The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

The mysterious identity of the "King of the North" and "Small Horn" discussed here. The "Great War" of Daniel 10:1 (NIV) discussed here. The heavenly & earthly establishment of God's Kingdom discussed here at length. Answers such questions as when does Jesus' Kingdom Rule begin and end.

Moderator: LWF Administration

Message
Author
User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#106 Post by Sunshine » Fri May 23, 2014 7:07 pm

Syrian al Qaeda Reach Foothills of Israeli-held Golan
Reuters
May 22, 2014 2:21 AM
Article Source
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi
Image
Weapons are seen in the sand near Adra, east of Damascus,
in this handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA
August 7, 2013. REUTERS/SANA/Handout
AMMAN (Reuters) - Atop the hill of Tel Ahmar just a few kilometers from Israeli forces on the Golan Heights, Syrian Islamist fighters hoist the al Qaeda flag and praise their mentor Osama bin Laden.

One of the men, a leader of al Qaeda's Nusra Front, compares their battlefield - a lush agricultural region where dead soldiers lie on the ground near a charred Soviet-era tank - with the struggle their comrades waged years ago in Afghanistan.

"This view reminds us of the lion of the mujahideen, Osama bin Laden, on the mountains of Tora Bora," he can be heard saying in a video posted by the group, which shows the fighters in sight of Israeli jeeps patrolling the fortified frontier.

Last month's capture of the post was followed days later by the seizure of the Syrian army's 61 Infantry Brigade base near the town of Nawa, one of the biggest rebel gains in the south during the three years of Syria's war.

The advances are important not just because they expand rebel control close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the Jordanian border, but because President Bashar al-Assad's power base in Damascus lies just 40 miles to the north.

They have brought heavy retaliation from Assad's forces, including aerial bombardment. The army has also sent elite troop reinforcements to the south in recent days after rebels pulled out of Homs city, relieving pressure on the army there.

The reinforcements reflect Assad's determination, on the eve of a June 3 presidential election likely to extend his power for another seven years, not to lose control of the towns of Nawa and Quneitra in the Golan foothills.

Rebels last year briefly took the Quneitra border crossing with Israel and now control many rural villages in the area.

"The regime has rung alarm bells, fearing that the fall of Nawa and Quneitra could open an axis towards Damascus," said Brigadier General Assad Zoubi, who headed an air force academy before defecting in early 2012.

AL QAEDA POWER GROWS

The southern front's potential as a launchpad for an offensive against the capital means it could ultimately pose the main challenge to Assad.

"It's a much shorter distance than that required for a push to Damascus from the rebels' northern strongholds. The southern front, contrary to all previous expectations, may ultimately be the crucial one," said Ehud Yaari, a fellow at the Washington Institute, a leading U.S. think-tank.

"Coalitions of rebels are proving effective against regime outposts," said Yaari, adding Syrian army units in the south were thinly spread and often isolated.

Recent rebel advances have been mainly achieved by the Nusra Front together with other Islamist brigades and rebels fighting under the broad umbrella of the Free Syrian Army.

In all, Western intelligence sources estimate around 60 insurgent groups are operating in southern Syria. In contrast to the deadly internecine rebel fighting further north, so far they have coordinated well in battle.

Echoing the trend in the north, however, radical groups such as Nusra, Muthana and Ahrar al-Sham have grown in influence, eroding the dominance of larger brigades backed by Saudi Arabia.

The weakness of those brigades was further exposed when they failed to respond to Nusra's abduction of Colonel Ahmad Neamah, a critic of radical Islamists who leads the Western- and Saudi-backed military council which has around 20,000 rebels under its nominal authority.

The trial earlier this month of Neamah in a Nusra court, where he was videoed confessing to holding back weapons from rebels to suit foreign powers who wanted to prolong the conflict, has further discredited the moderate rebels' cause.

Rebels in Deraa, the cradle of the 2011 uprising against Assad, have long complained that unlike their comrades in the north, they have been choked of significant arms, with both the West and Jordan wary of arming insurgents so close to Israel.

SAUDI CONTAINMENT POLICY

From a covert operations room in the Jordanian capital Amman, intelligence officers from countries including the United States, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates assess arms requests by the rebels.

They have ensured some light arms and ammunition cross the border - enough only to make tactical gains every once in a while - rebels in contact with the operations room say.

They say Saudi Arabia, the main backer, is now focusing less on a military challenge to Assad and more on financing groups such as the Yarmouk Brigade, Ahfad al-Rasoul Brigades and al-Omari Brigade to counter the future spread of al Qaeda.

"They are supporting groups that will one day stand up to the extremist radical groups and now want to disrupt the road to Damascus so that the battle is prolonged," said one Islamist rebel leader, who asked not to be identified.

Riyadh's deeper concern stems from the impact an al Qaeda enclave so close to home could have on thousands of young disaffected Saudis, according to Jordanian security sources. At its closest point, Saudi Arabia is separated from southern Syria by just 100 km (60 miles) of Jordanian desert.

Moderate rebels say they are losing ground because of Western reluctance to provide anti-aircraft weapons that could curb Assad's devastating air strikes.

In contrast, financial support from private Salafi funders mainly in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar has enabled Nusra and hardline Islamist brigades to recruit more young men and tap into anger at perceived betrayal by the West and regional powers.

FROM BATTLEFIELD TO COURTS

Now nearly 2,000 Nusra Front fighters operate in the area with organizational skills that far outweigh those of their more secular-minded rivals, whose splits and squabbles have lost them much popular support.

Nusra fighters man dozens of checkpoints across the Hauran Plain, from the Golan Heights frontier in the west to Deraa on the Jordan border and other towns 60 km (40 miles) to the east.

They pay their men well and even ensure their families have enough flour and basic items, said one moderate rebel commander in the town of Jasem who has ties with Nusra fighters.

Their popularity has come at the expense of other insurgents who earned a reputation for looting and feuding. Nusra courts now deal with a growing number of issues, from family disputes to allocating financial aid to the needy, residents say.

In the last six months the Nusra Front has also established offices in the old quarter of Deraa city, where an assortment of rebel brigades set up on tribal lines had long held sway.

The emergence of Nusra has chipped away at that tribal structure of small brigades and family associations that were long viewed by Jordan and Saudi Arabia as a bulwark against the radical Salafi ideology promoted by wealthy Gulf benefactors.

"These Islamist groups have become the main actors on the ground. The Free Syrian Army has disintegrated so the expansion of Nusra in rural Deraa is natural and expected - though it was delayed because of the force of tribalism," said former Jordanian army general and military analyst Fayez Dwairi.

(Editing by Dominic Evans and Giles Elgood)


***

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#107 Post by Sunshine » Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:58 pm

Video purportedly shows extremist leader in Iraq
Source of Article

Date: Jul 5th 2014 3:48PM
By RYAN LUCAS and DIAA HADID

BAGHDAD (AP) - A man purporting to be the leader of the Sunni extremist group that has declared an Islamic state in territory it controls in Iraq and Syria has made what would be his first public appearance, delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq's second-largest city, according to a video posted online Saturday.

The 21-minute video that is said to show Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State group, was reportedly filmed on Friday at the Great Mosque in the northern city of Mosul. It was released on at least two websites known to be used by the organization and bore the logo of its media arm, but it was not possible to independently verify whether the person shown was indeed al-Baghdadi.

There are only a few known photographs of al-Baghdadi, an ambitious Iraqi militant believed to be in his early 40s with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. Since taking the reins of the group in 2010, he has transformed it from a local branch of al-Qaida into an independent transnational military force, positioning himself as perhaps the preeminent figure in the global jihadi community.

Al-Baghdadi's purported appearance in Mosul, a city of some 2 million that the militants seized last month, came five days after his group declared the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the territories it seized in Iraq and Syria. The group proclaimed al-Baghdadi the leader of its state and demanded that all Muslims pledge allegiance to him.

In the video, the man said to be al-Baghdadi says that "the mujahedeen have been rewarded victory by God after years of jihad, and they were able to achieve their aim and hurried to announce the caliphate and choose the Imam," referring to the leader.

