Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Taher Abu Sariyeh

Islamic Jihad

Israel-Palestine

20040306

Iraq

Iraqi forces arrest three terrorists in Kirkuk and Al-Sulaymaniyah

2023-01-05

[Shafaq News] On Wednesday, the Iraqi forces detained three ISIS members, including a prominent official.

The Iraqi Military Intelligence stated that a joint force arrested a terrorist woman in the al-Zab district of Kirkuk Governorate.

The woman worked in the al-Hawija District in the Governorate of the so-called al-Hisba (ISIS' ~~inquisitors~~ religious police).

In addition, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service apprehended two prominent ISIS officials; the terrorist nicknamed Abu Sarah and Abu Sanad, in al-Sulaymaniya.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Three Palestinian women with Islamic Jihad ties charged for planned shooting

2022-11-10

[IsraelTimes] Suspects were arrested at West Bank checkpoint in August with loaded gun, had sought to avenge Israel’s killing of senior terror operative in Nablus, Shin Bet investigation reveals

Three Paleostinian women from Nablus with ties to 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 were charged this week over plans to commit a shooting attack against Israeli security forces in the West Bank.

On August 20, Tahrir Abu Sariya, Maryam Arafat and Alaa Abu Dhraa were detained by Defense Ministry security guards at the Eliyahu Crossing, near Qalqilya. A loaded makeshift "Carlo" submachine gun was found in the trunk of their car.

The Kan public broadcaster reported Tuesday that the cell, headed by 29-year-old Abu Sariya, sought to commit an attack following the killing of senior al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade member Ibrahim al-Nabulsi by Israeli security forces earlier that month.

The Shin Bet security agency confirmed the details of the report to The Times of Israel.

According to the Shin Bet’s investigation, Abu Sariya recruited the other two women before making contact with a terror operative 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 and an Islamic Jihad operative in Nablus, who helped them purchase weapons for the attack.

The trio allegedly filmed themselves wearing Islamic Jihad headbands and declaring their intention to die, and sent the video to the Gaza-based operative.

On the day of the planned attack in August, the three shot up a military post near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim after apparently spotting a soldier stationed there. However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt...
the gun jammed, and they expeditiously departed at a goodly pace, seeking another target, according to the investigation.

The Nablus women apparently got lost looking for another target, and ended up at the Eliyahu Crossing. The three women did not have permits to enter Israel, and their car with Paleostinian license plates would not have been able to cross the checkpoint.

The women were charged over the shooting and planned attack, and will remain in jug until the end of legal proceedings.

Link

Iraq

Five ISIS suspects arrested over planned attack on Erbil: security council

2021-07-15

[Rudaw] Five 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) suspects were arrested in Erbil who were allegedly planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the city before Eid al-Adha
...a major Moslem holiday, marked by animal sacrifice and ritual rioting...
, the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) announced on Tuesday.

"The directorate general of counter-terrorism arrested a terrorist group who was planning to carry out terrorist attacks before Eid al-Adha," the Security Council said in a video it published, adding that the group’s main target was the governorate’s building and a "place with a number of foreigners."

The group had picked out different places in the city and were planning to conduct a "suicide kaboom" in the governorate’s building located in the city center, according to KRSC.

"I joined the group in 2021 through Abu Sara," Abdulrahman Alaa who is known by the name Wisam in the group said in a confession video.

"Abu Sara asked me to conduct a security attack in Erbil, and I agreed. He [Abu Sara] then introduced me to an ISIS security official and then he [Abu Humam] asked me to find and specify some administrative and security areas in the city," he added.

Abu Humam is an ISIS security official that directed all five members to conduct the attacks in Erbil before Eid al-Adha.

Mazin Diyab, another member of the group, arrived in the city by the end of May where he met with Wisam.

"We went to the places that Wisam had selected, and then we chose the governorate building as a target," Diyab said in the video. "Then we decided to go to places that had foreigners."

"Abu Humam asked Wisam to find a place to hide the things at, and because Wisam lives in a farm on the outskirts of Erbil he said he would keep them there," Diyab added.

