[KhaamaPress] Despite a formal ban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a 19% increase in cultivation in 2024 compared to the previous year. The Taliban ...Arabic for students... has reportedly struggled to enforce the ban effectively.
The report reveals that in 2023, poppy cultivation covered approximately 10,800 hectares. This figure rose to 12,800 hectares in 2024, reflecting an expansion despite ongoing restrictions.
Released on Wednesday, the UNODC report noted a particular rise in poppy cultivation in northeastern Afghanistan. Additionally, the price of dry opium has reached around $730 per kilogram, indicating a profitable illegal market.
The UN findings highlighted a geographic shift in cultivation patterns. While southwestern provinces were the traditional hub until 2023, northeastern regions now account for 59% of poppy cultivation in 2024.
This shift represents a 381% increase in poppy farming in these northeastern provinces since 2023. Efforts to eradicate poppy crops have been met with resistance; the Taliban faced protests, particularly in Badakhshan, where violent mostly peaceful crackdowns led to casualties.
[ToloNews] The commission for contact with former political figures and leaders has told TOLOnews that since its establishment, over a thousand people have returned to the country.
Ahmadullah Wasiq, the spokesperson for this commission, informed TOLOnews that these individuals include former government officials, such as ministers, governors, and commanders.
Wasiq said about the returnees: "So far, through the Commission for Contact with Figures, 1,008 individuals have returned to the country, including those who held high-ranking positions such as ministers, generals, army officers, and commanders."
Meanwhile,
...back at the buffalo wallow, Standing Buffalo watched the circling Commanches and asked himself What would Geronimo do?... several political and military analysts said the Islamic Emirate should provide returning officials with living facilities, work opportunities, and physical security.
Idris Zazi, a political analyst, shared his views: "For those returning to the country, there is a need to provide work opportunities, as merely being present in Afghanistan is not enough. Work, trade, and investment opportunities should be planned and prepared."
Zalmai Afghanyar, another political analyst, said: "When the commission operates and invites politicians back to Afghanistan, their security must be a point of discussion, and dialogue should be the solution for all disputes."
According to Ahmadullah Wasiq, those returning to the country face no threats and are also issued security cards.
No doubt true as far as that goes. But then afterward, they are arrested, disappear, and get to enjoy the tender mercies of the Talib inquisition. It’s an oft-repeated tale.
[ToloNews] The leader of the Islamic Emirate, through an eight-point decree, has removed the authority over the distribution of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment from the Ministries of Interior, Defense, and the Directorate of Intelligence.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, confirmed this decree to TOLOnews and added that, from now on, for the proper use and safety of weapons, any use or distribution of arms and ammunition will only occur with the leader’s direct order.
Mujahid said, "This measure is intended to ensure better protection of weaponry so that arms and other military assets are not used in situations where they aren’t needed and to enhance the overall security of these weapons."
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior also elaborated on the directive, stating that henceforth, all arms and equipment stored in depots will only be distributed by the order of the leader of the Islamic Emirate.
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said: "From now on, any surplus weapons or those recovered from unauthorized individuals and stored in depots as public property will only be distributed under the directive of the Islamic Emirate's leadership. This policy aims to prevent the misuse of public resources and to ensure proper preservation and protection. Any necessary requests from security departments or Islamic Emirate authorities will be submitted to the high leadership for approval."
Zalmai Afghan Yar, a military affairs expert, described the directive as a positive step, saying: "There have always been individuals in power who misuse weapons for personal gain."
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, another directive from the leader of the Islamic Emirate requires that firearms licenses for civilian organizations, merchants, money exchangers, and citizens will now be issued exclusively by the Ministry of Interior.
[NYPost] A Russian rocket launched a pair of Iranian satellites on Tuesday, reflecting growing cooperation between Moscow and Tehran ahead of a looming partnership summit.
The Soyuz rocket took off from the Vostochny launchpad in far eastern Russia, deploying Russian satellites into orbit and several dozen smaller satellites, including two from Iran.
The Kowsar and Hodhod satellites, launched on behalf of a private sector client, are the latest Iranian assets deployed to space by Russia on Tehran’s orders, with the two nations planning to bolster their "strategic partnership."
[KhaamaPress] The United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that 25% of the refugees who have arrived in Greece by sea are Afghan citizens.
In a report published on Wednesday, November 6, UNHCR stated that a total of 28,352 refugees reached Greece by sea in 2024.
According to UNHCR, Afghan citizens make up the majority of these refugees after Syrians.
The report highlighted that 25% of these Afghan refugees are migrating as families.
One-quarter of these refugees are children, according to the report.
Based on UNHCR statistics, the majority of these refugees are from Egypt, Syria, Somalia, and Afghanistan, with 22% being children.
