Reader’s Links for March 22, 2020

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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.

About Eeyore

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

67 Replies to “Reader’s Links for March 22, 2020”

  1. Interview with Jim Rickards on the markets. At 17:50 he mentions U.S. debt to GDP is 106%, confirming my observation the other day about the error in the chart posted by Vlad, which had it at around 46% if I recall correctly.

    Realizing that we all have limited means, to varying extents, pay attention to Rickards as he deacribes how shutting one market only leads to people seeking liquidity from another. This will lead “the market”, ultimately, to the only form of liquidity having no counter-party risk, which is precious metals. I don’t like the imprecise manner in which he describes the current selling of PMs, because he is not explicit in stating that it is primarily paper PMs being sold.

    https://youtu.be/zj3ttaiSgvs

    • I took it that they were using old data, 46% would be close to right for the time before Obama started spending like a drunken sailor.

  7. “Bravo’s Andy Cohen Tests Positive For Coronavirus”
    CBS Los Angeles – March 20, 2020

    • “Hillary Was With Coronavirus Positive Andy Cohen 2 Weeks Ago”
      The Liberty Eagle – March 21, 2020

  9. German MSM invent lies in favour of Merkel as it was common practice in the perished communist Eastern Bloc – embarrassing, because two bottles of wine in her shopping cart were already empty !

    How stupid do some journalists and the Chancellor actually think we are? I’m really hard-boiled when it comes to propaganda after 16 years living in Russia – so it’s all the more surprising that I’m always being stunned by what’s going on in this country. Recent case in point: A report and a video at the newspaper “Bild” and many other media featuring Merkel in the way you would probably expect it on North Korean television – reporting about Kim Jong-un. The head of the government, so the message, goes shopping like any other person – and coincidentally someone from the newspaper “Bild” is also there to record this.The text to the video: “She experiences the Corona crisis like millions of people in Germany.” First she went to the vegetable shelves, then to the delicatessen department”. And then, “She filled the cart herself.” Really? How newsworthy! Could have been other customers filling it.”In the end, she put it all on the conveyor belt herself.” Unbelievable! “And paid by card!” Really? Who could have guessed it? How dramatic must the situation and the need be for such crude propaganda, reminiscent of the slogans of perseverance from dark times? When I e-mailed a Russian friend the link to the video, she told me it reminded her of the legends about Lenin in the Soviet Union: “They also said he was the most human of all people.” The second reaction: “Two rolls of toilet paper? Where do you get that? And who would buy only two rolls today, if there were any? It’s obvious that these are staged photographs…” And the third reaction: “Look at the wine bottles, two of them are empty, how embarrassing!”
    https://medforth.blog/2020/03/22/german-msm-invent-lies-in-favour-of-merkel-as-it-was-common-practice-in-the-perished-communist-eastern-bloc-embarrassing-because-two-bottles-of-wine-in-her-shopping-cart-were-already-empty/

  10. I have not watched CBC or CTV for years. The latter part of last week, I watched CTV to see what was being said regarding Roxham Road, where the “irregular border crossers” enter Canada, the illegals , Justine Trudeau invited into Canada.
    Bill Blair said they were closing that crossing for now and it would open at a later date.
    CTV today, March 22nd is reporting Deputy PM, Crystia Freeland said anyone coming across at Roxham Rd. will be in isolation for 2 weeks.
    Do any of these incompetent fools know what each other are saying?

    CTV is also planting the seed that the Coronavirus started in Italy not China.
    What about the various strains of TB that have been introduced to many countries thanks to the migrants, not a word.
    What is the difference between feckless fools and liars?

    When politicians and the media no longer show any responsibility and lack the ability to report the truth, society breaks down quickly. I shall go back to not watching the liars, I will spare myself from the propaganda.
    Stay well my fellow countrymen, we will survive the globalist siege.

