WAR 05-23-2020-to-05-29-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

[Housecarl]

(418) 05-02-2020-to-05-08-24-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****
WAR - 05-02-2020-to-05-08-24-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

(419) 05-09-2020-to-05-08-15-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****
WAR - 05-09-2020-to-05-08-15-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

(420) 05-16-2020-to-05-22-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

WAR - 05-16-2020-to-05-22-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

(417) WAR - 04-25-2020-to-05-01-24-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR**** (418) 05-02-2020-to-05-08-24-2020___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR**** https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/index.php?threads/05-02-2020-to-05-08-24-2020___-the-winds-of-war.573437/ (419)...

www.timebomb2000.com

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Hummmmm........
Posted for fair use........

The Army is planning a mass recruiting drive this summer

“We’re getting as many assets as we can across the Army, everybody is involved,” said Muth.

www.armytimes.com

Your Army
The Army is planning a mass recruiting drive this summer
Kyle Rempfer
14 hours ago
992

Army recruits at Fort Sill, in Oklahoma, low crawl in sand during an obstacle course at basic combat training on April 23, 2020. (Army)

The general helming Army Recruiting Command is preparing a massive virtual hiring event this summer after the Army’s 245th birthday on June 14. Like the other military branches, the ground service is fighting the anticipated dent to manpower after the coronavirus shuttered recruiting stations across the country this spring.

The push will involve “every person” and “every aspect”of the service that Army recruiting commander Maj. Gen. Frank M. Muth can muster, he said during a telephone call on Wednesday.

An intensive event between June 30 and July 2 will tap senior leaders to visit with city councils, nonprofits, educators and other pillars of local communities — a supercharged version of the program that the Army Chief of Public Affairs already runs, which brings Army generals back to their hometowns to engage with civilians able to influence young people.

“We would do the same thing, but it would end up being on Zoom or [Microsoft] Teams,” said Muth. “The secretary is from Chicago, maybe he engages with the Chicago leadership, and the 101st commander goes down to Nashville because he’s right there. And the 82nd commander goes and he Zooms with Raleigh. There’s all these different ways we can use these folks."

Muth pitched the idea two weeks ago to the Army’s service secretary and chief of staff, calling it Army National Hiring Days. It will be limited in certain areas based on where shelter-in-place orders are still in effect. But Muth intends for it to be a never-before-seen recruiting drive regardless.

“Every person in the Army is involved. Every asset is involved. Everyone is on message," Muth added. "We are engaging in the ‘Focus 22’ and we’re driving our message for people to either go into the recruiting stations or go to GoArmy.com.”

Army retention rises as economy slumps, but recruiting hasn’t seen a boom yet
The general in charge of Army recruiting said the economic downturn doesn't appear to have impacted enlistments — yet.
Kyle Rempfer

Focus 22 is in reference to the 22 American cities, like Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles, with large populations of Generation Z youths who Army leaders say have had minimal exposure to the service as a potential path in life.

Army recruiters were doing fairly well late last year and early this spring in sourcing candidates for service. By March, they had signed up 2,200 more recruits than they had by the same time last year. But the pandemic dampened their efforts as brick-and-mortar stations shuttered and the recruiting enterprise was forced to move completely online.

Right now, the service is about 4,000 contracts short of where it wants be.

“It’s more than we were last year, but at the same time, historically, we’ve had a year where we were behind that much too,” said Muth, adding that had his recruiters “not been in a position to virtually recruit,” they would have done “about zero” new contracts over the past few months.

The looming economic downturn could also help boost recruitment numbers later this summer. Unemployment has hit record levels in recent months, but economists say there’s still uncertainties about how long the slump will last. Bad economies are typically good for military recruiting and retention.

