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.
Defense Secretary: Soleimani Was Planning Attack Within Days
Nigeria soldiers killed in clashes around Monguno, key garrison town near Lake Chad (thedefensepost, Jan 8, 2019)
https://thedefensepost.com/2020/01/08/nigeria-soldiers-killed-monguno-lake-chad-iswap/
“Three soldiers have been killed in intense fighting between Nigeria’s army and Islamist militants around a key garrison town in the Lake Chad area, a security source said Wednesday.
The soldiers died when an army vehicle burst into flames after a car filled with explosives rammed into a convoy on Tuesday, January 7, the source told AFP.
PRNigeria reported intelligence sources as saying that a patrol was attacked near Monguno on Tuesday evening, but the patrol was quickly reinforced and the attack was repelled.
“Though there were fewer casualties on the Nigerian troops through Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices, many Boko Haram Terrorists were however eliminated during the encounter,” a source said.
Update January 8 In a later statement, Islamic State said fighters from its West Africa Province affiliate carried out the attack, claiming that eight soldiers were killed and three armored vehicles were damaged when a “booby-trapped car” exploded. It said a four-wheel drive vehicle, weapons and ammunition were captured.
Monguno is in the Lake Chad area, around 100 km (62 miles) northeast of Borno state capital Maiduguri. It has been repeatedly attacked by insurgents who have made several failed attempts to overrun the large military Super Camp located just outside the town.
Tuesday’s attack occurred during fighting with ISWAP militants in Monguno, after dozens of fighters aboard several trucks fitted with machine guns attacked the town, AFP reported.
Residents in Monguno said a rocket-propelled grenade struck a refugee camp housing thousands of people, causing a fire that gutted hundreds of tents.
“We still don’t know if anyone was killed in the camp but some people sustained burns,” said Monguno resident Kulo Gana.
AFP later reported Gana as saying that eight people died and 20 were injured.
Residents also said militants ambushed buses carrying civilians under military escort outside the town, sparking a gun battle.
Militants also stormed a compound housing the offices of aid agencies working in the region. Residents said they launched grenades into the offices, which had been evacuated before the attack.
Soldiers quelled the attacks and put the town on lockdown on Wednesday, with troops stepping up patrols, residents said.
Soldiers who repelled the attack killed many of the insurgents, witnesses said.
Just days earlier, Chad completed the withdrawal of 1,200 troops from the region – including hundreds from Monguno – after completing a nine-month mission fighting insurgents in the Lake Chad area which straddles the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. The pullout from the largest base in the region sparked widespread fears of increased insurgent attacks.
The jihadist group known as Boko Haram began its bloody insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009, but it has since spread into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military response.
The four countries banded together in the Multinational Joint Task Force to fight the insurgency, with support from civilian defense committees. The MNJTF launched Operation Yancin Tafki in February 2019 with Chad contributing 1,200 troops. A spokesperson said it was aimed at “making islands and other settlements in Lake Chad untenable for Boko Haram Terrorists.” Actions have been conducted in Nigeria and Niger as part of the operation.
Boko Haram split into two factions in mid-2016. One, which is also known as JAS, is headed by long-time leader Abubakar Shekau and is notorious for suicide bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians. Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in March 2015, but ISIS central only gives formal backing to the other faction, which it calls Islamic State West Africa Province.
ISWAP largely focuses on attacking military and government targets. Its main area of operations is the Lake Chad area of Nigeria, Chad and Niger, and to a lesser extent Cameroon, but the group has intensified attacks on military locations in west of Maiduguri in recent months.
The U.S. assesses that Boko Haram and ISWAP are responsible for more than 35,000 deaths since 2011. More than two million people have been displaced by the conflict, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.”
“Evil Sunrise” – Creepy Red Devil Horns Rise Over Iran
Creepy red devil horns over the Persian Gulf were photographed during a solar eclipse.
Amateur photographer Elias Chasiotis captured the incredible photos of the giant red horns rising on December 26 whilst he was in Qatar.
Just days after this omen, the US killed top Iran commander and terrorist Qassam Soleimani.