In June, Diyab met another member of the group and they went for multiple walks to monitor the governorate building in Erbil. They designated the building’s main gate as a target for the attack.

Mustafa Abdulnasr, known as Ayub, joined the group earlier this year through ISIS member Abu Hafsa who later introduce him to the official Abu Humam.

"Abu Humam asked me to meet someone called Abu Awad, and I met him in Erbil," Ayub said. "We monitored the governorate building for the last time at the end of June and we sent all the details, the number of guards, coordinates of the site, and photos to Abu Humam."

The group was expected to receive smuggled weapons and explosives through Syria as well as the jacket wallah.

"We were arrested before the smuggling operation," all five members said.

Another suspect was arrested in the city last week. He was planning to launch an attack against the counterterrorism headquarters in the city.

Link

Iraq

Counter-Terrorism Service delivers the final blow against ISIS in 'Southern Province', Statement says

2021-05-07

[SHAFAQ] Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service has arrested on Thursday an ISIS prominent leader in southern Baghdad.

The spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasool, announced in a statement that "Counter-Terrorism forces carried out operations in al-Radwaniyah, al-Yusufiya and al-Dora, south of Baghdad, and arrested the terrorist Abu Hanan, who works as the Emir of Hamza Sector / South Sector."

The operation led to destroying ISIS hideout and seizing ammunition and weapons in al-Yusufiya.

The Counter-terrorism forces also struck the central hideout of the "Southern province" in the al-Zaidan district of al-Radwaniyah, which killed three terrorists, Abu Osama, Abu Rabie, and Abu Sarah.

According to the statement, those ISIS members provided support to the suicide faceless myrmidons who blew themselves up on innocent citizens in Tayaran Square.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

SDF capture 8 more foreign ISIS fighters

2019-01-10

[Rudaw] Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured eight foreign ISIS fighters in Hajin, days after announcing the detention of five others.

The eight include citizens of the United States, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, and central Asia. The American is a minor.

They were plotting an attack against civilians and were seized during an operation on Sunday and Monday, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced in a statement on Wednesday.

They are identified as Soulay Noah Su (aka Abu Souleiman al-Amriki), a 16-year-old American; Lucas Glass (aka Abu Ibrahim al-Almani), a 31-year-old German; Bimuraev Begjan (aka Abu Sara), a 30-year-old Russian; Askar Zarmanbetov (aka Abu Dawoud Nougha), a 27-year-old Ukrainian; Sattibek Oshibaev (aka Abu Rouqaya), a 30-year-old citizen of Kazakhstan; Mohammad Dawlat (aka Abu Mohsab Tajiki), a 22-year-old citizen of Tajikistan; and two nationals of Uzbekistan: Adil Rahimov (aka Abu Amina Uzbeki), 58, and Farhad Qaderov (aka Bilal Uzbeki), 28.

The SDF are currently an estimated more than 1,000 imported muscle from over 30 different countries. Their fate is uncertain. Western nations are reluctant to repatriate their citizens, because of the potential security risk and problems gathering evidence to prosecute them of crimes.

The Kurdish administration in northern Syria has refused to prosecute the foreigners, as they are doing with local jihadists. They have also warned they will not be able to continue to hold their prisoners if ~~Ottoman~~ Turkish forces attack their territory.

Kazakhstan took back five of their nationals who had fought for ISIS, as well as 11 women and 30 children over the weekend.

The SDF are battling ISIS in the Hajin area of the Euphrates River valley. This is the last significant pocket of territory held by the group that once controlled large swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian Army Combat Summary

2017-09-02

[AlManar] The Syrian Army units achieved a new advance in their military operations against gatherings of ISIL terrorists in the eastern countryside of Homs.

A military source told SANA that the army units continued their successful military operations in the eastern countryside of Homs, establishing control over an area in a front that is 12 km long and 4 km deep north of Mannnoukh village on the outskirts of Jebb al-Jarrah area, inflicting heavy losses upon ISIL terrorists in personnel and equipment.

Deir Ezzor
Syrian and Russian air forces carried out on Friday intensive sorties against sites for ISIL terrorist organization in Deir Ezzor, inflicting heavy losses upon them in personnel and arms.

