[GaroweOnline] Twin Cities community members are speaking out on Wednesday against what they're calling growing anti-Somali and anti-Moslem rhetoric.
This comes in the wake of a social media post earlier this week by President Trump featuring a video of several Somali American children celebrating kindergarten graduation at a K-8 school in St. Paul, Minnesota. WCCO has blurred their faces in the attached video.
Mr. Trump included a caption from another account that says "Every girl is in a hijab ... in kindergarten."
Faith and community leaders, including those from the Somali community, gathered Wednesday morning at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis to condemn the politicization and public targeting of Somali students.
"The highest level of our government is attacking children. Imagine that," said Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America.
…one of the many tentacles of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.
They say they're tired of showing up for moments where Moslems are attacked, from threatening voicemails to a school bus fire back in May that came after a federal raid of daycares and autism resource centers suspected of fraud. They say it all points to an increasing climate of hostility.
"We are here not because of one incident, but a pattern," said Malika Dahir, executive director of Reviving Sisterhood. "We have stood at podiums like this before. Just a couple of months ago, we stood right here after a school bus was set on fire, yet here we are again because this has become a pattern, a pattern that should trouble every one of us."
Minnesota's chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations ... the Moslem Brüderbund's American arm ... says the president has put lives at risk by posting the photo on a global platform, and that it puts a target on them and the school.
Dahir says she wants people to stand together, regardless of political party, and say children deserve protection.
Also this week, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said a small number of Somali youths in gangs are responsible for over a dozen homicides in the metro. Abdisalam Adam, principal at East African Elementary Magnet School in St. Paul, addressed the dangers of correlating ethnicity and culture to crime.
"Lumping the Somali community together and naming everything Somali is a big problem that we need to call out," Adam said.
On Tuesday, Minneapolis City Council Vice President Jamal Osman also responded to Fletcher's comments, which he says were disappointing.
"Somali youth deserve investment, dignity, opportunity, and respect — not public officials using their platform to stereotype them," Osman said.
Authorities confirmed that 18-year-old Mielun Butler died after an assault inside the Hinds County Raymond Detention Center on July 3, just two days after he was booked on a murder charge by the Jackson Police Department. Butler was being held on a $1 million bond.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said Butler was found unresponsive around 5:35 a.m. in a housing unit containing approximately 97 detainees. Jail staff provided medical treatment before Butler was transported to Merit Health, where he was pronounced dead. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the homicide investigation, while the sheriff's office is conducting an internal administrative review into whether any policies or procedures were violated.
A Saudi-funded military training program has been operating out of Guriceel in central Somalia since at least June 2026.
More than 10 days ago!
Independent Somali-language reporting corroborates the core numbers: more than 5,100 recruits, a nine-month training course, and about 2,000 of them recruited… pic.twitter.com/aNsSUqArUJ
A Saudi-funded military training program has been operating out of Guriceel in central Somalia since at least June 2026.
Independent Somali-language reporting corroborates the core numbers: more than 5,100 recruits, a nine-month training course, and about 2,000 of them recruited specifically from Puntland.
The training reportedly falls under a defense cooperation agreement Saudi Arabia and Somalia signed in Riyadh on February 9, 2026.
Where it gets less certain is the destination.
One Puntland officer involved in the program told investigators the force isn't meant to stay in Somalia. He says it's being prepared to deploy to Sudan and fight alongside the SAF.
[CitizenDigital] Media and military sources have alleged that Saudi Arabia has overseen the training of more than 5,000 Somali fighters in the Guri Jebel area of Somalia's Galguduud region, using foreign mercenaries reportedly brought in from Romania, Ukraine, South Africa and Colombia.
It’s not like we can expect the Saudis to get dirty fighting. Of course they’d hire out the work.
According to the reports, the nine-month training programme involves 5,107 Somali recruits, including about 2,000 from the country's Northeastern Region, and is said to be financed directly by Saudi Arabia following a visit by a Saudi military delegation late last June.
The reports further claim that attention is shifting to the possible deployment of some of the foreign mercenaries to Sudan, where Saudi Arabia is alleged to be financing and arming extremist militias.
