[ShabelleMedia] A delegation from Somalia’s Independent Human Rights Commission visited a prison in eastern Libya on Monday, where dozens of Somali nationals are being held, as part of efforts to assess their conditions and strengthen cooperation with Libyan authorities.
The delegation, led by Deputy Chairperson Mohammed Harun Mahmoud and Commissioner Ali Mohammed Ilmi, visited Ganfuda Prison in Benghazi, where they met Somali detainees and held talks with prison officials, according to a statement from the commission.
Officials said 70 Somali nationals are currently being held at the prison, including eight women. One of the women is accompanied by her three-year-old child.
During the visit, General Salah Mahmoud, head of Libya’s department for combating illegal migration, said nearly 300 Somali citizens are being detained in prisons across eastern and southern Libya, with 70 of them held at Ganfuda Prison.
Representatives of Libya’s Human Rights and Public Freedoms Council, who accompanied the Somali delegation, pledged to continue monitoring the welfare of the Somali detainees and to share regular updates with Somalia’s human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... commission.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen future cooperation aimed at improving the protection of Somali nationals in Libya and enhancing coordination on human rights issues affecting migrants colonists and detainees.
Libya remains a major transit route for migrants colonists from the Horn of Africa seeking to reach Europe, with thousands of migrants colonists and asylum seekers held in detention facilities across the country amid longstanding concerns over their living conditions and access to legal protection.
🇳🇬Nigerian drone startup Terra Industries raised $34M, including $11,8M from Palantir-linked fund 8VC. Aerial and ground drones are built from imported parts, but with original software. Such good performance made Palantir executive Alex Moore join its board in 2025. Not charity… pic.twitter.com/RTTnhbvgE9
🇳🇬Nigerian drone startup Terra Industries raised $34M, including $11,8M from Palantir-linked fund 8VC. Aerial and ground drones are built from imported parts, but with original software.
Such good performance made Palantir executive Alex Moore join its board in 2025. Not charity - Pentagon contractors eye Africa's secutiry market.
[HodhodYemenNews] Yemen’s Ministry of Economy, Industry and Investment has reported that the country’s economy has suffered cumulative losses exceeding $1.1 trillion since March 2015, attributing the damage to a comprehensive Saudi-led blockade and ongoing military operations.
Good. May there be worse for them to come — like the Ten Plagues in Egypt until the Pharaoh freed the Hebrew slaves — until they flee, leaving the Yemenis to work out their own fate.
According to the ministry’s report, total losses include $648 billion in lost economic output and opportunities and $482 billion in direct sectoral losses, amid the closure of land, sea, and air access points and widespread damage to economic infrastructure.
The report said unemployment has risen to 60 percent, while 65 percent of workers in various economic facilities have lost their jobs due to business closures and operational disruptions.
It added that around 31 million people face risks linked to food insecurity and malnutrition, including children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND CIVILIAN SECTORS AFFECTED
The report documented extensive damage to civilian and economic infrastructure, including the destruction or damage of:
623,599 homes
470 factories
16,798 commercial facilities
9,017 roads and bridges
17 maritime ports
16 civilian airports
1,510 educational facilities
718 health facilities
The ministry estimated direct losses in key sectors, including:
Foreign trade: $111.13 billion
Agriculture and livestock: $111 billion
Industry: $82.5 billion
Oil and minerals: $57 billion
Public treasury: $30 billion
Electricity and energy: $27.4 billion
Transport: $23.2 billion
Fisheries: $12.6 billion
Industry and energy losses
The report said Yemen’s industrial sector suffered $82.5 billion in losses, including damage to hundreds of factories and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
It also reported that oil and gas losses reached $57 billion, citing the shutdown of production and exploration sites and a sharp decline in government revenues following the suspension of oil and gas exports.
The report further stated that fuel imports declined significantly, while damage to fuel stations and supply disruptions contributed to higher fuel prices.
TRADE, AGRICULTURE AND TRANSPORT IMPACTS
According to the report, Yemen’s foreign trade volume declined by 65 percent over 12 years, with export losses estimated at $80.44 billion and import losses at $30.69 billion.