Another photo shows the red crescent rising:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/evil-sunrise-creepy-red-devil-horns-rise-over-iran/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Exclusive: US Base in Iraq Hit by Iranian Fragmentation Missiles
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/08/2178117/exclusive-us-base-in-iraq-hit-by-iranian-fragmentation-missiles
“Tasnim News Agency has learned that Iran used sophisticated missiles with fragmentation warheads in an attack on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Iraq early Wednesday.
According to information obtained by Tasnim, the US missile defense systems in Iraq have failed to intercept any missile that the IRGC Aerospace Force rained down on Ain al-Assad airbase in Anbar province in western Iraq early Wednesday.
In the Iranian attack, launched in retaliation for the US assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, the IRGC Aerospace Force utilized the Fateh-313 and the Qiam missiles, with a range of 500 km and 800 km, respectively.
The Fateh-313 missiles have such a high velocity that the American defense systems have been unable to intercept any of the projectiles.
Moreover, the Qiam missiles fired in the overnight strike have been equipped with radar jamming systems and fragmentation warheads.
This was the first time that Iran has used such advanced missiles in a combat operation.
In June 2017, the IRGC had utilized Qiam for hitting the ISIS targets in Syria, but the missiles launched in that operation had regular warheads as the targets had been packed in a small area.
The fragmentation warhead in each of the Qiam missiles fired in the Wednesday strike have reportedly caused tens of explosions at the American airbase.
Tasnim has also learned that the IRGC has struck only the Ain al-Assad base in the January 8 attack.
Moreover, all of the Iranian missile units had gone on alert at the time of the operation against the US base in Iraq, and the Americans had been also notified that any reaction to the strike would have sparked a very harsh response from Tehran.”
Bill Clinton Pictured with Epstein’s ‘Pimp’ Ghislaine Maxwell and a Sex Slave on Infamous Private Jet “Lolita Express”
New photos of former President Bill Clinton with Epstein’s ‘pimp’ Ghislaine Maxwell and a sex slave on board the private jet “Lolita Express” has surfaced.
The Sun exclusively obtained the photos of Bill Clinton who was also pictured with his arm around Epstein’s masseuse and sex slave Chauntae Davies.
Chauntae Davies told The Sun that she was required to wear a pilot’s uniform in order to appear ‘professional.’
The photos of Bill Clinton were taken on a long distance flight to Africa where he participated in a 5-day ‘humanitarian’ trip with celebrities such as Kevin Spacey.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/bill-clinton-pictured-with-epsteins-pimp-ghislaine-maxwell-and-a-sex-slave-on-infamous-private-jet-lolita-express/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Top General Warns of Iran’s Stronger Response to Any New US Attacks
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/08/2177423/top-general-warns-of-iran-s-stronger-response-to-any-new-us-attacks
“Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces warned the US that any new evil act will draw Iran’s “stronger, more crushing, and broader” response, hours after the IRGC stormed two US military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani…”
US Has No Future in Region: Iran’s Zarif
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/08/2178079/us-has-no-future-in-region-iran-s-zarif
“Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the US government’s major role in increased tensions in the Middle East and said American troops will have no place in the future of the region…”
Ayatollah Khamenei: US’ Corruptive Presence in Region Must End
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/08/2177697/ayatollah-khamenei-us-corruptive-presence-in-region-must-end
“Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called for an end to the presence of American forces in the region, which he said only causes corruption…”
(Richard: Anyone want to bet that Trump was advised to do this to make the more superstious Moslems think he was receiving blessings from on high?)
You couldn’t have planned this any better—-
A Vision from Heaven—
President Trump opened his speech on the Iranian provocation in a beam of light with rays of sunshine shooting off his shoulders.
Trump delivered.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/a-vision-in-light-president-trump-opens-historic-speech-on-iranian-attack-in-a-beam-of-light-and-rays-of-sunshine-shooting-off-his-shoulders/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
It may be censored from them for that very reason.
Iraq to Summon Iran Envoy over Missile Attack
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2072966/iraq-summon-iran-envoy-over-missile-attack
“Iraq’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it rejected Iran’s missile attack on Iraqi military bases housing US troops and would summon Tehran’s ambassador in Baghdad to convey its protest.
“The foreign ministry rejects these attacks and considers them a violation of Iraqi sovereignty,” it said in a statement.
“It stresses that Iraq is an independent state and that its internal security is its priority. We will not allow it to become a battlefield. The foreign ministry will summon Iran’s ambassador and convey this to him.”
