| Home Front: WoT |
| Former Michigan Army National Guard member charged with plotting mass shooting at Army base on behalf of ISIS |
| 2025-05-15 |
| Yet another murderous idiot whose bestest buddy turns out to be with the FBI. |
[FoxNews] 19-year-old suspect allegedly conducted drone surveillance and provided ammunition for planned mass shooting at Detroit Arsenal
A former Michigan Army National Guard member was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a military base on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said,
Audie Murphy
19, was taken into custody Tuesday after he traveled to an area near the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, and "launched his drone in support of the attack plan," officials said.
"I recommend everyone have about seven magazines because you don’t want to be in there and run out of ammo," Said allegedly told an undercover FBI agent in the leadup to the foiled plot, according to a criminal complaint.
Said is now facing charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years per count if convicted.
"This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS," Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in a statement. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost. We will not hesitate to bring the full force of the Department to find and prosecute those who seek to harm our men and women in the military and to protect all Americans."
The Justice Department said that in April, "two undercover officers indicated they intended to carry out Said’s plan at the direction of ISIS" and "in response, Said provided material assistance to the attack plan, including providing armor-piercing ammunition
| …which I imagine is fairly expensive, especially for your typical nineteen year old… |
and magazines for the attack, flying his drone over TACOM to conduct operational reconnaissance, training the undercover employees on firearms and the construction of Molotov cocktails for use during the attack, and planning numerous details of the attack including how to enter TACOM and which building to target."
The criminal complaint stated that around June 2024, Said started communicating with an undercover FBI agent whom he had thought was a fellow ISIS supporter.
"During the course of their interactions, which were audio- and/or video-recorded, Said described his longstanding desire to engage in violent jihad, either by traveling to ISIS-held territory abroad or by carrying out an attack in the United States," the complaint said.
"On July 18, 2024, FBI agents executed a search warrant for Said’s iPhone by performing a covert search of that device... when SAID provided it to personnel with the Michigan Army National Guard prior to boarding a military aircraft. During that search, FBI agents identified a Facebook message exchange (in Arabic) that took place on or about October 5, 2023, between Said and another Facebook user located in the Palestinian territories," the complaint continued.
"In that Facebook message exchange, Said stated, ‘I want to go for Jihad,’ and the other Facebook user replied, ‘Talk to me on Telegram.’ Agents also determined during the search that Said was a member of multiple channels in the encrypted messaging application Telegram, one of which contained videos and images with ISIS flags," it also said.
The complaint noted that Said enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard in September 2022 and attended basic training at Fort Moore in Georgia. He later reported to the Michigan Army National Guard Taylor Armory before being discharged around December 2024.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation into the case.
| The FBI complaint can be read at the link. The Detroit Free Press adds that the miscreant lives in Melvindale, a small town in WayneCounty. |
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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Trump Giving the New Syrian Boss Rope to Hang Himself With...or Not |
| 2025-05-14 |
Piercing insights, none of which occurred to me, though I’d posted some of the pieces. See also here.
Naturally averse to believing any smooth-talking, gussied-up fanatic with an army of like-minded savages and a track record of unsocial behavior behind him, I wasn't ready to jump on the 'Oh, this guy is really different' bandwagon simply because Jolani knew where Saville Row was and could mouth, 'diversity is our strength' (Yes, he really said that.)
By the beginning of March, it was pretty clear a jihadi leader now using his given name - Ahmed Al Sharaa - in a $4000 suit was still a jihadi at heart. Al-Sharaa's boys were having themselves the rampaging adventures of a lifetime, systematically exterminating Druze and Alawite communities all over northern Syria with impunity. Oh - and trying to find the five or six Jews left in the country.
We haven't heard much out of the area since, except for reports that detail American and Israeli strikes on targets in the area. Most associated with the ongoing cat and mouse game the Houthis had been playing and the assorted Iranian militias supporting them, who operate freely all through the southern portion of Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, as President Trump noted during his speech in Saudi Arabia today.
Perhaps these few months have given Al-Sharaa some food for thought about which side of the bread he wanted buttered and by whom.
Obviously, Syria was a hole, and watching hell rain out of the skies from a newly reinvigorated American defense department posture had to have them recalculating what their odds were should they join the opposition.
Al-Sharaa's bunch has been technically neutral so far.
So Trump was rambling along in his speech - I heard some of it in the car, talking about the transformation of the Saudi capital in just eight years - when he dropped a bombshell no one saw coming.