The agricultural sector reportedly suffered $111 billion in losses, with millions of farmers affected, reduced crop production, and damage to agricultural infrastructure.
The fisheries sector recorded losses of $12.6 billion, with thousands of fishermen losing income and exports declining significantly.
The transport sector was also heavily affected, with losses estimated at $23.2 billion, including damage to airports, roads, and ports. The report said air transport revenues declined sharply following disruptions to civilian aviation.
FINANCIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE PRESSURES
The ministry said the Yemeni currency had significantly depreciated, with the US dollar exchange rate rising from 215 rials in 2014 to more than 530 rials, while foreign reserves declined.
It also reported major losses in electricity, water, telecommunications, tourism, and cultural heritage sectors, including damage to historical sites and public service facilities.
The report concluded that port restrictions contributed to major increases in shipping costs, with container transport costs rising from around $3,000 to $12,000-$15,000, while delivery times lengthened from weeks to several months, affecting supply chains and the arrival of food and medicine.
Yemen’s economy has been under severe pressure since the Saudi-led war began in March 2015, with the aggression and restrictions on the movement of goods, fuel and people disrupting production, trade and essential services.
The prolonged crisis has damaged infrastructure, weakened public institutions and contributed to currency depreciation, unemployment and declining household incomes.
Restrictions affecting Yemen’s ports, airports and land crossings have also complicated the import of food, fuel, medicines and industrial inputs, while disruptions to oil exports have deprived the country of a major source of state revenue.
#2
Yeman's GDP is estimated at about $8B about $400 per capita.
Houthi portion of Yeman is probably about 10% or less of Yeman.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
08/04/2026 18:12 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Are you suggesting that the Houthi numbers are entirely imaginary in an attempt to winkle some sort of jizya payoff from Saudi Arabia and the world, Lord Garth? I am shocked!
This puts President Trump’s offer to Saudi Arabia in perspective.
[DhakaTribune] Shama: Any engagement with US to be considered on national interest
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Monday said Bangladesh views the US proposal on civil nuclear cooperation positively, stressing that any engagement with Washington will be considered if it serves the interests of the people of Bangladesh.
She said the government's approach remains "positive," and any bilateral agreement with the United States will be considered based on Bangladesh's national interest.
While responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed said the government would move forward with any agreement handout
that benefits the people of Bangladesh, contributes to the country's economy, and helps deepen bilateral relations.
However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... if any proposed agreement is found to be against the interests of the people, the government will reconsider it, she added.
During US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor's recent visit, Washington reportedly proposed a memorandum of understanding on civil nuclear cooperation with Bangladesh.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella went down under the weight of the custard... US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Steve Koehler will pay an official visit to Bangladesh from August 4 to 6, US Embassy Dhaka Acting Spokesperson Mara Bird said on Monday.
During his visit, Admiral Koehler plans to meet senior Bangladeshi officials to discuss the longstanding Bangladesh-US defense partnership and explore opportunities to expand cooperation in maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and professional military education, Bird said.
Adm. Steve Koehler grew up in a Navy family and is a 1986 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Physics, where he was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC).
Designated a naval aviator in March 1989, he has flown over 3,900 hours in the F-14 Tomcat and F-18 Super Hornet with 600 carrier landings.
He holds a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and is a graduate of the Joint Staff College and the Navy Nuclear Power Program.
[IsraelTimes] Remarks on Muslim outreach podcast said to refer to ‘unbelievable’ number of people who converted to Islam after Hamas-led invasion; police call comments ‘biased or inappropriate’
Five Toronto coppers speaking on a Moslem outreach podcast about the October 7, 2023, Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... -led onslaught in southern Israel "made statements that were biased or inappropriate," police said.
The officers violated police standards and now face a penalty, added Elise Higgitt, an inspector for the Toronto Police Service. Public caning is good.
Multiple people had complained about the March 10, 2025, episode of the "Project Olive Branch" podcast. The complainants received Higgitt’s letter about the disciplinary action on Friday and posted it online.
