tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85292691918990787972024-03-13T22:44:49.466+01:00OVERSEAS SECURITY SERVICES- PROVIREUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-3522422554813028632019-09-14T12:09:00.000+02:002019-09-14T12:09:13.198+02:00LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY<br />
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ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation</strong>, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing.</div>
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The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” (<a href="http://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/3785174?p_p_id=101_INSTANCE_cKNonkJE02Bw&_101_INSTANCE_cKNonkJE02Bw_languageId=en_GB" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">source</a>):</strong></h3>
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During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specifically the need to ensure immunity of foreign missions and their personnel. In this case, we will address the situation in the UK.<ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-8386451025337892" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="in-article" data-ad-slot="9371570983" data-adsbygoogle-status="done" data-overlap-observer-io="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: 185px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><ins id="aswift_2_expand" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-table; height: 185px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; visibility: visible; width: 737px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: 185px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; visibility: visible; width: 737px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="185" hspace="0" id="aswift_2" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="aswift_2" scrolling="no" style="border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 185px; left: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 737px;" vspace="0" width="737"></iframe>Over the last few years, Russia has repeatedly urged the Foreign Office to take comprehensive measures to ensure safety of our diplomatic property in the UK. We had compelling reasons for these actions: I am referring to the level of crime in the UK and the level of terrorist threat in London. But there was never a reply, let alone action, in response to the numerous notes and requests we sent to the British foreign policy agency. I regret to say that all our fears, of which we informed our British colleagues, have eventually come true. The other day, an unknown person trespassed on the premises of the Russian Trade Mission in London, causing damage to its real estate and fleet of vehicles.</ins></ins></ins></div>
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Russian diplomats immediately contacted the British side and urged it to perform their mission security commitments under the Vienna Convention and initiate an investigation.</div>
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The Russian Embassy received a reply from the London Police (hopefully, it is not the last) to the effect that the case “had no prospect” and was likely to be dismissed, despite the Russian Embassy providing CCTV footage and other ample evidence that can and do shed light on what took place.</div>
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How can this be? After all, slightly more than a year ago, it took the British Government just a few days to come up with its “highly likely” charges against this country, which, they said, had committed a chemical attack involving the use of chemical weapons, had made an attempt on the life of [British]citizens, and so on and so forth. I mean, just a couple of days was enough to crack the so-called “Salisbury case,” while what we see as a British provoked real incident has no prospect, from the British point of view. This is absurd!</div>
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Presenting global charges that entailed global consequences, including expulsions of diplomats throughout the world within a week, is realistic, but finding a trespasser, who penetrated the Embassy perimeter, given that there is CCTV footage that has been provided, is a mission impossible. In all evidence, it is equally impossible to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of Russian citizen Nikolai Glushkov, who passed away more than a year and a half ago. This shows the true nature of the British investigative agencies – ruthless and discriminative.</div>
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To reiterate: We hope to receive from the British side a competent and responsible reply regarding this matter.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-22609617645785759432019-09-14T12:06:00.003+02:002019-09-14T12:06:57.578+02:00FUTURE AND PRESENT OF RUSSIAN NAVY. WHAT WAS SHOWN AT 2019 NAVY SHOW<br />
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Click to see the full-size image</div>
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TASS – some new products and promising developments in the field of domestic [Russian] shipbuilding and naval equipment</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The International Navy Show (INS) in St. Petersburg is rightfully one of the three largest world marine exhibitions of military materials. The main topics are shipbuilding, naval armament, combat control, navigation and communication systems, ship power engineering, naval aviation, fleet basing and support infrastructure and advanced technologies. A total of 353 participants, including 28 foreign companies from 19 countries, took part in INS 2019.</strong></div>
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In the open areas, at the mooring walls of the sea station and the waters of the Gulf of Finland, one could see all the new things that Russia’s military-industrial complex is proud of.</div>
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Petr Kovalev/TASS</div>
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There were a total of 17 ships, boats and vessels of the Russian Navy and the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia, among them, the frigate of Project 22350 “Admiral Kasatonov”, the corvette of Project 20380 “Persistent”, the small rocket ships of Project 21631 “Mytishchi” and “Serpukhov”, a small landing hovercraft of Project 12322 “Eugene Kocheshkov” and a few others.</div>
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Traditionally, a number of new products for foreign customers are presented at the INS. So, they were introduced the “<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Rubezh-ME</strong>” coastal tactical missile system. The Russian military is interested in them as well. After all, it is known that in the development of this complex, the ideas laid down in another coastal complex, which has been in service for many years and is being successfully used in our army, “Ball”, were further developed.</div>
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Coastal missile complex “Rubezh-ME”. IMAGE: Nikolai Novichkov/ТАSS</div>
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“Rubezh-ME” was created on a single KAMAZ-6560 mobile all-terrain platform, which houses both the launch module itself with four <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kh-35UE</strong> cruise missiles, and the radar station for over the horizon detection of surface targets, fire control equipment and combat control equipment. The missile is able to bypass obstacles, the enemy air defence zones. Rubezh-ME will receive an unmanned aerial vehicle as a means of reconnaissance and targeting.</div>
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Maquette of the tactical anti-ship missiles KH-35UE. IMAGE: Petr Kovalev/TASS</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal;">The range of the complex is 260 km; its locator is either passive or active. It can travel on public roads according to its transport dimensions. You can combine up to eight machines in one division; they exchange information. As the “Ball”, the volley is 32 missiles</span></div>
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Andrei Petrakov<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />General Director of the Kaluga instrument-making plant “Typhoon”</div>
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Incidentally, at the exhibition it became know that by the end of the year, tests of the ground version of the anti-ship missile Kh-35UE intended for arming mobile coastal missile systems will be completed. “This is a completely new product that differs from the previously developed Kh-35E missile in a radical way. It has a new engine, a homing head and a number of other components, this is an absolutely new weapon,” Boris Obnosov, General Director of the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation, told TASS.</div>
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Another interesting new product at the INS is the unmanned underwater device “<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Alexandrite-ISPUM-E</strong>”, designed to equip the ships with mine defence of Project 12700 (code “Alexandrite”). According to the developer, GNPP “Region”, the new integrated mine search and destruction system is designed to combat sea mines at depths of up to 300 m. It can be used in sea waves up to three points. Its speed is about 3-6 m/s depending on the operating mode.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-2.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" class="wp-image-96319" height="380" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-2.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-2.jpg 1020w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-2-474x300.jpg 474w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-2-768x486.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Unmanned underwater vehicle “Alexandrite- ISPUM-E”. IMAGE: Dmitri Fediushko /TASS</div>
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The Roselectronics Holding (part of Rostech) presented an <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">integrated communications complex with artificial intelligence</strong>. The control system itself adjusts the equipment to work in the required radio network and switches to another type of communication if necessary. The communication system allows for radio communication between surface ships of the Navy of any rank and command posts, other surface ships, submarines or aircraft.</div>
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It is noted that in the coming decades, it will become the basis of communication systems of the Navy. To date, it has already been equipped with a number of ships of various projects, as well as contracts for future deliveries.</div>
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The Nevsky Design Bureau (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, USC) presented the large landing ship “Cayman” of the updated Project 11711E with increased displacement and landing capacity.</div>
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Model of future large landing ship “Cayman”. IMAGE: Nikolai Novichkov/ТАSS</div>
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According to the manufacturer, the displacement of the ship will be about 8000 tons, the maximum length is 150 m, the autonomy is about 120 days and full speed is about 18 knots. The crew of the ship is about 120 people. It will be able to have on board up to two transport and landing or search and rescue helicopters, as well as six to ten assault boats, placed on davits.</div>
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At the INS it was possible to see the new generation non-penetrating type periscope “<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sail-98</strong>” developed by the “JSC Elektropribor” Concern.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/6.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" class="wp-image-96321" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/6.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/6.jpg 1020w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/6-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/6-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Non-penetrating periscope “Sail-98”. IMAGE: Nikolai Novichkov/ТАSS</div>
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According to TASS first Deputy General Director Aleksandr Sokolov, the submarines for the Pacific Fleet of Project 636.3 will receive these new periscopes, built at the “Admiralty Shipyards”, with which submariners will be able to conduct round-the-clock surveillance in adverse weather conditions, receive signals from satellite navigation systems, detect radiation of radio equipment of surface ships and measure the distance to the observed objects. The updated version of the periscope has a high-definition TV channel. In addition, the laser range-finder is completely redesigned and the computing system is changed.</div>
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But the main highlight of the exhibition, which attracted the attention of absolutely everyone, was the newest nuclear aircraft carrier Project 11430E “Manatee”. The model of the ship was shown in the pavilion at the Nevsky Design Bureau stand.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" class="wp-image-96322" height="368" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7.jpg 1020w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7-490x300.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7-768x471.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Model of the nuclear aircraft carrier “Manatee”. IMAGE: Ladislav Karpov /TASS</div>
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The displacement of the ship, which will receive a nuclear power plant, will be 80-90 thousand tons, the maximum length will be 350 m, the autonomy will be about 120 days and full-speed will be about 30 knots. The crew will be 2800 people.</div>
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The air group will consist of up to 60 aircraft, including heavy and light fighters, naval helicopters and long-range radar detection aircraft. It also will provide for the basing of up to ten drones. It can be equipped with several types of acceleration devices for ship-based aviation actions, including a springboard, two electro-magnetic launching systems and four aerial arrester systems.</div>
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According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Evmenov, the future of aircraft carriers is in the hands of Russia, which will develop their construction on the basis of existing capabilities. “We will build them, but perhaps now is not the time. The time has come to restore the technical readiness of what we have and to lay the groundwork for the future. There will be a nuclear aircraft carrier, of course, but not in the near future,” he said.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/8-1.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" class="wp-image-96323" height="397" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/8-1.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/8-1.jpg 951w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/8-1-454x300.jpg 454w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/8-1-768x508.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Evmenov. IMAGE: Petr Kovalev/TASS</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal;">Specialists and technical competence for the construction of an aircraft carrier of the dimensions of which we spoke exist. As soon as there will be a signal “On your marks”, right there we will start this work</span></div>
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Aleksei Pakhmanov<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Head of United Shipbuilding Corporation</div>
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Guests of the show could also see in the waters of the Gulf of Finland the high-speed hydrofoil boat VIP-class “<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sagaris</strong>”.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" class="wp-image-96324" height="352" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9.jpg 1020w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9-490x287.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9-768x450.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Future And Present Of Russian Navy. What Was Shown At 2019 Navy Show" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Hydrofoil VIP class “Sagaris”. IMAGE: Petr Kovalev/TASS</div>
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The boat, which can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h, is a long-awaited continuation of the line of high-speed vessels built according to the projects of the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoils R.E. Alekseev. It is designed for five passengers and is intended for boating or service and traveling purposes.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-78630499791792787752019-09-14T12:05:00.001+02:002019-09-14T12:05:16.672+02:00UKRAINE’S STRUGGLE IN DISARMING ITS NAZI-INFESTED “VOLUNTEER BATTALIONS”<br />
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70507749_2352243525030448_7915833801241001984_n.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ukraine's Struggle In Disarming Its Nazi-Infested "Volunteer Battalions"" class="wp-image-96366" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70507749_2352243525030448_7915833801241001984_n.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70507749_2352243525030448_7915833801241001984_n.jpg 960w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70507749_2352243525030448_7915833801241001984_n-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/70507749_2352243525030448_7915833801241001984_n-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Ukraine's Struggle In Disarming Its Nazi-Infested "Volunteer Battalions"" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Click to see full-size image</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">On September 12<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>, another round of disarming the “volunteer battalions” [mostly consisting of various Nazis and radicals] by Ukrainian authorities <a href="https://strana.ua/news/221850-razoruzhenie-uda-i-oun-zachem-dobrobaty-sdajut-oruzhie-avakovu.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">began</a>.</strong></div>
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Three formations surrendered their weapons at once – the battalion named after Sheikh Mansur, the OUN and the 8th battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. The police disarmed them under the leadership of Deputy Vyacheslav Abroskin, who was soon about to quit.</div>
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The disarmament is presented as purely voluntary by the battalions, but in truth, these battalions aren’t organized by the government. They are essentially a sort of militant group, that’s not even a paramilitary contractor, since they’re more or less illegal.</div>
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Thus,<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> it is likely that the “volunteer battalions” were offered something in return, since a possible conclusion of the settlement process in Donbass and successful “Normandy Four” talks would mean they are out of a job, but heavily armed.</strong></div>
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The official statement by law enforcement officers said that the volunteers themselves decided to part with the arsenal of weapons.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-5573713405377734442019-09-14T12:04:00.001+02:002019-09-14T12:04:28.056+02:00HOUTHIS’ AIR FORCE & ARTILLERY KILL, INJURE 30 SAUDI-BACKED FIGHTERS IN JOINT OPERATION<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_76720" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 610px;">
<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Untitled-1ds2-e1543792854988.jpg?x18881" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Houthis’ Air Force & Artillery Kill, Injure 30 Saudi-Backed Fighters In Joint Operation" class="wp-image-76720" height="287" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Untitled-1ds2-e1543792854988.jpg?x18881" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Untitled-1ds2-e1543792854988.jpg 944w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Untitled-1ds2-e1543792854988-490x234.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Untitled-1ds2-e1543792854988-768x367.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Houthis’ Air Force & Artillery Kill, Injure 30 Saudi-Backed Fighters In Joint Operation" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">At least 30 Saudi-backed fighters were killed or injured on September 13 in a joint operation by the Yemeni Air Force and the Artillery Force, both allied with the Houthis</strong>, according to al-Masirah.</div>
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“The joint operation of the air force and artillery units targeted gatherings of the Saudi aggression coalition’s militants in Hayran and Muthalath Ahim [in the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajjah],” the Yemeni news channel quoted a military source as saying.</div>
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In such joint operations, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used to locate gatherings and positions of Saudi-led coalition forces as well as to correct artillery fire.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Houthis usually use Rasid or even Samad-1 UAVs in these joint operations. Both types are equipped with electro-optical systems and data-links.</strong></div>
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The operation shows how the different branches of the Houthis’ military wing are becoming more experienced and improving their coordination.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-16612263235137969632019-05-09T22:03:00.001+02:002019-05-09T22:03:04.027+02:00EU REJECTS ROUHANI’S 60-DAY DEADLINE ON NUCLEAR DEAL<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_19354" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 610px;">
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The European Union has rejected a 60-day deadline set by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani for the remaining signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) to address Tehran’s legal rights and protect its interests against U.S. sanctions.</div>
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“We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran’s compliance on the basis of Iran’s performance regarding its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPoA and the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons),” an official statement released by the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK on May 9 reads.</div>
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The statement was released in response to Iran’s May 8 decision to stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water. The country’s President gave the other parties in the JCPoA <a href="https://southfront.org/iran-reduces-commitment-to-voluntary-nuclear-deal-provisions-amid-growing-tensions-with-united-states/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">a 60-days ultimatum</a> to employment their commitments under the deal and help Tehran overcome the increasing U.S. sanctions.</div>
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“We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the JCPoA in full as it has done until now and to refrain from any escalatory steps,” the EU statement added.</div>
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Despite rejecting Rouhani’s ultimatum, the European countries stressed that they will remain commitment to the agreement, which they described as “a key achievement of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, which is in the security interest of all.”</div>
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The European countries also condemned U.S. sanctions on Tehran saying that they are determined to continue pursuing efforts to enable the continuation of legitimate trade with the Islamic country.</div>
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The EU’s statement will likely further complicate the situation as Iran appears to be determined to end its commitment to several terms of JCPoA in the face of U.S. sections and threats. So far, European countries have failed to assist Tehran in overcoming U.S. sanctions.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-37485694188939178362019-04-30T12:28:00.001+02:002019-04-30T12:28:43.244+02:00THE EXPANDING GLOBAL FOOTPRINT OF U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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<a href="https://southfront.org/expanding-global-footprint-of-us-special-operations/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">This video was originally released by SouthFront on March 20, 2019</em></strong></a></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Written and produced by <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SF Team</strong>: Brian Kalman<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">, </strong>Daniel Deiss, Edwin Watson</em></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Introduction</strong></h3>
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With the possible U.S. military withdrawal from Syria in the news on a daily basis, the mainstream media has been quick to parrot the DOD’s claim that 2,000 troops, mostly special operations forces, are to be withdrawn from the country. Although the total number of U.S. special operators deployed to Syria may have approached as many as 5,000, the current headlines have not mentioned that the United States has special operations units deployed not just in Syria, but in a majority of the nations of the world. Over the past seventeen years, the forces at the disposal of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) have grown exponentially, more than doubling in size in numbers, with a budget that has also expanded four fold in that same period of time.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-99.jpg?x61513" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Expanding Global Footprint of U.S. Special Operations" class="wp-image-81933" height="354" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-99-1024x603.jpg?x61513" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-99-1024x603.jpg 1024w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-99-490x289.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-99-768x452.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-99.jpg 1200w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="The Expanding Global Footprint of U.S. Special Operations" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
U.S. special operations forces on patrol in northern Syria. Although no concrete timeline has been publicly announced, the Trump administration has signaled its intention to pull U.S. military forces out of the country.</div>
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If U.S. SOF troops do pull out of Syria, they will still have a physical presence in over 70 nations on any given day. Although the public has an often vague and incomplete, unofficial explanation of the reasons behind these deployments, the Pentagon seems totally unwilling to explain the national defense rational or legality of these missions to anyone, including the U.S. Congress or the White House. Not only has SOCOM expanded in numbers, funding and weaponry since 2001 and the advent of the Global War on Terror (GWOT), but has acquired no small amount of political influence as well.</div>
