Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/rantburg/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances... Rantburg

Afghanistan
Taliban opens 'Explosive Achievements' museum — featuring suicide vests and sticky mines
2025-07-13
[X]
Link


Africa Subsaharan
Nigerian army 'neutralizes' 24 Boko Haram terrorists in coordinated operations
2025-07-11
[AA.COM.TR] Nigeria's military has ''neutralized'' 24 Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
bully boyz in coordinated operations in the West African country's northeast, an army statement said Thursday.

Nigerian troops backed by air support and local forces eliminated several Boko Haram and Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
West Africa Province (ISWAP) bully boyz in northeastern operations between July 4 and 9, the army wrote on X.

The operations were carried out in the northeastern state of Borno and surrounding regions.

At least nine people were killed and four injured on Sunday in an attack by Boko Haram bully boyz on the Malam Fatori community in Borno state.

Nigeria has long faced attacks from armed gangs as well as terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, the West African branch of ISIS (ISIS), in various parts of the country.
Link


Afghanistan
Taliban reduces poppy cultivation in Afghanistan by 14 times
2025-07-10
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.

[ColonelCassad] The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that after the Taliban came to power, the area of ​​poppy crops in Afghanistan decreased by 14 times.
Periodically they halt production to empty overflowing warehouses. Sometimes they stop to placate outside governments, others to punish locals by stopping their income…
This is essentially a repeat of the situation in the last year before the US aggression against Afghanistan. In 1999-2000, the Taliban negotiated international recognition and, against this background, sharply reduced the area under poppy crops. Heroin production in Afghanistan was then steadily falling.

But in 2001, aggression and occupation of Afghanistan followed. The area under poppy crops and heroin production began to grow rapidly, setting new records.

As soon as the Taliban returned to power, the situation of 2000-2001 began to repeat itself. On the question of who actually supported the growth of drug production in Afghanistan.

Russia, China and Iran had previously made it clear to the Taliban that the key to international recognition lay, among other things, in the issue of reducing drug production in Afghanistan. The Taliban are keeping their promises in this matter.

And this means that fewer drugs will flow to Central Asia, from Central Asia to Russia and from there to Europe.
Related:
Poppy 07/05/2025 Permitted terrorist organization (Permitted by Russia)
Poppy 06/03/2025 Islamic Cleric Al-Qasim Calls For Resistance Against Amnesty International Amid Plot To Silence Human Rights Body
Poppy 05/31/2025 Opium poppy cultivation surges in Iran’s Kermanshah

Link


Good Morning
2025-07-09



South Carolina GOP leaders tell Gov Gavin
Newsom to 'sell Crazy California somewhere else'
Wednesday 07/09/2025

Ziegfeld Girl with bubble.
Africa North
Algeria and Mauritania have signed a defense agreement
International-UN-NGOs
International Criminal Court (ICC) seeks arrest of two Taliban leaders over alleged persecution of women
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel Attacks in Gaza Kill 78 More Palestinians
Syria-Lebanon-Iran
UN says almost 500,000 Afghans
have left Iran in just a month
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Al-Qassam Brigades announce operation in Beit Hanoun
Home Front: WoT
Ten charged in connection with shooting
at ICE facility in Texas, wounding an officer
Energy-sucking AI data centers
can look here for power instead

Link


International-UN-NGOs
International Criminal Court (ICC) seeks arrest of two Taliban leaders over alleged persecution of women
2025-07-09
[X]
Link


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Trump says he knew Milley was an 'idiot' after suggesting US leave military equipment in Afghanistan
2025-07-09
[JustTheNews] Republicans, including Trump, have been critical of Biden's handling of the withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, rather than the underlying concept.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that he clashed with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley over leaving U.S. military equipment in Afghanistan during a planned withdrawal.

Former President Joe Biden ended up overseeing the withdrawal in August of 2021, but it was planned in part by the first Trump administration in 2020. Republicans, including Trump, have been critical of Biden's handling of the withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, rather than the underlying concept of withdrawing under the right circumstances.

Trump said he knew Milley was an "idiot" after he suggested it would be cheaper to leave the equipment in Afghanistan, despite concerns that the Taliban could acquire it. The president has since pushed for the U.S. to retrieve the equipment.

"That's when I knew he was an idiot," Trump said. "Didn't take long to figure that one out. But they left all that equipment. But they left their dignity behind. It was the most embarrassing moment, in my opinion, in the history of our country. Not that we got out. We should not have been there, but that we got out the way we got out with great embarrassment and death."

The Defense Department reported in 2022 that the Taliban retrieved nearly all $7 billion worth of military equipment that was not destroyed by U.S. troops during the withdrawal. The condition of the remaining equipment is not known, per Fox News.

Milley, who Trump tapped for the post in 2019, has not commented on the latest criticism so far.
Related:
Mark Milley 05/15/2025 DOJ pardon attorney Ed Martin to review Biden's outgoing pardons
Mark Milley 04/22/2025 US ambassador Mike Huckabee calls on Hamas to accept proposed ceasefire
Mark Milley 04/16/2025 Fired Insubordinate Officers Reveal Massive U.S. Military Resentment Against Elected Civilian Command

Link


Africa Subsaharan
Boko Haram Strongholds Destroyed in NAF Airstrikes
2025-07-08
[PUNCHNG] The Nigerian Air Force on Saturday, July 6, 2025, launched coordinated precision Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s targeting key Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
enclaves in the Mandara Mountains of Borno State

The operation, executed under Operation Hadin Kai, focused on Wa Jahode and Loghpere, two long-established strongholds of the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad faction of Boko Haram.