The military source said that Syrian and Russian air forces launched airstrikes on gatherings and fortifications of ISIL terrorists, destroying munitions, positions and vehicles for them in al-Thurdah valley, the surroundings of al-Panorama area, the graveyards and al-Rishdiyeh neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city and al-Bugheilieh and Ayyash villages in the western countryside.

The source added that Army units, backed by fire support helicopters, continue their operations deep into al-Badiya, establishing control over new areas and arriving at the administrative border of Deir Ezzor province from the direction of al-Sukhnah city ,about 70 km east of Homs city.

Hama
Army units established control over the villages of Salba, Rasm al-Mazare’, Zanouba, Tweina, Hesso, Mkeimen Shamali, Mkeimen Janoubi, Tibet Dkeij and Jeb al-Abyad in the eastern countryside of Salamiya area in Hama province.

A military source told SANA that many of the terrorists were killed and several vehicle equipped with machineguns were destroyed during the military operations, adding that engineering units combed the area to dismantle the explosives and mines planted by terrorists in an attempt to hinder the advance of the army towards the axes they escape to in al-Uqeirbat area.

Unofficial Major Development: Syrian Army liberates last ISIS stronghold in central Syria

[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has liberated the last Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold, ‘Uqayribat, in the central region of Syria, the elite ISIS Hunters reported tonight.

According to the report released by the pro-government unit, the Islamic State has left the area and the town of ‘Uqayribat is full secured.

Al-Masdar has reached out to the Syrian Arab Army for confirmation, as no official statement has been released by the military.

If true, this will be a major blow to the Islamic State, as central Syria will be fully under the control of the Syrian Arab Army.

First scenes of the Syrian Army inside ISIL’s last stronghold in central Syria

[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), alongside their allies from the National Defense Forces (NDF), steamrolled through the Islamic State’s (ISIS/ISIL) defenses on Friday to enter the terrorist group’s last stronghold in central Syria.

Video footage of the Syrian Arab Army entering ‘Uqayribat was released by the elite ISIS Hunters on Friday night; it shows the first moments the military was advancing inside this strategic town.

32 seconds of video at the link. Those of you who have done such things will glean more information from it than I did.

While several conflicting reports about ‘Uqayrbat’s liberation have been released, Al-Masdar was told by a source that the almost all terrorists in this region have fled through the eastern corridor of Hama.

The Syrian Army opened this corridor on Thursday night to encourage the terrorists to flee from ‘Uqayribat in order to avoid a long siege.

Syrian Army liberates two more towns in central Syria

[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued to make progress in the central region of Syria, today, liberating two more towns from the so-called Islamic State (ISIL).

Led by the Special Forces of the 15th Division and 4th Mechanized Division, the Syrian Arab Army attacked the Islamic State’s positions at the towns of Mu’adamiyah and Al-Khafiyah in the southeastern countryside of ‘Uqayribat.

The Syrian Arab Army would take full control of both aforementioned towns after the Islamic State terrorists withdrew in order to reinforce the area around ‘Uqayribat.

As a result of today’s advance, the Syrian Arab Army is now within 5km of ‘Uqayribat’s southeastern flank, which means they should be able to storm the Islamic State’s stronghold in the coming hours if they choose to.

Syrian forces liberate key 6 towns from ISIS near ‘Uqayribat over 24 hours

[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has liberated another six key settlements from besieged ISIS militants in central Syria near the terrorist group’s regional stronghold of ‘Uqayribat over the last 24 hours.

Capitalizing on yesterday’s advances in central Homs Governorate, the SAA secured an area of twelve kilometers by four kilometers north of the town of Manoukh, helping it to expand its zone of control south of ‘Uqayribat.

Meanwhile in eastern Hama Governorate, vanguard forces of the Syrian Army liberated the settlements of Rasm al-Mazare, Zanouba, Tuwynah, Hassou, Taibat Dakej and Jibb Abyad from ISIS. The taking of these towns have, in turn, allowed the SAA to expand its zone of control north of ‘Uqayribat.

The latest advance throughout eastern Hama in particular has fully secured the section of highway that runs between the garrison towns of Sheikh Hilal and Ithriyah from any future attacks by ISIS.