  11. On a lighter dark Note and just for the heck of it,
    Hurra, hurra the Plague is here

  12. Here’s Why The Chinese Communist Party Owns This Pandemic | Declassified | Gina Shakespeare

  14. COVID-19 deaths in Europe now double the number reported in China
    6,911 views
    •Mar 21, 2020

  16. India Observes ‘Janta Curfew’ Today To Slowdown Coronavirus Spread | Ground Report

  17. 75 Cities To Be Shut Amid Covid-19 Scare: Is India Prepared For A Complete Lockdown?

  19. COVID-19 measures: No entry or transit through Singapore for all short-term visitors

  20. Rep. Jim Banks: China’s Communist Party Should Be Forced to Pay Reparations for Coronavirus Coverup

  21. China claims 0 new CCP virus cases, but residents tell a different story | China in Focus – NTD

  28. BARCELONA – 8 MEN ARRESTED FOR HOSTING DRUG-FUELLED ORGY DURING CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN IN SPAIN

    EIGHT men have been arrested on drug-related charges after being busted having a cocaine-fuelled orgy in a Barcelona flat.

    The accused were caught red-handed by undercover police who received a tip off from someone who had been invited.

    The invitee called the 112 emergency hotline and gave the Mossos d’Esquadra police force the exact time and location of the sex party, which was being held despite the nation being on a strict lockdown due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

    Plain-clothed police rang the bell of the apartment and were buzzed up by the revellers who thought they would be joining in on the action.

    They had reportedly invited up to 30 people.

    Once identifying themselves at the door, the officers were allowed in without resistance at around 10.30pm on Friday night.

    Investigators found a cocktail of drugs, including cocaine, speed, crystal meth and ecstasy.

    The flat was being rented out for a week in the central street of Casp de Barcelona, reported El Pais.

    One of the men was coughing and had to undergo a coronavirus test, which came back negative, reported EFE.

    The eight men were arrested for possession of narcotic substances.

    Catalunya is the second-most affected region in Spain in terms of COVID-19 with more than 4,200 confirmed cases as of Saturday.

    The country has been on a strict lockdown since Monday morning, with all non-essential travel banned.

    The number of cases nationwide stood at 24,926 yesterday, with authorities warning the worst is still yet to come.

    https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2020/03/22/8-men-arrested-for-hosting-drug-fuelled-orgy-during-coronavirus-lockdown-in-spain/

  29. Dortmund bakery’s “toilet paper” cake pokes fun at coronavirus panic buying

    Backparadies bakery in Dortmund has found a unique way to keep their customers coming back during the coronavirus era which has hurt many small businesses such as their own. Master baker Tim Kortum decided to put a comedic spin on the German toilet paper crisis amid the coronavirus outbreak by designing a marble cake shaped like a roll of toilet paper.

    Footage shot on Saturday highlights that amid the worsening crisis, customers will queue out of the door to get their hands on some toilet paper in Germany. As supermarkets’ supplies of toilet paper become ever more scarce, some Germans, appalled by the hoarding of toilet paper happening throughout the country, can’t wait to get their hands on some sweet, edible toilet paper that may actually be worth hoarding.

    “We just do everything, we are open to all wishes and everyone can have fun. The whole thing was created with a customer. The customer asked the bakery if we still had toilet paper since there was no toilet paper anymore, which is where the idea came from,” Backparadies’ master baker Tim Kortum explained.

    Customers respected social distancing rules, keeping two metres apart from each other at all times, while the goods were stored behind protective plexiglass to contain any possible coronavirus related issues.

    Local shoppers shared both the bakery’s sweet tooth and their sense of humour. “In the general history of toilet paper rolls, toilet paper in general, I found it very funny,” said returning customer Ralf Franke.

    To put the icing on the cake, Backparadeis even created the special edition version. Some tasty chocolate sauce is added to the toilet paper cake to make it look used.

    “We wanted to teach some fun and humour. It was well-received by the customers because they can no longer celebrate birthdays and are no longer able to invite guests,” stated Tim Kortum.

  30. FRANCE – Coronavirus: patient evacuated from Mulhouse hospital by helicopter

    A patient suffering from Covid-19 is transferred from Mulhouse hospital by helicopter to another establishment. The hospital in eastern France is overwhelmed by the influx of patients suffering from the new coronavirus.