Separately, Intelligence Online reportedly claimed that Saudi Arabia supplied the Sudanese Army with advanced missile systems and large quantities of ammunition during 2023 and 2024. The publication also alleged that Ukrainian mercenaries trained Sudanese artillery personnel and allied forces, citing photographs and videos purportedly taken in Sudan in 2023.
The reports conclude by raising concerns that the programme could contribute to the spread of extremist activities across Africa, alleging that some trainees are being indoctrinated with jihadist ideology for future combat operations in Somalia, Sudan and other countries.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[REGNUM.RU] American soldiers who survived an Iranian drone strike on a US base in the Kuwaiti port of Ash-Shuaiba
…the Camp Spearhead Army Base…
have accused their commanders of treason. This was reported on July 12 by The Washington Post, citing service members and sources familiar with the investigation.
On March 1, an Iranian drone struck a three-bay trailer housing a tactical operations center. Six soldiers from the 103rd Logistics Command were killed and more than 30 were wounded. The attack has been called the deadliest for the US military since the conflict.
Surviving soldiers claim that command was aware of the base's vulnerability and that the port of Al-Shuaiba was considered a likely Iranian target. Command received recommendations against stationing personnel at the base, but failed to move the troops to a secure location protected from drone strikes. The military also accuses senior commanders, including Brigadier General Clint Barnes, of abandoning the base after the strike and going into cover, leaving their personnel behind. Other officers and soldiers were responsible for evacuating the wounded.
According to the publication, the investigation into the incident is nearing completion, but preliminary findings do not foresee punishment for those responsible. Therefore, survivors fear a repeat of the incident.
There have been no official comments from US Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding this situation.
Earlier, Iranian forces destroyed American HIMARS launchers in Kuwait using drones. The American missiles were reportedly prepared to strike Iran.
On July 12, US Central Command announced another round of strikes on Iranian territory. The US stated that it took these actions after Iran failed to comply with the terms of the memorandum of understanding, despite previous warnings. The US side emphasized that the purpose of the strikes was to weaken Iran's ability to attack civilian vessels in the region.
Iran has begun retaliatory strikes against US targets in the Middle East. Explosions were heard in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and near US military bases in Qatar and Bahrain.
#1
This is Russian propaganda trying to split us from our military. Shame on anyone who falls for it.
Posted by: Jack Guelph2611 ||
07/13/2026 0:11 Comments ||
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#2
Shame on anyone who keeps posting this CNN wanna be bullshit!
Posted by: Chris ||
07/13/2026 0:44 Comments ||
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#3
You can read the original Washington Post article for yourselves guys — that’s why the link is added to the post.
Actually, as far as I read the thing it’s just as awful as the Russian report about it, but then you’ll have good reason to complain about the American thing instead.
#4
Any intelligent person already knows that the American media is shit, the term term "russian CNN" means it is absolute shit.
Posted by: Chris ||
07/13/2026 2:14 Comments ||
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#5
Then you got what you needed from reading the headline and the source identification at the top of the text box, and can skip the rest. It’s all good. ;-)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/13/2026 8:39 Comments ||
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#9
CNN does news like MTV does music videos
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2026 9:34 Comments ||
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#10
Amazing how trans-generational critical reading skills have atrophied or simply been abandoned.
[AI] rush to judgement syndrome
"Rush to judgment" (or **rush to judgement**) is an idiom describing the act of **making a quick decision or forming an opinion prematurely**, often based on limited information, superficial evidence, or preexisting biases. It implies a **lack of patience, thorough investigation, or consideration of alternative perspectives**, leading to hasty conclusions that can result in unfair assessments, misunderstandings, and damaged relationships.
Key characteristics and consequences include:
* **Components**: The behavior involves **hastiness**, reliance on **insufficient or biased evidence**, **preconceived notions**, and **impulsiveness** driven by emotional reactions rather than rational analysis.
* **Causes**: Common drivers include **time pressure**, **confirmation bias**, **lack of information**, **cognitive biases** (like stereotyping), and **social influences** such as peer pressure or media narratives.
* **Consequences**: Rushing to judgment often leads to **misunderstandings**, **unfair treatment**, **loss of trust**, **escalation of conflict**, and **poor decision-making** in personal, professional, legal, and social contexts.
* **Mitigation**: To avoid this tendency, experts recommend **pausing to reflect**, **asking open-ended questions** to clarify context, **seeking factual evidence**, **considering multiple perspectives**, and **practicing patience** and **empathy**.
