[X] Not merely Yemeni or Shiite, but definitely Houthi? How very exciting that we have so many identifiable faces and connections for the authorities to trace.
After U.S. airstrikes on alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers and reports of possible CIA activity, Maduro addressed Trump in English, saying, “not war, just peace with the people of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/V6pqmLhZjo
[Rudaw] Only 300 Iraqis illegally crossed into Slovenia during the first eight months of 2025, marking a dramatic decline in the number of Iraqis undertaking the dangerous journey to the European country compared to previous years, Slovenian police said on Tuesday.
"From 1st January until 31th August, we recorded 300 Iraqi citizens. In [the] year 2024, there were 701, and in [the] year 2023, there were 1,150 Iraqi citizens," Drago Menegalija, a public relations representative of Slovenian police, told Rudaw in response to an email.
He added they had registered a total of 16,238 illegal border crossings into Slovenia during the eight months. "The majority (86,6 %) came from neighbouring Croatia. In 2024, there were a total of 46.213 illegal border crossings and in 2023, there were a total of 60.597."
Thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region migrate out of the country, with some of them losing their lives on dangerous and illegal smuggling routes.
Hopes of escaping endless crises, including political instability, corruption, and a lack of employment are among the factors driving the migration.
Menegalija also said no Iraqis were deported to their country in 2024.
"In 2024, 144 third country nationals were returned to third countries, because they failed to meet the conditions for entry and residence in the Republic of Slovenia, while in 2025, until the 31th of August 88 such persons were returned. None of these people were returned to Iraq."
[NYPost] Lefty NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gleefully campaigned this week with a notorious, gay-hating Brooklyn imam who is an unindicted co-conspirator in 1993 World Trade Center bombing and who has been linked to other terrorist activity in the United States — including urging "jihad" on the Big Apple.
The Democratic frontrunner to become the city’s next mayor was seen laughing and grinning while standing arm-in-arm with Siraj Wahhaj at the Iman’s Bedford-Stuyvesant mosque in a photo the socialist posted to X a day after the first mayoral debate.
Councilman Yusef Salaam (D-Manhattan), a member of the Central Park 5
…during a night of wilding in Central Park in 1989, investment banker Trisha Meili, 28, was brutally beaten and raped, which left her in a coma for two weeks and no memory of the attack. Five black and hispanic teens confessed to the deed at the time and went to prison, only to be exonerated in 2002 by DNA evidence that identified habitual murderer-rapist Matias Reyes, for which the lads won multi-million dollar payouts from New York City and NY State…
who was elected in November 2023, was also in the photo.
"Today at Masjid At-Taqwa, I had the pleasure of meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the nation’s foremost Moslem leaders and a pillar of the Bed-Stuy community for nearly half a century," Mamdani wrote on X of the Friday encounter.
"A beautiful Jummah," he wrote, referencing the weekly prayer.
Wahhaj, 75, who also heads the MoslemAlliance in North America, was fingered by prosecutors as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the 1993 WTC bombing, which left six people dead, and has publicly defended the plotters of the attack against the FBI and CIA, whom he at the time dubbed the "real terrorists."
In a sermon in the early 2000s, Wahhaj — born Jeffrey Kearse — called for an army of 10,000 men to wage jihad on New York City, according to a foreign intelligence assessment obtained Saturday by The Post.
The religious figure also made headlines in 2018 when three of his children were arrested for keeping 11 kids living in "Third World" conditions in a compound made of garbage in the New Mexico desert.
One of the victims told prosecutors Wahhaj’s namesake son was training a 13-year-old and his teen brother to fight against non-believers through techniques including rapid reloads and hand-to-hand combat.
The intelligence report claimed Wahhaj homeschooled his children and likely shaped the krazed killer ideology of the busted terror cell.
However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... Wahhaj has insisted he was the one who called the police on his sick son and two daughters, leading to their arrest. They were sentenced to life in prison last year.
Mamdani did not return messages. Wahhaj could not immediately be reached for comment.
And even after all this, Wahhaj’s influence hasn’t disappeared. In 2023, he endorsed Yusef Salaam, one of the infamous Central Park Five, for a New York City Council seat, proving once again that his sympathies lie with radicals, not with law and order.
Mamdani’s record already reads like a warning label. He’s a socialist who has never met a radical cause he didn’t want to promote. Sadly, Democratic enthusiasm for Mamdani is only growing. According to recent polling, Mamdani now commands over half the likely vote, leaving former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa scrambling behind him.