Syrian Army kills high ranking Lebanese commander of ISIL in east Hama

[AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA)killed a high ranking commander of the so-called Islamic State (ISIL) in the eastern countryside of the Hama Governorate, Friday, local activists reported.

The Islamic State terrorist was identified as “Abu Saraqah Al-Trablosi,” a Lebanese national from the city of Tripoli.

Abu Saraqah Al-Trablosi was killed by the Syrian Arab Army in the ‘Uqayrbat area of Hama; he was killed alongside several of his comrades.

With no actual rank given, we can assume he was at least a patrol leader.

Link

Iraq

Mosul Offensive News

2017-01-30

Islamic State chief decapitator stabbed to death in western Mosul

Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) Unknown individuals have stabbed to death Islamic State’s chief decapitator west of Nineveh, according to a security source.

“An unknown armed group killed on Sunday the Islamic State’s most famous decapitator, the so-nicknamed ‘Abu Sayyaf’”, the source told Alsumaria News. “The armed group ambushed him at al-Dawasa region, in the western side of the city, and stabbed him several times. He died immediately,” he added.

Abu Sayyaf was the leading decapitator in the group’s so-called “Nineveh State”, according to the source. “He had beheaded 100 of violators of the group’s rule, and had used to dump the heads at a well-known hole in al-Khasafa region.

Several assassinations and kidnappings of Islamic State leaderships have been reported since the Iraqi government launched a major offensive in October to retake the city of Mosul, the extremist group’s biggest stronghold in Iraq.

Security operations, backed by a US.-led coalition and popular militias, managed to drive the militants out of the eastern side of the city on January 24th, with at least 3300 members killed, and forces are preparing to invade the group-held west.

Iraqi police head to western Mosul, child, 3 militants killed by drones

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Federal Police commander said Sunday his forces began moving towards western Mosul to begin operations seeking to recapture that region from Islamic State militants.

Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat said Federal Police have completed their preparations for engagement in operations to recapture western Mosul.

In the west, local sources said drone attacks killed one child and three Islamic State members.

A source told Alsumaria News that three IS members, including a Syrian national nicknamed Abu Sarhan al-Souri, were killed in a presumed drone attack that targeted their vehicle near Islah al-Zerai district.

“Al-Souri is a leading (IS) security figure in western Mosul, and was behind many executions of civilians over the past months,” the source said.

Another local source told the network that a four-year-old child was killed and his parents were wounded by an IS-guided drone which dropped a bomb on them near al-Farouq district.

“The skies of the western side of Mosul have witnessed an obvious activity by Islamic State drones that fly towards the eastern districts,” said the source.

Police kill 9 IS militants south of Mosul, IS kill 4 PMU fighters in west

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi police forces killed nine Islamic State militants in southern Mosul on Sunday after a foiled attack, while the extremist group killed four paramilitary fighters in the west.

Maj. Zaid Taha told Bas News website that police forces foiled an attack staged by IS members from several directions at Hammam al-Alil, a district recaptured by security forces in November.

“The forces thwarted the attack, killed nine militants, including a suicide bomber, and arrested four Arab nationals,” Taha said.

Meanwhile, in western Mosul, army captain Bashar Udai told the website that Islamic State militants killed four members of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) after their booby-trapped vehicle stormed a PMU deployment in the strategic town of Tal Abta. Four militia members were also wounded in the attack, according to the military officer.

Iraqi joint forces and allied militias are awaiting orders from the government in Baghdad to begin an offensive against IS strongholds in western Mosul. Operations backed by a US-led international military coalition have managed to retake the whole of the city’s eastern regions since October.

Military officials predict a tougher battle in the west as the region is home to at least 750.000 civilians, a factor that had already slowed down operational progress at some occasions over the past three months.

Islamic State forces women to wear Afghan clothes in western Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh Province revealed that the Islamic State group is forcing women to wear Afghan clothes and carry weapons in western Mosul, Alsumaria News reported on Sunday.

The source said, “Leaders of the Islamic State group forced women in western Mosul to wear male Afghan attire, as well as carrying weapons to join the battle against security forces.”

