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.
Private security firm mounts UK’s first private prosecutions for theft as police refuse to take offenders to court
Interesting statistics in this article.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/02/private-security-firm-mounts-uks-first-private-prosecutions/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/featured/1816934/breaking-anti-semitic-incident-in-boro-park-just-three-blocks-from-mayor-meeting-to-discuss-hate-crimes.html
Mayor DeBlasio on antisemitism:
Bail reform has nothing to do with that because, in the end, you’re still talking about people going to trial, getting whatever kind of penalties that they deserve, and paying the price, jail time, whatever happens to be.
…. There is a chance now for the legislature to get it right, they did some very good reforms but there’s also things that need to be done, particularly empowering judges to determine if someone poses a threat to the surrounding community and giving judges the power to act on that and hold someone in. I have felt that for the past two years, I feel it even more strongly now and I’m going to work in Albany to try to get this done.
Solidarity march TBD before noon Sunday in NYC.
Solidarity gathering this past Sunday.
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/1816490/siyum-hashas-covered-by-every-national-news-outlet-see-how-the-ap-reported-the-massive-event-videos-photos-roundup.html
The New Year’s Day event celebrated the completion of the reading of the 2,711-page Babylonian Talmud, a process that takes 7 1/2 years.
Organizers estimated that 88,000 people attended the event. The last event at the stadium in 2012 drew about 90,000, organizers told The Record.
Middle East
EXCLUSIVE: Iran-backed militias ‘kidnapped’ French AP journalists in Baghdad during US embassy attack
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/85bb0696-0d58-4a66-9aff-8c0554f059ab
The 2010s Were the Best Decade For European Populism Yet
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/03/the-2010s-were-the-best-decade-for-european-populism-yet/
U.S. airstrike kills top Iran general Qassim Suleimani at Baghdad airport
His death could dramatically increase tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which were already heightened by the New Year’s attacks on the American Embassy compound.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/airstrike-kills-top-iran-general-qassim-suleimani-baghdad-airport-iraqi-n1109821
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50979463
Tension between US and the Islamic Republic or Iran, doesn’t imply tension between the US and the people of Iran.
U.S. flies surveillance aircraft after N.K. warns of ‘new strategic weapon’
Defense 10:10 January 02, 2020
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SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) — The United States again flew a surveillance aircraft over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Thursday, amid simmering tensions over possible provocative acts by North Korea after it warned of a “new strategic weapon.”
An RC-135W Rivet Joint of the U.S. Air Force carried out operations over South Korea at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots tweeted without specifying the exact time of the operation.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200102001800325?section=national/defense
Khan Backs Free Academy for Black Women as Scholarships for Poor White Boys Rejected
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/02/khan-backs-free-academy-for-black-women-as-scholarships-for-poor-white-boys-rejected/
U.S. sees signs Iran or proxies may be planning more attacks: Pentagon chief
Idrees Ali
4 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday there were indications Iran or forces it backs may be planning additional attacks, warning that the “game has changed” and it was possible the United States might have to take preemptive action to protect American lives.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-usa-iran-pentagon/u-s-sees-signs-iran-or-allies-may-be-planning-more-attacks-pentagon-chief-idUSKBN1Z113U?utm_source=reddit.com
Avoid Pakistan route: US cautions air carriers over risk of extremist activity
According to the advisory, “there continues to be a risk to US civil aviation from attacks against airports and aircraft, particularly for aircraft on the ground and aircraft operating at low altitudes.”
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: January 2, 2020 10:28:20 pm
US aviation, US air carries pakistan, pakistan militancy, pakistan extremists,
The advisory, however, makes note that both India and Pakistan have “no intent to target civil aviation” (Representational)
The US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to all air carriers and commercial operators against flying into or crossing the Pakistan airspace citing “extremist/militant activity”.
“There continues to be a risk to US civil aviation from attacks against airports and aircraft, particularly for aircraft on the ground and aircraft operating at low altitudes, including during the arrival and departure phases of the flight,” reads the advisory.
https://indianexpress.com/article/world/us-warns-air-carries-to-avoid-pakistan-airspace-citing-extremist-militant-activity-6196964/
“KILL TERFS”: Vancouver’s women-only rape shelter vandalized with death threats, rat nailed to door
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, 4 months ago 3 min read
A Vancouver rape relief shelter alleges they have been the target of vandalism and death threats over their “woman-only” policy.
Photos shared by the official Vancouver Rape Relief & Woman’s Shelter Twitter account show several threats and messages scrawled on the centre’s windows like “KILL TERFS” and “TRANS POWER”.
https://www.thepostmillennial.com/kill-terfs-vancouvers-women-only-rape-shelter-vandalized-with-death-threats-rat-nailed-to-door/
Taiwan leader rejects China’s offer to unify under Hong Kong model
3 MIN READ
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday the island would not accept a “one country, two systems” political formula Beijing has suggested could be used to unify the democratic island, saying such an arrangement had failed in Hong Kong.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-china-idUSKBN1Z01IA?utm_source=reddit.com
Picasso painting worth $26M attacked at Tate Modern in London
The suspect, Shakeel Massey, 20, from north London, is being held until a pretrial hearing on Jan. 30 and has indicated that he will deny the charge.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/picasso-painting-worth-26m-attacked-tate-modern-london-n1109021
Climate Prediction Swings & Misses: A Decade Of Alarmist Strike-Outs, 2010-2019
Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
by Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/31/2019 – 12:15
13
SHARES
Authored by Anthony Watts via WattsUpWithThat.com,
Climate alarmists think they are always right, and when they aren’t… they just move the goalposts ahead 10 years. Our friend Willis Eschenbach calls it “serial doomcasting“.
Some perspective:
“What historians will definitely wonder about in future centuries is how deeply flawed logic, obscured by shrewd and unrelenting propaganda, actually enabled a coalition of powerful special interests to convince nearly everyone in the world that CO2 from human industry was a dangerous, planet-destroying toxin.
It will be remembered as the greatest mass delusion in the history of the world – that CO2, the life of plants, was considered for a time to be a deadly poison.” ~ Richard Lindzen
What follows are climate predictions forecast to come true during the 2010s – one for each year.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/climate-prediction-swings-misses-decade-alarmist-strike-outs-2010-2019
Iran Deploys F-14 Jets to Borders After Vowing to Avenge General Soleimani’s Murder – Reports (sputniknews, Jan 3, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001031077927762-iran-deploys-f-14-jets-to-borders-after-vowing-to-avenge-general-soleimanis-murder—reports/
“Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei has pledged “harsh revenge” against those responsible for killing the Quds commander, while President Rouhani similarly vowed to avenge Soleimani’s death.
Tehran has deployed F-14 fighter jets to the country’s borders in the wake of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani’s murder after the military official was killed in an airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, authorised by US President Donald Trump, Iranian state TV reported.