It’s as if New York has traded common sense for collective amnesia. The same city that once vowed “never again” in response to terror now cheers on a man who shakes hands with those tied to it. Mamdani’s defenders will call it guilt by association, insisting he’s merely engaging with the Muslim community, but let’s be honest about which “community leader” he’s embracing. At this point, the warning signs couldn’t be clearer.
The radicalism is right there in plain sight, the alliances are proudly on display, and yet the polls suggest New Yorkers simply don’t care. For those of us who remember New York before the 9/11 attacks, it’s almost unbearable to watch this city flirt with the same kind of blindness that once led to tragedy. If Mamdani actually takes City Hall, it won’t be because no one saw it coming; it’ll be because too many chose not to.
The next stage of the proceedings we’ve been watching this year.
[AmericanThinker] Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has asked the Texas State Securities Board (TSSB) to review what he says is evidence that entities tied to the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC)’s EPIC City project violated state and federal securities laws — and to refer the matter back so he can file suit. Paxton called the alleged misconduct "flagrant," arguing that state law requires a TSSB referral before his office can bring a securities action.
After a thorough investigation, it has become clear that the developers behind EPIC City flagrantly and undeniably violated the law," said Attorney General Paxton. "The bad actors behind this illegal scheme must be held accountable for ignoring state and federal regulations. In accordance with state law, the TSSB should review our findings and refer this matter to me for further legal action.
EPIC City is a 402-acre master-planned community near Josephine, Texas, spanning Collin and Hunt Counties. Materials describe housing (single-family, townhomes, multifamily), a mosque, schools, parks, senior living, and retail. The project vehicle, Community Capital Partners, LP (CCP), has been described in EPIC’s promotions as created by EPIC, with EPIC as the beneficiary of project profits.
In March, Paxton opened a consumer-protection probe and served a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) on CCP, the vehicle formed to develop EPIC City. The March 25, 2025 blurb highlighted EPIC’s own promotional statements that CCP was "created by EPIC" and that EPIC is the "only beneficiary of profits" from the project.
Two days later, on March 27, Gov. Greg Abbott ... governor of Texas. Abbott is a Republican. His 2014 Dem opponent, state senatrix Wendy Davis, thought the absolute, most pressing, most important issue facing the state was abortion. Abbott beat the pantyhose off her. His 2018 opponent, Lupe Valdez didn't dwell too heavily on abortion, but she lost too... announced that the TSSB would investigate EPIC and "affiliated entities for potential failures to comply with applicable state and federal securities requirements, including protections against fraud." In the same blurb, Abbott said he sent a letter dated March 26 requesting EPIC "cease and desist funeral service operations." He also said that "a dozen state agencies" were investigating "serious legal issues" concerning the potential illegal activities involving the alleged purchase of Texas property by "foreign adversaries ... taking place at EPIC."
On April 14, 2025, Paxton expanded his investigation, demanding communications from Plano, Richardson, Wylie, and Josephine due to alleged local support for the project. The requests sought emails and records referencing EPIC, EPIC City, and CCP.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) also asked the Department of Justice to open a federal civil rights probe into EPIC City, as highlighted in his April 11, 2025 letter to the assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. In the letter and subsequent blurb, Cornyn expressed concern over the potential for religious discrimination that might "violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian Texans, by preventing them from living in this new community and discriminating against them within the community." Cornyn continued,
Religious-based discrimination is a constitutional violation as well as a federal rights violation. Appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that this community does not run afoul of these obligations. It may also be appropriate for an investigation to explore whether the proponents of the proposed development are abiding by existing federal and state prohibitions on the enforcement of Sharia law.
The DOJ closed its investigation with no charges, after developers affirmed that the community would be inclusive and marketed under the Fair Housing Act. However,
there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... the decision did not touch the state’s ongoing consumer protection and securities inquiries.
WHY PAXTON’S INQUIRY?
CCP marketed $80,000 shares to accredited investors with "each share purchased [guaranteeing] one lot in EPIC City" with a stated 15% discount, an arrangement that is central to Paxton’s investigation.
