Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.
This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.
So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.
This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.
24 target killers detained in Helmand
http://www.afghanistantimes.af/24-target-killers-detained-in-helmand/
“Operatives of the intelligence forces have detained 24 people allegedly involved in target killings in southern Helmand province, local officials said on Saturday.
In the past four days, five government officials have been killed in different acts of target killing. In addition to that, three more were wounded.
Provincial Deputy Governor, Mujahidullah Safari in a press briefing in Lashkargah, the provincial capital city, said that Taliban have recently intensified target killing attacks in the province.
To quell the threat, the Afghan security forces in fresh wave of operation have arrested 24 suspected target killers. “The arrestment would be ongoing,” he added.
Target attacks have recently mounted in the province, provincial police chief, Col. Hassamuddin Helmandi told newsmen.
The Taliban have opted for soft targets after being defeated in battleground, he added, saying the Taliban wants to terrify people through such attacks.
Afghan National Police also detained three target killers in Lashkargah and Nerh Saraj district, he said.
The Talban group is controlling at least six districts in Helmand province, and the Afghan security forces continuously carrying attacks to clear the districts from their (Taliban) presence.”
Insider attack kills at least 23 Afghan soldiers in Ghazni
http://www.afghanistantimes.af/insider-attack-kills-at-least-23-afghan-soldiers-in-ghazni/
“At least 23 members of the local army have been killed in an insider attack conducted by a number of Taliban infiltrators in the army ranking in southern Ghazni province, sources confirmed on Saturday.
A security source, who wished to go unnamed, has told Afghanistan Times that the incident took place in Lewani Bazar village of Qarabagh, where nine members of Taliban infiltrators, working in army ranks have opened fire on the local army personnel. According to the source, after seizing the weapons and military vehicles, the attackers have joined the Taliban.
But, spokesman for the ministry of defense, Fawad Aman has put the death toll of the army personnel to nine.
However, Ghazni Provincial Council Member, Ammanullah Kamran has said at least 23 personnel of the local army have been martyred in the attack. “The killers have links with Taliban,” he added.
The Taliban group has yet to comment in connection.
The insider attacks have often posed massive casualties on Afghan and US forces in the past. Some experts believe that Afghan military officials have so far been failed to prevent the infiltration of the militants groups in the military ranking.”
Turkey to continue defending rights in Med Sea, says foreign minister
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-continue-defending-rights-in-med-sea-says-foreign-minister-149845
“Turkey will resolutely continue defending its legitimate rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu on Dec. 14…”
Turkey, Libya discuss maritime, cooperation deals
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/turkey-libya-discuss-maritime-cooperation-deals/1673657
“Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) head Fayez al-Sarraj on Saturday discussed the recently inked maritime delimitation and military and security cooperation deals at the 19th Doha Forum held in Qatar…”
Turkish lawmakers to ratify Libya military coop deal
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/turkish-lawmakers-to-ratify-libya-military-coop-deal/1673972
“A recent agreement between Turkey and Libya on military cooperation came to the Turkish parliament to be ratified on Saturday.
Seeking to “provide a ground for relations and develop cooperation” between Turkey and Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), the agreement includes increased cooperation in the exchange of personnel, materials, equipment, consultancy and experience between the two sides.
It also offers Turkish support for the establishment of a Quick Reaction Force for police and military in Libya, as well as enhanced cooperation on intelligence and defense industry, among others…”
Syria: YPG/PKK manipulates locals against Turkey
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syria-ypg-pkk-manipulates-locals-against-turkey/1673588
“YPG/PKK terror group launched smear campaigns against the Turkish army in northern Syria, security sources said Saturday.
The terror group planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in crowded areas in Qamishli city and then defused them, wrongly blaming the Turkish army for it, said the sources who asked not be named for fear of reprisals.
The terrorists sought to instigate the locals by sharing these videos on social media with the hope of damaging Turkey’s reputation.
The sources said the locals were forced to demonstrate against Turkey and its successful anti-terror operation in the region…”
This is from Foreign Policy. Confirms reports from Israelis. A very bad deal indeed.
Turkey begins resettling Refugees in Northeastern Syria
Continued reports of atrocities by Turkish-backed forces raise concerns about ethnic cleansing.
Turkey has begun shuttling Syrian refugees across the border into northeastern Syria despite dangerous security conditions in the border towns – the first sign Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is moving forward with his plan to resettle some 3 million Syrians living in Turkey into 20 miles of formerly Kurdish-held territory.
Local media reports and information provided to Foreign Policy by the northeastern Syria-based Rojava Information Center show that small numbers of Syrian refugees are now trickling across the border into northeastern Syria just two months after Erdogan and his proxy forces invaded the region. The violent military operation has killed hundreds of Kurdish fighters and civilians and displaced 200,000 people.…
Experts and U.S. officials worry that resettling large numbers of refugees who are not originally from northeastern Syria will upset the delicate ethnic balance of the region. Before the Turkish incursion, the area between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain was previously controlled by the Syrian Kurds, and the population was primarily Kurdish and Arab.…
Turkey says the convoy was made up of people from the Kurdish-held region, but locals say the refugees are from elsewhere in Syria – Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, and further afield areas such as Idlib, Ghouta, Homs, and even Iraq…
The majority are likely the families of Turkish-backed fighters… many of whom are defectors from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army and have ties to extremist groups such as al Qaeda.…
The crossing is now being used to ferry Turkish-backed fighters and their families into northeastern Syria and to ferry out looted goods, particularly diesel and grain but also cars, hardware, and machinery…
Across the region now controlled by Turkey, human rights groups report that soldiers from the Syrian National Army frequently carry out widespread lootings and summary executions, and soldiers are living unlawfully in residents’ homes. Meanwhile, government services have deteriorated, and arbitrary arrests and car bombings are commonplace.…
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/09/turkey-resettling-refugees-northeastern-syria/
US says Iran proxies carried out series of base attacks
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-says-iran-proxies-carried-out-series-of-base-attacks/1673379
“Iran’s proxies have carried out a series of attacks on bases where U.S. forces are colocated with their Iraqi partners, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Friday.
