army and the US Africa Command.
Also actively involved in the operation are 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] troops, who work closely with other soldiers. The US Africa Command has been giving technical support to combat troops and in most cases, Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s are considered convenient.
[Front Page] Do we really need doctors from Pakistan?
There is still that contingent of the GOP which says things like "let’s pin a diploma to every foreign graduate" and "we need more H1-B visas so talented foreigners can come to America."
Let’s revisit the case of Muhammad Masood, a Pakistani doctor, who came to America in 2018 to work as a researcher at the world-famous Mayo Clinic.
Masood was named a Mayo Bronze Quality Fellow and conducted clinic trials. Then he joined ISIS.
Now he’s going away for a long time, at taxpayer expense, where he can conduct research in prison.
A former Mayo Clinic research coordinator was sentenced Friday to 18 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Masood’s attorney, Jordan Kushner, blamed his client’s action on mental illness. But Senior U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson told Masood that not withstanding those issues, "First and foremost, you are sitting in this court as a convicted terrorist. That’s the way it is."
Magnuson noted that before his arrest, Masood had said: "I will kill or be killed."
While the thrust of the case involves Masood trying to join ISIS abroad, there were mentions of terrorist attacks in America.
[GEO.TV] Muhammad Masood, a 31-year-old licensed Pak doctor, living in the United States on a work visa, was sentenced to 18 years in jail for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, ISIS.
"A Rochester man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, equivalent to 18 years, followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization," a blurb issued by the US Department of Justice stated.
The court documents showed that Masood was formerly employed as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, under an H-1B visa.
As per the official statement, Masood's activity from January 2020 to March 2020 showed his attempts to become a part of the bully boy outfit and provide material support in carrying out terrorist acts in the US.
"Between January 2020 and March 2020, Masood used an encrypted messaging application to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organization," the statement added.
It further stated that the Pak man made multiple statements about his desire to join ISIS and also pledged his allegiance to the designated terrorist organization and its leader.
"Masood also expressed his desire to conduct 'lone wolf' terrorist attacks in the United States."
On February 21, 2020, he bought a plane ticket from reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown ...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel... , Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with plans to travel to Syria from there.
However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... his travel plans changed on March 16, 2020, owing to the border closure by Jordan under the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... travel restrictions.
He then decided to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he would meet a person who he believed would help him with travel via a fat merchantman to deliver him to the territory claimed by ISIS.
On March 19, 2020, Masood traveled from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to board a flight bound for Los Angeles, Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,.
However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... he was eventually arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) upon arrival at the airport.
Masood pleaded guilty last year on August 16 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced him to 18 years in prison on Friday, after the completion of investigations by the FBI's JTTF.
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08/28/2023 00:07 ||
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[Rudaw] Internal security forces (Asayish) in Sulaimani on Saturday announced the arrest of two suspected Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) members in separate operations in the city of Sulaimani.
The pair were arrested on Friday "after collecting information and monitoring the location of the wanted suspects in two separate operations," the Sulaimani Asayish directorate said in a statement.
One of the suspects had fought for ISIS and been maimed, according to the Asayish.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/28/2023 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] Iraqi intelligence forces on Sunday announced that they arrested a suspected Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) member inside a hotel in the capital Baghdad who sought to provide information about security forces in Nineveh province to the terror group.
"An intelligence and technical team was immediately formed to track down the whereabouts of the wanted person" after receiving instructions from Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul-Amir al-Shammari, and security forces "were able to ambush and arrest him in a Baghdad hotel," said a statement by Iraq’s Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency.
After confessing his affiliation with ISIS, the suspect was arrested in accordance with Article 4 of the anti-terror law, according to the statement.
Article 4 of the 2005 Iraqi anti-terrorism law stipulates that anyone who participates in committing a "terrorist act," as defined by the law, shall be given the death sentence ...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead... , with life imprisonment sentences being handed out to those found guilty of intentionally concealing a "terrorist act" or harboring a perpetrator of the act.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/28/2023 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] A suspected Ottoman Turkish drone on Sunday targeted the vicinity of a village in Sulaimani province with no confirmed reports of casualties, a local official said. However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... a Kurdish counterterrorism force said three Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters were killed in the attack.
Gharib Ali, the mayor of Garmki subdistrict in Penjwen town, told Rudaw that "a Ottoman Turkish drone hit the vicinity of Zangidar village, which is affiliated to our subdistrict, but it is not clear if it caused any casualties."
However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... the Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), which often reports Ottoman Turkish attacks in the Kurdistan Region, said the drone targeted a vehicle in the village and killed three PKK fighters.
Earlier the same day, Turkish authorities reported the targeted killing of a senior PKK leader, "Qadri Injoo", known as the 'Postman', by their intelligence within Iraqi borders.