Under the Texas Securities Act and the Supreme Court’s Howey test, a "security" includes an investment contract, money invested in a common enterprise with an expectation of return that depends on the managerial efforts of others. Promising that a discounted $80,000 "share" secures a right to buy a developed lot later signals an expected economic gain that hinges on the developer entitling land, installing infrastructure, and delivering lots. The arrangement fulfills the investment-contract definition used by Texas and federal law.
Anti-fraud rules would also apply. If EPIC/CCP’s "share" is treated as an investment contract, it is a security under the Texas Securities Act (TSA). Once the "share for future lot right + discount" is characterized as a security, certain rules apply. Before any security is offered or sold in Texas, it must be registered or notice-filed — or the sale must qualify for an exemption — and the issuer must provide truthful, non-misleading disclosures. Even if an exemption applies, material misstatements or omissions about permitting status, ownership, timelines, lot deliverability, or the use of investor funds can trigger anti-fraud liability. Paxton’s Oct. 14 statement characterizes the alleged conduct as securities law violations.
The share pitch also heightens the expectation of profit: a guaranteed right to buy a finished lot at a fixed discount functions as a return mechanism that depends on CCP/EPIC obtaining approvals, building infrastructure, and delivering lots. Investor upside (the discount and potential appreciation) stems from the promoter’s efforts, not the investor’s — classic Howey elements recognized by Texas courts.
Finally, context matters: As of mid-2025, public reporting shows no issued construction permits, raising materiality concerns for any marketing that implies near-term delivery of "developed lots." That gap between promotional claims and on-the-ground progress is precisely what securities regulators scrutinize under anti-fraud provisions.
#1
Josephine, Texas Josephine is a city in Collin and Hunt Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 2,119 at the 2020 census,[4] and according to 2023 census estimates, the city had a population of 7,113.[5]
[MAIL] An illegal immigrant living in Louisiana allegedly participated in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Federal prosecutors say Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub Al-Muhtadi armed himself and gathered a group to cross from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel during the attack that left more than 1,200 people dead.
Hamas fighters also kidnapped more than 250 people, including dozens of American citizens, during the raid.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed this week, Al-Muhtadi was a high-ranking member of the Gaza-based terrorist group Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine - which worked hand-in-hand with Hamas during the attack.
'Evidence shows that on the morning of October 7, 2023, Al-Muhtadi learned about the Hamas invasion, armed himself, gathered others and crossed into Israel with the intention of assisting in Hamas's terrorist attack,' the criminal complaint says.
But when he later applied for a visa to the United States, Al-Muhtadi denied he had ever been involved in terrorist activities - and he became a legal permanent resident in 2024.
Al-Muhtadi was most recently living in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he worked at a restaurant prior to his arrest on Thursday.
He now faces charges for visa fraud and for conspiring to provide support for a foreign terrorist organization, though more charges may be forthcoming as an investigation continues.
Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub Al-Muhtadi has been arrested for allegedly participating in the October 7 attack on Israel and lying about it on his application for a visa to the United States.
The criminal complaint, obtained by the Daily Mail, details how Al-Muhtadi's social media shows he had a yearslong affiliation with the New Resistance Brigades.
He was seen in photographs wearing the red headband of the group, and on December 12, 2019, Al-Muhtadi sent another social media user a message containing what appears to be a photograph of an official New Resistance Brigades form on official letterhead bearing his signature, according to the complaint.
Then in September 2020, Al-Muhtadi sent another social media user the message, 'This is my group,' along with a photo of militants wearing headbands featuring the terrorist group's logo.
When the other social media user asked how many there are, he allegedly replied: 'I have 15 young men.'
By May 27, 2022, another user sent Al-Muhtadi the message: 'The battalions' youth are ready,' the criminal complaint claims.
Other photos allegedly showed him donning a vest labeled 'Wahdat al-Nukhba,' which is the group's elite unit.
'Based on my training and experience, I believe these messages and communications indicate that al-Muhtadi was sufficiently senior in the NRB to have been tasked with training younger militants,' Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M. Thomas O'Donnell wrote in her affidavit, which was submitted to a federal judge on October 6 of this year. She serves on a task force investigating the murder and kidnapping of American citizens during the attack two years ago.
He then entered the United States in September 2024, under the Biden administration.
Once he entered the US, the affidavit says, an associate advised Al-Muhtadi not to contact anyone from the paramilitary group because he was under surveillance, and to avoid posting on social media in support of Hamas.
The FBI says Al-Muhtadi responded that he could post whatever he wanted, including pictures of Hamas leaders, and he would be safe.