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The U.S. special operations forces have become the darling of the military, praised by Congress, the White House, and the Media. They have willingly adopted a mythos that has been formulated and propagated by Hollywood on many levels. The U.S. public seems to worship this new class of soldier, while having little to no understanding of exactly what they do, nor any concept of how their actions might aid or hinder national security. An act has even been proposed by one state Representative to afford special income tax breaks to all SOF members.</div>
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Amidst all the praise about their prowess and successes on the battlefield, the media purposefully steers clear of reporting on their many failures. Although the U.S. has built the largest force of special operations in the world, this very fact has arguably proven to have only weakened the U.S. military as a whole. The White House, State Department and Pentagon have increasingly relied on special operations forces to bear the brunt of any and all military operations or covert actions in both acknowledged and secret areas of conflict across the globe. This over-emphasis on special operations as a military solution to all challenges has only weakened traditional, conventional forces.</div>
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While most of the public assumes that these new Spartans act to protect U.S. interests and “freedom and democracy” whenever and wherever it is deemed necessary, they have little to no understanding of how the SOF have changed since 2001, nor the increasing military and political influence that they now hold. Even fewer Americans have stopped to ponder the illegality of much of what this expanding military force is doing on a global scale, not to mention the constitutional implications of a new Praetorian class in its midst that is growing in power and influence. If history teaches us anything, it is that shadowy and unaccountable paramilitary forces do not strengthen societies that embrace democratic or constitutional governments.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Expansion of SOF and the Rise of SOCOM</strong></h3>
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Since the inception of the “Global War on Terror” shortly following September 11, 2001, U.S. SOF have more than doubled from approximately 33,000 to almost 70,000 today. Today, Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has roughly twice the personnel at its disposal, but also four times the budget as it did in 2001. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), comprising perhaps the most elite and specialized of the SOF forces, numbered some 1,800 in 2001. Although quite secretive in nature, it is surmised by many analysts that JSOC may have grown to the size of SOCOM circa 2001, over the same 18 year period. If realistic, this estimation means that JSOC added its original number of 1,800 men each year, for eighteen years.</div>
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What reason was given by the U.S. DOD to justify such an expansion in a traditionally small and highly selective sub-set of conventional military forces? Special operations forces have existed since at least the Second World War. All major military powers, and even smaller nations that have not historically prioritized robust national defense postures, have invested in special operations forces to complement conventional military establishments. Special operations units are useful as a significant force multiplier in any conventional conflict, and are vital in responding to special circumstances such as anti-terrorism, hostage rescue, reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines, sabotage, and kill or capture missions.</div>
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The Pentagon has argued that terrorism has grown, with the number of internationally recognized terrorist organizations roughly doubling from 2001 to today, mostly due to the explosion of both al Qaeda and ISIS. Regardless of the facts that point to the CIA origins of al Qaeda, there is little argument that the organization has grown in concert with U.S. military intervention in the Middle East and Africa. The same can be said for the origin and spread of ISIS. There is also ample circumstantial evidence to support the theory that the CIA and SOCOM have both directly and indirectly supported both of these terrorist organizations in Syria. Regardless of whether SOCOM is directly or indirectly complicit in aiding the Islamic terrorist organizations it declares it is defending the nation against, there is a clear correlation between the growths of both, and surely SOCOM has benefitted on many levels from this relationship.</div>
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The annual declared budget for SOCOM is in the range of $12.3 billion today, up from just $3.1 billion in 2001. There is little doubt that a healthy slice of the annual Overseas Contingency Operations and Support (OCO) budget is consumed by SOCOM, as the organization is the most heavily engaged in operations on foreign soil. In 2018, U.S. Congress approved $67 billion USD for OCO, and a further $7 billion USD in mandatory appropriations. It is unclear how much funding SOCOM receives on an annual basis, as the Pentagon has proven to be largely beyond financial questioning or audit by any office of the civilian government. After failing its first audit in decades in 2018, the Pentagon shrugged off the event with humor, and no one seemed to notice.</div>
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SOCOM numbers roughly 70,000 soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors and has a declared budget of at least $12.3 billion USD. To put these numbers in perspective, SOCOM has more personnel than the entire national militaries of 120 of the 193 UN member states. Only 20 nations (including the U.S.) have a greater total defense budget than that of SOCOM. A simple cost benefit analysis would reveal that the U.S. is not making much headway in “winning” the GWOT militarily. The growth of SOCOM has done little to reduce the prevalence of terrorism in the world. It begs the question, is there any correlation at all, or is there another agenda afoot entirely?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Global Reach and Integration</strong></h3>
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The expansion in numbers and funding of America’s special operations forces is alarming in its own right, but their growing international footprint may be even more alarming. Not only were U.S. SOF deployed to at least 150 nations last year, but they have established professional alliances with national militaries in a majority of those nations. Nick Turse has documented and reported on the growing influence of SOCOM over the past few years, with his articles being widely published in major mainstream periodicals as well as online alternative media. He has established many reliable sources within the SOF community. In regular articles posted on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tom’s Dispatch</em>, Nick has documented the growing influence of SOCOM, its expanding power, and it’s establishing of close ties to the special operations forces of nations across the globe.</div>
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U.S. Special Forces NCO instructing Malian counter-terrorism forces in patrolling and ambush small unit tactics in that West African nation.</div>
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It seems quite logical that the main area of focus for these forces immediately prior to the declaration of GWOT in 2001 would be in the Middle East; however, since as early as 2014 the United States began refocusing its deployment of special operations personnel to the African continent. More recently, since the coup in Ukraine and the civil war that erupted as a result, SOCOM has shifted much of its efforts to Europe. Although the DOD and State Department have stated that such deployments are directly connected to terrorist activities in Africa, in Europe the goal is confronting an “increasingly aggressive and assertive” Russia. In reality, deployments to Africa are largely responsive to an increased Chinese presence on the continent. Not publicly acknowledged until the official publication of the National Defense Strategy of the United States for 2018, the U.S. establishment had already come to view both Russia and China as the major threats to U.S. global hegemony.</div>
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U.S. special operations forces were deployed to an overwhelming majority of African nations in 2017.</div>
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In 2006, deployments to Africa accounted for a mere 1% of U.S. special operations foreign deployments. By the end of 2017 this number had jumped to almost 17%. What could account for such an increase? Spokesmen for the DOD have sighted the increased threat of Islamic militant groups such as Boko Haram and al Shabaab and their capability to disrupt and weaken local governments; however, SOCOM has not just deployed forces to Somalia, Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Cameroon, the traditional territories of operation of Boko Haram and African offshoots of al Qaeda. U.S. commandos deployed to 33 African countries in 2017. 61% of the nations of Africa hosted a U.S. special operations military presence to some degree. There is little doubt that terrorist groups such as Boko Haram present a destabilizing threat to African governments whom are hanging on by a threat in their efforts to govern in the best of times, yet there is little evidence to support the idea that the U.S. military is in Africa for altruistic purposes. The U.S. military, just like the French Military, is increasing its activities in Africa to protect their respective financial interests and maintain influence over African nations, and to increasingly confront the growing influence of China in the region.</div>
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The Chinese and Afghan governments have been engaged in the highest level negotiations regarding infrastructure development, transit rights and even the establishment of a Chinese military facility on the Afghan side of the Wakhan Corridor since at least late 2018.</div>
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Between the years 2009 and 2012, Chinese overseas foreign direct investment (OFDI) grew at an annual rate of 20.5%. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion USD in investments in Africa at the 4<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> Annual Investing in China Forum held in Beijing last September. The United States has often claimed that Chinese financial practices in Africa are predatory in nature. This is quite ironic coming from the country that has a controlling influence over the IMF and World Bank, two financial entities that have been responsible for indebting most of the developing world for the past half century. Neither nation is in Africa to help poor Africans, but to enrich themselves. The African continent is rich in rare earth minerals and metals used in the manufacture of modern electronics, batteries, cell phones and computers. China opened its first and largest overseas military base in Djibouti in August of 2017, located in the strategic Horn of Africa. It is just a stones throw from Camp Lemonnier, the largest U.S. military base on the continent. In a similar move, China is seeking to build a military base in Afghanistan, another nation rich in rare earth minerals where the U.S. military has struggled to maintain a viable presence for over 18 years. China plans to base at least one battalion of troops at a newly constructed facility in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, ostensibly to train Afghan security forces. Located close to the Wakhan Corridor, the base will help provide security to the One Belt One Road trade corridor through the region, and help solidify growing economic and security ties with the Central Asian nation. Coupled with the base in Djibouti and a planned PLAN naval base at Gwadar, Pakistan, China is establishing a viable defense infrastructure in the region. This directly undercuts long established U.S. interests in the region.</div>
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The Wakhan Corridor is a strategically important mountain pass, the control of which is of utmost importance to the Chinese government in securing the One Belt One Road logistics network.</div>
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While SOCOM has maintained a sizeable presence in Afghanistan and Africa to confront a growing Chinese presence in Central Asia and Africa, it has also increased operations in the European theatre as well. In 2006 only 3% of all SOF units were deployed to nations in Europe. By 2018 that percentage had grown to almost 17%. According to a statement made to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tom’s Dispatch</em>, a spokesman for SOCEUR, Major Michael Weisman stated,</div>
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“Outside of Russia and Belarus we train with virtually every country in Europe either bilaterally of through various multinational events. The persistent presence of U.S. SOF alongside our allies sends a clear message of U.S. commitment to our allies and the defense of our NATO alliance.”</div>
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Since the disastrous failure of Petro Poroshenko’s Anti-terrorism Operation (ATO) to subdue the breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine, SOF deployments to nations bordering the Russian Federation have increased notably. As it was detailed in a <a href="https://southfront.org/u-s-military-involvement-in-ukraine-nato-expansion-through-proxy-war/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">previous article</a>, SOCOM has established very close ties with Ukrainian special operations forces.</div>
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Over the past four years SOCOM has repeatedly deployed forces to Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, and even Finland. In 2016 alone, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) conducted no less than 37 Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) exercises on the European continent, with 18 such exercises in nations bordering Russia. Is SOCOM sending a reassuring message to allies, or an ominous message to Russia, the holder of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal? Is it wise defense policy to increasingly surround Russia, and back it into an increasingly tight corner? If Russian political and military leaders have learned one lesson throughout the centuries, it is that the concentration of foreign belligerent military forces on their national borders eventually leads to conflict and invasion.</div>
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Not only has SOCOM positioned itself in a majority of the nations across the globe, but increasingly along the borders of the Russian Federation and China.</div>
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The United States has become deeply entrenched in the conflict in Ukraine, having increased military aid to the ruling regime incrementally from 2014 to the present. After the disastrous Ukrainian Armed Forces winter offensive of 2015, culminating in the encirclement battle of Debaltseve, U.S. military aid kicked into high gear. Regular rotations of U.S. Army trainers teach UAF troops at the Yavoriv International Peace Keeping and Security Center modern combat skills with an increased emphasis on making the force more NATO interoperable. Ukrainian Special Forces have undergone a clear and striking transformation, and are now nearly indistinguishable from their U.S. and NATO counterparts. They are now wearing U.S. military issue Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) “multicam” battle dress uniforms and gear, and are increasingly using western manufactured firearm accessories, optics, and night vision equipment. More notably, the UAF special operations units have adopted a number of small arms and sniper weapons systems that utilize NATO standard ammunition such as the 5.56x45mm intermediate rifle round and the 7.62x51mm rifle round. Sniper rifles chambered in .308 Winchester and .338 Lapua have also been adopted in limited numbers.</div>
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U.S. Navy SEALs conducted a number of exercises with the Bulgarian military in the Black Sea in 2018, a clear message to Russia that the U.S. was prepared to escalate asymmetrical warfare targeting the Crimean Peninsula.</div>
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Speaking at a GEOInt (Geospatial Intelligence) annual symposium in 2014, former head of SOCOM, General Joseph Votel opined that “We want to be everywhere, know everything.” Clearly, SOCOM has increasingly pushed for the first part of his stated goal in the intervening years; however, the increased focus and funding of special operations over the past 18 years has left the U.S. military’s conventional forces in a state of atrophy and decline. The U.S. political establishment and military leadership have come to see SOCOM as the go-to solution provider for just about any scenario where military force is seen as an option. This has increased the reputation and clout of SOCOM, but this has increasingly come at the expense and detriment to more traditional conventional forces that chiefly serve the national interests of deterrence and defense.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Conventional Warfare Atrophy</strong></h3>
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In a detailed analysis posted late last year, “<a href="https://southfront.org/why-the-u-s-military-is-woefully-unprepared-for-major-conventional-conflict/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why the U.S. Military is Woefully Unprepared for a Major Conventional Conflict</em></a>”, I outlined the causes and effects of the decline in U.S. conventional warfare capabilities. There is undoubtedly a direct correlation between the reliance upon and exponential growth of U.S. special operations forces, and the decline in conventional force readiness and capability. This is evident in all service branches and has had a negative effect on the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to carry out future offensive and defensive combat operations against peer adversaries. The U.S. military will have very little hope of achieving decisive military victories in either Russia’s or China’s backyard. Any assertion to the contrary is delusory.</div>
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The U.S. military obsession with counterinsurgency and occupation stemming from one U.S. invasion or regime change operation after another, has left a once cutting edge, combined-arms conventional force gutted materially and low in morale. Special operations forces were leveraged in a fight against popular uprisings, Islamic terrorist organizations, and often an alliance between the two. The overwhelming majority of the growing names on the U.S. enemies list found their genesis as a result of U.S. military adventurism. These various insurgencies were a direct reaction to heavy-handed U.S. “foreign policy” delivered at the barrel of a gun. The resulting struggles in the so called GWOT depended greatly on an ever expanding pool of special operations forces. SOF were prioritized over other traditional, conventional forces not meant for occupation and not skilled in counterinsurgency.</div>
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While the troops at the disposal of SOCOM ballooned to almost 70,000, the U.S. Army has struggled to replace armored vehicles first fielded in the 1960’s, the Navy witnessed the utter deterioration and exhaustion of its carrier air wings, and the Air Force struggled to retain pilots to fly aircraft that fell deeper into a state of disrepair. Although achieving battlefield successes, the Armed Forces of the United States have yet to decisively win any of the numerous conflicts embarked upon since 2001. The intervening years have revealed the U.S. military of today to be an organization riddled with major material shortcomings and inferiorities, while plagued with a leadership lacking sound judgement and brimming with both hubris and an unfounded superiority complex. This leadership has repeatedly decided to invest in special operations forces that are unable to win wars on their own, at the expense of conventional forces designed solely for that purpose.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Growing Political Power</strong></h3>
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SOCOM has not restricted its influence to the many battlefields across the globe, or the forging of ties with foreign militaries through training and advisory programs. Just as the CIA has stationed personnel at most U.S. embassies oversees, SOCOM has followed suit. Special Operations Liaison Officers (SOLO) are stationed at a growing number of embassies, including the NATO member countries the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Italy, Turkey and Canada. SOLOS can also be found in U.S. embassies in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, Israel, Jordan, and Kenya. SOCOM’s former head, General Joseph Votel, had announced the intention of putting a SOLO is at least forty U.S. embassies around the globe by 2019. This statement should be viewed with some skepticism, as SOCOM rarely speaks publicly about the extent of their operations and planning, so it is likely that SOLOs are already serving in many more U.S. embassies, especially those located in flash points or trouble spots in Africa, the Middle East, South America, and nations bordering the Russian Federation and China.</div>
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Not only should this development be worrying to host nations who may not be inclined to look at a foreign military presence on their soil as acceptable, but it also clearly exhibits closer ties between SOCOM and the Department of State. Not only has SOCOM fostered closer ties with the Department of State, but with the monolithic U.S. security apparatus as a whole. In an attempt to “be everywhere and know everything”, SOCOM has moved further away from its subordinate position in the Department of Defense, and pursued a more independent and unaccountable path, similar to that of the CIA or NSA, two organizations that it has increasingly worked closely with. SOCOM has even forged close ties with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose prevue is supposed to be limited to U.S. domestic crime investigations and the enforcement of federal laws.</div>
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There should be some apprehension at both the Pentagon and in the halls of Congress, of the growing power of this new military within the military. In a constitutional republic that clearly delineates, compartmentalizes, and limits government power, the growth of a largely unaccountable, secretive and influential new military organization should be viewed as a threat to the very foundations of political and social order. A number of former special operations members have run for political office in recent years and won. While electing retired soldiers into Congress and gubernatorial office will most likely bring a level of restraint to government military adventurism, with those individuals having seen and paid the price for war, there is also a chance that they will steer policy to aid the military industrial complex. The cautionary tale of Governor Eric Greitens is one such example that also signals another problem effecting the special operations community as a whole.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Scandals Tarnish the Mythology</strong></h3>
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A number of scandals involving U.S. special operations soldiers have hit the headlines in recent years, corresponding with the exponential growth of the force. In an attempt to expand the SOF, the Pentagon seems to have lowered physical, cognitive and moral standards in order to fill the ranks. The Hollywood-Pentagon alliance that has worked tirelessly to create and perpetuate the image of the invincibility of the Navy Seals, presenting them as modern day Spartans or Praetorians, has run into a minor set-back in recent years. The criminal conduct of the elite of the elite has recently tarnished a once proud and silent fraternity of soldiers.</div>
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On June 4, 2017 an Army Special Forces NCO was murdered by two Navy SEALs and two Marines “Raiders” in Mali. The original story put forward was that the soldiers accidentally killed their compatriot in an attempt to scare him into silence. The Green Beret, Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar, had uncovered gross criminal conduct by Chief Petty Officer Adam Matthews and Petty Officer Anthony DeDolph. The two SEALs had been embezzling money meant to pay off local informants, and had also been bringing local prostitutes back to the small unit’s “secret” safe house . Staff Sergeant Melgar was ambushed in the safe house, beaten and choked to death. It took military investigators roughly a year and a half to finally charge all four perpetrators with felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, hazing and burglary. The investigation found that the men killed Staff Sergeant Melgar while engaged in an act of burglary; however, it is not known if they were attempting to steal back or destroy evidence that the Army Staff Sergeant had collected against them.</div>
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Perhaps no better example of the meteoric rise and fall of a former Navy SEAL exists as a greater cautionary tale than that of disgraced former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens. Greitens had ridden the reputation of the SEALs into fame and political office, only to fall victim to his own despicable criminal mind. Greitens never served in combat and was not highly regarded by most rank and file SEAL members with combat experience. Many such members speaking off the record, regarded him as an overly ambitious ladder climber that intended to ride the SEAL reputation as far as it would take him. It was largely theorized that before accusations of criminal conduct started coming to the fore, that he fully intended to launch a U.S. presidential campaign. Thankfully, investigations revealed gross corruption in his political dealings and his personal life. Geitens had been listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2013, and made the list of Fortune Magazine’s 50 greatest leaders in 2014. By May 29, 2017 he had resigned from political office in disgrace.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/8.png?x61513" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Expanding Global Footprint of U.S. Special Operations" class="wp-image-81926" height="335" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/8.png?x61513" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/8.png 850w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/8-490x274.png 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/8-768x429.png 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="The Expanding Global Footprint of U.S. Special Operations" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
A still shot from a gubernatorial commercial promoting Eric Greitens in 2016. He ran on the collective reputation of the SEAL teams, much to the chagrin of many rank and file members.</div>
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A vocal critic of the new trend in special operations personnel seeking the spotlight and financial gain is Navy SEAL Lieutenant Forrest Crowell, who even wrote his post graduate thesis at the Naval Postgraduate School regarding the issue. While writing a detailed story on Governor Greitens in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The New Yorker</em>, Phil Klay summarized Lt. Crowell’s opinion put forward in his thesis:</div>