Earlier in the day, the US Department of Defence confirmed that the US forces in Iraq had killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is considered a foreign terrorist organisation by Washington.
The US claimed that Soleimani was responsible for deaths of “hundreds of Americans” and also accused the general of orchestrating attacks on coalition bases in Iraq, motivating the Iraqi airstrike as a means to deter “future Iranian attack plans”.
Following the reports of the general’s death, authorities in Tehran strongly condemned the United States, pledging to take action to avenge his death.”
Live Updates: MPs Urge to Adopt Law to Expel Foreign Troops From Iraq After US Kills Iranian General (sputniknews, Jan 3, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001031077925104-us-behind-baghdad-airport-attack-that-killed-iranian-quds-commander-pmf-deputy-leader—report/
“Earlier in the day, Iraq’s Shia Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said that five members of the militia as well as “two guests” had been killed by rocket fire near the Baghdad International Airport, media reported.
Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was killed by the rocket fire near the Baghdad International Airport, Al Arabiya and Sky News broadcasters reported on Friday.
The United States carried out on Friday strikes on two Iran-linked targets in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the Reuters news agency reported, citing unnamed US officials.
Earlier in the day, a source in the Iraqi security services said that several people had been killed by the rocket fire.
Iraq’s Shia Popular Mobilization Forces said its senior official in charge of public relations, Mohammed Jabiri, had been killed in the incident along with four other members of the militia and “two guests”.
The rockets are said to have fallen near the facilities of the Iraqi army and the international coalition. According to Al-Sumaria broadcaster, the incident injured 12 Iraqi servicemen and killed a civilian.
The situation in Iraq escalated on Tuesday when Shia protesters attempted to storm the gates of the US Embassy in Baghdad following airstrikes on an Iran-backed unit of Kataib Hezbollah operating in the country.
14:47
Netanyahu Says Soleimani Was Planning Attacks on Americans, US Has Right to Self Defence
14:27
US Official Says ‘Precision Drone Strike’ Eliminated Soleimani in Baghdad – Reports
14:21
Iranians Hold Mass Rallies After Qasem Soleimani’s Assassination
14:06
Iran Will Respond to the Killing of General Soleimani in the Near Future
13:39
Berlin Calls for Prudence and De-Escalation of Tensions Amid Situation in Iraq
13:34
French Foreign Ministry Urges Citizens Not to Travel to Iraq
13:32
Hamas Condemns US for Killing Soleimani
13:29
US Strike in Baghdad Will Hurt Millions of People – Russian FM Spokeswoman Zakharova
13:17
Supreme Leader Khamenei Appoints New Commander for Elite Quds Unit
13:13
Iraqi MPs Urge to Adopt Law to Expel Foreign Troops From the Country After US Kills Iranian General
13:12
Iraqi Militia Commander al-Amiri Urges ‘All National Forces’ to Expel Foreign Troops From the Country
12:59
Iran Scrambles F-14 Jets to Border Amid Fears of Conflict Escalation – Reports
12:57
Foreign Oil Companies Evacuate Dozens of American Employees From Basra, Iraq – Reports
12:44
UK Military Boosts Security Level at Middle East Bases – Reports
12:42
Israeli Embassies Placed on High Alert in Wake of Soleimani’s Killing – Reports
12:32
US Strike in Baghdad is Violation of Iraqi Sovereignty – Shiite Leader Sistani
12:11
US Won’t Achieve Any of Its Goals by Killing Soleimani – Hezbollah
11:33
US Embassy in Baghdad Urges Americans to Leave Iraq Immediately….”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-vows-revenge-after-us-drone-strike-kills-elite-force-commander/2020/01/03/345127d6-2df4-11ea-bffe-020c88b3f120_story.html
Russia and China want the U.S. to deplete itself in another conflict, this much is clear. I believe PT, who has been fighting strategic battles in business all his life, will see the board clearly and will find further opportunity to deplete the enemies.
“The US embassy told all Americans to ‘leave Iraq immediately’ where possible by airline and ‘failing that, to other countries via land.'”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7847069/Rocket-attack-Baghdad-airport-kills-seven.html
If only this was reciprocated.
The West’s nation builders return home, and the parasites return to their Communist prisons and islamic dhimmistates. Each to be nearest to their masters: the individual and the narcissist, respectively.
If only.
Sounds good to me.
Maybe they can take Western sympathizers with them.
This was a smart move, if we had followed the advice of the Dems and Isolationists we would have continued to show weakness and embolden our enemies. If we had done nothing the intensity and frequency of the attacks would have increased, we have not made the reconsider what they are doing and how they can avoid our revenge.
Remember what I said after the airstrikes on the Iranian facilities, you fight your fight not the fight fight your enemies want you to fight. You make them react to you not you react to them, under Obama and to a lesser extent Bush we were reacting to their actions. Now they are reacting to our actions which have changed the game, the Iranians no longer know who is safe and where they will be safe. We have switched to an offensive war and the enemy (both internal and external) are screaming that we aren’t letting them get away with literal murder.
UK sends RAF jets to Middle East and readies military as risk of war surges (express, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1223489/iran-news-UK-military-british-army-iraq-us-airstrike-Qasem-Soleimani-ww3
“THE UK has sent an RAF jet to the Middle East as fears of World War 3 heighten following Washington’s airstrikes which killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
The UK has sent an RAF plane to the Middle East as it increases the security at its bases following fears the air strikes could spark World War 3. The RAF Sentinel plane was spotted leaving its base in Cyprus to head towards the Middle East. Mr Soleimani was even seen as a future president of Iran and his murder has been viewed as an escalation of the problems between Tehran and Washington.
A spokesman from Britain’s Ministry of Defence said: “The safety and security of our personnel is of paramount importance and we keep our force protection measures under constant review.
“We do not comment on specific force protection measures.”
Britain has about 400 military personnel in Iraq who are there to provide training in the country.
Israel put its military on heightened alert on Friday and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip abroad.
The US drone strike which killed the army general was ordered by President Donald Trump.
The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, wrote on Twitter: “The US’ act of international terrorism, targeting & assassinating General Soleimani—THE most effective force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely dangerous & a foolish escalation.
“The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism.”
President Trump tweeted a picture of the US flag after the news broke.
The US Department of Defence said in a statement: “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.
“General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.”
Iran’s secuirty team are expected to meet today to discuss the attack.
In a statement they said: “In the next few hours, an extraordinary meeting of the Supreme National Security Council will be held to probe the criminal act of attack on commander Soleimani’s car in Baghdad, which led to his martyrdom.”
The US embassy in Baghdad has urged Americans to depart Iraq immediately.
They said in a statement: “Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the US embassy urges American citizens to heed the January 2020 travel advisory and depart Iraq immediately. US citizens should depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to other countries via land”.
The Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, also based in Gaza, praised Soleimani as a leader “who always brought horror into the hearts of America and Israel”.
Jeremy Corbyn has called the US assassination “extremely serious”.
The outgoing Labour leader said: “The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani is an extremely serious and dangerous escalation of conflict with global significance.
“The UK government should urge restraint on the part of both Iran and the US, and stand up to the belligerent actions and rhetoric coming from the US.”
Former national security advisor John Bolton said: “Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran’s malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.””
Iran POLL: Was Donald Trump right to assassinate Qassem Soleimani? VOTE HERE (express, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1223510/iran-news-air-strike-donald-trump-assassinate-qassem-soleimani-iraq-poll-vote
Assassination:
1: to murder (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons
2: to injure or destroy unexpectedly and treacherously
assassinate a man’s character
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassinate
Therefore, this was not an assassination.
The sociopathic and psychopathic Far Left, and Far Far Left twist meanings of words, as with the laws of the land, to suit.
This was a surgical strike to eliminate the bully.
And how they reacted, revealed the real emotional-cowardice under the submission to their own bullies. “The whole world will retaliate and attack! World War 3!”
And the Socialists (battered – what’s a housewife? – syndrome) under their Communist handlers will milk this to distraction. “The whole world sky will cave-in! World War 3!”.
Hence, Main Stream Media’s WW3 pot-stirring for cash. The real trolls.
The biased reporter: “was the assassination a good or bad thing?”. Prejudging. The precurser to Hate Crime laws becoming normalized.
The mentally-ill who follow the resentment-doctrines of Marxism and islam will still go on maiming and killing the innocent. Because they were promised perfection if they did. But their tzars and sultans got their message: don’t try it again.
This prevented world war 3.
The headless chickens are fed a diet of scorn.
Western citizens urged to leave Middle East as expert warns ‘entire region now a threat’ (express, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1223476/world-war-3-us-iran-news-general-qasem-soleimani-donald-trump-latest-news
“WESTERN citizens have been urged to leave the United Arab States “immediately” following Donald Trump’s decision to kill Iran’s most powerful military commander General Qasem Soleimani.
Tensions in the Middle East have seriously escalated overnight after Donald Trump gave US military forces the order to kill Iran’s commander General Qasem Soleimani. Fears of World War 3 being triggered have been sparked across the world with warnings for western citizens to immediately leave the United Arab Emirates. Professor of the University of Tehran Mohammad Marandi told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme the whole region is now a threat as Iraqis will also be inclined to retaliate against the US after the deadly attack.
He said: “I think that not only the Iranian leaders will retaliate but also Iraqis will retaliate.
“Americans have murdered Iraqi war heroes.
“This was a senior Iraqi Government Official. The American position in Iraq is no longer sustainable.
“In fact, I think the whole region is now a threat.
“If I was a western citizen I’d leave the United Arab Emirates immediately.
“The whole region’s future is unclear because of the terrorist attacks carried out by the United States.”
In the statement, the US embassy also urged people to leave.
It said: “Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the U.S. Embassy urges American citizens to heed the January 2020 Travel Advisory and depart Iraq immediately.
U.S. citizens should depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to other countries via land.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi condemned on Friday the “assassination” of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.
The airstrike on Baghdad airport is an act of aggression on Iraq and breach of its sovereignty that will lead to war in Iraq, the region, and the world, he said in a statement.
The strike also violated the conditions of US military presence in Iraq and should be met with legislation that safeguards Iraq’s security and sovereignty, he added.
He called on parliament to convene in an extraordinary session.
Former Middle East minister Alistair Burt has said the US launching an airstrike which killed Iran’s most powerful military commander General Qasem Soleimani is “extremely serious”.
Mr Burt told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is no agreement as to a base of the confrontations in the region, there is a completely different narrative put forward by the Iranians for what is happening in the region to that which is put forward by the United States and others – there is no meeting between to two.”
He added that the airstrike could cause “a huge potential escalation” of the conflict, of which “the consequences are unknown”.
Mr Burt said that it is “very important now to concentrate on what happens next, and for everybody involved diplomatically to do everything they can to try and diffuse the situation”.
He added: “It’s extremely serious.”
Asked whether the UK Government would have been told about the US government’s airstrike plans before they happened, Mr Burt added: “I doubt it.””
Vegan victory: Landmark ruling designates veganism ‘philosophical belief’ protected by law (express, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1223543/vegan-legal-case-Jordi-Casamitjana-League-Against-Cruel-Sports
“VEGANISM is a philosophical belief and is therefore protected by law, an employment tribunal has ruled.
The landmark case was brought by Jordi Casamitjana who said he was sacked by the League Against Cruel Sports after raising concerns its pension fund was being invested into companies involved in animal testing. He claims he was unfairly disciplined for making this disclosure and that the decision to dismiss him was because of his philosophical belief in ethical veganism.
At the tribunal in Norwich today, Judge Robin Postle gave a short summary judgment, ruling that ethical veganism satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical belief and is therefore protected under the Equality Act 2010.
He also ruled that Mr Casamitjana, 55, who lives in London, adheres to the belief of ethical veganism.
For a belief to be protected under the Act, it must meet a series of tests including being worthy of respect in a democratic society, not being incompatible with human dignity and not conflicting with fundamental rights of others.
The ruling means that ethical vegans are entitled to protection from discrimination…”
Therefore, under this Equality Act of Quislings (those who disclose data illegally but make their values more equal than everyone else’s) there must be an unethical veganism. That say, if a strict diet-vegan wore leather shoes, they would not be protected under this Act. Only the Will-Power of the screaming child is submitted to. There is no longer ‘reasonableness’ in the Law, were tyranny and perversion reign supreme.
And so within this Socialist Dream of an Equal Utopia that never will, they created the worst discimination of all: that against talent. Wasted talent. But then, the Communist already knew this when they wrote it for Useful Idiots.
Cancer in The West.
ISIS threat: UK jihadis could exploit human rights laws to force their return to UK (express, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1223402/isis-news-boris-johnson-dominic-raab-iraq-syria-jihadis-jack-letts-world-war-3
“BORIS JOHNSON has been warned that British jihadis in Syria could exploit the repatriation of their children to the UK as a way of forcing their own return under human rights laws.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced in November that children abandoned by their ISIS fighter parents would be allowed to come back to Britain. Mr Raab emphasised that only orphans and unaccompanied minors would be permitted to return, saying that it was “the right thing to do”. He added: “These innocent children should never have been subjected to the horrors of war.”
According to the Sun, the Foreign Secretary ignored warnings from Government lawyers that the jihadis could legally force their own return to the UK by claiming their right to family reunion as enshrined under current human rights laws.
