Category: Terrorism

Another Hero

Everyone that knows me knows that I am a dog person…..I have always had the companionship of a canine friend most of my life….so when I hear a story about our canine heros that are also fighting global terrorism I am glad…..

One such hero was used in the hunt and destruction of ISIS leader Baghdadi…..

The nation got its first look at the military dog wounded in the US raid that ended in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi when President Trump tweeted a photo Monday. But one mystery remains, CBS reports. “We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS,” the president wrote. Trump had praised the dog, who was sent into a tunnel to chase Baghdadi at a compound in Syria, when he announced the raid Sunday. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs had said earlier that the dog’s name was not being released yet. “The dog is still in theater, returned to duty with its handlers,” Gen. Mark Milley said.

A dog named Cairo helped Navy SEALs in the raid that brought the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, per CNN. Like Cairo, the dog used in the latest raid is a Belgian Malinois, a breed similar to German shepherds but smaller. Dogs train with troops for weeks for such missions, said the head of the US War Dogs Association, per NPR. They sometimes parachute from planes or swim to shore from a submarine. When they return from duty, he said, they sometimes have suffered physical and psychological injuries. Milley said the dog used in Syria is recovering after being slightly wounded.

The nation thanks her for her service and sends our best hopes for her speedy recovery.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Take Me To Your Leader

I can hear the Who in my head and think an episode of CSI is about to begin….but NO….I am wondering who will lead the leaderless ISIS now that Baghdadi is no longer among the living.

My intel files has several candidates to lead ISIS……

the most likely candidate to succeed Baghdadi is Abdullah Qardash, also known as Abu Omar Turkmani, a former Iraqi military officer under Saddam Hussein.

A former senior leader of al-Qaeda, Turkmani was detained in Camp Bucca along with other IS leaders, the paper said.

According to Iraqi sources quoted by the paper, “Qardash is characterised by cruelty, authoritarianism and militancy, and he was among the first people to welcome al-Baghdadi in Mosul in 2014.”

The second nominee for the group’s leadership is Haji Nasser, or Abd al-Nasser, who has been on the US terrorism list since the end of 2018. Haji Abd al-Nasser is known for belonging to the most radical trend within IS.

The third nominee is Mu’taz al-Jaburi, better known as Hajji Taysir. A senior IS leader, Washington has set a $3m reward for whoever gives information leading to him.

Sami al-Jaburi, the fourth candidate, is the former IS financial affairs director and was in charge of the group’s oil and gas sales, according to the paper.

The fifth candidate, according to Arabi21, is Abul Hassan al-Muhajir, IS’s official spokesman since the end of 2016 – but he was reported killed at the weekend in another US-led raid.

Muhajir is out…….so that leaves 4 candidates….who are you….who….who?

And now we have a winner!

Abdullah Qardash

ISIS already has a new leader — a feared former officer for Saddam Hussein known as “the Destroyer,” according to reports.

Abdullah Qardash was reportedly already running day-to-day operations and kill campaigns for the terror group and formally took over its leadership after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death on Saturday.

“Baghdadi was a figurehead. He was not involved in operations or day-to-day,” a regional intelligence official told Newsweek in confirming the successor. “All Baghdadi did was say yes or no — no planning.”

Qardash had been loyal to Baghdadi after they were held together at the Camp Bucca detention center in Basra after being jailed by US forces over their links to al Qaeda in 2003, the Times of London has said.

(NY Post)

You have your answer now let the hunt begin…..tic toc……

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Please Take Your Bows

Breaking News:  The top spokesperson for ISIS has been killed…..

Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, the successor to lead the Islamic State was killed in what is believed to be a U.S. airstrike in northern Syria, just one day after U.S. special operations forces raided a compound and took out the terrorist organization’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Muhajir, a spokesman for the ISIS terror group and the likely successor to Baghdadi, was being smuggled across northern Syria in the back of an oil tanker truck when the truck was hit by what appeared to be a U.S. airstrike, New York Times reported Sunday.

Now for the news of the day yesterday about the raid and the aftermath……

I listened to Trump and his 40 minute diatribe on why he is the best and smartest person on the planet when he should have been discussing the death of Baghdadi…..and now in his own words….

You have listened and now the rest of the world wants to take a bow for the death of the ISIS leader…..

First Iraq says they gave the info to the US…..

Iraq said on Sunday that its National Intelligence Service found Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s location and provided it to the United States, which carried out a raid that killed him.

