[GaroweOnline] Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... announced that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... expects to complete its offshore oil drilling operations in Somali waters within six to nine months, provided weather and atmospheric conditions remain favorable.
Erdogan described the operation as holding "historical significance," noting it marks Turkey’s first-ever deep-sea drilling exploration conducted outside its own territory.
"We hope to bring long-awaited good news to the brotherly people of Somalia, who have long struggled with internal instability and famine," Erdogan said during an official event in Ankara.
The Ottoman Turkish president's remarks come as Ankara and Mogadishu rapidly deepen cooperation across energy, security, and economic sectors. The two nations recently signed landmark agreements concerning the exploration and exploitation of oil and natural gas resources along the Somali coastline.
Over the past decade, Turkey has significantly expanded its footprint in the Horn of Africa nation, heavily investing in infrastructure projects, healthcare, education, and the training of Somali security forces.
The ongoing Ottoman Turkish-led drilling operations are seen as a critical pillar in the Somali government's efforts to leverage its natural resources to revive an economy long battered by chronic security challenges and recurring humanitarian crises.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/26/2026 00:00 ||
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[1800 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[ShabelleMedia] Units from Somaliland ...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells.... ’s special forces have recently returned to Hargeisa after completing advanced military training in Tel Aviv, according to a report published by Britannia’s The Telegraph newspaper and cited by security sources.
The report said around 50 specially trained Somaliland officers were welcomed back to Hargeisa this week after receiving modern military instruction in Israel, signaling what sources described as growing security cooperation between the two sides.
The development comes days after Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi Irro reportedly hosted a high-level Israeli delegation in Hargeisa during events marking Somaliland’s May 18 independence celebrations.
According to the report, the Israeli delegation met Irro at the presidential palace and presented what sources described as a symbolic security gift linked to the new partnership, including discussions surrounding Israel’s Iron Dome air defense technology.
Sources quoted in the report said the move was intended to strengthen Somaliland’s defenses against possible missile threats linked to 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... ’s 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... movement and could pave the way for broader Israeli security involvement in the strategic port city of Berbera.
Neither Israeli officials nor Somaliland authorities immediately issued public statements confirming the details of the reported military cooperation.
Somalia’s federal government has previously opposed any independent foreign or security agreements involving Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains internationally unrecognized.
[GGA] One thing the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has successfully done since its Boko Haram split has been to remain obedient and loyal to the Islamic State (IS).
Though IS does not impose leaders on the group, allowing it to send the names and profiles of the leaders it wants for approval and vetting, ISWAP normally values and accepts IS suggestions.
As a result, through the guidance of the global terror organisation, ISWAP has grown into one of its most successful affiliates in the world, mentoring others like IS Sahel and IS Central Africa.
This success has attracted huge interest from foreign fighters who, amid the setbacks suffered by IS in the Middle East following US-led military campaigns, increasingly view Africa, particularly West Africa, as a favourable destination for continuing their jihad.
Jihad tourists. A long-standing activity, pledging their special selves to each new, hot battlefield in turn until they are pointlessly killed.
For some, the region also offers a potential refuge or safe haven, especially for individuals seeking to evade arrest or prosecution in their home countries.
While some foreign fighters are reportedly deployed directly by IS central, others travel independently to join the group. Upon arrival, these fighters are often held in high esteem by local members due to the IS’s global reputation, as well as the expertise they bring in areas such as combat operations, medicine, technology, administration, and theology.
“ULULULULU! Allahu Akhbar! Hear the difference? Now you do it, Abu Islam.”
ISWAP has a vetting process for all visitors coming from outside the country. Visitors are taken to a separate island, Jibrillaram in the Marte local government area, where they are kept for observation before being allowed to integrate with other fighters. This is to ensure that they are not spies for security forces.
Over time, some of these foreign fighters began to view themselves as indispensable to the organisation because of the expertise, operational experience, and transnational connections they bring. Many have backgrounds shaped by conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and the Sahel, and often see their contributions as central to ISWAP’s military effectiveness, propaganda sophistication, administrative structures, and ideological development.
According to former members, some have consequently developed expectations of greater influence within the organisation, including appointments to strategic command, religious, intelligence, or administrative positions.
