[Rudaw] Seven major oil-producing countries, including Iraq, agreed Sunday to maintain their current production targets through December, as the regional war continues to disrupt global energy supplies and Baghdad seeks to increase oil exports through alternative routes.
"The seven participating countries decided to maintain September 2026 required production for December 2026," the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said in a statement following a virtual meeting.
The seven OPEC+ countries - Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman - also reaffirmed their commitment to complying with their agreed production levels and scheduled their next meeting for November 29.
The decision comes amid continued disruptions to energy exports caused by the regional war that erupted between the US and 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... in late February, with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz significantly affected. Oil-producing countries have been working to restore oil shipments to pre-war levels while navigating uncertainty over global supplies and prices.
Brent crude settled near $118 per barrel on Friday, its highest level since April, according to Rooters.
OPEC+ is also reviewing members' production capacities ahead of negotiations over output targets for 2027. Iraq has reportedly sought a higher production baseline of six million barrels per day, which could allow Baghdad to secure a larger quota next year.
Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats grabbed for his rosco... Iraq is working to increase exports through the Kurdistan Region's pipeline to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... member, but not the most reliable... 's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.
Baz Karim Barzanji, Chairman of KAR Group - an Iraqi-Kurdish oil company - announced on Saturday that oil exports Iraq's State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) sold through the pipeline had doubled from 250,000 to 500,000 barrels per day.
Barzanji said that if the pipeline reaches its maximum export capacity of one million barrels per day, approximately 33 percent of Iraq's total oil exports could reach international markets through the Kurdistan Region.
However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesperson Salim al-Rukabi told Rudaw's Malik Mohammed on Saturday that shipments through the pipeline fluctuate between 300,000 and 400,000 barrels per day, depending on production in the Kurdistan Region and crude transported from southern Iraq.
He added that Baghdad plans to sign another transport contract to move larger quantities of southern crude northward by tanker trucks to increase exports through the pipeline.
Separately, Barzanji announced the completion of the Kurdistan Region's interconnected natural gas pipeline network, extending from the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province to Duhok.
The network allows gas produced in the Region to reach power stations, factories, and industrial facilities directly, marking what Barzanji described as an important step toward strengthening energy security and industrial development.
[Dawn] Pakistain witnessed a significant improvement in several key security indicators during October, with terrorist attacks declining by 37 per cent compared with September, it emerged on Sunday.
According to statistics released by the Islamabad-based Pakistain Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the country experienced 143 terrorist attacks during October, compared with 226 in September. The decline reversed two consecutive months of increasing terrorist violence.
The improvement was particularly pronounced in 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... and mainland Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while suicide kabooms also declined substantially. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... an increase in kidnappings, particularly in Balochistan, remained a major area of concern.
Data gathered by PICSS showed that terrorist attacks claimed 111 lives in October, compared with 260 in September, representing a reduction of 57pc. The number of people injured in these attacks dropped even more sharply, from 242 to just 69, a decline of 71pc.
The improvement in the security situation was also reflected in the overall human cost of violence.
According to PICSS, terrorist attacks and security forces’ counterterrorism operations collectively resulted in deaths of 53 security forces personnel, 45 civilians and five peace committee members, while 169 bad boyz were potted.
The 71 injured included 29 security forces personnel, 11 peace committee members, and 31 civilians.
A rolling 12-month comparison conducted by PICSS revealed several encouraging developments. Injuries resulting from terrorist attacks fell to their lowest monthly level in the past year. The combined number of injuries from terrorist attacks and security operations also reached a 12-month low, as did injuries among security forces personnel.
The number of suicide attacks was jointly the lowest recorded during the same period. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... the number of Death Eaters killed, at 169, was also the lowest monthly figure in the past 12 months, reflecting a decline in terrorist fatalities, the report noted.
Suicide attacks declined sharply during October, with only one such incident, compared with three in September. The October incident involved a vehicle-borne suicide attack but caused no fatalities or injuries.
In contrast, the three suicide attacks recorded in September, including two vehicle-borne attacks, resulted in 45 deaths and 138 injuries. Consequently, fatalities and injuries from suicide attacks both declined by 100pc during October.
According to PICSS, continued counterterrorism operations across the country by security forces resulted in the killing of 156 Death Eaters and the arrest of seven suspected Death Eaters during October. Two security forces personnel and three civilians bit the dust during these operations, while two security forces personnel were maimed.