In legal and investigative contexts, a "rush to judgment" is often cited as a defense strategy (e.g., in the **O.J. Simpson trial**) to challenge the credibility of investigators who may have fixed on a suspect early and failed to gather comprehensive evidence. In social media culture, it refers to the rapid **vilification or condemnation** of individuals based on incomplete video clips or headlines, often requiring later corrections when full context emerges.
If he really cared it would not have got to this point. Instead they should summarily expel every refugee/migrant/Moslem colonist who breaks any law whatsoever or is connected to jihadis in any way, including online. At that point the Jewish communities will no longer be under threat, and so the extra spending for police protection won’t be needed. As a bonus, the non-Jewish population also won’t need all that extra police protection that they also have not been getting.
[IsraelTimes] Outgoing PM Keir Starmer says tackling antisemitism ‘has been central to my leadership from day one,’ amid major spike in attacks on British Jews
Britannia will spend more than £250 million ($335 million) across the next three years to better protect its Jewish communities, the government said Monday, following a series of recent antisemitic attacks.
The funding will deliver over 500 additional officers across England and Wales, boosting security in Jewish neighborhoods and around schools, synagogues and community centers, the government said.
There has been a string of attacks on Jewish-linked sites in the capital this year, including the torching of four Jewish community ambulances in March. In April, Britannia raised its national terrorism threat level to "severe" from "substantial" in response to an antisemitic stabbing attack in north London.
The new package, which is on top of a £25 million funding announced following the stabbings in April, includes around 300 additional officers in London and around 80 in Greater Manchester — where a synagogue was attacked last year by a terrorist, resulting in two dead — alongside £43 million for forces serving other areas with significant Jewish populations.
"The rise in antisemitism we have seen in recent years is a test of our values as a country and tackling it has been central to my leadership from day one," outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in Monday’s statement.
London’s Metropolitan Police is due to receive £86 million from the new funding, while £59 million was earmarked for counterterrorism policing.
Police will increase patrols at times of heightened vulnerability, offering visible reassurance and helping to deter hate crime and antisemitic incidents, the government said.
This latest package is intended to be spent over a three-year period. Part of it will finance education measures in the fight against antisemitism.
"Jewish communities are facing an exceptional threat with rising hate crime alongside terrorism and interference from hostile states," said Matt Jukes, deputy commissioner of London Metropolitan Police.
After April’s Golders Green attack, Starmer pledged extra funding, at the same time accusing 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... of wanting "to harm British Jews."
In May, London’s Metropolitan Police announced the creation of a special unit to protect Jews following a spate of hate attacks amid growing antisemitism.
#2
Given the general Anti-Jewish / Pro-Islam direction of the UK Gov as of late. I could see it putting up walls around the Jewish communities to "Concentrate" its efforts. Then calling it a protection process.
SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS:
* The UK Jewish community population is about 295K, and significantly contributes in a POSITIVE manner to the UK economy and actually pays significant amounts in taxes.
* The unemployment rate for the Jewish community in the UK is much lower than the national average of 5%.
* The unemployment rate for the Muslim community in the UK is the highest rate in the UK. It is about 48.6% for working age Muslims 16 to 64. So almost 1/2 of all working age Muslims are NOT WORKING and likely drawing UK-Gov assistance in some manner.
Or are seeking / or taking from others?
* The total UK prison population was 95,526 as of June 30th, 2026.
* As of June 30th, 2026 Muslims a count was 16,239, which was 17% of the prison population in the UK, but are only about 5% of the population.
* As of June 2026, there were 327 Jewish individuals currently incarcerated in the UK, which would be about 1/10th of 1% of the Jewish population. The Jewish population equals about 0.4%. of the UK's overall population.
SUMMARY
Maybe the UK-Gov needs to address the REAL PROBLEM, and stop being the relief valve for the middle-east?
#3
Cromwell saw the economic success the Netherlands gained by their presence. He was the English leader who invited the Jews to come to Britain. That started the ascension of British economic power in Europe. Now the Left is killing it off.
#5
He was the English leader who invited the Jews to come to Britain.
To return to Britain. Edward I had expelled them in 1290, the first country in Europe to do so after they had arrived — for probably the second time, though there is apparently no official record of them during the Roman era — in the train of William the Conqueror as the king’s personal serfs.
