Reader’s links for March 9 – 2016

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

80 Replies to “Reader’s links for March 9 – 2016”

  1. Somali Islamists say base attacked, one of their fighters killed (reuters, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-attacks-islamist-idUSKCN0WB0MT

    “Islamist group al Shabaab said it fought off an attack on one of its bases in southern Somalia early on Wednesday that was launched by foreign commandos who flew in on two helicopters, leaving one al Shabaab fighter dead in the gun battle.

    Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, did not identify the nationality of the troops who launched the assault at about 1 a.m. in the Awdigle district of Lower Shabelle area, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Mogadishu.

    Several foreign nations have been supporting the Somali government’s efforts to combat al Shabaab’s insurgency…”

  2. Tunisia forces kill six militants in border town raid: army (reuters, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tunisia-security-idUSKCN0WB0KR

    “Tunisian troops have killed six Islamist militants during a raid in Ben Guerdan, the town on the Libyan border where at least 55 people died during an attack on Monday by Islamic State fighters, the army said on Wednesday.

    The military operation late on Tuesday on a house in Ben Guerdan also recovered weapons and at least ten other people have been arrested, a security source said…”

  3. Yemen war generates widespread suffering, but few refugees (reuters, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-cornered-idUSKCN0WB0IL

    “… About 170,000 people have fled Yemen so far, mostly to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. Most of them are not Yemenis, but returning refugees and other foreigners. The United Nations expects another 167,000 departures this year.

    Given the immense hardships in Yemen, a greater refugee exodus might have been expected. People fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond have flooded into the EU since early 2015 causing a crisis.

    However, penned in by ocean and desert, with only Saudi Arabia and Oman as direct neighbours, Yemenis have no easy outlets – although Riyadh now allows those already in the kingdom to stay. Flights out are irregular at best. Former havens such as Jordan now demand visas and set tough conditions.

    Mogib Abdullah, a Yemeni spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, says his countrymen have in the past tended not to migrate for work much further than Saudi Arabia, are culturally reluctant to become refugees, and view getting to Europe as a very difficult option….”

  4. Now has the speech of Geert Wilders in Brussel also been subtitled in German by…..Vlad Tepes!
    Great job. Well done!!!

  5. Greece: Emotional refugees celebrate arrival on Lesbos

    Refugees celebrated arriving on of Lesbos early Wednesday morning as a dinghy carrying them hit the shores of the Greek island under the cover of night. Later on, a further vessel arrived carrying refugees, some of whom required treatment from aid workers who were on hand after they appeared to have fallen into the icy waters.

    • Greece: Refugees brave Idomeni rain as Macedonia completely shuts border

      Heavy rain worsened already tough living conditions at the refugee camp near Idomeni, Wednesday, where around 14,000 refugees and migrants remain stranded as Macedonian authorities completely closed the border with Greece, according to reports. The Interior Ministry of Macedonia released a statement saying no refugees had entered the country from Greece on Tuesday.

    • Greece: Idomeni’s refugees demand Macedonia opens its borders

      Refugees protested in Idomeni refugee camp in northern Greece on Wednesday, demanding that Macedonian and EU authorities take action to allow them onwards passage through the so-called Balkans route. Around 50 refugees took part in the protest, waving German flags and chanting “Open the borders.”

      Around 14,000 refugees remain stranded at the camp near Idomeni, where numbers have swelled as more refugees arrive at the closed Greek-Macedonia border. Macedonian authorities have implemented strict border controls in recent weeks, and on Tuesday authorities shut the border crossing completely.

    • Channel 4 – European migrant crisis: UN questions EU-Turkey deal

      It was an apparently neat solution to the refugee crisis: send back to Turkey those migrants arriving in Greece by boat and take one Syrian refugee from Turkey into Europe for every one sent back. But now the whole idea is hotly disputed.

  6. Channel 4 – Muslim women on English language, integration and extremism

    When David Cameron announced a £20m fund to provide classes for women struggling with the English language, he singled out Muslim women for special consideration. Our reporter, Assed Baig, has been talking to Muslim women in Manchester, to see if they are taking up the Prime Minister’s suggestion – or are affronted at being linked with possible extremism.

  7. HUNGARY – Europe’s Refugee Crisis: Hungary Declares State of Emergency Over Migrants

    Hungary declared a state of emergency and said troops would be deployed to reinforce its borders following the closure of a key migration route.

    European leaders’ move this week to close the Western Balkans route and consider Turkey’s offer to take back any migrants or refugees drew condemnation and outrage from human-rights groups.

    Closing the route has left around 14,000 desperate people stranded along the Greek border with Macedonia amid rapidly-deteriorating conditions.

    Dozens more were arriving under heavy rains Wednesday at the overflowing refugee camp in the Greek town of Idomeni despite the border closure, according to The Associated Press. Human-rights workers said the border was completely closed.

    Hungary’s Interior Ministry said the state of emergency over “mass migration” was declared because “we do not know what reaction” tightened border restrictions in neighboring nations “could trigger among refugees” and migrants.

    Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia put new measures in place requiring EU visas at their borders in an attempt to limit the number of migrants crossing — effectively cutting off the well-traveled Balkans route.

    Hungary’s Interior Ministor Sándor Pintér said there are an estimated 10,000 people in those countries without “valid” permits.

    “We do not know what direction they will begin moving in, and therefore if needed we must prepare to defend our borders effectively,” he said in a statement.

    Borders will be strengthened and some 1,500 members of the Hungarian Defense Force along with “large numbers of police” will be involved, according to the Interior Ministry.

