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India-Pakistan
Pakistan 'strongly condemns' use of Afghan soil by terrorists after 5 soldiers martyred in Kurram
2022-02-07
[Dawn] Five Pak soldiers were martyred after forces of Evil inside Afghanistan opened fire on troops in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, the military's media affairs wing said on Sunday.

"Terrorists from inside Afghanistan, across the international border, opened fire on Pak troops in Kurram district," a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, adding that Pak troops responded in a "befitting manner".

"As per intelligence reports, due to fire of [our] own troops, forces of Evil suffered heavy causalities," the statement said.

However,
a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all...
five soldiers were martyred during exchange of fire. They were identified as 34-year-old Lance Naik Ajab Noor, 22-year-old Sepoy Ziaullah Khan, 23-year-old Sepoy Naheed Iqbal, 18-year-old Sepoy Sameerullah Khan and 27-year-old Sepoy Sajid Ali.

"Pakistain strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by forces of Evil for activities against Pakistain and expects that [the] interim Afghan government will not allow conduct of such activities against Pakistain in future," the ISPR statement said.
Lulz! Sucks when your own tactics are used against ya, ya feckless assholes?
The Pakistain Army is determined to defend Pakistain’s borders against the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve, it added.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban
...Arabic for students...
Pakistain (TTP) grabbed credit for the attack.

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLED DURING TANK IBO
Meanwhile,
...back at the secret hideout, Scarface Al sneeringly put his proposition to little Nell...
security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) near Dial road in Tank, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and killed a jacket wallah, the ISPR said.

Security forces conducted the operation on "confirmed intelligence reports of presence of" forces of Evil belonging to the proscribed TTP. "During the operation, a suicide bomber has been killed," the statement added.

The ISPR said the operation to eliminate the terrorists' abettors and accomplices "was continuing".

In a separate statement on Saturday, the military's media wing said the security forces conducted an IBO in Sarwakai village in South Wazoo and arrested a TTP terrorist identified as Allah Noor.

According to ISPR, the TTP terrorist was trying to escape while clad in a burqa, however, the forces caught him.
Was it the hairy man-feet or the really scary makeup?
During the IBO, a huge cache of arms, ammunition, explosives, improvised bombs, mortars, grenades and communication equipment were recovered from the hideout.

In another such operation in Makeen area of South Waziristan, law enforcement personnel recovered M-16 rifles and ammunition.

Four individuals who were transporting weapons and ammunition to Dara Adam Khel were also arrested, the military said.
Related:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: 2022-01-31 Priest shot dead, another injured in Peshawar
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: 2022-01-28 10 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan's Kech: ISPR
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: 2022-01-28 Fighting Taliban and mistrust, Pakistan marks one year polio-free
Related:
Kurram district: 2020-06-30 2 tribes - 1 shia one sunni fight each other with heavy weapons in Pakistan
Kurram district: 2019-11-29 Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi says he will resign
Kurram district: 2019-11-29 Najaf: Badr and Saraya Ashura deployed snipers in Sadrin Square during the last hour and killed about 16
Related:
TTP: 2022-02-03 Taliban reopen universities for Afghan women in 2 provinces
TTP: 2022-01-19 Virginia man arrested for abducting store clerk, who remains missing
TTP: 2022-01-18 Another 'large eruption' detected at Tonga volcano
Related:
Sarwakai: 2015-09-20 22 killed in South Waziristan air strikes
Sarwakai: 2009-07-04 Taliban commander was target of S. Wazoo dronezap
Sarwakai: 2009-05-22 Thousands flee tense Wazoo
Related:
Makeen: 2021-02-13 Four soldiers martyred in S Waziristan terror attack
Makeen: 2018-10-12 3 soldiers martyred, 5 wounded as roadside bomb explodes in South Waziristan
Makeen: 2018-02-25 Youth behind sit-in over Naqeeb’s killing found shot dead
Related:
Dara Adam Khel: 2013-07-15 At least ten suspected militants killed as Pakistan air force strikes hideouts
Dara Adam Khel: 2011-09-14 Four children, driver killed in attack on Peshawar school bus
Dara Adam Khel: 2011-06-04 MNA`s brother booked for beating woman
Link


Iraq
Sadr announces he will contest election: state media
2021-08-28
[Rudaw] Shiite holy man Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival, al-Khoei, assassinated only a few hours after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry...
said he will contest Iraq’s October 10 elections, reversing an earlier decision to boycott the vote, state media reported Friday.
"A chicken in every pot..and a free dental plan"
The influential holy man and leader of the parliament’s largest bloc said he will contest the elections "with determination."

