Lightning Times

Iraqi Kurdistan: Charles Glass on Referendum

Charles Glass at Stratfor:

https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/iraqi-kurdistan-fight-seat-table-nations?

'This is a delicate moment for "southern Kurdistan," as Kurdish nationalists call the Iraqi portion of the vast Kurdish territory that includes slices of Turkey, Iran and Syria. "Southern" (or Iraqi) Kurdistan has no coastline, and all its bridges to the outside world traverse enemy territory. Iran has declared its border closed to Kurdish trade. Turkey is threatening to do the same. The Syrian route is blocked by civil war. To the south, Iraq is mobilizing troops along the disputed frontier that will become a fixed international border if and when its secession-minded province achieves independence. ...'

World Today: 2017-09-28

US Ambassador Friedman: Settlements part of Israel.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/236102
'David Friedman, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, said on Thursday that he believes Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are part of Israel.

“I think the settlements are part of Israel,” Friedman said in an interview with the Hebrew-language Walla website.

“I think that was always the expectation when Resolution 242 was adopted in 1967. It remains today the only substantive resolution that was agreed to by everybody,” he added.

Uganda: Explosions hit home of MP Kasibante.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201709280702.html
'Two explosives have ripped through the house of Rubaga North MP Moses Kasibante only an hour after police returned him home after Wednesday's detention over the [presidential] age limit controversy.

The explosives tore through the front door of his home. Metallic and rubber fragments were by 9am Thursday still at the scene. The front door glasses had been smashed with mild smoke visible at the tiles of the veranda. However, there were no casualties. ...'

[BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41398849 'The age-limit issue is controversial because long-standing President Yoweri Museveni is 73 years old and the limit for re-election is capped at 75.']

Iraq: Tal Afar Declared Liberated from Daesh

FDD Long War Journal:

Iraqi prime minister Haider Al-Abadi announced earlier today that Tal Afar has been “liberated” from the Islamic State. “Our brave Armed Forces have liberated Tal Afar and the Iraqi flag is once again flying high in Nineveh province,” Al-Abadi tweeted. “I salute our martyrs, our injured and their families whose sacrifices have made this and other victories possible,” he added. “Nineveh is liberated.”

The US echoed Al-Abadi’s announcement, trumpeting the quick progress made by Iraqi forces.

“The global Coalition to defeat ISIS congratulates Prime Minister Al-Abadi and all Iraqi Security Forces on their stunning victory in Tal Afar and Northern [Nineveh] Province,” Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said in a statement. But CJTF-OIR added a cautionary note: “While the city and critical infrastructure are under ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] control, dangerous work remains to completely remove explosive devices, identify ISIS fighters in hiding and eliminate any remaining ISIS holdouts so they do not threaten the security of Tal Afar in the future.”
...

Rudaw:

The commander of the global coalition’s forces in Iraq and Syria expressed that Kurdish Peshmerga have done “incredible work” in the fight against ISIS so far, and he is expecting “more contributions” in the offensive to retake Hawija.

“So people probably don't have a good appreciation for this, but I certainly do,” US Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said during a Pentagon press conference on Thursday. “The Peshmerga were instrumental in stopping the onslaught of ISIS in 2014 and 2015. Across much of northern Iraq, it was the Kurdish Peshmerga who held the line.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi praised forces involved in the liberation of Tal Afar and all of Nineveh on Thursday, mentioning various Iraqi security units by name including the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries, but not the Kurdish Peshmerga.

The three-star US general who will pass his command on to Army Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II next week, noted the defensive lines which Peshmerga held. ...