#6
At that point the Jewish communities will no longer be under threat...
Not to mention young British girls.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/13/2026 13:11 Comments ||
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#7
Indeed. The benefit of fixing problems for the Jewish community is that it helps everyone, Abu Uluque, not just them. And the side of effect of blowing off harm to them is that the same people attack others.
“First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people,” is not completely true. “First Saturday and some Sunday, then Sunday alone,” is more accurate.
[BB] The Ter Apel asylum seeker registration and application centre, which serves as the principal venue for initiating asylum requests in the Netherlands, has become so dangerous that the Red Cross said “safety can no longer be guaranteed” for its employees seeking to provide aid to migrants at the location.
“This is a very drastic decision. We realise what this means for the people we help. But we have no other choice, because a small group of troublemakers is causing insecurity for both our aid workers and those seeking help. Therefore, a structural solution is now needed,” local Red Cross director Harm Goossens said.
The charity organisation said that in recent weeks, its workers, including emergency responders, had been “harassed by a small group of men” at the asylum reception centre. This made them feel that the site was unsafe and that the situation at Ter Apel could potentially get out of control.
Because Spain is Jew-hating asshoe. And to think only a few years ago they were trying to get Jews to apply for citizenship if they could prove direct descent from those expelled in 1492.
[HodhodYemenNews] Spain’s National Court has initiated an investigation against high-ranking Israeli military officials related to the 2025 attack on the "Sumud Flotilla," which aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to 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... This decision follows a complaint from various Spanish political parties and civil organizations. Judge Francisco de Jorge has targeted Israeli occupation army chief Eyal Zamir and another bigwig for unlawful detention during the interception of the flotilla approximately 70 nautical miles offshore.
The judge will consult with the International Criminal Court to assess Spain’s jurisdiction to investigate incidents involving Spanish-flagged vessels and whether they relate to broader charges of genocide or war crimes.
The court has affirmed that it will pursue the investigation into unlawful detentions aboard these ships, implementing the necessary urgent measures.
[BB] Last year, there were 751 instances of gang rape reported throughout Germany, according to police crime statistics released following a parliamentary request from the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the Bundestag.
The paper of record, Die Welt, reported that 53 per cent or 574 suspects in such cases were foreign nationals, including 110 who hailed from Syria, 64 from Afghanistan, 46 from Iraq, and 44 from Turkey.
In comparison, 509 suspects were said to have German citizenship. This potentially means that the impact of immigration on the issue may be greater still, given that the police did not record circumstances in which suspects were migrants who became naturalised as German citizens.
On the other side of the coin, 80 per cent of gang rape victims were German citizens. According to the figures, there were 772 alleged victims of gang rape last year, including 693 women and 79 men.
The most cases were recorded in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous state, with 161 cases. This was followed by 118 in Berlin, 113 in Lower Saxony, and 91 in Bavaria.
I hope someone will inherit his notes — and his drive.
[IsraelTimes] In the weeks before his death over the weekend, US Senator Lindsey Graham ...soft-spoken senator from South Carolina, former best buddy of John Maverick McCain. Since McCain's demise, Graham has become more outspoken, more Republican and more of a supporter of President Trump. The speech he gave in support of Brett Kavanaugh was downright manly and really cheesed off the Dems... had been working on a new initiative to broker a historic normalization agreement between Israel and 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... , Axios reports, citing conversations between Graham and Axios news hound Barak Ravid.
Graham, a veteran Republican Israel-backer, had worked on achieving Saudi-Israel normalization for years, including during the Biden administration, and believed that the US-Israeli campaign against 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... had created an opening for US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... to broker such an agreement, according to the report.
The senator reportedly sought to begin an intensive diplomatic push after Israel’s late-October election and the US midterm elections, with the aim of reaching an agreement before the new US Congress is sworn in, in January.
Graham had recently urged Trump to authorize a short, overwhelming military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if diplomacy failed to resolve the crisis there before the initiative got underway, the report adds.
In mid-May, Graham began discussing the idea with Trump, telling him it should be the focus on the "day after" the Iran war, the report says.
Trump’s reported push during a May conference call for the leaders of several Arab and Moslem countries to establish relations with Israel, if an agreement with Iran was reached, came a week after that conversation, according to Axios.
