#5
She is cute. I had Postgres (?) issues earlier.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
08/18/2026 11:24 Comments ||
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#6
Fox News Story today - anybody find this curious?
"USS Benfold lost power for four days while in South China Sea last month, US military says
USS Benfold lost power for four days while in South China Sea last month, US military says.
The USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer, went without power for four days in the South China Sea last month, Fox News has learned.
The outage, which began on July 24, impacted drinking water, shower water, toilets, and air conditioning, according to Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a spokesperson for the U.S. 7th Fleet.
The cause of the outage is still under investigation, but Comer said there was an engineering issue with the ship's generators.
The USS Robert Smalls, another guided missile destroyer in the area, provided meals to the sailors onboard the Benfold while tugboats towed it to the Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs.
The Benfold departed Subic Bay on Aug. 8 with "all engineering, combat systems, and crew support systems functioning normally to resume routine operations," Comer said.
"There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness in their response," Comer added.
The Benfold received direct support from the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the strike group's aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after its prolonged deployment during the war with Iran.
The Lincoln has spent more than eight months deployed, prompting concerns about the strain on its sailors."
Could this have anything to do with the report we had yesterday about military contractor Metrea flying spy planes along the US-Mexico border?
[Breitbart] Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents teamed up with the Mexican Navy to seize nearly seven tons of cocaine during operations in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chiapas, Mexico. Officials estimate the street value of the drugs to be more than $120 million (USD).
“In just the past month, by working alongside our international partners through this HSTF initiative, we’ve prevented more than 6 tons of deadly narcotics from being smuggled into the U.S. or Mexico and deprived the drug cartels of bringing in more than $120 million in criminal proceeds,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “That success is a direct result of our shared commitment to safeguard communities in both countries from being flooded with these deadly substances.”
Interdictions took place off the coast of Chiapas on July 16, 25, and 31, according to information provided to Breitbart News on Friday. The three separate interdictions landed 2,840, 1,800, and 1,440 kilograms, respectively. The combined actions of HSI agents and the Mexican Navy led to the arrest of ten, three, and six drug traffickers in the three interdictions.
The operations took place under a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative that targets foreign terrorist organizations and drug cartels engaging in the multi-ton shipments of illicit drugs into the U.S. and other nations, ICE officials told Breitbart Texas.
“HSI will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to identify and disrupt illicit smuggling routes and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations and other transnational criminal organizations involved in these sophisticated drug trafficking networks,” Cabral-DeArmas stated.
In total, the three drug interdictions led to the seizure of 6,080 kilos of cocaine with an estimated street value of approximately $120 million, officials reported. In year-to-date operations, the HSTF initiatives led to the seizure of at least 118,350 kilos of cocaine, $3 million in U.S. currency, 47 firearms, 51 vessels, 6 vehicles, thousands of gallons of fuel, and a Cirrus SR-22 aircraft.
Between the drugs, money, and stuff, that’s worth over $2 billion.
…a brutal Tajik Taliban commander who was briefly deputy governor of Zabul Province before being fired for opposing the central Talib government. Known for getting rich by skimming “taxes” on gold mining and other enterprises and his insistence on forcibly converting Ismailis (Shiites) to Sunni Islam…
a local commander in Badakhshan’s Darwaz region, has surrendered to ministery of defense forces after about a week of festivities between his fighters and Taliban ...Arabic for students... forces, according to a bigwig.
The senior Taliban official, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said Fateh surrendered unconditionally and was flown by helicopter to Faizabad, the historic provincial capital. A source close to Fateh also confirmed his surrender.
The festivities began in Nusay district and later spread to other parts of Badakhshan, according to local sources. The fighting reportedly involved Fateh’s followers and special forces from the Defence Ministry. Sources said both sides suffered casualties and that some residents were forced to leave their homes.
The reported surrender followed negotiations between Fateh and a Taliban delegation led by Fasihuddin Fitrat, the army chief of staff. Fitrat travelled to the area several days earlier to assess the security situation and help resolve the confrontation.