    • FRANCE – Images inside army field hospital in Mulhouse, coronavirus hotspot

      French soldiers work hard to set up an army field hospital in the car park of the Mulhouse hospital centre. The facility is expected to accommodate 30 beds for coronavirus patients, and should be operational by the middle of the week.

  31. SPAIN – Madrid’s largest exhibition centre transforms into hospital in battle with coronavirus spread

    Madrid’s largest exhibition centre is being transformed into a hospital, where 5,500 beds will be installed, as Spain ramps up its efforts to battle against the coronavirus pandemic. The country on Saturday reported a 32 percent spike in new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the national total to 1,326 fatalities, the second-highest in Europe after Italy.

  33. the rebel Roxham Road UPDATE: Situation, official story changes hourly at illegal border crossing

  35. Democratic pundit says Republican governor, legislature ‘should be shot’
    By Joe Newby March 22, 2020

    While appearing on public television, Chris Herstam, a Democratic pundit addressing a perceived glitch in Arizona’s voting apparatus relating to the coronavirus, opined that the state’s Republican governor and legislature “should be shot” if they fail to modify the process.

    “If they don’t change the statute to allow for an all-mail election system for the primary and general election this year, they should be shot, because that’s the only common sense thing to do,” he said.

    The words all-mail election system, which could easily be misconstrued as “all-male election system” when heard spoken rather than read should be problem enough for Democrats coming from the lips of one of their own.

    But the more egregious problem with Herstam’s comment is the clause “they should be shot.” I am old enough to remember the absolute stink the Democrats raised in 2011 over a political map produced by Sarah Palin’s campaign staff in which vulnerable congressional seats were designated by a symbol some said resembled a crosshairs. Liberals at the time were convinced that Republicans’ cavalier attitude toward gun violence, as embodied by the map, was an inspiration for shootings like the one in Tuscon that had resulted in six deaths and ended the political career of Rep. Gabby Giffords.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/03/22/democratic-pundit-says-republican-governor-legislature-should-be-shot/

  37. Iran: “You are not trustworthy” – Khamenei rejects US aid against coronavirus

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declined potential US assistance in tackling the coronavirus outbreak in the country, questioning their trustworthiness amid accusations that the COVID-19 virus was created and deployed by the United States. Khamenei made the remarks during a televised address to the nation from Tehran, on Sunday.

    “You Americans are suspects of having produced this virus. I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication? Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more. You are not trustworthy,” said Khamenei.

    “It is possible that you prescribe a medicine or bring it into the country that would make the virus persist and prevent it from ending.”

    “If this accusation is true and if you have made this virus, this is what you are capable of. You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person since it is said that part of the virus is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means,” the Iranian supreme leader said.

    “The country contains extraordinary capabilities to deal with any possible issues and challenges and overcome them. The county’s capabilities are high enough,” assured Khamenei.

    Iran has been among the most affected countries by the coronavirus, with a total of over 21,000 cases nationwide, which reportedly include members of parliament and high-ranking government officials. At the time of writing, Iran has a death toll of at least 1,685, which ranks it fourth in terms of coronavirus victims.

    Meanwhile, over 314,000 cases have been recorded globally since the start of the outbreak. Over 204,000 are still considered active.

  38. The Coronavirus: Death of Globalization or a Rebirth?

    by Amir Taheri
    March 22, 2020 at 4:00 am

    Is this the end of globalization? That is the question we were supposed to debate at a colloquium in Paris this week before we were all ordered by the government to “confine” ourselves to our dwellings at least for the next 15 days. The concept of globalization attained wide circulation when cheap goods made by cheap labor in China started to flood world markets from Tokyo to Timbuktu. Thus, if globalization is to end, it is only fair that it should also come to a close with a Chinese fanfare in the form of the coronavirus.

    Before globalization whatever happened in China reached the rest of the world as a distant echo. The Opium Wars, the black series of famines, the atrocities committed by various foreign occupiers, the civil war, the Korean War, the annexation of Tibet and East Turkestan, the deaths of millions of people under Mao Zedong were all perceived as exotic events in a remote fantasyland that affected the rest of the world only incidentally.

