It’s been a while since we heard about the adventures of the brave lads of the AFF.
Freedom Fighters of the Afghanistan Freedom Front carried out a rocket attack on the Taliban’s Court building in the center of Faryab province at around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
The attack targeted a gathering of Taliban militias known as the “Judicial Police,”… pic.twitter.com/znqEuAJ2ui
— Afghanistan Freedom Front (@FREEDOMFRONTAFG) January 2, 2026
Text:
Freedom Fighters of the Afghanistan Freedom Front carried out a rocket attack on the Taliban’s Court building in the center of Faryab province at around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
The attack targeted a gathering of Taliban militias known as the “Judicial Police,” who operate as the operational force of the group’s so-called morality enforcers (Amr bil Ma’ruf).
The planned operation lasted about 15 minutes, resulting in the death of four Taliban members and injuries to two others.
[SudanWarMonitor] Joint forces intervene to defend citizens, and the marches threaten their lives.
Sudan War Observatory: North Darfur State
The northern regions of North Darfur, known as Darzaghawa, which include the triangle of Karnoi-Ambro-Al-Tina localities, were subjected to military operations at the end of December 2025. The regions were affected by the direct attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces and the Joint Defense Forces, as well as the attack by strategic and suicide drones by both sides. As a result, the people of those regions were displaced to the Chadian border and inside the camps of Chad.
17 soldiers killed in attack on Niger military position in Tillabéri
By: Zagazola Makama
No fewer than 17 soldiers were killed and several others declared missing following an attack on a military position in Yatakala, Gorouol area of the Tillabéri region of Niger Republic,… pic.twitter.com/1ILYdrPUH5
17 soldiers killed in attack on Niger military position in Tillabéri
By Zagazola Makama
No fewer than 17 soldiers were killed and several others declared missing following an attack on a military position in Yatakala, Gorouol area of the Tillabéri region of Niger Republic, preliminary reports have indicated.
Zagazola report that the attack occurred in the early afternoon of Dec. 31, 2025, when armed assailants stormed the position of the Nigerien Defence and Security Forces (SDF) stationed in Yatakala, an area located within the volatile tri-border zone linking Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Security sources said preliminary assessments confirmed that at least 17 soldiers lost their lives during the assault, while an unspecified number were still unaccounted for as of the time of reporting.
The Tillabéri region has remained a hotspot for violent extremist activity, with armed groups frequently targeting military positions and local communities, exploiting the porous borders and difficult terrain of the area.
#Niger🇳🇪- Islamic State Sahel Province (#ISSP) has claimed responsibility for an #IED attack on a Nigerien military patrol between Eknewane & Telemces, resulting in deaths & injuries. The Eknewane camp was attacked several times by ISSP in the past, but IEDs are quite rare here. https://t.co/7pxj3XJGrypic.twitter.com/WSn790GxLY
GOOD NEWS: Security forces recorded a major operational success today in Karaduwa village, Matazu LGA of Katsina State. Armed bandits were decisively engaged: three were k*lled, several others fled with gunshot wounds and one suspect was arrested alive. Troops also recovered… pic.twitter.com/s2Ud2SFbbi
GOOD NEWS: Security forces recorded a major operational success today in Karaduwa village, Matazu LGA of Katsina State. Armed bandits were decisively engaged: three were k*lled, several others fled with gunshot wounds and one suspect was arrested alive. Troops also recovered eight motorcycles and weapons from the criminals. This marks a significant blow to criminal elements terrorizing the axis.
[ISWnews] The UAE’s exit from Yemen as the second key member of the Saudi-led coalition signals the failure of the coalition’s military strategy and a further shift in the balance of power toward Ansar Allah. This move weakens the exiled government and intensifies internal clashes between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Saudi-backed factions in southern and eastern Yemen — and could push southern groups toward declaring secession and courting new foreign sponsors.According to the latest reports on Yemen’s fronts — broken down by military zones and provinces — the situation is as follows:
HADHRAMAUT & AL-MAHRA FRONTS:
In Hadhramaut, the front lines in the north remain unchanged, with Al-Khasha‘a serving as the main contact line. The cities of Al-Qatn, Tarim, and Seiyun in Wadi Hadhramaut are still under southern control. Al-Dara‘ Al-Watani (National Shield) forces have redeployed to Ramah and Thamud in the northeastern desert and taken positions along the Yemen–Saudi border, likely preparing to move toward Al-Sawm on the eastern side of Wadi Hadhramaut.