“After constant monitoring and the formation of a specialised task force over an entire year, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service acting on accurate information was able to locate the den in which the head of Daesh terrorists Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and those with him were hiding in the Syrian province of Idlib,” the Iraqi military said in a statement.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-iraq-statemen/iraq-says-it-provided-u-s-with-baghdadis-location-statement-idUKKBN1X60HG

Turkey wants to claim they gave the info to the US on Baghdadi’s whereabouts…..

Turkey on Sunday said there was “coordination” between Ankara and Washington before the operation which US media reports said targeted and killed Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“Prior to the US Operation in Idlib Province of Syria last night, information exchange and coordination between the military authorities of both countries took place,” the Turkish defence ministry said in a tweet.

It did not give details.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/10/27/turkey-syrian-kurds-claim-credit-in-baghdadi-death-operation

So many taking credit and so little time to actually care…..as long as the SOB is still DEAD.

But finally what does the death of Baghdadi’s death really matter?

The complex heliborne raid occurring yesterday killed the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The long sought after terror leader’s death marks a milestone for the U.S. campaign to defeat the Islamic State, particularly at a time when the U.S. has precipitously drawn down its forces in Syria. What should we make of al-Baghdadi’s death?

How much does Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death matter?

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/10/28/how_much_does_abu_bakr_al-baghdadis_death_matter_114816.html

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Baghdadi–Death Of The Salesman

After 5 years of trying to rid the world of the leader of the ISIS Caliphate the US has overseen his destruction…..

President Trump grabbed the world’s attention Sunday with major news: Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was dead. Now details are emerging about the US military raid against the Islamic State leader. Turns out one of Baghdadi’s wives and a courier were arrested this summer and revealed his location in a part of Syria where rival al-Qaeda groups hold sway, US officials tell the New York Times. An elite Army unit devised and rehearsed the raid, which involved eight American helicopters flying from Iraq to an area north of Idlib city in western Syria, drawing gunfire on the 70-minute trip. Commandos then blew out a wall of Baghdadi’s compound and killed several people in a gun battle. For more:

  • ‘Whimpering and crying’: Trump said Baghdadi killed himself and three children using a suicide vest, “whimpering and crying and screaming all the way.” All true? “Well I don’t—I don’t have those details,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on This Week, per ABC News. “The president probably had the opportunity to talk to the commanders on the ground but, clearly, the guy was a coward and a murderer.”
  • Russia first: Nancy Pelosi praised military and officials behind the raid, per USA Today, but said “the House must be briefed on this raid, which the Russians but not top congressional leadership were notified of in advance.” Trump said he didn’t tell Pelosi because “I wanted to make sure this kept secret.”
  • The Kurds: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces called the raid a “joint operation” between Americans and Kurds, per the Washington Post. Kurds provided more intel than anyone, a US official tells the Times, even after Trump ordered US troops to leave Syria and let the Kurds battle Turkish forces alone.
  • Witnesses: A family in Syria apparently witnessed the night raid. “They said foreign soldiers with machine guns stormed in and took [people] away,” a Syrian journalist tells the Independent. “People they had never seen before. … When they left, after taking prisoners and killing the rest, a plane came and struck the house to completely destroy it.”
  • Trump’s team: The White House has released images of Trump and his national-security team stoically watching the raid, per USA Today. One Twitter user contrasted it with President Obama’s staff observing the Osama bin Laden raid.
  • Who was Baghdadi? A jihadist whose Islamic State captured Iraqi and Syrian territory, establishing a “caliphate” that was lost in 2019 fighting against US-led forces. Baghdadi also inspired terror attacks worldwide, per the Wall Street Journal.
  • Not over: More attacks on terrorists in Syria may follow, a US defense official tells CNN. Indeed, Newsweek reports that US strikes killed Islamic State spokesperson Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir in Aleppo province on Sunday.

The announcement of the death by Trump turned into a 40 minute of him, Trump,  being victimized and getting no credit for his amazing (in his mind) presidency and his person.

With the death of Baghdadi the barbaric group known as ISIS will soldier on…they will not disappear because their leader popped the cork on his suicide vest……

While US officials are taking the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as a major victory, analysts are saying it is unlikely that this will spell anything like the end to the ISIS organization, or its insurgency.

It is not immediately apparent who Baghdadi’s successor would be, as little is known publicly about the inner workings of ISIS. His death clearly means a leadership reshuffle, however, and for such groups in the past, that has often meant worsening insurgencies as new leaders try to put their stamp on the organization.