He had been living in Tulsa through May but by early June had relocated to Lafayette.
An unidentified FBI agent then met repeatedly with Al-Muhtadi in Lafayette from July to September this year.
The alleged terrorist appeared in court for the first time on Friday, KATC reports.
He participated in proceedings with the help of a public defender and a translator, indicating that he had not read the affidavit - prompting the judge to read it aloud. When he was then asked if he understood what he was accused of, Al-Muhtadi said he did as he maintained his innocence.
He is now being held at Calcasieu Correctional Center.
[GEO.TV] Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday emphasised that the Taliban ...Arabic for students... regime must take immediate and effective steps to dismantle terrorist networks operating from Afghan soil that continue to orchestrate attacks inside Pakistain.
PM Shehbaz made the remarks during a telephonic conversation with his Malaysian counterpart Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The premier apprised his Malaysian counterpart of the security situation along the Pakistain—Afghanistan border. He underscored that Pakistain seeks peace and stability in Afghanistan but continues to face cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.
PM Shehbaz reaffirmed that Pakistain had agreed to a temporary ceasefire at the request of the Afghan authorities to facilitate dialogue in Doha, and stressed the importance of tangible action against all terrorist entities, including Fitna-al-Khwarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan — terms used for the banned TTP and BLA respectively, to restore peace and stability along the border.
The Malaysian prime minister expressed his concern at these developments and offered to play a constructive role in reducing tensions and restoring peace and stability in the region.
While thanking the leadership and people of Malaysia for the warm hospitality extended during his recent visit to Kuala Lumpur, PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction that the understandings reached during the visit, particularly regarding the export of halal meat and other mutually beneficial areas, have elevated the Pakistain—Malaysia relations to new heights.
He briefed PM Ibrahim on his participation in the signing ceremony 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 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... peace agreement in Sharm-el-Sheikh.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban/IEA
[GEO.TV] The Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i Foreign Ministry has announced that Pakistain and Afghanistan have reached a landmark ceasefire agreement, marking a potential breakthrough in efforts to restore peace and stability along their troubled border.
The ceasefire agreement is expected to lay a strong foundation for lasting peace in the region, according to the Qatari officials.
Both countries have also agreed to hold further meetings in the coming days and to establish a permanent mechanism to ensure peace and stability between them.
Confirming the agreement, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expressed hope that the ceasefire would end border tensions between the two countries.
Asif said the delegations from the two sides would meet again in Istanbul on October 25 as he emphasised that both countries have agreed to respect each other's territorial illusory sovereignty.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2025 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] The Iraqi border guards continue to strengthen the country’s borders with Syria to prevent infiltration, including through the construction of a concrete wall along the frontier.
Iraq's first military concrete wall construction factory is located in Rabia subdistrict, which borders Syria.
Avdal Shamo is one of the soldiers working at the factory. He and most of the people of Shingal have experienced great sorrows and major sufferings at the hands of 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), which crossed into their areas through the Syrian border. Therefore, he has been working non-stop at this workshop for two years to strengthen the Syrian border.
"These [walls] contribute to security and block the path for them [infiltrators]. We are happy with the situation in Shingal. We want the situation in Iraq in general to be stable, not just that of Shingal, but since we live in Shingal we focus on it," he told Rudaw.
Iraq shares a 620-kilometre border with Syria. Two years ago, the government began constructing a three-meter-high concrete wall along the frontier. So far, the entire stretch from the Rabia sub-district to near al-Qaim has been completed. The Iraqi government has stated that it does not plan to stop until the entire border along Syria is walled off.
Yaser Hassan al-Tamimi, Commander of the 6th Division of Nineveh Border Guards, said they have so far constructed a 250-kilometre wall along the Syrian border.
"Beyond the wall, there is also a trench and a wire fence, in addition to a border barrier, forming an integrated defensive system. The wall also contains gates for monitoring the defensive facilities, which include the trench and the border barrier."
So far, the construction of 250 kilometres of the wall has cost Iraq 30 billion dinars ($22.9 million). In addition to the concrete barrier, the entire border is also monitored using advanced surveillance cameras.
[Rudaw] The Washington Post recently published an article on efforts by Arab states to expand relations with Israel, which many of these countries still view as a historic adversary. A pro-Paleostine activist criticized the move, while a Kurdish expert said the details of the report were not surprising.