    […]Pinter said Wednesday that centers for asylum requests are currently full which could “cause turmoil similar to last year.”

    Resources will be deployed to ensure the “entire border” can be illuminated at night along the newly-constructed border fence to help catch anyone attempting an illegal crossing, Pinter added.

    http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/europes-border-crisis/europe-s-refugee-crisis-hungary-declares-state-emergency-over-migrants-n534746

  8. Pentagon admits it has deployed military spy drones over the U.S.

    The Pentagon has deployed drones to spy over U.S. territory for non-military missions over the past decade, but the flights have been rare and lawful, according to a new report.

    The report by a Pentagon inspector general, made public under a Freedom of Information Act request, said spy drones on non-military missions have occurred fewer than 20 times between 2006 and 2015 and always in compliance with existing law.

    The report, which did not provide details on any of the domestic spying missions, said the Pentagon takes the issue of military drones used on American soil “very seriously.”

    A senior policy analyst for the ACLU, Jay Stanley, said it is good news no legal violations were found, yet the technology is so advanced that it’s possible laws may require revision.

    “Sometimes, new technology changes so rapidly that existing law no longer fit what people think are appropriate,” Stanley said. “It’s important to remember that the American people do find this to be a very, very sensitive topic.”

    The use of unmanned aerial surveillance (UAS) drones over U.S. surfaced in 2013 when then-FBI director Robert Mueller testified before Congress that the bureau employed spy drones to aid investigations, but in a “very,very minimal way, very seldom.”

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/03/09/pentagon-admits-has-deployed-military-spy-drones-over-us/81474702/

  9. Kim Jong Un poses beside possible nuclear warhead mock-up

    By HYUNG-JIN KIM

    SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea caused a new stir Wednesday by publicizing a purported mock-up of a key part of a nuclear warhead, with leader Kim Jong Un saying his country has developed miniaturized atomic bombs that can be placed on missiles.

    The North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried photos on its front page showing Kim and nuclear scientists standing beside what outside analysts say appears to be a model warhead part – a small, silverish globe with a ballistic missile or a model ballistic missile in the background.

    The newspaper said Kim met his nuclear scientists for a briefing on the status of their work and declared he was greatly pleased that warheads had been standardized and miniaturized for use on ballistic missiles.

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_NKOREA_NUCLEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-03-09-08-44-03

  10. Russia warns North Korea over threats of nuclear strike

    One of Pyongyang’s few remaining allies says country is in danger of creating legal grounds for international military intervention. NK News reports

    Russia has warned North Korea that threats to deliver “preventive nuclear strikes” could create a legal basis for the use of military force against the country, suggesting that even Pyongyang’s few remaining friends are growing concerned about its increasingly confrontational stance.

    The Russian foreign ministry statement, which follows a North Korean threat to “annihilate” the US and South Korea, also criticises Washington and Seoul for launching the largest joint military drills yet to be held on the peninsula.
    North Korea threatens to reduce US and South Korea to ‘flames and ash’
    Read more

    “We consider it to be absolutely impermissible to make public statements containing threats to deliver some ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against opponents,” the Russian foreign ministry said in response to North Korea’s threats.

    “Pyongyang should be aware of the fact that in this way the DPRK will become fully opposed to the international community and will create international legal grounds for using military force against itself in accordance with the right of a state to self-defense enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” continued the statement, translated by Itar Tass news agency.

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/08/russia-warns-north-korea-nuclear-strike

    • Russia is busy in the Middle East and doesn’t want to have to support a war between North Korea and the allies in the south. Russia’s position is complicated by their current and probably temporary problems with Iran they don’t want a two front war on opposite sides of the world.

      A friend thinks that Russia is telling NK that if they start the fighting they are on their own. I am not so sure about this, I do know that given the current state of the US military we would have to start the draft and withdraw troops from other locations to support South Korea. This would give Russia a free hand in the Mid East and give the Brotherhood a free hand in Europe and the Mid East. The question is does Russia and China want us tied up in a war in Korea which would force us to rebuild our military? Is a free hand for 9 to 12 months worth putting the US on war footing?

      • I’ve been hearing that Russia is signaling China to cool it with its provocative moves on the seas. That’s part of the message in the recent naval flashing. Russia isn’t all that buddy-buddy with China.

        • That they aren’t, I am glad to hear that they are trying to talk China out of starting a war in the far east. This probably won’t stop the war but may delay it until we have a President who will fight for freedom.

          • I’m not sure they’re talking, but Russia is showing off fleet expansion and refurbishment. They’re putting everybody on notice that they regard open navigation lanes a security priority.

            Lest anyone doubt their capabilities because of the economy, they’re going stunt-flying in the Barents Sea. Russians have a high tolerance for belt-tightening. Putin’s more popular than ever at home.

            • More wars start during times of poor economy then during rich periods. Foreign adventures are ways to stop internal protests and to bring home loot to keep the citizens happy. This happens in all wars, look at how Germany and Japan looted during WWII and how the allies looted Germany and Japan in retaliation. Given the way that civilization is breaking down massive looting of the conquered enemies may well return to the world.

            • I am glad that Russia is defending the right of passage and pray they don’t change their minds.

  11. Sheriff Babeu: Obama has ‘handcuffed’ Border Patrol

    Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu denounced the Obama administration Tuesday, accusing the White House of preventing border agents from enforcing immigration laws.