Indeed, with ISIS barely existing in Iraq or Syria anymore,  it is possible that ISIS leadership might come from a different region. ISIS has active affiliates across Asia and Africa and becoming the new hub for the group might give those groups a major shot in the arm.

Ultimately, some are seeing ISIS as potentially reinvigorated by Baghdadi’s death, and even if that doesn’t happen, the individual affiliates are likely to keep plugging away no matter who is in charge.

(antiwar.com)

My question now is….who will get the $25 million reward for the location and death of Baghdadi?

I believe that is enough said about the SOB….He is dead and the world is a better place.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Breaking News–Syria

I try to keep the news out of my weekend posts but some times it just too important to wait for a week day…..today is one of those reports….

The news has just been put out on the air waves….ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, has been killed by US military action….

US officials are reporting that a Saturday special operations raid against northwestern Syria killed a “high-value” target, and that the Pentagon has “high confidence” that they had killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Baghdadi has been reported killed or gravely wounded several times in the past, only to reemerge unharmed. The Pentagon suggested that further verification is pending, but that the man believed to be Baghdadi killed himself with a suicide vest after a brief firefight.

President Trump declared ‘something very big has just happened” on Twitter,and White House officials say he is planning an official announcement of Baghdadi’s death for 9:00 AM on Sunday morning.

The leader of ISIS since 2010, Baghdadi has been considered one of the highest value targets on the US list ever since. This would have been a much bigger deal when ISIS was an active force in Iraq or Syria, but is still significant to the group’s operations. It has never been entirely clear who would replace Baghdadi, despite his regularly being reported taken out of action.

It’s also not clear what this will mean for the US war in Syria, though since the war has already been transitioning to being about controlling Syria’s oil, which probably won’t be changed by this killing.

(antiwar.com)

Good news if accurate….but keep in mind al-Baghdadi has been said to be dead on at least two occasions that I know of and injured in several others.

We await an official announcement from our Fearless Leader…..keep in mind he said Obama did not kill Osama it was the soldiers……which is correct of course…..I want to watch the spin.

I will post more as facts become known…..

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

I return IST to its normal posting schedule…….

Breaking News: Syria

The Middle East just took a step closer to a full blown war….instead of the hunt for a “safe zone”…..

NATO ally has invaded a sovereign nation, Syria, in pursuit of a people they say are terrorists….the Kurds….

In a meeting the scales are weighted…..Syria has ageed to defend the Kurds from Turkish aggression…..

This might be a last-minute, desperation deal—but now Syrian Kurds have some protection. They said Sunday the Syrian government has agreed to send army forces to the nation’s northern border to try to curb Turkey’s assault, the BBC reports. Russia brokered the deal over three days between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and President Bashar al-Assad’s government, a Kurdish intelligence official tells the Washington Post. What the Kurds gave up in response is unclear, but Mazloum Abdi, leader of the SDF, described it as a necessity.

“We know that we would have to make painful compromises with Moscow and Bashar al-Assad if we go down the road of working with them,” he writes in Foreign Policy. “But if we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people.” Abdi expressed appreciation of America’s “generous support,” but said “Turkey would never attack us so long as the US government was true to its word with us. We are now standing with our chests bare to face the Turkish knives.” Indeed, Turkey attacked as President Trump ordered most or all US troops in the area to pull out.

This situation is leading to an old stand-off…..NATO vs Russia……Syria has help…Russia and Iran…..NATO has Turkey……

This should test the strength of the NATO charter.

On the other front in this….American troops…..

US officials had already made a big deal of withdrawing from northern Syria, but President Trump on late Saturday has finally ordered a full withdrawal from the area, covering about 1,000 troops that were still in potential combat areas.

Among the troops withdrawing were the personnel in a US base at Ayn al-Issa. Turkish forces were approaching the area, and had cut off US supply lines by seizing the highway. Keeping the base at that point seemed no longer feasible.

That the Pentagon is reporting this new order covers 1,000 troops in northern Syria is interesting, as just days ago the US claimed to have only 15-100 troops left there, when they came under fire from Turkish artillery. Even before that, Trump claimed the US had only ever had 50 troops there in the first place, as to downplay the pullback.

It is not clear from the reports where these 1,000 troops are going, though so far there is no indication that the US is actually leaving Syria. Rather, it is likely they’ll just move deeper south, as to give Turkey more room to operate.

With Turkey moving its troops deeper into Syria, and Syria’s Army advancing into the area to resist them, the fight could get very complicated very quickly. The US clearly doesn’t want to get directly involved, though these slow, incomplete pullouts mean the US is also determined to keep a toehold in the country.