    Both fascinating and frightening, China was the stuff of many dreams about Oriental wisdom and many phobias expressed in Kaiser Wilhelm’s “Yellow Peril” warning.

    Less than three decades after the start of globalization, China has been included into our day-to-day world and banalized as just another as a major economic power in search for access to resources and a growing share of markets.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15775/coronavirus-globalization

  39. Chinese Ambassador Lauds Hillary Clinton’s Attack on President Trump: ‘Justice Always Speak Loudly’

    n ambassador from China is lauding Hillary Clinton’s recent attack on President Trump.

    “The president is turning to racist rhetoric to distract from his failures to take the coronavirus seriously early on, make tests widely available, and adequately prepare the country for a period of crisis,” Clinton wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/21/chinese-ambassador-lauds-hillary-clintons-attack-on-president-trump-justice-always-speak-loudly/

      • Yoram Hazony @yhazony
        It comes down to this:

        Some of us think it’s *very* important to avoid having lots of other regions sliding into medical system collapse—with untreated patients dying in hallways while sick, desperate doctors working round the clock do triage and save the fittest.

        We’re willing to make sacrifices to avoid this scenario.
        And we’ll still want to even if the utilitarians succeed in showing that letting old patients die untreated in hallways is financially beneficial for the rest of us.

        This is not because we are panicking or irrational.
        It’s because we’ve spent three thousand years exposed to a Jewish and Christian teaching that our parents and the aged are to be honored.…

        Being a decent person means that there are lines you just don’t cross.
        One of those lines is crossed when the current, young, strong generation feels it owes nothing to the older, weaker, dying generation that brought them into the world.

        And that exactly what is implied in all these grotesque comments about how coronavirus is killing people who would probably have died soon anyway.…

        Many politicians, academics and journalists have built careers on the party trick of showing how every problem really reduces to economics—to GNP growth and how the market is doing.

        Often, these are people who scoff at the possibility that the Bible has anything to teach us.

        But not every problem reduces to economics.
        Some problems reduce to questions of loyalty, and to what you are willing to give up in order to be loyal—and I mean truly loyal—to people who were loyal to you a long time ago.

        This epidemic is said to attack the elderly disproportionately. And this is forcing us to show what kind of people we are.
        Do we really have to discuss our parents and the aged as if their lives matter less?

        As if we don’t owe them honor?
        https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1239003296729268224.html

  43. Paris No-Go Zone Police Overwhelmed Attempting to Enforce Quarantine (breitbart, Mar 22, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/22/paris-no-go-zone-police-overwhelmed-attempting-to-enforce-quarantine/

    “Police in Paris no-go zones are becoming overwhelmed trying to maintain the nationwide quarantine and have handed out record numbers of fines.

    The heavily migrant-populated Seine-Saint-Denis area is proving to be a tough area for police to enforce the nationwide anti-coronavirus quarantine ordered by French president Emmanuel Macron, with police officers admitting that they are overwhelmed.

    A man guarding a local pharmacy told newspaper Le Temps that many of the residents do not even believe the virus is a threat to them at all

    “They do not understand anything. Some even say that this virus is a fable of whites to force them to desert the street,” the man said.

    Other areas of Seine-Saint-Denis also saw people gathering, including a local shopping centre where a number of minority teenagers chatted with each other, some wearing masks, others not.

    Police say that enforcing the law in the area is “impossible” and that if they try to impose the 135 euro fines they would not be able to contain the potential backlash, and that the risk of a crowd forming would only increase the chances of spreading the coronavirus.

    “We are not going to give up. But we also know where these people live and how they live. Strict containment, for them, is just impossible,” an officer explained.

    On Wednesday it was reported that 10 per cent of all the fines for breaking the quarantine in France were given in Seine-Saint-Denis, per Fabienne Klein-Donati, the public prosecutor of Bobigny.

    The quarantine measures were also largely ignored by residents in the highly migrant-populated 18th arrondissement in the north of Paris, with crowds of people walking around the area despite police orders to stay in their homes.