    Babeu, flanked by Border Patrol agents and union leaders, said high-traffic smuggling routes are not appropriately staffed and laid into the administration for failed leadership.

    The sheriff denounced the politicization of immigration enforcement at a news conference at PCSO’s Florence headquarters.

    National Border Patrol Labor Council President Brandon Judd picked up on that theme, saying the agency is at a crossroads.

    “We are either going to be a specialized law enforcement agency dedicated to enforcing our nation’s immigration laws or a political arm of the administration,” Judd said.

    http://www.azfamily.com/story/31416401/sheriff-babeu-obama-has-handcuffed-border-patrol

  12. London ‘more Islamic’ than Muslim world – scholar
    Muslims more free to practise their faith in UK than most Islamic countries, insists leading Shia scholar

    London is a more “Islamic” city than much of the Muslim world put together, a leading Muslim scholar has argued. Maulana Syed Ali Raza Rizvi, a prominent Shia cleric, who was born in Pakistan and studied in Iran, said he “feels more Islamic” in Britain than other countries because of the freedom to worship and the multicultural mix.

    He said Islam could be summed up as being about “love and justice” but that the “Muslim political leadership” around the world was failing to foster this.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/12189064/London-more-Islamic-than-Muslim-world-scholar.html

  13. Tiny Houses for the Masses: 84 Lumber Launches Packages Starting at $7K

    If you thought the tiny house movement was just a fad, think again. 84 Lumber, a major national retailer of building materials and services, just launched a series of tiny houses, available in flexible packages targeting anyone who might be interested in this lifestyle. In other words, 84 Lumber is out to make tiny house living as accessible as possible, whether the customer is serious DIY-er or somehow who just wants a fast, easy turnkey micro home.

    http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/09/tiny-houses-for-the-masses-84-lumber-launches-packages-starting-at-7k.html

  14. Iran fires 2 missiles marked with ‘Israel must be wiped out’

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday with the phrase “Israel must be wiped out” written in Hebrew on them, state media reported, a show of strength by the Islamic Republic as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel.
    Related Stories

    Iran tests more missiles in defiance of US warning AFP
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    North Korea Fires Missiles Into the Sea MarketWatch
    Amateur Crane Operator Has a Very Bad Day GuyViral Sponsored ?

    The new missile firings — the latest in a series of tests in recent days — appeared aimed at demonstrating Iran will push ahead with its ballistic program after scaling backing its nuclear program under the deal reached last year with the U.S. and other world powers.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iran-fires-2-missiles-marked-israel-must-wiped-071612751.html#

  15. Iran tests more missiles in defiance of US warning

    Tehran (AFP) – Iran fired two more long-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday as it continued military tests in defiance of US sanctions and fresh warnings from Washington.

    The missile tests, described by Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards as a show of force in the face of US pressure, come just weeks after the implementation of Iran’s historic nuclear deal with world powers.

    After similar tests on Tuesday, Washington had warned it could raise the issue with the UN Security Council and take further action after US sanctions were imposed in connection with Iran’s missile programme in January.

    http://news.yahoo.com/iran-fires-two-ballistic-missiles-test-state-media-072209934.html

  16. English-speaking ISIS jihadi warns America they will be attacked ‘very soon’ and ‘by Allah’s permission do to your country what we did to Paris’

    An English-speaking ISIS jihadi has warned America they will be attacked ‘very soon’ and ‘by Allah’s permission do to your country what we did to Paris’.

    In a chilling new ISIS video, he warns the US and President Barack Obama that the terror group will ‘kill, slaughter and burn your people’.

    The jihadi tells America it can expect an atrocity similar to the massacre in Paris in November in which 130 people were murdered in a wave of shootings and suicide bomb attacks.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3483857/English-speaking-ISIS-jihadi-warns-America-attacked-soon-Allah-s-permission-country-did-Paris.html#ixzz42QkQT87Y
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  17. AMSTERDAM – Severed head at criminal hangout identified as Nabil Amzieb, 23

    The decapitated body and severed head found in diferent parts of Amsterdam this week, belong to 23-year-old Amsterdam resident Nabil Amzieb. He had previous run-ins with the law and was known to the police, Het Parool reports.

    The victim’s body was found in a burning Volkswagen Caddy on Mijehof Tuesday morning. His head was found in front of sisha-lounge Fayrouz on Amstelveenseweg around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

    According to witnesses, the head was angle to look into the sisha lounge. “A sort of message”, Stan Koeman, who owns a deli further up the road, said to Het Parool. “It looked weird. Something that does not belong to the Dutch streets. It made me think of the Middle Ages and the Middle East”.

    A number of mostly young Amsterdam residents with criminal records have been killed in and around the capital city since 2012. Many of these violent assassinations can be directly linked to each other and a conflict between rival criminal gangs that started in 2012.

    According to Dutch newspaper AD, Amzieb was planning to give testimony against known criminal Beaouf A. – who is a suspect in the assassination of rival Gwenette Martha’s right-hand man Najeb Bouhbouh in Antwerp. A. himself was the target of an assassination in Staatsliedenbuurt in 2012. He managed to escape, but his two young companions were killed. Last year the court sentenced Anour B. and Adil A. to life in prison for the Staatsliedenbuurt double assassination.

    On March 22nd, 2014 Mohammed el Mayouri was gunned down on Karperweg, around the corner of Fayrouz. He was also killed right before he could testify in a case against Benaouf A.