In recent weeks, Graham had discussed the initiative with senior Trump advisers such as Jared Kushner, as well as with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confidant Ron Dermer, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, the report continues, adding that he had planned to visit both Israel and Saudi Arabia in August to assess the readiness for a breakthrough and to possibly begin working toward an agreement in September.
Graham told Axios that any agreement would have to include a significant Paleostinian component and Israeli concessions to secure enough Democratic votes for Senate approval, and that he intended to work with Trump and his team to make clear to Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders before the election that this was Washington’s expectation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists... has previously expressed willingness to normalize relations with Israel, but Riyadh has continued to insist that any agreement include an irreversible, time-bound path toward the establishment of a Paleostinian state.
Netanyahu’s current coalition has rejected that condition, and securing such commitments from Israel’s next government, particularly if Washington intended to begin pressing it while coalition negotiations were still underway, would be a major challenge.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/13/2026 2026-07-13 02:37 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[141 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
[ToloNews] Zahir Qadir, a former member of Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga (House of Representatives), was transferred to the United States after being arrested in Kenya and is now facing a U.S. federal court on charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Justice said that Qadir appeared before a federal court in New York on Friday, where the court ordered that he remain in jug pending further legal proceedings.
Aziz Stanikzai, a political analyst, said: "The government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has the responsibility to follow up, through official and legal channels, on the situation of all Afghan citizens detained abroad. In the case of Zahir Qadir, it should remain in contact with U.S. authorities, obtain information about his condition, and protect his rights within the framework of the law."
The department added that if Qadir is convicted of importing narcotics, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
[Rudaw] Iraq reaffirmed its commitment to not allow use of its territory or airspace as a launching point for any attacks targeting 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... , member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), or any other country in the region, as Baghdad and Riyadh stressed the importance of strengthening security cooperation amid regional tensions.
The pledge came during a meeting on Sunday in Saudi Arabia between Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who discussed bilateral relations, regional security and the impact of recent conflicts on stability in the region.
"Iraq reaffirmed its commitment not to allow its territory or airspace to be used as a launching point for any acts or attacks targeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or any other country in the region," read a statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.
The statement comes as Trump’s recent declaration on Wednesday stating an end to the ceasefire has raised concerns among Gulf countries over continued Iranian attacks on American assets in the Gulf. 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... has launched repeated attacks targeting American assets and military bases in Bahrain and 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... since Thursday, after American forces struck approximately 140 military targets, the third round of strikes against Iran in a week, following Tehran's attack on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting also comes as Iraq’s government has pledged to strengthen state control over gangs, with officials saying militias outside state authority, including Iran-backed groups, would be disarmed by the end of September as part of efforts to reinforce national institutions and security.
During the meeting, Prince Faisal stressed that "Iraq’s security is an integral part of the security of the region," emphasizing the importance of preserving ties between the two countries and preventing actions that could threaten regional stability.
On his part, Hussein said Iraq remained committed to maintaining balanced relations with all neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia.
"The repercussions of the recent war had affected the region and influenced the course of these relations," said Hussein, adding that Iraq had been among the countries most affected by its direct and indirect consequences, including efforts to damage its relations with neighboring states.
The Iraqi foreign minister also highlighted the importance of expanding economic and investment, strengthening energy partnerships and increasing political and security coordination between Baghdad and Riyadh.
Rising tensions and threats over renewed attacks come amid challenges over the administration of transit through the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear capabilities, two of the most critical terms outlined in the ceasefire signed in the Pakistain-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran in late June.
The US and Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran in late February, striking thousands of targets across the country during six weeks of hostilities. In response, Iran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
[JP] Qatar, which for years was considered a major financial supporter of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, opposes the proposed production of weapons components intended solely to defend Israel against rocket attacks.
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a major Volkswagen shareholder, blocked a proposed agreement between Volkswagen and Israeli defense company Rafael to manufacture Iron Dome components at a factory in Germany, according to German newspaper Bild.
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Volkswagen’s third-largest shareholder, reportedly vetoed a plan to repurpose the automaker’s struggling plant in Osnabrück, putting hundreds of additional jobs at its German factories at risk.