Explaining his decision, Sadr said he has "received a reform paper from the political parties" that meets his expectations and called on the parliament to implement the reforms outlined in the paper, without going into further detail.

In July, Sadr announced he was withdrawing from the election and pulling his support for the current and upcoming governments. "In order to preserve what is left of the nation and to save the nation that has been burnt by the corrupt and is still burning, I inform you that I will not be participating in the elections," he said in a televised speech.

Iraqis will go to the polls on October 10, a year ahead of schedule. The election was called to meet a demand of protesters who brought down the government of former Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
interest in the vote is low. Several parties from across the spectrum have announced they will not participate. All sides are questioning the legitimacy of the vote in an environment where powerful militias operate outside of government control, activists and election candidates are threatened, and the electoral commission and political elites are accused of fraud.

Sadr leads the Sairoon coalition and is known for changing his mind. He was among the first to speak up in January when the election was moved from June 6 to October 10, saying he would not accept any further delay. Sadr himself does not hold an elected position, but as leader of Sairoon, he wields heavy influence when it comes to government formation and agenda.

His decision was announced a day before Baghdad will host neighbor states for a regional summit.

There are a total of 3,249 candidates vying for 329 seats in the parliament. The official campaign period began on July 8, but has so far been lackluster.
Related:
Moqtada Tater al-Sadr: 2021-07-30 Iraq election: boycott or not?
Moqtada Tater al-Sadr: 2021-07-26 Sadrists complicate Iraq's political scene
Moqtada Tater al-Sadr: 2021-07-17 Sadr dissolves own political party following withdrawal from elections
Link


India-Pakistan
2 tribes - 1 shia one sunni fight each other with heavy weapons in Pakistan
2020-06-30
[Twitter]
Related:
Kurram district: 2019-11-29 Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi says he will resign
Kurram district: 2019-11-29 Najaf: Badr and Saraya Ashura deployed snipers in Sadrin Square during the last hour and killed about 16
Kurram district: 2019-11-23 Kurram district's police arrest 9 men in minor girl's rape, murder case
Related:
Balishkhel: 2012-07-16 Tribal elder killed in Tirah blast
Balishkhel: 2011-05-24 Tribal clashes kill five more in Kurram
Balishkhel: 2011-05-23 One killed, eight injured in fresh Kurram clashes
Related:
Para Chamkani: 2013-06-30 75 terrorists killed in 34-day Kurram operation
Para Chamkani: 2013-06-09 Two militants killed in Kurram clashes
Para Chamkani: 2013-06-01 19 Militants, Three Soldiers Die in Pakistan Clashes
Link


Good morning
2020-05-13
Maxine Waters: Trump, Protesters ‘Should Be Ashamed’ — We Don’t Want Businesses ‘Opened Back Up’
Wednesday May 13th, 2020

lanaturner1
Iraqi protest march at Baghdad's Tahrir Square, demanding bringing former PM Adil Abdul Mahdi to justice
Doubtful it's gonna happen, and if it did the consequences would suck be undesirable
Abu Grian 2 nite: airstrikes, artillery , and screaming on the radio
Just another bad day for the GNA
JeM terror associates module busted by Awantipora Police, 4 arrested
People can be dropping like flies, and Pak would still be throwing sock puppets into Kashmir
Turkish forces and proxy factions resume shelling, setting wheat and barley fields on fire
"Hey! Let's go scorch some earth!"
40 killed, wounded as suicide attack targets funeral in Nangarhar
Weddings and funerals and maternity hospitals are all legitimate targets under Islam. It's in the Koran someplace. You could look it up
Fifteen Killed in Armed Attack on Village in Northern Nigeria
They're so lucky to have Fulani herdsmen to come by and wipe out a village now and then
Update - Mexico sheds light on note
requesting answers over Obama era gun-running

Link


Iraq
Four PMF brigades to fall under Iraqi PM's command
2020-04-24
[Rudaw] News broke Wednesday of Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi's order to take control of four Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) brigades.