    According to Het Parool, the sisha lounge where the severed head was found on Wednesday morning, is a known hangout for a group of criminals involved in this gang war. Specifically from the group surrounding Houcine A. – a former associate and then rival of assassinated top criminal Gwenette Martha.

    http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/03/09/severed-head-at-criminal-hangout-identified-as-nabil-amzieb-23/

  18. U.S. serves up Korean rocket salad in war drill response to North’s nuclear threats

    CHEORWON, South Korea (Reuters) – There’s more to do in South Korea’s heavily forested Rocket Valley, just a few miles from the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, than fire rockets. In quieter times, people tend vegetable patches along ice-cold streams.

    But on Wednesday, a U.S. artillery brigade based in the South heated things up, launching a barrage of rockets close to the border town of Cheorwon.

    The live-fire drills came hours after a report by reclusive North Korea that it had miniaturized nuclear warheads to be mounted on ballistic missiles and leader Kim Jong Un had ordered further improvements to its arsenal.

    Tension in the region was already high as South Korean and U.S. troops began large-scale military exercises on Monday in a test of their defenses against North Korea, which called the drills “nuclear war moves” and threatened to respond with an all-out offensive.

    The U.N. Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on North Korea last week for its Jan. 6 nuclear test. The North launched a long-range rocket a month later, drawing international criticism and sanctions from South Korea.

    The drills in Rocket Valley were separate to the annual joint U.S.-South Korean maneuvers which involve about 17,000 U.S. troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.

    http://www.oann.com/u-s-serves-up-korean-rocket-salad-in-war-drill-response-to-norths-nuclear-threats/

  19. Captured Ukrainian pilot defies Russian judge at end of trialMOSCOW (Reuters) – A Ukrainian pilot held in Russia over the death of two Russian journalists during separatist fighting in eastern Ukraine climbed onto a table and flashed an obscene gesture at a judge at the end of her trial on Wednesday.

    Nadezhda Savchenko, 34, who faces up to 25 years jail if found guilty, has become a hero for many in Ukraine resentful of what they see as Kremlin backing for pro-Russian insurgents trying to break Kiev’s control over eastern territories.

    Her lawyer, Nikolai Polozov, said she had suffered heart problems and fever since beginning a hunger strike last week in protest at what she called a show trial. Her life, he said, was in danger and she needed the attention of Ukrainian doctors.

    “I don’t accept my guilt or recognise the sentence of a Russian court,” Savchenko said in the courtroom, according to a translation from Ukrainian read out by one of her lawyers.

    An online broadcast from the courtroom showed her climbing onto a bench in the cage for defendants to raise her middle finger at the judge.

    Helicopter pilot Savchenko was captured in eastern Ukraine in 2014 during fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Moscow separatists and handed over to the Russian authorities. It remains unclear how she was brought across the border to Russia.

    The court in the southern Russian region of Rostov-on-Don said it would sentence Savchenko on March 21-22.

    http://www.oann.com/hunger-striking-ukrainian-pilot-could-die-before-russia-sentences-her-lawyer/

    • Old sayings of experienced soldiers, you can always take at least one with you.

  20. ‘Guitar hero’ who broke his instrument when he used it to bash terrorist on the head in Jaffa raises more than $1,000 on GoFundMe

    A quick-thinking 26-year-old stunned a Palestinian man on a stabbing spree in Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday when he smashed his acoustic guitar over the terrorist’s head.

    Yishai Montgomery was playing his guitar on the beach when he heard screams and saw a man later identified as Bashar Masalha, 22, running towards him with a knife, Jerusalem Online reported.

    In the heroic effort to stop the assailant, Montgomery managed to stun Masalha, who reportedly killed an American tourist and injured up to a dozen people before he was gunned down by the police.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3483177/Guitar-hero-broke-instrument-used-bash-terrorist-head-Jaffa-raises-1-000-GoFundMe.html

  21. Isis documents leak: Britons among 22,000 recruits with personal details revealed through terrorist group’s ‘registration form’

    Documents appearing to have been stolen from Isis’ border authority

    Details of more than a dozen British Isis members are among 22,000 recruits reportedly revealed in a cache of leaked documents from the terrorist group’s stringent “entrance interviews”.

    Zaman Al Wasl, a pro-opposition Syrian news website, published a selection of the forms online showing a 23-question survey detailing extremists’ names, birth dates, nationalities, hometowns, nationalities and even blood types.

    But a total of 22,000 names, addresses, telephone number and family contacts feature in a similar cache of documents, seen by Sky News.[…]

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-documents-leak-british-fighters-among-1700-with-personal-details-revealed-through-terrorist-a6921506.html

    ========================================================
    Zaman Al Wasl :

    1736 documents reveal ISIS jihadists personal data

    Zaman Al Wasl has exclusively obtained the personal data of 1736 ISIS fighters from over 40 countries, including their backgrounds, nationalities and hometown addresses.

    The document that branded by ISIS as confidential is shedding the light on the inner circle of the de facto a state which has its own institutions and official documents as well data bank.

    Two thirds of ISIS manpower are from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. 25% of ISIS fighters are Saudis, the data disclosed.

    While Turkish fighters are taking the lead among ISIS foreign fighters, French fighters come next.

    Syrians are just 1.7 % of the total number of fighters. The Iraqis make 1.2.

    Expert told Zaman al-Wasl that Iraqis and Jordanians can make the backbone of ISIS but most of them are based in Mosul and ISIS-controlled areas in Ramadi.

    The most notably that ISIS fighters do not know the real names of their fellow fighters since they used to have code names, or names de guerre, and for security issues they have been obliged to follow high ranks of secrecy.