UNHCR has previously noted that Afghanistan has the highest number of displaced persons worldwide.
Afghanistan and Syria each account for 6.4 million refugees globally, which together comprise one-third of the world’s total refugee population.
[KhaamaPress] The Swiss Radio and Television reported that Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... has resumed deporting certain Afghan and Ukrainian foreign criminals after a few years of hiatus.
According to the Swiss Migration Office, this decision applies to individuals deemed a threat to public safety.
In the first phase of this action, Switzerland deported three Ukrainian citizens last week and two Afghan citizens the month prior.
Golly. Hopefully this is just the first step of a very steep learning curve.
The report highlights that these two Afghans are the first cases of Afghan deportations since the Taliban ...Arabic for students... ’s return to power in August 2021.
One of these deportees is an Afghan asylum seeker convicted in 2018 for kicking another Afghan citizen in the head during a football match. He was sentenced to 16 months of suspended imprisonment and barred from re-entering Switzerland for seven years.
Vincenzo Mascioli, the director of the Swiss Migration Office, defended the decision, stating that this marked the first deportation to Ukraine since the onset of the war there.
Human rights organizations and migration experts have criticized Switzerland’s decision. Amnesty International Switzerland called the action a violation of the humanitarian principle of non-refoulement, stressing that Afghanistan and Ukraine are unsuitable return destinations due to the perilous security situations in both countries.
Despite the objections, the Swiss Migration Office stated that the general security risk in these countries does not necessarily prevent deportations. Each case is reviewed individually, and decisions are made after further assessments.
Afghanistan has one of the largest refugee populations globally, with around 6.4 million Afghans displaced.
[Rudaw] A 26-year-old Yazidi woman taken into captivity by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) ten years ago reunited with her family, the Yazidi Rescue Office announced on Tuesday.
Asia Kamal was only 16 years old when the Lions of Islam took her to an unknown location in Iraq before she was transferred to Syria, only to be enslaved for six years and then taken to a neighboring country where she was found and rescued.
Asia’s father Kamal Chato burst into tears as he embraced his rescued daughter in their Yazidi hometown of Shingal (Sinjar) in Nineveh province.
"I was never expecting to see my father again," Asia told Rudaw, beaming joyfully.
Asia was found in an undisclosed third country with the help of the Office for Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
"As we promised, we will continue to investigate the whereabouts of the abductees. Mr. [Kurdistan Region President] Nechirvan Barzani's instruction is to investigate the matter as long as there is any abductee left," Hussein Qaidi, head of the office, said on Tuesday in a presser.
The office did not disclose Asia’s last location where she was found for security concerns as efforts to rescue more kidnapped Yazidis are ongoing.
ISIS kidnaped her along with thousands of other women and girls during the murderous Moslems' ruthless assault on Shingal in 2014 when they seized control of large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria in a brazen offensive.
"I'm very grateful to God that I saw my daughter again. I pray all the remaining girls to be rescued," said Asia’s father Kamal.
At least 30 people from Kamal’s family fell into the clutches of ISIS, Qaidi said, adding that 28 of them have been rescued.
ISIS overran Shingal town and surrounding areas in 2014, abducting 6,417 women and kiddies, forcing a large number of them into sexual slavery and labor.
While the group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019, respectively, it still continues to pose serious security risks through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions, especially across the vast expanses of the Syrian desert as well as several Iraqi provinces.
3,581 Yazidis have been rescued, while 2,590 people are still missing, according to Qaidi.
[IsraelTimes] The United States is continuing to send forces to the Middle East ahead of an expected Iranian attack on Israel, with flight tracking sites showing American F-15E aircraft en route to Jordan.
According to Haaretz, at least 12 of the jets are on their way to the region, joining the fighter planes already deployed.
There is no formal announcement from the US military.
Iranian leaders have warned they will mete out a "punishing" reprisal attack against Israel for a series of retaliatory sorties on October 26 — themselves a reaction to a massive Iranian ballistic missile attack on October 1 — that Jerusalem says knocked out the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s air defenses and missile production capabilities.
Reports have indicated the Iranian attack may come as soon as this week and that projectiles could be launched from Iraq.
Earlier this week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered several B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft, tanker aircraft and Navy destroyers to deploy to the Middle East,
Last month, the US rushed its advanced THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, system to to Israel. The anti-missile system is a critical part of the US military’s layered air defense systems and adds to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses.
US-financed agreement will see Boeing supply 4-6 jets a year starting in 2031, with option for 25 more of aircraft that have enhanced range and payload capacity
Israel signed a $5.2 billion deal Wednesday to procure a squadron of 25 advanced fighter jets, to be financed by Washington’s military aid, the Defense Ministry announced.