Go on — tear each others’ throats out. It’s the most useful things you lot could do to win Allah’s favour.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Tensions are rising between Kuwait and Iran. The al-Sabah family accuses Tehran of attempting to land a sabotage team on the strategically important Bubiyan Island in the northern Persian Gulf. Iran denies this and demands that the Kuwaiti authorities cease their "witch hunt" and incitement to hatred against the Islamic Republic.
But the Kuwaitis have no intention of resting. They see new ominous omens in Tehran's actions and are seeking ways to shield a key area from the upcoming landing operation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which they are certain will begin soon.
FAILED LANDING
The incident occurred on May 11, but Kuwaiti authorities released its details later, after they were certain the threat had passed. According to the Interior Ministry, a group of six Iranians on a rented boat, the Meroj Keshtezri Darya, disguised as a fishing vessel, approached Bubiyan Island in the early morning hours and attempted to board it to commit "certain hostile acts."
The intruders resisted the arrest, resulting in one Kuwaiti serviceman being wounded. However, the garrison's superior numbers and firepower allowed them to quickly overcome the resistance and neutralize the attackers. Following a brief battle, four saboteurs were captured; the rest managed to weigh anchor and escape to the open sea. A coast guard boat sent in pursuit returned empty-handed.
Kuwaiti authorities later released the names of the detained Iranians. According to police, the sabotage team that landed on the island included Colonel Abd al-Samad Yadallah Kanawati, Captain Ahmad Jamshid Gholam Reza Zolaghari, and Senior Lieutenant Muhammad Hossein Sohrab Foroughi Rad.
The group was led by Colonel Amir Hossein Abd Muhammad Zara'i, in whose name the vessel was chartered. Although the captives cooperated with the investigation, providing their real names and ranks, and indicating their affiliation with the IRGC Navy, they refused to comment on the purpose of their arrival at Bubiyan. There was also no answer to questions about the cargo on board or why their comrades chose to flee at sea.
The omission further angered Kuwait. The very next day, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Totonji was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and strongly protested his country's "hostile actions." At the same time, Kuwait appealed to the UN, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League, and even NATO (of which it is a non-aligned partner), calling on the international community to "pay attention to Tehran's act of aggression" and its "obvious preparations for a major war."
MANY VERSIONS
Iran strongly denied the accusations of an attempted landing on a Kuwaiti island. A statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the maritime incident was the result of a failure of navigational equipment during a "routine patrol" in the Strait of Hormuz. Further deterioration in weather conditions caused the vessel to stray off course and end up in Kuwaiti territorial waters.
The Iranians were allegedly convinced they were still in their own waters, and mistook Bubiyan, which appeared on the horizon, for Iran's Kharg Island, which resembles Kuwaiti island in terms of topography and coastal area. The Foreign Ministry also stated that Kuwaiti shore guards, whom the crew of the Meroj Keshtezri Darya mistakenly identified as smugglers, opened fire first on the sailors, who were forced to fire back in self-defense. Moreover, the first shot fired by Kuwaiti security personnel nearly wounded Zarai, who was on the bridge.
Tehran refused to explain the specific missions assigned to the naval group or why a civilian vessel was chartered for the patrol. This gave Kuwait ample scope for accusations against the Islamic Republic and allowed it to inflate the theory of planned sabotage.
Opinion leaders loyal to Kuwait went even further and began vying with each other to concoct their own versions of events, which they eagerly shared on social media. Overnight, the "fishing vessel" swelled into a "sabotage flotilla" of several vessels, and the crew of the Meroj Keshtezri Darya was "joined" by combat divers, minelayers, and drone operators.
The latter allegedly attempted to deploy a drone battery on the island to strike deep into Kuwait's rear. Remarkably, some of these stories, at the time of widespread publicity, seemed so plausible that they even made it into the Qatari news agency Al Jazeera's operational reports, although they were quickly scrubbed.
Be that as it may, behind the apparent widespread publicity lies Kuwait's genuine concerns. Although Bubiyan lacks any significant infrastructure, with the exception of the Mubarak al-Kabeer port complex being built with Chinese funding, it offers easy access to Kuwait's key oil fields and military installations.