Fighting continues between the UAE-backed Hadhrami Elite forces and tribal fighters from the Hadhramaut Tribal Council around Ghayl Bin Yamin, as well as in Wadi Khard and Al-Ays on the Hadhramaut coast. Recently, tribal fighters retook the Nohub base and pushed STC forces back from the outskirts of Wadi Khard and Al-Ays.In Al-Mahra, Major General Barjash — commander of the 2nd Military Region — reaffirmed his support for the STC and declared he will not hand over his positions to National Shield forces backed by Saudi Arabia. He also urged civilians to stay away from military sites and installations.
More at the link
More:
In Hadhramaut, front lines are unchanged. Qatn, Tarim &Seiyun remain under southern control, while National Shield forces have redeployed to Ramah and Thamud near the Saudi border — likely preparing a move toward Sawm in eastern Wadi Hadhramaut. Read more: https://t.co/uZXywPBKyDhttps://t.co/GDoZkmouuPpic.twitter.com/MCdQxomYwB
Saudi Arabia's air strikes targeted positions held by the UAE-backed STC forces near the First Military Region in Hadramawt. Footage shows the moment air strikes were launched on positions belonging to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramawt.
Airstrikes killed seven separatist fighters in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... on Friday, an official with the group said, as a Saudi-led coalition hit back against a sweeping advance by the UAE-backed Southern Transition Council and Abu Dhabi called for calm.
The deaths are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month. Other strikes hit the airport and military base in Hadramawt’s Seiyun city on Friday, an STC source and witnesses said.
A military front man for the STC said it was in a "decisive and existential" war with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, characterizing it as a fight against radical Islamism — a longtime preoccupation of the UAE.
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... and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen’s government-run territories, but the STC’s offensive has angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich Gulf powers at loggerheads.
The UAE said after the strikes on Friday that it sought de-escalation and that its last forces had left Yemen.
"The UAE concluded the presence of its counterterrorism forces," a government official said, adding Abu Dhabi "remains committed to dialogue, de-escalation and internationally supported processes as the only sustainable path to peace."
Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert, said seven Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s earlier hit the al-Khasha camp, killing seven and wounding more than 20.
Further strikes targeted other sites in the same region, he added.
At Seiyun, the major city seized at the start of the separatists’ campaign, air strikes rocked the airport and military base, an STC military source and separate eyewitnesses told AFP.
The air raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to "peacefully" take control of military sites in Hadramawt.
"This operation is not a declaration of war," Hadramawt governor Salem al-Khanbashi, also leader of the province’s Saudi-backed local forces, was quoted as saying by the Saba Net news agency.
"This operation does not target any political or social group," he said, adding that it "aims to peacefully and systematically hand over military sites."
Saudi sources confirmed the airstrikes were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, which also nominally includes the UAE and was formed in 2015 to fight the Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels in Yemen’s north.
A source close to the Saudi military warned: "It will not stop until the Southern Transitional Council withdraws from the two governorates."
The STC seized much of resource-rich Hadramawt, bordering Saudi Arabia, and neighboring Mahra on the Omani frontier last month.
RIVAL FACTIONS
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are rival powerbrokers in Yemen’s government-run areas.
The wealthy Gulf powers formed the backbone of the military coalition aimed at dislodging the Houthis, who forced the government from the capital Sanaa in 2014 and seized Yemen’s most populated areas.
But after a brutal, decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place and the Saudis and Emiratis are backing different factions in the government-held territories.
Amr Al Bidh, foreign affairs representative for the STC, accused Riyadh of having "knowingly misled the international community by announcing a ’peaceful operation’ that they never had any intention to keep peaceful".
"This was evidenced by the fact that they launched 7 airstrikes minutes later," he posted on X.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the STC to withdraw from the recently conquered territories.
The UAE had first announced its intention to withdraw its remaining troops in Yemen after the Saudi-led coalition bombed an alleged Emirati weapons shipment on Tuesday.
FLIGHTS GROUNDED
The Yemeni government comprises a fractious coalition of groups, including the STC, united by their opposition to the Houthis.
The STC’s advance has raised the possibility that South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, might declare independence, while dealing a hammer blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with the Houthis.
Also on Friday, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jabir, said the STC had blocked a Saudi delegation from landing at Aden airport, accusing the group of "intransigence."