Sources cited by the BBC said Fateh and his armed followers had recently come down from their positions in the mountains following an agreement. Another account said Fateh had subsequently joined the Taliban’s military leadership in the area.
The terms of the agreement have not been fully disclosed. However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... security sources said the complete disarmament of Fateh’s forces was among the key conditions. It remains unclear what arrangements were made for Fateh himself or what role, if any, his followers will have within the Taliban’s security structure.
The confrontation highlights continuing tensions over the control and integration of armed local commanders in Afghanistan. While the Taliban has maintained control over the country since 2021, disputes involving local power networks and gangs have periodically emerged in remote provinces.
NIGER 🇳🇪 | Le Mouvement Patriotique pour la Liberté et la Justice (MPLJ) a revendiqué une attaque contre un camp de la Garde Nationale du Niger (GNN) et un poste de contrôle, le 15 août, dans la localité de Siguidim/Seguédine.
NIGER 🇳🇪 | The Patriotic Movement for Freedom and Justice (MPLJ) has claimed responsibility for an attack against a Niger National Guard (GNN) camp and a checkpoint on August 15, in the locality of Siguidim/Seguédine.
🔴 In its official statement (📸 below), the rebel group declares that it killed 15 members of the defense and security forces (FDS) and wounded 7 others, while seizing vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.
It claims to have suffered no losses in its ranks and emphasizes that its fight aims to restore "a democratic institutional order that respects the rights and freedoms of Nigeriens."
🔶 The MPLJ's vice president, Brahim Mahaman Haggar, also spoke in a video (📽️ in the comments), stating: "We did not choose this situation for pleasure," before addressing "the suffering, insecurity, injustice, and daily hardships endured by the people of Niger." He describes the attack as the "liberation of Siguidim."
🔸Moussa Kounaï, the group's president, also appears in the video.
ℹ️ Reminder: The MPLJ considers the Tiani regime illegitimate and demands the restoration of constitutional order and, consequently, the release of former president Mohamed Bazoum.
This movement also demands better redistribution of the country's northern resources for the benefit of the populations who directly bear the consequences of their exploitation without reaping any of the benefits.
Background from Eurasia Review:
Rebels Target Niger Junta’s Oil Revenue
February 15, 2026
A Nigerien rebel group has attacked oil production infrastructure, which could weaken the country’s finances and threaten its ruling junta’s grip on power.
Created in 2024, the Patriotic Movement for Freedom and Justice (MPLJ) has gained strength through a series of attacks on Africa’s largest pipeline, which stretches nearly 2,000 kilometers from Niger’s oil-rich eastern deserts to Benin ...Benin, a French-speaking West African nation, that they put where Dahomey used to be. It is a birthplace of voodoo and zombies. In Abomey, Dahomey's former capital, the Historical Museum occupies two royal palaces with bas-reliefs recounting the kingdom’s past and a throne mounted on human skulls. To the north, Pendjari National Park offers safaris with elephants, hippos and lions and tigers and bears, oh my!... ’s coast. The rebels’ primary targets are two Chinese oil companies that represent the main source of income for the junta and its leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani.
"Destroying the pipeline means destroying General Tiani," MPLJ leader Moussa Kounaï told Jeune Afrique magazine for a January 12 article. "This illegitimate regime has made the situation more unstable and more precarious for all Nigeriens. If it survives today, it is solely thanks to oil money. We therefore asked our Chinese partners to stop financing this regime, but they do not listen."
Niger’s debt to China continues to balloon. In April 2024, the junta took out an advance of $400 million at 7% interest against crude oil sales. But ongoing pipeline sabotage has delayed repayment. Every day the pipeline is shut down reportedly costs the government and its Chinese investors about $10 million in revenue.
The MPLJ aims to stop production of crude oil in Niger as a means to restore the country’s democratically elected president, Mohammed Bazoum, who has been held prisoner since being deposed in July 2023.