The deal includes 25 of Boeing’s F-15IA fighter jets — the Israeli variant of the advanced F-15EX — with options for 25 more. Under the deal, the jets will be supplied in batches of four to six a year, starting in 2031.
The Defense Ministry said the new fighter jets will be "equipped with cutting-edge weapon systems, including the integration of state-of-the-art Israeli technologies."
"The upgraded aircraft will feature enhanced range capabilities, increased payload capacity, and improved performance across various operational scenarios. These advantages will enable the Israeli Air Force to maintain its strategic superiority in addressing current and future challenges in the Middle East," the ministry said.
Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry director general, said Israel has secured nearly $40 billion worth of procurement agreements since the war in 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 a rusty iron fist by Hamas with 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... was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... -led hard boyz stormed the south to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
"While focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we’re simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities," Zamir said in a statement. "This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach — capabilities that proved crucial during the current war."
The president of Boeing Israel, former Israel Air Force chief Ido Nehushtan, said in a statement, "Boeing takes pride in its longstanding partnership with Israel, a relationship that dates back to our nation’s establishment."
"The company will continue working with the US and Israeli governments to deliver the advanced F-15IA aircraft through standard military procurement channels," he added.
News of the deal came as some in the international community, including among Israel’s allies, have urged restricting weapons deals with Jerusalem as a way to end the wars in Gaza and Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... On Wednesday, Egypt joined The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... ’s call — signed by 52 other nations, including Russia and China — for the United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... to declare an arms embargo on Israel.
In October, French President Emmanuel Macron said an arms embargo is the only way to end the war in Gaza. A month earlier, citing concern over Israel’s conduct of the war, Britannia and Canada suspended some licenses for arms trade with Israel but stopped short of calling for an arms embargo.
Israel’s two largest arms sources, the United States and Germany, have resisted calls for an embargo on Israel, though each has been accused of withholding certain arms during the war.
[KhaamaPress] An Indian court has lifted the decades-old ban on the import of Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses, as authorities were unable to locate the original order imposing the restriction.
Not a matter of priniciple? Bummer. Lost paperwork sets no precedents. But still, lifting the ban is good thing unless you’re one of the various flavours of totalitarian.
Rushdie’s novel, published in 1988, was banned in India due to the controversies it sparked.
India became the first country to ban the book because of its portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, which many Moslems found blasphemous, leading to protests and threats against the British-Indian author.
The ban became the subject of a petition filed in 2019 by an individual named Sandipan Khan, who challenged the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs at the Delhi High Court.
Khan questioned the legality of the 1988 order, which prohibited the book’s import under India’s 1962 Customs Act, claiming it contained alleged blasphemous content.
In his petition, Khan argued that the ban violated the fundamental right to freedom of expression, and he requested the court to allow the book’s import.
According to legal documents, Khan asked the judiciary for a copy of the order that banned the book’s import. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... he was informed that the document could not be found.
Records show that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs requested multiple extensions from May 2019 to May 2024 from the Delhi High Court to locate the document. Eventually, they informed the court that "the text of the order is untraceable and thus cannot be provided."
In the final hearing on the matter this week, the Delhi High Court ruled that "there is no alternative but to assume the non-existence of such a notice."
In the ruling issued on November 5, the court stated that "the petitioner shall be entitled to proceed with actions related to this book as per the law."
This ruling underscores a turning point in freedom of expression in India, as a long-standing ban on a controversial work is lifted, allowing new discourse on sensitive literary content in the country.
#1
Trump's new book - I was at the Barnes & Noble earlier today & I asked the clerk if they had Donald Trump's new book on how to deport illegal immigrants.
She immediately said to me, "Get the fuck out of here and don't come back."
I said, "Yes, that's the one. Do you have it in paperback?"
#3
IIRC that was his order the last time for which uniform personnel disobeyed a lawful order by the Commander in Chief.
Maximum Possible Punishment for Violations of Article 92
The maximum possible punishment associated with violations of Article 92 depends upon the specifics of the violation itself.
A violation of or failure to obey a lawful general order or regulation may result in a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and two years’ confinement. It or perform it.
A conviction of violating or failing to obey other lawful orders carries the punishment of a bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and six-month confinement.
The penalty for dereliction of duty due to neglect or culpable inefficiency includes the forfeiture of two-thirds of pay per month for three months and confinement for three months.
The punishment for dereliction in performing duties through neglect or culpable inefficiency resulting in death or grievous bodily harm includes a bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 18 months.
A conviction of willful dereliction in performing duties may result in a bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for six months.
The willful dereliction of duty resulting in death or grievous bodily harm yields a punishment of a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for two years.
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.
...Arabic for 
...Arabic for 
...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 
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