BALOCHISTAN
Balochistan recorded one of the most significant improvements, with terrorist attacks declining by 46pc, from 132 in September to 71 in October. Fatalities from terrorist attacks dropped from 136 to 44, representing a reduction of approximately 68pc, while injuries declined from 63 to 37, a decrease of 41pc.
Separately, security forces’ operations in the province resulted in the killing of 79 terrorists.
Three civilians bit the dust, and two security forces personnel were maimed during these operations.
In October, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had confirmed that an army major was martyred in an improvised bomb (IED) attack in Balochistan.
KHYBER-PAKHTUNKHWA
Mainland KP, excluding the formerly federally administered tribal areas, also witnessed a substantial improvement. PICSS reported 40 terrorist attacks in October, compared with 58 in September, representing a decline of 31pc. Fatalities from these attacks decreased from 90 to 38, a reduction of approximately 58pc, while injuries fell from 165 to 19, an improvement of 88pc.
Counterterrorism operations in the region resulted in the killing of 42 terrorists, while two security forces personnel bit the dust.
The erstwhile FATA region experienced a comparatively modest decline in terrorist violence, the report said. The think tank recorded 30 attacks during October, compared with 34 in September, a reduction of 12pc. Deaths resulting from terrorist attacks declined from 33 to 25, while injuries increased slightly from 11 to 13. Security forces’ operations in these districts resulted in the killing of 35 terrorists.
Sindh and Punjab ...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2. A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3. A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots
.... Punjab witnessed two terrorist attacks during October, compared with none in September. These incidents resulted in four deaths and no injuries.
Sindh recorded no terrorist attacks during the month. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... counterterrorism operations in the province resulted in the arrest of seven suspected terrorists. Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... , and Gilgit-Baltistan also remained free of recorded terrorist attacks during October.
KIDNAPPINGS ’SERIOUS SECURITY CONCERN’
We don’t pay attention to kidnappings unless they’re linked to an actual jihadi group or the Fulani or some such, ie. dual purpose income and terrorizing the dhimmis/unbelievers. But in degraded societies like Pakistan, for many kidnapping is just another income stream, whether for ransom or to gather stock for trafficking.
Despite the overall improvement, kidnappings emerged as a serious security concern, particularly in Balochistan.
PICSS recorded 88 people kidnapped in terrorist incidents nationwide during October, compared with 72 in September, an increase of 22pc. This was the highest monthly kidnapping figure recorded during the preceding 12 months. Balochistan accounted for 70 of these kidnappings, representing nearly 80pc of the nationwide total.
The increase suggests that, despite the reduction in attacks and casualties, kidnapping remained a significant tactic employed by terrorist groups, the report said.
While October’s figures indicate a significant month-on-month improvement, the longer-term security picture remains challenging.
According to the report, Pakistain experienced 1,376 terrorist attacks during the first 10 months of 2026. These attacks, alongside security forces’ counterterrorism operations, collectively resulted in 3,902 deaths, including 645 security forces personnel, 65 peace committee members, 595 civilians, and 2,597 terrorists.
Another 1,953 people were maimed during the January—October period, including 639 security forces personnel, 62 peace committee members, 1,055 civilians, and 197 terrorists.
Compared with the corresponding 10-month period of 2025, the number of terrorist attacks increased by 53pc, while the combined corpse count rose by 36pc.
Despite the monthly decline in terrorist attacks, violence-linked fatalities rose sharply by 83pc in the third quarter of 2026, according to a recent report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies, reversing a declining trend reported in the first and second quarters as terrorism and counterterrorism deaths surged nationwide.
Sources in Rawalpindi confirm that Field Marshal Asim Munir held a secret meeting with a senior CIA operative at a secure location near Islamabad. The discussion focused on launching a precision strike against Tehran within the next 72 hours.
Three unmarked Gulfstream jets with altered tail numbers arrived at Pakistan Air Force Base Noor Khan during the night. The passengers are CIA personnel now staying in base guest quarters under ISI protection. Satellite imagery reveals abnormal activity in Hangar 7, suggesting preparation of drone launch systems.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard has moved to high alert after detecting encrypted communications between Noor Khan and Washington. This raises questions about Pakistan's reliability as an ally while Iranian forces face pressure in Balochistan.