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“In it, he argued that the SEALs’ celebrity status had diverted their culture “away from the traditional SEAL Ethos of quiet professionalism to a Market Ethos of commercialization and self-promotion.” Crowell warned that the new approach incentivized “narcissistic and profit-oriented behavior” and undermined healthy civil-military relations by using “the credibility of special operations to push partisan politics. “The people of this nation should be suspicious of SEALs who speak too loudly about themselves,” Crowell wrote.”</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Reversing the Trend</strong></h3>
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Although it remains to be seen whether or not U.S. special operations troops will be withdrawn from Syria or not, it is highly unlikely. The timetable for withdrawal continues to stretch into the future. It is also highly unlikely that SOCOM will reduce its global footprint, slow the tempo of joint military training with foreign militaries, or request a smaller budget for 2020. Like all U.S. federal government entities, it will promote itself at the expense of all others, and will resist any demands to lessen its power and influence.</div>
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President Trump has proven himself either incapable of challenging the military industrial complex, or totally complicit in the aim of that complex to perpetuate endless military conflict. There is very little sign that anyone in either the civilian government or the military leadership of the United States has the integrity or is willing to make the political sacrifice to alter the current course that the U.S. Armed Forces are embarked upon. The U.S. military has misallocated funds and priorities for the past two decades, engaged in misguided and disastrous regime change operations that have cost the nation trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. These military adventures have gutted the armed forces materially and morally. A generation of Americans have been left scarred physically and mentally. Hundreds of thousands of combatants and civilians in countries across the Middle East and Africa have lost their lives, while millions of refugees have fled the resultant chaos.</div>
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By 2019, SOCOM has reached a pinnacle in power and influence within the military industrial complex. It has garnered and fostered an almost mythical status in U.S. society. Yet it has not won and is incapable of winning any conflict that the government of the United States has seen fit to employ it in. Perhaps that is the very point. Special operations forces deployed across the globe, in almost every country you can imagine can help initiate, maintain and perpetuate conflict as long as the United States stays in a position of relatively unrivaled power in the world. The U.S. military industrial complex does not desire large winnable wars, but “low-intensity” conflicts that last as long as possible. That is how the system retains power, maintains profits, and remains relevant.</div>
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A strengthened SOCOM, deployed across the planet, establishing relationships with the foreign militaries of most of the world’s nations, and stationed in an ever growing number of U.S. embassies is a dream come true for the Deep State. There is little chance that SOCOM will reverse its course of expansion and accumulation of power at the expense of U.S. national security anytime in the immediate future. Just as the FBI, NSA and CIA have grown in power, influence and unaccountability since their creation, SOCOM seems poised to follow the same model to the detriment of the Republic that it was created to serve.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-13525182463632886382019-04-28T11:54:00.001+02:002019-04-28T11:54:43.633+02:00SAUDI SAVAGERY: KINGDOM BEHEADS 16-YEAR-OLD FOR SENDING WHATSAPP MESSAGE<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The controversy over Saudi Crown Prince MbS’s alleged orchestration of the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi has largely subsided since the government insider-turned-critic walked into the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in early October and never walked out. But a new controversy is brewing over one of the kingdom’s most controversial practices: Its mass-beheadings of men convicted of ‘terrorism’ charges, typically members of the Shiite minority living in the eastern part of the kingdom.</div>
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Saudi Arabia has long practiced execution by beheading. But this year, the mass extermination of 37 of mostly Shiite men this week <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">provoked condemnation from the UN and other human rights organizations,</strong> as several teenage boys were executed for crimes as seemingly petty a sending Whatsapp messages about government demonstrations.</div>
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One particularly disturbing case was recounted in the <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8926874/saudi-arabia-teenager-16-beheaded-protests-whatsapp/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">UK’s The Sun</a> tabloid. Abdulkareem al-Hawaj was just just 16 when he was arrested. Just a schoolboy at the time, he was detained and accused of being a “terrorist” for sending texts online about an anti-government demonstration.</div>
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Before making his ‘confession’, Abdulkareem, a Shiite Muslim who was 21 at the time of his execution, was reportedly brutally tortured. With his hands chained above his head, he was beaten and electrocuted. Amnesty International denounced his trial as a farce, since he was denied access to proper defense counsel.</div>
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Police also reportedly threatened to <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">kill his family </strong>if he didn’t confess to his crimes.</div>
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<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?x61513" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=qOfMlDkc" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;"><picture style="box-sizing: border-box;"><source media="all and (min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=vV4cOn5Q 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source media="all and (min-width: 480px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=vV4cOn5Q 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source media="all and (min-width: 1024px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=vV4cOn5Q 1x, https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=vV4cOn5Q 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source media="all and (min-width: 768px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=vV4cOn5Q 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png?itok=qOfMlDkc 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><img alt="Saudi Savagery: Kingdom Beheads 16-Year-Old For Sending Whatsapp Message" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8321666a-b476-4415-a01c-0a8faf7e120a" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="337" src="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.38.07%20AM.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-top: 0.4em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Saudi Savagery: Kingdom Beheads 16-Year-Old For Sending Whatsapp Message" width="500" /></picture></a></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Abdulkareem al-Hawaj</em></div>
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But Abdulkareem wasn’t the only man executed this week over seemingly minor offenses committed when he was a teenager. Mujtaba al-Sweikat, was a teenager who was set to begin his studies at Western Michigan University <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">when he was arrested for attending an anti-government protest.</strong></div>
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Then <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">just 17 years old, Sweikat was badly beaten after his arrest, including being repeatedly bludgeoned on the soles of his feet,</strong> before he “confessed” to crimes against the state.</div>
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<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?x61513" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=VzVRYh6Y" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;"><picture style="box-sizing: border-box;"><source media="all and (min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=6cscoPF4 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source media="all and (min-width: 480px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=6cscoPF4 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source media="all and (min-width: 1024px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=6cscoPF4 1x, https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=6cscoPF4 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source media="all and (min-width: 768px)" srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=6cscoPF4 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><source srcset="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png?itok=VzVRYh6Y 1x" style="box-sizing: border-box;" type="image/png"></source><img alt="Saudi Savagery: Kingdom Beheads 16-Year-Old For Sending Whatsapp Message" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1ce2ff71-62e4-445e-9d2b-ef0c67d4e7eb" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="314" src="https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-27%20at%209.39.25%20AM.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-top: 0.4em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Saudi Savagery: Kingdom Beheads 16-Year-Old For Sending Whatsapp Message" width="500" /></picture></a></div>
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Human rights organizations said he was tortured and convicted during a “sham trial.” His university tried to intervene, insisting that he had ‘great promise’, but the government ignored their protests.</div>
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Harriet McCulloch, deputy director of Reprieve, a human rights organization, insisted both young men were killed for sharing information about a peaceful anti-government protest.</div>
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“Many things can be used to justify a death sentence in Mohammed Bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia, including ‘disobedience against the King,'”</div>
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“preparing banners with anti-state slogans” and <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">“incitement via social media” </strong>are also offenses that potentially carry the weight of death.</div>
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“Mujtaba al-Sweikat and Abdulkarim al-Hawaj were teenagers sharing information about peaceful protests on their mobile phones. <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Saudi Arabia’s western allies must act now, to prevent any more young people being killed for exercising their right to freedom of expression.”</strong></div>
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Another young man, Munir al-Adam, was just 23, when he was arrested in 2012 at a government checkpoint. During his interrogation, his feet were so badly beaten that he was forced to crawl for days. After losing hearing in one of his ears, he was rendered completely deaf after the horrific torture.</div>
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He told a judge that he agreed to sign the confession because he was exhausted by the brutal and relentless torture.</div>
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The 37 murders were carried out in Riyadh, the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, central Qassim province and in the Eastern Province, the home of the Shiite minority. After being beheaded, one of the men was reportedly crucified, and his body was put on display as a message to other would-be dissidents.</div>
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That message? This is what could happen to you and your loved ones if you dare speak out against the crown.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-57054566049345481132019-04-27T11:46:00.001+02:002019-04-27T11:46:54.295+02:00MAP UPDATE: TENSIONS GROW IN IDLIB DE-ESCALATION ZONE AFTER RECENT ATTACKS ON RUSSIAN AIRBASE IN LATAKIA<ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Turkish forces are setting up a wall separating the occupied Afrin region from the rest of Syria;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://southfront.org/kurdish-led-administration-deleted-statement-blaming-damascus-for-turkish-wall-around-afrin/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">On April 25, the Syrian Democratic Council (the SDF’s political wing) released a statement blaiming the Assad government for the current situation in Afrin. Later, the statement was deleted</a>;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://southfront.org/syrian-army-eliminated-rocket-system-used-by-militants-to-shell-latakia-city/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) eliminated rocket launchers used by militants to shell Latakia city</a>;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Russia’s Hmeimim airbase came under rocket fire on April 26;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://southfront.org/second-wave-of-russian-airstrikes-on-terrorists-positions-in-southern-idlib/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">The Russian Aerospace Forces struck terrorist targets near Kansafra, Almaouzrah, Hirsh al-Qasabin, Hirsh Abdin, Tramla, Hizareen, Hobait and Kafr Nabl</a>.</li>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/27april_NorthWest_Syria_Map.jpg?x61513" referrerpolicy="origin" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Map Update: Tensions Grow In Idlib De-Escalation Zone After Recent Attacks On Russian Airbase In Latakia" class="wp-image-87154 size-large" height="1024" sizes="(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/27april_NorthWest_Syria_Map-756x1024.jpg?x61513" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/27april_NorthWest_Syria_Map-756x1024.jpg 756w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/27april_NorthWest_Syria_Map-222x300.jpg 222w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/27april_NorthWest_Syria_Map-768x1040.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Map Update: Tensions Grow In Idlib De-Escalation Zone After Recent Attacks On Russian Airbase In Latakia" width="756" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-69399946911632983252019-04-25T16:13:00.001+02:002019-04-25T16:13:16.358+02:00IDENTITIES OF SOME OF SRI LANKA SUICIDE BOMBERS REVEALED<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_86987" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 610px;">
<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/54151_LKAStAnthonysChurchblastcolombo190221AFP_1555848071628.jpeg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Identities Of Some Of Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Revealed" class="wp-image-86987" height="338" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/54151_LKAStAnthonysChurchblastcolombo190221AFP_1555848071628.jpeg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/54151_LKAStAnthonysChurchblastcolombo190221AFP_1555848071628.jpeg 960w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/54151_LKAStAnthonysChurchblastcolombo190221AFP_1555848071628-490x276.jpeg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/54151_LKAStAnthonysChurchblastcolombo190221AFP_1555848071628-768x432.jpeg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Identities Of Some Of Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Revealed" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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On April 24th and 25th, the identities of some of the suicide bombers from the Sri Lanka terror attacks were revealed.</div>
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ISIS ‘Amaq News Agency, following their statement claiming responsibility for the attacks, published two more statements. The statement says that 1,000 people were killed or injured in the orchestrated assault. That statement highlighted the fact that Christians were the intended target, as they are supposedly at war with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s enterprise. The statement also provides the aliases for several of the bombers.</div>
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The third statement included a photograph of the alleged attackers.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/477406.png?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Identities Of Some Of Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Revealed" class="wp-image-86986" height="261" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/477406.png?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/477406.png 800w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/477406-490x213.png 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/477406-768x334.png 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Identities Of Some Of Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Revealed" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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Two of them were members of a prominent and wealthy family in Colombo, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/24/asia/sri-lanka-suicide-bombers-spice-family-intl/index.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">according to sources cited by CNN.</a></div>
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The brothers, Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim and Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim were two of the suicide bombers. Their father, Mohamed Ibrahim, is the founder of Colombo-based Ishana Exports, which describes itself on its website as the “largest exporter of spices from Sri Lanka since 2006.”</div>
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Mohamed Ibrahim was one of the people arrested following the attacks, according to the sources.</div>
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At a press conference on April 24<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>, Sri Lanka’s State Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said that those responsible for the attacks on Easter Sunday were well educated, from upper-middle class families, and financially independent. That was a “worrying factor,” he said.</div>
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British Security forces identified another attacker as Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, saying that he studied in the southeast of England from 2006 to 2007.</div>
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Wijewardene, the state defense minister, said investigators believe one of the bombers had studied in the UK and was a postgraduate student in Australia before returning to Sri Lanka.</div>
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Shiral Lakthilaka, an adviser to Sri Lanka’s President, identified one of the men who blew himself up at the Shangri-La hotel as Inshan Seelavan, and described him as the “mastermind” of the attacks.</div>
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Other unnamed officials, cited by CNN, claimed that Zahran Hashim was a key figure in the attacks.</div>
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Hilmy Ahamed, vice president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka as well as Reyyaz Salley, chairman of Colombo’s Dewatagaha Mosque, said that they had attempted to warn authorities about Hashim, who could be seen on a photograph and <a href="https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/amaq-video-shows-sri-lanka-attackers-pledging-to-is-leader.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">in a video</a> released by ISIS ‘Amaq News Agency.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190423140510-sri-lanka-isis-video-still-exlarge-169.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Identities Of Some Of Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Revealed" class="wp-image-86983" height="337" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190423140510-sri-lanka-isis-video-still-exlarge-169.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190423140510-sri-lanka-isis-video-still-exlarge-169.jpg 780w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190423140510-sri-lanka-isis-video-still-exlarge-169-490x275.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190423140510-sri-lanka-isis-video-still-exlarge-169-768x431.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Identities Of Some Of Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Revealed" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
On April 23, a video released by ISIS showed 8 men purported to be the Sri Lankan attackers pledging allegiance to the terror group. All of the men have their hands placed together and are masked, except one. That man, identified as Zahran Hashim is the alleged leader. Click to see full-size image</div>
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“We reported him to national intelligence about three years ago,” Ahamed said, adding he had taken DVDs of Hashim’s preachings to show officials. “At the end of 2018, in December, when we had this crisis where some youth damaged Buddhist statues, we went back again to intelligence and gave them all the info we had on him and told them they should try to catch him.”</div>
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Separately, Ruwan Gunasekera, Sri Lankan National police spokesperson said that the Criminal Investigation Department had raided 5 safe houses connected with terrorists in the following areas: Negombo, Dehiwala, Sharikamulla Panadura, Colpetty Colombo 3, Wattala.</div>
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<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/25/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-arrests-intl/index.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe</a> in an interview with CNN said that some of the suspected attackers were under surveillance by the country’s intelligence services. There was not “sufficient” evidence to put the suspected attackers in custody prior to the attacks, Wickremesinghe said.</div>
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Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena asked for the resignation of one of the country’s defense ministers Hemasiri Fernando and the Inspector General of the Police Pujith Jayasundara.</div>
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The victims of the suicide bombings reached 359 on April 25<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>. More than 500 were injured.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-73890722693989570202019-04-25T16:12:00.000+02:002019-04-25T16:12:13.787+02:00NORTH KOREA, RUSSIA VOW TO REDUCE TENSIONS, STRENGTHEN SECURITY IN NORTHEAST ASIA (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_86953" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 610px;">
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un met on <a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/60363" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">Russky Island, Vladivostok on April 25<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>.</a></div>
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Negotiations began with a conversation of the heads of two states in a “one-on-one” format, then consultations continued with the participation of members of delegations.</div>
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Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin speak after meeting for the first time. Kim appears to be breathing heavily at times.</div>
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At the beginning of the one-on-one meeting, Putin said the following:</div>
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“Dear Mr. Chairman!</div>
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I am very pleased to see you in Russia. Our colleagues have long been working on this meeting.</div>
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First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your election to the high office of the head of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I sent you the corresponding letter, but now I am pleased to personally congratulate you.</div>
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In this regard, I would like to say that last year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. The founder of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea made his first visit to Moscow in 1949. And I remember my visit to your country.</div>
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Your father was one of the initiators of the signing of the fundamental treaty – the Treaty of Friendship between our countries. I am confident that your visit to Russia today will serve the development of bilateral relations and help us better understand how we can resolve the situation on the Korean Peninsula, what we can do together, what Russia can do to support those positive processes that are happening now.</div>
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We certainly welcome your efforts to develop inter-Korean dialogue and to normalize North Korean-American relations.</div>
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And of course, bilaterally, we have a lot to do to develop trade and economic ties, develop humanitarian contacts.”</div>
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Kim Jong Un, on his part said:</div>
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“I want to express my gratitude, dear Mr. President, for the fact that they kindly invited me and, despite the extraordinary undertaking, paid deep attention to the implementation of my visit and traveled thousands of kilometers to come here from Moscow and meet with me.</div>
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I would also like to personally congratulate you on the fact that last year the Russian people once again entrusted you with the leadership of the great Russia, and with the fact that you are successfully working to build a strong Russia.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px 10px;">
As you noted, I also hope that our meeting with you, Mr. President, will be useful for strengthening and developing the traditionally friendly relations between the DPRK and Russia, which have deep roots.</div>
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I would also like to say that now the situation on the Korean Peninsula is of great interest to the entire world community, and I hope that our talks will be an important event in order to assess this situation together, exchange views on this situation and jointly resolve this issue. And I hope that we will have a meaningful exchange of views today.”</div>
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<a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/60367" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">Following the one-on-one meeting</a>, and just before the meeting of the delegations, Putin said that he and Kim spoke about the history of North Korea-Russia relations, about the prospects of them improving. They also spoke about the situation on the Korean Peninsula and what could be done to improve the situation.</div>
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Kim said that he was pleased to meet with Putin. He also said:</div>