A potential solution to save the plant appeared to have been found in late April, when Volkswagen signed a letter of intent with Rafael. Under the proposal, the Israeli company would manufacture components for the Iron Dome missile defense system at the facility.
The Qatari shareholders have since expressed reservations about the agreement because of tensions between Qatar and Israel, according to the report.
The state-owned Qatar Investment Authority, or QIA, holds 17% of Volkswagen’s voting rights and 10.4% of its total share capital, giving it significant influence over decisions made at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg.
[IsraelTimes] Excerpts from a handwritten document by former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar from August 2022, obtained by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and published by Channel 12, show the terror group’s preparations for the October 7, 2023, large-scale assault on Israel and anticipation towards the possibility Israel would “even use a nuclear bomb” in response.
The document states that Israel would initially be “surprised by the attack and enter into chaos” before responding with “the means and weapons at its disposal,” adding, “It is possible that it will even use a nuclear bomb.” It goes on to describe the planned assault as “a campaign of life or death,” calling for “a popular operation of returning to the villages and recapturing them symbolically.”
According to the document, the plan called for breaching the border fence at 25 locations facing 25 junctions simultaneously using 2,500 fighters, organized into separate, well-trained squads of 100 fighters each, with the objective of seizing the junctions.
Sinwar also laid out a broader force allocation of 10,000 “well-trained fighters,” assigning 2,210 fighters to attack 221 kibbutzim and small communities, 1,600 to eight larger communities, 1,200 to cities, and 2,000 to military bases, more than what actually occurred on October 7, while noting that “no one knows the general objective of the plan.”
The document further instructs terrorists that “the goal is to expel the settlers with their cars,” giving “priority to children and women,” while ordering that “the men aged 17-50 are taken hostage” and that “all phones must be taken, along with any additional documents they are carrying on their person.”
The newly published excerpts come after the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center released a similar Hamas document in October 2025 that had been written by Sinwar and described plans to deliberately create “horrifying images” during the October 7, 2023, massacre and broadcast the atrocities live.
[IsraelTimes] The Board of Peace announces that a small delegation of soldiers from Kosovo has arrived in Israel as the US-led body tasked with overseeing the postwar management of Gaza takes another small step toward deploying an International Stabilization Force in Gaza.
The Kosovo troops join counterparts from Morocco who arrived in Israel last month. Albania and Kazakhstan are also slated to send troops, but Israel has yet to take several legal and political steps necessary to allow their deployment into Gaza.
The Board of Peace is establishing a logistics hub in southern Israel where the ISF will be based, but has not yet started building a base for the force inside Gaza, and there is no timeline for when they will actually deploy.
#4
^ My post was reasonably serious, the British Gurkhas have a pretty good reputation as peacekeepers, they smile a lot, they're polite, fair and impartial. I have no reason to think the Indian Army Gurkhas are any different.
[IsraelNationalNews] The Sovereignty Movement has called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oslo Accords, arguing that Israel must examine the decisions that led to the agreements and the lessons that should be learned from them.
The demand was presented during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee's subcommittee, chaired by MK Tzvi Succot, which focused on alleged violations of the Oslo Accords by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). According to the movement, representatives of government bodies, including the Civil Administration, the National Security Council, and the Defense Ministry, were unable to provide a comprehensive record of the alleged violations, leading participants to conclude that no official state body had systematically documented or addressed them over the past three decades.
Speaking after the discussion, Sovereignty Movement co-founder Nadia Matar said the findings underscored the need for a formal inquiry. She recalled opposing the Oslo process from its inception, when she and her late mother-in-law, Ruth Matar, founded the Women in Green movement to campaign against the accords. Following Israel's disengagement from Gush Katif, Matar and Yehudit Katzover established the Sovereignty Movement, advocating the extension of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria as an alternative political vision.
Matar argued that a commission of inquiry should examine not only how Israel came to sign the Oslo Accords but also why successive governments failed to halt the process after its shortcomings became apparent. She said the investigation should determine whether decision-makers had access to all relevant intelligence, whether warnings were adequately considered, and whether policy assessments proved accurate. According to Matar, the inquiry should include governments from across the political spectrum that continued implementing the agreements.
Rejecting claims that such an inquiry would be motivated by revenge, Matar said its purpose would be to help Israel learn from what she described as a historic failure. She compared the proposal to past state commissions that examined major national decisions, arguing that political leadership should also be subject to review when policies have long-term national consequences.