On Thursday, Yemen’s STC-controlled transport ministry denounced a Saudi demand that all planes to and from the UAE make a stop in Saudi Arabia for security checks.
According to the Flightradar24 tracking website, no planes have taken off or landed at Aden airport for more than 24 hours, although the ministry did not officially announce its closure.
See the beginning of the attack here, and the people called out in the streets because of it here. Discussions under both.
[NewsMax] President Donald Trump says Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro has been captured after the US conducted a "large-scale strike" on the country early Saturday morning.
"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country," Trump wrote on Truth Social at 4:21 a.m. ET.
"This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
In an overnight phone interview with The New York Times, Trump called the covert operation "brilliant."
"A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people," Trump said. "It was a brilliant operation, actually."
The Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is the next in line for the presidency, is demanding "proof of life."
"The cradle of the Liberator was attacked. In the face of this situation, we do not know the whereabouts of President Maduro," she said in a phone interview posted to X. "We demand from Donald Trump proof of life of President Maduro. People to the streets."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, announcing Maduro will be brought to justice in the U.S.
"Just got off the phone with@SecRubio," Lee posted on X. "He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.
"This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.
#3
Thank You GOD.
This evil Socialist needed to be taken out of office years ago.
But!
How will the Liberals, Socialists and US Democrats now chose to retaliate?
Will the Liberal MSM & SM go all out to stir up Protests and Riots supporting the release of this Dictator & self-appointed KING?
Or will there be the usual (DNC & Elite) names starting up Congressional hearings and using making misquoted soundbite headlines, calling for Impeachment again.
Or are they planning something more serious?
After the July incident, I am sure Trump had his Secret Service detail re-vetted with a lint brush to be safe. But maybe it is due for a deeper re-check.
#6
Trump had his Secret Service detail re-vetted with a lint brush to be safe
nice turn of phrase.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/03/2026 7:38 Comments ||
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#7
I strong agree Dictator/King Maduro needs to stand trial for his laundry list of crimes and murders that he ordered directly himself.
But will this be seen by the world, as the imagine of a Kangaroo court, by a country that attacks, and captures its enemy leaders? Then places them on Public display and trial with a pre-determined verdict by the world?
Should it be a Independent UNBIAS World Court action for crimes against humanity type setting instead?
#14
Set as today’s headline. Good find for us to wake up to this morning, Besoeker — thank you.
From the Times of Israel blogs, posted from Venezuela, posted at 2:44 p.m. Israel times, which I believe is 8:44 a.m. ET:
Here in Venezuela, we are all in shock
With local news silent, citizens are sharing videos of explosions in Caracas and learning from sources abroad that their president was taken away by plane
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026
and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.
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7:25 AM · Jan 3, 2026
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Posted by: Frank G ||
01/03/2026 11:33 Comments ||
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#20
Manuel Noriega could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/03/2026 11:34 Comments ||
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#21
what rhymes with Caracas anyway?
The maracas of Caracas...
Watching the TV news coverage (BBC, Sky News, Fox), I am impressed by how they all can stretch a couple video clips and some talking head commentary into a half-hour show.
Maduro, along with his counterparts in Colombia and Mexico have been at war with America for decades. It's about damn time we started fighting back. I would include China but it won't be as easy to capture Xi as it was Maduro.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/03/2026 11:38 Comments ||
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#23
Thirty minutes of action, then away — and not a hint beforehand.
Here’s hoping the real winner of the last election down there takes over and returns Venezuela to its traditional vigorous prosperity, so all the migrants can return home.
#28
Onliest flaw in the process is the indictment against Maduro is in the Southern District of New York.
Want odds on the Trump DOJ getting a conviction there?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/03/2026 12:25 Comments ||
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#29
What are the odds of Mamdani ordering NYPD to free Maduro from kidnappers?
The president added another detail that will enrage Democrats and America’s enemies: “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping, and what could have taken place. We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”
As a warning, Trump said, “And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so, so we were prepared to do a second wave.” That will happen if necessary. “The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of the criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States. As alleged in the indictment, he personally oversaw the vicious cartel known as Cartel de los Soles, which flooded our nation with lethal poison, responsible for the deaths of countless Americans,” Trump said.
#48
@27 Russia officially wants to take over Europe and finlandize/neuter the US.
This seems to be the Trump admin's response to at least the second demand.
Since 1979 the respect for even basic Western interests traditionally protected by international law, like basic territorial sovereignty protecting human and civil rights and the basic security of Western civilians has eroded dramatically.