Soldiers at Fort Sill, in Oklahoma, stand in formation while wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing during reception before entering basic combat training May 14, 2020. (Sgt. Dustin D. Biven/Army)Perhaps an early indicator that confidence in the civilian job market is dropping is the fact that Army retention is roughly 15 percent higher than expected, thanks in part to short-term reenlistment contracts, according to E. Casey Wardynski, the Army’s assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs. Wardynski said this week that he still expects the service to meet its targeted end-strength number of 485,000 soldiers.The Army National Hiring Days event could also “give a good indication” of how the economy will impact recruiting later in the year, according to Muth.“I don’t know if we’ve seen the upturn yet of what we’d normally get" during times of high unemployment, said Muth. "What I would tell you is, I think we’ll ... have an indication by mid-July, beginning of August if things really start to change.”Muth’s intent is to get as many general officers and command sergeants major as he can to participate. As part of an opening salvo on June 14, he’s also looking to potentially use the Army Golden Knights parachute team and the Fife and Drum Corps, as well as the Army’s legacy divisions.“That’s kicking off on June 14, but between now and then is our shaping operation. We’re now starting to message out; we’re starting to dominate the digital space," Muth said.Recent Army advertising campaigns have tried to emphasize a different side of the service, with less focus on combat roles. A commercial released last month, and another this month, focus on the Army’s role staffing hospitals and building ad-hoc medical facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.“Everyone sees us as all armor and infantry and artillery and aviation, which is true, but that’s only 15-20 percent of the Army. A larger portion is the tech, and the help, and the engineers and the logistics," Muth added. "People didn’t realize that.”

About Kyle Rempfer
Kyle is a staff reporter for Military Times, focusing on the U.S. Army. He served an enlistment as an Air Force Special Tactics CCT and JTAC.

What Does the Cast of JAG Does Nowadays?

 

[Housecarl]

Hummm.......

Posted for fair use.....

What Does ‘Winning’ Even Mean in a Forever War?

As imperialists, we Americans are conspicuous failures.

www.theamericanconservative.com

What Does ‘Winning’ Even Mean In A Forever War?
As imperialists, we Americans are conspicuous failures.
MAY 22, 2020 | 1:00 PM
PATRICK BUCHANAN

When a Wall Street Journal editorial warned this week against any precipitous U.S. withdrawal that might imperil our gains in Afghanistan, an exasperated President Trump shot back:
“Could someone please explain to them that we have been there for 19 years. … and except at the beginning, we never really fought to win.”

Is that true? Did we “never really” fight to win during our 19-year war in Afghanistan, except when we first ousted the Taliban in 2001?

At one point in this longest American war against al-Qaida and the Taliban, Barack Obama surged 100,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan.

The issue here is with the terminology.

In the forever wars of the Middle East, what does “winning” mean?

To those of us who grew up in the mid-20th century, victory was Gen. MacArthur standing on the deck of the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay as top-hatted Japanese diplomats signed the articles of surrender.

Victory was unmistakable and irreversible.


Five years after V-J day, however, came Korea, a war that lasted three years and ended in deadlock, stalemate and a truce along the 38th parallel, where the North-South war had begun in June of 1950.

Vietnam also came to be called a “no-win war.”

Though U.S. troops never lost a major battle, and every provincial capital was in Saigon’s hands when we departed in 1973, the United States is said to have “lost the war” when the North Vietnamese army overran the South and Saigon in the spring of 1975.

That was a geostrategic defeat but not a military defeat.

America’s problem, in this century, lies in our concept of “winning.”

While U.S. military forces can crush any Middle East adversary, as we showed in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, we have been unable to realize the fruits of the victories our armed forces produced.

We have failed to reorient the defeated nations to our way of thinking. We have failed to win the peace.

While we can defeat our enemies in the air and on the seas and in cyberspace, we cannot persuade them to embrace secular democracy and its values any more than we can convert them to Christianity.

John Locke means nothing to these people. As for our Bill of Rights, why would devout Muslims, who believe there is but one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is his only Prophet, tolerate the preaching of heresies in their countries that can cause Muslims to lose their souls?

Millions of Muslims are familial, tribal, nationalistic, resistant to foreign intervention and proudly anti-Enlightenment.

With our “democracy crusades,” we have been trying to conquer and convert people who do not wish to be converted. Moreover, we lack the patience and perseverance to change or convert them.

As imperialists, we Americans are conspicuous failures.

Moreover, with us, the national interest inevitably asserts itself.