"It is a burden to accept this responsibility to be in charge of you," he adds. "I am not better than you or more virtuous than you. If you see me on the right path, help me. If you see me on the wrong path, advise me and halt me. And obey me as far as I obey God."

Speaking in classical Arabic with little emotion, he outlines a vision that emphasizes holy war, the implementation of a strict interpretation of Islamic law, and the philosophy that the establishment of an Islamic caliphate is a duty incumbent on all Muslims.

He is dressed in black robes and a black turban - a sign that he claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad. He has dark eyes, thick eyebrows and a full black beard with streaks of gray on the sides.

At the beginning of the video, the man purported to be al-Baghdadi slowly climbs the mosque's pulpit one step at a time. Then the call to prayer is made as he cleans his teeth with a miswak, a special type of stick that devout Muslims use to clean their teeth and freshen their breath.

The camera pans away at one point to show several dozen men and boys standing for prayer in the mosque, and a black flag of the Islamic State group hangs along one wall. One man stands guard, with a gun holster under his arm.
Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on militant factions in Syria and Iraq, said al-Baghdadi has come under some criticism since unilaterally declaring the establishment of a caliphate, in part for not appearing before the people.

"He had declared himself caliph, he couldn't hide away. He had to make an appearance at some time," al-Tamimi said. Traditionally, a Muslim ruler is expected to live among the people, and to preach the sermon before communal Friday prayers.

The brazenness of his purported appearance - nearly unheard of among the most prominent global jihad figures - before dozens of people, and issued on a video only a day after its occurrence, suggested the Islamic State's confidence in their rule of Mosul.

"The fact that he has done this without any consequences in Mosul's biggest mosque is a sign of (the Islamic State group's) power within the city," said al-Tamimi. He said it would likely boost the morale of al-Baghdadi's fighters, and deal a blow to the group's rivals.

A senior Iraqi intelligence official said that after an initial analysis the man in the video is believed to indeed be al-Baghdadi. The official said the arrival of a large convoy in Mosul around midday Friday coincided with the blocking of cellular networks in the area. He says the cellular signal returned after the convoy departed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

A Mosul resident confirmed that mobile networks were down around the time of Friday prayers, and then returned a few hours later. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for his safety.

Another aspect of the rule al-Baghdadi envisions was made clear in a series of images that emerged online late Saturday showing the destruction of at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory his group controls.
The 21 photographs posted on a website that frequently carries official statements from the Islamic State extremist group document the destruction in Mosul and the town of Tal Afar. Some of the photos show bulldozers plowing through walls, while others show explosives demolishing the buildings in a cloud of smoke and rubble.

Residents from both Mosul and Tal Afar confirmed the destruction of the sites.

Sunni extremists consider Shiites Muslims heretics, and the veneration of saints apostasy.

Also Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki removed the chief of the army's ground forces and the head of the federal police from their posts as part of his promised shake-up in the security forces following their near collapse in the face of the militant surge.

Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said al-Maliki signed the papers to retire Lt. Gen. Ali Ghaidan, commander of the army's ground forces, and Lt. Gen. Mohsen al-Kaabi, the chief of the federal police. Al-Moussawi said both men leave their jobs with their pensions. No replacements have been named.
___
Hadid reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#108 Post by Sunshine » Thu Jul 10, 2014 12:54 pm

Will Isis Eclipse Al Qaeda As No 1 Global Terrorism 'Brand'

Source of Article

Image

The recent military success of ISIS in Iraq is building a terrorist “brand” that is increasing the group’s following among jihadis worldwide, putting the group in a position to potentially eclipse the group that once nurtured it, Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda, U.S. officials tell NBC News.

The battlefield accomplishments of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) are likewise pushing the group’s low-profile leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, into prominence in the world of extreme Islam, and could help him secure the leadership mantle left vacant by the death of bin Laden, according to the officials, who briefed reporters Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

That would be an ironic twist, as al-Baghdadi has long been at odds with Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as al Qaeda’s leader when bin Laden was killed in 2011. At the center of the dispute — a “schism” in the words of one senior U.S. counterterrorism official — is a serious disagreement over the tactics of terrorism and what appears to be a high level of distrust between the two terrorist leaders.

Image

U.S. officials do not for now consider ISIS more dangerous than al Qaeda, noting that the latter continues to focus on international operations while the former is strictly regional.

Al-Baghdadi, whose real name is not known, had been largely a cipher prior to ISIS’s recent emergence as a military force to be reckoned with. He does not issue videos on a regular basis like bin Laden did. There are only two pictures of him circulating on the Internet. And charisma is not considered to be part of his kit bag.

Sign up for breaking news alerts from NBC News

But the U.S. officials say there is little doubt that al-Baghdadi has ambitious goals, aiming to install himself as the leader, or "caliph," of a vast Islamic state governed by sharia law and stretching from the middle of Iraq into central Syria.

Image

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, commander of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, in a U.S. State Department wanted poster.

In doing so, he is emulating bin Laden, the man to whom he swore “bayat” — personal loyalty — in 2006 following an application process that included tests of ideology, battlefield experience, etc.

But while bin Laden launched the 9-11 attacks and helped the Taliban take over Afghanistan, he never controlled a vast territory in the heart of the Middle East as al-Baghdadi now does. So he never came close to realizing his dream of establishing a caliphate — or Islamic state — governed by sharia.

If ISIS can hold or expand the territory it now controls in Iraq and Syria, al-Baghdadi may be able to supersede his master.

He has done so without any help from Zawahiri, whom he despises and who detests him in return.

"He is headstrong, having bucked al Qaeda leader Zawahri’s commands on multiple occasions to the point of schism," said the senior U.S. counterterrorism official. "It is difficult to see al-Baghdadi returning to the al Qaeda fold any time soon, especially with the ISIS brand gaining increasing credibility as an alternative to al Qaeda among violent jihadists worldwide."

In February, relations between the two became so acrimonious that Zawahri expelled ISIS and its leader from al Qaeda. The language was bureaucratic.

"Al Qaeda declares that it has no links to the ISIS group," Zawahri said in a posting on jihadist websites. "We weren't informed about its creation, nor counseled. Nor were we satisfied with it; rather we ordered it to stop. ISIS isn't a branch of al Qaeda and we have no organizational relationship with it. Nor is al Qaeda responsible for its actions and behavior."

Image

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, in a video frame grab, provided by the SITE Intel Group on Feb 12, 2012

The latter was a reference to al-Baghdadi’s embrace of bloody tactics — including attacks that aim to kill innocent Muslims in great numbers — that al Qaeda considers counterproductive in the context of a greater war against the “infidels” of the West.

The dispute hasn’t only been fought on jihadi forums, however. "ISIS has been violently clashing with al-Nusra (an al Qaeda affiliate fighting in Syria) in recent months," said Evan Kohlmann, an NBC News counterterrorism analyst. "It's making it increasingly uncomfortable for them (ISIS) in many parts of Syria."

The decision to expel ISIS came after a number of disagreements over strategy in Syria, where Zawahri preferred al-Nusra, which is more Syria-focused and less about a caliphate. Zawahri also didn't like ISIS's arrogance, its failure to engage in “consultation” and lack of “teamwork,” according to the posting.

Zawahri has a history of disagreement with ISIS and its predecessor, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

He disapproved of wanton massacres of Shiite Muslims carried out by the group in Iraq, calling it a "deviation" from its stated goal.

In a 2005 letter from Zawahri to AQI's then leader, Abu Musab Zarqawi, the former asked, “Can the mujahadeen kill all the Shia in Iraq? Has any Islamic state in history ever tried that?” The letter was later found by U.S. intelligence.

Image

Another point of dispute, says the U.S. counterterrorism official, is the manner in which ISIS raises funds, under al-Baghdadi's orders.

"He has endorsed the use of brutal methods to terrorize civilian populations under ISIS control and employs coercive methods that would be familiar to an organized crime group to secure needed financing," the official said.

Specifically, added a second senior U.S. intelligence official, the group preys on fellow Muslims. ISIS gets some money from foreign donors, but it "pales to what they get from extortion, robbery, kidnapping," the official said. "They require drivers to pay 'road taxes' in territories it controls." The total take is several million dollars a month, added the official.

