[FoxNews] Somalia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand among nations affected by indefinite pause starting Jan. 21
The State Department is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge.
A State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.
The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more.
The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of immigrant visa processing.
Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny from federal officials following a sweeping fraud scandal centered in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered massive abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Many of those involved are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed consular officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called "public charge" provision of immigration law.
The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.
Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.
"The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people," State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement.
"Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits."
While the public charge provision has existed for decades, enforcement has varied widely across administrations, with consular officers historically given broad discretion in applying the standard.
Exceptions to the new pause will be "very limited" and only allowed after an applicant has cleared public charge considerations.
A 2022 version of the public charge rule under the Biden administration had limited the scope of benefits considered — primarily to cash assistance and long-term institutional care — excluding programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, Medicaid or housing vouchers.
The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted consular officers to deem applicants inadmissible on public charge grounds, but President Donald Trump in 2019 expanded the definition to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion was challenged in court, with portions ultimately blocked before being rescinded by the Biden administration.
The full list of countries comprises of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
Mali 🇲🇱– Depuis le 12 janvier, la capitale Bamako traverse une fois de plus une pénurie de carburant qui perturbe les activités économiques et sociales.
Dans de nombreuses stations-services, les clients patientent jusqu’à une demi-journée pour obtenir quelques litres de… pic.twitter.com/W1xVjr6JDM
Mali 🇲🇱– Since January 12, the capital Bamako is once again experiencing a fuel shortage that is disrupting economic and social activities.
In many gas stations, customers wait up to half a day to obtain a few liters of fuel, which are essential for daily commutes and activities.
🔷The blockade imposed by JNIM terrorists limits fuel resupply, despite the presence of FAMa and Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps to secure strategic routes and convoys.
Furthermore, many drivers, designated as targets by the JNIM, have stopped transporting fuel, denouncing the lack of protection and a risk that is too great for their lives. They claim that the military abandons them at the first exchange of fire, leaving them at the mercy of the terrorists, who, if they do not kill them, destroy their means of livelihood.
IS-Sahel and ISWAP continue the attempts to link their zones of operations, through both central Niger and northwest Nigeria via the so-called Lakurawa group, very concerning. https://t.co/oeoKOsjFFUpic.twitter.com/WVYgQPQBNh
The Lakawura are pledged to the Islamic State - Sahel Province operating in Mali, Niger, and the Kebbi and Sokoto states of Nigeria. Their activities are concentrated in five local government areas of Sokoto, namely: Tangaza, Gudu, Illela, Binji, and Silame. Initially founded as a self-defense group to fight Nigerian bandits, the group eventually became increasingly radical. Lakurawa was defined as a terrorist group in 2024 …
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In a quite significant development, IS-Sahel claimed an IED attack between Tchin-Tabaradene and Jirket, in the Taboua region of western Niger, a clear sign of expansion towards the east, some unclaimed events also took place in this area recently like the killing of a local… https://t.co/Do7S70ONWk
…killing of a local religious chief, which prompted the Nigerien government to ban all motorcycle circulation in the Tchintabaraden and Kao communes, starting yesterday and in effect for the next 3 months.
[PREMIUMTIMESNG] ISWAP, which broke away from Boko Haram in 2016, has emerged as one of the most lethal armed groups in the Lake Chad region.
by Monday Ateboh
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has significantly expanded its drone capability and is finalising plans to launch coordinated aerial attacks on Nigerian military positions in parts of Yobe and Borno states, PREMIUM TIMES can report.
A confidential security assessment sighted by PREMIUM TIMES indicates that the terrorists intend to deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) against military formations and patrol teams operating in key conflict areas across the two states.
According to sources familiar with the matter, ISWAP commanders have concluded arrangements for the attacks, which are expected to involve multiple drones operating simultaneously against selected targets.
The sources disclosed that fighters loyal to the group in the Timbuktu Triangle and Sambisa Forest axis recently received a new batch of about 35 drones, allegedly transported through the Lake Chad corridor, a notorious logistics route used by insurgents operating around Nigeria’s north-eastern borders.
Security officials said the newly acquired UAVs have already undergone test flights and were confirmed to be operationally ready, raising concerns within the military about a possible escalation in the group’s use of asymmetric warfare tactics.
[IsraelTimes] Bristol Brunel Academy says Sept. visit by Damien Egan, a leader of Labour Friends of Israel who is Jewish, was delayed to avoid clash with public protesters, new date already set
[IsraelTimes] Lawsuit settlement for Saudi-born-and-raised prisoner Abu Zubaydah, jailed since 2002 and now said not to have belonged to al-Qaeda, comes after he was waterboarded 83 times
The British government has agreed to pay a "substantial sum" to settle a lawsuit by a Guantanamo Bay detainee who said UK intelligence agencies were complicit in his torture at secret US interrogation sites, his lawyer said Monday.