    The documents have been written and organized by the General Administration of Borders, and ISIS commission that tracks all Jihadists data.

    The data document is including 23 fields, starting with the Jihadist’s first name, last name, code name, date of birth and nationality. The jihadist who cross the the Islamic State’s borders for the first time is ought to acknowledge the Borders Administration everything about himself, even what he wants to be in ISIS, a fighter or a suicide bomber.

    The document is similar to the intelligence data form that should include everything about the jihadist. All activists he did, countries he visited, professions he served.

    https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/14541.html

    • Original story
      Tens of thousands of documents, containing 22,000 names, addresses, telephone numbers and family contacts of Islamic State jihadis, have been obtained by Sky News.

      Nationals from at least 51 countries, including the UK, had to give up their most personal information as they joined the terror organisation. Only when the 23 question form was filled in were they inducted into IS.

      A lot of the names and their new Islamic State names on the registration forms are well known.

      Abdel Bary, a 26-year-old from London joined in 2013 after visiting Libya, Egypt and Turkey. He is designated as a fighter but is better known in the UK as a rap artist. His whereabouts are unknown.
      Another jihadi named in the documents, now dead after being targeted in a drone strike, is Junaid Hussain, the head of Islamic State’s media wing who along with his wife former punk Sally Jones, plotted attacks in the UK. Her whereabouts are unknown.

      Reyaad Khan from Cardiff, who also entered in 2013, is also among those found among the registration forms. He was well known for appearing in a highly produced Islamic State propaganda video. He was later killed.

      But the key breakthrough from the documents is the revealing of the identities of a number of previously unknown jihadis in the UK, across northern Europe, much of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in the United States and Canada.

      Their whereabouts are crucial to breaking the organisation and preventing further terror attacks.

      Many of the men passed through a series of jihadi “hotspots” – such as Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan – on multiple occasions, but were apparently unchecked, unmonitored and able to both enter Syria to fight and then to return home.

      One of the files marked “Martyrs” detailed a brigade manned entirely by fighters who wanted to carry out suicide attacks and were trained to do so.

      :: IS Files: A ‘Goldmine Of Information’ For Intelligence Agents

      Some of the telephone numbers on the list are still active and it is believed that although many will be family members, a significant number are used by the jihadis themselves.

      The files were passed to Sky News on a memory stick stolen from the head of Islamic State’s internal security police, an organisation described by insiders as the group’s SS. He had been entrusted to protect the organisation’s core secrets and he rarely parted with the drive.

      The man who stole it was a former Free Syrian Army convert to Islamic State who calls himself Abu Hamed.
      Disillusioned with the Islamic State leadership, he says it has now been taken over by former soldiers from the Iraqi Baath party of Saddam Hussein.

      He claims the Islamic rules he believed have totally collapsed inside the organisation, prompting him to quit.

      I met him in a secret location in Turkey, and he said IS was giving up on its headquarters in Raqqa and moving into the central deserts of Syria and ultimately Iraq, the group’s birthplace.

      He also claimed that in reality Islamic State, The Kurdish YPG and the Syrian government of Bashar al Assad, are working together against the moderate Syrian opposition.

      Asked if the IS files could bring the network down he nodded and said simply: “God willing”.
      From the attacks in Tunisia and the Bataclan massacre in Paris it is clear that IS is refocusing its base of operations abroad and is intent on carrying out high profile attacks in Western countries, something that security chiefs across Europe are warning about right now.

      Sky News has informed the authorities about the haul.

      http://news.sky.com/story/1656777/is-registration-forms-identify-22000-jihadis

      • Also from Sky News on the same subject
        The sheer scale of the Islamic State documents uncovered by Sky News is extraordinary.

        But even more valuable is their detail.

        Each of the approximately 22,000 documents has detailed information in 23 different categories.

        Most interesting will be the entries for the ‘countries travelled through’, ‘previous fighting experience’, ‘who recommended him’ and ‘special skills’.
        Speaking about the discovery of the files, former global terrorism operations director at MI6 Richard Barrett told Sky News: “It’s a fantastic coup.

        “And it will be an absolute goldmine of information of enormous significance and interest to very many people, particularly the security and intelligence services.”
        He added: “There hasn’t been anything at all like this since the discovery of the Sinjar records in 2007 and that only covered about 700 people (IS fighters entering Iraq), all of whom were from Arab countries.”

        :: Who Are The Britons In The Islamic State Files?

        Afzal Ashraf, a counter-terrorism expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Sky News: “They’re probably the most significant intelligence we’ve had to date of Da’esh (IS).

        “It will give them an indication of not just who they are, where they come from, but will be able to potentially to lead them to the individuals who radicalised these individuals as well as facilitated their departure.”
        And it’s those people that are really key. It’s these people that are capable of radicalising and sending out foreign fighters in their dozens.”

        But there is a huge amount of information here – around 500,000 individual data points.

        That could overwhelm human analysts – which is where machines come in.

        The intelligence agencies will set their computers loose on the data.
        By mapping individuals and places, and establishing the links between them, big data analysis may uncover leads that would elude humans.

        And some of the other categories on the forms ‘levels of obedience’ and ‘time and place of death’ will be useful for a different reason: the counter-Islamic State narrative.

        This is an information war as much as anything.

        And this cache of documents is a weapon.
        http://news.sky.com/story/1656827/islamic-state-files-goldmine-of-information
        *****************************
        I am quite sure there there will be some (many??) Canadians.