He was lifting all - ALL - of the sanctions on Syria that had been in place for so many years.
The Assads are gone, and Trump wants the Syrians, as he said, to have their 'chance for greatness.'
The crowd went wild.
The Syrians...
...have gone wild.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is going to meet with the Syrian Foreign Minister on Thursday in Turkey.
President Trump will greet Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Riyadh tomorrow.
From the Guardian:
But this makes it no less significant. Per Politico:
It’s nonetheless a striking encounter with a man who’s still on the US terrorist list — and the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders since 2000. The US sanctions have weighed heavily on the Syrian economy, threatening al-Sharaa’s ability to rebuild the country since the rebel leader ousted the Assad regime five months ago.
Trump said during his speech at the US-Saudi investment forum that he had decided to lift sanctions on Syria following conversations with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as well as with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said in reference to MBS before making the announcement.
The “brutal and crippling” sanctions had served their purpose at the time but were no longer needed, said Trump, adding:
Now it is their time to shine. We are taking them all off. Good luck Syria. Show us something very special.
This is a gobsmacking move.
An 'Only Trump could do this' move.
As always, ever so interesting how it all came together, with Al-Sharaa seeking out the US, not vice versa. And the Syrian representative spun a dream of a Trump Tower in Damascus one day.
...Speaking at an investment forum on Tuesday, Trump said that he planned to lift sanctions on Syria after holding talks with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “to give them a chance at greatness”.
...Sharaa, who is keen to normalise relations with the US, has reportedly offered Trump a number of sweeteners including the Trump tower in Damascus, a demilitarised zone by the Golan Heights that would strengthen Israel’s claim to the territory it has occupied since 1967, diplomatic recognition of Israel, and a profit-sharing deal on resources similar to the Ukraine minerals deal.
The idea to offer Trump a piece of real estate with his name on it in the heart of Damascus was thought up by a US Republican senator, who passed on the idea to Sharaa’s team.
Trump will talk to anyone who sincerely wants to talk to him. It's like his magic power.
If it works - and it's all on the Syrians - it's going to plug several gaping holes using available assets.
This also helps keep Turkey on the spot because, should Al-Sharaa start to see the fruits of cooperation with the US pay off and Syria begins to rise from the dead, he becomes a hero, and there's nothing more these egotists love than being loved. He won't let Erdogan interfere with that, whatever he owes him.
The other is the pressure from Saudi Arabia on Syria now. They facilitated this come to Trump moment. The crown prince would take it ill if the jihadi reappeared after making a public spectacle of the Saudis' belief that he was worth cultivating and his country worth saving.
The Saudis do not take embarrassment lightly. |
| Link |
| Europe |
| Drug mafia in France declared open war on authorities and police |
| 2025-04-26 |
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Olesya Orlenko
[REGNUM] For the second week, organised attacks on prisons and their staff have continued in France. This unprecedented phenomenon is already being called extraordinary.
It demonstrates the catastrophic state of the country's penitentiary system. While the authorities are looking for a solution, the employees of the relevant institutions are in fear and despondency.
AMRA LIBERATED
In recent years, drug trafficking has increased dramatically in France. Statistics show that between 2023 and 2024, drug trafficking in the country increased by 130%. This puts it in first place in Europe in terms of illegal sales and use of drugs.
Accordingly, the number and influence of organized crime groups is growing. These structures have gone beyond the territories in which they previously operated, and are gradually taking over more and more cities, and the population is beginning to feel the effects of their activities.
And, of course, the process of expansion turns into tragedies. In particular, shootouts become part of everyday life in many cities.
As a result of such showdowns, many civilians have died over the past three years. And the executors of the "orders" for murder are often minors. The situation continues to worsen every year.
A parliamentary commission to study the issue of drug trafficking, created in 2023, found that drug trafficking has increased fivefold in recent decades.
However, the real marker for officials and society, showing how powerful the French mafia has become, was the escape from custody of Mohamed Amr, the leader of one of the criminal groups.
The convoy escorting Amr from the courthouse to prison was attacked by a group of unknown assailants. After a shootout in which two guards were killed and three were seriously wounded, the criminal managed to escape and leave the country.
Amr was then detained in Romania and is awaiting transfer back to France. But the authorities wondered whether the same situation could happen again, with the same or another prisoner.
DARMANIN'S LAW
Since December 2024, the country has been developing a law to combat drug trafficking. Its initiator was Gerald Darmanin, who at that time took over as head of the Ministry of Justice.