Abu Zubaydah, a Paleostinian man born and raised in 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... , was thought to be a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that carried out the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, when he was captured in Pakistain in 2002.
Zubaydah, whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, was tortured at so-called CIA "black sites" in third countries such as Poland and Lithuania before being transferred to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay in 2006. He has since been held without trial.
Helen Duffy, an attorney, said the confidential settlement was symbolically and practically significant for the "intolerable suffering" Abu Zubaydah endured.
She urged the UK to press for the immediate release of Abu Zubaydah and others held without charge more than 20 years after the terror attacks. As of January 2025, Abu Zubaydah was one of four so-called "forever prisoners" at Guantanamo, whom the US will not release but also cannot put on trial.
"This case is deeply relevant today, as some states ride roughshod over international law, and the world looks to others to respond," Duffy said. "There are critical lessons about the cost of cooperating with the US or other allies flouting international norms. It is more important than ever that human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... and states’ international obligations are respected, and violations are met with reparation and accountability."
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment, saying it would neither confirm nor deny intelligence matters.
Abu Zubaydah was the first person in the CIA’s detention and interrogation program following the September 11 attacks, and was subjected to so-called "enhanced interrogation," which is now widely viewed as torture. He says he was held at CIA black sites in Thailand, Poland, Morocco, Lithuania and Afghanistan.
He was waterboarded 83 times and suffered other physical abuse, according to a US Senate report, which said the CIA conceded he was never a member of al-Qaeda and not involved in planning the 9/11 attacks.
He was once left isolated for 47 days without questioning. At one point, he was confined for over 11 days in a coffin-sized box, among a raft of other mistreatment, a US Senate report found. While in the box, Duffy said, he was "left to marinate in his own urine and feces."
UK security and intelligence services were aware Abu Zubaydah was being tortured, but they continued to provide questions for the CIA to ask him without seeking assurances of his condition, a parliamentary committee found in 2018.
Dominic Grieve, a lawyer and former member of the House of Commons who chaired the parliamentary inquiry into detainee abuse, said the payout was very unusual but that Abu Zubaydah was clearly wronged.
"Americans were behaving in a way that should have given us cause for real concern," Grieve told the BBC. "We should have raised it with the United States and, if necessary, closed down cooperation, but we failed to do that for a considerable period of time."
In 2022, the US Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit by Abu Zubaydah, who was seeking testimony from two former CIA contractors as part of an investigation into his treatment when he was held in Poland. The court rejected his case because the government said it would expose state secrets despite much of the information having been widely reported.
But in 2023, Britannia’s Supreme Court ruled that he could use English law in a legal claim against the UK government over alleged complicity in the torture.
[IsraelTimes] Yaakov Harari, 72, said to be among 125 accused of serving as US mercenaries last January; Venezuela says release of prisoners part of efforts to ‘seek peace’ with Washington
An Israeli-Argentinian man was released from prison in Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... and returned to Israel on Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office said, over a year after his arrest for allegedly serving as a mercenary on behalf of the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Yaakov Harari, 72, upon his return, as well as with Harari’s two daughters Yael and Ya’ara, who expressed their appreciation to the premier, the Jewish community in Caracas and diplomats who worked to secure his release, the PMO said.
According to Ynet, Harari was among 125 people, mainly US citizens, arrested in January 2025, with Venezuela’s interior minister accusing them of serving as mercenaries for Washington with the aim of attempting a coup in the country.
Caracas said on Monday that 116 prisoners have so far been released as part of a process announced last week to "seek peace" with US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... , after the US captured Venezuelan supremo Nicholas Maduro.
Netanyahu hailed a wide-ranging effort to free Harari.
"The Prime Minister expressed appreciation to the Foreign Ministry, the Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... and the coordinator of the government coordinator for hostages, Gal Hirsch, for their work and wished to thank the US government, the German government, the Austrian government and the Italian government for the assistance they provided to Israel in the process of returning Yaakov to his homeland," the PMO added.
It is unclear why Harari was in the country, which cut ties with Israel in 2009 after Operation Cast Lead 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... , and has maintained a hostile stance toward Jerusalem.
Unidad Venezuela, a group of opposition parties, said on Monday that Venezuela was not fulfilling all its promises to release prisoners and that just 65 people had been freed so far, urging the Venezuelan government in a post on X to "speed up the release process so that the suffering of political prisoners and their families can finally come to an end."