The Washington Post said it obtained unclassified US military files showing that six Arab nations — Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , 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... , the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan — have been quietly expanding military cooperation with Israel, even as they publicly accused it of committing genocide in Gazoo"You can condemn Israel. You can call it a genocide. But the fact that you are building trade relations, the fact that you are sending food and supplies to Israel, while Paleostinians in Gaza are starving, and this includes Arab countries, of the Gulf countries, it includes Jordan, it includes Egypt, you are enabling the continuation of that genocide. So condemning it is meaningless," Riham Barghouti, a pro-Paleostine activist in New York, told Rudaw.
The Barghoutis make trouble everywhere, it seems.
According to the report, the main purpose of this growing cooperation between Israel and the Sunni Arab states was to counter 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... — a shared regional threat.
Mohammed A. Salih from Foreign Policy Research Institute said he was not surprised by the report.
"The details in the report about cooperation between some of the Arab States and Israel were not really that surprising, given the major concerns and worries that some of these Arab states have had over the past couple of decades about the expansion of Iranian influence and role in the region," he said.
#1
If trade could prevent war, then there would be no wars. The underlying idea: "Peace is a natural state of Humankind"; is wishful thinking. War is a natural state preceding Humankind (cf., Gombe Chimpanzee War).
Mind you, it's hardly the most ridiculous meme in modern arsenal. For a few examples.
a) You can't measure equality of opportunity by outcomes.
b) Man and women are complementary not interchangeable.
c) Gender is not fluid.
[IsraelTimes] After Palestinian Embassy in Egypt announces Rafah Crossing will reopen on Monday, Prime Minister’s Office issues swift denial, citing remaining hostages’ bodies
Israel said Saturday evening that Gazoo’s Rafah Crossing with Egypt would remain closed until Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... "fulfills" its part in the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, rejecting a statement by the Paleostinian Embassy in Egypt that the crossing would reopen on Monday.
The back and forth came almost a week after the US-brokered deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
The reopening of the crossing, which has been largely closed since Israeli forces entered Rafah in May 2024, would allow Paleostinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza, the embassy said in a statement.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denied that the crossing would reopen on Monday, stating that it would remain closed due to what it said was Hamas’s failure to live up to the terms of the ceasefire deal.
"Its reopening will be considered based on the extent to which Hamas fulfills its part in returning the fallen hostages, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework," the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praised Netanyahu’s move to keep the crossing closed until Hamas meets the terms of the deal, saying Saturday evening that the government "must take a firm stance against Hamas and demand the return of all 18 [deceased] hostages without exception, and use all leverage at its disposal.
"The government must declare that it will not proceed with implementing the agreement until all the fallen hostages are returned, in accordance with the Trump framework," the Forum added.
The Rafah Crossing, when it does eventually reopen, will do so only for the movement of Paleostinians in both directions, not for the entry of aid, which has been entering Gaza from Israel since the start of the ceasefire.
Since the US-brokered halt to two years of devastating war, around 560 metric tons of food have entered the Gaza Strip per day on average — still well below the scale of need, according to the UN World Food Programme.
The Rafah Crossing was shut by Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Gaza side in May 2024, but was briefly reopened in early 2025 during a short-lived ceasefire.
After two years of bombardment and blockade, the need for food, medicine, shelter, and other aid in Gaza is extreme.
Gaza’s health authorities say that more than 400 people have died from malnutrition-related causes. Israel says the figures are exaggerated and many deaths were attributable to other causes.
[IsraelTimes] Caskets handed to IDF via Red Cross and brought from Gaza to Tel Aviv’s Abu Kabir institute; if confirmed to be abductees, number of bodies still in Strip would drop to 16
The Hamas terror group transferred to Israel two caskets Saturday night which it said contained the remains of two dead hostages held in Gaza, with the bodies handed to the Red Cross and then to the Israel Defense Forces and taken to a forensic institute for identification, according to Israeli authorities and the Palestinian terror group’s military wing.
If the bodies are confirmed to belong to hostages, it would mean that the number of bodies of dead captives still held in the Strip would go down from 18 to 16, after 28 were there at the start of the current ceasefire.
Hamas said that it had “retrieved” the bodies Saturday, and did not provide their identities.
The caskets were handed to Red Cross staff at a handover site in southern Gaza, and then handed to IDF troops who inspected them, draped them in Israeli flags and held a short ceremony led by a military rabbi.