Still, ISIS has shown its ability to gain control over vast stretches of Iraq, where its estimated 3,000 to 5,000 ISIS fighters are vastly outnumbered by the Iraqi security services, which had 930,000 troops in uniform as of late 2011, 70 percent of which were in the Iraqi army.

Follow NBC News Investigations on Twitter and Facebook.

"Al-Baghdadi is a ruthless, resilient and ambitious terrorist leader," said the counterterrorism official, conceding, "Unfortunately, he has shown he has a knack for tactical operations and, it seems, military strategy.

But it is uncertain whether those skills will translate to administration.

"The one saving grace is that every affiliate has failed at running territory," added another U.S. intelligence official. "They are universally hated by the local populace in territory they seize. They alienate local populations every time."


First published June 25th 2014, 3:54 am

ROBERT WINDREM

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#109 Post by Sunshine » Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:09 am

Isis air strikes: Obama's plan condemned by Syria, Russia and Iran


Ian Black, Middle East editor, and Dan Roberts in Washington
theguardian.com, Friday 12 September 2014 02.42 EDT


Source of Article

Claims that strikes would violate sovereignty, as Syrian rebels welcome move and other Arab states offer 'appropriate' support

• A tale of two speeches: emboldened Obama moves from dove to hawk
• Illegal? Irrational? Irrelevant? Obama's Isis address falls down on every front

Image

The Syrian government and its close allies in Moscow and Tehran warned Barack Obama that an offensive against Islamic State (Isis) within Syria would violate international law yesterday, hours after the US president announced that he was authorising an open-ended campaign of air strikes against militants on both sides of the border with Iraq.

Syrian opposition groups welcomed Obama's announcement and called for heavy weapons to fight the "terror" of Isis and Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia and nine other Arab states pledged to back the US plan "as appropriate".

Hadi al-Bahra, head of the western-backed Syrian National Coalition, said the group "stands ready and willing to partner with the international community not only to defeat Isis but also rid the Syrian people of the tyranny of the Assad regime". In Reyhanli, on the Turkish-Syrian border, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said that moderate anti-Assad forces urgently needed anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

But long-standing international divisions over Syria were starkly highlighed in the hours after the speech. Iran's foreign ministry said that "the so-called international coalition to fight the Isil [Islamic State] group ... is shrouded in serious ambiguities and there are severe misgivings about its determination to sincerely fight the root causes of terrorism."

Russia said it would not support any military action without a UN resolution authorising it. "The US president has spoken directly about the possibility of strikes by the US armed forces against Isil positions in Syria without the consent of the legitimate government," said a spokesman. "This step, in the absence of a UN security council decision, would be an act of aggression, a gross violation of international law." China said that the world should fight terror but that national sovereignty must be respected.

In Damascus, the Assad government warned against US raids. "Any action of any kind without the consent of the Syrian government would be an attack on Syria," said the national reconciliation minister, Ali Haidar. Analysts believe, however, that Assad would be likely to ignore strikes on Isis targets – and even seek to quietly cooperate with western efforts.

In a meeting with Staffan de Mistura, the new UN envoy for Syria, Assad stressed his commitment to fight "terrorism" but he made no mention of the US president's speech on Wednesday night.

"As long as air strikes only hit Isis they will be condemned as a violation of international law but won't be dealt with as aggression that requires retaliation," Jihad Makdissi, a former Syrian diplomat, told the Guardian.

Image

Obama used a long-heralded address on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to lay out his response to the appearance of an aggressive jihadi insurgency in the heart of the Arab world. US polls show growing support for military action since Isis fighters captured large areas of northern Iraq and eastern Syria and beheaded two American citizens in the past month.

He compared the campaign to those waged against al-Qaida in Yemen and Somalia, where US drones, cruise missiles and special operations raids have battered local affiliates without, however, notably improving the stability of either country or dealing decisive blows.

Obama's new strategy won swift if vague support from America's Arab allies, with Saudi Arabia agreeing to train Syrian rebel fighters. John Kerry, the US secretary state, held talks in the port city of Jeddah with ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and six Gulf states. After the meeting, participants said they had agreed "as appropriate" to "many aspects" of the military campaign against Isis, to stop the flow of funds and fighters and help rebuild communities "brutalised" by the group. Support was also expressed for the new, more inclusive Baghdad government – seen as vital to persuade Iraq's disaffected Sunnis not to support Isis. MPs in Jordan, warned, however, that they would not tolerate any participation in US action.

"We welcome this new strategy," said Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurdish politician and one of Iraq's newly appointed deputy prime ministers. "There is an urgent need for action. People cannot sit on the fence. This is a mortal threat to everybody."

There was confusion over Britain's role after Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, said the UK would not take part in air strikes. But Downing Street quickly announced that UK participation had not been ruled out. Germany said it would not participate. Both countries have sent weapons and ammuniction to the Iraqi Kurds – part of the overall anti-Isis strategy.

The Pentagon is currently working on identifying suitable targets in Syria, according to White House officials. The US will also deploy a further 475 troops to Iraq, where they are expected to help identify targets.

US officials said that Kerry would be seeking to pressure Kuwait and Qatar to stop their citizens financing al-Qaida and Isis. The Saudis, stung by accusations of support for the jihadis, have already worked to crack down on funding and announced the arrest of scores of alleged terrorist sympathisers in recent weeks.

Obama said the air strikes were a necessary counter-terrorism measure to prevent the group from becoming a future threat to the US and therefore did not require fresh congressional approval. But he is expected to receive overwhelming congressional support for separate authorisation to provide military support to rival Syrian rebels like the FSA, a vote that some Republicans fear could help boost Democratic chances in this November's midterm elections by providing political support for his tough new foreign policy.


End of article.

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#110 Post by Sunshine » Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:13 am

The anatomy of ISIS: How the 'Islamic State' is run, from oil to beheadings

By Nick Thompson and Atika Shubert, CNN
updated 8:01 AM EDT, Thu September 18, 2014

Source of Article

Image

ISIS is putting in place structures to rule the territories the group conquers. (Source: TRAC)

(CNN) -- Put yourself in the shoes (and sixth-century black robes) of ISIS' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the mysterious boss of the terror group that is striking fear into the hearts of leaders around the world.

In the past couple of years you've managed to avoid drone attacks and survive civil wars, unify militant groups in two different countries under your banner, raise an army of jihadis from across the globe, and seize a chunk of land stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq.

Your newly-declared "Islamic State" is the size of Pennsylvania, so how do you govern it? You compartmentalize.
New data from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) has revealed that ISIS is putting governing structures in place to rule the territories the group conquers once the dust settles on the battlefield.

The research shows how ISIS has gone from being a purely military force to building a system that can provide basic services, such as making sure that gas and food are available, to its new citizens.

From the cabinet and the governors to the financial and legislative bodies, ISIS' bureaucratic hierarchy looks a lot like those of some of the Western countries whose values it rejects -- if you take away the democracy and add in a council to consider who should be beheaded.

Baghdadi, his Cabinet advisers and his two key deputies comprise the executive branch of the government, known as "Al Imara."

The two deputies -- Abu Ali al-Anbari and Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, veteran Iraqi military officials who served under Saddam Hussein -- oversee Syria and Iraq, respectively.

ISIS has probably split the governance of the "Islamic State" into Syrian and Iraqi branches simply to make it easier to run, according to Jasmine Opperman, TRAC's Southern Africa Director.

"They see the caliphate as one state, yet there are two different governments," Opperman told CNN. "I believe this split is purely administrative at this time. They don't want to be seen as downplaying the caliphate, but to make it easier to govern they were forced to make a separation between Syria and Iraq."

The two deputies deliver orders to the governors in charge of the various sub-states in Syria and Iraq under ISIS control, who then instruct local councils on how to implement the executive branch's decrees on everything from media relations and recruiting to policing and financial matters.

The Shura council -- which reports directly to the executive branch -- is the caliphate's religious monitor, appointed to make sure that all the local councils and governors are sticking to ISIS' version of Islamic law.

The recent murders of Western hostages James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and David Haines would have fallen under the Shura council's purview, according to Opperman.