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“I came to Russia to exchange views on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, which is one of the most pressing issues on the current international agenda, and discuss methods for the peaceful resolution of this issue and exchange views on the development of our bilateral relations in accordance with the requirements of the new century.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Mr President, we have just had a very meaningful one-on-one exchange of views on issues of common interest on all current issues.”</div>
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He expressed his wish for the relations between the countries to continue in such a “positive and constructive way.”</div>
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The delegation meeting took about 3 and a half hours after which there <a href="https://tass.ru/politika/6371453" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">was a reception.</a></div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8YSKKhr8w1k?feature=oembed" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;" width="500"></iframe></div>
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During the reception, Vladimir Putin said that there is no alternative to the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula. The president also assured that Russia is ready to continue cooperation to reduce tensions on the peninsula and strengthen security in Northeast Asia as a whole.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-81280033634851850272019-04-24T10:54:00.001+02:002019-04-24T10:54:42.413+02:00US STATE DEPARTMENT OFFERS $10 MILLION REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON HEZBOLLAH FINANCIAL MECHANISMS<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
<a href="https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2019/04/291287.htm" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">The US State Department</a> is offering up to $10 million in reward money for information “leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the global terrorist organization Lebanese Hezbollah.”</div>
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<a aria-label="Hiba Nasr (screen name: HibaNasr)" class="TweetAuthor-avatar Identity-avatar u-linkBlend" data-scribe="element:user_link" href="https://twitter.com/HibaNasr" style="-webkit-box-flex: 0; background-color: transparent; flex: 0 0 auto; font-weight: inherit; height: 36px; margin-right: 9px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><img alt="" class="Avatar" data-scribe="element:avatar" data-src-1x="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1101020858447994880/4FbAMfWu_normal.jpg" data-src-2x="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1101020858447994880/4FbAMfWu_bigger.jpg" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1101020858447994880/4FbAMfWu_bigger.jpg" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 0px; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%;" /></a><div class="TweetAuthor js-inViewportScribingTarget" data-scribe="component:author" style="-webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; display: flex; flex-direction: column; overflow: hidden;">
<a aria-label="Hiba Nasr (screen name: HibaNasr)" class="TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend" data-scribe="element:user_link" href="https://twitter.com/HibaNasr" style="-webkit-box-align: start; align-items: flex-start; background-color: transparent; display: flex; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><div class="TweetAuthor-nameScreenNameContainer" style="-webkit-box-align: start; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: column; line-height: 1.2; min-width: 0px;">
<span class="TweetAuthor-decoratedName" style="-webkit-box-align: center; align-items: center; display: flex; min-width: 0px;"><span class="TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight" data-scribe="element:name" style="font-weight: 700; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 4px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;" title="Hiba Nasr">Hiba Nasr</span></span><span class="TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName" data-scribe="element:screen_name" dir="ltr" style="color: #697882; flex-shrink: 1; font-size: 14px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;" title="@HibaNasr">@HibaNasr</span></div>
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<div class="Tweet-text e-entry-title" dir="ltr" lang="en" style="border: none; cursor: text; direction: ltr; list-style: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Breaking</div>
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<span class="TweetInfo-heartStat" data-scribe="element:heart_count" style="margin-left: 3px;">3</span></a></div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2019-04-22T17:28:10+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/HibaNasr/status/1120378777211744257" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">7:28 PM - Apr 22, 2019</a></div>
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</blockquote>
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See Hiba Nasr's other Tweets</div>
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<a class="Icon Icon--informationCircleWhite js-inViewportScribingTarget" href="https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; color: #2b7bb9; display: inline-block; height: 18px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 18px;" title="Twitter Ads info and privacy"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">Twitter Ads info and privacy</span></a></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://players.brightcove.net/1705665025/SkVYtBmQe_default/index.html?videoId=6028771710001" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
All of the information is <a href="https://twitter.com/DOTArabic/status/1120749508613296128" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">also being disseminated in Arabic.</a></div>
<blockquote style="background: rgb(239, 239, 239); box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin: 7px 35px 10px 45px; padding: 10px;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px 10px;">
“Rewards can be provided for information leading to the identification and disruption of:</div>
<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">a source of revenue for Hizballah or its key financial facilitation mechanisms;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">major Hizballah donors or financial facilitators;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">financial institutions or exchange houses facilitating Hizballah transactions;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">businesses or investments owned or controlled by Hizballah or its financiers;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">front companies engaged in international procurement of dual-use technology on behalf of Hizballah; and</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">criminal schemes involving Hizballah members and supporters which financially benefit the organization.”</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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According to the statement, and the US repeated claims, Iran is to blame in the situation, since it has been a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. Hezbollah “receives weapons, training, and funding” from the Islamic Republic.</div>
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“Hizballah generates about a billion dollars a year from a combination of direct financial support from Iran, international businesses and investments, donor networks, and money laundering activities. The State Department designated Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in October 1997 under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in October 2001 under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.”</div>
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The modern Wild West-style wanted poster also identifies three individuals among many that are key Hezbollah financiers or facilitators.</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Adham Tabaja</strong> – a Hezbollah member who communicates directly with the senior leadership of the group. He holds properties on behalf of it in Lebanon, as well as in the Middle East and West Africa. He has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SGDT) by the US since June 2015, in addition to his Lebanon-based real estate development and construction firm Al-Inmaa Group for Tourism Works.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi</strong> – a Hezbollah member who has generated millions for the group through his business activities in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He and his companies have been designated as SGDTs by the US since May 2018.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ali Youssef Charara</strong> – a key Hizballah financier as well as Chairman and General Manager of Lebanon-based telecommunications company Spectrum Investment Group Holding SAL, and has extensive business interests in the telecommunications industry in West Africa. He has been designated as a SGDT, as well as Spectrum Investment Group since January 2016.</li>
</ul>
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The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Lebanese Hizballah. If you have information, please contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate or email LH@rewardsforjustice.net.</div>
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<span class="TweetInfo-heartStat" data-scribe="element:heart_count" style="margin-left: 3px;">189</span></a></div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2019-04-22T19:44:34+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/Rewards4Justice/status/1120413101726343168" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">9:44 PM - Apr 22, 2019</a></div>
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The Rewards For Justice program has also been offering a reward of up to $5 million for information on Salih al-Aruri, Khalil Yusuf Mahmoud Harb and Haytham ‘Ali Tabataba’I since November 2018. All of them are alleged Hezbollah members and judging by the retweet on April 16<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>, 2019 the search hasn’t proven fruitful.</div>
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UP TO $5 MILLION REWARD!! Submit a tip for these terrorist leaders and you may be considered for a reward. Relocation possible. 100% confidential. $150 million has been paid out to 100 sources- you could be the next recipient. <a class="link customisable" data-expanded-url="http://www.rewardsforjustice.net" data-scribe="element:url" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/LtBVhsrwTc" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.rewardsforjustice.net"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">http://www.</span>rewardsforjustice.net<span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;"> </span></a> <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RFJ?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">RFJ</span></a></div>
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<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />This attempt is one more US step taken towards its attempts to pressure Iran and Hezbollah in the Middle East. This comes just two days after US President Donald Trump announced that no waivers from US sanctions on Iran’s oil exports will be given.</div>
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The tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have also been worsening over the last months, especially leading up to the elections in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won his 5<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> term.</div>
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<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-conducts-massive-drill-to-simulate-conditions-of-war-with-hezbollah/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">In early February</a>, Israel’s Defense Forces conducted “massive” drills to “simulate conditions of war with Hezbollah.”</div>
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The exercise was the largest one carried out by the 401<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">st</span> Brigade of the Armored Corps in the last several years. Dozens of battle tanks, armored personnel carriers and helicopters were deployed in the training zone in the Jordan Valley</div>
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נסראללה בלחץ? חטיבה 401 של חיל השריון ביצעה השבוע תרגיל גדול שנועד לדמות לחימה בלבנון, ובו התאמנו הלוחמים על תיאום עם כוחות של חיל האוויר, ההנדסה והמודיעין | צפו בתיעוד מהאימון <a class="PrettyLink profile customisable h-card" data-mentioned-user-id="2976304381" data-scribe="element:mention" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/ndvori" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">@</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">ndvori</span></a> <br /><br />לכל הפרטים: <a class="link customisable" data-expanded-url="http://bit.ly/2SRyyYD" data-scribe="element:url" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Q893rkNQB1" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/2SRyyYD"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">http://</span>bit.ly/2SRyyYD<span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;"> </span></a></div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2019-02-15T12:26:53+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/NewsChannelIL/status/1096385357233512449" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">2:26 PM - Feb 15, 2019</a></div>
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“As the situation in Syria stabilizes, Hezbollah is returning its forces to Lebanon,” The brigade’s commander, Col. Dudu Sonago said. “They are no longer a guerrilla organization, but a real army. They fought there in regiments of companies and battalions, very similar to the military. They operate in civilian areas and are ready with a large quantity of anti-tank missiles,” the Colonel added. “This is a challenge the IDF must train for.”</div>
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah dismissed the effectiveness of the Israeli operation.</div>
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In mid-January 2019, Israel also found the 6<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> “biggest and last” Hezbollah tunnel leading from Lebanon into Israeli soil.</div>
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The IDF announced that its search had come to an end, since it had discovered the last one.</div>
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“With the discover of this terror tunnel, the effort to locate the passages dug by Hezbollah that crossed the border into Israeli territory has been completed. The neutralization of this passage will be completed in the coming days,” <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/finding-final-hezbollah-attack-tunnel-idf-wraps-up-operation-northern-shield/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">the army said in a statement.</a></div>
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“According to our intelligence and our assessment of the situation there are no longer any cross-border attack tunnels from Lebanon into Israel,” army spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.</div>
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Operation Northern Shield was launched by the IDF on December 4<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>, two days after police <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/02/police-recommend-indicting-benjamin-netanyahu-on-bribery-charges" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">recommended indicting</a>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption and four months before elections.</div>
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According to an official version, Israel had known for the tunnels for years prior to “discovering” them, but they kept it for a situation in which Netanyahu can create an enemy and prove himself necessary to the Israeli people.</div>
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The declared reason why the tunnels weren’t destroyed earlier was that it wasn’t assessed they posed any danger.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-30046432255437917772019-04-24T10:53:00.000+02:002019-04-24T10:53:43.280+02:00CHINA BOASTS MARITIME STRENGTH IN PLA NAVY’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY PARADE (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_86856" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 610px;">
<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/title-image.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86856" height="337" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/title-image.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/title-image.jpg 685w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/title-image-490x275.jpg 490w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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On April 23<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">rd</span>, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy celebrated its 70<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> anniversary in a massive event.</div>
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The event took place at Qingdao, in east China’s Shandong Province.</div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/emXC_ljNTek?feature=oembed" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;" width="500"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/21/c_137994246.htm" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">More than 60 countries sent delegations</a> to take part in the naval parade, more than 30 of them sent major naval leaders, such as Admiral Jose Luis Villan of Argentina, Fijian navy commander Humphrey Tawake among others.</div>
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The parade featured 32 Chinese vessels and 39 aircraft, as well as warships from 13 foreign countries including India, Japan, Vietnam and Australia.</div>
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The US sent a low-level delegation to Qingdao, led by the naval attache at its Beijing embassy, and no ships.</div>
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Russia sent its Navy’s frigate Admiral Gorshkov.</div>
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The Indian Navy sent its frontline destroyer the INS Kolkata.</div>
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Deepening Military-to-Military Relations.<br />The Indian Navy’s frontline destroyer, INS Kolkata reached the Qingdao Port today to participate in the PLA Navy International Fleet Review. She is accompanied by the tanker INS <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Shakti?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Shakti</span></a>.<br />Press Release: <a class="link customisable" data-expanded-url="https://www.eoibeijing.gov.in/Indian-naval-participation.php" data-scribe="element:url" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/sHLTtZekYU" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="https://www.eoibeijing.gov.in/Indian-naval-participation.php"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">https://www.</span>eoibeijing.gov.in/Indian-naval-p<span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">articipation.php </span>…</a><a class="PrettyLink profile customisable h-card" data-mentioned-user-id="441636351" data-scribe="element:mention" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">@</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">MEAIndia</span></a></div>
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The Royal Australian Navy sent its frigate HMAS Melbourne. The Royal Thai Navy sent its frigate HTMS Bangpakong.</div>
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Notably, China presented two new significant weapons: its brand-new Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang and its Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered submarine.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/type-055-nanchang.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86854" height="300" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/type-055-nanchang.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/type-055-nanchang.jpg 1920w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/type-055-nanchang-490x245.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/type-055-nanchang-768x384.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/type-055-nanchang-1024x512.jpg 1024w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Nanchang.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86855" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Nanchang.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Nanchang.jpg 1920w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Nanchang-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Nanchang-768x512.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Nanchang-1024x683.jpg 1024w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang. Click to see full-size image</div>
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The Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang is armed with 112 vertical-launch cells with the ability to fire HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, and CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles. The main gun is a H/PJ-38 130-mm gun, but there are reports that this vessel could eventually be equipped with a railgun. The vessel uses X- and S-band radars, allowing it to track stealthy objects of various sizes.</div>
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The destroyer first debuted in 2017, <a href="http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201808/27/WS5b833ef5a310add14f387d7c.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">and started sea trials in August 2018.</a> Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1147119.shtml" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">told the Global Times</a> that the public debut at the fleet review indicated that the vessel was now combat-ready.</div>
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The other new weapon, the Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine also made its appearance.</div>
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<a href="http://www.military-today.com/navy/jin_class.htm" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">The Jin-class</a> carries a total of 12 JL-2 (Western reporting name CSS-N-5 or Sabbot) submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles. The JL-2 missile has an estimated maximum range of around 7 400-8 000 km.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/jin-class-type-094.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86852" height="325" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/jin-class-type-094.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/jin-class-type-094.jpg 1000w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/jin-class-type-094-490x265.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/jin-class-type-094-768x415.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Jin-class Type 094 nuclear-powered ballsitic submarine. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Type-094-sub.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86853" height="369" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Type-094-sub.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Type-094-sub.jpg 900w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Type-094-sub-488x300.jpg 488w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Type-094-sub-768x472.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Jin-class Type 094 nuclear-powered ballsitic submarine. Click to see full-size image</div>
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Expectedly, the event was overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping. In his remarks, Xi said that the navies of the world should work together to protect maritime peace and order.</div>
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“The Chinese people love and long for peace, and will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development,” Xi said.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
“Everyone should respect each other, treat each other as equals, enhance mutual trust, strengthen maritime dialogue and exchanges, and deepen pragmatic cooperation between navies. There must be more discussions and consultations between countries, and there cannot be resorts to force or threats of force at the slightest pretext. All countries should adhere to equal consultations, improve crisis communication mechanisms, strengthen regional security cooperation, and promote the proper settlement of maritime-related disputes.”</div>