The area, known for its difficult terrain along the Nigeria-Cameroon
...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
border, had recently seen a surge in terrorist activity, including reports of a logistics buildup and the presence of senior JAS commanders.

A statement on Monday by the Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the strikes were carried out after intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions confirmed the presence of terrorist infrastructure.

Ejodame said, ''In a major blow to krazed killer networks in Nigeria's North-East, the Nigerian Air Force under OPHK, launched precision air strikes on 6 July 2025 against key terrorist strongholds nestled in the Mandara Mountains, located in Borno State.

''The high-profile targets, Wa Jahode and Loghpere, have long served as fortified enclaves for the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad faction of Boko Haram.
Link


Britain
UK to pay £1.6 million compensation to Afghans over risky data leak
2025-07-06
That’s nice. How many of the Afghans are still living in-country, where the Taliban will see the money coming in? How many are living somewhere safe, where they will not be robbed and worse for suddenly acquiring a large sum? In other words, is Britain about to victimize them a second time to make themselves feel better?
[KhaamaPress] The UK government will pay £1.6 million to 277 Afghans after a 2021 data leak exposed their identities and endangered their lives.

British media have reported that the UK government will pay compensation of up to £4,000 each to 277 Afghan citizens whose personal information was exposed in a 2021 data breach by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
1,600,000/277=>5776...some handling fees retained
According to the BBC World Service, the breach occurred in September 2021, during the chaotic and rapid evacuation of Western forces from Afghanistan. Personal details of individuals who had cooperated with the UK government were mistakenly revealed, placing them at serious risk.

The emails, sent by the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) team, exposed personal data of nearly 300 Afghan nationals. Among the disclosed details were email addresses of 265 individuals, and in some cases, profile photos and geographic locations were also visible.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) labeled the breach as "serious" and warned that the error could have posed a threat to lives. As a result, the MoD was fined £350,000 in December 2023—an amount reduced from an initial penalty of £1 million following a detailed review.

UK Defence Minister Luke Pollard has issued a formal apology and assured that compensation payments would be processed swiftly. He also pledged reforms in data management procedures and improved staff training within the ministry.

The total compensation payout is expected to reach around £1.6 million, according to estimates by officials. The payments aim to recognize the potential dangers and distress caused by the breach.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Wildfires rage in Syria for 3rd day, with conditions made worse by unexploded munitions
2025-07-06
[IsraelTimes] As flames blaze through western Latakia province, Damascus says unexploded bombs and mines make firefighters’ work even more dangerous; Turkey sends help,
May I suggest hiring unemployed Afghan mine clearing techs trained by the West — many can be found waiting outside Afghanistan for visas promised to them when the Taliban fell, so they will be particularly grateful if they can bring their families.
Link


Afghanistan
Permitted terrorist organization (Permitted by Russia)
2025-07-05
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:

[ColonelCassad] Russia has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Earlier, the Taliban was removed from the list of terrorist organizations.
Here’s hoping that doesn’t bite y’all really hard in the backside.
The Taliban have fulfilled most of Russia's wishes since 2021 ("they are cutting down the blacks", reducing poppy crops, and not interfering with Central Asia. Yes, women are still oppressed and their government is far from inclusive, but overall, they demonstrate adequacy and constructiveness. The Taliban committed their last terrorist attacks back in 2021 against the occupation forces and the puppet regime of Ashraf Ghani.

Unofficially, the Russian Federation has long recognized the Taliban and actively maintained contacts with them since 2021-2022, despite the fact that the Taliban were considered terrorists by us for several years after their victory. For several years now, Afghanistan has been receiving fuel and grain from Russia. It is expected that Russia's trade turnover with Afghanistan will expand.

The Taliban can be wished that they have more adequate factions at the helm and that they do not allow a new civil war in Afghanistan. And they continued to sell drugs.

Related:
Taliban: 2025-07-04 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has released videos showing an ambush and assault on the Pakistani Forces in the Khumrang area of Angoor Adda, South Waziristan
Taliban: 2025-07-04 Russia has officially recognized the Taliban government
Taliban: 2025-07-03 UK halts Afghan Resettlement Programs without Notice
Link


India-Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has released videos showing an ambush and assault on the Pakistani Forces in the Khumrang area of Angoor Adda, South Waziristan
2025-07-04
[X]

Related:
Angoor Adda: 2023-08-20 Daily Evacuation Brief August 20, 2023
Angoor Adda: 2023-04-06 8 terrorists killed, soldier martyred in South Waziristan IBO: ISPR
Angoor Adda: 2022-04-14 Major, sepoy martyred, two terrorists killed in South Waziristan
Dilawar Wazir

Related:
South Waziristan: 2025-06-28 Poliovirus detected in 18-month-old girl from KP
South Waziristan: 2025-06-24 Two army officers martyred, 11 Indian-sponsored terrorists killed in KP''s South Waziristan
South Waziristan: 2025-05-29 Pakistan's Atrocities and War on Its Own People
Link


Afghanistan
Russia has officially recognized the Taliban government
2025-07-04
[X] They’ve been working up to the formality since not long after the Taliban retook Kabul, but it’s been unofficial almost the entire time.
Link



Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/rantburg/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More