"Let's say a significant execution is going to take place, something that will get ISIS on the front page of the newspaper," Opperman said. "It cannot be done without Shura council approval."

The Shura council also has the power to censure the leadership for running afoul of its interpretation of Sharia law, according to Opperman.

"The Shura council has the right to tell Baghdadi to go if he's not adhering to ISIS' religious standards," she told CNN. "It would most probably never happen, but the fact that it's possible indicates the council's prominence."

Baghdadi -- who was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq -- seems to have incorporated the American military's own counter-insurgency mantra of "Clear and Hold" to win territory, establish control over the area, then get the locals to help govern it.

As time goes on, ISIS is evolving into a government whose political decision-making cannot be separated from its military capabilities, according to Opperman.

"It's two sides of the same coin," she said. "We've seen the military side, with the war cabinet that directs brigades. But now on the other side we're seeing how ISIS wants to govern. The two processes inform one another."

End of article

***

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#111 Post by Sunshine » Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:14 pm

About 60,000 Syrian Kurds flee to Turkey from Islamic State advance


Source of Article

BY DAREN BUTLER
SURUC Turkey Sat Sep 20, 2014 3:16pm EDT


Image

A Turkish soldier stands guard as Syrian Kurds cross the border fence into Turkey near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, September 19, 2014.

(Reuters) - About 60,000 Syrian Kurds fled into Turkey in the space of 24 hours, a deputy prime minister said on Saturday, as Islamic State militants seized dozens of villages close to the border.

Turkey opened a stretch of the frontier on Friday after Kurdish civilians fled their homes, fearing an imminent attack on the border town of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani. A Kurdish commander on the ground said Islamic State had advanced to within 15 km (9 miles) of the town.

Local Kurds said they feared a massacre in Kobani, whose strategic location has been blocking the radical Sunni Muslim militants from consolidating their gains across northern Syria.

The United States has said it is prepared to carry out airstrikes in Syria to stop the advances of Islamic State, which has also seized tracts of territory in neighbouring Iraq and has proclaimed a caliphate in the heart of the Middle East.

U.S. forces have bombed the group in Iraq at the request of the government, but it is unclear when or where any military action might take place in Syria, whose president, Bashar al-Assad, Washington says is no longer legitimate.

Lokman Isa, a 34-year-old farmer, said he had fled with his family and about 30 other families after heavily armed Islamic State militants entered his village of Celebi. He said the Kurdish forces battling them had only light weapons.

"They (Islamic State) have destroyed every place they have gone to. We saw what they did in Iraq -- in Sinjar -- and we fled in fear," he told Reuters in the Turkish town of Suruc, where Turkish authorities were setting up a camp.

Sitting in a field after just crossing the border, Abdullah Shiran, a 24-year-old engineer, recounted scenes of horror in his village of Shiran, about 10 km (six miles) from Kobani.

"IS came and attacked and we left with the women but the rest of the men stayed behind ... They killed many people in the villages, cutting their throats. We were terrified that they would cut our throats too," he said.

HUDDLING IN FIELDS

Turkish soldiers looked on as the refugees, many of them women carrying bundles on their heads, streamed across. Hundreds of people huddled in the dusty fields with their few belongings.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus put the number of Syrian Kurds to have crossed the 30-km section of the border that has been open since Friday at 60,000. Officials said many thousands were still waiting to cross on Saturday evening.

"The United States, Turkey, Russia, friendly countries must help us. They must bomb Islamic State. All they can do is cut off heads, they have nothing to do with Islam," said Mustafa Saleh, a 30-year-old water industry worker.

"I would have fought to my last drop of blood against Islamic State, but I had to bring the women and children."

Kurdish forces have evacuated at least 100 villages on the Syrian side since the militants' onslaught started on Tuesday.

"Islamic State sees Kobani like a lump in the body, they think it is in their way," said Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's civil war.

Islamic State has executed at least 11 Kurdish civilians, including boys, in the villages it has seized near Kobani, the Observatory said.

Abdulrahman said more than 300 Kurdish fighters had crossed into Syria from Turkey late on Friday to help push back Islamic State, but that it was not clear which group they belonged to.

"Islamic State is killing any civilian it finds in a village," Mustefa Ebdi, director of a local radio station called Arta FM, told Reuters by telephone from the northern outskirts of Kobani. He said he could see thousands of people waiting to cross the border into Turkey.

"People prefer to flee rather than remain and die," he said. "(Islamic State wants) to eliminate anything that is Kurdish. This is creating a state of terror."

On his Facebook page, Ebdi said the killing of 34 civilians - women, elderly, children and the disabled - had been documented. He said the residents of 200 villages had been forced to flee.

CLOSING IN

Scrambling to coordinate aid, the mayor of Suruc, Orhan Sansal, described the situation in the area as "chaotic".

"Help is coming but there are problems with accommodation. Some people are staying with relatives, some in wedding halls, some in mosques and municipal buildings," he said.

Esmat al-Sheikh, commander of the Kurdish forces defending Kobani, told Reuters by telephone that clashes were occurring to the north and east on Saturday.

He said Islamic State fighters using rockets, artillery, tanks and armoured vehicles had advanced towards Kobani overnight and were now only 15 km away.

At least 18 Islamic State fighters were killed in clashes with Syrian Kurds overnight as the militant group took control of more villages around the town, according to the Observatory.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani called on Friday for international intervention to protect Kobani from the Islamic State advance, saying the insurgents must be "hit and destroyed wherever they are".

Western states have increased contact with the main Syrian Kurdish political party, the PYD, whose armed wing is the YPG, since Islamic State made a lightning advance across northern Iraq in June.

The YPG says it has 50,000 fighters and should be a natural partner in the coalition the United States is trying to build.

But such cooperation could prove difficult because of Syrian Kurds' ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group listed as a terrorist organisation by many Western states due to the militant campaign it has waged for Kurdish rights in Turkey.

The PKK on Thursday called on young men in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast to join the fight against Islamic State. On Saturday Kobani's local radio station broadcast a call to arms from PKK commander Murat Karayilan in Kurdish.

(Additional reporting by Asli Kandemir in Istanbul, Sylvia Westall and Tom Perry in Beirut,; Writing by Seda Sezer and Sylvia Westall; Editing by Gareth Jones and Kevin Liffey)

End of Article.


***

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#112 Post by Sunshine » Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:54 am

U.S. airstrikes hit ISIS inside Syria for first time
By Jim Sciutto, Mariano Castillo and Holly Yan, CNN
updated 8:12 AM EDT, Tue September 23, 2014


Source of Article

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO

(CNN) -- American jets began bombing ISIS targets in Syria early Tuesday, raising U.S. involvement in the war-torn country and sending a forceful message to the terror group.

The airstrikes focused on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, a U.S. official told CNN, though other locations were hit as well.

At least 20 targets in an around Raqqa were hit, the opposition group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
They're the first strikes against the terror group inside the country since President Barack Obama's announcement this month that he was prepared to expand the American efforts beyond targets in Iraq.

All foreign partners participating in the strikes with the United States are Arab countries, a senior U.S. military official told CNN. Those nations are Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Diplomatic sources told CNN that Qatar was also involved, though it was not clear whether Qatar actually conducted airstrikes itself.

Get the latest updates on CNN.com's live blog

The U.S. and "partner nation forces" began striking ISIS targets using fighters, bombers and Tomahawk missiles, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said, though he didn't specify a geographic location.

Citing the ongoing operations, Kirby said the Pentagon would not provide additional details immediately. But a U.S. military official said the strikes are meant to target the ability of ISIS to command and control, resupply and train.

Western allies reject ISIS leader's threats

Tomahawk missiles launched from the sea initiated the strike, followed by bombers and fighters, a senior U.S. military official told CNN.

The goal with this first move is to have an initial, definitive blow, the official said, describing the pace of the operation as intense.

Most of the spots hit were hard targets such as buildings, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

A post office, a recruitment center and a building in the governor's compound were among the structures in Raqqa hit by U.S. airstrikes, Syrian opposition activists said.

There was no immediate word about casualties, the activists said.