        • Attn:
          People are saying that there is one suspicious thing on these documents. The flag on the Sky documents is NOT the flag ISIS is using on their documents, it is a flag used by their supporters on the internet.

  22. Islamabad to extend military cooperation with Riyadh (tribune, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1061932/islamabad-to-extend-military-cooperation-with-riyadh/

    “The country’s top civil and military leadership has decided to expand its engagements with Saudi Arabia and will offer military training to the Saudi troops, provide it military hardware and share intelligence. This was decided on Tuesday during a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the PM House.

    The meeting was attended by army chief General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant to PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, National Security Adviser Lt Gen (R) Nasser Khan Janjua, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry….”

      • They have already stated they will use nukes to protect Saudi, and there are reports of Saudi negotiating to buy nukes that they will have control of. This is one reason Russia is threatening to use theater (tactical) nukes in defense of Assad.

  23. US ‘quizzes Islamic State chemical arms expert in Iraq’ (BBC, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35768377

    “A chemical weapons expert from the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq has been captured by US special forces and is being questioned, reports say.

    The man was once a specialist in chemical and biological weapons for Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader overthrown by the US invasion in 2003, Iraqi and US sources told US media.

    Named as Sleiman Daoud al-Afari, he was reportedly seized last month.

    In a statement to the BBC, the Pentagon would not confirm his capture.

    However, its spokesman confirmed US special forces had begun operations in Iraq – part of a more aggressive strategy against IS…”

  24. Maid kills Saudi woman and daughter (emirates247, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.emirates247.com/crime/region/maid-kills-saudi-woman-and-daughter-2016-03-09-1.623727

    “A Moroccan housemaid used a cleaver to murder a Saudi woman and her 30-year-old daughter at their home in the Gulf Kingdom, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

    The maid waited for the woman, in her 60s, and her daughter to go to their bedroom at home in the capital Riyadh before assaulting them, they said.

    Sada newspaper quoted police as saying the maid stabbed the two many times then cut the bodies into pieces and filled them in bags to dump them in the waste.

    “Police arrested the maid before she dumped the bodies….they said they are questioning the maid to determine her motives,” it said.”

  25. Morocco Arrests “radicalized” Frenchman in Fez for Carrying Knives and a Gas Bottle in Luggage (moroccoworldnews, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/03/181686/morocco-arrests-radicalized-frenchman-in-fez-for-carrying-knives-and-a-gas-bottle-in-luggage/

    “Moroccan security forces arrested a “radicalized” Frenchman in Fez for having knives and a gas bottle in his luggage onboard a Ryanair flight on Wednesday, according to a French official.

    The suspect, Manuel Broustai, a former French soldier who converted to Islam, had boarded the plane in the city of Nantes, located in the western part of France.

    According to Yahoo7 News, Broustai carried in his luggage at least four kitchen knives, a machete, two pocket knives, a baton, a gas bottle, and a black balaclava – a knitted cap that covers the neck and parts of the face.

    The local government chief for the French municipality of Loire-Atlantique said that the police arrested the 31-year-old man in November after the Paris attacks and subsequently placed him under house arrest for three months.

    The chief added that when he checked into the airport in France, he was no longer under house arrest and there was no reason to stop him from leaving the country.

    Another source from the municipality said that French authorities had informed Morocco about the man’s travel plans and that his arrest in Fez “was not a matter of chance”.

    The municipality also noted that Broustai’s hand luggage contained nothing out of the ordinary and that security scans did not detect potentially dangerous items in his checked baggage because it did not contain explosives.

    Broustail and his wife moved to Morocco last year, according to a source close to the investigation. He had returned to France to sell his apartment.

    A spokesperson for Ryanair, a Dublin-based airline, told AFP that the case falls under the responsibility of Nantes airport security officials, who are investigating the incident.

    The incident comes as European countries have reportedly been ramping up security measures since the attacks carried out by the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS) in Paris last November.”

  26. Geert Wilders Charged With Hate Speech for Calling for ‘Fewer Moroccans’ in Netherlands (moroccoworldnews, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/03/181664/geert-wilders-charged-with-hate-speech-for-calling-for-fewer-moroccans-in-netherlands/

    “Amsterdam – PVV leader Geert Wilders is officially charged with four “variants” of two hate speech offenses, local media said.

    The Public Prosecutor released the indictment in the hate speech trial against PVV leader Geert Wilders on Tuesday.

    Wilders is facing charges of firstly deliberately insulting a group of people because of their race. Secondly, inciting hatred or discrimination against these people. The Prosecutor is accusing Wilders with four variants of each of these offenses – complicity, commit, incitement and “doing it complicity”.

    By charging Wilders with each possible variant of the offenses, it seems that the Public Prosecutor is trying to avoid the trial being prematurely stranded by Wilders’ lawyer arguing that the offenses are not properly named in the indictment.

    The lawsuits revolves around statements Wilders made during campaign visits to The Hague in March 2014. On March 12th of that year the PVV leader paid a visit to Loosduinen and said that The Hague should be “a city with fewer burdens and if possible fewer Moroccans”. And then on the eve of the municipal elections, Wilders asked a cafe full of people whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans, to which they chanted “fewer, fewer, fewer”.”

  27. New German Website Educates New Immigrants About Safe Sex Practices (moroccoworldnews, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/03/181693/new-german-website-educates-new-immigrants-about-safe-sex-practices/

    “Rabat – Germany’s Federal Center for Health Education has launched a website to educate new immigrants about safe sex practices and sexual norms in German society.