"This oil is ours, but we do not benefit from it," Kounaï said. "I call on all Nigeriens to join the struggle: our fight is your fight. We are going to cut off Tiani’s oxygen."
Kounaï formed the MPLJ after a disagreement and split from the Patriotic Liberation Front (FPL), a rebel group based in northeast Niger that emerged in the coup’s aftermath. The FPL fractured and disarmed after its leaders’ arrests.
African Security Analysis (ASA), a Swedish risk consultancy, said MPLJ’s early operations appeared to be symbolic warnings before the group intensified its strikes with one in November and two in December 2025.
"The occurrence of two attacks within the same month and operating area suggests an intent to apply sustained pressure on strategic economic assets and demonstrate resilience in the face of security measures," ASA wrote in a January 17 report. "The group’s operational approach appears geared toward economic coercion, reputational damage and political leverage rather than territorial control."
Based in the desert areas surrounding the Agadem oilfields in the Diffa region of eastern Niger, the MPLJ claims to be an offshoot of local pastoral and nomadic clans. The MPLJ says that when China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) and its subsidiary, West African Oil Pipeline Co. (WEPCO), built the pipeline on their land, they promised to meet a hiring quota of local staff.
MPLJ second-in-command Brahim Mohammed Hagar said that although some Nigeriens have been hired, "they are almost never people from the region. The Chinese prefer to bring in their own staff from China and recruit a few Nigeriens from Niamey," he told Jeune Afrique.
Lol Oumar Arami, executive director of the Nigerien Initiative pour la Participation Citoyenne sur les Industries Extractives organization, is a former deputy head of security for the Agadem pipeline who agrees with Hagar’s assessment.
"Since Chinese companies began exploiting Nigerien oil in 2011, promises to recruit from nomadic communities in the area have never been kept," he told Jeune Afrique. "In addition, funds intended for local populations were diverted by town halls. Even menial jobs such as handling or guarding are carried out by foreigners."
Kounaï said the Chinese extractive operations were supposed to fuel local development but have failed.
"Here, there is a lack of everything," he said. "There are no hospitals, no boreholes for water, no schools. Children study in makeshift huts. Herds die because of pollution, without their owners receiving any compensation. And since Tiani came to power, the situation has worsened. Soldiers harass the locals. They search them, threaten them, treat them like enemies. Families that had lived on this land for hundreds of years are being forced to leave."
#Nigeria 🇳🇬: Islamic State - West Africa (#ISWAP) raided Nigerian Army camp and destroyed various vehicles in #Gajiram, #Borno State.
Some of the militants are armed with possible modernized DICON DG-103 rifles (trophy & status weapons) and #Azerbaijan-made 🇦🇿 AZ-7,62 rifles. pic.twitter.com/3ClqYzd6wn
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The United States will "bomb the hell out of" Oman if it interferes with the resolution of the conflict with Iran. This was stated by US President Donald Trump on August 17.
"If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the hell out of them," Fox News quoted the White House chief as saying.
Trump also confirmed that his administration had maintained informal contacts with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). At the same time, he noted that the US is not setting a timeframe for a complete end to the conflict with Iran and is not seeking a quick resolution.
On August 15, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran is not yet ready to resume negotiations with the United States, and the issue of opening the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved.
Shipping through the strait remains restricted. Nine cargo ships crossed on August 13, compared to five the day before. Since the beginning of August, an average of 12 ships have passed through the strait per day.
On August 14, Trump said the United States would claim the Strait of Hormuz as its territory "pretty soon" after it "finishes defeating Iran."
The agreement was reached on the day the memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran through Pakistan's mediation expired on June 18, the channel reported.
The memorandum of understanding consists of 14 points. The United States committed to begin lifting the naval blockade of Iran and other regional restrictions within 30 days, gradually lifting sanctions on Tehran, and granting permission for Iranian crude oil exports before sanctions are fully lifted.