Power went out in the city shortly after the airstrikes but was restored later Tuesday morning.

A 'punch in the nose'

Until now, ISIS has been able to take over cities and operate in Syria with near impunity. Now, it's coming under attack.
"This is the punch in the nose to the bully that we talked about on the playground," former Delta Force officer James Reese said. "ISIS is the bully, and we just punched him in the nose."

Finding the 'right' rebels in Syria: One tough job

With the airstrikes, the United States enters a new level of engagement in the ongoing Syrian civil war. Obama had resisted U.S. military action in Syria, but as the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq made sweeping advances in both Middle Eastern neighbors, calls for such a step grew.

"I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are," Obama said in a September 10 speech. "That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."

The message of the speech was clear -- it was a matter of when, not if -- the United States would carry out airstrikes inside Syria.

A U.S. intelligence official said that while law enforcement is aware the airstrikes against ISIS in Syria could incite a response, there is no evidence to suggest any terrorist strike is in the works against the United States.
200,000 flee in biggest displacement of Syrian conflict

Last week, U.S. officials told CNN that the military had everything in place it needed to strike ISIS inside Syria and was awaiting Obama's go-ahead to do so.

For weeks, intelligence and military targeting specialists have been working around the clock on a list of targets, the officials said. It is unlikely that the President reviewed all the targets individuall, but was presented broad guidance with analysis about the risks of bombing inside Syria, as well as the rewards in terms of attacking ISIS.
Al Qaeda's new Syrian franchise has a mission: Attack the West

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told the House Armed Services Committee last week that he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey signed off on plans to strike ISIS in Syria.

"CENTCOM's plan includes targeted actions against ISIL safe havens in Syria -- including its command and control, logistics capabilities, and infrastructure," Hagel said last week. "Our actions will not be restrained by a border that exists in name only."


CNN's Steve Almasy, Jim Acosta, Barbara Starr, Arwa Damon, Pam Brown, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Elise Labott, Khushbu Shah and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#113 Post by Sunshine » Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:50 am

200,000 flee in biggest displacement of Syrian conflict, monitor says
By Ben Brumfield, Josh Levs and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
updated 9:55 AM EDT, Tue September 23, 2014


CLICK TO SEE VIDEO & SOURCE OF ARTICLE

Istanbul (CNN) -- The sudden, massive flood of refugees fleeing ISIS is unlike any other displacement in the 3½-year Syrian conflict.

As many as 200,000 people have left the area surrounding the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, in just four days as ISIS advances into the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday. Most have gone into Turkey, the London-based monitoring group said.

Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu news agency and the United Nations said 130,000 Syrian refugees have entered Turkey since Friday.

But the unprecedented surge that broke loose Friday has slowed, as Turkey reduced the number of open crossings from eight or nine to just two, said Ariane Rummery, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency.

Processing the refugees is also taking time.

New arrivals are being searched for arms, receiving medical checks, being identified and receiving ID cards that they can use in Turkey to show their status to local authorities.

"Children are being vaccinated," Rummery said.

READ: The anatomy of ISIS

Fight to prevent massacre

Inside Syria, a Kurdish official complained about the border becoming more difficult to cross. "Now, they stop people and make a procedure before letting them in," Idris Nassan said in Kobani.

The town is fighting ISIS with determination, he said. "Every moment of every second of every day, we have clashes ongoing outside the center of Kobani," Nassan said.

But ISIS, which also calls itself the "Islamic State," has bigger, better weapons than the Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as YPG, the initials for their name in Kurdish.

"ISIS brought weapons from Iraq and Raqqa. They have tanks, RPGs, cannons," Nassan said.

READ & SEE VIDEO HERE: Kurdish fighters from Turkey join fight against ISIS

Turkish Kurds help

But Kurdish fighters from Turkey are crossing into Syria to help.

"I saw groups of them last night walking inside the city, getting ready to go to the fighting," Nassan said. "Some were experienced fighters and others civilian volunteers to help the resistance." New men arrive every day and are eager to join. "It helps with morale," Nassan said.

It's making a difference. "Over the last two days, YPG has been making progress. Before that, ISIS was advancing, and YPG was retreating, but the situation has changed now, and the YPG is making a strong response," Nassan said.

Image

Kobani may be hanging on, but ISIS has captured some 60 villages in recent days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The terror group's fighters took 39 villages on Friday alone, as Kurdish forces withdrew from their positions.

The fight is no longer about holding on to their hometowns, Kurdish activist Mostafa Baly said from Kobani.

"It is about resisting the attack by ISIS and defending 50,000 Kurds from a massacre."

READ AND SEE VIDEO: Dozens of Turkish hostages released by ISIS

Turmoil in Turkey

ISIS' offensive is stoking tensions in Turkey.

As Turkish Kurds have responded to their ethnic brothers and sisters in Syria, friction has heated up between the Kurdistan Workers Party and Turkish security forces, who used tear gas and water cannons against them in several clashes.

The number of Syrian refugees now in Turkey since the beginning of the conflict is approaching 1.6 million, according to the Turkish government.

Turkey may now feel freer to join the fight against ISIS.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the release of 49 Turkish citizens taken hostage when ISIS took control of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, has removed a barrier to Turkey joining an international coalition to fight the terrorists.


CNN's Gul Tuysuz reported from Istanbul, Turkey, and CNN's Ben Brumfield and Josh Levs reported from Atlanta. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, Yousuf Basil and Jennifer Deaton contributed to this report.

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#114 Post by Sunshine » Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:09 pm

Anti-ISIS Coalition Grows To More Than 50 Countries, But That Doesn’t Mean Victory Is Near
POSTED 2:41 PM, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014, BY Q13 FOX NEWS STAFF

Source of Article

(CNN) — The coalition is growing — not just in words, but in action.

Just over two weeks after U.S. President Barack Obama vowed “America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat” posed by ISIS, more than 50 countries have signed up, so far, to support the fight.

Image
U.S. Central Command released this video showing an airstrike against the Jeribe West Modular Refinery in Syria on Sept. 24, 2014.

They include new entrants Belgium, Denmark and Britain, which will all send fighter jets to Iraq to assist that nation’s government and the United States in the anti-ISIS military campaign. Even the foreign minister of Russia — which has butted heads repeatedly with Washington, including over whether the President of neighboring war-torn Syria needs to go — signaled Friday his country is ready to back Iraq in fighting terrorists, “above all the Islamic State,” which is what ISIS calls itself.

Most members of the anti-ISIS coalition have restricted their support to Iraq-focused efforts. A handful of Arab nations, however, have joined Washington in going after ISIS, from the air, in Syria as well.

Why do it? Ahead of what turned out to be an overwhelming Parliament vote Friday authorizing UK air power, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the world has an obligation to corral a well-funded, highly organized force known for virtually unmatched cruelty — reviled for its “beheadings, crucifixions, the gouging out of eyes, the use of rape as a weapon, the slaughter of children.”

“Left unchecked, we will face a terrorist caliphate on the shores of the Mediterranean and bordering a NATO member, with a declared and proven determination to attack our country and our people,” said Cameron, referring to NATO member Turkey.





Click Here To See Large Screen Video (On CNN Website) Of ISIS-Kurds Fighting On Syria-Turkey Border

Still, even as more countries agree to take part in airstrikes and helping Iraq, that doesn’t mean this will be a cakewalk.

No one has pledged combat troops to join Iraq’s oft-maligned military or the various forces — from moderate opposition forces to their foes in President Bashar al-Assad’s military — doing battle with ISIS in Syria. Plus, eliminating a movement of militants who can easily mingle among civilians and strike in myriad, devious ways isn’t easy.

That’s why U.S. and British officials, including Cameron, said coalition forces need to be prepared to devote not weeks, not months, but years to the fight.

As U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday: “This is going to be a persistent and sustained campaign. And it will take time.”

Expert: ISIS adapting, mixing in with civilians

It’s not known if any ISIS leaders have been killed so far in airstrikes. Nor is there much evidence the group has lost a big amount of territory, much less that it is in full retreat.

Yet that doesn’t mean the air campaign — which began in August in Iraq and a few weeks ago in Syria — hasn’t had an effect.