The notion that, in 2026, there is a moral obligation by Western nations to respect or recognize the "sovereignty" of Iran or her allies is absurd.
Is this lawless world unstable and dangerous?
Yes!
Sinve 1979 Iran and her allies have been dismantling the system of laws and conventions that gave the world a modicum of stability. All this to wage a convenient asymmetrical war on the West.
Now they are receiving a small dose of the danger and instability they created.
#52
^ Maybe he got excited? Prolly the high-dose V1agra
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/03/2026 19:07 Comments ||
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#53
Kimmy shot a ballistic missile
North Korea doesn’t like it when somewhere else gets all the attention. And right now Iran and Venezuela are splitting the world’s attention, with Israel/Gaza sucking up the rest.
#55
North Korea doesn’t like it when somewhere else gets all the attention.
I shot a missile into the air,
It fell to earth I know not where.
Or maybe it splashed into the sea.
Will someone please pay attention to me?
-- from The Ballad of Pudgy Kim
Venezuela had a Russian-supplied integrated system focused on protecting Caracas and strategic sites. This included long-range, medium-range, short-range, and point-defense systems, supplemented by anti-aircraft guns and fighter interceptors.
They had around 12 batteries of S-300VM (approximately 1–2 divisions sapid effective against aircraft, cruise missiles, and some ballistic threats up to 200–250 km. Medium-range: Buk-M2E (SA-17 Grizzly) systems, with 9–12 batteries up to 45–50 km. Medium/short-range: S-125 Pechora-2M with dozens of units for low-to-medium altitude threats. Short-range/point defense: Tor-M1/Tor-M2E (up to 10 systems in some reports) and possible Pantsir systems. They had 5,000 MANPADS Russian Igla-S for low-flying threats like helicopters and cruise missiles.
Anti-aircraft artillery: Over 400 pieces, including 200+ ZU-23-2 23mm twins and 114+ 40mm Bofors L/70 (some modernized).
Aerial component: Su-30MK2 Flanker fighters (around 20–21 operational) for interception, with limited F-16s (few airworthy due to maintenance issues).
All that proved useless or was neutralized on January 3, 2026 practically instantaneously.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/03/2026 20:13 Comments ||
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#58
All that proved useless or was neutralized on January 3, 2026 practically instantaneously
Just like Iran when the IAF flew through. Still, that kind of thing might be useful if it’s anyone other than the IAF or the USAF. And in the meantime it keeps the lads busy shining the brightwork.
#60
Way back in the time of Dukakis
One man fought for gelt. [cue maracas]
"I might not be Delta
But I got my own smelter!"
Tonight, it's Black Gold of Caracas.
See previous report that an attack had started here, see subsequent-to-this report that President Maduro and his wife were captured here. Both also have discussions worth reading — my thanks to all for doing what Rantburgers do so wonderfully, leaving me to just make sure the articles are filed correctly and write little linking blurbs to make searches easier.
May this be the salutary shock necessary to reset much of the nonsense that built up in recent decades.
—trailing wife for the moderators at 11:00 a.m. ET
[TurkiyeToday] Venezuela's government accused the United States of launching military strikes on multiple locations across the country early Saturday and called for the population to take to the streets in response, as President Nicolas Maduro declared a nationwide state of emergency.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Explosions rocked Caracas and three other Venezuelan states early Saturday around 2:00 AM, striking military installations including Fort Tiuna, the country's largest military complex, and La Carlota Air Base
Witnesses reported low-flying US Army CH-47 Chinooks, air raid sirens, plumes of smoke, and blasts strong enough to shake windows across multiple neighborhoods
Maduro declared a nationwide state of emergency and called citizens to "take to the streets" in mass mobilization against what the government called U.S. "imperialist aggression"
Colombia, Cuba condemned strikes, with Colombian President Petro calling for an emergency UN Security Council session
Maduro's whereabouts are unknown, though some members of his inner circle appeared safe
First of a series of three articles reporting the events of the morning. Next the people were called out into the streets here, and finally President Trump announced that Venezuela’s Maduro and his wife were captured here. Lots of discussion attached to both.
BREAKING NEWS;
The U.S. military is conducting strikes against Venezuela, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News Saturday morning.
At least seven explosions could be heard in Venezuelas capital city of Caracas early Saturday morning, according to reports.