World Today: 2017-08-27

San Francisco: Patriot Prayer rally cancelled. 'Hundreds of counterprotesters marched on the streets of San Francisco on Saturday, the same day that organizers of a right-wing group canceled their events and moved locations, saying they wanted to avoid a riot. ...' (Washington Post)

Kurdistan: Ammo dump explosions prompt confiscated weapons re-think. 'After explosions at two separate weapons storage sites of the Zeravani Peshmerga in August, the command of the force have said that they will destroy all weapons confiscated from ISIS militants to prevent similar incidents being repeated in the future. The announcement came a day after a weapon storage facility of the force near Erbil International Airport exploded Saturday night that caused a fire and a loud bang that could be heard in the city center. ...' (Rudaw)

Israel: IAF completes F-35 order from USA. 'The Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv announced Sunday, that Israel had completed its purchase of two squadrons of the F-35 stealth plane for its air force, after adding another 17 aircraft to the list. ...' (Debka)

Commentary: Liberty Wolf on cancelled SF rally. 'Today my beautiful old hometown San Francisco celebrated mob rule and the death of freedom of speech. Congratulations San Francisco! On the urging of your corrupt political class, including Mayor Lee and Nancy Pelosi, you ran a ragged bunch of black men, Latino men, a white woman, a Muslim woman, a Samoan, and assorted other “white supremacists” out of town. How brave, how courageous, how righteous. What a very sad day and what a silly bunch of people. Maybe I am lucky not to have witnessed this in person.'

Lightning Times: Updates

It's been some time since I posted regularly here at my current events blog, Lightning Times (formerly titled Dreams Into Lightning 2). My personal life has been very busy; it's likely to stay that way for a while, but I mean to start finding the time to update.

I moved back to Portland at the beginning of 2014, after living in San Francisco for several years for family reasons. At the beginning of 2017 I moved back to my old apartment building on Morrison in downtown Portland, which is the closest thing to what I consider "home". These days I work full-time in the IT field.

The past year has brought the election of President Donald Trump in the United States, and with it, violent and destructive protests by his opponents in (among other places) both the Bay Area and Portland. Just this weekend a planned rally in San Francisco by Trump supporters had to be cancelled due to threats of violence.

So, that's this morning's news. Follow this blog, Lightning Times, for event-driven news updates as my schedule permits me to post. And follow sister blog Covenant Lands (formerly Dreams Into Lightning 1) for opinions and analysis.

World Today: 2017-01-08 Sunday

Iran: Rafsanjani dead. 'Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died in hospital on Sunday after suffering a heart attack, the ISNA and Fars news agencies reported. ...' He was 82. (France 24 via Instapundit)

USA: Fort Lauderdale - 13 shot, 5 killed by terrorist. 'A gunman, identified by authorities as Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, 26, is reportedly in custody after at least five people were shot and killed at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport Friday....' Three of the victims have been publicly identified so far. (Breitbart, CNN)

Israel: Vehicular terrorist kills four in Jerusalem. 'Jerusalem police are continuing Sunday evening to investigate the murderous attack which occurred near the Haas promenade in Armon Hanatziv, resulting in the deaths of four cadets from officer's training school. The investigation has revealed that at 1:23 P.M. a truck came driving down the main road towards the promenade driven by the terrorist, Fadi Konabar, a 28-year-old resident of Jabal Mukhaber. ...' (Arutz Sheva)

World Today: 2017-01-01 Sunday

Turkey: Gunman kills 39 in Istanbul nightclub. 'A gunman opened fire on New Year revelers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus waterway on Sunday killing at least 39 people, including many foreigners, then fled the scene. ...' (Reuters)

Analysis - Stratfor: Hits, and a Brexit miss. 'As we brace for what looks to be a volatile 2017, it is important to reflect on the year that was. Our 2016 Annual Forecast stressed the complex interconnectivity of several major trends: Turkey's resurgence, the U.S.-Russia standoff, the Syrian civil war, surging nationalism in Europe and economic stress driving big political change in much of the world. ...' The editors of the Austin-based journal acknowledge having missed their guess on the 'Leave' vote in the UK's referendum: 'This misstep spurred intense introspection on the part of our analyst team to understand why the call was made in spite of our longer-term forecast that the United Kingdom was distancing itself from increasingly divisive Continental affairs. The problem is inertia: We know the overarching trend, but it is much trickier to pinpoint when the fundamental break occurs.' The editors judged, however, that the 'nationalist fever that gripped Europe could easily drift across the Atlantic to the United States.'