Injoo was reportedly instrumental in facilitating groups aiming to counter Turkish forces in areas like Kara, Zab, and Metina. The operation reportedly took place in Kurdistan's Kara.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/28/2023 00:00 ||
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[AlAhram] Israeli naval vessels escalated their attacks against Paleostinian fishing boats off the northern coast of 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 Sunday, according to the Paleostinian News Agency (WAFA).
The Israeli navy fired live rounds and tear gas canisters toward Paleostinian fishing boats operating off the al-Sudaniya coast in northern Gaza, forcing the fishermen to stop fishing, according to a WAFA correspondent.
Over the weekend, according to local sources, Israeli ships fired live rounds, water cannons, and concussion grenades at Paleostinian fishermen navigating 3-4 nautical miles off the northern coast of Gaza.
TARGETING LIVELIHOODS
The Israeli navy routinely harasses and intercepts Paleostinian fishermen off the coasts of the Gaza Strip, accusing them of involvement in smuggling operations or breaching the designated fishing zone and thus depriving them of their only source of livelihood.
Thousands of families among the 2.3 million inhabitants of the strip, who have been living under a brutal air, sea and land siege by Israel since 2006, depend on fishing in the Mediterranean as a sole source of income.
The fishing zone authorized by Israel extends only to the densely fished regions between six and 15 nautical miles (approximately 11 to 28 kilometres) off Gaza's coast.
In 2022, Israel seized 23 Paleostinian fishing boats - the highest number of boats seized by Israel since 2018 - after it accused owners of involvement in smuggling operations or breaching the fishing zone, according to the Paleostinian NGO Al Mezan.
Despite formally withdrawing troops from Gaza in 2005, Israel continues to exercise direct control over Gaza's air and maritime space and retains control over six out of seven of the strip's land crossings.
Overexcited tourists, Arab cousins come a-calling, or probe to gauge IDF response? Regardless, they’re lucky that they didn’t all become a lumpy mist spread over square yards of minefield.
[IsraelTimes] Man dies from apparent heatstroke while traversing closed military zone in seeming effort to enter Israel illegally from Jordan
A man died Sunday after being found unconscious in a closed military zone near the Dead Sea, as emergency personnel rescued several people he was with.
There was no immediate word from authorities on what the man, a foreign national, and the five others were doing in the area, but they appeared to have crossed illegally into Israel from Jordan.
Two members of the group were identified as Israelis while the rest were noncitizens.
According to police, the rescuers were sent to the area after the force received a report that people were in a minefield. After first responders extracted the five from the closed military zone, they found the unconscious man while searching the area and pronounced his death at the scene.
No cause of death was given but it appeared be heatstroke, with medics saying the others were suffering from heat exhaustion. Their conditions ranged from light to moderate.
Soldiers, including the military’s elite 669 helicopter-borne rescue unit, assisted in the rescue.
Question answered — it’s none of the options I thought of.
[IsraelTimes] Two people have reportedly been arrested in connection with a foreign national found dead in the Dead Sea region, suspected to be a victim of human trafficking.
The man, a Georgian national who is thought to have died of heat stroke, was found along with five others in a closed military zone in the region early Sunday and given medical attention.
The five included two Israelis from Bat Yam, who are being held on suspicion of smuggling the group of foreigners, two Georgians and two Sri Lankans, into Israel.
One of the pair of Israelis was rescued in serious medical distress, according to the Haaretz news site, while the others were listed as having only light injuries.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/28/2023 00:00 ||
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[Shafaq News] Security forces of the "Autonomous Administration" in Northeastern Syria have locked down neighborhoods in al-Hasakah City as inmates associated with ISIS began a revolt in the nearby Ghuwayran Prison.
As the unrest escalated, security was heightened around the prison, and local residents were advised to remain indoors, parallel to search operations targeting hidden ISIS cells. This security posture was taken in response to intelligence suggesting plans by ISIS cells to stage a breakout similar to last year's attempt.
On April 26, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported presence of two Global Coalition warplanes patrolling the skies over al-Hasakah city. This was accompanied by a widespread deployment of the Asayish security forces, which began at al-Bassel Square in the Ghuwairan neighborhood and extended to the al-Nashwa district. Passengers' IDs were checked as part of these operations.
SOHR sources indicated that the Global Coalition was conducting both ground and aerial drills to inspect weaponry and ensure that all personnel and equipment were in optimal condition.
Earlier, on March 31, SOHR reported a large-scale security movements involving both security and military forces near al-Sina’a prison in the Ghuwayran neighborhood, which holds ISIS detainees. This followed a thwarted attack by two ISIS operatives on the Asayish headquarters in al-Hasakah.
SOHR quoted sources noting ongoing efforts by security forces to transfer inmates between Ghuwayran and al-Shadadi prisons.
Shafaq News offers alternate spellings:
Guweiran Prison and neighborhoods in the city of Hasakah, northeast Syria, witnessed on Sunday a security alert with calls from the Internal Security Forces in North and East Syria (Asayish)
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/28/2023 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...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 
...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 