Legal advocacy group Foro Penal had a count of 49.
The government figure, published by the Penitentiary Services Ministry, followed three days of reports from rights organizations about delays in releases. The ministry said those being freed had been involved in "acts associated with disrupting the constitutional order and undermining the stability of the nation."
Supporters and family members have spent the weekend gathering at detention centers throughout the capital, Caracas, where they also held candlelit vigils, and some stayed overnight on mattresses outside, hoping to see their loved ones set free.
"I have visited several detention centers, and the answer is always the same: he is not here. A long time has passed, and I have no proof of life. I demand proof of life because I need to know how my husband is. It’s been more than a year without hearing my husband’s voice," said Mariana Gonzalez de Tudares, the daughter of the opposition’s former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Her husband, Rafael Tudares, was detained in January 2025 while driving his two young children to school.
The dripfeed of releases comes after a week of political turmoil in Caracas following the capture of Maduro by the United States, and his appearance in a New York court on drug trafficking charges.
The release of hundreds of political prisoners in the South American country is a long-running demand of human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... groups, international bodies and opposition figures.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who is due to meet with Trump this Thursday and several of whose close allies are detained, has been one of the main voices calling for releases.
Machado visited the Vatican on Monday, where she met Pope Leo and asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who "remain kidnapped and disappeared."
The head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, had said on Thursday that a significant number of prisoners, both foreign and Venezuelan, would be released, though the government has not given a total.
According to Foro Penal, at least 800 people were being held as political prisoners at the beginning of the year in Venezuela. The government denies that there are detainees held for political reasons.
México envió en buque a Cuba con 85.000 barriles de Crudo, y la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum le dijo a Donald Trump: "Usted a mi no me dice a quien le vendo mi petróleo".
"El petróleo es de los mexicanos y para los mexicanos. Ni Estados Unidos ni ningún otro país tiene voto en… pic.twitter.com/stpvOwGejH
Translated from Spanish
Mexico sent a ship to Cuba with 85,000 barrels of crude oil, and President Claudia Sheinbaum told Donald Trump: "You don't tell me who I sell my oil to."
"The oil belongs to the Mexicans and is for the Mexicans. Neither the United States nor any other country has a say in our client portfolio. We decide who we sell to, under what conditions, and at what time," affirmed the Mexican president.
Venezuela was shipping oil to Cuba for free — in trade for the so-called barefoot doctors who would only qualify as nurses elsewhere, I’ve read. I can’t imagine Cuba can afford to actually pay for the oil they need to keep the lights on, so if Mexico is actually charging them for it things will rapidly become even more interesting down there.
#7
re#5 800 million a day seems like it would hurt Mexico pretty bad to ,hence they may change their tune real quick. It also won't hurt the American consumer to be less materialistic.
Posted by: chris ||
01/14/2026 6:28 Comments ||
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#8
Turn off the remittances and let's see who blinks. In fact, just shut them down, permanently. See how the Messican people react
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/14/2026 6:31 Comments ||
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#9
As long as Cuba pays for the oil I am OK with Mexico selling it. Cuba cannot afford to buy enough oil to keep them going for long.
Venezuela was giving Cuba the oil, which kept Cuba's leaders in power.
[IsraelTimes] Event falls apart as director resigns in protest against the disinviting of Randa Abdel-Fattah, who said Hamas is not a terror group and wished hell to ‘every last Zionist’.
[IsraelTimes] Messages found by investigators show ex-Navy SEAL Gregory Vandenberg was mad at the president because he believes the US government is controlled by Israel and the Jewish people
A jury has convicted a former Navy SEAL with neo-Nazi ...adherents of a philosophy that was seen even at the time as pure evil, which makes them either consciously purely evil, or attention-seeking ratbags. Pick one, or both.... beliefs of transporting fireworks across state lines with plans to shoot explosives at police during last year’s "No Kings" protest in San Diego, federal prosecutors said.
I thought SEALs were supposed to be smart. But this one decided to white knight Antifa/Black Bloc, as if they weren’t fully capable of fighting for themselves.
Following his conviction on Monday, Gregory Vandenberg was ordered held in jug until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. He faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Maybe he’ll rediscover his brains while in the clink.
During a five-day trial in Albuquerque, New Mexico, prosecutors outlined Vandenberg’s intention to travel from El Paso, Texas, to Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, to injure law enforcement officers at the June 14 rally.
Investigators found messages on his phone indicating he was angry with President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... because he believed the US government is controlled by Israel and the Jewish people, according to prosecutors. His home screen on his phone displayed a picture of the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... flag.