Low-flying aircraft were seen flying over Caracas at about 2 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Notice to Air Missions at 1 a.m. EST on Saturday prohibiting all U.S. aircraft from operating "at all altitudes within Venezuelan airspace."
More at link, including pictures and videos
Seeking cure, you posted this without a URL, so I found one that seemed to fit. If it’s not the one you meant, please post the correct link in a comment below, and one of the moderators will fix it later.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance ||
01/03/2026 03:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1791 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
In a joint security operation, forces from the National Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Command (CONAS) and the Bolivarian National Guard neutralized four members of a remnant cell linked to the organized crime group known as "Tren del Llano." The confrontation occurred on December… pic.twitter.com/9YsGoNBSHI
In a joint security operation, forces from the National Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Command (CONAS) and the Bolivarian National Guard neutralized four members of a remnant cell linked to the organized crime group known as "Tren del Llano."
Tren del Llano (Train of the Plain) is one of the first large criminal gangs (est. 2008), known locally as “megabandas,” to emerge in Venezuela. Gang founder José Antonio Tovar Colina, alias “El Picure” was killed by government authorities in 2016. The gang set itself in opposition to President Maduro, who set the army to hunt them down in 2021. They’re still at it…
The confrontation occurred on December 31 in the Sosa sector of Julián Mellado municipality, Guárico state.
Reports indicate the individuals, including key figures such as Manuel Alejandro Moyetones Castillo (alias "Mandarria"), second-in-command of the structure, and Daniel Alejandro Maluenga López (alias "Daniel Maluenga"), were part of a cell originally associated with "El Chachi," responsible for extortions, homicides, and other crimes across the Llanos region.
Authorities recovered multiple firearms and materials from the scene, as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle remaining elements of the group.
[IsraelTimes] 18-year-old arrested in undercover operation for alleged plan to target North Carolina grocery store, fast-food restaurant; official says suspect ‘was willing to sacrifice himself’
The FBI said Friday it disrupted a New Year’s Eve plot to attack a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old man who authorities say pledged loyalty to 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.... group.
Christian Sturdivant
…a good Moslem name…
was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after Sherlocks say he shared plans for the attack with an undercover FBI employee posing as a supportive confidant.
Another idiot whose very bestest BFF is the FBI. Thank God wannabe jihadis in general are as dumb as a box of rocks. There is the occasional exception, to be sure, but most of those caught before they execute are fools.
Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remained in jug after a federal court appearance Friday. An attorney representing him Friday did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Another hearing was scheduled for January 7.
The alleged attack would have taken place one year after 14 people were killed in New Orleans by a US citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for ISIS on social media.
The FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice and equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
Searches of Sturdivant’s home and phone uncovered what Sherlocks described as a manifesto detailing plans for an attack with knives and a hammer, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle said at a news conference Friday.
"He was willing to sacrifice himself," Barnacle said. Then he shouldn't whine he gets sentenced
US Attorney for western North Carolina Russ Ferguson said the planned attack in Mint Hill, a bedroom community near Charlotte, targeted "places that we go every day and don’t think that we may be harmed."
Worried he might attempt violence before New Year’s Eve, the FBI placed Sturdivant under constant surveillance for days, including on Christmas, Ferguson said. Agents were prepared to arrest him earlier if he left his home with weapons, he said. "At no point was the public in harm’s way." Unless, of course, they looked like a nail.
The fact that Sturdivant encountered two undercover officers while allegedly planning the attack should reassure the public, Ferguson said. He declined to identify the grocery store and restaurant cited in the complaint, citing the ongoing investigation.
If convicted, Sturdivant faces up to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.
An FBI affidavit says the investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of ISIS, including imagery that appeared to promote violence. The account’s display name referenced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the former leader of the murderous Moslem group.
Some experts argue that ISIS is powerful today partly as a brand, inspiring both turban groups and individuals in attacks that the group itself may have no real role in.
Precisely.
The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the FBI’s radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned that he had been in contact with a person in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... the FBI says was an ISIS member, and had received instructions to dress in black, knock on people’s doors and commit attacks with a hammer.
Direct orders from ISIS, not merely a generic inspiration.
At that time, Sturdivant did actually set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
Go, Gramps!
The FBI in Los Angeles last month announced the disruption of a separate New Year’s Eve plot, arresting members of an murderous Moslem anti-capitalist and anti-government group who federal officials said planned to bomb multiple sites in southern Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/03/2026 2026-01-03 02:43 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1828 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Given his name was Christian Sturdivant. A person would have figured he'd adopted Muhammad or something Muslim sounding at least since 2022. I guess, just another Internet Social Media indoctrinated deadly idiot.