Matar said the commission should be composed of retired legal and security professionals and other respected public figures rather than Supreme Court judges. She maintained that Israel must move away from what she called the "Oslo spirit" and instead adopt a policy centered on Israeli sovereignty.
She also argued that Israel's approach to terrorism carries implications beyond its borders, saying that concessions to terrorist organizations send a message that is closely watched by other countries. A shift toward a policy of sovereignty and a firmer stance against terrorism, she said, would strengthen Israel and serve as an example internationally.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
07/13/2026 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
Former Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been placed under house arrest by the country’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following a failed Israeli plot to install him in place of the current theocratic regime, according to a stunning new report.
The New York Times, citing four Iranian officials, reported Monday that the 69-year-old is being held by the IRGC’s intelligence wing after he left a safe house run by Israel’s Mossad.
Before last week, Ahmadinejad had not been seen in public since an Israeli airstrike hit his compound in the early hours of Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, after which he was spirited away to the safe house, the Times reported, citing US and Iranian officials.
The former president, who ran Iran with an iron fist from 2005 to 2013, re-emerged last week — apparently flanked by security guards — during funeral ceremonies for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the same day as the strike on Ahmadinejad’s compound.
The Times initially reported in May that the US and Israel had attempted to put Ahmadinejad — who became a global hate figure during his presidency for publicly denying the Holocaust, calling for the destruction of Israel, and restarting his country’s nuclear weapons program — back in the seat of power.
Ahmadinejad increasingly clashed with the Islamic Republic’s rulers, having been blocked from seeking his old job in 2017, 2021 and 2024.
Since leaving office, the former president had cultivated what Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies described to The Post as a “hybrid populism-nationalism-Islamism” that “posed a real ideological and class-based challenge to the Islamic Republic.”
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad reportedly told associates that he saw himself as a reformist leader in the mold of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin — and would even normalize relations with Israel if he came to power.
More importantly, the outlet reported Monday, Ahmadinejad made contact with Israeli intelligence as early as 2023, when he traveled to Guatemala for an environmental conference — but not before staging an hours-long sit-in at Tehran’s airport after security forces initally prevented him from traveling.
The following year, Ahmadinejad was invited to a climate change conference at Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, Hungary, an invitation the university’s rector told the Times was extended at the request of a Hungarian government official as a pretext for the former Iranian leader and the Israelis to meet.
“You have two enemies, and if these enemies want to talk with each other, then it’s best to do what you can to make them talk,” the rector, Gergely Deli, explained his decision to the Times.
The Budapest meeting included then-Mossad chief David Barnea, former US officials told the outlet, while the Israelis covered some of Ahmadinejad’s housing and travel expenses.
However, a former adviser to the onetime president claimed greed played no role in his former boss’ activities.
“Ahmadinejad would not do this for money,” Abdolreza Davari claimed to the Times. “He has money; he has a wide economic network. He would do it for power. He wants to be at the helm of power.”
[IsraelTimes] At chamber’s first session in Damascus, President Sharaa calls on lawmakers to model ‘responsibility and competence’; three seats for Druze-majority Sweida remain empty
Syria’s transitional parliament began its inaugural session Sunday in Damascus, where it will be tasked with drafting the country’s new constitution more than a year after rebels led by eventual president Ahmad al-Sharaa overturned decades of authoritarian rule.
Syria’s new authorities dissolved the country’s rubber-stamp legislature after toppling longtime dictator Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... in December 2024 and adopting a temporary constitutional declaration meant to remain in effect during a five-year transition period.
In his opening remarks before the newly formed People’s Assembly, Sharaa called on politicians to be "models of responsibility and competence, and to contribute to establishing a culture of dialogue, the rule of law and respect for institutions."
"Syria is writing a glorious history that reflects its heroism, and we face the responsibility of building both the nation and the individual," he said.
Last October, in a process that critics labeled as undemocratic, local electoral colleges whose members were appointed by a higher body in the caretaker government began to select two-thirds of the 210 designated People’s Assembly members.
Sharaa on July 1 appointed 70 politicians, comprising the remaining one-third of the legislative body.