The Sun claims that Mr Raab’s decision was fiercely opposed by the Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was backed by the Chancellor Sajid Javid and the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
The Government has come under increasing US pressure to start dealing with British detainees held in prison camps in Kurdistan now that the elections are over.
At the moment only three children have been allowed to return, but as many as 60 more could follow.
Commenting on the revelations, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat once again urged the Government to implement legal reforms to bring the law up to date.
Mr Tugenhadt told The Sun: “They are British, they were radicalised here, they are our problem, but we must look very hard at bringing in legislation to toughen up the law first.
“Courts must be able to convict people who have betrayed the country and then lock them up for a long time.
“That means updating the treason act.”
It is believed that at least 900 British citizens fled abroad to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq, when the terrorist organisation was at its peak.
One in five of those were killed in action, while 400 have already made their way back home.
Intelligence agencies believe that more than 600 are still unaccounted for
Earlier this week it was reported that British ISIS fighter Jack Letts is more closely linked to the terrorist organisation than previously thought.
The Oxford-born Muslim convert left the country in 2014 at the age of 18 to fight for ISIS in Syria.
Letts, also known as ‘Jihadi Jack’ has now married into a top Iraqi family with links to the terrorist organisation.
Speaking to The Sun, former British soldier Alan Duncan, who fought against ISIS, insisted Letts had “definitely” married into a high-ranking family within the terror group.
Mr Duncan said: “He definitely married into a top ISIS Iraqi family and that explains why he was down in Mosul.
“The tribal leaders are what you would call Imams – as soon as a tribal leader gives his allegiance to ISIS he becomes an Emir.
Mr Duncan has spent the last two years interviewing jailed jihadis for an upcoming documentary.
The news of Letts’ status in the terror organisation comes after he had claimed he missed life back in the UK.
Speaking to ITV earlier this year, Letts said: “I miss people mostly. I miss my mum. I know that sounds a bit toddler-ish.
“I miss pasties. It’s not really English – sort of Scottish, isn’t it? I miss pasties. And Doctor Who.””
Iranians weep on TV and announce three days of national mourning for terrorist general Qassem Soleimani amid vows of ‘crushing revenge’ on US (dailymail, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7847923/Iran-promises-crushing-revenge-America-assassination-general-Qasem-Soleimani.html
“Iranians wept on state TV this morning as Tehran announced three days of national mourning for the terrorist general Qassem Soleimani killed in a US strike at Baghdad International Airport in the early hours of Friday.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of ‘jihad’ against the ‘criminals who bloodied their foul hands with his blood’, while Iraq’s prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi predicted a ‘devastating war’ will ravage his country.
An Iranian presenter embraced army spokesman Ramezan Sharif during a tearful live broadcast as they announced Soleimani’s death, the general responsible for shaping Iran’s foreign policy throughout the Middle East, he was revered and loved in his homeland….”
Terrorist general with the blood of THOUSANDS on his hands: Qassem Soleimani masterminded the killing of hundreds of US troops in IED attacks, helped Assad slaughter his people in Syria, was an ally of Hezbollah and ‘more powerful than Iran’s president’ (dailymail, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7847905/Qassem-Soleimani-terrorist-general-blood-THOUSANDS-hands.html
Iraqi militant killed by US worked with Iran for decades (abcnews, Jan 3, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraqi-militant-killed-us-worked-iran-decades-68044781
“Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a veteran Iraqi militant who was closely allied with Iran and rose to be a senior militia commander during the war against the Islamic State group, was killed overnight Friday in a U.S. strike that also felled Iran’s top general.
Al-Muhandis was the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shiite paramilitaries. He was also the founder of the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades. The U.S. blamed the group, which is separate from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, for a rocket attack in northern Iraq last week that killed a U.S. contractor.
The militias, many of which are backed by Iran and trace their roots back to the Shiite insurgency against U.S. forces following the 2003 invasion, mobilized in 2014 when the Islamic State group swept across northern and western Iraq.
Al-Muhandis, who had spent much of his life as a secretive operative in Iran’s regional shadow wars, emerged as a public face of the force, a tall man with a gray beard and thick glasses who was often seen on the front lines directing his fighters by radio.
He was killed in an American airstrike near Baghdad’s international airport around midnight along with Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of its regional military alliances. Also killed was al-Muhandis’ son-in-law Mohammed Rida al-Jaberi.
The PMF said in a statement that al-Muhandis’ body was destroyed beyond recognition.
The 56-year-old militant, born Jamal Jaafar Ebrahimi but best known by his nom de guerre, began his political life with the Dawa party, a Shiite Islamist group that was crushed by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1970s. Like others in the party, including the future Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, al-Muhandis fled abroad and joined forces with Iran.
Al-Muhandis spent the next few decades in Kuwait and Iran, working closely with the Revolutionary Guard, especially during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. During his stay in Iran in the 1980s and 1990s, al-Muhandis worked with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and its military wing, the Badr Brigades.
After the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam, al-Muhandis like many other Shiite leaders, returned to Iraq and played role in politics, at one point serving as a member of parliament. Under Soleimani’s direction, Iran steadily expanded its influence, forging close ties with Shiite militant groups as well as major political factions. Al-Muhandis operated independently at first before founding Kataeb Hezbollah.
In 2009, the U.S. Treasury targeted al-Muhandis and Kataeb Hezbollah with sanctions, saying they “committed, directed, supported, or posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces.”
He was also convicted of planning the 1983 bombings against the U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait in which five Kuwaitis were killed. He was sentenced to death in absentia in Kuwait over the case. He was also linked to a 1985 assassination attempt against the emir of Kuwait.
When Kuwait raised the case of the bombings with Iraqi officials in the mid-2000s, al-Muhandis relocated to Iran. He did not return until after the U.S. withdrawal in 2011.
He re-emerged during the war against the Islamic State group, when his forced battled the Sunni extremists across western Iraq and eastern Syria. Those efforts also helped Iran to carve out a corridor of influence stretching across the Middle East to Lebanon and Israel’s doorstep.
Al-Muhandis used to give speeches in Arabic and Farsi.
In one of his speeches, al-Muhandis thanked Iran and specifically Soleimani for joining the fight against IS and sending weapons and ammunition by land and air.
“They gave what they could immediately,” al-Muhandis said. “This courage and generosity came at a critical time.”
“When people speak about American and Russian weapons we ask them where were they in June 2014,” al-Muhandis said. That was the month IS seized large parts of Iraq, pushing all the way to the outskirts of Baghdad.
Today the PMF and allied militias control large parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria, where they are allied with President Bashar Assad and the Lebanese Hezbollah. Israel and the U.S. view the groups as part of an aggressive Iranian campaign to dominate the region.