“Meanwhile, members of the Islamic State executed three women, by firing squad, for refusing to join the combat against security forces in Refaei neighborhood, in western Mosul,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

Noteworthy, security forces are preparing to storm the areas in western Mosul, after three months of battles in the eastern side of the city and liberating it completely.

Army forces find mass grave containing remains of 27 Turkmens near Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An official source in the Joint Operations Command revealed that Iraqi army forces found a mass grave containing the remains of 27 Iraqi Turkmens in Rashidiyah area, in northern Mosul.

Colonel Thanon al-Sabawei said in a press statement, “Iraqi army forces discovered a mass grave, near the Turkmen-majority area of al-Kabba, containing remains of 27 men, youths and children.”

“The bodies have traces of torture, and the majority of them have ID cards,” Sabawei added.

“The Iraqi forces exhumed all bodies and transferred them to a health center near al-Rashidiyah area,” he further explained.

Airstrike destroys Islamic State’s headquarters in western Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) The international coalition aircraft carried out an airstrike on one of the Islamic State’s headquarters in the western side of the city of Mosul, while caused damage to the nearby shops and school, a source told Alsumaria News on Sunday.

The source said, “The international coalition aircraft bombarded, today, a headquarters of the Islamic State group, near a school in western Mosul.”

“The airstrike destroyed the headquarters completely, as well as inflicting significant damage to the nearby school and shops,” the source added on condition of anonymity.w

Link

Terror Networks

The Beatings Will Continue: Syrian Edition

2016-12-31

ISIS executes 1 in al-Bab

[ARA News] Aleppo – The Islamic State (ISIS) radical group on Friday executed a young man in the city of al-Bab in Syria’s northern Aleppo Governorate after accusing him of helping civilians evacuate the city.

Mustafa al-Hazouri, 24, was beheaded by ISIS on charges of smuggling citizens to areas beyond the group’s control.

“He was captured by ISIS militants while helping a group of civilians escape from al-Bab,” a local source told ARA News, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The extremist group publicly executed al-Hazouri in central al-Bab.

“They wanted to punish him because the group has banned the people of al-Bab from leaving the city under any circumstances,” another source told ARA News.

This comes amid fears of ISIS using civilians as human shields in al-Bab, where fighting continued between the group and rebel factions of the Euphrates Shield Brigades.

Last week, ISIS executed Abdulkarim al-Hassan, a truck driver, for trying to smuggle three families out of Raqqa. “Al-Hassan was caught by the militants near the western exit of Raqqa. He was hiding three families from Raqqa inside his truck, apparently trying to smuggle them to areas held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” local media activist Muhammad Murdam told ARA News, citing ISIS officials.

The pro-ISIS Sharia Court of Raqqa decided to execute and crucify the man on charges of treason and apostasy. In front of hundreds of people, al-Hassan was executed by firing squad and his body was crucified on an electricity pole, eyewitnesses told ARA News.

ISIS supplants local officials with their own

[ARA News] Raqqa – The radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) has promoted a number of foreign jihadists to leading positions in Syria’s northeastern Raqqa Governorate, to replace senior local jihadists.

The Islamic State named Abu Saraqeb al-Maghribi, a Moroccan, as Head of Security in Tabqa city in Raqqa Governorate, an informed source told ARA News, adding that al-Maghribi was promoted after the Syrian head of security in Tabqa was arrested by ISIS on corruption charges.

ISIS has also named an Egyptian, known as Abu Jandal al-Masri, as Chief of Information in Raqqa. Al-Masri replaced the Syrian jihadist Abu Ahmed al-Souri at the request of the ISIS supreme leader al-Baghdadi.

Furthermore, the group has replaced another Syrian official with an Algerian, called Abu Muhammad al-Jazrawi. Al-Jazrawi was named as Chief of Hisba –or Islamic Police.

Jawad al-Ali, a Syrian political analyst, told ARA News that promoting foreign jihadists to such leading positions “shows that ISIS no longer trusts its local members.”

ISIS has recently executed dozens of people, including its own militants, on charges of spying for hostile forces in Syria.