Final Note: Persons caught in the final stages of terror attack planning should get life w/o parole. Not just 20 years.
Imagine this idiot in 10 to 20 years being released back on the streets and now prison educated.
#2
an undercover FBI employee [not an agent] posing as a supportive confidant
Did they outsource the chatbots?
A lonely, 'challenged' fanboy at 14 befriended by a web impostor and groomed for 4 years?
The FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice and equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
"An accessory before-the-fact is a person who aids and abets, or encourages another to commit a crime but who is not present at the scene. An accessory before the fact, like an accomplice may be held criminally liable to the same extent as the principal. Many jurisdictions refer to an accessory before the fact as an accomplice."
#3
Christian is melanin-enhanced in the NY Post photos
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/03/2026 18:28 Comments ||
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#4
I was curious about the family name, which sounds vaguely Dutch or Plattdeutsch to me, so I looked it up. From Wikipedia:
The Sturdivant Gang was a multi-generational, family gang of counterfeiters, whose criminal activities took place over a fifty-year period, from the 1780s, in Connecticut and Massachusetts, with one branch of the family going to Tennessee via Virginia and a second family branch going to Ohio and finally settled on the Illinois frontier, between the 1810s to 1830s.[6]
Of “European” ethnicity, unlike our current miscreant, but the name could have come form a wandering ancestor.
A North Carolina teenager who the FBI says planned to carry out a New Year’s Eve attack inspired by the Islamic State was on an agency watchlist for years before his arrest on Dec. 31.
Christian Sturdivant, an 18-year-old Burger King worker, was arrested and charged with plotting a "potential terrorist attack" on a grocery store and fast food restaurant in his suburban Charlotte hometown of Mint Hill, authorities announced on Jan. 2.
Sturdivant "pledged his loyalty to ISIS" and intended to become a martyr "to support the murder, torture and extreme violence that ISIS represents," according to FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle.
Barnacle said that the North Carolina teen’s affiliation with the extremist group represents "the very real threat posed by people who self-radicalize online."
It wasn't immediately clear if Sturdivant had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Here's what we know about Sturdivant.
Was Christian Sturdivant known to authorities?
Sturdivant's arrest comes about three years after another alleged plot first landed him on an FBI watchlist.
In January 2022, Sturdivant first made online contact with a member of ISIS based in Europe, according to federal court filings in the Western District of North Carolina.
The ISIS member told Sturdivant to "dress all in black, knock on people’s doors, and attack them with a hammer," a criminal complaint says. The teen left his house dressed in black to "kill his neighbor with a hammer and knife," but his grandfather restrained him and brought him home, court filings say.
Sturdivant underwent psychiatric care and had his social media access restricted, Barnacle said. Sturdivant's grandfather also secured knives that were in the home, he said.
Before the attempted attack, Sturdivant pledged "Bayat," or oath of allegiance, to ISIS, according to the FBI.
How did alleged New Year's Eve plot come about?
Sturdivant had been planning the alleged New Year’s Eve plot for about a year and was planning to attack people with knives and hammers, Ferguson said.
Authorities say they became aware of the threat after Sturdivant − a "prolific poster" on social media − shared his plans online with FBI agents posing as ISIS supporters.
Among the evidence found by authorities under Sturdivant's bed: knives, hammers and notes detailing his plans, Ferguson said.
Social media account inspired by ISIS chief leader
FBI investigators tracking Sturdivant’s online activities linked him to a social media account with the display name "Abu-Bakr-Al-Amriki," court filings say. The account published multiple posts showing support for ISIS.
The display name is an apparent homage to ISIS’ leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who became infamous worldwide after he proclaimed himself caliph in 2014, led ISIS to capture large swathes of Iraq and Syria and imposed in the region a fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic Shari’a law to carry out mass killings.
Al-Amriki is Arabic for "the American" or "of America." The display name, FBI investigators say, signalled Sturdivant’s aspirations to be an American al-Baghdadi.
Al-Baghdadi died by suicide in October 2019 during a U.S. military operation.
What did Sturdivant say online?
The North Carolina teen repeatedly posted online in favor of ISIS and jihad, court filings show. Among his posts was a photo showing military-style gloves with a reference to a chapter of the Quran that refers to war with enemies of Islam, the records say.