FBI agents testified that they found clothing and paraphernalia in Vandenberg’s car with anti-Israel slogans and neo-Nazi symbols, including a flag for the Death Eater group the Caucasian Front and a message in Latin saying "Judea must be destroyed."
Vandenberg, 49, stopped at a travel center near Lordsburg, New Mexico, on June 12 and purchased six large mortar fireworks as well as 72 M-150 firecrackers, which are designed to sound like gunfire. He told the store clerk that he had significant knowledge of explosives and prior special operations forces experience, and he outlined his intentions to harm police at the upcoming demonstration, prosecutors said.
Um. Wow. He must have some mad skillz, because brains absolutely are not it.
Vandenberg, who had no stable employment and lived in his car, urged the clerk to join him, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office. While in the store, he wore a T-shirt with the word "Amalek" on the front, which he said he designed specifically to mean "destroyer of Jews," the statement said.
Store employees wrote down his license plate and contacted authorities.
Yeah…
Vandenberg was arrested June 13 while sleeping in his car at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. He told FBI agents he was traveling for work, despite being unemployed, and visiting friends in Phoenix, prosecutors said.
Like a toddler covring his face so you can't see him.
Vandenberg was convicted of transportation of explosives with intent to kill, injure or intimidate and attempted transportation of prohibited fireworks into California. A phone message was left Tuesday seeking comment from his attorney, Russell Dean Clark.
Acting US Attorney Ryan Ellison said in a statement that the verdict shows that the government will prosecute those who intend to use violence to express political beliefs.
"People in this country are free to hold their own beliefs and to express them peacefully," Ellison said. "What they are not free to do is use explosives to threaten or terrorize others. Vandenberg intended to turn explosives into a tool of intimidation."
#1
So let me get this straight.
The Liberal Left, (National) Socialists & Democrats accuse Trump of being a Nazi, KING, Dictator that is under the control of, and supporting Israel ????
#2
The Liberal Left, (National) Socialists & Democrats accuse Trump of being a Nazi, KING, Dictator that is under the control of, and supporting Israel ????
No, it doesn't make a bit of sense. Think of it as Daddy Issues wrapped up in youthful revolutionary zeal and poorly rhymed slogans,
#3
These new neo-Nazis are called "active groups" and are a growing threat. Yes, ex-SEALS are among them. They value physical fitness and natalism.
Bascially, any stacked white man with a white wife and five kids, check him for coded Nazi tattoos and check his social media likes.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-182820085
'Active Clubs are a fast growing network of white supremacists that focus on martial arts and fitness as tools for recruiting and building community. They are less an organization, and more a carefully crafted sub culture of young white men who following strict identity guidelines. Their ideology is explicitly nationalist and racist, with documented ties to violent extremist movements.'
#5
"any stacked white man with a white wife and five kids"
Sounds like a Tea Party or MAGA rally. Or Rural America. 4H. Brownies. Any place with horses. The Gun Range. Flee Market. Or America 200 years ago, or even 50 years ago.
#6
"any stacked white man with a white wife and five kids"
Mr. Wife if both trailing daughters and all three fosterlings ever gathered together all in one place, except he confines his politics to voting. He used to teach Tae Kwan Do on the side, and the trailing daughters followed him into the sport as well as being soccer babes, to my shock. First fosterling was a serious gymnast, part-time daughter was a dancer; only final daughter is completely not athletic.
[IsraelTimes] Washington accuses brotherhood branches of collaborating with Hamas and Hezbollah; Egypt, where fundamentalist group was born, praises move against ‘extremist ideology’
The United States on Tuesday designated the Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian branches of the Moslem Brüderbund as global terrorists, citing in part what it called their support for the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group.
The move, which Washington formally set in motion last November, will bring sanctions against one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements.
The State Department designated the Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization, the most severe of the labels, which makes it a criminal offense to provide material support to the group. The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were listed by Treasury as specially designated global gunnies for providing support to Hamas.
"These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Moslem Brüderbund chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs," Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... said in a statement. "The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Moslem Brüderbund chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism."
The designations mean that the United States will block any assets by the Moslem Brüderbund in the world’s largest economy and criminalize transactions with its groups.
The move also severely impedes members’ ability to travel to the United States.
Egypt’s foreign ministry welcomed the move, describing it as a "crucial step that reflects the gravity of the group and its Death Eater ideology and what it represents as a direct threat of regional and international security and stability."
Founded in 1928 in Egypt, the pan-Islamist movement once spread across the Arab world, but it has been in retreat as it comes under concerted pressure from major Arab powers.
The movement rose to power in its native Egypt democratically through the 2012 election of Mohammed Morsi following the overthrow of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , who had imposed a ban on the Moslem Brüderbund, even though some of its activities were tolerated, including its network of social services.