    The coronavirus outbreak has also led to pharmacies becoming targets for burglars, as in the city of Colombes just outside of Paris, where a man from Seine-Saint-Denis was arrested for stealing medical face masks and hand sanitiser.

    In Seine-et-Marne, meanwhile, drug dealers donned masks and other medical gear and were seen strolling along the streets of the Almont district of Melun, even creating a video for social media advertising that they were still selling drugs, regardless of the quarantine and coronavirus outbreak.”

  44. US Sharply Criticizes France for Prisoner Swap with Iran
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2193441/us-sharply-criticizes-france-prisoner-swap-iran

    “The Trump administration on Sunday harshly criticized France for releasing an Iranian man wanted for prosecution by the United States in an apparent prisoner swap with Iran.

    The State Department said it “deeply regrets” the “unilateral” French decision to release Jalal Rohollahnejad, who was the subject of a US extradition request on charges of violating American sanctions on Iran.

    Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that France had failed to uphold its obligations under a joint extradition treaty and harmed the cause of justice…”

  45. King Salman orders partial curfew for 21 days
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/591136/SAUDI-ARABIA/King-Salman-orders-partial-curfew-for-21-days

    “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz has issued a curfew order from 7 pm until 6 am for a period of 21 days, effective from Monday evening, to limit the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom.

    The Ministry of Interior called on civil and military authorities to co-operate fully with the measures, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.

    Some workers will be exempt from the curfew. These include employees of the vital parts of the public and private sectors whose work requires continued performance during the prevention period, the government said.

    It also includes employees in the security, military and media sectors, and those in relevant health and service sectors.

    The ministry urged citizens to stay in their homes, especially during the curfew, and not to leave except in cases of necessity”

  46. Libya: 1 killed, 2 injured in attack by Haftar forces
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200322-libya-1-killed-2-injured-in-attack-by-haftar-forces/

    “A rocket attack by forces of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar on Sunday killed one person and also injured two children from the same family, said the country’s UN-recognized government, Anadolu Agency reports.

    Haftar militia rockets hit a house in Ain Zara, south of the capital Tripoli, said a statement by the Volcano of Rage Operation, affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA).

    Ahmed Al-Mismari, spokesman for the Haftar militias, yesterday welcomed a humanitarian cease-fire proposed by the UN and European countries over the coronavirus…”

  47. New leader of Al-Qaeda in Yemen threatens to be a ‘nightmare for Americans’
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/3/22/new-leader-of-yemens-al-qaeda-threatens-nightmare-for-americans

    “The newly-appointed leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) vowed the terrorist organisation would become a “nightmare to Americans”, according to news reports.

    Saudi-national Khaled bin Omar Batarfi pledged allegiance to Alqaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on Friday, in his first appearance since being appointed leader following the death of his predecessor Qassim Al-Rimi.

    The warning came in a video recorded by AQAP’s media arm, Al-Malahem Foundation.

    Washington considers AQAP to be the worldwide network’s most dangerous branch.

    The extremist group thrived in the chaos of years of civil war between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebels.

    In late February, the group confirmed the death of its leader Al-Rimi and appointed Batarfi as the successor, weeks after the US said it had “eliminated” the militant chief in a strike in Yemen, according to media reports.

    The announcement came in an audio speech delivered by AQAP religious official Hamid bin Hamoud Al-Tamimi, said SITE intelligence monitoring group.

    “In his speech, Tamimi spoke at length about Rimi and his jihadi journey and stated that Khalid bin Umar Batarfi is the new leader of AQAP,” it said.

    Batarfi had appeared in a number of AQAP videos over the past several years and appeared to have been Rimi’s deputy and group spokesman.

    This comes as president Donald Trump announced Rimi’s death earlier this month, saying he had been killed in a US “counter-terrorism operation in Yemen”.

    That announcement came shortly after AQAP claimed responsibility for the 6 December mass shooting at a US naval base in Florida, in which a Saudi air force officer killed three American sailors.

    “Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces,” Trump said at the time of the strike.

    “His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qaeda movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security.”