The army then transported the bodies out of the Gaza Strip and handed them to the Israel Police, which escorted them to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification, a process which officials have said may take up to two days.
The current hostage deal required Hamas to release the remaining 20 living hostages, and the deceased hostages accessible to it, within 72 hours of Israel’s October 10 withdrawal to the so-called Yellow Line inside Gaza. Hamas released the living hostages in time and before Saturday night had released 10 of the last 28 dead hostages.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees, including 250 terror convicts serving life terms, plus the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every one dead hostage returned.
Hamas has said it would require additional machinery to locate the remaining deceased hostages. Israel has accused Hamas of lying, saying it can return almost all of the bodies.
So Hamas is playing nasty little mind games? Quelle surprise!
Hamas said Saturday that the closure of the Rafah crossing was causing significant delays in the handover of hostages’ remains, alleging that the continued closure “blocks the entry of specialized equipment needed to search for those missing under the rubble and prevents forensic teams and tools required to identify bodies”, leading to “significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains.”
Meanwhile, Hamas’s health ministry said Israel had handed over the remains of 15 slain Gazans on Saturday, bringing to 135 the total number of bodies returned to the Strip under the current ceasefire, which was brokered by US President Donald Trump. Israel did not immediately confirm returning the Gazans’ remains.
The Families Forum says it “embraces the Engel family,” calling the return “a form of relief for a family living in agonizing uncertainty and doubt for over two years.”
The Prime Minister’s Office and the IDF confirm the identification of Engel, and say that the process of identifying the other body returned overnight is still ongoing.
On October 7, 2023, Engel was killed by Hamas in Nir Oz while his wife Karina and their daughters Mika and Yuval were kidnapped.
The following month, Karina, Mika and Yuval were freed from Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal. In December of that year, the IDF confirmed that Ronen had been killed and his body was held hostage. It later emerged that Ronen had been slain in the kibbutz on October 7 and his remains taken captive.
In addition to his wife and two daughters, Ronen is survived by his son, Tom, who was not home that weekend, and his brother, Danny.
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Engel moved with his family to Nir Oz in 2010, according to a statement shared this morning by the Families Forum.
He was a photographer, a volunteer medic at the Magen David Adom ambulance service, a motorcyclist who enjoyed exploring Israel’s nature, and an artist who used discarded scrap iron as his raw material.
[X] Oh dear. It sounds like someone is in trouble.
BREAKING 🔴
US State Dep.: "The US has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza" pic.twitter.com/vVKm0r9QxC
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Egypt will lead the international military contingent deployed to the Gaza Strip to monitor the situation after the ceasefire. This was reported on October 18 by the British newspaper The Guardian. An interesting concept. Are their sandals and guns still held together with duct tape?
It is specified that the international "stabilization corps" force will also include military personnel from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, and Turkey. These countries, together with Egyptian forces, will be given broad powers to ensure the safety of civilians and prevent hostilities.
Oboy. Um… good luck with that, guys, truly.
Consultations are still underway with Egypt regarding the international force's formal status as a UN-led peacekeeping contingent. It is noted that European or British troops will not be deployed in the enclave.
Washington insists that the international force receive a formal UN mandate, but is opposed to its operating within the framework of a classic peacekeeping mission. According to the publication, the White House is proposing a format similar to the international force operating in Haiti, which combats organized crime rather than performing formal peacekeeping functions.
On October 13, US President Donald Trump, Egyptian and Turkish leaders Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a peace agreement on the Gaza Strip during the Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit. El-Sisi emphasized that the only way to resolve the situation is the creation of a Palestinian state.
[IsraelTimes] Will allow force to operate under UN mandate without being considered a peacekeeping force
The International Stabilization Force (ISF) is part of US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... ’s 20-point plan for Gazoo, and is intended to secure the Strip during a transitional postwar period, following Israel’s withdrawal and the disarmament of the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group.
According to a report published by The Guardian on Saturday, the US and European powers are preparing a UN Security Council motion that would allow the stabilization force to act under a UN mandate without being considered a UN peacekeeping force — as Trump’s plan for the ISF does not envision it being a UN-led operation.
Citing unnamed diplomats, The Guardian reported that Egypt would likely lead the stabilization force, although Cairo has not issued any statements on the matter, having not yet publicly committed to contributing troops to the ISF.