“The Islamic State tries to take some preventive steps in a bid to avoid any breaches in its security institutions in Raqqa [ISIS’ de facto capital],” al-Ali said.

“However, isolating Syrian jihadist leaders in this way may lead to a serious internal conflict within the group,” he told ARA News.

This comes amid an ongoing military campaign by the SDF, backed by an air cover from the US-led coalition, as part of the second phase of the Euphrates Wrath Operation for Raqqa. The SDF has so far captured over 1400 km² in western Raqqa within the second phase of the operation, that started on December 10. During the first phase of Euphrates Wrath, that was launched on November 6, the SDF captured roughly 560 km² of land in northern Raqqa.

The SDF launched the second phase of the Euphrates Wrath Operation with the objective of securing Raqqa’s western countryside and Tabqa Dam, which bridges the Euphrates River. The long-term objective of Euphrates Wrath is the elimination of the Islamic State in its de facto capital, Raqqa city.

Link

Iraq

Blame follows the bombs in Khurmatu

2016-06-19

[RUDAW.NET] Various groups are throwing around accusations of blame for the instability in Khurmatu following multiple kabooms in the town that killed two and injured twelve on Saturday.

Kurdish officials in the town believe the presence of Shia militias contributes to the insecurity and violence.

"Due to our problems with Hashd al-Shaabi [Shiite militia] in the past, we were watching them all the time and paid close attention to others. Those behind the kabooms benefit from tensions between us and the Hashd," said Hassan Baram, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official in Khurmatu.

Kurdish forces and Shiite militia have a history of problems in Khurmatu, located on the route from Kirkuk south to Baghdad. Deadly festivities between the two forces rocked the multiethnic town in April, killing at least 30 people. In May, a joint military force was established consisting of Peshmerga and Shiite militia to provide security for the town.

But there is a lack of trust between the two forces.

Shia officials reject the suggestion they are responsible for the lack of security and say that foreign hands are behind Khurmatu’s instability.

Abu Sara, one of the leaders of Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq, a Shiite militia told Rudaw, "Those who make trouble are not us. It is foreign hands because ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
, Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and many others sent their spies to create fights between Shias and Kurds and they urge the parties not to pass one day with stability. So we do not understand why our PUK brothers accuse us of instability and problems as they know ISIS is behind the kabooms. It is true that before there was a problem, but we made a deal and peace with the Kurds."

"I think ISIS, seeking Dire Revenge for their failures in Pir Ahmed, Zanjari and Habw villages, is creating these kabooms. We work together for the stability of the town because our religious and ethnic fellows are living in Khurmatu and it’s our duty to protect them," added Abu Sara.

The PUK believes that part of the problem is the plethora of militia trying to operate in the town that is too small to accommodate so many diverse forces. "All those different gangs are present in Khurmatu, causing instability in town," Baram said.

"Khurmatu is like a diversified and colorful military base. Such a small district cannot contain all those brigades, battalions, foreign and internal forces. The Kurdish authority should try to expel those forces from the town and the security of Khurmatu should be handed to the security forces," he explained.

The people of the town have suffered for so long and they just want the troubles to stop. "After 2003 we no longer had the Baath regime’s brutality around but then the PUK allowed the Shia militias into Khurmatu and now it became trouble for us," said Jasim Muhammed, a citizen of Khurmatu.

Today three kabooms hit Tuz Khurmatu in three different locations, at three different times. Two were killed and 12 maimed.

Link

Iraq

US increase intelligence cooperation with Kurds

2016-04-21

[ARA News] ERBIL – The Kurdistan Region’s Security Council (KRSC) took credit for providing intelligence to the US-led coalition that killed a senior military advisor for the Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul.

“On 16 Apr, in coordination with our Counter-Terrorism Dept, an airstrike killed ISIS senior member Imad Khaled Afer,” the Kurdish council said in a public statement.

“Also known as Abu Sarya, he was a close associate of the groups spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, and a military advisor in Mosul.”

“He was also responsible for ISIS operations in Mosul. The targeted CJTFOIR airstrike was conducted in Sahel al Aysa near Salam Hospital,” the statement added.