The main point of the bill was the idea of placing dangerous leaders of criminal groups in specially protected prisons. According to Darmanin, it is also important to deprive criminals of the opportunity to communicate with the outside world. To this end, the draft provides for stricter rules for searching prisoners' personal belongings and confiscating their mobile phones.
The lower house of the French parliament has already voted for the bill, and its final approval is expected on April 28-29.
Representatives of the French criminal world were predictably unhappy with the upcoming innovations. In response to their adoption, a series of attacks on correctional institutions and penitentiary system employees began on April 13.
The criminals set fire to their personal transport and damage the housing of prison employees. They shoot firearms at the walls, doors and windows of places of detention, using Kalashnikov assault rifles.
Of particular concern to the staff are the constant threats that either come in the form of ominous messages or are made directly on the streets when encountering strangers.
DDPF
Interior Minister Bruno Retaillo announced statistics on April 23: 65 attacks were recorded, including attempts that were prevented.
Responsibility for these crimes is claimed by members of the Telegram group "Defense of the Rights of French Prisoners" (DDPF). According to them, the conditions of serving sentences are very difficult due to prison overcrowding.
Thus, according to data as of March 1, correctional institutions in France were filled to 131%. In addition, as members of the DDPF say, the procedure for searching prisoners is humiliating for human dignity.
In an attempt to determine who is leading the DDPF group and these attacks, police have put forward the main theory behind the surge in violence: criminal underworld revenge for the new drug trafficking law.
Moreover, the offenders began to have imitators who had no direct connection with them: this is how one of the cars burned down on April 22 in the vicinity of Lyon.
Experts emphasize that previously, organized crime tried to avoid confrontation—and especially direct armed clashes—with the state machine in general and law enforcement agencies in particular.
Now, however, criminals are openly conducting coordinated military operations, which suggests that the mafia has declared some kind of war on the authorities and the police.
PRISONERS ARE DEPRESSED
The question being discussed in the socio-political space is: how did the situation get to the point where it became possible for large criminal forces to exist that feel quite confident and are not afraid to challenge the state?
One of the reasons cited is the weakening of state political and social institutions: a reduction in programs to work with the population, the abolition of the institution of local police officers, a decline in the quality of education, etc.
To this must be added a deep economic crisis with no prospects for its resolution in the near future.
All these factors contribute to the deterioration of the social atmosphere and living conditions. And the resulting vacuum is filled by criminals, who expand their activities and recruit new supporters.
According to both Darmanin and Prime Minister François Bayrou, such a blatant reaction from the criminal world demonstrates the correctness of the government's actions in tackling the drug trafficking problem.
The authorities promise to take measures to protect the employees of the penitentiary system soon. In the meantime, employees of places of detention complain of depression and stress, and each institution is trying to introduce measures to protect its employees.
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| Home Front: WoT |
| Minnesota Heads Off ‘Mass Casualty Attack’ Planned for ‘the Next 24 Hours’ |
| 2025-04-25 |
[PJMedia] How many Americans are aware of how active jihadis have been in this country of late? In New York, Ahmed al Jabali went into a barber shop to get his beard trimmed and ended up stabbing the Jewish barber with his own barber’s scissors, explaining that it was his "right as a Moslem to punish Jews." In Kentucky, Mirsad Ramic has just been "convicted of providing material support to the 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....
of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS; conspiracy to support the organization; and receiving military training." In Georgia, Aliakbar Mohammed Amin threatened to murder both President Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
And now, it looks as if Mohammed Adan Mohammed, a young resident of the left’s brave, new, multicultural Mankato, Minn., was stopped just in the nick of time. A special agent with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said that "there were strong indicators that Mohammed was preparing to conduct some sort of attack (Mass Casualty Event) in the next twenty-four hours." Mohammed Adan Mohammed was stopped, but what is being done to prevent others in the future from plotting jihad massacres of the kind that he wanted to perpetrate? Nothing whatsoever, of course.
Minnesota’s Alpha News reported Wednesday that "the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office has filed felony charges against Mohammed Adan Mohammed after he allegedly stole $2,150 worth of firearm magazines and made a threatening, anti-American post on social media." The social media posts were the first indication that this was much more than just a shoplifting case.