Earlier, caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had condemned Tehran for violating Iraq’s sovereignty during the attack.
“Iraq refuses any violation of its sovereignty and any attacks on its territory,” his office said in a statement.
Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing US troops in Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation for the US killing Qassem Soleimani, raising the stakes in its conflict with Washington amid concern of a wider war in the Middle East.
Tehran’s move drew sharp condemnation from the international community and calls for de-escalation and respecting Iraq’s sovereignty.
Tehran’s foreign minister said Iran took “proportionate measures” in self-defense and did not seek to escalate the confrontation.
US President Donald Trump said there were no American casualties in the strikes and that Tehran appeared to be standing down. He announced that the US will immediately place new sanctions on Tehran “until Iran changes its behavior.””
Western Intelligence Agencies See No Signs Ukraine Airliner was Shot down
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2073011/western-intelligence-agencies-see-no-signs-ukraine-airliner-was-shot-down
“The initial assessment of Western intelligence agencies is that a Ukrainian airliner which crashed in Iran on Wednesday was not brought down by a missile, said a Canadian security source.
The source, who declined to be identified, said the agencies believed the Boeing 737 plane had suffered a technical malfunction. The Ukraine International Airline jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
The disaster occurred shortly after Iran launched a series of missile attacks against two military bases in Iraq that housed US troops.
“The initial assessment of Western intelligence agencies is that the plane was not brought down by a missile. There is no evidence to suggest that,” said the source.
The agencies believe the most likely cause of the crash was a malfunction, the source added, saying there was some evidence one of the plane’s engines had overheated.
Boeing said it had no additional comment. Earlier, the company said it was in contact with the airline and was ready to assist.
In July 2014 a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine during a rebellion by Russian-backed separatists, killing all 298 people on board.”
Trump Goes There: ‘The Missiles Fired Last Night at Us Were Paid For by the Funds Given to Iran by the Obama Administration’ (VIDEO)
President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday morning following the Iranian missile attacks that hit US facilities in Iraq.
The President called out Barack Obama for the sham nuke deal that gave Iran $150 billion.
Trump also blasted Obama for the additional $1.8 billion in cash that he delivered to Iran in unmarked cargo planes on wooden pallets.
President Trump said the missiles that were fired last night were funded by the Obama Administration.
The garbage nuke deal wasn’t worth the paper is was written on (Obama never required Iranian leaders to sign the nuke deal).
The Obama Admin admitted that the Iran nuke deal wasn’t “an executive agreement” or even a “signed document.”
The Iranians laughed at Obama and fired off ballistic missiles many times breaching the so-called nuke deal.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/trump-goes-there-the-missiles-fired-last-night-at-us-were-paid-for-by-the-funds-given-to-iran-by-the-obama-administration-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Intelligence Data Show Iran May Have Deliberately Missed US Forces in Iraq strikes
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2072901/intelligence-data-show-iran-may-have-deliberately-missed-us-forces-iraq-strikes
“Iran is believed to have deliberately avoided US military casualties during retaliatory missile strikes on bases housing American troops in Iraq, following the US killing of an Iranian general, according to US and European government sources familiar with intelligence assessments.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday the Iranians were thought to have targeted the attacks to miss US forces to prevent the crisis from escalating out of control while still signaling Iranian resolve in response to the US killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last week.
A source in Washington said overnight that early indications were that there were no US casualties following the strikes on the al-Asad airbase and another facility in Erbil.
Iran was believed to have tried to hit certain parts of the bases to minimize casualties and especially to avoid US fatalities, three sources said. This assessment included some intelligence from inside Iran confirming the nature of the attack plan, they said.
“They wanted to respond but almost certainly not to escalate,” one of the US sources said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran took “proportionate measures” in self-defense and did not seek war with the United States.
US President Donald Trump, who ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday, gave an initial response to the Iranian missile attacks, saying on Twitter: “All is well!”
Trump administration officials will brief the US Congress on Wednesday on the killing of Soleimani that has sparked a new Middle East crisis.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and CIA Director Gina Haspel will address the House of Representatives behind closed doors at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) and the Senate at 2:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT), five days after the US drone strike in Iraq.”