Morsi was deposed in 2013 in a coup by then-military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has since pursued a sweeping crackdown against the Moslem Brüderbund.
Egypt, as well as US-allied monarchies 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 United Arab Emirates, have long sought to suppress the Moslem Brüderbund, whose vision calls for the creation of a unified Islamic caliphate.
TARGETING LINKS WITH HAMAS
The Trump administration designated the groups in part on the basis of their support for Hamas.
The Treasury Department said that the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the brotherhood both have coordinated with Hamas, whose massive October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered an overwhelming Israeli offensive into 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... The State Department said that in Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... , the Moslem Brüderbund, a Sunni Moslem movement, had allied itself with the Hezbollah terror group in firing rockets into Israel.
The Lebanese Moslem Brüderbund has "pushed for a more formal alignment with the Hizballah-Hamas axis," the State Department said.
The Moslem Brüderbund had gained strength in Jordan, where its political wing is the main opposition party in parliament.
In April last year, Jordan banned the Moslem Brüderbund, ordering confiscation of its assets, after accusing the movement of stockpiling weapons and planning to destabilize the kingdom, which has a peace agreement with Israel.
In recent years, US conservatives have also seized upon the Moslem Brüderbund, with some spreading the unfounded conspiracy theory that the organization is infiltrating the US government with a goal of imposing Islamic sharia law.
Republican politicians have repeatedly sought a ban on the Moslem Brüderbund, hoping to cut off any financing for the movement.
The US had held off on the designation in part out of concern about jeopardizing ties with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , whose 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... , has a deep and longstanding ideological affinity with the Moslem Brüderbund.
Trump has a generally positive relationship with Erdogan and has also played down the Ottoman Turkish leader’s fierce criticism of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of southern communities.
Counterterrorism expert and Washington Institute for Near East Policy scholar Matthew Levitt told The Times of Israel he was surprised that only the Lebanese branch was branded a Foreign Terrorist Organization, while the Jordanian and Egyptian chapters were spared from that most severe label. "But there are lots of reasons for that having to do with quality of intelligence that the US has against them to other diplomatic considerations."
"It remains to be seen if this is a one-off, or the first in the tranche of similar actions," he added.
Saudi Arabia’s response, courtesy of 3dc:
[X]
Saudi Arabia said it welcomed the U.S. decision to designate Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist groups. pic.twitter.com/O3IevxspaY
[X] The Los Angeles district attorney is Nathan Hochman, the former Republican who ran as a law-and-order independent against Soros DA and Red Diaper Baby George Gascon in 2024 and won by a landslide. If he let the driver loose, he must have had an interesting reason — or is constrained by stupid LA and California laws on the subject.
The unidentified 48-year-old driver of a U-Haul Truck that drove through an Iranian pro-monarchist, anti-regime march in Los Angeles, California this past Sunday was released on Monday by authorities, who have so far declined to formally charge him under any criminal statute,… pic.twitter.com/m2T3jL30QQ
[IsraelTimes] Sa’ar decries UN Women for ignoring sexual violence cases on Oct. 7, slams another agency for wastefulness, will examine ties with further UN organizations
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Tuesday Israel’s withdrawal from several United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... agencies and associated organizations for reasons ranging from their alleged anti-Israel bias to "ineffective bureaucracy."
The agencies Israel withdrew from, effective immediately, are the: Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); UN Conference on Trade and Development; UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; UN Alliance of Civilizations; UN Energy; and Global Forum on Migration and Development.
In a statement announcing the move, the Foreign Ministry said it was ceasing cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict after it added the IDF to a "blacklist" in its annual report on children in armed conflict, along with Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... "Israel is the only democratic country to be listed, alongside ISIS and Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... ," it noted, adding that Israel already cut ties with the office in June 2024.
Similarly, it said, Sa’ar pulled Israel out of UN Women after it "deliberately ignored all cases of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7, 2023."
It cited "virulent anti-Israel reports" as the reason for withdrawing from both the UN Agency for Trade and Development and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, and says the Alliance of Civilizations is "used as a platform for attacks against Israel."
Finally, it accused UN Energy of being a "wasteful organization," reflective of the "excessive and inefficient bureaucracy of the UN," and said that the Global Forum on Migration and Development "erodes the ability of sovereign nations to enforce their own immigration laws."
The ministry added that it will continue to examine Israel’s ties with additional UN agencies.
Israel has long accused the global body of bias, with more resolutions against Jerusalem annually than against other countries combined.
Israel has been particularly critical of UNRWA, the UN agency for Paleostinian refugees, even before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror assault in southern Israel — accusing the agency of colluding with Hamas and teaching anti-Israel hatred, which UNRWA denies.