Over the summer, PMF groups blamed Israel for mysterious drone attacks that targeted their positions in Iraq. The strikes eventually lead to the restructuring of the PMF to integrate them into the Iraqi military. The restructuring was approved by Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
On Sunday, U.S. airstrikes hit Kataeb Hezbollah posts in eastern Syria and western Iraq, killing 25 fighters and wounding dozens. Washington said the strikes were in retaliation for an attack on a base in northern Iraq that killed an American contractor and wounded four others.
Shiite militiamen and supporters retaliated by holding violent protests outside the U.S. Embassy for two days, causing damage to the entrances of the embassy. They withdraw on Wednesday following request from Iraqi officials.
In a recent interview, al-Muhandis was asked whether he sees himself one day outside the Popular Mobilization Forces. “It’s possible,” he replied. “God willing, as a martyr.”
Al-Muhandis is survived by his Iranian wife and two daughters.”
Migrant boat sinks off Turkish coast, 8 killed (abcnews, Jan 3, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/migrant-boat-sinks-off-turkish-coast-killed-68048025
“A boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey’s Aegean coast, killing eight people, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said Friday. A search-and-rescue mission continued for about seven migrants thought to be missing.
A ministry statement said a rubber boat with about 15 people on board went down late Thursday off the coast of Fethiye, in Turkey’s southwest corner.
The coast guard dispatched three boats, a team of divers, a plane and a helicopter to the area as soon as it received word of the sinking. The bodies of eight people, three of them women, were recovered, the ministry said.
There was no information on the nationalities of the migrants who were on the boat…”
Replying to a Hate Speech Discussion
AOC Likely Losing Congressional Seat Over NYC Residents Fleeing Her Utopian Chaos
This what you need to know about the bushfires in Australia
Slavery Has Returned to Africa
It has never completely disappeared, despite the West’s best efforts.
There’s a UN report on (chattel) slavery in Mauretania, around 17% of the population is in chains. No prizes for guessing who is doing the chaining.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Mauritania
Same goes for Western Sahara. That place is a black hole, it’s closed off from the outside world because of the moroccan occupation. But that aspect of Sahrawi culture is plain to see in their refugee camps in Algeria:
http://northafricapost.com/20893-forgotten-victims-slavery-polisario-run-tindouf-camps.html
I’ve also seen reports about Sudan, teens having their tongues ripped out and trafficked to the Arabian peninsula. Such practices didn’t die out with the Mahdi, unfortunately.
I doubt it will ever be totally wiped out, the best we can do is drive it underground for a few decades to a Century or a Century and a half.
Treason to the Left
Andy Ngo: Breaking Down Antifa Violence & Extremism [TPUSA Special] | American Thought Leaders
Think Big Tech Isn’t a Problem? OK Boomer. | America Uncovered
Iran vows ‘harsh retaliation’ after US airstrike kills Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani
President of Iran Hassan Rouhani had words of praise for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani early Friday morning, hours after the top military general was killed in an airstrike in Iraq ordered by President Trump, and he promised to “take revenge for this heinous crime.”
Rouhani also said Iran would “raise the flag” of Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, “in defense of the country’s territorial integrity and the fight against terrorism and extremism in the region.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-promises-harsh-retaliation-after-us-airstrike-kills-iranian-gen-qassem-soleimani
Ilhan Omar Attacks Trump For Killing Top Iranian Terrorist, Promotes Conspiracy Theory
Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) attacked President Donald Trump late on Thursday night for his order to kill top terrorist leaders in Iraq and also promoted a conspiracy theory.
Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were the two terrorist leaders who were killed. Al-Muhandis was in charge of the Iranian-linked Popular Mobilization Forces.
The Department of Defense released a statement stating that Trump ordered the strike because “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-ilhan-omar-attacks-trump-for-killing-top-iranian-terrorist-promotes-conspiracy-theory
‘I will stand against you’: Iranian general repels Trump’s GoT-themed attack with own meme
The leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani, has responded to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that ‘sanctions are coming’ with a Game of Thrones-inspired meme of his own.
“Come! We are waiting,” Major-General Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, wrote on Instagram in Farsi on Friday, under the image depicting him as a White Walker from the hit HBO show.
“I am your enemy. Quds Force is your enemy,” added Soleimani. “You start this war, but we will finish it.”
https://www.rt.com/news/443009-soleimani-iran-trump-response/
US kills Iran’s most powerful general in Baghdad airstrike
BAGHDAD (AP) — The United States killed Iran’s top general and the architect of Tehran’s proxy wars in the Middle East in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport early on Friday, an attack that threatens to dramatically ratchet up tensions in the region.
The targeted killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, could draw forceful Iranian retaliation against American interests in the region and spiral into a far larger conflict between the U.S. and Iran, endangering U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and beyond.
The Defense Department said it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.” It also accused Soleimani of approving the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.
https://apnews.com/5597ff0f046a67805cc233d5933a53ed
State Department urges U.S. citizens to leave Iraq immediately
The State Department issued a security alert early Friday morning urging Americans in Iraq to leave the country immediately.
The warning comes hours after Iran promised “harsh retaliation” against the United States for an airstrike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad International Airport.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-urges-u-s-citizens-to-leave-iraq-immediately
No, killing Soleimani doesn’t mean war
Maybe Trump’s critics are just as wrong as they’ve been every other time
Everybody knows Donald Trump is going to start a war. His critics have been saying so since his first year in office — remember the war with North Korea they predicted right after Trump tweeted about unleashing ‘fire and fury’ on the Little Rocket Man? That war didn’t happen. Nor did an insurgency break out when President Trump moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, an act that the Trump haters were certain would incite waves of violence and unquenchable turmoil. But maybe the third time’s the charm — maybe the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, leader of the Quds Force division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, in a US airstrike in Iraq will finally give the president’s detractors the war they’ve been anticipating.
Or maybe not — maybe the critics are just as wrong as they’ve been every other time: about wars that Trump didn’t start, about collusion with Russia that didn’t happen, about the crash of America’s economy…the list goes on. The president should be reassured to have enemies who are so reliably wrong.
https://spectator.us/does-soleimani-death-mean-war/
State Dept has issued a travel warning for Iraq.
Baltimore should also get a travel warning.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=baltimore%20%22robbery%22%20liquid%20fire&ia=web
WBAL talkshow is reviewing how to legally carry a gun.
https://www.wbal.com/article/428680/2/police-man-robbed-set-on-fire-in-east-baltimore
Here is the audio link and an account of the 6AM fire-setting robbery. How does this differ from terrorism?
Talk Host is comparing per captia murders, saying that NYC is a safer place to live.
Rose McGowan apologizes to Iran for Trump’s actions:
https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/1212976832544460801
Flashes her (halal?) cleavage, posts imperial standard of the Shah. Should go down well with the mullahs!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Standards_of_Iran
Paris Police Firearms Officers ‘Neutralise’ Knifeman Who Stabbed Passers-By, Killing One (breitbart, Jan 3. 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/03/paris-police-firearms-officers-neutralise-knifeman-who-stabbed-passers-by-killing-one/
“A knifeman who injured two police officers and stabbed three members of the public, killing one in a Paris suburb was shot by French police Friday afternoon.