The planned operation appears to follow three stages according to reports!
Sources in Rawalpindi confirm that Field Marshal Asim Munir held a secret meeting with a senior CIA operative at a secure location near Islamabad. The discussion focused on launching a precision strike against Tehran within the next 72 hours.
Three unmarked Gulfstream jets with altered tail numbers arrived at Pakistan Air Force Base Noor Khan during the night. The passengers are CIA personnel now staying in base guest quarters under ISI protection. Satellite imagery reveals abnormal activity in Hangar 7, suggesting preparation of drone launch systems.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard has moved to high alert after detecting encrypted communications between Noor Khan and Washington. This raises questions about Pakistan's reliability as an ally while Iranian forces face pressure in Balochistan.
The planned operation appears to follow three stages according to reports!
-JF-17s patrol Gulf of Oman spoofing Indian IDs
-US loitering munitions launch from Noor Khan
-Blame Baloch militants for plausible deniability
Tehran's clock is ticking ⏰
Posted by: badanov ||
11/02/2026 00:00 ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited [Mako] The defense establishment is concerned: Drones are being transferred from Israel and Egypt to Gaza - and are being turned into weapons.
The security establishment is trying to thwart smuggling into the Gaza Strip, but is having difficulty meeting the task • Recently, dozens of drones have been transferred from the air to the Gaza Strip • Hamas's goal: to turn the drones into explosive drones, and store them for a day of command
The next threat from the Gaza Strip: Drones smuggled from Israeli territory into the Gaza Strip are becoming deadly weapons in the hands of Hamas, we reported this evening on "Ulpan Shishi." The security establishment recognizes that the Hamas terrorist organization is working to dramatically increase air smuggling.
Hamas' goal is to stockpile as many drones as possible, and turn them into deadly weapons that can be activated on command. The security establishment identifies numerous smuggling attempts, sometimes several times a week. The smuggling attempts are made from Israeli territory, but also, and mainly, from Egypt.
The IDF and Shin Bet are fighting the phenomenon and also manage to thwart the smuggling from time to time, but the understanding is that recently, many dozens of explosive drones have managed to cross into Gaza.
The understanding in Israel is that Hamas is not interested in the drugs smuggled on the drones, but rather the drones themselves, which they turn into deadly
Israel has held talks with Gulf states in recent days, particularly Abraham Accords partners, amid preparations for a possible resumption of war with Iran, Kan News reported on Sunday.
Senior Israeli and U.S. military officials held coordination talks over the weekend, while Israeli officials believe President Trump could order renewed strikes on Iran within days, according to the report.
Israel has completed offensive and defensive preparations, while dozens of U.S. transport and refueling aircraft have arrived in the region, including at Israeli airbases.
Israel has held talks with Gulf states in recent days, particularly Abraham Accords partners, amid preparations for a possible resumption of war with Iran, Kan News reported on Sunday.
Senior Israeli and U.S. military officials held coordination talks over the weekend, while Israeli officials believe President Trump could order renewed strikes on Iran within days, according to the report.
Israel has completed offensive and defensive preparations, while dozens of U.S. transport and refueling aircraft have arrived in the region, including at Israeli airbases.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[Regnum] Spy games have become commonplace in the Middle East. Not a week goes by without the local press reporting the arrest of yet another "foreign spy" plotting a large-scale act of sabotage in the host country.
One such story recently unfolded in Lebanon, where two Palestinians, suspected of working for the Israeli Mossad, were targeted. Although the theory about their ties to the Israelis was quickly debunked, the story has been stirring up the country for several days now.
STRANGE GUESTS
In late October, two men approached the reception desk at the Lancaster Eden Bay Hotel in Beirut. Introducing themselves as business travelers from Ramallah, Palestine, they asked to be checked into a quiet double room, away from prying eyes. The manager granted their request, but before handing over the keys, he asked them to fill out a registration form with their personal information—a standard procedure for any hotel. However, it was this request that later sparked a spy scandal.
In the "phone" field, the guests listed Israel's area code (+972), which the hotel considered highly suspicious. This was especially true after events in previous years, when major Israeli intelligence operations were preceded by the arrival of similar "tourists" and "business travelers." Therefore, the vigilant manager immediately called the police, reporting the possible discovery of a sleeper cell of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad. Less than an hour later, a SWAT team descended on the Lancaster Eden Bay.