When it comes to spending lives and treasure indefinitely we find we have no vital interest in whether these lands we occupy are ruled by monarchs, democrats, dictators or demagogues, and we lack the staying power to occupy these countries until they accept our ideas and ideals.

If they don’t attack us, why do we not just leave them be?

Our enemies in the Middle East do not defeat our military. They outlast us. They apparently have an inexhaustible supply of volunteers willing to give up their lives in suicide attacks. They are willing to fight on and trade casualties endlessly. They do not subscribe to our rules of war.

They tire us out, and, eventually, we give up and go home.

They refuse to surrender and submit because it is their beliefs, their values, their faith, their traditions, their tribe, their God, their culture, their civilization, their honor that they believe they are fighting for in what is, after all, their land, not ours.

They are not trying to change us. We are trying to change them. And they wish to remain who they are.

Woodrow Wilson famously declared of our neighbors to the south, “I am going to teach the Latin American republics to elect good men!”

Wilson forgot the kernel of truth in the ethnic slur of his era, that you cannot grow bananas and democracy on the same piece of land.

If it is a contest between armed forces, America wins. We can impose our will on the country but cannot win their assent. They resist until we tire of trying to educate them.

Historically, the Afghans are fundamentalist, tribal and impervious to foreign intervention.

What will the Taliban do when we leave?

They will not give up their dream of again ruling the Afghan nation and people. And they will fight until they have achieved that goal and their idea of victory: dominance.

And if 100,000 Americans fighting beside the Afghan army could not force them to surrender, then why should they settle for half a loaf and accept a compromise now?

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.

 

[Housecarl]

More on this.....(Jward posted on this in the earlier thread...)

Posted for fair use.....

U.S. discussed conducting its first nuclear test in decades, Washington Post reports

The Trump administration discussed last week whether to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 1992, the Washington Post reported late on Friday, citing a senior official and two former officials familiar with the matter.

www.reuters.com

POLITICS
MAY 22, 2020 / 9:51 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
U.S. discussed conducting its first nuclear test in decades - Washington Post

1 MIN READ

(Reuters) - The Trump administration discussed last week whether to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 1992, the Washington Post reported late on Friday, citing a senior official and two former officials familiar with the matter.

The topic surfaced at a meeting of senior officials representing the top national security agencies after accusations from the administration that Russia and China are conducting low-yield nuclear tests, the Washington Post said wapo.st/2Xljjro.

The meeting, however, did not conclude with any agreement to conduct a nuclear test. A decision was ultimately made to take other measures in response to threats posed by Russia and China and avoid a resumption of testing, the report added.

U.S. officials could not be reached immediately for a comment.

Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

 

[mzkitty]

 

[jward]

Dunno exactly what this means, but it makes me feel as jumpy as us testing nukes

Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
24m

According to KCNA, North Korea has officially placed their strategic forces on high alert operation status - a process that other nuclear powers do.

 

[Housecarl]

Dunno exactly what this means, but it makes me feel as jumpy as us testing nukes
Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
24m

According to KCNA, North Korea has officially placed their strategic forces on high alert operation status - a process that other nuclear powers do.

You're not the only one.....

 

[jward]

uhoh. I was counting on you to calm me down lol
is it time for

 

[jward]

(LEAD) N.K. leader presides over key party meeting to discuss increasing nuclear war deterrence

All Headlines 07:26 May 24, 2020


By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a Central Military Commission meeting and discussed "new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country," state media reported Sunday.
Also discussed at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party were important military steps and organizational and political measures to further bolster up the overall armed forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
"Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation in line with the general requirements for the building and development of the armed forces of the country," the KCNA said.
It did not elaborate what the "new policies" for nuclear deterrence were.
"Taken at the meeting were crucial measures for considerably increasing the firepower strike ability of the artillery pieces of the Korean People's Army," it added.

North Korean leader speaks during an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 24, 2020. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

1 of 2

Kim emphasized the importance of "realizing the party's monolithic leadership" over the military and specified "key issues to be constantly maintained in the military and political performance of the armed forces of the DPRK, and tasks and ways," the KCNA added.