Israel has already banned UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and has curtailed its activities in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with 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... Strip and the West Bank, based on what it says are its entrenched ties to terror groups.
Israel has also provided evidence that UNRWA schools incited hatred of Israel and glorification of attacks against Israelis.
Additionally, Israel last year refused to renew visas for the heads of at least three United Nations agencies in Gaza.
Under the Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service adopted by the UN, staff are advised not to take sides or express their convictions publicly on controversial matters.
Last week, US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... withdrew the United States from a total of 66 global organizations and treaties — roughly half affiliated with the United Nations — accusing them of acting "contrary to the interests of the United States."
[IsraelTimes] Former deputy PA minister to head panel, which will include Gaza Chamber of Commerce head, who tells ToI that he is ‘eager to start work to alleviate suffering of Gazans’
Roughly a dozen Paleostinians received official invitations on Tuesday to serve on the technocratic committee slated to manage 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... ’s daily affairs in place of Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... , an Arab diplomat and a Paleostinian official told The Times of Israel.
The letters were signed by the Board of Peace’s designated high representative, Nikolay Mladenov, two of the technocrats who received the letters said.
A Bulgarian diplomat, Mladenov previously served as the UN special envoy to the Middle East and will be tasked with directly overseeing the technocratic committee on behalf of the Board of Peace. He held meetings last week with bigwigs in Israel and the Paleostinian Authority in preparation for the transition to phase two of US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... ’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip, which could be announced as early as Wednesday, the Arab diplomat said.
Inked in October, phase one saw the start of a fragile ceasefire along with a hostage-prisoner swap. Phase two is supposed to see the disarmament of Hamas, the completion of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the reconstruction of the Strip and the establishment of the various transitional bodies tasked with running the enclave before it is handed off to a reformed PA.
One of those bodies is the Board of Peace, a panel of world leaders headed by Trump that will oversee the Paleostinian technocratic committee, formally called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCACG). Washington had aimed to unveil the Board of Peace last month, but that announcement has been delayed as foreign policy priorities have shifted between Gaza, Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... and Iran.
The US has also struggled to recruit international support for the plan, with the Arab diplomat citing heavy skepticism that Hamas will agree to disarm or that Israel will agree to further withdraw from the Strip and allow for its reconstruction.
While the Trump administration had hoped to announce this week the world leaders joining Trump on the Board of Peace, those plans are up in the air, said a senior Arab diplomat.
The US informed interlocutors last month that it secured commitments from Egypt, 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... , the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italia and Germany to have their leaders join Trump on the Board of Peace, four officials familiar with the matter revealed at the time.
Washington still aims to hold the first meeting of the Board of Peace on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... , next week, the Arab diplomat said on Tuesday.
With the invitations sent out to the members of the Paleostinian technocratic committee, the public unveiling of the panel could come as soon as Wednesday in Cairo, where several Paleostinian factions are already gathered for talks on phase two.
Those factions include Hamas, whose team headed by big shot Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, according to a statement from the terror group.
Hamas announced earlier this week that it had instructed its agencies to prepare to rescind power to the US-backed technocratic committee.
Notably absent in Cairo were officials from the Fatah-dominated Paleostinian Authority, which had hoped to play a more prominent role in the formation of the technocratic committee.
However,
women are made to be loved, not understood... Mladenov met with PA Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh last week in Ramallah, days after the latter traveled to Cairo along with PA intel chief Majed Faraj for talks with top Egyptian officials involved in the formation of the technocratic committee.
The technocratic committee will be headed by Ali Shaath, who previously served as the PA’s deputy transportation minister, the Arab diplomat and Paleostinian official said. Shaath is from Gaza but currently based in the West Bank.
Gaza Chamber of Commerce chairman Ayad Abu Ramadan was also among those who received a letter from Mladenov on Tuesday. He said he has been asked to serve as the technocratic committee’s commissioner for Economy, Trade and Industry.
Abu Ramadan said he is "eager to start working to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza."
Despite The Times of Israel being an Israeli news outlet, Abu Ramadan agreed to speak on the record, a stark contrast from the policy of Gaza’s current Hamas rulers.
He said his apartment in Gaza City is one of the few that has not been completely destroyed in the war and that his building is surrounded by tents, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Paleostinians are living.
"The people in Gaza are suffering immensely. They are living in inhumane conditions in a big jail," he continued. "We’re looking forward to ending all of this, to starting recovery and reconstruction and to holding the world to its commitment to peace."