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Following are photographs of the Chinese navy’s warships and submarines that appeared at the parade:</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Wuhan.jpg?x86250" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86857" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Wuhan.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Wuhan.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Wuhan-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Wuhan-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The guided-missile destroyer Wuhan. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Haikou.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86858" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Haikou.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Haikou.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Haikou-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Haikou-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The guided-missile destroyer Haikou. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aircraft-carrier-Liaoning.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86859" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aircraft-carrier-Liaoning.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aircraft-carrier-Liaoning.jpg 1920w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aircraft-carrier-Liaoning-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aircraft-carrier-Liaoning-768x512.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aircraft-carrier-Liaoning-1024x683.jpg 1024w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The aircraft carrier Liaoning. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Great-wall-236-subamrine.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86860" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Great-wall-236-subamrine.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Great-wall-236-subamrine.jpg 1920w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Great-wall-236-subamrine-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Great-wall-236-subamrine-768x512.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Great-wall-236-subamrine-1024x683.jpg 1024w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Great wall 236 submarine. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Sanya-missile-frigate.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86861" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Sanya-missile-frigate.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Sanya-missile-frigate.jpg 900w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Sanya-missile-frigate-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Sanya-missile-frigate-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The missile frigate Sanya. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Wuhai.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86862" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Wuhai.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Wuhai.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Wuhai-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Wuhai-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The missile frigate Wuhai. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Taiyuan.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86863" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Taiyuan.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Taiyuan.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Taiyuan-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Taiyuan-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The guided-missile destroyer Taiyuan. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Shijiazhuang.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86864" height="352" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Shijiazhuang.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Shijiazhuang.jpg 900w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Shijiazhuang-490x287.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Shijiazhuang-768x451.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The guided-missile destroyer Shijiazhuang. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/landing-ship-Wuzhishan.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86865" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/landing-ship-Wuzhishan.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/landing-ship-Wuzhishan.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/landing-ship-Wuzhishan-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/landing-ship-Wuzhishan-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The landing ship Wuzhishan. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/comprehensive-supply-ship-Taihu.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86866" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/comprehensive-supply-ship-Taihu.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/comprehensive-supply-ship-Taihu.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/comprehensive-supply-ship-Taihu-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/comprehensive-supply-ship-Taihu-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The comprehensive supply ship Taihu. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Binzhou.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86867" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Binzhou.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Binzhou.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Binzhou-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/missile-frigate-Binzhou-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The missile frigate Binzhou. Click to see full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Changchun.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" class="wp-image-86868" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Changchun.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Changchun.jpg 899w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Changchun-450x300.jpg 450w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/guided-missile-destroyer-Changchun-768x512.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="China Boasts Maritime Strength In PLA Navy's 70th Anniversary Parade (Videos, Photos)" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The guided-missile destroyer Changchun. Click to see full-size image</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-48700859321866034022019-04-23T12:08:00.002+02:002019-04-23T12:08:18.401+02:00IRAN THREATENS TO CLOSE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IF US BLOCKS ITS OIL EXPORTS<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
With oil surging to a six month high <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-22/oil-surges-washington-prepares-end-iranian-crude-export-waivers" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">after a now confirmed </a>report that <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Trump will not reissue Iranian oil export waivers </strong></em>after they expire on May 2, removing up to 1 million barrels from the market…</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-157.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz If US Blocks Its Oil Exports" class="alignnone wp-image-86765" height="395" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-157-1024x809.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-157-1024x809.jpg 1024w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-157-380x300.jpg 380w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-157-768x607.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-157.jpg 1038w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz If US Blocks Its Oil Exports" width="500" /></a></div>
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… Tehran has gone on the offensive and on Monday a senior Iranian military official said <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">the Islamic Republic will close the Strait of Hormuz if it’s prevented from using it, </strong>the state-run Fars news agency reported.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-35.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz If US Blocks Its Oil Exports" class="alignnone wp-image-86764" height="219" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-35.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-35.jpg 984w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-35-490x215.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-35-768x336.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz If US Blocks Its Oil Exports" width="500" /></a></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">“The Strait of Hormuz based on international law is a waterway and if we are prevented from using it, we will close it,</strong>” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-oil-exports-idUSKCN1RY0MK?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5cbd9c7416ce3f000141c47a&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">Reuters reported</a>, citing Alireza Tangsiri, head of the revolutionary guards navy force.</div>
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Separately, the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Monday quoted an unnamed Iranian oil ministry source as saying that “<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">whether the waivers continue or not, Iran’s oil exports will not be zero under any circumstances unless Iranian authorities decide to stop oil exports </strong>… and this is not relevant now.” The source added that “we have been monitoring and analyzing all possible scenarios and conditions for the advance of our country’s oil exports, and necessary measures have been taken … Iran is not waiting for America’s decision or the lack of it to export its oil. We have years of experience in neutralizing efforts by enemies to strike blows against our country.”</div>
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To be sure, this is not the first time Iran has made such a threat: back in December Iran warned it would close the global oil chokepoint, when it said that <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">“if someday, the United States decides to block Iran’s oil (exports), no oil will be exported from the Persian Gulf.”</strong></div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-23.jpg?x86250" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz If US Blocks Its Oil Exports" class="alignnone wp-image-86762" height="281" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-23.jpg?x86250" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-23.jpg 890w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-23-490x275.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-23-768x431.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz If US Blocks Its Oil Exports" width="500" /></a></div>
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President Rouhani’s December threat had been welcomed by hardline clerics and military officials, including Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.</div>
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Previously, in early November, <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-04/irans-powerful-hardline-cleric-threatens-seize-oil-tankers-launch-missiles-ahead" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">a prominent hardline cleric told</a> a Friday prayer gathering in Mashhad, considered Iran’s spiritual capital, that Iran has the power to <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">“instantly” create conditions for $400 a barrel oil</strong> prices if it decides to act in the Persian Gulf. Shia cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda grabbed <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-04/irans-powerful-hardline-cleric-threatens-seize-oil-tankers-launch-missiles-ahead" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">headlines at the time by declaring</a>, “<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">If Iran decides, a single drop of this region’s oil will not be exported and in 90 minutes all Persian Gulf countries will be destroyed.”</strong></em></div>
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And during the prior summer, after similar threats were issued from Tehran the spokesman for the US military’s Central Command, Captain Bill Urban, told the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/9b919a29d05741a996f3e97cc6fe808f" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">that US sailors and its regional allies</a> <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">“stand ready to ensure the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce wherever international law allows”.</strong></div>
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The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway carrying a fifth of the world’s traded oil that Iranian officials have threatened to block in retaliation for sanctions targeting the country’s nuclear program.</div>
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The U.S. has said it would move to stop any Iranian attempt to block the waterway.</div>
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As such, if Trump is indeed serious about not renewing Iran’s export waivers, it may launch a sequence of events that culminated with regional war that pits Iran against the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Whether or not Russia and China back Iran could mean the difference between a localized conflict and World War III.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-74202440910113235232019-04-23T12:06:00.002+02:002019-04-23T12:06:44.418+02:00RUSSIA TRAINING “PSYCHIC” SPECIAL FORCES – MINISTRY OF DEFENSE JOURNAL<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A controversial article in the Russian Defense Minsitry’s journal “Armeysky Sbornik” regarding the usage of “psychic” warfare by the Armed Forces has gained a wide attention in the Russian media and will likely make headlines in English-language mainsream media outlets.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Russian Armed Forces are training “psychic” special forces to defeat the enemy without contact, according to an article in <a href="http://sc.mil.ru/files/morf/military/archive/AS_02_2019.pdf" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">February’s issue of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s journal “Armeysky Sbornik.”</a></strong></div>
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The article “Super Soldier for the Future Wars” was written by reserve colonel Nikolai Poroskov and reports on the methods of parapsychology <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">allegedly</em> </strong>applied by the Russian Military.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The author also claims that that Russian special forces used “parapsychology combat techniques” in Chechnya.</strong></div>
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According to the article, they are training soldiers who can hack a computer with the power of their thought.</div>
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“The command was interested in how to “remove” information: to reveal the enemy’s plan, the composition of the forces and assets involved. <…> Whoever possesses the technique of metacontact can conduct, for example, non-verbal interrogation. He sees through the enemy soldier captured: what kind of person he is, what are his strengths and weaknesses, whether he will be recruited. The reliability of the interrogation is almost one hundred percent. It is impossible to “get out” of. Techniques of counteraction to such interrogation are taught to special forces soldiers in case of being taken prisoner, also the highest leaders of the country or the heads of large industrial and banking structures – in order to preserve state or commercial secrets.”</div>
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Experiments are said to have been carried out – such as trying to read documents in a foreign language that have been locked inside a safe.</div>
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The article adds:</div>
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“By force of thought, it is possible to shut down computer programmes, burn crystals in generators, listen in on conversations and disrupt radio and telecommunications.”</div>
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Paraskov further claimed that Russian specialists have learned telepathy by working with dolphins.</div>
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“They mentally gave the animals the commands that they carried out. This was practiced by the famous trainer Durov. The technique, as it turned out, is applicable to humans. Moreover, the impact was even possible on the technique. With an effort of thought you can, for example, crash computer programs, burn crystals in generators, eavesdrop on a conversation, or break television and radio broadcasts and communications. There was success in experiments such as reading a document lying in a safe, even if it is in a foreign language that we do not speak; identification of individuals belonging to the terrorist network; identifying potential candidates for terrorist groups.”</div>
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But <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Yevgeny Aleksandrov, who chairs the Russian Academy of Science’s committee for combating “false science”, told Russian news outlet RBK that the parapsychological war tactics were “complete rubbish”.</strong></div>
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“<span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Such works [describing military parapsychology] really existed and were developed, but were classified. Now they come out into the light. But, as in many countries of the world, such studies are recognized as pseudoscientific, all this is complete nonsense. No parapsychology exists at all, it is a fairy tale. All the talk about the transmission of thought at a distance does not have a scientific basis, there is not a single such recorded case, it is simply impossible. This is a way to squeeze funds from the state budget. In Russia, this was put to an end in the early 2000s, when military unit No. 10003 was disbanded, which was engaged in the study of such pseudoscientific phenomena for military use</span>,” he said.</div>
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Evaluating the content of the publication in the official publication of the Ministry of Defense, the head of the analytical department of the magazine<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> “Soldiers of Russia” Anatoly Matviychuk <a href="https://www.rbc.ru/politics/03/04/2019/5ca48a0c9a794775e7a3a6fd" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">told RBC</a> that combat parapsychology “is not a fantasy” and “it is currently being developed.”</strong></div>
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“Combat parapsychology really is true, it received great development in the period of 1960–1980s. The technique was developed by the Soviet Academy of Sciences in an attempt to discover the phenomenal characteristics of a person. A group of specialists worked under the leadership of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. The achievements of that time still exist, and there are attempts to activate them. These techniques were tested in hot spots in Afghanistan and Vietnam,” said Matviychuk.</div>
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It also turns out that there is a long history of studying parapsychological research. The London Society for Psychical Research in 1882 was founded and it has researched it for over 100 years.</div>
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The US also has been carrying out parapsychological research since the 1930s. In the 1970s a specific emphasis was placed on “remote viewing” – a technique which purportedly allows one to project their consciousness over vast distances and even time. Physicists Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff of Stanford Research Institute (SRI) received a $20 million government grant for the <a href="http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983829,00.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">“Stargate Project” in 1975.</a></div>
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There is also a description on how the two physicists received $20 million funding from a declassified <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/NSA-RDP96X00790R000100010031-3.pdf" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">CIA document</a>:</div>
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“In April of 1972, Targ met with CIA personnel from the Office of Scientific Intelligence (PSI) and discussed the subject of paranormal abilities. Targ revealed that he had contacts with people who purported to have seen and documented some Soviet investigations of psychokinesis. Films of Soviets moving inanimate objects by “mental powers” were made available to analysts from OSI. They, in turn, contacted personnel from the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and OTS. An ORD Project Officer then visited Targ who had recently joined the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Targ proposed that some psychokinetic verification investigations could be done at SRI in conjunction with Puthoff.</div>
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These proposals were quickly followed by a laboratory demonstration. A man was found by Targ and Puthoff who apparently had psychokenetic abilities. He was taken on a surprise visit to a superconducting shielded magnetometer being used in quark (high energy particle) experiments by Dr. A. Hebbard of Stanford University Physics Department. The quark experiment required that the magnetometer be as well shielded as technology would allow. Nevertheless, when the subject placed his attention on the interior of the magnetometer, the output signal was visibly disturbed, indicating a change in internal magnetic field. Several other correlations of his mental efforts with signal variations were observed. These variations were never seen before or after the visit.</div>
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For a cost of $874, one OTS and one ORD representative worked with Targ and Puthoff and the previously mentioned man for a few days in August, 1972. During this demonstration, the subject was asked to describe objects hidden out of sight by the CIA personnel. The subject did well. The descriptions were so startingly accurate that the OTS and ORD representatives suggested that the work be continued and expanded.”</div>
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It turned out that the research actually reached the conclusion that remote viewing is real and possible, but quite unpredictable.</div>
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According to a declassified 1981 threat assessment, “Laboratory demonstrations have shown that gifted individuals using remote viewing can describe small details in a room or describe a SIGINT site and particular types of antennae.”</div>
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/395167398/CIA-RDP96-00791R000200180006-4-1-pdf" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">According to the project summary</a> remote viewing was also used with some success during Operation Desert Shield/Storm and explored for applications within Joint Tactical Force support.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-31783087025057580522019-04-19T10:59:00.001+02:002019-04-19T10:59:22.985+02:00ISRAEL’S MAGIC LAMP: IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE<div class="no-break" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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<a href="https://southfront.org/donate/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Israel's Magic Lamp: Iron Dome Missile Defense" class="alignnone wp-image-80622 size-full" height="160" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/db.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/db.jpg 800w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/db-490x98.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/db-768x154.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Israel's Magic Lamp: Iron Dome Missile Defense" width="800" /></a></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">This video is based on an analysis released by SouthFront on On June 15, 2018: “<a href="https://southfront.org/israels-iron-dome-abm-system-threats-peculiarities-and-development-prospects/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">Israel’s Iron Dome ABM System. Threats, Peculiarities and Development Prospects</a>“</strong></div>
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Since its inception, Israel has faced difficult political and military challenges. It defines the operational space in which IDF exists, the nature of development of its armed forces, and of individual weapons systems it uses.</div>
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The key objective and permanent factors include:</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Israel’s geography, with the 470km-long country being no more than 135km wide.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hostile environment, including unresolved territorial disputes with neighbors and the Palestinian problem.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Close proximity to borders of major cities and critical infrastructure.</li>
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At the same time, Israel did not treat its adversaries’ ability to use rockets as a priority for a long time, therefore establishing a comprehensive anti-ballistic missile system was not among its priorities either. The situation changed after the 1991 Gulf War, when Iraq struck Israeli cities using improved Soviet R-17 (NATO classification SS-1b Scud-B) ballistic missiles. At that time, US Patriot PAC-2 ABM systems were used to protect Israeli cities, however, they demonstrated their ineffectiveness. Therefore a decision was made to push the development of the Arrow and Arrow-2 ABM system jointly with the US, with the first systems deployed in March 2000.</div>
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The Arrow-2 system was intended to defeat attacks using ballistic missiles with ranges up to 3,000km. However, Hezbollah and Hamas were expanding their use of short-range rocket artillery. The Second Lebanon War of 2006 showed Israel to be vulnerable against such weapons. In that conflict, Hezbollah used a wide range of 107mm, 102mm, 220mm, 240mm, and 302mm rockets of Soviet, Chinese, Syrian, and Iranian manufacture with ranges between 6 and 210km, such as the Fajr-3, Zelzal, Nazeat, and others. Between July 13 and August 13, Israel was the target of 4228 rockets which caused 53 civilian fatalities, 250 wounded, and 2000 cases of light injuries, in addition to considerable damage to infrastructure and housing.</div>
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Following this war, Israel’s leaders decided it was necessary to establish a tactical ABM system, and in February 2007 the decision to develop Iron Dome was made, with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems already working on it at that time. Its deployment in Israel began in 2011.</div>
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According to Rafael data, Iron Dome is a dual-purpose system: intercepting rockets, shells, and mortar bombs (counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar, or C-RAM), and also very short range air defense (VSHORAD).</div>
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Iron Dome’s main mission, according to a Rafael brochure, is protecting civilians in cities, strategic facilities, and infrastructure, and also reducing collateral damage. It may also be used to protect troop convoys and ships. The system can operate around the clock, in any weather and climate.</div>
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Iron Dome is intended to rapidly detect, identify, and intercept asymmetrical means of attack, such as:</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">short range rockets (4-70km)</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">mortar bombs</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">artillery shells.</li>
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Moreover, when used as a SAM, Iron Dome can engage aerial target, including aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, PGMs.</div>
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Iron Dome includes the following components:</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">EL/M-2084 truck-mounted multirole radar.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fire control system.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Three truck-towed launchers, each with 20 Tamir interceptor rockets.</li>
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A single system is capable of protecting an area of 150 km2.</div>
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The Tamir missile is equipped with a homing sensor under a metallic ballistic cone to protect it against high temperatures. The cone is ejected several seconds prior to the intercept using the proximity-fused warhead.</div>
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Tests of the naval version of Iron Dome concluded in November 2017. There are plans to install it on Sa’ar-5 corvettes and to protect drilling platforms in coastal areas.</div>
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One of Iron Dome’s specifics is its ability to identify priority targets, and to intercept only those which pose a threat to protected sites. This ability is provided by the high-tech fire control system integrated with the EL/M 2084 radar.</div>
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If the incoming projectile is predicted to fall in uninhabited areas, launch commands are not issued in order to reduce operational expenses since each intercept costs several tens of thousands of dollars.</div>
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Intercepts are carried out by Tamir rockets which detonate in close proximity to the intercepted objects. The intercept takes place at the peak of target trajectory to reduce contamination should the warhead carry chemical or biological agents.</div>
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The United States have been active in financing the development, production, and servicing of Iron Dome since 2011. The program’s overall cost has been estimated at approximately $4.5 billion, with the US contribution being over $1.5 billion. The US budget for 2018 includes $92 million to finance Iron Dome.</div>
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US participation in Iron Dome is motivated by the need to support ABM development by its main ally in the region, and creating a technological base for own future ABM systems. The main US Iron Dome partner has been Raytheon, with some 55% of its components that are financed by the US are made by US contractors, chiefly Raytheon.</div>