Indonesia is the only country to date that has publicly offered to send troops for the effort, saying last month that it would send 20,000 soldiers to Gaza, while specifying that it would be under a UN-mandated peacekeeping mission.
But the US has also been in talks with other countries to try and shore up support, and three government officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Saturday that Azerbaijan had also agreed to contribute troops to the ISF.
Azerbaijan’s embassies in the United States and Israel did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Earlier this week, a senior Trump adviser said that many others, including "many of the different Arab and Moslem countries," had privately committed as well to contributing troops.
During a multilateral meeting on the UN General Assembly sidelines last month, Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... told Trump that Ankara was also prepared to send forces to Gaza, two sources familiar with the matter said. It was unclear whether Israel would allow the presence of Ottoman Turkish forces in Gaza, though, amid the collapse of ties between the two countries as a result of the war in Gaza.
Actually the collapse is the result of a lot more Turkish stupidity than just their reaction to the war Hamas started.
With regard to other countries in the region, Arab officials have repeatedly told The Times of Israel that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar do not intend to send troops to secure Gaza but could still assist with funds or training.
The plans for the force, as detailed by The Guardian, were in line with former British prime minister Tony Blair’s plan for Gaza, revealed by The Times of Israel last month.
Blair’s plan envisions the establishment of the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), which would serve as the “supreme political and legal authority for Gaza during the transitional period.”
GITA would have a board made up of seven to 10 members, the developed draft of the plan obtained by The Times of Israel stated, among whom would be a qualified Palestinian representative, a senior UN official, leading international figures with executive or financial experience, and a “strong representation of Muslim members” to boost regional legitimacy and cultural credibility.
Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza involves the establishment of a board, dubbed “the board of peace,” in accordance with Blair’s vision.
Under Blair’s plan, the chair of the board would be expected to closely coordinate with the Palestinian Authority, although The Guardian reported Saturday that the exact relationship between the “board of peace” and the PA had not yet been determined.
While Israel has been vehemently opposed to the PA playing a role in postwar Gaza, a source familiar with discussions said last month that it was nevertheless engaging constructively with Blair’s vision. The PA is expected required to undergo significant reforms before being entrusted with playing any significant role in Gaza’s future.
In other words, it’ll never happen, but we’ll let them pretend they’re going to do the work.
[Rudaw] Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Saturday repeated Damascus’ rejection of "any form of division or federalism," but said that northeast Syria (Rojava) has "a historic opportunity" to help build the country’s future.
"We reject any form of division and federalism, and this does not require discussion or negotiation," Shaibani said in an interview with state-run al-Ikhbariya TV.
After talks stalled in the summer, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim government in Damascus appear to be making progress toward implementing a March 10 agreement signed by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The deal aims to bring all civil and military institutions in Rojava - including the SDF - under state control.
Last week, Abdi said the two sides had reached "an understanding about the principle of decentralization." Najeeb Ghadban, an advisor to Foreign Minister Shaibani, told Rudaw earlier this month that Rojava "is pushing for decentralization to be applied across all of Syria," adding that "there is openness to that idea."
The Kurdish-led administration has long demanded a decentralized system of governance, a proposal Damascus has resisted. In September, Sharaa said that "separatist ambitions disguised as decentralization" were delaying implementation of the March agreement.
Shaibani said that integrating the SDF into Syria’s institutions is crucial to restoring unity. The Kurdish-led force controls about a third of Syrian territory.
"We succeeded in convincing countries interested in the SDF file that its only solution is the March 10 agreement," he said, adding that "the absence of Syrian Democratic Forces within state institutions deepens the rift between them and the Syrian state, so we believe partnership must happen as soon as possible."
He warned that further delay "will have negative repercussions and will obstruct the interests of civilians and the return of displaced people to their areas."
This is "a historic opportunity for the northeast Syria area to be an active part" of Syria’s future, Shaibani said.
Negotiations between the two sides stalled over disagreements on how to incorporate the SDF’s forces into the national army, leading to periodic festivities in northern Syria in recent weeks. The deadlock appeared to ease after Abdi’s visit to Damascus earlier in October, during which he met with Sharaa.
A delegation from Rojava is expected to travel to the Syrian capital next week to discuss the integration of around 100,000 SDF fighters into the national army.
[Rudaw] The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will integrate into the new Syrian army as three distinct military formations, a senior SDF commander told Rudaw on Tuesday, adding that the integration will include Kurdish-led forces’ all-female fighters and likening the possibility of the SDF dropping its current name.