In the Pentagon briefing Friday, Dempsey credited airstrikes with disrupting ISIS command and control activities and logistics in Syria as well as helping friendly ground forces begin to take back ground lost to the group.

CNN military analyst James Reese, a retired U.S. Army special operations officer, added that the strikes have helped “blunt the momentum of ISIS in Iraq.”

Airstrikes also have disrupted ISIS safe havens on the ground, such as the northern Syrian town of Raqqa, Reese said.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters helped drive the extremists back and secure positions on the ground. Strikes have since targeted ISIS throughout the swaths it holds, and the combined efforts have stopped ISIS from swarming over Baghdad.

But the group’s command structure is adapting, said CNN military analyst Peter Mansoor, a retired U.S. Army colonel. It is spreading out, and its leaders are now “mixed in with the civilian population,” he said.

“So, it’s unlikely these airstrikes have crippled ISIS,” he said.

Big questions about coalition ground partners

While Dempsey vowed he will recommend to Obama “what it takes to destroy ISIL,” he said the best mix of ground forces to defeat the extremist groups will be drawn from Iraqis, Kurds and moderate Syrian rebels.

Some support has begun flowing to Iraq and Kurdish forces, including equipment to training. Then, of course, there’s the growing international air component — like Denmark sending seven F-16 fighter jets, according to a spokeswoman for that country’s Defense Ministry — though new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told CNN this week that his country’s ground troops aren’t getting the coordinated “air cover” they need to advance on ISIS forces.

A lack of faith right now in Iraq’s military may not help, especially after ISIS overran the Iraqi Saqlawiya military base near Falluja this weekend.

It wasn’t just the defeat that stung, but claims from Iraqi soldiers that their pleas for backup went unanswered by military commanders for hours. Iraqi officials said they had tried to support them but failed.

“There is no leadership in the Iraqi army right now,” said retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Francona. “The people who are paying the price are the soldiers in the trenches.”

For all these issues in Iraq, what to do on the ground in Syria may be even more complicated.

It’s in the midst of a more than three-year civil war, one that’s seen several groups — from ISIS to the moderate opposition that Washington supports — spring up trying to unseat al-Assad.

Here, the marshaling of an effective ground partner against ISIS terrorists has only begun.

There has been no coordination, “nor will there be,” between Washington and al-Assad’s government regarding U.S. airstrikes in Syria, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Friday. The United States hasn’t shifted its approach to al-Assad, who has “lost all legitimacy to govern,” according to Hagel.

Khorasan Group still a threat in Syria, along with ISIS

As all this is being sorted out, the violence continues.

This includes fresh battles between Kurdish Syrian fighters and ISIS militants near a city on the border with Turkey.

CNN’s Phil Black, watching the fighting from a hillside in Turkey, reported hearing small arms and artillery fire as the Kurdish and ISIS forces fought to advance toward the Syrian city of Ayn al-Arab.

Turkish Kurds gathered near the border to watch the fighting cheered whenever ISIS fighters appeared to take a hit.

A resident of the city, also known as Kobani, said ISIS forces are 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) from the city and that resistance forces are running low on ammunition.

“We are hoping and waiting for any coalition air strike on these terrorists, to save our city from the barbaric attack,” Hussein Kamal said.

Coalition air power was not evident in the region. But earlier in the day, the United States did turn its air power on more ISIS targets, taking out vehicles in other parts of Syria and Iraq and destroying a command node and a checkpoint.

And it’s not just ISIS. The air campaign has also targeted the Khorasan Group, which consists of senior al Qaeda operatives that a U.S. senior official has said was actively plotting attacks in the United States and elsewhere in the West.

The U.S. military launched eight Tomahawk missiles against Khorasan targets — including training camps plus command and control facilities — Tuesday west of Aleppo, Syria.

The American government believes at least some senior Khorasan members survived the strikes and that they could continue plotting attacks, a U.S. government official said Friday.

Added TSA Administrator John Pistole on Friday: “I see the Khorasan Group as a very capable, determined enemy who was very much focused on doing — getting somebody or something on a plane bound for Europe or the United States.”


CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali, Evan Perez, Al Goodman, Adam Levine, Alla Eshchenko, Chelsea J. Carter, Holly Yan and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#115 Post by Sunshine » Sat Sep 27, 2014 3:35 pm

US-Led Air Strikes Hit IS On Syria's Border With Turkey
27 September 2014 Last updated at 12:32 ET

Source of Article

US-led coalition air strikes have hit Islamic State (IS) targets near the besieged Syrian town of Kobane on the border with Turkey, the Pentagon says.

An IS building and two "armed vehicles" were destroyed at the Kobane border crossing, US Central Command announced.

Other strikes hit IS targets elsewhere in Syria and in northern Iraq.

Kurdish fighters have been defending Kobane against IS since some 140,000 civilians fled the town and surrounding area for Turkey.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn_TAn0TK0w[/youtube]
Mark Lowen joined villagers on the Turkey-Syria border watching the fight against IS on Friday

IS shelled Kobane on Saturday and several people were killed, the BBC's Paul Wood reports from the scene.

The coalition air strikes did not appear to prevent skirmishes during the night between IS and the Kurdish defenders, our correspondent says.

Image
Syrian Kurdish refugees on the Turkish side of the border at Suruc

Image
Syrian Kurdish refugees on the Turkish side of the border at Suruc

Image
An RAF Tornado jet crew at Akrotiri air base, Cyprus

Image
Shia Muslim men receive military training at Karbala, Iraq

MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of air strikes in Iraq, but not in Syria.

Two of six RAF Tornados based in Cyprus have carried out their first combat mission over Iraq since the British Parliament authorised air strikes targeting IS.

They had flown out loaded with laser-guided bombs and missiles, and were followed by an RAF refuelling tanker.

In the latest coalition action, Saudi, Jordanian and UAE forces joined the US in launching fighter and drone strikes. According to the Pentagon

  • An IS vehicle was destroyed south of Hassakeh, Syria, along with several buildings used by IS fighters
  • An IS command and control centre near Manbej, Syria, was damaged
  • An IS airfield, garrison and training camp near Raqqa, the militants' capital in Syria, were damaged
  • Four IS armed vehicles and a position were destroyed south-west of Irbil, Iraq

All the aircraft involved returned safely, the US military said.

At the scene: Paul Wood, Kobane

The sound of warplanes circling overhead is nearly constant. And in the early hours of the morning people heard what they said were multiple air strikes against Islamic State positions.

Not before time, say the Kurdish forces defending this place. They are in the fight of their lives, with the jihadis now just a 10-minute drive from the town, and threatening to push further.

At the last Kurdish position outside Kobane last night bullets whined overhead and shells fell either side of the main road to the town.

The Kurds are grateful for the air strikes, but the battle for Kobane is far from over.

Turkish troops have been trying to prevent Turkish and Syrian Kurds crossing the border to help defend Kobane, Paul Wood reports.

Several thousand Kurdish refugees are stuck at the railway line which marks the border with Turkey along with their sheep and cattle.

The problem is that, as refugees, they cannot take their animals, their livelihoods, with them but they believe they will be killed if they turn back.

Coalition growing

On Saturday, a spokesman for the opposition Free Syrian Army said the group supports air strikes but opposes any action that would cause civilian casualties.

Hussam al-Marie told the BBC that Western countries should also carry out strikes against the government in Damascus.

"(The) so-called Islamic State is our enemy as much as (President) Assad's regime is our enemy," he said.

"We want Syria free from dictatorship and from terrorism. We need the support of the free world to continue this battle against the regime and Isis (IS). We are fighting on two fronts."

On Friday the UK became the latest nation to join the US-led coalition against IS, which controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq after rapid advances in the summer.

The UK also has a Rivet Joint spy plane in the region.

UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said "intensified surveillance" would identify "convoys" of IS fighters.

Speaking to BBC's Newsnight, he warned the campaign would be "long and drawn out".

French fighter jets are already taking part in strikes in Iraq with Belgium and the Netherlands each pledging six F-16s planes and Denmark deploying seven.

About 40 countries, including several from the Middle East, have joined the US-led coalition against IS.