As it later turned out, by the time the hotel manager contacted the authorities, Lebanese counterintelligence had already dispatched a team to intercept them. The tip-off came from an Uber driver picking up the strange guests from the airport. According to taxi company representatives, the driver considered the passengers "too reserved for Arabs": all his attempts to start a conversation were rudely cut off, and when asked about the purpose of their trip, the men either responded with monosyllables or remained demonstratively silent.
And given that the guests were in transit from Jordan (a strategic ally of Israel, which has repeatedly served as a staging ground for agents in Lebanon), the driver suspected something was wrong and chose to exercise civic vigilance.
ORDINARY PALESTINIANS
The investigation didn't last long. Less than 24 hours later, Lebanese security officials were forced to issue an official statement declaring the alarm false. The strange guests were indeed residents of Ramallah, Palestine, and had come to Beirut legally on a business trip. Moreover, this wasn't their first trip to the Lebanese capital; each time, they stayed at the Lancaster Eden Bay.
The Israeli SIM cards that sparked panic were also legally acquired and repeatedly used to fill out registration forms, including at this hotel. A background check also yielded no leads: the Palestinian guests had no connection to Israeli intelligence.
However, the whirlwind of speculation was unstoppable. Even before the investigation's results were published, a rumor leaked to the local press that Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati had personally ordered the case hushed up and the detainees quietly expelled from the country, so as not to provoke the Israelis into further military action in southern Lebanon.
The Beirut Time newspaper caused the most confusion, reporting that upon registration, the Palestinians allegedly presented Turkish passports with signs of forgery, and during a search of their rooms, they attempted to destroy documents and block personal equipment.
Moreover, according to local sources, immediately after the suspected Palestinians were detained, representatives from the American embassy allegedly raided the hotel, persistently trying to find out the grounds for their arrest. This further strengthened the conviction that the guests might have ties to foreign intelligence.
Although Mikati's office later called rumors of a secret conspiracy with the Israelis "moral and political bankruptcy" and attempts to sow discord in the country, residents of the capital continued to demand greater clarity and an investigation into the incident from the authorities.
HEZBOLLAH AGAINST RUMORS
At one point, even Hezbollah was forced to intervene in the scandal. The movement's representatives appealed to their supporters to "not believe the rumors" spread by Lebanon's opponents in an attempt to divide society. And, at the same time, to refrain from witch-hunting friendly Palestinians—and from persecuting those who had settled in Lancaster Eden Bay.
Shiite activists also reacted harshly to proposals voiced by a Lebanese newspaper to "hand over" detained Palestinians to Hezbollah counterintelligence to verify the quality of their colleagues' work: rumors and insinuations should not undermine trust in the "pillars" of the Arab country's security.
The Shiite movement's unusual flexibility is easily explained. Hezbollah is extremely disadvantaged by a split within society—even if its opponents represent other branches of Lebanese politics or are in clear opposition to the Shiite bloc.
This is partly because a society exhausted by constant false spy scandals will at some point stop paying attention to real threats, which will create additional room for maneuver for foreign intelligence services in Lebanon.
🚨 UNCONFIRMED REPORTS: IDF PREPARING FOR MAJOR LEBANON ESCALATION
Published but unconfirmed reports claim the IDF has contingency plans that could include taking Tyre, Sidon and Nabataea if Hezbollah significantly escalates.
The reports also claim Israel is preparing to use heavy firepower, while the Navy could impose a blockade on Beirut and Tripoli ports.
The plans have not been officially confirmed by the IDF.
🚨 UNCONFIRMED REPORTS: IDF PREPARING FOR MAJOR LEBANON ESCALATION
Published but unconfirmed reports claim the IDF has contingency plans that could include taking Tyre, Sidon and Nabataea if Hezbollah significantly escalates.
The reports also claim Israel is preparing to use heavy firepower, while the Navy could impose a blockade on Beirut and Tripoli ports.
The plans have not been officially confirmed by the IDF.
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.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
[Mako] The defense establishment is concerned: Drones are being transferred from Israel and Egypt to Gaza - and are being turned into weapons.