Abu Omar al-Idlibi, a senior commander of the North Democratic Forces - a component of the SDF - said the US-backed forces "will become part of the formations of the new Syrian army. They will be integrated as three military formations [units] and several independent brigades, including a brigade for the Women’s Protection Units [YPJ].
"This will be carried out according to a mechanism that will be agreed upon, with [implementation] details to be addressed during the successive rounds of negotiations," he said.
Moreover, Idlibi noted that "as we take steps toward building a new Syria, changing the name of the SDF may be appropriate for this new phase in our country’s journey.
"Nonetheless, the true essence of these forces - and the mission for which they were founded - will remain deeply rooted in our conscience and in our unwavering commitment to defending our people and our homeland," he emphasized.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi on March 10, signed a landmark agreement with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The deal aims to bring all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria (Rojava) - including the SDF - under state control and to establish a nationwide ceasefire.
Talks to implement the agreement have been ongoing since March, marked by numerous ups and downs.
Asked about whether or not there is a set timeline to implement the key accord, Idlibi said, "an initial timeline was set for the end of the current year," however, "this date is not set in stone," he said. "The timeline can be adjusted in order to achieve meaningful and lasting results, based on accurate and well-defined understandings. These understandings will serve as the foundation upon which the new Syria will be built."
Following is the full transcription of the interview with Abu Omar al-Idlibi:
[IsraelTimes] Islamic Republic slams European powers for reimposing UN sanctions, pledges ‘commitment to diplomacy,’ as much-maligned Obama deal reaches expiry date
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... said Saturday that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear program as a landmark, much-maligned 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its "commitment to diplomacy."
The 2015 deal — pushed by former US president Barak Obama and signed in Vienna by Iran, China, Britannia, La Belle France, Germany, Russia and the United States — saw the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic Theocratic Republic in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington unilaterally withdrew during US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... ’s first term, with Iran later pulling back from its commitments.
The reimposition last month of UN sanctions at the urging of Britannia, La Belle France and Germany — collectively known as the "E3" — rendered the accord effectively moot.
From now on, "all of the provisions (of the deal), including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and the related mechanisms, are considered terminated," Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on the day of the pact’s expiration.
"Iran firmly expresses its commitment to diplomacy," it added.
Western powers have long accused Iran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran, whose leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, publicly denies seeking nuclear arms, but has amassed uranium enriched to a level with no civilian application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.
The deal’s "termination day" was set for October 18, 2025, exactly 10 years after it was enshrined in the UN’s Security Council Resolution 2231.
The accord capped Iran’s uranium enrichment at 3.67% in exchange for sanctions relief and provided for strict supervision of its nuclear activities by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But Washington left the deal in 2018 and reinstated sanctions, after which Tehran began stepping up its nuclear program.
According to the IAEA, Iran is the only country without a nuclear weapons program to enrich uranium to 60% — a short step away from weapons-grade enrichment of 90%.
In July, Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA following the war with Israel, with Tehran pointing to the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
The unprecedented bombing campaign by Israel and the retaliation by Iran during the 12-day war derailed ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Israel said Iran had taken steps toward imminent nuclear weaponization when the IDF launched its opening strike on the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s military leadership, missile production and nuclear facilities early on June 13.
At the initiative of La Belle France, Britannia and Germany, widespread UN sanctions against Iran returned into force in late September for the first time in a decade.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a letter addressed to the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... on Saturday that the expiration of the 2015 deal renders the sanctions "null and void."
Britannia, La Belle France and Germany accuse Iran of not cooperating with the IAEA and would like it to return to negotiations with the United States.
"Iran’s efforts to revive the exchanges (with the IAEA) that led to the agreement in Cairo were also sabotaged by the irresponsible actions of the three European countries," the Iranian foreign ministry said in Saturday’s statement, referring to a recent framework to resume cooperation.
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.
... governor of Texas. Abbott is a Republican. His 2014 Dem opponent, state senatrix Wendy Davis, thought the absolute, most pressing, most important issue facing the state was abortion. Abbott beat the pantyhose off her. His 2018 opponent, Lupe Valdez didn't dwell too heavily on abortion, but she lost too...
[MAIL] An illegal immigrant living in Louisiana allegedly participated in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
...Arabic for 
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
...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 
...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...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...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 