The podcast had been launched to advance relations between the police and Moslem residents, and was hosted by Moslem officers. The episode in question is no longer online, but according to the National Post, the coppers spoke about an "unbelievable" number of people who had converted to Islam after the Hamas-led invasion and massacre, referring to them as "reverts."
Jewish groups said the comments cast the attack, in which gunnies killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage, in a positive manner. B’nai Brith Canada welcomed the police decision. "This incident underscores the importance of antisemitism training for all coppers," it said.
Higgitt, an inspector in the Toronto Police Service’s Professional Standards unit, said in the letter that an inspection had concluded that the five officers had committed "misconduct" according to an Ontario law. Higgitt quoted the Community Safety and Policing Act as saying that "a police officer shall not conduct themselves in a manner that undermines, or is likely to undermine, public trust in policing."
"The matter has been forwarded to the professionalism committee for penalty," she said.
On Sunday, a police spokeswoman for the Toronto Police Service confirmed the letter’s authenticity to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
"To ensure the investigation was conducted independently and avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, the Toronto Police Service referred the matter to York Regional Police," Stephanie Sayer said in an email. York is a municipality neighboring Toronto.
"Following its investigation, York Regional Police substantiated the allegations of misconduct," she said. "Toronto Police Service Professional Standards Sherlocks reviewed the findings, agreed that misconduct occurred, and notified the complainants," Sayer said. "TPS Professional Standards has initiated the internal disciplinary process" according to the Community Safety and Policing Act.
Sayer did not make the full report available to JTA. The National Post did obtain the report, and quoted it as saying that members of Toronto’s Jewish community expressed "concern that comments made during the podcast could be interpreted as characterizing the events of October 7 in a positive manner."
The hosts "made controversial and inappropriate statements by publicly expressing personal views on a highly political issue while in police uniform," the National Post quoted the report as saying.
The report quoted one of the officers as saying that the remarks were "taken out of context."
The episode, the second in a planned series, was taken off of YouTube, and the podcast appears to have since been suspended.
In the first episode that appeared in December of 2024, Moslem Liaison Officers Constables Farhan Ali and Haroon Siddiqui made multiple references to Moslem interactions with the police post-October 7, particularly at protests. They described those interactions as stirring distrust of the police in the Moslem community.
"Everything was smooth, and then once October 7 hit, that’s where a lot of it has changed, and a lot of it had to do with our community members losing trust in the police," Siddiqui said in the earlier podcast.
The police chief, Myron Demkiw, apologized the day after the offending March 10 podcast. "I have personally heard from the [Jewish] community about the impact of this podcast, and I’m truly sorry," he said. "Our commitment to protecting our Jewish communities remains unwavering."
Jewish organizations said they now wanted to see accountability.
"We expect accountability that reflects the seriousness of these findings, along with meaningful reforms to ensure this never happens again on an official Toronto Police platform," said the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, an umbrella communal body.
[IsraelTimes] Justice Sonia Sotomayor declines to freeze damages, as sought by cash-strapped PA; civil suit was brought on behalf of Americans killed in Second Intifada in Jerusalem
US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined to halt $655.5 million in damages that Paleostinian authorities were ordered to pay plaintiffs in a US civil lawsuit concerning terror attacks that killed and injured Americans in Israel from 2002 to 2004, during the Second Initifada.
Sotomayor denied a request by the West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority and the Paleostine Liberation Organization to pause the judgment while they appeal a lower court’s decision to revive the case years after it had been dismissed.
The lawsuit was filed by victims of attacks in Jerusalem that killed 33 people and maimed hundreds more.
The attacks took place during the Second Intifada,
…2000-2005 in Israel and both Palestinian Territories. Palestinian/Arab suicide bombs, shootings, rockets, and two IDF soldiers who accidentally ended up in Ramallah were viciously lynched. Yasser Arafat set it off after he walked away from the 2000 Camp David Summit, though the Palestinians claimed it was because Ariel Sharon dared to visit the Temple Mount. Among other outcomes, Ariel Sharon pulled Israel entirely out of Gaza, 900 of the worst Palestinians in Israeli jails were released, and the first version of the West Bank barrier was erected…
in which roughly 1,000 Israelis and others were killed in a string of suicide kabooms and other terror attacks.