Iran intended to kill U.S. personnel in missile attack: U.S. general
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-pentagon/iran-intended-to-kill-u-s-personnel-in-missile-attack-u-s-general-idUSKBN1Z72ZM
“Iran’s missile attack on Wednesday had been intended to kill U.S. personnel at Iraq’s al-Asad airbase, the top U.S. military officer said, in remarks that suggested that Tehran was, and perhaps still is, willing to risk major U.S. retaliation.
Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was not ready to say whether Iran was done after its unprecedented attack on two Iraqi bases that host troops from the United States, Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom and other nations.
Asked if perhaps Iran would see this as an incomplete mission, given the lack of U.S. fatalities, Milley said: “I think it’s perhaps too early to tell.”
Milley said he and others in the military “fully expect” Shia militia groups in Iraq, backed by Iran, to carry out attacks against U.S. and U.S.-led forces in Iraq and Syria: “That’s a very real possibility.”
His remarks came hours after President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested Iran was “standing down” after it fired missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq overnight, as both sides appeared to be looking to defuse a crisis over the U.S. killing of an Iranian general.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said the strikes “concluded” Tehran’s response to the U.S. killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addressing a gathering of Iranians chanting “Death to America,” said the missile attacks were a “slap on the face” of the United States and said U.S. troops should leave the region.
Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to respond militarily to Iran’s attack.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, standing alongside Milley, cautioned that the U.S. military remained “poised and ready.”
Milley and Esper offered the most detail to date about the Iranian missile attack overnight, telling reporters at the Pentagon that Iran fired 16 short-range ballistic missiles from at least three locations inside Iran.
At least 11 of them hit al-Asad, while at least one other missile hit a facility in Erbil, Iraq. The others failed in flight. Esper said targets hit included tents, a helicopter and a parking lot and there was no major damage.
MISSILES WITH SIGNIFICANT POWER
Milley noted the missiles had 1,000 to 2,000-pound warheads on them, each with significant explosive power and “kill radius.”
“I believe, based on what I saw and what I know, is that (the strikes) were intended to cause structural damage, destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft and to kill personnel. That’s my own personal assessment,” Milley told reporters.
“But the analytics is in the hands of professional intelligence analysts. So they’re looking at that.”
Milley and Esper said actions taken by military personnel safeguarded lives, as well as early warning from U.S. military systems that detect such missile activity.
Milley noted that bases like al-Asad have scatter plans, bunkers and protective gear to help protect forces that come under attack.
Esper and Milley said they were unaware of any heads-up from Iraq about the coming attack, after Baghdad said it was notified by Tehran of the strike.
“We tried to give them a quick heads-up from here,” Esper told reporters.”
I don’t believe it.
The shittes know every square centimeter of those bases. They took exceptional care to avoid targets that would trigger our crazy-like-a-fox Prez.
REVEALED: Iraqi armed factions not ready to strike US forces, commanders say
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/revealed-iraqi-armed-factions-not-ready-strike-us-forces-right-now-commanders-say
“The Iranian-backed Iraqi armed factions are lost, distracted and unable to effectively strike American forces in Iraq after the loss of two key leaders last week, Shia leaders have told Middle East Eye…”
Tunisia refuses Turkey request to use its territory to intervene in Libya
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200108-tunisia-refuses-turkey-request-to-use-its-territory-to-intervene-in-libya/
“Tunisia has “categorically” refused the use of its territory in the on-going Libya conflict between the UN-recognised government based in Tripoli and the army of General Khalifa Haftar, a government spokesperson said yesterday.
In a statement, residential spokeswoman, Rachida Nayfer, said: “Tunisia categorically rejects any foreign interference in Libya, including the Turkish intervention, which is Tunisia’s position from the first, and has not and will not change.”
“Tunisia cannot allow this and that the answer of Tunisian President Qais Said was explicit to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his recent visit to Tunisia.”…”
Libya: 20 of Haftar’s forces killed in Sirte
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200108-libya-20-of-haftars-forces-killed-in-sirte/
“Twenty of Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s militia were killed in the Al-Washaka area, in the past days, a spokesperson of the UN-recognized Libyan government said Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
Mustafa Al-Majee said the militia were targeted by airstrikes and a number of armed vehicles and ammunition were destroyed.