European countries have so far only agreed to strike targets in Iraq where the government has asked for help.


Image

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#116 Post by Sunshine » Sun Sep 28, 2014 3:54 pm

Which Countries Are Doing What In The ISIS Coalition?
Story By — Erin McClam and Abigail Williams, with The Associated Press and Reuters

Click To See Source of Article & Video

The American-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq grew by three on Friday — Belgium, Britain and Denmark. Prime Minster David Cameron of Britain won approval from Parliament after describing the militants as “psychopathic terrorists who want to kill us.”

Through Friday, the coalition had carried out more than 200 strikes in Iraq and 43 in Syria, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters. Here’s a look at major countries that are providing or have committed military help to the coalition.

IN SYRIA

Saudi Arabia took part in at least two rounds of airstrikes and has agreed to hosting American training of the so-called moderate Syrian rebels, the key to the U.S. strategy for fighting ISIS in Syria.

The United Arab Emirates has carried out at least two rounds of airstrikes. Its mission on Tuesday, the first round, was led by the first woman fighter pilot in that country’s history, Maj. Mariam Al Mansouri, flying an F-16 Desert Falcon.

Bahrain took part in the first round of airstrikes, late Monday U.S. time.

Jordan took part in the first round of airstrikes.

Qatar has played a supporting role in this week’s strikes, according to the U.S. military. The emir warned this week that the fight in Syria will not succeed unless President Bashar Assad is removed from power.

IN IRAQ

Australia is contributing eight F-18 fighter jets, plus special forces to advise Iraqi troops.

Belgium will send six F-16 fighter jets, as well as 120 pilots, support staff and C-130 cargo planes, the defense ministry said this week. Parliament gave final approval on Friday by a vote of 114-2, despite concerns about retaliatory terrorism.

Britain, on a 524-43 vote in Parliament, voted Friday to join the coalition. Six Tornado GR4 fighter-bombers, based in Cyprus, are on standby.

Canada has sent roughly 70 troops to Iraq to serve as advisers to Iraqi security forces. The United States has asked for more help, and Canada is weighing its response, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said this week.

The Czech Republic has provided weaponry to the Iraqi Army, including L-159 fighter jets, and 500 tons of ammunition to Kurdish forces, in coordination with Canada.

Denmark joined up on Friday, offering four operational planes and three reserve jets, plus 250 pilots and support staff. They will be deployed for a year. “No one should be ducking in this case,” Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said.

France carried out an airstrike in Iraq on Sept. 19 and hit an ISIS depot near Mosul. It is also flying reconnaissance and training Kurdish security forces after providing them weapons. France ruled out cooperating in Syria because it believes that would help Assad in the civil war there, but the foreign minister says that could change.

Germany has sent military trainers to help Kurdish forces.

Italy provided $2.5 million worth of weaponry to Kurdish fighters and has offered assistance in the refueling of planes as support to the airstrikes.

The Netherlands committed six F-16 fighter jets on Wednesday and said they could be operational in a week. It found no legal justification to help in Syria but said that it “understood” the U.S. campaign there.

Albania, Estonia and Hungary have also provided weapons and ammunition.

STILL TALKING IT OVER

Russia offered Friday to help support Iraq in the fight against ISIS, although it did not mention the U.S. coalition. In Syria, Russia is allied with Assad, and the Russian foreign minister says airstrikes should only go forward with Syria’s consent.

Turkey committed this week to joining the coalition but has provided no details on what it will do. It stayed on the sidelines while ISIS held 49 Turkish hostages, but those hostages were freed last weekend.

IN-DEPTH



— Erin McClam and Abigail Williams, with The Associated Press and Reuters


First published September 26th 2014, 2:13 pm

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#117 Post by Sunshine » Sun Sep 28, 2014 8:43 pm

Al-Qaeda Leader in Syria Warns of Revenge for Airstrikes
Click To See Source of Article & Video

The leader of al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate vowed Sunday that his group would "use all possible means" to fight back against airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition and warned that the conflict would reach Western countries joining the alliance.

The U.S. views the affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, as a terrorist group, but Syrian rebels have long seen it as a potent ally against both the ISIS extremist group — which is the main target of the coalition — and Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

In a 25-minute audio recording, Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani portrayed the U.S.-led coalition as a "Crusader alliance" against Sunni Muslims and vowed to fight back.

"We will use all that we have to defend the people of Syria ... from the Crusader alliance," al-Golani said. "And we will use all possible means to achieve this end," he said, without offering more details. He went on to warn Western nations, saying of the airstrikes, “This is what will cause the battle to be transported to the hearts of your own homes.”

The United States and five Arab allies launched an air campaign against ISIS fighters in Syria on Tuesday. Some of the initial strikes targeted the Nusra Front, killing dozens of its fighters. Washington said it was trying to take out an al-Qaeda cell known as the Khorasan Group that was actively plotting attacks against Americans and Western interests.

IN-DEPTH



— The Associated Press


First published September 28th 2014, 6:32 pm

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#118 Post by Sunshine » Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:13 pm

US-Led Air Strikes Pound Isis Bases In Syria
Coalition raids target oil facilities held by Islamic State while Syrian army bombs areas in Aleppo province overnight

Reuters in Beirut
The Guardian, Monday 29 September 2014 04.10 EDT


Source of Article

Image
A man walks past damaged buildings after US-led air strikes in Aleppo last week. Photograph: Abdalghne Karoof/Reuters

US-led forces launched air strikes overnight on territory controlled by Islamic State (Isis) in northern and eastern Syria while the Syrian army continued bombing areas in the west, according to a group monitoring the war.

The US has been carrying out strikes in Iraq against the militant group since last month and in Syria since last week with the help of Arab allies. It aims to destroy the bases and forces of the al-Qaida offshoot that has captured large areas of both countries.

The overnight raids hit Isis in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which gathers information from sources in Syria.

Manbij sits between Aleppo city in the west and Kobani on the northern border with Turkey, which Isis has been trying to capture from Kurdish forces, forcing tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds to flee over the frontier.

Syria’s army carried out air raids in Aleppo province overnight, targeting areas east of Aleppo city with barrel bombs and other projectiles, the observatory said. It also carried out air strikes in Hama, western Syria.

Forces loyal to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, have been battling Islamist fighters around Aleppo, which is held by a number of groups in Syria’s civil war.

In eastern Syria, US-led forces bombed a gas plant controlled by Islamic State outside Deir al-Zor city, wounding several militants, the observatory said.

The US has said it wants strikes to target oil facilities held by Islamic State to try to stem a source of revenue for the group.

The raid hit Kuniko gas plant, which feeds a power station in Homs that provides several provinces with electricity and powers oil fields generators, the observatory said.

Coalition warplanes also hit areas of Hasaka city in the north-east and the outskirts of the Isis stronghold of Raqqa city in the north.

Image

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#119 Post by Sunshine » Tue Sep 30, 2014 3:09 pm

Turkey Moves Closer To Intervention In Syria, Iraq
By Erin Cunningham and Rebecca Collard September 30 at 2:08 PM

Click To See Source of Article & Video

BAGHDAD—Turkey’s government edged closer Tuesday to direct intervention in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, bolstering security along its frontier with Syria and asking parliament to authorize a deployment of Turkish troops to the two war-ravaged countries.

Turkey on Tuesday dispatched hundreds of soldiers and tanks to the Syrian border to contain potential violent spillover from an Islamic State siege on the Syrian border town of Kobane.

Its cabinet also sent a motion to parliament that would allow Turkish troops to enter Iraqi and Syrian territory to combat extremists, Turkish media reported. The authorization could also open up Turkish military bases to foreign forces, the deputy prime minister told reporters in Ankara.

Possible cross-border operations by Turkey’s powerful and well-equipped military would mark a significant change in the international confrontation with the Islamic State, a radical Islamist militant group also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Turkey, a NATO member, has been accused of aiding Islamist militants and has not yet joined a U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes against the group in Syria and Iraq. Many of the foreign fighters that have joined the Islamic State or other rebel groups in Syria have entered through Turkish territory.