The Supreme Court last year upheld a federal law passed in 2019 that allowed claims like those brought by the plaintiffs in the case. US citizens have also filed other suits seeking damages for the Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... -led October 7, 2023, onslaught.
Good. Strip the Palestinian Authority bare for the intifada, then Hamas and PIJ for 10/7.
Sotomayor did not explain her decision and did not refer the case to the entire court. Sotomayor handles emergency matters for cases arising from New York and certain other states.
The Manhattan-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the judgment in March following the Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision in June 2025 to uphold the 2019 law, called the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.
The Paleostinian organizations said that enforcing the judgment in the case will cause severe financial harm and destabilize government services in the West Bank, where the PA is already cash-strapped, harming people who live there and jeopardizing regional security.
They said in a written filing that the plaintiffs intend to seek payment from indirect Paleostinian tax revenue collected by Israel, which Israel has withheld, freezing a key source of funding for Paleostinian government operations. Security, sanitation and school services in the West Bank "are hanging by a thread," they wrote.
Claw back the multi-billion dollar bank accounts of Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the rest of the senior PA/PLO officials.
The plaintiffs, in winning the judgment in New York federal court in 2015, alleged that the Paleostinian entities were responsible for the incidents from 2002 to 2004.
The 2nd Circuit threw out that verdict in 2016 and ordered that the case be dismissed, concluding that the federal judge in the case did not have jurisdiction over the matter. The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the case in 2018.
Congress then passed the 2019 law to facilitate lawsuits against Paleostinian authorities. Under the law, the PLO and PA automatically "consent" to jurisdiction if they conduct certain activities in the United States or make payments to people who attack Americans, which the PA has historically done, though it claims to have since stopped.
The 2nd Circuit subsequently decided that the 2019 law violated the rights of these Paleostinian authorities to due process under the US Constitution.
But the Supreme Court overturned that ruling last year. Following that Supreme Court action, the 2nd Circuit resurrected the judgment for the plaintiffs.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said at the time that the families were pleased and relieved by the decision, saying it would allow "justice to be done" after a long legal process.
The Paleostinian authorities, however, had urged the Supreme Court to halt the payment for now, saying the judgment had long become void and a "nullity."
"The money judgment at issue became a legal nullity when ... appeals were exhausted in 2018," they said.
With Palestine broke, can't get funds from any of the smashed up terrorist groups, or Iran. Now depending on UN support, aid & funds. The US having clamped down of UN funding.
So, who is gonna pay the $656M?
Or is major part of Palestine going to have new ownership?
Another notch cranked up to make Iran’s oil unimportant.
[Rudaw] Iraq is set to increase oil flows through The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , following a recently signed interim oil agreement between the two sides, Baghdad's oil minister confirmed on Monday, adding that transit talks with 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... through the Strait of Hormuz are also ongoing and may bear fruit "in the coming days."
The agreement with Turkey seeks "to ensure the continuity of crude oil exports from the Kurdistan Region’s fields, alongside an ambitious plan to route part of the southern oil through the pipeline to achieve export volumes exceeding 700,000 barrels per day [bpd]," Basim Mohammed Khudair stated, as quoted by the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Iraq on Saturday signed a one-year deal with Turkey after the expiration of the 1973 pipeline agreement a day earlier. Although Baghdad had sought to renew the decades-long treaty, Ankara wanted to change its terms pushing for a more "comprehensive" deal.
The agreement sets an initial export capacity of around 750,000 bpd, contingent on security conditions, the restoration of oil production in the Kurdistan Region, and the completion of logistical preparations needed to move larger quantities of southern Iraqi crude northward.
The Iraqi oil minister also pointed to negotiations with Iran to afford Iraqi oil tankers greater leeway for transit through the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions in the strategic waterway continue between Tehran and Washington, noting that the issue was raised during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's visit to Tehran in late July.