A letter published on Iraqi state media, addressed to the head of the PMF, a predominantly Shiite network of around 60 paramilitaries, says that four brigades will fall under the "command and management" of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces— a role Abdul-Mahdi currently occupies as caretaker prime minister — and not under the direct command of the PMF board.

Abdul-Mahdi issued the order on Sunday, but the official letter was only published on Wednesday.

Hashd al-Shaabi has yet to officially comment on the matter.

The four brigades include the 2nd, 11th, 26th, and 44th brigades of the PMF, which are all loyal to Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and not under the influence of Tehran.

Several attempts have been made to fully integrate the PMFs into Iraq’s formal security apparatus to professionalize the armed forces, reduce Iran’s influence, and reduce the likelihood of a proxy war 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 Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and the US spilling over into Iraqi territory.

Last year, under pressure to curb the independence of Iran-affiliated gangs in Iraq, Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree ordering the July 31 integration of Hashd al-Shaabi units into the Iraqi army on July 1.

The call for unit integration has been met with both delay and resistance.

Units within Hashd al-Shaabi that have close ties with Tehran have increased their anti-US activity inside Iraq since the US liquidations of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani
and top PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in early January in Baghdad. Iraqi bases hosting US troops have been frequently targeted by rockets since then, but the attacks have largely halted since the onset of the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
pandemic.
Link


Iraq
France pulling military personnel out of Iraq: US official
2020-03-26
[Rudaw] An undetermined number of French military personnel are pulling out of Iraq, a US official and an Iraqi military spokeperson said on Wednesday, in what is likely to be a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The spokesperson for Iraq’s caretaker prime minister and commander-in-chief Adil Abdul-Mahdi told state-owned newspaper al-Sabaah on Wednesday that French troops stationed in Iraq had already left the country.

"The French troops have left Iraqi territory," Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.

A US official who wished to remain anonymous told Rudaw English on Wednesday that the withdrawal has yet to end.

"La Belle France is in the process of pulling their advisors out of Iraq," the US official said.

French troops form part of the US-led Global Coalition against 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....
(ISIS), an 81-country alliance established as ISIS swept through Syria and Iraq in 2014. The coalition has primarily provided air support to Iraqi operations, as well as training and advisory support to Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

Almost 1,000 French military personnel are stationed across the Middle East as part of Operation Chammal, the French component of the anti-ISIS coalition's operations. Approximately 200 of these troops were stationed within Iraq.

The reason of the withdrawal is still unclear, but is most probably due to the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
pandemic that other armies have cited as a reason for troop withdrawals and suspension of military action.

Coalition partner the United Kingdom announced on Thursday that it would be withdrawing its troops from Iraq in response to the pandemic.

"Following the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a reduced requirement for training from the Iraqi Security Forces and a subsequent pause in the Coalition and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation training missions in Iraq," read a Ministry of Defense statement.

The French withdrawal also comes amid a plan to reposition US-led coalition troops inside Iraq to defend itself against persistent bad boy group attacks on bases where they are stationed.

US troops handed over al-Qaim military base in western Iraq’s Anbar province to the Iraqi security forces last week as part of a plan to reposition US-led coalition troops inside Iraq.

The coalition officially announced the total withdrawal of US troops from al-Qaim base on Thursday. The coalition statement released last week confirmed that "the coalition will remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government, but will operate from fewer locations".

US troops also plan to withdraw from two others military bases inside Iraq ‐ Qayyarah military air base south of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
and the K-1 base northwest of Kirkuk city. A rocket attack on K-1 by an Iran-backed militia that killed a US military contractor set off a chain of Washington-Tehran hostility that brought the two countries close to the brink of war, and resulted in the US liquidation of high-profile Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a dronezap near Baghdad airport in January.
Link


Iraq
US troops aim to turn Iraq into a ‘battlefield,' Iraq tells UN
2020-03-18
[RUDAW.NET] Iraq has warned the United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
Security Council that the recent attacks by US troops inside the country are a "hostile act" aiming to turn the country into a battlefield for regional conflicts.

Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent two letters of complaint to the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Security Council on Monday regarding the recent missile attacks by US warplanes on Iraqi forces.

The content of the letter was published by state-owned newspaper al-Sabaah on Tuesday.

"US attacks are a hostile act by US troops against Iraq’s state, government and people," the letter read. "Such an act by US is only aiming to turn Iraq into a battlefield for regional conflict,"

It added military operations inside Iraq without coordinating with Baghdad is a "provocative action".

US warplanes launched retaliatory strikes against weapon stores belonging to the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in the early hours of Friday, in response to last Wednesday’s rocket attack on Iraq’s Taji military base, which killed two Americans and one Briton.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Monday regarding last week’s attacks.

"America will not tolerate attacks and threats to American lives and will take additional action as necessary in self-defense," Pompeo told the Iraqi leader.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said the Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s "violated the principle of partnership and alliance between Iraqi security forces and the parties that planned and carried out this treacherous attack."

Link


Iraq
Iran ‘appreciates’ Iraqi efforts to expel US troops: advisor
2020-03-09
Isn’t that lovely. They make it so interesting for their satraps.
[Rudaw] Two months after the death of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, a top advisor to Iran’s Supreme leader told news hounds in Baghdad on Sunday that 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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
"appreciates" Iraqi efforts to expel US troops.

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani arrived to Baghdad on Saturday in an official visit to discuss the formation of the next Iraqi cabinet with Iraqi president Barham Salih, Speaker of the parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi and Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.
Link


Iraq
Adil Abdul Mahdi will walk away from his role as #Iraq’s caretaker prime minister
2020-03-03
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Link


Iraq
Iraqi PM Adil Abdul Mahdi deplores the continued targeting of diplomatic missions in Baghdad
2020-01-27
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Link


Iraq
US troops in Iraq knew of Iranian attack 2.5 hours ahead of time – report
2020-01-13
[IsraelTimes] US troops stationed at a base targeted last week in a devastating, but not deadly, Iranian missile attack had advance warning of the assault, buying them time to either leave or take shelter in bunkers before rockets rained down on their location, CNN reported.

In what marked the first time media were given access to the base since the attack, the cable station on Saturday reviewed impact sites and spoke with troops who were on the ground in the al-Asad air base during the attack.

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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
fired over a dozen missiles as two bases in Iraq ‐ al-Asad and another base in the northern city of Irbil ‐ housing US troops last Wednesday, in Dire Revenge for a US dronezap that killed senior Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani
a few days earlier.

An Arab diplomatic source told CNN that the Iraqis had warned the US in advance of which bases would be hit after receiving the information from the Iranians. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said the Iranians gave an official verbal message warning Iraq shortly before the attack started.

Many troops at al-Asad were evacuated from the base some two and a half hours before the missile attack started, and those who remained hunkered down in shelters, CNN reported.

Beginning at just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday there were four volleys of rockets that hit al-Asad, some coming down directly on living quarters that had been evacuated due to the warnings.

CNN said little was left of the living quarters hit due to the blast damage and a fire that raged for hours afterwards. Footage from the site showed shattered buildings and large craters in the ground.

Although most troops were moved out of harm’s way, the information the US received indicated that there might be a ground assault on the base too. As a result, some soldiers remained deployed outside in the open, maintaining the perimeter as the earth-shattering kabooms rocked the base.

US sources told CNN that Iran was "not that concerned" with preventing US casualties, and that if precautions had not been taken, the rockets "could potentially have caused significant US casualties."

The rockets continued to fall intermittently for the next two hours. At dawn officers emerged from the bunkers to review the damage.
Link


Iraq
Iraq must be ruled by Iraqis, and "outsiders should not have a say" in its future, adds the country's top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
2020-01-11
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Related:
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani: 2019-12-26 Iran-backed bloc names Basra governor for post of Iraqi PM
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani: 2019-12-05 Hezbollah helping Iran's Soleimani find new Iraqi PM - report
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani: 2019-11-29 Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi says he will resign
Link



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