Pompeo cited a Dec. 9 rocket attack on a facility at Baghdad International Airport that he said wounded five Iraqi soldiers, including two who died of their injuries.
An additional attack occurred Wednesday when two Katyusha rockets landed near the outside perimeter of the airport. No casualties were reported from the Dec. 11 rocket strikes, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for that attack or the one on Monday.
He maintained, that Washington “will continue to work hand-in-hand with our Iraqi partners, including the Iraqi Security Forces, which played a pivotal role in reclaiming Iraq’s sovereignty from ISIS,” referring to the Daesh/ISIS terror group.
“We must also use this opportunity to remind Iran’s leaders that any attacks by them, or their proxies of any identity, that harm Americans, our allies, or our interests will be answered with a decisive U.S. response,” Pompeo said.
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus further added that Washington “makes no distinction between #Iran and its proxies in Iraq.”
“We will respond if our people are harmed, & we continue to support an independent Iraq,” she said on Twitter.”
Jihadists execute French aid group employees in Nigeria
https://www.thelocal.fr/20191214/islamists-execute-french-aid-workers
“Jihadists have executed four Nigerian hostages held since July, French aid group Action Against Hunger said, adding that one of its staff and two drivers were among those killed.
The four were among six hostages abducted and held by the jihadists in northeastern Nigeria, the Paris-based NGO said.
“The armed group responsible for the kidnapping of humanitarian workers on July 18 have murdered four hostages,” Action Against Hunger said in a statement on Friday that did not identify the victims.
Another of the hostages was killed in September.
The aid group said it was “extremely concerned and calls for the immediate release of its staff member, Grace, who remains in captivity”.
A decade-long Islamist insurgency has killed 35,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in northeast Nigeria.
The violence has now spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.
The six hostages — an Action Against Hunger employee, two drivers and three health ministry personnel — were kidnapped while delivering humanitarian aid to vulnerable people in Borno State.
Their driver was killed in the ambush carried out by militants believed to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group.
Aid workers targeted
ISWAP is a splinter group of Boko Haram that swore allegiance in 2016 to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group who died in October during a US raid on his hideout in Syria.
It has repeatedly attacked military bases and previously targeted aid workers in northeast Nigeria.
“Action Against Hunger condemns these latest killings in the strongest terms and deeply regrets that its calls for the release of the hostages have not been acted upon,” the group said in its statement.
Shortly after the kidnapping, ISWAP released a video purporting to show the one female aid worker and five male colleagues who had been seized in an attack in the region.
The SITE intelligence group, which monitors Islamist extremist online activity, quoted Nigerian journalist Ahmad Saldika as saying the latest killings were the “result of a breakdown of talks with the Nigerian government.”
Saldika had also previously obtained a video of the September hostage killing, according to SITE.
On Thursday ISWAP insurgents killed 14 anti-jihadist militia and a police officer in northeast Nigeria, militia leaders told AFP Friday.
The militia was comprised of local hunters across the northeast along with the state funded Civilian Joint Task Force, an armed vigilante group.
Action Against Hunger said it is currently providing food assistance every month to approximately 300,000 people in northeast Nigeria, as well helping thousands more with life-saving health and nutrition services.”
the guardian – We won the argument, but I regret we didn’t convert that into a majority for change
Jeremy Corbyn
We are living in highly volatile times. Two-and-a-half years ago, in the first general election I contested as Labour leader, our party increased its share of the popular vote by 10 percentage points. On Thursday, on a desperately disappointing night, we fell back eight points.
I have called for a period of reflection in the party, and there is no shortage of things to consider. I don’t believe these two contrasting election results can be understood in isolation.
The last few years have seen a series of political upheavals: the Scottish independence campaign, Labour’s transformation, Brexit, the Labour electoral surge, and now Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” victory. None of that is a coincidence.
[…]I am proud that on austerity, on corporate power, on inequality and on the climate emergency we have won the arguments and rewritten the terms of political debate. But I regret that we did not succeed in converting that into a parliamentary majority for change.
[…]
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/14/we-won-the-argument-but-i-regret-we-didnt-convert-that-into-a-majority-for-change
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Sky News – Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he’s ‘done everything he can’
The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he’s “obviously very sad” for colleagues and for the country, but was unapologetic, blaming Brexit and the media for a “very disappointing night”.
+ comments on the YT page
Sheikh Jeremy Al Corbyn Ibn Al Britania lost now Yanks will dump his pal Sheikh Bernie Al Sanders Ibn Al Vermont
Corbyn was more toxic than Chernobyl.
So left wing he’s succeeded going full circle and disappeared up his own ballot box
UK has gone Corbyn neutral hehe.