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Each Iron Dome battery costs about $50 million, while each Tamir rocket is estimated at $20-100 thousand. Operating costs is difficult to estimate.</div>
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Iron Dome is being supplied to Canada, Azerbaijan, India, and several other countries. Czech Republic will receive them in the near future. The total volume of sales has reached $2 billion. Israel declared its intent to export the system many times. Interested parties have included South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United States which have voiced interest in buying the system to protect own bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.</div>
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Iron Dome effectiveness is subject of considerable debate among the expert community. Rafael has touted the system as highly effective, with Israel’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) supporting that assessment.</div>
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Effectiveness assessments are mainly based on the Second Lebanon War and two IDF operations in Gaza: Pillar of Cloud (2012) and Protective Edge (2014).</div>
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Thus according to the IDF, in 8 days of Pillar of Cloud Hamas launched 1506 rockets at Israel, of which 421 were intercepted, 875 fell in unpopulated areas, 58 in populated areas, 6 were killed, 240 were wounded. IDF claims Iron Dome effectiveness was 84%.</div>
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However, this data is doubted by US and Israeli experts. First of all, given IDF information on launched and intercepted rockets, system effectiveness should be about 87.9%(421 + 58=479=100%; 421/479*100=87,9%). The operational cost of Iron Dome (including Tamir interceptor rockets) was $25-30 million.</div>
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Secondly, according to Israeli police southern district data, some 109 rockets fell in populated areas, not 58. There is also no data on the reasons most of the rockets launched against Israel missed. This is likely due to the low quality of rockets used by Palestinians.</div>
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IDF claims that during Protective Edge, Palestinians launched 4500 rockets of which 692 were intercepted [during 50 days]. No additional data was provided, and the high indicated effectiveness (90%) also causes doubts due to the lack of IDF transparency. It’s clear that Iron Dome is not cost-effective. Hamas and Hezbollah rockets cost between $300 (Grad) and $800 (Qassam). When assessing cost-effectiveness, IDF should consider insurance payments for damaged property. Comparing this data for the three above-mentioned operations has led experts to conclude that per-rocket damage has been reduced from $29,500 in 2006, to $9,000 in 2012, and $5,100 in 2014.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screenshot_1-39.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Israel's Magic Lamp: Iron Dome Missile Defense" class="alignnone wp-image-67668 size-full" height="235" sizes="(max-width: 802px) 100vw, 802px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screenshot_1-39.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screenshot_1-39.jpg 802w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screenshot_1-39-490x144.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screenshot_1-39-768x225.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screenshot_1-39-800x235.jpg 800w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Israel's Magic Lamp: Iron Dome Missile Defense" width="802" /></a></div>
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However, some US experts doubt the objectivity of official Israeli data and believe that intercept probability is about 5%. According to Michael Anderson, an expert with the Brock University, reduction in rocket effectiveness since the 2nd Lebanon War was due not only to Iron Dome, but also to a series of other measures, including early warning and bomb shelter improvements. Moreover, Gaza and 2nd Lebanon War can hardly be compared, in part because of the differences in population density between southern and northern Israel. Accurate assessments are also made difficult by absence of sufficient verifiably accurate information, much of which remains classified.</div>
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Israel is continuing Iron Dome purchases. It’s also clear Hezbollah, Hamas, and their allies will seek to improve own offensive weapons to make them more effective at overcoming Iron Dome, with two parallel approaches, tactical and technical.</div>
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From the technical point of view, the attacker will seek to improve munitions accuracy. If guided artillery shells are used, Iron Dome effectiveness would be much lower. According to IDF air defense commander Zwick Haimovich, Hezbollah and Hamas will be able to strike Israel using cruise missiles. Even when these improved systems are intercepted, they would increase Israel’s expenditures on air defenses because more interceptor rockets would be needed.</div>
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Tactically, the obvious response is placing offensive weapons in direct proximity of targets, given that Iron Dome’s minimum effective range is 4km. Even today Hezbollah can strike 75% of Israel’s territory using systems it currently owns.</div>
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Iron Dome has only limited abilities to intercept several targets simultaneously. Therefore Israel’s opponents will seek to increase the density of its rocket volleys. Increasing the number of cheap weapons is the most likely course adversaries will adopt. According to some reports, Hezbollah has already increased the number of its rockets by several times, to more than 100 thousand.</div>
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Combining unguided and guided rockets would greatly increase the ability to overcome ABM defenses. Moreover, ABM systems would be degraded if faced by multiple adversaries operating from different directions. According to open source data, Iron Dome is quite sensitive and often reacts to false alarms, for example, from machine-gun bursts. This vulnerability is an obvious one to exploit. The psychological factor also matters. RAND analysts are correct to note that reducing casualties among Israeli civilians has a negative media effect against the backdrop of losses among Palestinians or Lebanese.</div>
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In the future, Iron Dome will likely be modernized to address existing problems and to adapt to developments in offensive means.Moreover, fire control and radar systems will be modernized as well. On the one hand, the system will be better able to detect launches and predict trajectories. On the other hand, it’s necessary to improve the ability to identify targets due to its propensity to react to false alarms. These efforts will be accompanied by the development of Iron Beam which is intended to defeat ultra-short range munitions. Israel has limited ability to improve ABM tactics, and include better coordination, where intelligence-gathering plays a big role.</div>
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Israel and its adversaries will continue improving their defensive and offensive systems, respectively. They will focus on modernization, improving quality and quantity, development of new weapons, and improving tactics. Hezbollah and Hamas will emphasize tactics changes in the use of their existing arsenals, combined with improving their rockets’ range and accuracy and expanding the variety of weapons systems used. Combining cheap and improved precise rockets in a single salvo will become a more frequent tactic.</div>
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Israel, in turn, will continue perfecting Iron Dome and Iron Beam with US assistance. But given the increased arsenals of its adversaries, Tel Aviv will place greater emphasis on its intelligence and special operations to detect and destroy rocket launchers in early stages of conflict. Israel will also be forced to recognize the importance of traditional civil defense and early warning, since Iron Dome may be forced to focus on defending military targets and critical infrastructure when faced with massed attacks. Here too, intelligence and diplomatic instruments will be used to prevent a coordinated attack by several adversaries. Effectiveness of this system in future conflicts will influence its export potential.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-20193182266270338532019-04-19T10:57:00.001+02:002019-04-19T10:57:44.827+02:00RUMORS OF WAR: WASHINGTON IS LOOKING FOR A FIGHT<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Written by <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Philip M. Giraldi</strong>; Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/04/18/rumors-war-washington-is-looking-for-fight.html" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">strategic-culture.org</strong></a></em></div>
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It is depressing to observe how the United States of America has become the evil empire. Having served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and in the Central Intelligence Agency for the second half of the Cold War, I had an insider’s viewpoint of how an essentially pragmatic national security policy was being transformed bit by bit into a bipartisan doctrine that featured as a <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">sine qua non</em> global dominance for Washington. Unfortunately, when the Soviet Union collapsed the opportunity to end once and for all the bipolar nuclear confrontation that threatened global annihilation was squandered as President Bill Clinton chose instead to humiliate and use NATO to contain an already demoralized and effectively leaderless Russia.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-137.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Rumors of War: Washington Is Looking for a Fight" class="alignnone wp-image-86462 size-medium" height="292" sizes="(max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-137-490x292.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-137-490x292.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-137-768x458.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-137.jpg 930w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Rumors of War: Washington Is Looking for a Fight" width="490" /></a></div>
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American Exceptionalism became the battle cry for an increasingly clueless federal government as well as for a media-deluded public. When 9/11 arrived, the country was ready to lash out at the rest of the world. President George W. Bush growled that “There’s a new sheriff in town and you are either with us or against us.” Afghanistan followed, then Iraq, and, in a spirit of bipartisanship, the Democrats came up with Libya and the first serious engagement in Syria. In its current manifestation, one finds a United States that threatens Iran on a nearly weekly basis and tears up arms control agreements with Russia while also maintaining deployments of US forces in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and places like Mali. Scattered across the globe are 800 American military bases while Washington’s principal enemies du jour Russia and China have, respectively, only one and none.</div>
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Never before in my lifetime has the United States been so belligerent, and that in spite of the fact that there is no single enemy or combination of enemies that actually threaten either the geographical United States or a vital interest. Venezuela is being threatened with invasion primarily because it is in the western hemisphere and therefore subject to Washington’s claimed proconsular authority. Last Wednesday Vice President Mike Pence <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.apnews.com/08054905cf944a87b2b5c65d07f59733" href="https://www.apnews.com/08054905cf944a87b2b5c65d07f59733" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">told the United Nations Security Council</a> that the White House will remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, preferably using diplomacy and sanctions, but “all options are on the table.” Pence warned that Russia and other friends of Maduro need to leave now or face the consequences.</div>
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The development of the United States as a hostile and somewhat unpredictable force has not gone unnoticed. Russia has accepted that <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/03/22/moscow_increasingly_ready_for_major_military_confrontation_114274.html" href="https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/03/22/moscow_increasingly_ready_for_major_military_confrontation_114274.html" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">war is coming</a> no matter what it does in dealing with Trump and is upgrading its forces. By some estimates, its army is better equipped and <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-military-crisis-could-lose-war-russia-china-report-n936431" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-military-crisis-could-lose-war-russia-china-report-n936431" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">more combat ready</a> than is that of the United States, which spends nearly <a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">ten times as much</a> on “defense.”</div>
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Iran is also upgrading its defensive capabilities, which are formidable. Now that Washington has withdrawn from the nuclear agreement with Iran, has placed a series of increasingly punitive sanctions on the country, and, most recently, has declared a part of the Iranian military to be a “foreign terrorist organization” and therefore subject to attack by US forces at any time, it is clear that war will be the next step. In three weeks, the United States will seek to enforce a global ban on any purchases of Iranian oil. A number of countries, including US nominal ally Turkey, have said they will ignore the ban and it will be interesting to see what the US Navy intends to do to enforce it. Or what Iran will do to break the blockade.</div>
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But even given all of the horrific decisions being made in the White House, there is one organization that is far crazier and possibly even more dangerous. That is the United States Congress, which is, not surprisingly, a legislative body <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-01-03/americans-dont-like-the-congressional-leadership" href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-01-03/americans-dont-like-the-congressional-leadership" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">that is viewed positively</a> by only 18 per cent of the American people.</div>
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A current bill originally entitled the “Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DASKA) of 2019,” is numbered <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1189?s=6&r=32" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1189?s=6&r=32" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">S-1189</a>. It has been introduced in the Senate which will “…require the Secretary of State to determine whether the Russian Federation should be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism and whether Russian-sponsored armed entities in Ukraine should be designated as foreign terrorist organizations.” The bill is sponsored by Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado and is co-sponsored by Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey.</div>
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The current version of the bill was introduced on April 11th and it is by no means clear what kind of support it might actually have, but the fact that it actually has surfaced at all should be disturbing to anyone who believes it is in the world’s best interest to avoid direct military confrontation between the United States and Russia.</div>
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In a <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-menendez-graham-cardin-shaheen-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-hold-russia-accountable" href="https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-menendez-graham-cardin-shaheen-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-hold-russia-accountable" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">a press release by Gardner</a>, who has <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-gardner-russia-is-a-state-sponsor-of-terror" href="https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-gardner-russia-is-a-state-sponsor-of-terror" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">long been pushing</a> to have Russia listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, a February version of the bill is described as “…comprehensive legislation [that] seeks to increase economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation in response to Russia’s interference in democratic processes abroad, malign influence in Syria, and aggression against Ukraine, including in the Kerch Strait. The legislation establishes a comprehensive policy response to better position the US government to address Kremlin aggression by creating new policy offices on cyber defenses and sanctions coordination. The bill stands up for NATO and prevents the President from pulling the US out of the Alliance without a Senate vote. It also increases sanctions pressure on Moscow for its interference in democratic processes abroad and continued aggression against Ukraine.”</div>
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The February version of the bill included Menendez, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina as co-sponsors, suggesting that provoking war is truly bipartisan in today’s Washington.</div>
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Each Senator co-sponsor contributed a personal comment to the press release. Gardner observed that “Putin’s Russia is an outlaw regime that is hell-bent on undermining international law and destroying the US-led liberal global order.” Menendez noted that “President Trump’s willful paralysis in the face of Kremlin aggression has reached a boiling point in Congress” while Graham added that “Our goal is to change the status quo and impose meaningful sanctions and measures against Putin’s Russia. He should cease and desist meddling in the US electoral process, halt cyberattacks on American infrastructure, remove Russia from Ukraine, and stop efforts to create chaos in Syria.” Cardin contributed “Congress continues to take the lead in defending US national security against continuing Russian aggression against democratic institutions at home and abroad” and Shaheen observed that “This legislation builds on previous efforts in Congress to hold Russia accountable for its bellicose behavior against the United States and its determination to destabilize our global world order.”</div>
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The Senatorial commentary is, of course, greatly exaggerated and sometimes completely false regarding what is going on in the world, but it is revealing of how ignorant American legislators can be and often are. The Senators also ignore the fact that the designation of presumed Kremlin surrogate forces as “foreign terrorist organizations” is equivalent to a declaration of war against them by the US military, while hypocritically calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism is bad enough, as it is demonstrably untrue. But the real damage comes from the existence of the bill itself. It will solidify support for hardliners on both sides, guaranteeing that there will be no rapprochement between Washington and Moscow for the foreseeable future, a development that is bad for everyone involved. Whether it can be characterized as an unintended consequence of unwise decision making or perhaps something more sinister involving a deeply corrupted congress and administration remains to be determined.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-90820949023271516672019-04-18T11:43:00.001+02:002019-04-18T11:43:25.263+02:00SUPERSONIC ARTILLERY SHELL: WHY THE AMMUNITION INVENTED IN HITLER’S GERMANY IS AGAIN CAUSING A SENSATION<br />
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-126.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Supersonic Artillery Shell: Why the Ammunition Invented in Hitler's Germany is Again Causing a Sensation" class="wp-image-86368 size-full" height="367" sizes="(max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-126.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-126.jpg 652w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-126-490x276.jpg 490w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Supersonic Artillery Shell: Why the Ammunition Invented in Hitler's Germany is Again Causing a Sensation" width="652" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Model of a 155-mm artillery shell with a direct-flow air jet engine (DFAJ)</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Written by <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Aleksandr Shirokopad</strong>; Originally appeared at <a href="https://zvezdaweekly.ru/news/t/201928110-2sdot.html" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Zvezdaweekly</strong></a>, translated by <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">AlexD</strong> exclusively for <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SouthFront</strong></em></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">For the first time in history a projectile with an air-jet engine was demonstrated in 1942</strong></div>
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For many years now, designers have been working on any creative tricks to increase the firing range of the 152-155-mm guns if only by one kilometre. One of the novelties that caused furor at the international exhibition Eurosatory in June 2018 in Paris was the layout of a 155-mm artillery shell with a direct-flow air-jet (DFAJ) engine, presented by the Norwegian-Finnish company Nammo. The new DFAJ projectile can easily overcome both the 120 and even the 150-kilometre barrier. With it, the conventional 155-mm howitzer can solve tasks that are feasible for tactical missiles corps and even front-line command.</div>
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Historical background</h3>
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Novelty? Here I remember the comical situation of 50s and 60s, as told to me by employees of at least three design offices. The director at the solemn meeting: “Our design bureau is the first in the world to create it…” A storm of applause in the hall. He is repeating the same phrase at the evening banquet. And then instead of applause there is a snide question: “Did the Germans have any?”</div>
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Alas, here the Germans were the first. Work on the active rocket projectiles began in Germany already in 1934. In 1938-1945, several types of projectiles of up to 280-mm in calibre were supplied with miniature jet engines. For example, in 1939, the R.Gr.19 150-mm active-jet projectile was developed for the 18 and 18/40 heavy field howitzers. After tests, the projectile was adopted for service.</div>
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Drawing of a 150-mm air-jet engine projectile by engineer Wolf Trommsdorff</div>
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And in 1936, the engineer Wolf Trommsdorff suggested replacing the powder accelerator with a shell… with an air-jet direct-flow engine. In 1942, the shell with liquid fuel, which was a mixture of carbon disulphide and diesel fuel, was tested. The oxidiser was naturally atmospheric oxygen. The projectile flew at 920 m/s, which is about 3 mach. This is the first time in history that a supersonic jet engine flight has been demonstrated. Trommsdorff did not stop there and developed shells for 105-mm (E2), 122 (E3) and 150 (E4) calibers during the Second World War. The latter developed a speed of up to 4.5 mach, using the same carbon disulphide as fuel.</div>
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In 1943, the C1 projectile was created for a 210-mm cannon. Of the 90 kg weight of this shell, 6 kg were accounted for by rocket fuel. Thanks to the direct-flow engine, the speed of C1 reached 1,475 m/s, with a range of 200 Km.</div>
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Dr Trommsdorff’s most powerful projectile was the 28-cm C3 for the K5(E) railway cannon. The weight of the projectile was 170.4 kg, the weight of the rocket fuel was 16.3 kg, and the weight of the explosives was 9.6 kg. The straight-through motor was accelerating the projectile to a speed of 1,860 m/s. The maximum firing range was 350 km, i.e., longer than that of the V-2 ballistic missile and the V-1 cruise missile. Thus, the K5 cannon could have fired on London from France.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-15.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Supersonic Artillery Shell: Why the Ammunition Invented in Hitler's Germany is Again Causing a Sensation" class="wp-image-86370 size-full" height="549" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-15.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-15.jpg 800w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-15-437x300.jpg 437w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-15-768x527.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Supersonic Artillery Shell: Why the Ammunition Invented in Hitler's Germany is Again Causing a Sensation" width="800" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
280-mm Krupp railway tool</div>
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In May 1945, Trommsdorff found himself in the Soviet occupation zone. The Soviet authorities created two missile institutes in the deepest secrecy: “Berlin”, on the premises of the Berlin Gema factory and “Nordhausen”, at a base created by a group of Soviet specialists headed by B.E. Chertok from the Rabe Institute in Bleicherode.</div>
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The main task of Design Bureau 4, which was part of the Research Institute “Berlin”, was to finish the Trommsdorff shell. N.A. Sudakov became the head of the Design Bureau, and Wolf Trommsdorff himself became the leading designer. They were to complete the development of the technical design of the 283-mm direct-flow jet projectile, to produce working drawings of the projectile, drawings of models for bench tests and to make them, as well as to produce samples of the projectile and test them in the period from October 1946 to early 1947.</div>
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According to the staff there were to be 36 German and 21 Soviet specialists in Design Bureau 4, but in fact in July 1946 there were 17 Germans headed by Trommsdorff and 4 Soviet specialists. By mid-August, two more Soviet specialists had joined the ranks.</div>
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The author could not find out how Trommsdorff’s work in Design Bureau 4 ended. It is only known that Design Bureau 4 had performed only the following works: the technical design of the projectile with the DFAJ was developed, the drawings of the models of the projectile and three models for blowing in the supersonic aerodynamic channel were made.</div>
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Someone started a rumour that the designer was killed in a plane crash of the Soviet military transport aircraft at the end of 1946. The rumours, of course, did not go through the secular salons of Moscow, but in the secret missile design bureaus. Later, it became know that in 1956 the seriously ill Trommsdroff moved from the USSR to Germany and died the same year.</div>