Another post showed a ballistic vest with a caption reading: "Islam is on the rise. May Allah curse the crusade coalition." And in December, one of his posts showed two Jesus figurines and the caption: "May Allah curse the cross worshipers."
FBI agents became more directly involved after they say Sturdivant posted a photo that authorities interpreted as a signal that he would stage an attack around Christmas. The post was on Dec. 11.
"I will do jihad soon," the FBI says Sturdivant told undercover agents on Dec. 13. In other exchanges, the 18-year-old told agents that for a year he had been planning an attack in a public place on "Christian pagans and lgbtq."
#Alert Yesterday, in the Akakhel Alam Kili area of Khyber, a fierce clash took place between fighters of the banned (TTP) and SOG (FC) personnel. According to local sources, the clash lasted for nearly six hours. Security forces claimed to have killed four militants, but so far… pic.twitter.com/8B4NPnpwky
Yesterday, in the Akakhel Alam Kili area of Khyber, a fierce clash took place between fighters of the banned (TTP) and SOG (FC) personnel.
According to local sources, the clash lasted for nearly six hours.
Security forces claimed to have killed four militants, but so far no photos or verified reports have emerged. Meanwhile, the TTP released photos of rifles and magazines seized from the security forces.
Posted by: badanov ||
01/03/2026 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Pak Taliban (TTP)
[IsraelTimes] Jordan’s ministry of Islamic affairs issues a message to imams in the country barring them from holding prayers in memory of Hamas’s spokesperson and other leaders, who the terror group confirmed were killed by Israel earlier this week.
While the Hashemite kingdom has been bitterly critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, it also bans the Muslim Brotherhood and has cracked down on protests in support of Hamas.
[IsraelTimes] The Palestinian Prisoners’ media office says Israel carried out numerous raids across the West Bank overnight, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron. Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
Israel’s military says there were arrests made of people “involved in terrorist activity.”
Last Friday, a Palestinian attacker rammed his car into a man and then stabbed a young woman in northern Israel on Friday afternoon, killing both, police said. Raids were conducted afterward in the attacker’s West Bank hometown.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society says that Israel has arrested 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem this year, and 21,000 since the war began. The number arrested from Gaza isn’t made public by Israel
[IsraelTimes] The Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday that it had carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including a training compound used by the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.
According to the IDF, the site was used to train operatives for planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli forces and civilians, including live-fire drills and weapons training. The military said it also struck additional Hezbollah structures used to store weapons in recent periods.
The military said the activity constituted a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon and vowed to continue acting against threats posed by Hezbollah.
Separately, the IDF launched an interceptor missile toward what it initially said was a “suspicious aerial target” near Bar’am, close to Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The interceptor missile caused rocket warning sirens to be activated in the area for the first time in months.
After reviewing the matter, the IDF said the interceptor was launched at a “false target.” A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters the Iran-backed terror group was not linked to the incident.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Thursday that they have arrested several members 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), including an individual involved in bomb-making and multiple terrorist attacks, during a joint operation with the US-led international coalition.
In a statement, the SDF said its forces carried out a "successful security operation" in the village of Mashlab, near Raqqa, targeting an ISIS cell. The operation was conducted in coordination with coalition forces.
The raid led to the arrest of Khalaf Hussein Ibrahim, whom the SDF described as an ISIS operative and a member of the group’s bomb-making unit.
According to the statement, Ibrahim confessed to manufacturing and planting improvised bombs (IEDs) used against SDF and coalition forces, as well as distributing explosives to other ISIS cells.
SDF forces also seized "weapons, ammunition, communication equipment, and personal documents," during the operation.
On Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had killed at least seven ISIS suspects and captured several others during a series of operations in Syria conducted over nine days with its local partners. The operations followed a deadly attack on US troops that Washington has attributed to ISIS.
In a year-end statement released on Wednesday, the SDF said it conducted 163 security and military operations against ISIS cells in 2025, resulting in the arrest or killing of dozens of murderous Moslems, including three big shots.
The US-backed SDF serves as the de facto military authority in northeast Syria, also known as Rojava. The force praised the role of the US-led global coalition, calling the partnership "a major factor in enhancing the effectiveness of joint efforts against terrorism."