"The Iraqi delegation held talks with the Iranian side to discuss the unhindered movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, with expectations of reaching significant understandings in the coming days to protect and facilitate the passage of shipments and tankers," he said.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which around one-fifth of global energy supplies pass, has been a contentious point between the US and Iran since the onset of the six-week war in late February, with Tehran claiming illusory sovereignty over Hormuz and requiring vessels to obtain authorization for passage, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
For Iraq, the regional war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz dealt a major blow to the country's oil sector and broader economy, with Iraqi crude production falling from about 4.14 million barrels per day (bpd) before the crisis to 1.49 million bpd at the height of the blockade.
A prominent financial adviser to the Iraqi government, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, told Rudaw in early March that disruptions to oil exports were costing Iraq between $200 million and $255 million per day. He added that even if oil prices reached $150 per barrel, Iraq's revenue could still fall from $7 billion to $1 billion per month.
As of the latest data, Iraq's national marketer, the State Organization for Marketing Oil (SOMO), reported that around 24.5 million barrels of oil were exported in June, marking a notable recovery even though shipping through Hormuz has yet to normalize.
Moreover, at least two vessels - the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu, chartered by an Iraqi company, and the Malta-flagged Zefyros, carrying Basra Gas Company condensate - were struck inside Iraqi territorial waters in the ship-to-ship anchorage area near Basra Oil Terminal.
In the wake of the regional escalation, Iraq has sought alternative routes to export its oil, primarily through overland oil tankers to Syria and through its pipelines to Turkey's Ceyhan port.
In a statement posted on X after his Ankara visit, Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi said, "Today, Iraq and Turkiye achieved an important strategic milestone to ensure the uninterrupted flow of our oil exports and strengthen economic cooperation."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/04/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[179 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[IsraelTimes] Ashraf Dabbour, who served as ambassador in Beirut from 2012 to 2025, is facing charges of corruption and embezzlement
Lebanese authorities arrested the former Paleostinian ambassador to Beirut on Monday ahead of his extradition to face corruption charges back home, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP.
Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... ’s public prosecutor "issued an arrest warrant for former Paleostinian ambassador Ashraf Dabbour on Monday after questioning him," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official added that the judiciary "transferred the file to the government to inform the Paleostinian Authority that Dabbour is detained in Lebanon, and requested that his judicial file be sent to Lebanon... in preparation for handing him over" to the PA.
Dabbour, ambassador to Beirut from 2012 to 2025, was previously arrested upon arriving at the country’s airport in April at the request of the PA, over charges of corruption and embezzlement of funds during his tenure in Lebanon.
He was then placed under a travel ban.
In a video posted on his Facebook page in May, Dabbour denied the accusations, saying they aimed to tarnish his reputation.
In an April Facebook post, Dabbour accused Yasser Abbas, the son of Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> , of "exploiting his control over the security services and his influence within the authority to use them to settle his personal scores... by pursuing me with arrest warrants from one place to another."
The Paleostinian Authority has vowed to undergo a series of radical reforms after US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... ’s 20-point Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... peace outline laid out a plan under which the PA would take control of the Strip after undergoing an unspecified "reform program."
Within the pockets of the West Bank that it administers, the PA is notorious for corruption. Critics say the system lined the pockets of elites with tax proceeds and international aid, while funneling much of what was left to a massive security apparatus trained to crack down on dissent at the behest of its patrons.
In a high-profile move against corruption, the PA transport minister was removed in October and put under investigation on allegations of bribery, according to local media.
[Jpost] There are no ongoing talks between 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... and the United States and no upcoming meetings planned, despite claims by US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... , The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.
Baghaei told the WSJ that all of Iran's negotiators were still in the country, except for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who was visiting a religious site in Iraq.
On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that talks with Oman concerning the future of the Strait of Hormuz were continuing, and both Oman and Iran noted that there had been progress made over the last few days.
Mediators in the discussions told the WSJ that the current proposal being considered involved creating a temporary new route through the strait for commercial shipping, and that Persian vessels would enter through Iranian waters and exit via Omani waters without paying any fees.