The Al-Washaka area, east Sirte, saw heavy clashes and Government of National Accord (GNA)’s forces are controlling and advancing despite the clashes…”
Sudan seizes assets of Bashir’s former ruling party
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200108-sudan-seizes-assets-of-bashirs-former-ruling-party/
“Sudan has seized the assets of ousted President Omar al-Bashir’s now-dissolved party, a senior member of the country’s ruling sovereign council said, Reuters reports.
The National Congress Party’s (NCP) assets were seized under a law that was passed in November and ordered the party’s dissolution.
The law’s implementation is widely seen as a test of how far Sudan’s transitional authorities are willing or able to go to dismantle the system built up by Bashir, who was ousted in April after nearly three decades in power.
The assets of four private television channels and newspapers have been frozen but they have the right to appeal, said Mohamed al-Faki, a sovereign council member who is also deputy head of a legal committee assessing the NCP’s assets.
“These institutions were financed by state funds and we want to return the money to the Sudanese people,” he told a news conference late on Tuesday…”
Sudan bans newspapers, TV stations over Bashir ties
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/7/sudan-bans-newspapers-tv-stations-over-bashir-ties
“Sudan banned two newspapers and two television stations on Tuesday, saying they had received funding from the government of former president Omar al-Bashir who was ousted last year following protests.
The decision was made by a committee tasked by Sudan’s transitional authorities with dismantling institutions linked to Bashir and his defunct National Congress Party.
The ban covers the dailies Al-Sudani and Al-Ray Al-Am and satellite channels Ashrooq and Tayba along with their parent companies, according to committee member Taha Othman.
“These institutions were funded by the state and we want to return the money to the Sudanese people,” said Mohamed al-Fekki, a member of Sudan’s transitional ruling council…”
Syria’s Kurds free dozens of IS-linked Syrians after tribal mediation
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/7/syrias-kurds-free-dozens-of-is-linked-syrians
“Syria’s Kurds have released 30 Syrians suspected of affiliation to the Islamic State group after guarantees from tribal leaders, a spokesman said on Tuesday, adding more should be freed soon.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold thousands of suspected IS fighters after years of leading the US-backed fight in the country against the jihadist group.
The suspects are mostly Syrian and Iraqi – Iraq was the other key crucible of the conflict with IS – but they also include hundreds of foreigners.
A spokesman for the Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria said tribal leaders had requested that 300 Syrian detainees be freed, and that 30 were approved and released on January 5.
“Those being released have no blood on their hands and have not been proven guilty of any crime,” the Kurdish region’s foreign affairs spokesman Kamal Akef told AFP.
They might have joined the extremist group to earn a living or because they were forced to, he said.
They “are being released with guarantees from the tribal leaders,” the official added, without specifying what guarantees are involved.
“In the coming days, some more will be released in waves” to return to the provinces of Deir az-Zour and Raqqa in the east and north of Syria, he said…”
Exclusive: U.N. investigators find Yemen’s Houthis did not carry out Saudi oil attack
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-attacks-un-exclusive/exclusive-u-n-investigators-find-yemens-houthis-did-not-carry-out-saudi-oil-attack-idUSKBN1Z72VX
“Yemen’s Houthi group did not launch an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities in September, according to a confidential report by U.N. sanctions monitors seen by Reuters on Wednesday, bolstering a U.S. accusation that Iran was responsible.
The United States, European powers and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the Sept. 14 attack on the Saudi Aramco oil plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, dismissing a quick claim of responsibility by the Iran-allied Houthis. Tehran denied any involvement.
The report by the independent U.N. experts to the Security Council Yemen sanctions committee said, “That despite their claims to the contrary, the Houthi forces did not launch the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais on 14 September 2019.”
The findings of the U.N. report come amid escalating tensions in the region after the United States killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad and Tehran retaliated by firing missiles at military facilities housing U.S. troops in Iraq.
The U.N. investigators said they doubted that the drones and land attack cruise missiles used in the Sept. 14 attack “have a sufficient range to have been launched from Yemeni territory under the control of the Houthis.”
“The panel notes that Abqaiq and Khurais were approached respectively from a north/northwestern and north/northeastern direction, rather than from the south, as one would expect in the case of a launch from Yemeni territory,” the report said.