The SDF was the coalition’s sole on-the-ground partner in Syria until the Syrian government joined the military alliance in November.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/03/2026 2026-01-03 04:39 ||
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[1800 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] Tehran urges UN to condemn Trump after he warns US could intervene if protesters killed; Iranian cops say protesters have legitimate demands but stress no tolerance for ‘destructive actions’
State-affiliated media and rights groups in 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... reported Friday that at least 10 people have been killed in the nationwide protests against the regime since Wednesday, including one man who authorities said was a member of the Basij paramilitary force affiliated with the elite Revolutionary Guards.
The demonstrations were sparked in part by the collapse of Iran’s rial currency but have increasingly seen crowds chanting anti-government slogans, posing the biggest internal threat to Iranian authorities in years.
A local official in western Iran, where several deaths were reported, was cited by state media as warning that any unrest or illegal gatherings would be met "decisively and without leniency."
The deadly unrest prompted 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... to warn Friday that the United States was "locked and loaded" to respond if Iran killed protesters, which Iranian officials responded to with their own threats.
"Trump’s message today, likely influenced by those who fear diplomacy or mistakenly believe it is unnecessary, is reckless and dangerous," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, insisting the protests were mostly peaceful and pointing to the US leader’s own deployment of the National Guard in US cities.
In a letter to the UN secretary-general and president of the Security Council, Iranian UN Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani called for the Security Council to condemn Trump’s statements, while citing the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s "inherent right to defend its illusory sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, and to protect its people against any foreign interference."
"Iran will exercise its rights decisively and proportionately. The United States of America bears full responsibility for any consequences arising from these unlawful threats and any ensuing escalation," he said in the letter.
Iranian leaders have in recent days said that peaceful protests over Iran’s dire economy were legitimate and understandable, while at the same time warning of a firm response to any instability.
An Iranian police front man said on Friday that the authorities acknowledged that the protests "express the will of the people to improve their living conditions."
"The police clearly distinguish between the legitimate demands of the people and destructive actions... and will not permit any enemies to transform the unrest into chaos," front man Said Montazeralmahdi added in a statement.
The prosecutor of the district of Lorestan, where festivities took place on Thursday, was quoted on the judiciary’s Mizan website as saying: "Any participation in illegal gatherings and any action aimed at disturbing public order, destroying property, disobeying law enforcement, inciting illegal gatherings... will be treated with the greatest firmness."
UN human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... chief Volker Turk urged Iranian "authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly."
The protest movement comes as Iran has found itself weakened by major blows dealt to its regional allies 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... , Leb ...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?... and Syria.
Iran also fought a 12-day war with Israel in June that saw the United States briefly join with strikes on nuclear sites.
The protests have affected at least 20 cities to varying degrees, largely in the country’s west, according to an AFP tally based on Iranian media reports.
However,
women are made to be loved, not understood... local media do not necessarily report on every incident, and state media downplayed coverage of protests, while the videos flooding social media are often impossible to verify.
The demonstrations are smaller than the last major round of unrest in 2022, triggered by the death in jug of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Her death sparked a nationwide wave of anger that left several hundred people dead, including dozens of members of the security forces.
Iran was also gripped by nationwide protests that began in late 2019 over a rise in fuel prices, eventually leading to calls to topple the country’s holy manal rulers.
Buncha hysterical ninnies. It wasn’t aimed at them and didn’t hit them. For a peacekeeper that’s the best of all possible worlds that doesn’t involve a garden party escorting the embassy daughters.
[IsraelTimes] The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon says gunfire from an Israeli position hit close to its observer forces twice on Friday, reporting no casualties but decrying a “concerning trend.”
UNIFIL has repeatedly reported Israeli fire near or towards its personnel in recent months, and last week said an Israeli attack near one of its positions lightly wounded a peacekeeper.
Personnel patrolling in south Lebanon on Friday “reported 15 rounds of small arms fire that struck no more than 50 meters away from them,” a UNIFIL statement says.
Shortly afterwards, “peacekeepers in a second patrol in the same area reported approximately 100 rounds of machine-gun fire struck approximately 50 meters from them,” it adds, reporting no damage or injuries.
“Peacekeepers assessed that the fire came from an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) position south of the Blue Line in both cases,” the statement says, referring to the de facto border, and “sent a ‘stop fire’ request through its liaison channels.”
It says UNIFIL informed the Israeli army about the peacekeepers’ activities in advance.
“Incidents like these are happening on a too-regular basis, and becoming a concerning trend,” the statement says.
“We reiterate our call to the IDF to cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line.”
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.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...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?...