Mohammed, who is 24, behaved suspiciously from the beginning. He "entered a Mankato store last week wearing a COVID mask, gloves, a green stocking cap, and a heavy winter coat." It's getting warmer these days, even in Mankato, and so Mohammed’s attire gave the impression that he had something to hide or was himself intending to hide items he shoplifted. And indeed, he "reportedly began selecting high-priced items such as body armor, bear spray, and 9mm firearm magazines without checking prices. As such, the business became suspicious." With good reason.
While he was in the store, Mohammed also spoke to store employees about "an AR-style rifle he claimed to possess." Then he left with "approximately $2,150 worth of products," for which he had not paid. Store security officers tried to stop him, but Mohammed Adan Mohammed got into a car and sped away, "nearly [running] over a person" in the process.
Mohamed had been in such a hurry to get out of the store that he “reportedly left behind a list that he referred to as he selected products.” These included a “Survival Gear List,” which included a “sleeping bag, lighters, 8 magazines, knives, pepper spray, a ‘6-mag chest right,’ bows and arrows.” In line with this, Mohamed “had stolen eight magazines” among the other items he purloined from the store.
All this took place against the backdrop of the fact that Mohamed recently put up a series of social media posts “featuring ammunition and guns.” One showed Mohamed himself “pointing an assault rifle at the camera and included the hashtag ‘#deathtoamerikkan&israelliImperialism.’”
No one has faced the implications of the fact that America is now home to large numbers of people who wish death to it, but they’ll have to be faced sooner or later. In the meantime, it appears that Mohamed was stopped from carrying out an imminent jihad attack, and for that, we can all be grateful. He has since been charged with “one count of felony theft and one count of felony threats of violence,” and his bail has been set at a million bucks “with no conditions, or $500,000 with conditions.”
‘Boozed up’ antisemitic goon who slashed Yonkers barber with his own scissors in rage over Gaza war makes plea deal
[NYPost] A “boozed up” Yonkers man who attacked a Jewish barber with his own scissors in a shocking antisemitic attack last year is facing six years in prison after making a plea deal with a Westchester County judge.
Ahmed al Jabali, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault as a hate crime last week in the Aug. 29 assault on Yonkers barber Slava Shushakova over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, prosecutors said Monday.
Shushakova told The Post after the attack that Jabali was having his beard trimmed at his Yonkers Avenue shop when he flew into a rage, telling the barber that “he has a right as a Muslim to punish Jews.”
Jabali, a Muslim originally from Yemen, was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to the lesser assault charge, with the judge promising him a six-year sentence. The charge carries a sentence of up to 15 years under state law.
“Hate has no home in Westchester County,” county District Attorney Susan Cacace said in a statement released Monday. “The rise in antisemitic hate over the last several years is disturbing and completely unacceptable.
“Today and every day, my office stands with the Jewish community of Westchester and will seek justice for victims of antisemitic violence,” the statement said.
Police said Shushakova needed 30 stitches to close the bloody gashes to his right hand and wrist that he suffered in the attack, which temporarily knocked him out of work.
“Thank God he didn’t touch my face because he tried to hit me different ways,” he said in the earlier interview. “This is how I stopped him, with my hands.”
The barber shop attack came during an Israeli military counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip following a sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Jabali is due to be sentenced by Judge James McCarty on May 29.
Bowling Green man found guilty of terrorism charges after joining, fighting for ISIS
June 24, 2024
[LouisvilleCourierJournal] A federal jury has found a man from southwestern Kentucky guilty of several terrorism charges related to his involvement with the 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....
of Iraq and al-Sham, colloquially known as ISIS, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Kentucky announced Wednesday.
Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, a 34-year-old from Bowling Green, has been charged with providing material support to ISIS and receiving military-type training from the organization. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 50 years in prison, a fine of $750,000 and term of supervised release up to life.
Ramic is believed to have flown to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
with two other people in 2014, then traveled into Syria to join ISIS, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. Secretary of State.
After joining ISIS, Ramic attended an ISIS training camp, where a photo of Ramic posted on social media depicted him "wearing camouflage clothing and standing in front of a truck outfitted with an anti-aircraft gun and the ISIS flag," according to a blurb.
Ramic, a dual U.S.-Bosnian citizen, then joined a fighting unit comprised primarily of Bosnian imported muscle and participated in ISIS’s offensive in Kobane, Syria.
He was brought into federal custody in December 2021 after being deported to the United States from Turkey.
His sentencing hearing has been set for September 24.