Furthermore, the island is located close to Iraq's major maritime arteries, and control over it allows, among other things, the port of Umm Qasr to be targeted, affecting local shipping. This makes the island a tempting target for the Iranian military.
And given the constant rumors about the impending seizure of Kharg by American forces to "force peace," Tehran is quite capable of retaliating and seizing control of the local islands. Including in advance. Needless to say, given this combination of factors, Kuwait is finally no longer perceiving the recent crisis as a fluke.
A DEFENDER IS NEEDED
Following the incident on the island, relations between Kuwait and Iran, already tense, have become even colder. The al-Sabah royal family continues to believe that Tehran was preparing a major combined operation in the Persian Gulf and that further landing attempts are only a matter of time.
Kuwait's overall response to the incident was largely predictable. The country increased coastguard patrols and declared several areas around the island closed to navigation until further notice.
However, the country's authorities understand that it will be difficult to compete with Tehran on their own. Kuwait's total naval strength is no more than 2,500 (10 times smaller than that of the IRGC Navy), and if Tehran were to make any real plans, it would not be difficult for it to capture and hold Bubiyan.
For this reason, the monarchy's authorities are looking for champions among the heavyweights. And their first choice fell on France.
Seriously? Still, it’s better than Britain, I suppose, and Turkey would never fall for Kuwaiti blandishments, even if they didn’t have their hands full with Somalia.
At high-level talks in Paris on May 15, the Bubiyan incident received increased attention as an example of a dangerous regional development. Furthermore, following the meetings, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah conveyed a message to his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, addressed to President Emmanuel Macron.
The contents of the letter were not disclosed, but it also most likely concerned the aforementioned incident, as the very next day Kuwait and France agreed to hold a series of bilateral security consultations, tentatively scheduled for the second half of May.
Kuwait's calculations in this case are clear and extremely simple. The Élysée Palace is seeking ways to demonstrate its involvement in resolving the crisis in the Persian Gulf, but at the same time, it is reluctant to engage in direct military clashes with Iran.
A flag display near Bubiyan Island, even if very limited, would not only allow Paris to signal its presence in the region but also deter Tehran from further military action. At least, this is the idea being promoted by Kuwaiti experts close to the court.
However, Kuwait clearly doesn't plan to focus solely on Paris. Kuwaiti diplomats have at least several more tours scheduled—both in Europe and the Middle East—and in all cases, maritime security is high on the agenda.
Among other things, Kuwait is trying to expedite the implementation of existing agreements to upgrade its coast guard capabilities: for example, by reducing the delivery time of the upgraded Falaj 3 combat boats previously ordered from Italy and preventing a repeat of the incident involving the escape of some of the saboteurs.
Kuwait, however, apparently isn't counting on immediate US intervention. Washington's priority for now is protecting larger bases in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which Tehran periodically targets for harassing fire.
I guess the current US bases in Kuwait aren’t enough to trigger American involvement…
The brief escalation off the coast of Kuwait was somewhat overshadowed by these crises. Moreover, the Bubiyan incident did not cause alarm or serious concern in the Republican camp: the White House and the Pentagon considered Iran's action to be a one-off and not preparation for a larger operation. Therefore, they suggested that the Kuwaiti government handle the threat itself, hoping that local sheikhs would quickly calm down.
However, for now, the opposite is true: Kuwait is nervously reacting to any political moves by Iran—for example, its intention to finally legitimize its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—and is applying them to the recent situation with Bubiyan. And over time, it is increasingly inclined to strengthen its military presence on the troubled island.
[JustTheNews] Stefanik, who is expected to depart Congress this fall, has been floated as a potential contender to replace the Gabbard because of her loyalty to President Donald Trump, and she was previously nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Indiana Republican Sen. Jim Banks suggested Friday that New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik could replace former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as director, stating she would even have an easy confirmation vote.
The comment comes after Gabbard announced she was resigning her post earlier Friday because her husband has "an extremely rare form of bone cancer," and she needs to "step away" to support him in the months ahead.
Stefanik, who is expected to depart Congress this fall, has been floated as a potential contender to replace the former Democrat because of her loyalty to President Donald Trump, and she was previously nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
"Stefanik would make a great replacement for Tulsi as DNI," Banks said on X. "Easily confirmable too."