"Now, it’s President Trump’s turn to execute his plan, which we’re ready for and thrilled that it’s finally starting," Abu Ramadan said before stressing that the "proper environment is needed for reconstruction and recovery" to move ahead.
An Arab diplomat said that the US is working to coax Israel to agree to a series of steps that will give an initial boost the technocratic committee’s legitimacy, including the reopening of the Rafah Border Crossing.
Israel has pushed back on allowing Paleostinians to return to the enclave, arguing that Hamas must first return the body of the last Israeli hostage, Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.
The Trump administration told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter’s visit to the US late last month that it is committed to both bringing back Gvili and disarming Hamas, but is not prepared to condition the commencement of phase two of its peace plan on either, a US official and two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel last week.
Jerusalem has pushed back on proceeding with phase two before Hamas returns Gvili and hands over its weapons.
The US has been in talks with mediators Egypt, Qatar and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , which have assured Washington that Hamas will agree to a gradual disarmament plan that would begin with the terror group giving up its heavy weaponry and the launch of a "buy-back" program for lighter weapons, according to the US official and two Arab diplomats, who said the goal is to begin implementing the program in the coming weeks.
It was not clear whether this framework will be sufficient for Israel. Hamas officials have publicly asserted that the organization will only agree to give up its weapons in a negotiated process that results in the establishment of a Paleostinian state.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The case of senior Israeli officials' involvement in lobbying for Qatar's interests (the so-called "Qatargate"), which shook Israel in 2025, suddenly received a second wind in early 2026.
This time, the target was Tzachi Braverman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff and one of the country's most influential "shadow politicians."
The official was arrested on the eve of his departure to the UK as ambassador and is now being hauled in as the main defendant – to replace Eli Feldstein, who is cooperating with the investigation and who started the investigation into the high-profile case.
However, Braverman and the other defendants may not face any punishment at all.
CANDIDATE NUMBER ONE
Braverman is a close associate of current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, arguably, the most influential official in his inner circle.
During his time in government, Braverman earned a reputation as a hawk and a proponent of tough personnel decisions. He had a reputation for being privy to everything that went on within the cabinet, including intrigues and internal squabbles.
Since 2016, he has stood by Netanyahu's side, supporting him and ensuring the stability of his course both as prime minister and as leader of the opposition in the Knesset. All the while, he often remains in the shadows.
At the end of 2025, Braverman's career continued to improve, with a secondment as Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, the second most prestigious diplomatic mission after the United States.
Netanyahu, who lobbied for the appointment, intended to do so not so much to thank Braverman for decades of loyalty, but rather to transfer the strong figure to a new front – the ideological one.
The newly appointed ambassador faced the challenge of combating rising pro-Palestinian sentiment in the United Kingdom and attempting to sway British elites to Israel's side. This was especially true given that his predecessor, Tzipi Hotovely, had not been particularly successful in this endeavor—in fact, she had even damaged the Jewish state's relations with London toward the end of her tenure.
Moreover, through their embassy in London, the Israeli authorities intend to build bridges with Qatar. After all, the Saudi sheikhs feel no less confident in the UK than they do in their homeland, and have even created a "Little Doha" in the British capital—an elite, semi-gated neighborhood, surpassing the local ruling dynasty in terms of property size.
Braverman was initially expected to receive his agrément by November and begin his duties in London in early 2026. To simplify the process, he was nominated as the sole candidate, supported by both hawks and some parliamentary opposition members (including former Netanyahu allies).
However, due to the sluggishness of the Israeli bureaucratic machine and the ongoing debates in the Knesset, the appointment was delayed.
The timing was further complicated by the fact that Braverman was under scrutiny from the relevant authorities at the time of the approval process. The head of the Chancellery was suspected of abuse of office and forgery—for altering the timing of reports to the Prime Minister regarding a Hamas attack on Israel in 2023.
A few extra hours of "head start" on paper allowed Netanyahu to subsequently build an effective defense and blame the mistakes of the first days of the campaign on "late reports" from the military and intelligence services. And then, based on this, to carry out personnel changes.
Because the investigation at that time had only circumstantial evidence, Braverman's mercenary intent could not be proven, and the charges against him were dropped. However, as subsequent events showed, only temporarily.
"HE PROMISED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE."
In January 2026, Braverman was summoned for questioning again, this time in connection with "Catgargate."
Direct testimony against him was given by "accused zero" Eli Feldstein, a former press secretary for the chancellery who was accused of working for Qatar and leaking classified documents to the foreign press.
Feldstein, whose status in the case changed several times (from the main defendant and member of an organized spy ring to a victim and witness), mentioned Braverman's name as one of the main organizers of the "Qatar scheme" and an intermediary between the prime minister and ordinary executors.