(antiwar.com)

The news will be daily around this situation…..I will be watching.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

ISIS Defeated, As The Story Goes

As Turkey begins its attack to “take care” of the Kurds there is a little something that should be considered (not that anyone consulted me)…….

After years of war and barbarity in Syria and Iraq we are told by the president of the United States that ISIS has been defeated……of course I had to take exception to that declaration…..

https://lobotero.com/2019/02/18/all-bow-down-isis-defeated/

https://lobotero.com/2019/03/21/will-isis-rest-in-peace/

https://lobotero.com/2019/08/28/isis-the-return/

Just a small sampling of my posts on the declaration that ISIS had been defeated.

We were told that the US mission in Syria has been accomplished and now we may depart with head held high….unfortunately declaring was premature…..

US President Donald Trump has issued multiple declaration of victory over ISIS. Back in December 2018, Mr. Trump stated: “We have won against ISIS.” He subsequently initiated US troop withdrawals from Syria. The administration has equated the loss of physical territory with ISIS defeat. By the summer of 2019, ISIS no longer wielded control over its territorial caliphate in Syria and Iraq, as the last stronghold of Baghouz fell in Syria in March. In July 2019, President Trump reiterated his belief in the triumph over ISIS: “We have 100 percent of the caliphate, and we’re rapidly pulling out of Syria. We’ll be out of there pretty soon. And let them handle their own problems. Syria can handle their own problems—along with Iran, along with Russia, along with Iraq, along with Turkey. We’re 7,000 miles away.”

However, any declarations of victory over ISIS are premature. The group has long been developing its insurgent capabilities and has been preparing to take the fight underground. There are numerous indicators suggesting that ISIS is getting ready for a comeback. According to the recent Pentagon inspector general’s report, ISIS is resurging in areas of Syria and Iraq. The report estimates that the group retains a force of fourteen to eighteen thousand people, including up to three thousand foreigners.

https://mwi.usma.edu/mission-accomplished-perils-declaring-premature-victory-isis/

Sadly you can kill the person but not the idea…..ISIS can and will make a comeback……

Lt. Col. Jace Neuenschwander, a battalion commander in Task Force Nineveh which is part of the U.S.-led coalition effort, says that ISIS has tried to adapt to finding new places to exploit gaps in security in Iraq to stay alive. Located near Mosul, Neuenschwander and several hundred personnel are part of the tip of the spear in terms of identifying an ISIS resurgence. “[ISIS have] had a hard time staying alive,” he says. ISIS keeps a low profile and is losing ground, safe havens and smuggling routes. His sector, which stretches around the city of Mosul towards the Syrian border is “not as active as it once was” and the Iraqi Security Forces are doing a good job.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/can-isis-make-comeback-85006

The truth is that ISIS and AQ have starting branching out into the sub-continent and South Asia…..they will make a comeback just few know exactly where.

To update the news……. in Syria….ISIS gets a breather for now…..

The major Syrian Kurdish faction the SDF has reportedly halted its anti-ISIS operations, to the extent that any were still going on, in response to Turkish ground forces crossing the border into northeastern Syria on Wednesday.

This move absolutely makes sense, with sources saying that the SDF believes it is impossible to resist a Turkish invasion and fight ISIS remnants at the same time. Clearly, this was something the Kurds threatened to try to deter Turkey.

In reality, there do not appear to be substantial anti-ISIS operations going on anymore anyhow, and hasn’t been for quite some time, since ISIS lost all their territory months ago. The ISIS battle was a big talking point for the US, and they are keen to keep that narrative going.

The US has demanded that Turkey take charge of the ISIS operation now that they are in northeastern Syria, with a focus on keeping prisoners detained. It is likely that anything even remotely ISIS-related will be blamed on Turkey.

(antiwar.com)

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

United Nations For The 21st Century

This week has been the annual meetings of the world leaders at the General Assembly….and as usual was full of drama and theatrics.

I admit it…I am not as gung-ho as I use to be about the United Nations (UN)……what started off as a great idea and the elimination of the necessity for war has become a joke among international analysts (me included).