The alleged killer was “neutralised” by firearm-carrying police officers in the southern Paris suburb of Villejuif around 1400 local time (0800 EST) Friday. Paris based newspaper Le Parisien reports the assailant attacked several people in a local park in assaults that were described to have taken place at random.
Three people were stabbed during the incident, one of whom is reported to have died of their injuries. Police pursued the suspect through the park and exchanged gunfire with him, the paper claims. The man was “neutralised” by police during the chase, and two police officers were injured.
While the motivation for the attack is not yet known, Le Figaro reports a bomb disposal team has been deployed to the park, suggesting police may suspect the presence of explosives.
The attack, which French media described as “random”, follows another in the Villejuif neighborhood in May 2019 when a man who was reported to shout “Allahu Akbar” as he struck attacked passers-by with a knife and iron bar. A man was arrested and the injuries were not fatal, FranceBleu reported at the time.
In 2017, police raided an apartment in Villejuif following a tip-off and uncovered a terrorist plot to bomb French banks. Officers found 3.5 ounces of TATP in the flat, a common explosive used in Jihadist attacks because of its power and comparative ease of production.”
Paris stabbing: Four injured after man ‘in explosive vest’ goes on rampage in Villejuif
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1223579/paris-stabbing-attack-terror-Villejuif-police-parc-des-hauts
One killed in Paris stabbing, assailant shot dead: sources
French police shot dead a knife-wielding man who killed one person and injured at least two others in a park in a suburb south of Paris on Friday, police and sources close to the inquiry said.
Iran’s Khamenei Taunted Trump Before Soleimani Strike: ‘You Can’t Do Anything’ (breitbart, Jan 2, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/01/02/irans-khamenei-taunted-trump-before-soleimani-strike-you-cant-do-anything/
“Iranian dictator Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted Wednesday that the U.S. was powerless to respond to Iran’s attacks against American contractors, soldiers, and diplomats: “You can’t do anything,” he taunted President Donald Trump.
By Thursday — Friday morning local time — U.S. forces had taken out Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, thought to be behind recent attacks in Iraq, and responsible for hundreds of earlier American deaths in that country.
Trump had tweeted Wednesday, after an Iranian-backed militia stormed the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, that Iran “will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE!”
He added: “This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!”
But Khamenei dismissed the threat, as did Iranian military leaders. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leader Major General Hossein Salami, who said that “we are not worried.”
That may have contributed to security lapses Thursday, when a U.S. airstrike, at President Trump’s command, took out Soleimani and a local militia leader traveling with him.
Trump’s comment, via Twitter: a simple American flag.”
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The United States embassy in Baghdad urged on Friday all citizens to depart Iraq immediately, hours after the U.S. killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in an air strike.
“Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the U.S. Embassy urges American citizens to heed the January 2020 Travel Advisory and depart Iraq immediately. U.S. citizens should depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to other countries via land,” it said in a statement.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-blast-embassy/us-embassy-urges-citizens-to-depart-iraq-immediately-statement-idUSKBN1Z20NR?utm_source=reddit.com
Pentagon confirms strike near Baghdad Airport killed Soleimani, top Iraqi militia leader Muhandis
By J.E. Dyer January 2, 2020
Within the last hour, the Pentagon has confirmed earlier reporting from Iraq that an air strike against a vehicle convoy on road to Baghdad International Airport killed the chief of Iran’s paramilitary Qods Force, Qasem Soleimani.
The Pentagon statement also confirms the death of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leader of Kataib Hezbollah. Kataib Hezbollah was behind the attack on the U.S. embassy this week, and is implicated in the rocket attacks in Kirkuk, Iraq, which killed an American last Friday, as well as more recent rocket attacks targeting American interests in Baghdad.
The text of the Pentagon statement:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/01/02/pentagon-confirms-strike-near-baghdad-airport-killed-soleimani-top-iraqi-militia-leader-muhandis/
Richard: As always read the full article:
As J.E. says it is almost impossible to over estimate the importance of this strike and the damage it did to Iran and their plans. Soleimani was one of their top Generals and planners, in the vehicle with Solemimani was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leader of Kataib Hezbollah, the head of the PMF and according to some reports the head of the Lebanese Hezbollah. There were reports of something big being planned and with all of those leaders it may have been at attack on US positions and personal, an attack on US allies including Israel or coordinated attacks on several different types of targets.
We don ‘t know what the “Something Big” was but we do know that the death of the planners have disrupted the plans and that the various groups (if they are even semi sane) won’t carry out that plan. After all if we had the intel to locate and take out the leaders we might know the targets they were planning on hitting and will have those facilities/people are now on high alert and prepared for the attacks.
This attack also sends a message to the top Iranian leaders that the game has changed it they plan and get proxies to attack the US we won’t retaliate against just the Proxies but will also go after the planners and paymasters. Are they ready to start playing the game of thrones when they are no longer safe in their various supposed safe spaces? Remember one of the prime tactics is that you don’t let the enemy have any sanctuary where they feel safe. You ensure that they feel at risk everywhere. This constant fear helps destroy their will to resist and makes victory easier. In WWII this was achieved by massive bombing raids pattern bombing the cities and military posts. Now it is achieved by drone strikes in areas they think are safe, areas that are off limits for military action.
The spice on the dish is the way that this strike and th e strike on the Iranian positions at the border also send a message to Erdogan that his ambition of an exclusive economic zone across a narrow portions of the Med (see Yucki’s posts on this subject) that will cut all nations to the east of Libya from many types of trade and will block the mineral exploitation that Israel is starting to do with the natural gas deposits off their coast.
This strike also sends a message to China and Russia that they can’t expect the US to cave to their pressure like Obama did, they now have to plan for resistance to everything they are trying to do.
Something I forgot to say, look at the pictures of the Iranians celebrating in the streets Yahoo the witch is dead. Ok so he wasn’t a witch, he was a bloody handed murderous Alpha Hotel on the order of Che, the big difference is that Soleminani was competent and despite the propaganda the only things Che was good at was kissing Castro’s butt and beating prisoners (tied to chairs) to death with ball bats.
PT’s elimination of the single most important military asset of the Islamic Republic will surely penetrate even a megalomaniac’s delusions. (More than one way to bring a tardish führer to heel.)
We’ve re-established our Strong Horse position. It had fallen to Carter administration lows. PT hadn’t convinced anybody out there till now. Nothing but a series of stumbles. Costly ones too.
The Strong Horse model is as Arab as honor-killing. They’ll turn on a dime to follow the Strong Horse. Now the Gulfies are more likely to commit. They’ve done _squat_ till now.