But the Islamic State offensive on Kobane has caused more than 160,000 refugees to flee into Turkey in the past week, and shells from the fighting have also landed in Turkish territory.

Recent U.S. airstrikes have sought to drive Islamic State fighters away from Kobane, which is protected by Syrian Kurdish forces and some Kurdish fighters from Turkey.

Clashes nevertheless persisted outside the strategic town. Kobane’s fall to the Islamic State would give the group control of a large stretch of the Turkish-Syrian border and possibly open new routes for supplies and recruits.

“Each time ISIS makes progress, the coalition strikes behind them,” said Ojlan Esso, a spokesman for the Kurdish fighting force in Kobane. “This happened in several villages.”

U.S. warplanes hit an Islamic State position on the Turkish-Syrian border, according to a statement released Tuesday by the U.S. military’s Central Command. An additional 10 strikes were carried out in both Iraq and Syria on Monday and Tuesday, the statement said.

Kurdish troops in Iraq, meanwhile, also launched an offensive to retake towns held by the Islamic State in the north, security officials said. The officials said thousands of Kurdish fighters, known as pesh merga, were participating in the battle, which is focused on the Iraqi border town of Rabea.

In August, the Islamic State began a stunning campaign across northern Iraq from the city of Mosul, which it has controlled since June. Its fighters routed Kurdish forces from a number of areas, reaching within striking distance of the Kurdish regional capital, Irbil, before U.S. warplanes intervened to push the militants back.

Since then, pesh merga fighters have held onto those gains, backed by the threat of U.S. airstrikes. But Rabea and other towns in the area west of Mosul have remained under Islamic State control since August.

A Kurdish parliament member, Majid al-Sinjari, said Islamic State militants planted hundreds of improvised explosive devices that were slowing the offensive’s progress. He said the pesh merga has suffered casualties.

But he also said pesh merga forces hoped to advance on the jihadist-controlled town of Sinjar in the next two days. Sinjar was previously home to tens of thousands of Yazidis, an ethnic-religious minority that the Islamic State has deemed devil worshipers.

In August, the militants surrounded thousands of fleeing Yazidis who had taken shelter on nearby Mount Sinjar. The humanitarian crisis, in which Yazidis were dying of hunger and thirst, prompted the U.S. military to intervene.

Mahmoud Hajji, a security adviser to the Kurdish Interior Ministry, described Rabea and Sinjar as key logistics hubs for the Islamic State.

“We expect massive clashes [with the Islamic State] in Sinjar,” Hajji said.


Collard reported from Beirut. Mustafa Salim in Baghdad and Suzan Haidamous in Beirut contributed to this report.

User avatar
Sunshine
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
YORWW CONG GOLDEN ALTAR HORN (L12-S4)
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:03 am
Location: [L12-S4] 2008 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.

Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#120 Post by Sunshine » Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:48 am

Turkey, With Islamic State On Its Doorstep, Is Expected To Authorize Troops In Syria, Iraq
By Erin Cunningham and Karen DeYoung September 30 at 2:08 PM

Click To See Source of Article & Video

BAGHDAD — Turkey’s government edged closer Tuesday to direct intervention in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, bolstering security along its border with Syria and asking parliament to authorize sending troops to the two war-ravaged countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters the proposal sent to parliament would include a wide range of options, including opening Turkish bases to foreign troops and deploying soldiers to establish safe zones for refugees inside Syria. The government wants the motion to be broad enough to avoid needing another parliamentary mandate for military action, he said.

The motion is to be voted on Thursday and is considered likely to pass.

Turkey has resisted direct involvement in the international confrontation with the Islamic State. Allowing foreign forces to use its bases or airspace, and possibly to train U.S.-backed Syrian rebels in its territory, along with possible cross-border operations by its powerful and well-equipped military, would mark a significant change in the conflict.

The Turkish action came as President Obama held a late-afternoon meeting with his National Security Council on his strategy to confront the Islamic State, which includes airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. The Pentagon said Tuesday that there have been more than 310 strikes by U.S. and coalition aircraft. Of those, more than 230 have been in Iraq, where British fighters on Tuesday conducted their first two strikes in support of Kurdish fighters in the northwest part of the country.

The remaining strikes have been in Syria, including several overnight Monday and Tuesday on Islamic State fighters besieging the border town of Kobane, which is defended by Kurdish forces from Syria and Turkey.

Amid calls for more assistance in the ongoing battle there, Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, cautioned against what he called a lack of “strategic patience.”

“While we continue to hit them where they are, it doesn’t mean we can or even that we should hit them everywhere they are at every moment,” Kirby said in a news briefing in Washington. “We must choose. We must discriminate between targets that matter more to us in space and time . . . and those that run higher risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties.”

He said the strikes are clearly having an effect on Islamic State operations. The militants, he said, “have had to change their tactics and their communications and their command and control. Yes, they are blending in more. Yes, they are dispersing. And yes, they aren’t communicating quite as openly or as boldly as they once were. That’s a good thing, because if they aren’t operating as freely, then they aren’t as free to achieve their goals.”

“That doesn’t mean ISIL doesn’t still pose a threat,” Kirby said, using one of several acronyms for the Islamic State.

Some supporters of the U.S.-backed Syrian rebel force, which is fighting the militants and the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, have charged that airstrikes there have caused civilian casualties — allegations the Pentagon has said it has not confirmed. Rebels have also accused the United States and its partners of aiding Assad by striking members of an extremist group, Jabhat al-Nusra, as well as the Islamic State.

In a comment likely to further anger the rebels, Kirby said both organizations “were born of al-Qaeda. . . . So in our minds, from a military perspective, they are very much one and the same.”

During the first night of air attacks in Syria last week, the United States also targeted the Khorasan group, a number of al-Qaeda operatives it said were embedded with Jabhat al-Nusra forces. While the rebel coalition rejects the Islamic State, it considers Jabhat al-Nusra a sometime ally.

Turkey has long favored establishment of safe, or buffer, zones along its border with Syria. The Obama administration has said that would require constant air protection that it was unwilling to provide as long as the principal enemy was the Syrian government and its potent air defense system.

The need for such overflights, along with the risk to any protective aircraft, now seems to have greatly diminished. Syria has kept its air defense system in what U.S. officials have described as “passive” mode while the United States and Arab partners have pounded militant positions over the past week.

Turkey, a NATO member, has been accused of aiding the militants by allowing them to traverse Turkish territory to fight in Syria. But the border fighting — coupled with the rescue of dozens of Turkish diplomats and their families who were being held by the Islamic State — has shifted government opinion.

Kobane’s fall would give the Islamic State control of a large stretch of the Turkey-Syria border. The siege has prompted more than 160,000 refugees to flee into Turkey in the past week, and shells from the fighting have landed in Turkish territory.

Turkey on Tuesday dispatched hundreds of soldiers and tanks to the Syrian border to contain potential violent spillover from the Islamic State siege on Kobane.

In Iraq, meanwhile, Kurdish troops launched an offensive to retake towns held by the Islamic State in the north, security officials said. The officials said thousands of Kurdish fighters, known as pesh merga, were participating in the battle, which is focused on the Iraqi border town of Rabea.

In August, the Islamic State began a stunning campaign across northern Iraq from the city of Mosul, which it has controlled since June. Its fighters routed Kurdish forces from a number of areas, reaching within striking distance of the Kurdish regional capital, Irbil, before U.S. warplanes intervened to push the militants back.

Since then, pesh merga fighters have held on to those gains, backed by the threat of U.S. airstrikes. But Rabea and other towns west of Mosul have remained under Islamic State control.

A Kurdish parliament member, Majid al-Sinjari, said pesh merga forces hoped to advance on the jihadist-controlled town of Sinjar in the next two days. Sinjar was previously home to tens of thousands of Yazidis, an ethnic-religious minority that the Islamic State has deemed devil worshipers.


DeYoung reported from Beirut. Mustafa Salim in Baghdad and Rebecca Collard and Suzan Haidamous in Beirut contributed to this report.

Erin Cunningham is an Egypt-based correspondent for The Post. She previously covered conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan for the Christian Science Monitor, GlobalPost and The National.

Post Reply