Iran promised to ensure free passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, reaffirm its renunciation of nuclear weapons development, and halt its nuclear program during the talks.
This temporary regime was in effect for 60 days—until August 17. It was expected that the countries would sign a peace treaty during this time. Despite the agreement, fighting resumed in early July.
Houthis claim they attacked Saudi vessels off Yemen’s Mocha
[IsraelTimes] Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claim they have attacked what they describe as a Saudi military ship and four escort vessels in the Red Sea with missiles, according to the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree on Telegram.
There is no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.
Posted by: badanov ||
08/18/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[328 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Oman? What's next? Liechtenstein?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/18/2026 5:16 Comments ||
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#2
^^^ Put your coordinates in!
Posted by: chris ||
08/18/2026 8:56 Comments ||
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#3
We once went on a diving holiday on the Maldives island and decided to do a stopover in Oman. It was the friendliest and most tolerant and peaceful Muslim country I ever visited. To threaten it with bombing (not that this will ever happen) is pretty outrageous.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/18/2026 10:30 Comments ||
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#4
^Threatening to bomb Oman because they made a deal (prompted by US weakness) is crazy.
Friendly Arabs, ahem, did you tell them you're Germans - Arabs have a lot of respect for Germans?
#5
I'm not referring to friendliness towards Germans (that applies to most Arab states, not always for welcome reasons, mind you), but to a general tolerant atmosphere I was able to witness in Oman. Most locals adhere to Ibadism, which is a very tolerant version of Islam (neither Sunni nor Shiite), and when talking about Israel (which I did) most people had a very chilled attitude.
Yes it's still an Islamic country but no Islamist radicalism there (as far as I could see).
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/18/2026 12:53 Comments ||
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#6
And btw when Trump threatens to "make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory" he's actually saying he wants to seize the territorial waters of Oman, not just of Iran.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/18/2026 12:59 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Police announce the arrest of a Palestinian man suspected of digging a tunnel that was supposed to lead from the central West Bank into Israel.
Border Police surveillance identified a group of people digging the tunnel adjacent to the security barrier near the West Bank’s Qalandiya refugee camp, police say. Officers were dispatched to the scene, and as they approached, the diggers fled, according to police.
The officers chased the diggers and managed to catch one, a 36-year-old Qalandiya resident, police say, adding that the officers fired shots during the chase.
In a preliminary investigation, the suspect led officers to the tunnel, where they found “digging implements and many buckets,” and he admitted the tunnel was dug “with the aim of infiltrating the territory of the State of Israel,” police say.
Police add that they expect to detain more suspects. Hebrew media outlets report police are still looking for two other suspects.
According to the reports, the mouth of the tunnel was about 15 meters (50 feet) from the security barrier and was meant to serve as a conduit for Palestinians to illegally enter Israel from the West Bank.
Police had also announced in June that officers arrested a West Bank Palestinian and a resident of East Jerusalem on suspicion of digging a tunnel to either carry out terror attacks or aid the illegal entry of Palestinian workers into Israel.
Following the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, Israel all but ended the entry of Palestinian laborers into Israel, gutting a major source of income for the Palestinian economy and leading some to risk crossing the barrier illegally in search for work.
The IDF says a Hamas bomb exploded on the Israeli side of the "Yellow Line" in the northern Gaza Strip overnight, and terror operatives also opened fire in the area.
The explosion and gunfire reportedly took place in an area where an anti-Hamas militia is based.
The IDF says a Hamas bomb exploded on the Israeli side of the "Yellow Line" in the northern Gaza Strip overnight, and terror operatives also opened fire in the area.
The explosion and gunfire reportedly took place in an area where an anti-Hamas militia is based.
The IDF says no injuries were caused to Israeli forces in the incident, and immediately after, the army carried out strikes in the area.
"This is a violation (of the ceasefire) by the Hamas terorr group," the IDF says.