The investigators, who monitor sanctions on Yemen, also said they do not believe that “those comparatively sophisticated weapons were developed and manufactured in Yemen.” They were not tasked with identifying who was responsible for the Saudi attack.
MILITARY SUPPORT OF THE HOUTHIS
The attacks that targeted the Abqaiq and the Khurais oil plants caused a spike in oil prices, fires and damage, and shut down more than 5% of global oil supply. Saudi Arabia said on Oct. 3 that it had fully restored oil output.
The Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, signaled in September that Riyadh was waiting for results of U.N. investigations before announcing how his country would respond.
“The United Nations sent people to be part of the investigation, other countries have sent experts to be part of the investigation,” he told reporters in New York. “When the team that’s investigating has concluded its investigations we will make the announcements publicly.”
Reuters reported in November that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had approved the attack on the Saudi oil facilities, but with strict conditions: Iranian forces had to avoid hitting any civilians or Americans. Iran rejected the version of events that four people described to Reuters.
U.N. experts monitoring U.N. sanctions on Iran and Yemen traveled to Saudi Arabia days after the September attack.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council in a separate report on Dec. 10 – on the implementation of an arms embargo and other restrictions on Iran – that the United Nations was “unable to independently corroborate” that missiles and drones used in the attacks “are of Iranian origin.”
The report seen by Reuters on Wednesday is from the independent panel of experts that reports twice a year to the Security Council on the implementation of sanctions related to the conflict in Yemen that were imposed in 2014 and 2015.
It was submitted to the U.N. Security Council Yemen sanctions committee on Dec. 27, but will not be made public until later this month or next month.
A proxy war has been playing out in Yemen between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015, backing government forces fighting the Iran-allied Houthis. The Houthis have been subject to a separate arms embargo since 2015. Iran has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to the Houthis.
“The Houthi forces continue to receive military support in the form of assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers, anti tank guided missiles, as well as more sophisticated cruise missile systems,” the report found.
“Some of those weapons have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in Iran,” it said.”
From terror blacklist to missile attacks: How Iran-US tensions escalated over the months
https://gulfnews.com/photos/news/from-terror-blacklist-to-missile-attacks-how-iran-us-tensions-escalated-over-the-months-1.1578459073591?slide=1
Farmers Torture Stray Dogs, Bury Puppies Alive Near Rabat
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/01/290703/stray-dogs-tortured-culled-morocco/
Turkey neutralizes senior female YPG/PKK terrorist
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-neutralizes-senior-female-ypg-pkk-terrorist/1696278
“Turkey last fall neutralized a senior female YPG/PKK terrorist in a joint operation by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the Turkish Armed Forces, security sources announced on Wednesday.
Esme Erat, codenamed Delal Nurhak, a senior terrorist in the YPG/PKK’s female branch, the PAJK, and her driver, codenamed Zilan Kobani, were neutralized in an operation late last September in northern Iraq’s Qandil region, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
Erat was born in 1965, and joined the PKK terror group in 1989 in the countryside of Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir province…”
Iran’s millionaire mullahs, the military, and the fight for foreign currency
https://www.dw.com/en/irans-millionaire-mullahs-the-military-and-the-fight-for-foreign-currency/a-51934397
“The Revolutionary Guard, once led by assassinated General Qassem Soleimani, is a powerful economic force in Iran. With the country’s economy flailing as a potential war with the US looms, its influence is likely to grow.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which along with the regular military (Artesh) comprises the armed forces of Iran, is an economic heavyweight in the country. Most experts agree that it controls at least a third of the Iran’s economy through a variety of business subsidiaries and religious foundations.
The United States earlier this year moved to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. When US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani on January 3, he claimed it was a defensive act. Soleimani was the revered leader of an elite unit within the IRGC, the Quds Force.
The mighty four
Behzad Nabavi, an Iranian reformist politician and former deputy speaker of parliament, estimates that 60 percent of the state’s assets are owned by only four organizations:
– The Khatam-al Anbiya (“Seal of the Prophets”) Construction Headquarters, an IRGC-controlled group of companies widely considered to be the economic branch of the organization;
– Setad Ejraiye Farman-e Hazrat-e Emam (“The Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order”), also known simply as Setad, which includes a range of holdings, such as finance, oil and telecommunications companies;
– Bonyade Mostazafin (“Foundation of the Oppressed”), which was founded following the Islamic Revolution on the basis of property confiscated from functionaries of the Shah regime;
– and Astan Quds Razavi (“The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza”), which owns more than fifty companies and factories.