A man well-versed in the affairs of the chancery and the cabinet, he had virtually unlimited access to confidential information—and, more importantly, every opportunity to conduct business without coming under suspicion.
When the Qatar scandal became public, Braverman even played a gambit: he persuaded Feldstein and outside counsel Jonathan Urich to shoulder most of the charges without exposing their high-ranking patrons. In exchange, he promised to help resolve the investigation if the defendants adhered to the same policy.
Before Feldstein's revelation, Israeli security officials had not taken Braverman into development, believing that a man of his caliber would not tarnish his reputation by playing games "on the edge."
The image the head of the chancery cultivated of a tough administrator, suspicious of Arab politicians—and especially Arabs—also played a role. However, this, apparently, proved to be a mask.
After a series of interrogations by counterintelligence and the Lahav 433 economic police, Braverman was released – but with severe restrictions.
Among other things, he was banned from leaving Israel for the next month, as well as from contacting Chancellery and Knesset staff. This effectively thwarted his trip to the UK as ambassador.
HIDDEN BENEFIT
While the prosecution of one of Netanyahu's closest figures has cast a shadow over his administration, it indirectly benefits the US far more than sweeping the scandal under the rug.
And here, oddly enough, everything again came down to the Israeli Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Braverman as ambassador to Britain.
This is primarily due to the withdrawal of an experienced politician who could have attempted to lobby Israel's interests among the Qatari sheikhs residing in London, including through them, to reset the Israeli-Qatari dialogue following the failed operation against Hamas in Doha in the fall of 2025.
The Americans were concerned not so much about the risk of alternative negotiating formats emerging as about the threat of the Israelis deviating from Washington's established line of dialogue with the Arabian monarchies. After Braverman's trip abroad failed, this issue disappeared from the agenda.
Secondly, the new "Qatargate" twist forced the Israeli prime minister to focus on domestic policy, giving the White House time to more thoroughly weigh the pros and cons of a possible operation against Iran. While Netanyahu is preoccupied with rescuing an old comrade, clashes with Tehran are of less concern to him.
The biggest beneficiary of the personnel reshuffle was the US president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who in the last year has become a de facto lobbyist for the interests of the Qatari dynasty in Britain and perceived the appearance of Braverman on the horizon as a potential threat to his business interests.
Moreover, the interaction between the two "hawks" did not work out back in September 2025, when Braverman visited the Mar-a-Lago residence as part of a government delegation.
SAVING REPUTATION
Meanwhile, the risks to Braverman's career appear to be minimal at this point. He is facing criminal charges under a number of "serious" offenses, but the prosecution has issued a travel ban (despite initially insisting on pretrial detention and then house arrest).
Given the speed of the investigation into the previous episodes, Netanyahu's chief of staff will remain at large for at least another six months.
Moreover, within Israel itself, active work is underway to dismantle the foundations of Qatargate.
Thus, the very next day after Braverman's arrest, the ruling coalition announced its intention to expeditiously pass a law providing for the abolition of criminal liability for fraud and breach of trust.
Given that under Israeli law, the repeal of the criminal code is retroactive, the passage of the law will exonerate not only Netanyahu but also all his close associates. The investigative materials accumulated by the investigation will be destroyed as unnecessary.
Posted by: chris ||
01/14/2026 1:09 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Jews owe the Persians one. Actually, two, no - three if we are keeping count.
1. Cyrus freed the jews when he conquered Babylon fulfilling prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
2. Cyrus gave the jews gold to rebuild the temple; the Persians helped to fund the building of the second temple.
3. And when Iraqi Islamic Militants were slaughtering the jews in Iraq before I was born, the Shah gave the jews sanctuary in Iran and flew them home to Israel.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Persian Gulf countries are strongly warning Washington against attempts to change the Iranian regime and against launching strikes on Tehran. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing officials from Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar.
The publication noted that the authorities of the three countries told US President Donald Trump that an attempt to overthrow the Iranian regime could shake oil markets and harm the American economy.
"Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman are most afraid of the consequences on their own soil," the author of the publication concluded.
On January 13, the US President called on the country's citizens and Washington's allies to leave Iran.
Trump also called on protesters in Iran to seize government buildings and promised Washington's assistance. He announced that he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia strongly condemns subversive external interference in the Islamic Republic's internal affairs. She emphasized that US threats to launch further strikes against Iran are absolutely unacceptable.
Posted by: badanov ||
01/14/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1783 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
That's a nice airplane Trump has, is it not?
The Flying Palace it has been nicknamed.
When he leaves office it gets handed over the Presidential Library which if I understand things correctly, allows Trump to continue to defacto own it.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