[Rudaw] Tens of members of Syria's Alawite community have been killed since the start of 2026 in “crimes bearing a sectarian nature,” a UK-based human rights watchdog reported on Monday, noting that the Damascus authorities have yet to make any arrests or initiate judicial proceedings in connection with the killings.
The “documented” crimes “varied between direct gunfire, throwing bombs, and kidnapping,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, pointing to the verified killing of 86 men, nine women, and five children from the community.
“Despite continuous demands to launch serious and transparent investigations, reveal the circumstances of the killings, and hold those responsible accountable,” SOHR said, “The relevant authorities [in Damascus] have not announced the arrest of any perpetrators of these crimes or their presentation to justice.”
"The continued absence of accountability deepens fear and erodes trust, leaving the door open for further crimes and impunity," the rights monitor added.
The report comes a year after more than 1,700 Alawites were killed by Damascus forces and affiliated armed groups in March 2025. The deadly events placed Syria's interim authorities, which came to power following the ouster of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, under intense international scrutiny.
Israeli forces are intensifying operations around the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure.
IDF drones have dropped explosives as dozens of Hezbollah terrorists are reportedly trapped in tunnels beneath the ridge. Israeli forces are also blocking attempts to reach or assist them, preparing for several days of possible fighting.
IDF assessments indicate Hezbollah is expected to continue fighting to defend the area.
[Jpost] IDF says Hamas, Hezbollah coordinating with Iran to rebuild terror axis amid increased friction on Gaza, Lebanon fronts • White House pressure limits Israeli strikes in Gaza City, targeted killings
Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... and Hezbollah have begun coordinating their increased activity with Iranian assistance in recent weeks, the IDF has assessed, as the military has identified increased friction between Israeli forces and turbans on both the northern and southern fronts.
The IDF has expressed that the coordination is likely an effort to rebuild its axis of evil that would increase pressure on Israel.
According to a military source, a ’battle of wits’ is taking place around the Ali Taher ridge between the Northern Command and Hezbollah.
The terrorist organization is trying to determine where IDF troops are positioned, and when it detects movement, it attempts to attack in a "gray area," as it did early Saturday morning with a fiber-optic drone. Three soldiers from the IDF's Yahalom special engineering unit, operating under the Commando Brigade combat team, were maimed as a result.
HEZBOLLAH ATTEMPTS TO RESUPPLY OPERATIVES TRAPPED UNDERGROUND
At the same time, according to reports, Hezbollah is attempting to resupply its operatives who are trapped in underground infrastructure. The IDF, meanwhile, is trying to locate Hezbollah infrastructure and turbans on the Ali Taher ridge and destroy them.
"Whoever comes out of the underground and surrenders will be taken for questioning in Israel, and whoever remains underground will either die, or we will kill him," a senior military source said.
The Northern Command is also conducting a complex intelligence effort to locate all hidden supply routes and drone activity intended to resupply Hezbollah operatives in the area.
"We are blocking access to the area where they are located. They will not be able to hold out forever," a senior military source familiar with the details said.
According to reports, the operatives have been emerging from underground to search for food.
"What happened on Saturday was that they exposed us with a drone. Whoever is more determined will win. A lot of patience is needed," the source added.
In response, the IDF struck in the Nabatieh area and within territory under the IDF's operational control. Beirut and bigwigs from the Shi'ite organization who are hiding there have remained off-limits due to a US demand.
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.
[Breitbart] Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents teamed up with the Mexican Navy to seize nearly seven tons of cocaine during operations in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of 
...Arabic for 
...Benin, a French-speaking West African nation, that they put where Dahomey used to be. It is a birthplace of voodoo and zombies. In Abomey, Dahomey's former capital, the Historical Museum occupies two royal palaces with bas-reliefs recounting the kingdom’s past and a throne mounted on human skulls. To the north, Pendjari National Park offers safaris with elephants, hippos and lions and tigers and bears, oh my!...
[IsraelTimes] Police announce the arrest of a Palestinian man suspected of digging a tunnel that was supposed to lead from the central West Bank into Israel.
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