However, in response to those claims the Revolutionary Guard filed a formal complaint in court last autumn, saying that the four organizations’ stake in state assets is less than 2 percent, online magazine Iran Journal reported.
Although the Iranian government has pushed to privatize parts of the economy in recent years, the divide between sectors — private, state-owned, military and religious — is murky.
“In strictly legal terms, most banks are privately held stock corporations,” says Michael Tockuss, managing director of the German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce based in Hamburg. “But frequently the shares are held by investment companies of state-owned enterprises.” It is not all that uncommon to see “three retired generals” at the helm of privately held companies, he says, especially since military officials usually retire in their early 50s.
Hotbed for corruption and nepotism
Such intertwinement is fertile ground for corruption and nepotism, as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly pointed out in public speeches. In November he urged the judiciary to prosecute cases involving billions of dollars. “Where are the big sharks? Why aren’t they being pursued?” he asked, according to an article in Iran-Report, a monthly publication written by Bahman Nirumand, who lives in Germany and is a regular contributor to the Heinrich Böll Foundation, a political organization affiliated with Germany’s Green Party.
The strong influence of generals and mullahs only subsides somewhat in times of relative peace. In 2017, for instance, when the West lifted sanctions after striking a successful nuclear agreement with Iran, the government awarded two major contracts to French and South Korean companies. Usually, the IRGC-owned conglomerate Khatam-al Anbiya has a tight grip on government-issued contracts, even in cases up for public tender.
But since then, the pendulum has swung back in the other direction, says Tockuss. “The entire shadow economy has grown considerably in the wake of reinstated US sanctions,” he says. “So no one can say for sure how much oil Iran is currently exporting.” Besides official oil export figures, there are “a lot of grey market deliveries” sold via neighboring countries, and oil tankers “sailing the world’s seas without transponders and delivering their oil who knows where,” Tockuss says. “Times of sanctions are not a time for transparency and economic progress.”
Starved for foreign currency
The only thing that is certain is that oil exports – the country’s most important source of foreign currency – have dropped sharply since the US reintroduced sanctions. Even President Rouhani is no longer able to deny that. In a speech on November 12, he said Iran was in a state of emergency. “How are we supposed to manage our country if we can’t sell our oil? ” he asked, according to Iran-Report. “Since the founding of the Islamic Republic we’ve never had as many problems selling oil or sending out oil tankers as we do today.”
Tockuss believes that Rouhani’s rare openness is meant to brace Iranians for tougher times ahead. “He wants to prepare people for the fact that government spending will need to be sourced from more taxes and levies than they’re accustomed to,” he says.
The political risk that entails can be seen in the public protests around higher gas prices last November, which according to Iran-Report were “the most violent protests in 30 years.” Discontent is high, and price hikes are a welcome opportunity for conservative forces to show that President Rouhani’s reformers do not have the situation under control, writes Nirumand. “It could come to be that Rouhani is forced to resign and the Revolutionary Guard takes power and tries to govern the country with even more violence and censorship.”
One thing no one should expect, however, is that Iran will back down for economic reasons, says Tockuss. “I warn against anyone underestimating Iranian resilience and their capacity for suffering.””
Turkey-Libya deals ‘void’: Egypt, France, Greece, Cyprus
https://www.france24.com/en/20200108-turkey-libya-deals-void-egypt-france-greece-cyprus
“France, Greece, Egypt and Cyprus on Wednesday declared “null and void” agreements between Ankara and Libya assigning Turkey rights over a vast area of the eastern Mediterranean.
A statement issued by the foreign ministers of the four countries — who met in Cairo — said the controversial agreements undermined regional stability.
Their Italian counterpart, who also took part in the meeting, did not sign the statement.
The two agreements denounced by the four Mediterranean states are a military pact and a maritime deal, signed in November by the head of Libya’s Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ankara is a key ally of the GNA in its fight against eastern Libya based strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Libya has seen a recent escalation of the turmoil that has gripped the oil-rich country since a NATO-backed uprising killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with Haftar trying to capture Tripoli from the UN-recognised government.