The mediators stated that they were still waiting for a response from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but that Iran had responded favorably. However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt... Iran later demanded that the sanctions on its oil be removed and that it receive a guarantee that it would not be attacked.
Senior Arab officials also told the WSJ that other countries in the region have requested that an agreement with Iran would include guarantees that it would not attack their territories, either directly or using their proxies.
Mediators also said that Pakistain had offered to host the next round of talks between Iran and the US, the WSJ reported.
TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS WITH IRAN ONGOING
On Monday, Trump claimed that talks with Iran are ongoing, but are Tehran’s last chance to reach a deal with Washington "before decapitation," while speaking with news hounds in the Oval Office.
He alleged that Iran, with the backing of Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , the United Arab Emirates, 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... , initiated the renewed talks because they "did not want to be hit" by strikes Trump claimed would have been the biggest attacks since World War II.
"They knew what was coming. It was going to come last night, and it would have gone on for a long time, and there’d be essentially very little left," he warned. "This is the last chance for them to sign a good document."
#1
iran (intended lower case)
needs to find a new Propaganda routine for attack Trump/USA.
This saying one thing to Trumps negotiators. Then waiting for Trump to announce something is in the works. Then to have a different group of iranian leaders deny it the next day, is getting old and very see through.
It shows iran has NO real ultimate leader in power.
[GaroweOnline] The head of the U.S. military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... group in Somalia remains one of al-Qaeda's wealthiest and most active affiliates, warning that part of the bad boy group's revenue is sent to the broader bully boy network.
General Dagvin Anderson said regional cooperation involving Kenya, Somalia, Æthiopia, Djibouti and other East African countries was essential to countering the Islamist insurgency, citing al-Shabaab's close ties to al-Qaeda.
"Al-Shabaab is one of al-Qaeda's most active and best-funded affiliates, and we are concerned that a portion of the revenue it generates flows back to the wider al-Qaeda network," Anderson said in an interview with Kenya's Citizen TV.
He described Kenya as a critical security partner because of its shared border with Somalia and its role in regional counterterrorism efforts, noting that the country has repeatedly been targeted by al-Shabaab attacks.
Anderson also called Kenya the "gateway to East Africa" and praised the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) as a capable military that plays a significant role in maintaining regional security.
Asked whether the campaign against al-Shabaab was succeeding, Anderson said progress was being made despite the group's continued threat.
"Are we disrupting terrorist attacks? Yes. Are we making progress? Yes," he said.
However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... he stressed that the long-term success of the campaign ultimately depended on Somalia itself.
"No matter how many international partners try to help, in the end Somalia must lead this fight and address the terrorist threat," Anderson said.
He added that while international cooperation remained vital to sustaining pressure on al-Shabaab, the future of the campaign would depend on Somalia's ability to build security forces and institutions capable of confronting the group independently.
**Yes**, AFRICOM (United States Africa Command) and SOCAFRICA (Special Operations Command Africa) are distinct military commands with different roles and levels of authority.
AFRICOM is a **unified geographic combatant command** responsible for overall U.S. military operations, security cooperation, and strategic objectives across the African continent. It exercises operational control (OPCON) over various service components, including land, air, naval, and special operations forces.
SOCAFRICA is a **sub-unified command** subordinate to USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command). It focuses exclusively on special operations forces (SOF), such as Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps units, providing specialized capabilities like counterterrorism, direct action, and security force assistance. While SOCAFRICA operates under the operational control of AFRICOM for theater-specific missions, it retains functional command (COCOM) from USSOCOM for core special operations competencies.
Key distinctions include:
* **Scope**: AFRICOM covers all aspects of military engagement, whereas SOCAFRICA is dedicated solely to special operations.
* **Chain of Command**: AFRICOM reports directly to the Department of Defense, while SOCAFRICA reports to USSOCOM for administrative and doctrinal matters and to AFRICOM for operational employment.
* **Headquarters**: Both commands are collocated at **Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany**, facilitating close coordination.
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.
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...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 
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
...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...
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