    Trump did not give any details about the circumstances or the timing of the operation, but the US has waged a long-running drone war against the leaders of the Yemen-based AQAP.

    Rimi had himself succeeded Nasir Al-Wuhayshi, who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in June 2015.

    AQAP has carried out operations against both the Houthis and government forces as well as sporadic attacks abroad, including on the offices of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo in 2015.

    But analysts say its abilities on the ground have dwindled, although it still inspires attacks carried out by “lone wolf” jihadists or former operatives.

    After the years of lethal drone strikes, it is also running out of leadership material with name recognition or charisma, they said.

    “AQAP is at its weakest point in a decade, at least in terms of its identity as a coherent group with a primarily religious ideology,” said Elisabeth Kendall, a researcher at the University of Oxford.

    “Its dream of establishing an Islamic state in Yemen lies in tatters,” she said.

    “At its peak in 2015-16, it had taken advantage of the country’s descent into war to recruit broadly, fill its coffers, and establish a proto-state…

    “Today, however, the AQAP core struggles to hold even a small patch of territory,” she said in a study published by the Washington Institute.

    Kendall said Batarfi and other leadership contenders all had “multi-million-dollar bounties on their heads, leaving them with minimal room to manoeuvre, let alone revive AQAP to its heyday”.

    Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014 that exacerbated when a Saudi-led coalition intervened to reinstate the internationally-recognised government after Houthi rebels seized control of the capital.

    The conflict has since killed more than 100,000 people, relief agencies say, and triggered what the United Nations has described as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” with millions displaced and in need of aid.”

  48. Saudi man, 2 Yemeni women arrested for mocking Islamic rites
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-man-2-yemeni-women-arrested-for-mocking-islamic-rites-1.70543792

    “Saudi police arrested a man for mocking religious rites after he had appeared in pictures prostrating to a woman, a police official said.

    The images went viral online showing the man in worship positions in front of the girl next to a mosque in emulation of the Islamic prayer.

    A spokesman for police in the holy region of Mecca, Brig Mohammad Al Ghamdi, said authorities had identified those involved in “this criminal act”.

    The suspects are a Saudi man in his 30s and a Yemeni female resident in her 20s as well as another Yemeni woman who took the photos and uploaded them on social media, the official said, according to Saudi news portal Sabq.

    “They were arrested and legal procedures are being taken against them,”

    Brig Al Ghamdi added. The incident reportedly took place next to a mosque in Jeddah, triggering public outrage.”

  49. 27 Taliban militants killed, 19 others wounded in Kunduz: Afghan military
    https://www.khaama.com/27-taliban-militants-killed-19-others-wounded-in-kunduz-afghan-military-04539/

    “The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) killed 27 Taliban militants in northern Kunduz province, the Afghan military said.

    The 217th Pamir Corps in a statement said the security forces responded killed the militants while reacting to Taliban Taliban attacks in Khanabad and Dasht-e Archi districts.

    The statement further added that a large number of Taliban militants had also gathered in Imam Saheb district where they were planning a large scale attack against the security forces.

    The 217th Pamir Corps also added that a local commander of Taliban, Qari Hafiz, was also among those killed and 19 other militants sustained injuries.

    The Taliban group has not commented in this regard so far.”

  50. YPG/PKK continues to free ISIL prisoners in Syria: Sources
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ypg-pkk-continues-to-free-isil-prisoners-in-syria-sources-153161

    “A total of 200 prisoners, most of whom are ISIL terrorists, were released from prisons by the YPG/PKK in Syria’s Hasakah and Raqqa provinces after some Arab tribes vouched for them, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported on March 20.

    More ISIL prisoners can be released if Arab tribes continue to vouch for them, the agency cited local sources as saying.

    On Nov. 17, Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced that the YPG/PKK terror group released over 800 ISIL prisoners in Tal Abyad.

    Turkey on Oct. 9 launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate YPG/PKK terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

    The operation was paused following two agreements with the U.S. and Russia allowing terrorists to withdraw from the planned terror-free zone.

    The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.

    It has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

    The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.”