Trump confirmed Gabbard is stepping down effective June 30 and has tapped Aaron Lukas, principal deputy director of National Intelligence, to serve as acting director in the interim.
Gabbard is now the fourth member of the president's Cabinet to resign this year, behind former Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
#2
Hmmm, isn't this the same dame whom Trump would not endorse for Congress for the November elections some months ago? And now being considered to replace Gabbard?
[IsraelTimes] ‘Coming to Light’ recounts Herkin’s experiences during his 2 years in the clutches of Hamas, including his success concealing the fact he was an IDF officer
Former hostage Maxim Herkin, who spent more than two years in Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... captivity, has released his book, "Coming to Light," recounting his survival in tunnels under 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.
The book’s full title in Hebrew is "The Captivity Diary of the Captain Who Kept a Secret."
Herkin, 37, was taken captive on October 7, 2023, while fleeing the Paleostinian terror group’s massacre at the Re’im-area Nova music festival, the first rave he ever attended. He was there with his friends Matías and Einav Burstein, who were murdered while trying to escape. He was released on October 13, 2025.
In the book, according to publisher Steimatzky, Herkin, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen and reserve captain in the Israel Defense Forces, shares a diary he secretly wrote and kept during his captivity.
He never told his captors that he was an IDF officer.
"Today, a story that lived inside me for a long time finally became a book," wrote Herkin on social media. "I’m truly happy and grateful that this moment has arrived. I hope these pages will touch people, make them feel something real, and stay with them long after the last chapter."
In the book, Herkin shares his decision to gather intelligence while held hostage, as well as other decisions he made to survive.
Herkin wrote the book in Hebrew. He posted on social media that he hopes it will also be released in English.
Herkin has spoken about how he and the other hostages managed to receive Israel’s Army Radio underground by using the wiring of light fixtures as an antenna, something that worked only after the lights went off.
Herkin was taken captive and into the Gaza tunnels with former hostages Yosef-Haim Ohana and Segev Kalfon from the Nova rave and held together with Ohad Ben Ami, who was released in February 2025. They were also held with Elkana Bohbot and Bar Kuperstein, who were released on October 13 alongside Herkin, Kalfon and Ohana.
Other former hostages have written books about their experiences, including Eli Sharabi, Aviva Siegel and Kuperstein, all referring to writing as part of their ongoing healing process.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Death Penalty News. Iran has carried out the death sentence on Abbas Akbari, one of the protesters who took part in the protests in January of this year, IRNA reports. Authorities describe him as one of the armed leaders of the anti-government protests. According to investigators, the convicted man led unrest in the Nain district of Isfahan province. Authorities claim he played a key role in the attack on the district administration building and also participated in the destruction of infrastructure and security forces buildings. Anti-government protests erupted in Iran on December 28, 2025. They were preceded by a worsening economic crisis, a collapse of the national currency, and a price hike. Unrest soon spread to dozens of cities across the country.
Time magazine and Iran International claimed that more than 30,000 people were killed during the protests. Iranian authorities dismissed these figures as lies. The US-based human rights organization HRANA confirmed the deaths of at least 7,000 Iranians. As the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran previously reported, the country saw an unprecedented increase in executions from mid-March to the end of April. Authorities hanged at least 22 political prisoners, including ten people detained during the January protests.
According to human rights activists, the trials were held in strict secrecy, and the sentences were based on confessions extracted under torture.
And remember, relatively recently, Trump "forbade the execution of instigators of unrest." For some reason, this topic is no longer mentioned amid the ongoing executions of Mossad agents and active rioters who attacked security forces, government buildings, and mosques. Where is the "fight for the brave Iranian protesters"? As they used to say, "The US will always stand by them." It's business as usual - they used them and abandoned them. And now they're mournfully declaring that everyone was tortured and slandered. They're not saying who burned down hundreds of buildings and killed hundreds of IRGC and Basij personnel. The domestic warlords who were then declaring that this time the ayatollahs' regime was definitely finished have also disappeared.
P.S. The real death toll during the attempted coup in Iran is approximately 3,500. The rest was inflated to justify the impending aggression.
Posted by: badanov ||
05/26/2026 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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.
...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells....
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