Image is more important than substance, but it’s not easily manufactured by PR professionals.
PT tried to buy it for MbS, like a Miss Universe Pageant promotion. They even set up a Riyadh-based social media operation to convince a highly skeptical American public. That backfired within the region, revealed manifest weaknesses.
This is no chess game. PT has flipped the board. We’re into a whole new play station.
And our Islamic enemies are trying to recalculate what they are facing while the left is discovering that what they thought was someone they could destroy is a big angry lion with very sharp claws. The next 5 years are going to be very interesting.
Omar threatens to ‘step in and stop’ Trump following Soleimani killing
by John Gage
| January 02, 2020 11:08 PM
Print this article
Rep. Ilhan Omar accused President Trump of trying to create a “distraction” by killing Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an attempt to ignite a war with Iran.
“So what if Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the distraction?” the Minnesota Democrat said Thursday on Twitter. “Real question is, will those with congressional authority step in and stop him? I know I will.”
The Pentagon announced earlier in the evening that the United States had killed Soleimani, Iran’s top “shadow commander” who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans. “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans,” the Department of Defense said in the statement. “The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”
Trump had threatened Tuesday to retaliate against Iran after militia groups backed by the country attempted to storm the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. The president tweeted out an American flag after news of his killing was confirmed.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/omar-threatens-to-step-in-and-stop-trump-following-soleimani-killing
About those de-radicalization programmes..
Man behind terrorist rehab programme admits you can ‘never’ be sure risk eliminated
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1223312/london-bridge-terrorist-rehab-programme-failure-christopher-dean
A psychologist behind the government’s terrorist deradicalisation programme admitted experts “can never be sure” that an attacker is no longer a risk. Christopher Dean said that some offenders on the scheme, which London Bridge attacker Usman Khan took part in, regress and there is no guarantee they can be “cured”.
[..]
Ian Acheson, a former Home Office official who led a review of extremism in prisons, said the shortcomings of the HII programme were highlighted in 2016.
He said there was evidence that showed the scheme was “easy to game or manipulate”.
“In other words, there was a degree of false compliance with the healthy identity intervention course which meant that it would appear that people had improved or made progress when in fact they might simply have been disguising their intentions in order for attention to pass on to someone else,” he said.
“I think we must accept that there may be a small number of people who are potentially ideologically bulletproof and do not wish to recant their hateful views and we must actually start looking at them through the lens of public protection and national security rather than perhaps create unrealistic expectations of rehabilitation.”
London Bridge terror attack MUST spark law change to protect public, says Ann Widdecombe
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1214088/london-bridge-terror-attack-usman-khan-freed-prison-parole-ann-widdecombe-brexit-party
Speaking to Express.co.uk earlier this week, US-based academic and author Professor Michael Kenney warned others who, like Khan, had secured early release from prison may be plotting similar attacks, suggesting it could already be too late to stop them.
For his book, Islamic State in Britain, Prof Kenney interviewed 48 current and former members of al-Muhajiroun, the banned terrorist organisation founded and led by radical preachers Omar Bakri Muhammad and Anjem Choudary.
He warned: “It’s certainly possible that other disaffected former ALM people are thinking of doing something similar.
New Year’s Eve: Youths Attack Swedish Police with Molotov Cocktails (breitbart, Jan 3, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/03/new-years-eve-youths-attack-swedish-police-molotov-cocktails/
“Swedish police in the city of Växjö were attacked by a gang of up to 15 youths armed with Molotov cocktails after they arrested two people for drunk driving on New Year’s Eve.
According to Evelina Olsson, spokeswoman for the South Region police, one police officer had flammable liquid on his clothing but none of the officers were injured, Swedish newspaper Expressen reports.
The attackers immediately fled the scene following the incident which occurred at around 11pm. According to Olsson, no arrests were made but an investigation into rioting was launched.
The Swedish capital of Stockholm was relatively calm on New Year’s Eve except for a notable incident in the “vulnerable” no-go suburb of Husby where police were attacked with rockets and firecrackers. Elsewhere in Stockholm police say a woman reported being raped and was taken to a local hospital.
The most serious incidents occurred in Vinslöv north of Hässleholm and saw a 34-year-old man brutally beaten and stabbed by several attackers, and in Trollhättan where another man had been seriously stabbed. No suspects were arrested in either of the two incidents.
Last year, Sweden also saw an attempted murder in Haninge municipality along with attacks on police officers by youths armed with fireworks in Kristianstad. Around 17 cars were also set on fire in Gothenburg.
The city of Växjö, where the molotov attack took place this week, made headlines in 2018 after the local Muslim community demanded the right to publically broadcast the call to prayer with local Imam Ismail Abu Helal stating: “Muslims are not visitors in Växjö, we live here.” The request was later granted by police several months later.
France, which has a history of car burnings over New Year’s Eve, recorded hundreds of cars being set on fire during the night, including 220 cars in the city of Strasbourg and 127 in Besançon.”
Nov 19 2019 ISIS chiefs plotting mass jailbreaks – Iraq intelligence issues ‘catastrophe’ warning
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1206628/isis-news-turkey-recep-tayyip-erdogan-syria-iraq-latest
ISIS chiefs are hiding in Turkey and plotting mass jailbreaks in Syria and Iraq to resurrect the caliphate, claims the head of intelligence in Iraq.
Lieutenant General Saad al-Allaq said he has provided intelligence on up to nine alleged senior ISIS members to Turkish officials. A financier is among them ready to create mayhem throughout the world using “the best bomb makers that ISIS ever had”, he told CNN. The men reportedly paid large sums to be smuggled into Turkey.
He added: “Those elements who are right now in Turkey play a key role in the recruitment of fighters and terrorists.”
He also said ISIS intends to break open prisons holding jihadists in Iraq and Syria.
There are an estimated 10,000 suspected ISIS fighters.
The news comes after a senior US State Department official warned the situation was “a ticking time bomb”.
He added: “We have concluded that the real intention of ISIS is to begin a mission called ‘Break Down the Fences’ to storm jails inside Iraq and Syria to free terrorists.”
He added: “Huge international efforts should be taken to deal with this issue because these criminals are able to leave these camps and go back to their countries and thus they pose great danger in countries like Europe, Asia and northwest Africa.”
He said should prisoners be able to escape it would be nothing short of a “catastrophe”.
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an last week issued a terrifying threat to the EU on ISIS, immigration and Cyprus in an astonishing rant.
The Turkish leader has threatened to open the door which could see supporters of the ISIS terrorist militia flooding into Europe in a chilling threat to the bloc.
He told EU leaders before leaving for a visit to the US: “You may take it lightly, but these doors can open.
“Then you can see how you manage.”
He then chillingly added: “You have always strung Turkey along.”