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| Africa Horn |
| AU Forces Convene in Kampala to Boost Somalia Stabilisation as Former Somali Pres. Farmaajo Explains Army Pullback is Strategic |
| 2025-04-24 |
Does this mean that things are going badly for civil society in Somalia and much too well for Al Shabaab, or is this just the usual diplomatic blithering and posturing? Please help me understand this, dear Reader — I don’t know how to read these tea leaves. [ShabelleMedia] Senior officials and delegates from Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) gathered in Kampala today for a high-level preparatory meeting. The session precedes an Extra-Ordinary Summit aimed at evaluating ongoing efforts and setting the strategic direction for long-term peace and stability in Somalia.
This summit was agreed upon during the recent official visit of Somali President H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to Uganda. Leaders resolved to convene under the theme "To Stabilize Somalia," identifying this as the mission’s ultimate objective.
Speaking at the opening of the technical and bigwigs’ meeting, Ambassador John Mugerwa, representing the Permanent Secretary of Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the gathering as timely. It comes in the wake of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) mandate ending on 31 December 2024.
Ambassador Mugerwa recalled that the African Union Peace and Security Council endorsed AUSSOM’s Concept of Operations in August 2024. He explained that the mission is currently in its first phase, focusing on repositioning troops and transferring key security locations to Somali forces to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities.
"In the spirit of the common African defence and security policy, an attack on one is considered an attack on all," he said. "This is the spirit that has so far guided this struggle from the early days of AMISOM."
He underscored that AUSSOM’s success rests on Somalia’s ability to build and prepare its national security forces, adding that it "hinges on force generation, integration, mentorship, and the readiness of Somali forces."
Condemning the recent spike in attacks by the al-Shabaab
 ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
, Ambassador Mugerwa commended the bravery of Somali forces and their international allies.
"We must not allow al-Shabaab to win," he said, stressing that the meeting presents a critical opportunity to resolve operational issues and establish a clear strategic path.
He further called for stronger financial and logistical support, stating, "The success of this mission will depend in large part on the provision of adequate, predictable and sustainable funding." He acknowledged the crucial contributions of the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, the United Kingdom, and other international partners.
He conveyed condolences to those injured and honoured the soldiers from TCCs and Somalia who, "paid the ultimate price in the pursuit of peace and stability in Somalia."
Ambassador Mugerwa reaffirmed Uganda’s long-term commitment to Somalia, dating back to its initial troop deployment under AMISOM in 2007. He proposed the creation of a political body to oversee stabilisation efforts, backed by a robust monitoring and evaluation system, and advocated for political reconciliation between Somalia’s federal government, its federal member states, and clan leaders.
The meeting was attended by key military and diplomatic leaders, including Uganda’s Ambassador to Somalia, Prof. Sam Tulya-Muhika; Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sam Okiding; AUSSOM Force Commander, Lt Gen Sam Kavuma; and representatives from Djibouti, Egypt, Æthiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.
Ex-president Farmaajo defends army pullback as strategic, not defeat
[ShabelleMedia] Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Wednesday called on the Somali people to remain “vigilant against terrorist propaganda” as the national army undertakes what he described as “strategic maneuvers” in its fight against Al-Shabaab.
In a formal statement released to the newsrooms, Farmaajo stressed that the army’s recent withdrawal from certain cities should not be interpreted as a defeat. “This is not a sign of weakness,” he said. “It is a calculated repositioning as the armed forces build capacity and prepare for more effective operations against extremist elements.”
The remarks come amid growing public concern and speculation following the Somali National Army’s pullback from several key locations in recent weeks. Farmaajo, who served as president from 2017 to 2022, sought to reassure the nation by pointing to past military gains during his administration.
“Between 2018 and 2020, we successfully liberated numerous cities from terrorist control,” he said, urging the current leadership to build on those achievements by fostering national unity and political stability.
He also extended an appeal to Somalia’s international partners, calling for continued cooperation and assistance. “The support of our friends and allies remains vital to Somalia’s recovery and the strengthening of our national security institutions,” Farmaajo said.
His comments come at a time of heightened insecurity in parts of the country, where the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group continues to stage attacks targeting civilians, government institutions, and military personnel.
Somalia is currently undergoing a transitional phase, with ongoing efforts to build a cohesive federal security apparatus and strengthen local governance structures. The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is gradually handing over security responsibilities to Somali forces, in line with a phased drawdown plan.
Farmaajo’s statement underscores the complex challenges facing the Somali government as it seeks to maintain territorial control, counter insurgency threats, and navigate political dynamics ahead of the next electoral cycle.
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... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all ofwhich have enough problems without them...
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...