The US-led coalition has recently increased its intelligence and counter terrorism cooperation with the Kurds against the Islamic State.

The Kurdish Special Forces from the Directorate General of Counter-Terrorism (CTD) has carried out several joint operations with US Special Forces in Kirkuk and Mosul, and rescued a Swedish girl on February 17 from ISIS captivity.

Link

Terror Networks

Islamic State second in command likely killed - U.S.

2016-03-26

[SWISSINFO.CH] Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
's second in command and other big shots were likely killed this week in a major offensive targeting its financial operations, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday, the latest setback for the myrmidon group.

Carter told a Pentagon press briefing the United States believes it killed Haji Iman, a big shot in charge of finances for the self-declared caliphate, and Abu Sarah, who Carter said was charged with paying fighters in northern Iraq.

U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the briefing the deaths reflected "indisputable" new momentum in the fight against Islamic State.

U.S. special forces carried out the strike against Haji Iman, officials told Rooters. The original plan was to capture, not kill, him. But after the commandos' helicopter was fired on from the ground, the decision was made to fire from the air, said one of the officials.

Coalition soldiers rarely operate in Islamic State-held parts of Iraq, where there are no friendly forces to help if a mission runs into trouble.

Dunford said he expected to increase the level of U.S. forces in Iraq from the current 3,800 and bolster the capabilities of Iraqi forces preparing for a major offensive against Islamic State in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, but that those decisions had not been finalized.

"We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter said, using another acronym for the group.

The strike comes amid growing pressure on Islamic State, which is steadily losing territory in Iraq and Syria to U.S.-backed forces.

While the operational significance of removing Haji Iman from the battlefield is not yet clear, it is the latest in a series of strikes against the group's top leaders, including Abu Omar al-Shishani, described by the Pentagon as the group's "minister of war," and a senior Islamic State chemical weapons operative captured by Iraq-based U.S. commandos and turned over to the Iraqi government.

Carter said the killing of Haji Iman, who also went by Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and other aliases and who was imprisoned in the region until 2012, would hamper the group's ability to operate inside and outside of Iraq and Syria. But he conceded that alone was not sufficient to cripple it.

"These leaders have been around for a long time. They are senior, they're experienced, and so eliminating them is an important objective and it achieves an important result," he said. "But they will be replaced and we'll continue to go after their leadership and other aspects of their capability."

An Nahar adds:

Al-Qaduli was born in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, according to Iraqi security sources. He was in Afghanistan in the late 1990s.

He joined al-Qaeda in 2004, and became a deputy to the feared Qaeda chief in Iraq, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in 2006 by an American drone strike.

Al-Qaduli was captured and imprisoned, but joined the Islamic State group in Syria after he was freed in 2012.

Link

Africa North

Egypt Arrests Suspect over Threats to American Schools

2014-11-09

[An Nahar] Egypt on Saturday announced the arrest of a U.S.-Egyptian citizen accused of having posted on jihadist websites a threat to attack American and other international schools in the region.

At the end of October, U.S. embassies in the Gulf states of Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the mission in Egypt, called for vigilance over a threat to American schools there.

Egypt's interior ministry, in a statement on its official Facebook page, said Alsayyed Abu Saree, 60, was behind the threats and had been locked away
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
, although it did not say when.

The suspect "posted a call through jihadist websites for attacks targeting government and foreign interests... including against foreign teachers at American and international schools in the country", it said.

Interior ministry front man Hani Abdel Latif told Agence La Belle France-Presse the suspect was arrested in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, and that he holds both U.S. and Egyptian citizenship.

He also holds a certificate to teach at American schools around the world and has lived in the United States for 27 years.

In October, the American embassy in Riyadh posted a warning saying that an anonymous jihadist post specifically mentioned schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Maadi, an upmarket Cairo suburb.

A similar message issued by the embassy in Cairo said the mission was "working with local schools identified with the United States or that have high concentrations of American teachers or students to review and enhance their security posture."

It also said "Americans residing in or visiting Egypt should remain vigilant regarding their personal security and alert to local security developments."

However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
the warnings issued at the end of October also stressed that no specific threat had been identified.

Link

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