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Why were shells with the DFAJ not adopted in the USSR? It took quite a long time to create them. But in 1955, Khrushchev forbade all work on the creation of long-range artillery.</div>
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Thus, for example, at the end of 1955 the production of the world’s long-distance cannon S-23 was stopped, and four years later Khrushchev shut down the leading artillery design bureau headed by V.G. Grabin.</div>
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Nikita Khrushchev forbade all long-range artillery work</div>
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However, the DFAJ projectile experiments were useful in February 1958 during the design of the 3M8 (Krug) surface-to-air missile equipped with DFAJ.</div>
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It is a very promising case</h3>
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And now 75 years later, the Norwegian-Finnish company Nammo has installed a direct-flow jet engine in a 155-mm shell under the Extreme Range programme. The minimum initial speed of 2.5-2.6 mach is required for the DFAJ launch, and the muzzle speed of a 155-mm shell fired from a howitzer with a barrel length of 52 calibre is 3 mach.</div>
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The direct-flow motor is a self-regulating motor that maintains a constant speed regardless of the flight altitude. The speed of about 3 mach is maintained for about 50 seconds, while the traction is provided by NTR3 fuel (hydrogen peroxide concentrate) with additives. The advertisement says that the range of the DFAJ projectile exceeds 100 km.</div>
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Nammo plans to conduct the first ballistic tests in late 2019-early 2020. Since the increased range results in an increase of an order of magnitude in the circular probable deviation, Nammo is working with a number of companies in parallel to the GPS/INS guidance system for this projectile.</div>
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Nammo plans to conduct its first ballistic tests in late 2019-early 2020</div>
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It would be interesting to know where the Norwegians will place the homing head. Fortunately, it is impossible to place it in the nose near the air inlet.</div>
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It is clear that the weight of the DFAJ explosive will be significantly lower than that of a standard 155-mm projectile. So, Nammo said that the weight of the warhead “will be about the same as in a 120-mm shell”. In accordance with the requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces, Nammo plans to start serial production of this projectile in 2024-2025.</div>
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The development of the corrected 152-155-mm DFAJ projectiles is very promising. However, the designers will probably have to face a number of problems. Among them is the uneven operation of the DFAJ in flight, the impact on the engine of large overloads in the barrel channel, and, most importantly, the higher cost of such a DFAJ projectile compared to standard ammunition.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-72797135198450854272019-04-16T10:42:00.001+02:002019-04-16T10:42:22.264+02:00COMBAT FOOTAGE: HOUTHI SNIPERS ELIMINATE 18 SAUDI-BACKED FIGHTERS IN FIRST QUARTER OF APRIL<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
On April 14, the Houthis media wing released a video showing the group’s snipers targeting more than 18 Saudi-Backed fighters in the first quarter of April.</div>
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Most of these operations took place in the southern part of the Saudi provinces of Jizan, Najran and Asir. The rest took place in different parts of Yemen.</div>
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Two years ago, Houthi snipers began increasing their activity throughout Yemen, especially along the border with Saudi Arabia. They are armed with <a href="https://southfront.org/yemeni-army-reveals-7-domestically-made-sniper-rifles-photos/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">a variety of locally modified heavy sniper rifles and Western-made sniper rifles</a>, which were captured from the Saudi military.</div>
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The Houthis rely on their snipers’ units to infect heavy losses on Saudi-led coalition forces. This simple tactic allows the Yemeni rebel group to slowly drain the coalition and its local proxies.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-25121071082177086542019-04-16T10:41:00.001+02:002019-04-16T10:41:02.908+02:00THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD AND THE QODS FORCE<br />
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<img alt="The Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Qods Force" class="alignnone wp-image-86207 size-full" height="540" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D-17.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D-17.jpg 960w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D-17-490x276.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D-17-768x432.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="The Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Qods Force" width="960" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Wrriten by <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dennis M. Nilsen, PhD</strong> exclusively for <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SouthFront</strong></em></div>
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When the Islamic Revolution occurred in February 1979 with the return to Iran of the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a political earthquake in the Middle East very visibly began. Until this year, the Iranians had only experienced the rule of an emperor, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">shah</em> (شاه) in Persian, and with the advent of the guardianship of the jurist (<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">velayat-e faqih</em>) established by Khomeini, the 2,500-year imperial tradition of Persian came to an end.</div>
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The Revolution was the culmination of opposition to the progressive modernization and centralization of the country under the last <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">shah</em>, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi (1941-1979). The <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">shah</em> succeeded his father Reza Shah in 1941 and ruled uninterruptedly until 1953, when after a brief exile, he was brought back by means of a coup planned and orchestrated by the British and Americans, a coup known as Operation Ajax by the West and the 28 Mordad coup d’état by the Iranians. Following his installment, his rule became more and more subject to the Americans, to the point where he relied solely upon them for military equipment and even drew closer to the Israelis, something which the religious authorities repeatedly condemned. The damn broke in 1979 in a flood of support for the returning Ayatollah, and this led quickly to a movement to depose the Shah and his entire government.</div>
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The Ayatollah Khomeini instituted a form of government called the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">velayat-e faqih</em>, or guardianship of the jurist, a form which he quite openly declared to be a preparation for the return of the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi. The purpose of the Iranian government now became clearly religious and eschatological, the very opposite of the secular purpose of serving as a Cold War American ally in the Middle East to maintain a military parity against Soviet Union which Muhammad Pahlavi saw as befitting the country. Ayatollah Khomeini removed his country from such earthly concerns and directed its whole purpose towards preparing for the Return of the Mahdi, thus reinstituting a clear moral order for the state.</div>
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As with the Turks, the Shah’s military was dedicated to the secular form of government and was a key foundation in maintaining the Shah’s rule. Hence, with the success of the Revolution, Khomeini and the new leadership decided that for that very reason it could not be trusted. Many officers, if they could not leave the country, were either imprisoned, dismissed from their posts, or in the worst cases executed by revolutionary tribunals. However, because the country could not do away entirely with its military force, Khomeini decided to create a force dedicated to the new movement, to counter any remaining secular tendencies in the armed forces as well as residual opposition to the new order, and to further protect the ideological purity of the government. This organization was named the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Eslami</em>, the Corps of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC). Founded in May 1979 as a consolidation of the various paramilitary bodies which had formed upon Khomeini’s return, it soon became organized along military lines during the long and hard-fought Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), called the Holy Defense by the Iranians.</div>
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Although Khomeini very vocally directed both the Artesh and the Sepah to abstain from any organized and direct involvement in politics in his last testament, Article 150 of the IRI Constitution names the Sepah collectively as “the guardian of the Revolution and its achievements”. This splendidly vague phrase invited a debate within Iranian politics after the death of Khomeini, with reformers and moderate elements – including the Ayatollah’s son Hassan Khomeini and the present president Hassan Rouhani – rejecting politicization; Conservatives and Principalists favor a close collaboration. Active members of the IRGC do not sit in the Majlis, but many former members do, especially since the 2004 election when the Principalist factions actively sought ought veterans to run for Majlis seats. Although the Sepah do not claim any one party as its own, an example of strong indirect influence is the Resistance Front of Islamic Iran, founded in 2011 by Mohsen Rezaee, a former intelligence officer and former head of the Sepah. The party strongly professes adherence to the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">velayat-e faqih </em>form of government and is in the umbrella alliance of other Principalist parties called the Principalists Grand Coalition. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013) joined the Sepah in 1985 during the War of Holy Defense, and created his first cabinet almost exclusively from IRGC members; his two administrations marked a strong upswing in the influence the Sepah has exercised since the end of the War of Holy Defense. Since the election of Rouhani in 2013, their influence has lessened although the president has made public expressions of support for the Sepah; although he is a critic of their involvement in politics, he does realize their power as a body and of certain individual former members.</div>
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Economically, the Sepah is arguably the largest owner of interests in the Iranian economic, through either direct holdings or through subsidiaries. After the end of the Iran-Iraq War, the IRGC sought to expand its influence in the economy partly to aid its many veterans in obtaining employment, partly to maintain the high level of influence which it had attained during the war. The Sepah collectively has a great presence in the defense, engineering, construction, aerospace and automotive industries. In addition, they exert control over several <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">bonyads</em>, charitable foundations directed by high-level Shiite clerics: two very important <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">bonyads </em>with clear Sepah links are the Mostazafan Foundation of the Islamic Revolution (بنیاد مستضعفان انقلاب اسلامی) and the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs (بنیاد شهید و امور ایثارگران).</div>
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In terms of manpower, the Sepah counts between 120,000 and 125,000 active members, divided between the Ground Forces, the Aerospace Force, the Navy and the Qods Force. Overall control of the Sepah is exercised by Ayatollah Khamenei, but direct command is held by Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari. The Ground Forces, commanded by Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, numbers, as far as can be known, 100,000 men and are divided between 32 provincial commands and the Tehran City Command. They can best be described as mobile armored infantry, as the Sepah utilizes armored personnel carriers and has little or no tanks. The provincial commanders have command over the local Basij paramilitary units as well. The Aerospace Forces, commanded by Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, possess an inventory of attack and transport fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, but their mainstay is their arsenal of missile forces, a collection of thousands of short- and intermediate-range rockets which the Iranian Government continues to develop as a regional and national deterrent to possible Israeli or American attacks. Thus, the Aerospace Forces are tasked with a political task of great importance. The Sepah Navy, commanded by Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, is tasked with maintaining defense of the shoreline and territorial waters of Iran in the Persian Gulf; it performs this with a large number of high-speed coastal patrol boats and an arsenal of anti-ship missiles. Lastly, the Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed (سازمان بسیج مستضعفین) – known as the Basij – acts as a paramilitary force to complement the regular military organization of the Sepah. Officially it counts 11.2 million members, with 600,000 available at any one time for service, and engages in the suppression of internal dissent, aids the police in law enforcement, and also provides social services and organizes religious activities. It has branches in nearly every facet of Iranian public life, and is the chief means whereby the revolutionary government educates society about the political ideals and goals of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">velayat-e faqih</em>. It is currently commanded by Brigadier General Gholamhossein Gheybparvar.</div>
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The remaining element of the Sepah is the least understood but also the one which continues to appear with the greatest frequency in the Western press, due largely to the ongoing Syrian rebellion: the Qods Force. The Qods Force is the corps within the Sepah which engages in irregular and clandestine warfare outside the borders of the Islamic Republic, and is tasked with both direct military action and with advising and supplying its allies’ militaries. Its commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, is by far the most well-known officer of the Sepah, and he shares the same rank as Sepah commander General Jafari, an indication of the importance of the Qods Force to the Iranian Government.</div>
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The Qods Force carries the mission of ensuring the geopolitical (i.e. territorial) security of the Islamic Republic by pushing the front line of confrontation with the Zionist enemy as far from its borders as possible. Further, it also serves the purpose of recalling by its name and its operational efforts against the Israelis the Shia eschatology which is built around the capture of Jerusalem by the Muslims as a preparation for the return of the Twelfth Imam, Mohammad al-Mahdi, whom the Iranians believe is currently in the last days of his Great Occultation. This latter purpose remains largely unknown in the West except to those who pay close attention to the oppositional religious ideologies which serve as foundational beliefs for Israel and Iran. Jerusalem plays a central part here, and a further explanation is needed.</div>
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All Jews reject Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and many see in the successful formation and defense of the State of Israel as a prelude to his appearance; further, although this is not widely discussed in Israeli society, it is believed that upon his coming, he will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, thereby permitting the reestablishment of temple sacrifice and the fulfilment once again of the Law of Moses. The question of who controls Jerusalem thus holds a central importance to religious Jews. Further, the recent victory in the Knesset elections of Benjamin Netanyahu, whose position as prime minister depends upon the Ultra-Orthodox parties, means that we will probably see a move to officially annex East Jerusalem as well as all Israeli settlements in the West Bank.</div>
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Likewise, Jerusalem holds great significance for Muslims because of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, the place of the Ascent of Muhammad. According to the Book of al-Jafr, which the Shia attribute to the Sixth Imam, Ja’far al-Sadiq, Jerusalem must come under Muslim control as a precursor to the return of the Twelfth Imam, Mohammad al-Mahdi. The Ayatollah Khomeini saw in the establishment of his political <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">velayat-e faqih</em> the only true Muslim government in the world, and believed because of its success in the face of Western opposition that this heralded the coming of the Mahdi. Therefore, he preached the spread of the Islamic Revolution to all Muslim societies in general, but specifically directed attention to Jerusalem, which he viewed, as do all Muslims, as being under unjust occupation by their Jewish enemy. The control of both the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock – both of which stand on top of the foundations of the Second Temple – are a particular scandal to them. Hence, there is no surprise that both General Mohammad Ali Jafari and his deputy Brigadier General Mohammad Salami have stated in clear terms that Jerusalem is the object of the Islamic Republic’s <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">jihad</em> and that the war in Syria has begun the end times.</div>
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On the battlefield level, the Qods Force operates mostly at the level of advising foreign militaries on the use of irregular tactics. They have most prominently helped form and direct the popular mobilization units (PMUs) in Iraq which successfully turned back the Islamic State when the American-formed and supplied Iraqi Army disintegrated. In Syria, they have aided President Bashar al-Assad’s Army in forming similar units to keep order in areas recently cleared of Salafi rebels. Oddly enough, much of what they do was developed by the Soviet military theorist Alexander Svechin, in which he called the ‘Operative Art’ of irregular warfare: whereas the American approach to the war has failed, the Iranian – and also Russian – approach has been, in agreement with Svechin, ‘suitable, feasible and at an acceptable cost’.</div>
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The Sepah continues to be the shield of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and will assuredly be both the nemesis and strategic foil of the Israelis and the Americans for many years to come.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-20725171218867475442019-04-15T11:57:00.001+02:002019-04-15T11:57:06.031+02:00BRITISH NUCLEAR SUBMARINE FAILED TO TRACK RUSSIANS IN NORTH SEA BECAUSE OF COCAINE INCIDENT<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_86153" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 710px;">
<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screenshot_2-18.jpg?x44389" referrerpolicy="origin" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="British Nuclear Submarine Failed To Track Russians In North Sea Because Of Cocaine Incident" class="wp-image-86153" height="436" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screenshot_2-18.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screenshot_2-18.jpg 951w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screenshot_2-18-481x300.jpg 481w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screenshot_2-18-768x479.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="British Nuclear Submarine Failed To Track Russians In North Sea Because Of Cocaine Incident" width="700" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
ILLISTRATIVE: THOMAS MCDONALD/ MINISTRY OF DEFENCE</div>
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7 crew members from the British Navy’s Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine HMS Talent were removed from the submarine after cocaine was found in their system whilst on duty last week, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/14/royal-navy-sailors-kicked-submarine-testing-positive-cocaine/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">The Telegraph reported on April 14</a>.</div>
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The incident happened when the British submarine was preparing for a mission to track Russian submarine movements in the North Sea and the Arctic Circle.</div>
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The British Defense Ministry officially confirmed the incident saying that the sailors’ actions were “incompatible” with military service because it “reduces operational effectiveness.”</div>
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The cocaine incident delayed the submarine deployment. <span class="m_first-letter m_first-letter--flagged" style="box-sizing: border-box;">H</span>MS Talent had been due to sail from Devonport on April 12, but the 280ft-long boat was still at the Plymouth base on April 14 night.</div>
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This is not the first incident with <span class="m_first-letter m_first-letter--flagged" style="box-sizing: border-box;">H</span>MS Talent. The submarine seems to be very unluky with its tasks of tracking the “evil Russians”. In 2015, HMS Talent struck an iceberg while tracking Russian submarines. The £500,000 of repairs were needed to restore the submarine operational capability.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-4148954686310295802019-04-15T11:55:00.001+02:002019-04-15T11:55:48.646+02:00CHANGES IN KAZAKHSTAN: MYTHS AND INSTILLED FEARS<br />
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<img alt="Changes in Kazakhstan: Myths and Instilled Fears" class="alignnone wp-image-86108 size-full" height="540" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-102.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-102.jpg 960w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-102-490x276.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-102-768x432.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Changes in Kazakhstan: Myths and Instilled Fears" width="960" /></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">This article opens a series dedicated to changes of the political situation in Kazakhstan.</strong></div>
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On March 19, in a special address to the nation Kazakhstan’s long-time President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation. Despite the resignation from the presidential post, Nursultan Nazarbayev still has the official status of the “nation’s leader” [as the first president of independent Kazakhstan] and heads “Nur Otan”. He is also a member of the Constitutional Council and the head of the Security Council of Kazakhstan. He may occupy this particular post for life.</div>
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Following Nazarbayev’s resignation, Senate Speaker Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assumed the presidential duties. In accordance with the Kazakh constitution, he is in fact the president of Kazakhstan until a new president is elected in the spring of 2020. The key factor limiting his power is that he cannot suggest changes to the country’s constitution.</div>
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On March 20, Nazarbayev’s daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva, became yhe new Speaker of the Senate. She is 55 years old and has been participating in the political and business life of the country since it gained independence.</div>
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Nazarbayev has been the permanent head of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 1989. He is linked with Kazakhstan’s stability and prosperity in the 2000s; the preservation of the status of an industrial power with a sovereign economy. This is particularly evident compared to other former Soviet republics, including Russia of the 1990s.</div>
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Traditionally, Kazakhstan was a multi-ethnic state, where Russians, Ukrainians, Germans, Koreans, Tatars, Chechens and other ethnicities lived alongside Kazakhs. After the collapse of the USSR, in the 1990s there was a large migration of the population to Germany, Russia and even Canada. This was related to the unstable situation both in the Central Asian region and in the entire post-Soviet space. The main reasons for the difficult economic situation in which the industrially developed republic found itself turned out to be the destruction of the interregional economic ties, the change in the structure of the economy and, as a consequence, the crisis of social relations. Last but not least, reasons for emigration were national differences.</div>
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Of all the early post-Soviet leaders, only Nazarbayev was a consistent supporter of a strong continental Eurasian power, be it the USSR or another format that unites these territories. Kazakhstan declared independence the last of the Soviet Union republics on December 16, 1991. Few know that it was Nazarbayev who was considered by Andropov to be the next head of the USSR by the end of the 80s. However, the events have taken a different course. The leader of independent Russia Yeltsin denied the heritage of the USSR, betrayed his compatriots, who suddenly found themselves in other countries, without the rights to citizenship, as in the Baltic States, or under threat of physical destruction, as in Georgia. A person who did not aspire to become the head of an independent state, but who historically turned out to be one, Kazakh Nazarbayev, made every effort to prevent discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion.</div>
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The issue of coexistence of different ethnicities and cultures has always been a key one for Kazakhstan. Clear success in this area, especially against the background of the processes in Georgia, the Ukraine or the Baltic States, is strongly associated with the personality of the first president of the republic. Nazarbayev’s withdrawal from active politics is a natural and expected event. He has been talked about for at least the last five years. The main fear was that he might fall seriously ill or even die before the official announcement of the transfer of power and the announcement of presidential elections. He is now 78 years old, of which he would have been head of the Republic of Kazakhastan for more than 29 years, one of the largest countries of the world (9<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> in terms of territory). However, as we can see, the “old man” Nazarbayev and his team are quite elegant in transferring power. The statement itself turned out to be unexpected. Further events showed that the transfer of power was well managed and prepared.</div>