    According to an introductory video posted on the website, the main purpose of the website is to give “advice on sex and sexuality for migrants who have not been living long in Germany.” The website provides a variety of language choices, including Arabic.

    The website Zanzu.de is a project of the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) and Sensoa, the Flemish Expertise Centre for Sexual Health.

    According to German media, the website addresses some specifically non-Western issues, such as “honor violence.” This shows that the website is aimed exclusively at the country’s 1.1 million new arrivals in order to educate recent immigrants about sexual safety and sexual norms in their new home.

    The website is divided into six main sections: body, family planning and pregnancy, infections, sexuality, relationships and feelings, and rights and law.

    The website uses animated videos to explain the details of sex and sexuality as accepted in German society. These cartoons demonstrate the mechanics of sex as well as explain the norms of sexual behavior, from how babies are conceived to resources for those suffering from sexual abuse or assault….”

  28. Pakistani choppers bombed areas in Kunar province (khaama, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/pakistani-choppers-bombed-areas-in-kunar-province-4721

    “Pakistani choppers have reportedly entered about two kilometers inside eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan and bombed areas there, Azadi Radio quoting a local official reported on Wednesday.

    When officials say Pakistani choppers they usually mean the military ones.

    According to the report, the choppers entered into Dangam district two times on Tuesday and threw bombs.

    Inayatullah, governor of Dangam district while confirming the report told Azadi Radio that more than 100 shells were also fired from across the border into Dangam district in the past two days.

    No casualties have been reported in the incidents.

    Meanwhile, police chief of Kunar province said that Pakistani forces have also violated border policy by moving into the zero point areas of the Durand Line.

    Abdul Habib Sayedkhili added that Pakistani forces have established security posts in the zero point areas and targeting Kunar province from there.

    This has forced hundreds of families to vacate the border areas.”

  29. Top Taliban leaders among 67 reported killed in Herat infighting (khaama, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/top-taliban-leaders-among-67-reported-killed-in-herat-infighting-0289

    “Amid ongoing fierce clashes among Taliban factions in western Herat province of Afghanistan, reports have emerged regarding the death of two top leaders of the group.

    The two top leaders of the group have been identified as Mullah Malik and Mulalh Wakil who have been killed during ongoing infighting which erupted two days ago.

    According to reports, Mullah Malik and Mullah Wakil were Taliban’s senior leader and were operating for the group in western Farah province of Afghanistan.

    Preliminary reports suggest at last 67 Taliban militants have been killed and 65 others have been wounded as clashes still continue between the two sides…”

  30. Taliban militants abduct 11 civilians in northern Sar-e-Pul province (khaama, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/taliban-militants-abduct-11-civilians-in-northern-sar-e-pul-province-0290

    “The Taliban militants have abducted at least 11 civilians from an highway in northern Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan, local officials said Wednesday.

    The officials further added that the civilians were travelling in a vehicle when they were stopped and abducted by the militants.

    A member of the provincial council Mohammad Ali Hakimi confirmed the civilians were on their way to provincial capital when their vehicle was stopped.

    Sar-e-Pul is among the relatively volatile provinces in northern Afghanistan where anti-government armed militants groups are actively operating in a number of its districts and often carry out insurgency activities…”

  31. China Offers Afghanistan Army Expanded Military Aid (khaama, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/china-offers-afghanistan-army-expanded-military-aid-4724

    “China has offered the Afghanistan army expanded military aid to combat the Taliban, according to the Afghan Defense Ministry, a move that reflects Beijing’s readiness to deepen its engagement with the war-torn country, The Wall Street Journal reports.

    The offer was made during a rare, high-level visit at the end of February by a Chinese military delegation headed by General Fang Fenghui, chief of the Joint Staff Department of the People’s Liberation Army, Afghan officials said.

    China has been wary of publicly supporting the Afghan military against the Taliban, as it nurtures relations with the militant group in an effort to be seen as a neutral party in the conflict and help the peace process. However, deteriorating security and the emergence of Islamic State has prompted China to take a more active role in Afghanistan.

    The timing of General Fang’s recent trip was seen as a strong show of support for the Afghan government at a time when it is losing control over parts of the country following the withdrawal of most foreign troops in 2014. The Taliban now control nearly a third of the country, according to U.S. and allied officials…”

    • India pledges $20.4 million in fresh development aid to Afghanistan (khaama, Mar 9, 2016)
      http://www.khaama.com/india-pledges-20-4-million-in-fresh-development-aid-to-afghanistan-0294

      “The government of India and Afghanistan signed 12 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday as India pledged $20.4 million in fresh development aid to Afghanistan.

      The MoUs were signed by the Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra and a number of the Afghan cabinet ministers, in the presence of Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah.

      Welcoming India’s comprehensive support in different sectors in the country, CEO Abdullah said India remains a strategic and committed friend of Afghanistan, implementing major development projects in the country, noting the construction of the new parliament building.

      CEO Abdullah called on the relevant ministries to properly allocate the funds, considering transparency, efficiency and balance in the performance of their work…”

  32. This movie is about migrant smugglers. It is supposed to be very interesting. . For example there is an info that smugglers can insure their boats in Turkey or that trip to Greece costs from 300 to 600 euros Unfortunately nobody yet translated it into English nor into other European languages. So perhaps someone know enough Arabic to translate it.

      • To end the problem you have to end the expansion of Islam and that means proving to the ordinary Moslem that we can and will defend our nations and cultures to the point that the price of conquering us is too high.

