Lightning Times

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gets his virgins.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/270632

Arutz Sheva:

President Donald Trump announced the death of ISIS chief Bakr al-Baghdadi from the White House Sunday, after the US reportedly killed the ISIS founder in northwestern Syria.

“Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization anywhere in the world.”

“The United States has been searching for Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been thee top national security priority of my administration.”

Trump said the US suffered no casualties in the operation, while a large number of ISIS fighters were killed along with the terror group’s leader.

“US special operations forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid in northwestern Syria and accomplished their mission in grand style. The US personnel were incredible. I got to watch much of it. No personnel were lost in the operation, while a large number of Baghdadi’s fighters and companions were killed with him.”

“He died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way. The compound had been cleared by this time, with people either surrendering or being shot and killed. Eleven young children were moved out of the house and are uninjured. The only ones remaining were Baghdadi in the tunnel, and he had dragged three of his young children with him. They were led to certain death.”

“He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast, the tunnel caved in on it in addition. But test results gave certain, immediate, and totally positive identification. It was him. The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, in total panic and dread, terrified of the American forces bearing down on him.” ...

Russia: Missile explosion near Severodvinsk.

Barents Observer: Casualties after missile engine explosion.
At least two people died and several others received injuries after the liquid fuel in a missile jet engine exploded during a test at the military testing area Nyonoksa on White Sea coast. ...

Barents Observer:

It is still a mystery what prompt the jump in radiation and why the nuclear fuel carrier “Serebryanka” is still at anchor in the closed-off waters a few nautical miles outside Nenoksa military test site in the White Sea.

It was Thursday at 9 am a missile engine exploded at the naval test range west of Severodvinsk.

Radiation levels were several times higher than background for about half an hour around noon on Thursday, according official data from a paper published by the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Science. The data is based on the public automated monitoring system in Severodvinsk with eight sensors in town and at the Zvezdockha shipyard.

While normal background in the town with a population of 190,000 is around 0.11 µSv/h (microsivert per hour), the levels measured at the monitor on the Lomonosov Street near Lake Teatralnoye peaked at 2 µSv/h, nearly 20 times higher gamma radiation than normal. That, though, is still way within permissible levels for population exposure. ...

US Naval Institute:

This region plays a significant role for Russian military planners. The port of Arkhangelsk is the home to a substantial portion of Russia’s Joint Strategic Command North, which includes elements of all branches of the Russian military. Also, Russia’s Northern Fleet has a significant presence in the region. The Northern Fleet accounts for about two-thirds of the Russian navy’s nuclear strike capabilities, according to a June research paper by London-based think tank Chatham House.

The Arkhangelsk incident occurs a week after an ammunition depot in Siberia caught fire. In this incident, one person died, eight others were injured, and thousands of residents were evacuated, according to several media outlets including a BBC report.

A month ago, 14 sailors died when a secretive Russian submarine caught fire near the Northern Fleet’s base in Severomorsk. ...

Gateway Pundit: Judge Amy Berman Jackson to hear Strzok case.

Gateway Pundit: 'Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointed liberal judge with a corrupt disposition and anger towards Americans who think differently than Obama, will now apply her own distorted interpretation of the law in corrupt cop Peter Strzok’s wrongful termination case.' Read the rest at the link.

Texas: El Paso shooting claims 20 lives.

Conservative Treehouse:

•A single shooter opened fire in El Paso, Texas, at the Cielo Vista Mall. •Reports of 19 people killed, 40 others injured during a 20 minute shooting rampage. •Suspect identified as Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old white male from Dallas. •CCTV surveillance footage showed gunman walking in front entrance of Walmart armed with an AK-47 rifle. ...

From Blue Wildflower in the comments:
El Paso is not like the rest of Texas. It is 85% plus Hispanic. Mostly the people I know here do not carry. We are white not Hispanics, we do carry. One thing that is very different than most of Texas is, the different races are very mixed here. Majority is Hispanic and then you have minorities of white, black and Asian. Neighborhoods, churches, social events, marriages are all racially mixed. No one gives a second thought to your race. The city is democrat, old style democrat not liberals like Beto and Escobar. The mayor is Republican. This city will be forever changed over this!

When I got a call from my son asking where we were, we were in a church meeting with 5 Hispanics, 3 whites and 1 Asian. Tomorrow is when we will all meet in our churches and pray for our city. Tomorrow we will probably finally see the list of people that were killed because they went to a Walmart store to shop.

Gateway Pundit:

At 2:46 PM today MyLife had this profile for the deranged killer Patrick Crusius.

His original profile at 2:46 said he was a registered Democrat.

At 2:50 PM leftists changed his political affiliation from Democrat to Republican.

Go to the post at the link for full details and screenshots.

Glenn at Instapundit: comment thread discusses whether or not the site was a "gun-free zone" (apparently it wasn't), and whether legal carriers may have attempted to respond to the attack.
Commenter John Shepherd:
False, the Walmart was not a gun free zone. The report of multiple shooters was actually people who were carrying that were detained and later cleared. The problem is that few people who are armed with pistol are willing to go up against a guy with a rifle particular since most people are armed with small pistols that are only useful for close in personal defense. While a large compact or a full sized pistol reduce the odds against you in the close range environment of a store a rifle is very intimidating and most people are going to run and will only engage as a last resort.
Commenter Milton:
WalMarts in Texas allows open carry and concealed carry, and there has been some friction at Texas WalMarts with management asking to see open carry licences from customers. This WalMart allowed open and concealed carry - but was adjacent to a mall that didn't.

WalMart sells guns. Shotguns, rifles, all kinds of things. Crossbows. And bullets. Apparently no one thought to arm themselves in the chaos - probably because they were too busy running or hiding or being shot.

As a side note, WalMart should have more security than it does. A significantly high percentage of crime occurs at WalMarts around the country, including violent crime. WalMart relies on local police, instead of their own security measures, to address these acts, usually after the fact.

The Blaze: Glen Oakley saved lives. '"It was a whole bunch of kids in there," he told NBC affiliate KTSM. "I hope nothing happened to the kids. I tried to pick up as many as I could and bring them out with me."'

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.'

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.