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The reason why Nazarbayev’s resignation was kept secret for a specific time and procedure is obvious – to prevent various destructive forces, both insides and outside of the country, from having time to prepare their own actions. A typical technique that worked.</div>
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However, on the same day that Nazarbayev announced his resignation, many provocative messages and appeals, from a typical alarmist hype, appeared on social networks, particularly Facebook (everything is gone: tomorrow the massacre will begin, the economy will collapse, and bandits will seize everything), which is typical behaviour of people in the information space during extraordinary events, and up to intentional bogus stories, for example, calling on all the journalists of Kazakhstan to gather on the border with Russia, as, allegedly, “according to official reports”, the introduction of troops is expected by Russia. Behind this first wave of alarmist materials were political opponents of Nazarbayev’s regime, mainly residing in Europe and Turkey, supported by local Kazakh influence groups exploiting nationalist and religious rhetoric, mainly from the south and west of the country. A separate actor in this first stage of the information campaign were the external forces seeking to destabilise the situation in Kazakhstan for their geopolitical purposes and/or collecting the public reaction to the bogus narratives for planning future information operations. A significant part of the bogus information in the first 2-3 days had “Eastern European” roots. This wave of information campaign has brought some success. Some parts of Kazakhstan’s Russian-speaking population have fallen for the provocations, mainly middle-aged people (30 to 50 years of age), not young people, from the northern regions of Kazakhstan (to a lesser extent eastern regions) and the city of Almaty. Active investigation of possibilities of migration and request for citizenship of the Russian Federation and the EU countries has begun. This was reported by sources in Kazakhstan and border regions of Russia. However, in just for a few days the panic mood subsided. Residents of the republic saw that no additional changes were taking place and that the authorities were in full control of the situation.</div>
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After President Tokayev, successor to Nazarayev, took office the situation remained stable. The only high-profile change is the renaming of the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, to Nur-Sultan, in honour of the first president of the republic. The decision is controversial, but understandable.</div>
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A calm scenario of power transit does not suit different forces. Some wish to use the situation as effectively as possible to aggravate the contradictions in the centre of Eurasia. Others, imply exploit the opportunity to strengthen their presence in the media space, not so much in Kazakhstan as in Russia or, more precisely, in the Russian-speaking segment of the information space. In both the first and second case, events in Kazakhstan are considered as a formal occasion. Here, in contrast to the first wave, the composition of forces that seek to destabilise or use the situation has changed somewhat. For example, the “Eastern European” segment has practically disappeared and its place was taken by Russian and Kazakh so-called “liberals”. It is interesting that the Kazakh “liberals” are overwhelmingly ethnic Russians. Now the forces that continue attempts to destabilise and demonise the situation in Kazakhstan consist mainly of:</div>
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– Representatives of the Russian “non-system” opposition, supported by Russian and Kazakh liberals affiliated with the “collective West”;</div>
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– Some Russian politicians who try to earn points by exploiting pseudo-patriotic rhetoric;</div>
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– Kazakh nationalists and radical Islamists, including local criminals.</div>
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These forces are well aware that they have no chance of immediate destabilisation. Nevertheless, the information campaign aimed at denigrating the real situation in the Republic fully meets their interests, both on-site and long-term. Information impact is carried out through major media and social networks in the following areas:</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">National issue</strong>. The massive emigration of the Russian-speaking population from Kazakhstan is called for and claimed after the resignation of Nazarbayev, including “educated Kazakhs”. The main reason for emigration is “almost universal domestic discrimination on ethnic and linguistic grounds”.</div>
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It tells the story of confrontation and discord between the supposedly “educated “progressive” Russian-speaking population”, including educated urban Kazakhs and supposedly “uneducated poor conservative Kazakhs”, mostly from the south of the country. The former are classified as “Western cultural paradigms”, the latter as “national traditionalist cultural paradigms”.</div>
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Here we describe myths aimed primarily at the Russian-speaking audience, which is unfamiliar with the realities of Kazakhstan. Similar myths with the opposite sign are spreading to the Kazakh-speaking audience. For example, it is told that wealthy secular Kazakhs allegedly are fleeing the country and withdrawing their capital in anticipation of the fall of Nazarbayev’s regime.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">With regard to migration from Kazakhstan</strong>. The next wave of migration from the country started long before Nazarbayev’s resignation, in 2016-2017, and it related to structural economic and social changes. Migration destinations: European part of Russia, European countries, Turkey. People aspire to large agglomerations, where it is possible to significantly improve the quality of life with a comparable level of income, where there are more opportunities, where transport infrastructure is better developed. It should not be forgotten that geographically Kazakhstan is located in the centre of Eurasia, remote from both developed centres and warm seas. We plan to cover this topic in a separate article in the near future. After Nazerbayev’s resignation, emigration has not increased. Moreover, a significant part of the so-called “Russian-speaking population” refuses to emigrate, which they planned even before Nazarbayev’s resignation.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fomenting interreligious discord</strong>. There is information about the alleged sharp Islamisation of the country and a significant increased in the number of supporters of radical movements in Kazakhstan. These rumours do not correspond to reality. Kazakh authorities are actively and successfully fighting radical Islamists. There are virtually no religiously motivated crimes in the country.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Inevitable and rapid economic collapse of the republic</strong>. The crisis will allegedly take place in the coming months or next year, bringing down the national currency and bringing the economy to the level of other Central Asian states.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Expected aggression by Russia</strong>. The essence of these rumours is that Russia is looking for an excuse and chooses the ideal moment for the entry of troops and occupation of the northern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan.</div>
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It is worth mentioning once again that the groups participating in this information campaign have different goals, although they are situational allies. The goals of Russian liberals are conjectured and are not related to the internal political agenda of Kazakhstan:</div>
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– once again accuse the Russian government and Vladimir Putin of failing to protect their compatriots abroad;</div>
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– on the information wave to get additional electoral base from the Russian-speaking population that left Kazakhstan earlier;</div>
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– to inflame general hysteria in the Russian-language media.</div>
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In turn, Kazakh nationalists seek to destabilise the situation in the country to ensure their own coming to power in Kazakhstan.</div>
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The observed campaign is likely to be intensified by the presidential elections in Kazakhstan, which are scheduled for 2020.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-38562505577067905152019-04-14T12:45:00.002+02:002019-04-14T12:45:24.264+02:00UKRAINE RECEIVED ANOTHER BATCH OF HUMVEE VEHICLES FROM UNITED STATES (PHOTOS)<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The Ukrainian military has received another batch of Humvee vehicles from the United States, according to photos and reports appearing oline.</div>
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The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General for military purposes. At least 20 of such vehicles arrived in the Ukrainian port of Odessa on April 9, <a href="https://dumskaya.net/news/iz-ameriki-priplyli-foto/?fbclid=IwAR274w17D6z8Ej5aixVLjFLkYUDF5Tz8DWikjKLYfjpqchBzFvDYxge9RVI" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">according to Dumskaya newspaper</a>.</div>
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The report notes that this was the third batch of Humvee vehicles sent to Ukraine since the start of the conflict in the region of Donbass. The previous two were in 2015 and 2017.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-101.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ukraine Received Another Batch Of Humvee Vehicles From United States (Photos)" class="wp-image-86091 size-large" height="698" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-101-1024x698.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-101-1024x698.jpg 1024w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-101-440x300.jpg 440w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-101-768x524.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-101.jpg 1200w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Ukraine Received Another Batch Of Humvee Vehicles From United States (Photos)" width="1024" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Click to see the full-size image</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-15.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ukraine Received Another Batch Of Humvee Vehicles From United States (Photos)" class="wp-image-86092 size-large" height="678" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-15-1024x678.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-15-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-15-453x300.jpg 453w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-15-768x508.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2-15.jpg 1200w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Ukraine Received Another Batch Of Humvee Vehicles From United States (Photos)" width="1024" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Click to see the full-size image</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-28177216172552163042019-04-14T12:44:00.002+02:002019-04-14T12:44:31.073+02:00ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON NORTHERN HAMA DESTROYED SYRIAN LONG-RANGE ROCKET LAUNCHER<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) lost at least one Maysalun heavy artillery rocket launcher as a result of <a href="https://southfront.org/israeli-jets-struck-syrias-masyaf-area-near-positions-of-russia-delivered-s-300-launchers/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">the recent Israeli airstrikes</a> on the town of Umm Haratayn in northern Hama, a photo released by pro-government activists on April 13 revealed.</div>
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Despite the low quality of the photo, the base of the launch rail, the back stairs and the hydraulic outriggers stabilizers can be seen in the remains of the rocket launcher.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-2.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Israeli Airstrike On Northern Hama Destroyed Syrian Long-Range Rocket Launcher" class="wp-image-86028" height="265" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-2.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-2.jpg 3162w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-2-490x216.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-2-768x339.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-2-1024x452.jpg 1024w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Israeli Airstrike On Northern Hama Destroyed Syrian Long-Range Rocket Launcher" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
Click to see full-size image. Photo onthe right side by Syrian reporter Ra’if al-Salama</div>
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Maysalun is a Syrian-made variant of the Iranian Zelzal-2 unguided long-range artillery rocket. The rocket has a range of 210km and a heavy high-explosive (HE) warhead. Israeli sources had accused Iran and Syria of installing guidance systems in these types of rockets, effectively converting them into precision-guided rockets.</div>
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While the rocket launcher was destroyed in Umm Haratayn, the new Israeli attack was focused on the town of Masyaf in western Hama. According to RT, Israeli warplanes destroyed the College of Management, the Scientific Research center and the Accounting School in the town. More than 23 people, including 3 Syrian service members, were injured as a result.</div>
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According to the available information, Israeli warplanes launched stand-off munitions at their targets from Lebanon airspace. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has launched multiple attacks on Syria in the same way since 2011.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-12082008791258505352019-04-13T11:44:00.001+02:002019-04-13T11:44:53.607+02:00LIBYAN NATIONAL ARMY MOVES CLOSER TO TRIPOLI AMID PROTESTS IN CITY<div class="no-break" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px;">
<span class="st_sharethis_hcount" st_processed="yes" st_title="Libyan National Army Moves Closer To Tripoli Amid Protests In City" st_url="https://southfront.org/libyan-national-army-moves-closer-to-tripoli-amid-protests-in-city/" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="stButton" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px; position: relative; z-index: 1;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="stMainServices st-sharethis-counter" style="background-image: url("https://ws.sharethis.com/images/2017/sharethis_counter.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; box-sizing: content-box !important; display: inline-block; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; height: 16px !important; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px !important; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-top: 3px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; width: 60px;"> </span><span class="stArrow" style="background: url("https://ws.sharethis.com/secure/images/bubble_arrow.png") 3px 8px no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: 14px; line-height: 16px; margin-left: -1px; padding-left: 3px;"><span class="stButton_gradient stHBubble" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-family: serif; height: 16px; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px; padding: 2px; position: relative; z-index: -1;"><span class="stBubble_hcount" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; height: 16px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; white-space: nowrap;">11</span></span></span></span></span></span> <span class="st_donate_hcount js-show-donate-window" displaytext="Donate" st_processed="yes" st_title="Donate" st_url="https://southfront.org/libyan-national-army-moves-closer-to-tripoli-amid-protests-in-city/" style="background-color: #12a65c; border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: rgb(15, 134, 74) 0px 4px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 5px 5px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 20px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; width: 85px;">Donate</span></div>
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<img alt="Libyan National Army Moves Closer To Tripoli Amid Protests In City" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-86023" height="540" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/53586_LIBYASECURITYprotestshaftar_1555113557231.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/53586_LIBYASECURITYprotestshaftar_1555113557231.jpg 960w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/53586_LIBYASECURITYprotestshaftar_1555113557231-490x276.jpg 490w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/53586_LIBYASECURITYprotestshaftar_1555113557231-768x432.jpg 768w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Libyan National Army Moves Closer To Tripoli Amid Protests In City" width="960" /></div>
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Over April 12<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> and 13rd, both Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord’s forces claimed to be making significant progress in the fight for Tripoli.</div>
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On the side of the LNA, the LNA spokesperson said that while the LNA Air Force tries to limit damage and accurately strike targets, the GNA Air Force doesn’t concern itself with that.</div>
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Combat aircraft that flew out of Misrata airbase on April 12<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>, hit houses of civilians and caused significant human and material damage without regard to international laws on human rights,</div>
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“We condemn those criminal acts and affirm that we will pursue all those who have caused harm to civilians.”</div>
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The LNA also announced that the Air Force was targeting enemy positions in the outskirts of Tripoli.</div>
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Our Air forces are now targeting Enemy locations in the outskirts of <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tripoli?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Tripoli</span></a> <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Libya?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Libya</span></a></div>
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Furthermore, air force strikes would be ramped up in the following days.</div>
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The LNA announced that it is making significant gains along all axes towards Tripoli.</div>
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For the 9th day, your Libyan Arab armed forces are advancing from seven main axes towards the capital to secure it & to defeat the terrorist and criminal militias that control the decision and financial hubs in <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Libya?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Libya</span></a>.<br />Your forces are creating victory and crushing terrorism</div>
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There was a photograph of an LNA Air Force airstrike against GNA targets in Tripoli on the morning of April 13<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>.</div>
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<a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Libya?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Libya</span></a>- LAF airstrike against <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GNA?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">GNA</span></a>-linked forces in <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tripoli?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Tripoli</span></a>.<br /><br />Aside for its artsy nature, this photo took time to stage, indicating the people who took it knew the exact location and time, i.e working with (however low-tech) JTAC calling in CAS.</div>
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<span class="TweetInfo-heartStat" data-scribe="element:heart_count" style="margin-left: 3px;">24</span></a></div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2019-04-13T07:57:48+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/Oded121351/status/1116973749151072256" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">9:57 AM - Apr 13, 2019</a></div>
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The LNA appeared to have reversed any progress of the GNA’s counter-attack on April 10<span style="bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 8.75px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span>, by re-entering the area of al-Sawani southwest of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. It is also reportedly still in control of the Tripoli International Airport.</div>
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<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-82-1.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Libyan National Army Moves Closer To Tripoli Amid Protests In City" class="wp-image-86018" height="448" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-82-1.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-82-1.jpg 685w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-82-1-402x300.jpg 402w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-82-1-400x300.jpg 400w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Libyan National Army Moves Closer To Tripoli Amid Protests In City" width="600" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
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<a href="https://www.africanews.com/2019/04/12/libyan-forces-hit-two-government-positions-in-push-to-seize-tripoli/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">The LNA Air Force</a> also hit two government positions in a push to seize the city.</div>
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On the side of the GNA, it announced that its air force carried out a strike on the Maitika International Airport.</div>
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The GNA also claimed that it was capable of destroying two Tiger armored combat vehicles of the LNA.</div>
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Finally, the GNA claimed that five LNA soldiers were captured after clashes near Tripoli.</div>
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It appears that according to over-all reports the LNA is gaining the upper hand, but the social media propaganda from both sides continues.</div>
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<a href="https://www.trtworld.com/africa/protest-erupt-as-tripoli-echoes-with-gunfire-libyan-crisis-25576" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">Protests in support of the GNA</a> took place across Tripoli in against a potential military rule by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.</div>
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More than 1,000 people gathered in central Tripoli to demand Haftar stop the advance on the city.</div>
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Protesters, amid the echoing of explosions and gunfire, took to the capital’s street to show their opposition to Haftar and foreign intervention, carrying banners reading “Haftar is a war criminal” and “France, hands off Libya.”</div>
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Meanwhile, on April 11th, <a href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/04/11/declaration-by-the-high-representative-federica-mogherini-on-behalf-of-the-eu-on-the-situation-in-libya/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">the EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini called on an end to the fighting in Libya.</a></div>
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“The military attack launched by the LNA on Tripoli and the subsequent escalation in and around the capital are endangering civilians, including migrants and refugees, and disrupting the UN-led political process, with the risk of serious consequences for Libya and the wider region, including the terrorist threat.</div>
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The European Union and its Member States call on all parties to immediately cease all military operations. The LNA and all the forces that have moved into Tripoli or its vicinity must withdraw and the humanitarian truces called by the UN must be heeded. The European Union reminds the parties in this confrontation that they must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, and that those who violate it will be held accountable.”</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529269191899078797.post-61222889782401482322019-04-12T10:58:00.002+02:002019-04-12T10:58:48.306+02:00FIRST RUSSIAN SUBMARINE CARRYING NUCLEAR-ARMED UNDERWATER DRONES TO BE LAUNCHED ON APRIL 23<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_85953" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #343434; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.4em auto 1.25em; max-width: 96%; text-align: center; width: 481px;">
<a href="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-83.jpg?x44389" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="First Russian Submarine Carrying Nuclear-Armed Underwater Drones To Be Launched On April 23" class="wp-image-85953 size-medium" height="300" sizes="(max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px" src="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-83-471x300.jpg?x44389" srcset="https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-83-471x300.jpg 471w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-83-768x489.jpg 768w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-83-250x160.jpg 250w, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-83.jpg 1020w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 98%; vertical-align: middle;" title="First Russian Submarine Carrying Nuclear-Armed Underwater Drones To Be Launched On April 23" width="471" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 12px; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 10px;">
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Poseidon</div>
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A first Russian submarine carrying Poseidon nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) will be launched on April 23, the country’s state-run news agency <a href="https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/6326312" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: red; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" target="_blank">TASS reported on April 12</a> citing a source in the military industrial complex.</div>
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According to the report, Project 09852 submarine Belgorod will be launched in Severodvinsk. The submarine is reportedly capable of carrying six Poseidon UUVs. The same report saysthat the Belgorod will enter service with the Russian Navy in the end of 2020.</div>
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Project 09852 is a class of special purpose research and rescue submarines. It’s based on Project 949 cruise missile submarines.</div>
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