I have tried to explain the reason why the UN seems ineffectual…..https://lobotero.com/2015/06/30/why-hate-the-united-nations-un/

I read a lot of papers trying to keep up to date since I left the international relations field…..and this one is a paper about the limitations and capabilities of the UN in conflict management……

A plethora of contemporary challenges have exposed the UN to criticism in its ability to evolve with changes in geopolitics, most notably the organization’s responsive rather than reactive approach to confronting international crises and the rise in nations disinterested in international consensus building. “The protection of civilians, the threat of violent extremism… and the dilemmas of state building” have presented obstacles that have forced both the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UNSC to reevaluate their ability to comprehensively address today’s global challenges.[8] However, the primary obstacle threatening the capacity of the UN remains “how to deal with conflicts – be they between or within states – without offending the national sovereignty of its member states”.[9] Additionally, the UNSC remains controversial for its lack of global representation amongst the P-5 members with the ability to veto vital resolutions brought before the body. Given that the organization “remains largely unchanged since its founding in 1946”, debate regarding “its efficacy and authority as a mediator on matters of international security” is ongoing and increasingly prevalent in light of presently deteriorating modern conflicts.[10] With the determination of the P-5 having been structured in the aftermath of World War II, critics note that the current authority of the body disproportionately favors the positions of the permanent members, thus hindering the UNSC’s ability to distance itself from the sovereign interests of states when attempting to combat international security risks. Respective geopolitical aims of hegemons are evident in the present stalemate in the UNSC between Russia and the United States, with the veto power granted to permanent members constraining “the Council from engaging in the resolution of civil wars within their borders and in areas of perceived vital interest”.[11] Evidently, there is a disconnect between present threats to international security and the capacity for entities such as the UNSC to effectively mediate and mitigate conflict. The archaic structure of the UN and its entities makes it unable to address transitions in conflict that have complicated the need for resolution vis-à-vis mediation between nation states.

The Limitations and Capabilities of the United Nations in Modern Conflict

I think there is a place for the UN in the management and resolutions of conflict but to do so there would need to be a change…..for one get rid of the permanent members of the Security Council…those members have done NOTHING to make the world a safer place.

Learn Stuff!

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Closing Thought–26Sep19

Neo-Nazis and Osama—-are unlikely allies?

Since the little fascist hate anyone with brown skin it is interesting that they have found common ground with Osama…

As the threat of militant neo-Nazi groups expands and gains the attentions of federal authorities, their online propaganda tactics are taking a page out of an unlikely playbook: well-known jihadist groups.

Two neo-Nazi terror groups in particular, both revealed to be under investigation by the FBI in a recent indictment of an alleged bomber who was a member of both organizations, have recently demonstrated that they’re learning from online propaganda created by ISIS and al Qaeda.

In a late May post, European neo-Nazi group Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) published a propaganda image to its now-defunct Gab page. The image featured a stylized, yet unmistakable, screengrab from an infamous ISIS how-to video promoting homemade explosives with the caption, “It’s easier than you think.”

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bjwv4a/neo-nazis-are-glorifying-osama-bin-laden

Further Reading:

https://lobotero.com/2017/10/04/closing-thought-04oct17/

https://lobotero.com/2009/02/28/hate-groups-on-the-rise/

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/02/19/hate-groups-reach-record-high

The Facts on White Nationalism

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

“Lego ergo Scribo”

Terror Adverted?

An American soldier has been arrested for the possible terror attacks he was planning and assisting others to carry out.

Federal authorities said Monday that they charged a US Army soldier with sharing bomb-making instructions online, and that he discussed bombing an unidentified media organization and killing left-leaning activists. Jarrett William Smith, 24, a private first class from South Carolina stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, was arrested Saturday, the AP reports. A criminal complaint says Smith discussed killing “antifa” activists and how to build a bomb that could be triggered by calling a cellphone. He listed Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke as a possible target, officials say. They accuse him of posting on Facebook that he was interested in fighting with a paramilitary group in Ukraine known as Azov Batallion. In an online chat group, Smith said he was looking for more “radicals” like himself, the complaint alleges, adding that he talked about destroying cell towers or a local news station.

In an interview before his arrest, Smith told investigators that he knows how to make improvised explosives devices and that he routinely provides instruction on building them. He stated he did this to cause “chaos.” In an exchange Friday on the encrypted messaging service Telegram, an undercover FBI agent asked Smith if there was anyone in Texas who would be a good fit for “fire, destruction and death.” Smith reportedly replied: “Outside of Beto? I don’t know enough people that would be relevant enough to cause a change if they died.” O’Rourke is a member of Congress from Texas. Smith was in court Monday, per NBC, and was ordered held until he appears in court Thursday in Topeka. If convicted, Smith could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000

Yet another “Lone Wolf” arrested and stopped before he could do any damage if the charges are found to be true.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”