World Today: 2016-12-18 Sunday

Israel / Azerbaijan: Baku to buy Iron Dome. 'Just days after Benjamin Netanyahu visited Baku, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Javer Jamalov announced over the weekend that his country has signed a deal to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system. Jamalov made the announcement on Saturday during a briefing with reporters. According to a report in the Azerbaijan Press Agency, Jamalov said that the “agreement was reached between the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry and Israel’s relevant structure”, likely a reference to Israel’s Defense Ministry.' (JPost)

International: Former UK ambassador says Democrat, not Russians, provided Wikileaks info. 'A Wikileaks envoy today claims he personally received Clinton campaign emails in Washington D.C. after they were leaked by 'disgusted' whisteblowers - and not hacked by Russia.
Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan and a close associate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, told Dailymail.com that he flew to Washington, D.C. for a clandestine hand-off with one of the email sources in September. 'Neither of [the leaks] came from the Russians,' said Murray in an interview with Dailymail.com on Tuesday. 'The source had legal access to the information. The documents came from inside leaks, not hacks.''

International: Spengler on US / Russia / China relations. Great article by Spengler at Asia Times on the parallels and differences among the three superpowers in terms of geography, history, and society. Well worth reading in full.

World Today: 2016-12-14 Wednesday

Israel/Azerbaijan: Netanyahu visits Azerbaijan. 'Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Azerbaijan's capital of Baku on Dec. 13 for a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, APA reported. Talks reportedly centered on strengthening energy, trade and technology ties.' (Stratfor)

Iran/Russia: Tehran, Gazprom sign preliminary deal. 'An agreement to development two major oil fields in Iran was signed by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Tehran Dec. 13, AFP reported, citing the Shana news agency.' (Stratfor)

Syria: Aleppo battle nearing end. 'The battle for the long-divided city of Aleppo appears to be in its final stages, as Syrian government forces and their allies continue to rapidly retake ground formerly held by rebels, Reuters reported Dec. 12. Rebels, who once controlled the eastern half of the city, are now falling back into an ever-shrinking enclave as government troops push forward. ...' (Stratfor)

Saudi Arabia: Woman arrested for hijab-less photo tweet. 'The Saudi woman was going out for breakfast when she decided to make a statement. Violating the country’s moral codes, she reportedly stepped out in public wearing a multicolored dress, a black jacket and ankle boots — without a hijab or abaya, a loosefitting garment. Late last month, she tweeted a photo of her outfit, and the post circulated through Saudi Arabia, drawing death threats and demands to imprison or even execute the woman.' She's been unofficially identified as Malak al-Shehri. (Washington Post)

USA military: Airborne laser weapons closer to reality. 'The Air Force is increasing computer simulations and virtual testing for its laser-weapons program to accelerate development and prepare plans to arm fighter jets and other platforms by the early 2020s. To help model the effects of such technologies, the service has awarded Stellar Science a five-year, $7 million contract for advanced laser modeling and simulation.' (Defense Systems via Instapundit)

Terrorism: Two Paris attack facilitators reported killed in US airstrike in Raqqa. 'The Department of Defense announced today that three Islamic State “external attack operatives” were killed in a “precision airstrike” in Raqqa, Syria on Dec. 4. All three “were part of a network led by Boubaker Al-Hakim,” a French-Tunisian jihadi who was killed in another airstrike on Nov. 26. Al-Hakim was a notorious veteran of the jihad who first fought alongside Abu Musab al Zarqawi during the Iraq war. ...' (Long War Journal)

Nigeria's Air Force: Stronger Against Boko Haram

Robert Beckhusen at War Is Boring:

In early December 2016, Nigerian helicopter gunships and attack planes swooped down and blew up fuel dumps belonging to Boko Haram in the Sambisa forest — a rugged refuge for the insurgent group in the country’s northeast. In August, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau narrowly escaped with his life after Nigerian jets bombed his hideout. The month before that, a Nigerian Alpha Jet rocketed and bombed several Boko Haram fighters in Toyota Hilux pickup trucks — machine guns mounted on the beds — waiting to ambush a convoy of multi-national troops hunting the insurgents in Sambisa. But four years ago, the Nigerian Air Force was in serious trouble. ...

Read the rest at the link.