On Wednesday, Erdogan announced that Turkey has deployed 35 soldiers to Libya to support the GNA in a non-fighting capacity against Haftar, who is supported by Ankara’s rivals the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
But it is the maritime delimitation agreement that has outraged Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, awarding Turkey exploration rights in a gas-rich area of the Mediterranean where the three states also have significant interests.
The agreement “infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, does not comply with the law of the sea” and does not have legal enforceability, the ministers said in their statement.
The ministers “reiterated the necessity of full respect of the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of all states in their maritime zones in the Mediterranean.”
They condemned Turkey’s drilling in the exclusive economic zone and territorial waters of the Republic of Cyprus, calling on Ankara to “immediately cease all illegal exploration activities”.
Cyprus is divided between the south — an EU member state — and the north, which has been occupied by Turkey since 1974 in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup.”
“Tomorrow #Excliusive join us @MorningsMaria @ FoxBusiness + @FreemanWSJ @ dagenmcdowell”
Maria Bartiromo – January 8, 2020 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/MariaBartiromo/status/1215061919545069569
“Carlos Ghosn holds press conference after fleeing Japan”
Fox Business – Streamed live 11 hours ago
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I Left My Love/US Cavalry Song-The Horse Soldiers/John Ford- Les Cavaliers (En/Fr Lyrics)
It’s almost as if the horses are dancing~
Fort Defiance 1951 Full Length Western Movie
This will be fun!
Vintage cowboy Americana.
ty!
Iran’s Shadow Empire
Hearing what the enemy has to say can be useful at times.
“Ilhan Omar Laughs & Jokes Around As Her Colleague Discusses US Casualties In Iraq”
GOP War Room – January 8, 2020
“Ilhan Omar Suggests Iran Threat on Trump Hotels Could Draw Him into War”
By Jack Davis – January 7, 2020
https://www.westernjournal.com/ilhan-omar-suggests-iran-threat-trump-hotels-draw-war/
“‘We owe it to the American people to prevent war’: U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar”
Global News – January 8, 2020
“Speaker Pelosi: The House Will Vote to Protect Iranian Terror Groups on Thursday…”
by Sundance – January 8, 2020
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/01/08/speaker-pelosi-the-house-will-vote-to-protect-iranian-terror-groups-on-thursday/
“If I am President we will attack Iran” Hillary Clinton – April 21, 2008
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/column-3/hillary-if-i-am-president-we-will-attack-iran/
“Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal: President Trump ‘Recklessly Assassinated’ Soleimani, Didn’t Pose ‘Imminent Threat’”
by Hannah Bleau – January 8, 2020
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2020/01/08/democrat-rep-pramila-jayapal-president-trump-recklessly-assassinated-soleimani-didnt-pose-imminent-threat/
“Dem. Rep. Pramila Jayapal says “Pres. Trump recklessly assassinated Qassem Soleimani,” adding “there was no raw evidence presented that there was an imminent threat” in classified congressional briefing.”
ABC News – January 8, 2020 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1215011821998018567
“A nation can survive its fools, even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within….for the traitor appears not to be a traitor…he rots the soul of a nation…he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
“Backchannels Important, Iran Ready To Flip, [DS]/MSM Panic – Episode 2065”
X22Report – January 8, 2020
“93% of Muslim Public Officials Would Not Express Support for the Constitution They Swore to Uphold”
Stephen M. Kirby – January 7, 2020
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/01/93-of-muslim-public-officials-would-not-express-support-for-the-constitution-they-swore-to-uphold
Islamic Doctrine Versus the U.S. Constitution: The Dilemma for Muslim Public Officials
+ Link to Kirby Islamic Doctrine
Center for Security Policy – December 3, 2019
https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2019/12/03/csp-press-releases-primer-on-islamic-doctrine-versus-the-u-s-constitution/
Everyone in Government-secure positions diligently completes paperwork to assure that they and their spouses can trace their assets to earned and gifted and invested income.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/07/18/2018-15086/executive-branch-financial-disclosure-qualified-trusts-and-certificates-of-divestiture
https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/barack-and-michelle-obama-reportedly-close-deal-for-11-75-million-marthas-vineyard-estate-209977