The Assembly, with limited power, can propose and approve laws over its renewable 30-month term. The body is slated to assume legislative authority until a permanent constitution is adopted and elections are held, and was expected to form a constitution-drafting committee, approve the country’s budget and pass legislation related to state-building.
Officials defended the temporary system as necessary, saying direct elections were unworkable after years of brutal warfare left millions displaced, making it impossible to rely on accurate population records or voter rolls.
Sharaa has publicly stated that he supports holding general elections once infrastructure and documentation allow.
Critics, meanwhile, said the process grants the executive branch undue control over the legislative process and does not adequately account for Syria’s women and ethnic minorities.
Authorities have not issued a breakdown of how many politicians hail from ethnic and religious minorities, but unofficial tallies have shown that 10 of the seats chosen last year went to members of religious and ethnic minorities including Kurds, Christians and Alawites, the sect to which Assad belongs.
Despite the parliament’s 210-member makeup, the session began with four seats vacant, after one politician died and three seats reserved for the predominantly Druze province of Sweida were yet to be filled.
Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed, who heads the government council that appointed the electoral colleges, said the selection of politicians for the southern region has been postponed until "conditions become suitable."
The area has remained outside state control since government forces and allied fighters from local Bedouin tribes clashed with Druze militias there last July, leaving some 1,700 people killed, according to a United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... tally.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Alamo, Davy was counting their remaining cannon balls and not liking the results... the selection process was held in formerly Kurdish-run areas of the north and northeast earlier this year, after the Damascus authorities assumed control there and signed a deal on integrating Kurdish institutions into the state.
The chamber has 21 female politicians, 15 of whom were among those nominated by Sharaa, meaning women comprise some 10 percent of the chamber.
Representatives were sworn in and were expected to elect the assembly’s presiding body later Sunday.
Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda operative who severed ties with the terror group a decade ago, has reshaped Syria since toppling Assad, building close ties with Western states and vowing a new era of freedom.
His first year in power was jolted by several bouts of violence pitting regime forces and pro-government fighters against members of minority groups, in particular Sweida’s Druze population.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[REGNUM.RU] Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has sharply decreased to a minimum following the announcement by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to close it. CNN reported this on July 12, citing Marine Traffic data.
Journalists also noted that US President Donald Trump continues to insist that the strait is open. US Central Command also stated on social media that the strait is open to all vessels.
"After this (the IRGC announcement - Ed.), very few ships, with the exception of a few flying the Iranian flag, passed through this narrow passage," the channel's report said.
Another tanker carrying oil and chemicals has also decided to transit the strait under a Bahamian flag. It is using a route closer to the Iranian side, with the port city of Fujairah on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates listed as its destination.
US Central Command previously reported another round of strikes on Iranian territory. The US stated that it took these actions after Iran failed to comply with the terms of the memorandum of understanding, despite previous warnings.
Ship Tracker indicates serious reduced shipping likely due to Trump inserting a hundred missiles up the Iran's butt since Saturday.
BTW: the last ship to dock in IRAN from the outside was on June 22nd.
No vessels have arrived within the past 24 hours and no ships are expected to arrive in the next 30 days.
[AlJazeera] The Damascus attacks appeared to be attempts to cause instability, but don’t signal total security breakdown in Syria.
At a cafe in central Damascus, lines of chairs sat dormant outside an empty cafe. Mohammad al-Dahabi, the cafe’s owner, pulled away one chair, revealing a small crater on the floor.
“This is where the explosion happened,” al-Dahabi said about the July 2 bomb blast that took place at the cafe close to Damascus’s Justice Palace and killed at least 10 people. “If it had gone off a half hour later, everyone would have [already] left for the day.”
Damascus was hit by three explosions over the past week, with one on July 2 followed by two more blasts on July 7 near the Four Seasons Hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a visit to the Syrian capital. That attack killed one person and wounded 36.
The attacks have rattled many people living in Damascus and pointed to the continuing challenges the Syrian government faces in bringing security to the capital. Some residents said years of instability had adapted them to dealing with such events, but there was still a fear when visiting certain parts of central Damascus.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
07/13/2026 00:00 ||
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[213 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria/HTS
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.
[GaroweOnline] Twin Cities community members are speaking out on Wednesday against what they're calling growing anti-Somali and anti-
...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 
...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...
...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...
Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs...