The Turkish President has demanded Brussels reconsider its attitude towards a country that not only has control over many imprisoned ISIS members in
Turkey and Syria, but shockingly announced yesterday it could aid in the resurgence of the extremist terror organisation.
He threatened to flood Europe with migrants from neighbouring Syria including jihadis from ISIS.
Just this week Turkey deported suspected German ISIS supporters to Berlin for the first time.
President Erdogan also accused the EU of failing to keep its promises amid a painfully slow accession process into the bloc.
Turkey also demanded the EU to intimidate Ankara regarding developments in Cyprus.
This is a reference the Turkish natural gas wells in front of Cyprus, of which the EU classified as unlawful.
New sanctions were cleared this week as a result.
Just yesterday, a senior Kurdish commander in Syria has warned a major terror attack on the West is imminent.
General Mazloum Kabani lashed out at the West for withdrawing from Syria, warning the actions meant the risk of a terror attack had substantially increased.
He said: “The danger of the resurgence of ISIS is very big. And it’s a serious danger.
“I think there are many people who don’t know this but it’s true. The Turkish aggression opened the space and provided hope for ISIS members.”
When asked about the prospect of another “spectacular” terror attack like the Manchester Arena bombing or the Paris Bataclan attack, he was blunt in his words.
Ep. 1149 This is President Trump’s Finest Hour – The Dan Bongino Show.
Rep. Maxine Waters Promises Russian Prankster Posing as Greta Thunberg to Save Fictitious Island (sputniknews, Jan 3, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/us/202001031077931536-rep-maxine-waters-promises-russian-prankster-posing-as-greta-thunberg-to-save-fictitious-island/
Prank with Maxine Waters (Stars Save the Earth #1)
Marine Corps Authorizes Concealed Carry on Bases Following Recent Shootings
The Marine Corps announced Tuesday that it was authorizing Marines and civilians in Marine Corps law enforcement roles to carry personal firearms while on base.
Lieutenant General George Smith, Deputy Commandant, Plans, Policies, and Operations, announced in a press release that the Marines were changing their policy following December shootings at Naval Air Station Pensacola and at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii, which left five dead.
“These tragic events prompted Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) to accelerate existing efforts to develop concealed carry policies,” the memo reads.
Marine Corps spokesman Captain Joseph Butterfield said that approximately 3,200 individuals will be eligible to carry their personal firearms under the new policy, according to the Washington Examiner. Before the change, only Marine Corps law enforcement officials were allowed to carry service weapons while performing on-duty tasks.
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/marine-corps-authorizes-concealed-carry-on-bases-following-recent-shootings/
Turkey sends Syrian mercenaries to fight on its behalf in Libya
It is believed that 300 are already on the battlefield while 1,600 are training in Turkey
Damascus: Despite calls from the Arab League to refrain from sending foreign troops to Libya, Turkey has started shipping Syrian mercenaries to the war-torn country, in support of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated government of Prime Minister Fayez Al Sarraj.
Earlier in the week, reports of Syrian fighters appearing on the streets of Tripoli went viral on social media networks.
Syrian activists identified them by their accent, saying that they were members of the Sultan Murad Division, Al Mutasim, Suleiman Shah Division, and the Sham Legion, which are all on Turkish payroll, shipped to the deserts of Libya from the Syrian cities of Afrin, Idlib, and the Aleppo countryside.
Links to Muslim Brotherhood
Sultan Murad has been active in the Syrian war and its links to the Brotherhood are well known, despite attempts at distancing itself from the outlawed organization, back in 2014.
Both of these Syrian groups embraced Turkey’s invasion of the Syrian northeast last October and both have played a crucial role in the nearly ten-year conflict in Syria.
One reason for the latest move is that these fighters are in abundance and Erdogan doesn’t have much work left for them inside Syria.
“Most military operations have ceased against the Kurdish controlled areas in Syria, due to the Putin-Erdogan agreement,” said Elijah J. Magnier, a journalist and analyst on Middle East affairs.
Speaking to Gulf News, he explained: “Erdogan has tens of thousands of these mercenaries and wouldn’t mind investing several hundred of them in oil-rich Libya.”
Conflicting reports
“I’m still uncertain what to make of the reports,” said Aron Lund, a fellow with The Century Foundation.
Speaking to Gulf News, he explained: “How many Syrians have actually arrived in Libya, and why? Are they there as fighters, or just a smaller group accompanying Turkish special forces as trainers or translators, or something else? We just don’t know at this stage.”
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says that at least 1,600 of them have been sent to training camps in Turkey, and another 300 are already in the Libyan battlefield.
Turkey is offering them salaries that range between $,200-2,500 USD, SOHR added, with 3-6 months contracts, in return for “heading to Tripoli.”
SOHR, which has documented the entire Syrian conflict, adds that it obtained audio records of Syrian fighters saying that they are embarking to Tripoli.
“We will move at 10:00 AM from Afrin, and we are not slaves of the dollar but our conditions and debts have pushed us to do this,” he said.
In one of the online videos, another fighter is heard saying: “We come to Libya to raise the banner of Islam.”
For now, these fighters are assembling at the Salah Al Din area, being the southern entrance of the Libyan capital, and the in the Takabali Camp, which is already under the control of pro-Turkey militias.
Syrian registration centres
Back in Syria in Turkish-occupied territory, centers have opened to register the names of those who are willing to enlist in the Libyan so-called “jihad”.
One of these centers lies in Asayish and is under the supervision of the Turkish-backed Al Hazmat Division.
A second is controlled by Al Jabha Al Shamiya and a third in the village of Qibariyah, handled by the Al Mutassim Division.
For now, they are sporadic groups arriving in batches to Libya, expected to coalesce into a division named after Omar Al Mukhtar, a renowned Libyan resistance leader against Italian occupation, who was executed in 1931.
Syrians of fighting age are very familiar with a film about him, made by Syrian director Mustapha Al Akkad, which aired repeatedly on Syrian television before outbreak of the Syria war in 2011.
‘Not quite jihdadists’
“I don’t think this should be viewed in the context of jihadism,” added Lund, saying “The groups allegedly involved are not ideological religious outfits, they’re proxies of the Turkish government. They’re somewhere on a scale between Islamism and Turkish and Syrian nationalism, but also basically mercenaries.”
The deployment aims of Turkish and Syrian troops aims at pushing back the advancing forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Erdogan hopes to establish a no-fly zone over the capital, Tripoli, similar to the one he carved out on the Syrian-Turkish border.
And then, he hopes that through shifting battlefield dynamics, he can strengthen his cards as a powerbroker in Libya, just like he did with Syria through engagement with the two guarantors at Astana, being Russia and Iran.
https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/turkey-sends-syrian-mercenaries-to-fight-on-its-behalf-in-libya-1.68786271