  33. DAILY MAIL – Egypt considers BANNING women from wearing the niqab veil after MP argues it is a JEWISH tradition and not Islamic

    Egypt parliament drafting a law to ban women wearing niqab
    The ban would apply in public places and government intuitions
    Egyptian MP argues full-face veil is in fact, not a Muslim tradition

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3484219/Egypt-considers-BANNING-women-wearing-niqab-veil-MP-argues-JEWISH-tradition-not-Islamic.html

    ==========================================================

    ‘Radical’ Frenchman held after flying to Morocco with knives in hold: Official

    A Frenchman described as “radicalised” was arrested in Morocco Wednesday after flying there with low-cost airline Ryanair with knives and a gas bottle in the hold, a local government official said.

    The 31-year-old man, who had been under house arrest in France, was held upon his arrival in Fez, where authorities discovered the items in his luggage, which also included a black balaclava.

    He took the flight from Nantes in western France, despite heightened security in the country which is still under a state of emergency imposed after an Islamic State (ID) group attack on Paris in November that left 130 people dead.

    The Dublin-based carrier Ryanair told AFP the case was “the responsibility of Nantes airport security officials who are investigating”.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/190562/World/Region/Radical-Frenchman-held-after-flying-to-Morocco-wit.aspx

  34. US Air Force veteran found guilty of trying to join IS (BBC, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35769009

    “A New York federal court has found a US Air Force veteran guilty of trying to join the self-styled Islamic State (IS).

    Tairod Pugh, who converted to Islam, allegedly tried to cross into Syria from Turkey weeks after he was sacked from his job as a mechanic in Egypt.

    He was denied entry and extradited. He faces up to 35 years in prison.

    It is the US government’s first trial victory in more than 75 prosecutions related to IS sympathisers since 2014…”

  35. How Israel Has Stayed Out of Syria’s Civil War
    While the bloody conflict in Syria poses serious dangers to the Jewish state—most notably, the takeover of the Syrian Golan by Islamic State, Hizballah, or Iran—it has not yet drawn Israel in or spilled over its borders. Jonathan Spyer explains Israel’s strategy, and why it has succeeded:

    With constant fighting on the other side of the border, life in the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights and in the Galilee goes on much as before the Syrian war began in 2011. This is not simply the result of good luck. It represents a quiet but notable success for an Israeli policy pursued over the last four years. This policy avoids taking sides on the larger question of who should govern Syria. Instead, Israel has sought to forge local alliances with rebel elements close to the border in order to prevent Iran and its allies from establishing a new platform for attacks on Israel, and to keep Islamic State-aligned forces away from the border. So far, [the policy] has mostly worked. . . .

    Given the massive, historic dimensions of the events taking place in Syria and Iraq, this represents a significant achievement. A few kilometers from a conflict in which nearly half-a-million lives have been lost, normal life is going on unimpeded in the Israeli and Druze communities on the Golan Heights.

    http://www.thetower.org/article/how-israel-navigated-through-the-hurricane-of-the-syrian-civil-war/

  36. The Diplomatic View from Inside Netanyahu’s National Security Council

    In a remarkably frank interview with Ariel Kahane, Eran Lerman, a veteran of Israeli military intelligence who served on the country’s National Security Council from 2009 to 2015, discusses his experiences and sheds light on some of the Netanyahu government’s most significant decisions. Responding to the accusation that the prime minister is a “passive” leader who reacts without taking initiative, and is thus leading Israel “into a dead end,” Lerman comments:

    It’s not true that Netanyahu is leading [Israel] into a dead end. Our situation is good. We are under threat, and we need to be careful, to maneuver, to act wisely, and to invest far greater efforts and resources into foreign policy than the Ministry of Finance currently allows. We’re not immune to harm, but hard work brings results.
    [. . .]
    As for the claim about passivity, as far as I’m concerned, that’s a compliment. Grandiose attempts like the first Lebanon war and the Oslo Accords, which sought to redesign the Middle East and everything around it, [have failed]. Give me nine years of Yitz?ak Shamir [against whom similar accusations were made] in exchange for those two adventures. I think Shamir was given a country in a very problematic situation, and handed it over to Rabin in excellent condition. We don’t know how history will judge the current prime minister, but if it weighs factors such as the economic situation, the depth of relations with important countries around the world, and so on, then the data are good. [. . .]
    Today Hamas is much worse off than it was in the past. It’s true that they are preparing for the next war, and there’s no reason the think they won’t start one, but the fact that Hamas says, “We need to kill the Zionists, but not this week”—that’s the best deterrence we can achieve.

    http://besacenter.org/uncategorized/the-diplomatic-view-from-inside-netanyahus-national-security-council/

  37. Italy says Isis has 5,000 fighters in Libya (thelocal, Mar 9, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.it/20160309/italy-says-isis-has-5000-fighters-in-libya

    “The Islamic State (IS) group has around 5,000 fighters in Libya with the capacity to carry out deadly raids into neighbouring countries, Italy’s foreign minister told parliament on Wednesday.

    The figure is at the top end of recent Western estimates of the number of Isis fighters in Libya and is likely to further fuel concern over the threat posed by the group’s establishment of a base in the troubled north African state.

    “According to our analyses, there are today around 5,000 Daesh fighters in Libya,” Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told the Italian Senate, using an Arabic name for Isis.

    “They are concentrated particularly in the area of (the city of) Sirte but from there they have the capacity to carry out dangerous incursions (into neighbouring states).”…”