Kim signed seven "orders" related military measures discussed during the meeting including those aimed at enhancing "the responsibility and roles of the major military educational institutions," reorganizing "the military commanding system" and promoting "the military ranks of commanding officers."

During the meeting, Ri Pyong-chol, known for his involvement in the North's arms development, was elected as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the KCNA said.

The KCNA did not say when the meeting was held, but state media usually report Kim's activity a day after it happens.

The meeting marked Kim's first public event since he visited a local fertilizer plant on May 1 after ending a 20-day absence from public view that sparked a slew of speculation over his health.

Kim last presided over a Central Military Commission meeting in mid-December.

posted for fair use

(LEAD) N.K. leader presides over key party meeting to discuss increasing nuclear war deterrence | Yonhap News Agency

(ATTN: ADDS more info from 3rd para)By Koh Byung-joon SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- North Ko...

en.yna.co.kr

 

[Housecarl]

uhoh. I was counting on you to calm me down lol
is it time for

Maybe not so much running with the hair on fire, but definitely looking for a spot in the middle of your house where you can pile furniture, books and sandbags so you can wait for the fallout to cool a bit and have enough food and water layed in for that time.

 

[jward]

yup, that is all already in place. you best be set up too- apparently I have enough to worry bout : )
Let's all breath nice and slow and shake it out.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Libya's Haftar seeks to rouse forces against Turkey

Haftar, in an audio message addressed to his forces, urged them to battle the "colonial" intervention by Turkey until its defeat, in a reference to one-time Ottoman control of Libya.

www.jpost.com

Libya's Haftar seeks to rouse forces against Turkey
Haftar, in an audio message addressed to his forces, urged them to battle the "colonial" intervention by Turkey until its defeat, in a reference to one-time Ottoman control of Libya.

By REUTERS
MAY 24, 2020 00:58

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar called on his forces on Saturday to rally against Turkey, which has helped his Tripoli-based rivals turn the tide of a military conflict around the capital.

Recent advances by forces aligned with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), including the seizure of a key air base, have thrown a year-long offensive on Tripoli by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) into jeopardy.


They have also drawn a threat by the LNA, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, to carry out a massive air campaign in retaliation.

On Saturday the GNA forces pressed forward in some outlying districts of Tripoli, where they say they have had to pick their way through mines and other explosive devices laid by the LNA.

The LNA said it had withdrawn from some areas, but had also staged an ambush at Yarmouk military camp in Tripoli and killed or captured rival combatants.

Haftar, in an audio message addressed to his forces, urged them to battle the "colonial" intervention by Turkey until its defeat, in a reference to one-time Ottoman control of Libya.

"You are creating glory while fighting the odious coloniser greedy for our wealth," he said. "And you are waging war on all fronts, a war in which there is nothing but victory."


Haftar's comments were released as US President Donald Trump appealed for a rapid de-escalation of the conflict in Libya in a call with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said separately his country had "changed the balance" in Libya and averted a "full-blown civil war."

"The only solution in Libya is a political solution and Haftar needs to understand this," he said in a TV interview.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Libya conflict heats up as Turkish Air Force increases activity

Twitter accounts that follow air traffic revealed unusual movements by Turkey’s air force.

www.jpost.com

Libya conflict heats up as Turkish air force increases activity
Twitter accounts that follow air traffic revealed unusual movements by Turkey’s Air Force

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
MAY 23, 2020 22:15

Turkish Air Force jets appeared to increase their activity in relation to a conflict in Libya on Saturday. Libya is divided between the Libyan National Army, backed by the UAE and Egypt and the Government of the National Accord in Tripoli, backed by Turkey and Qatar. Turkey has been pouring in drones and armored vehicles and Syrian rebel mercenaries to help Tripoli fight. Russia and others are backing the LNA.

Twitter accounts that follow air traffic revealed unusual movements by Turkey’s Air Force. An account called "Yoruk Isik" posted about “Turkey establishing itself in Libya,” showing that the 222nd Turkish squadron with two C-130s had allegedly flown from Istanbul to Libya. It was the fourth flight in 24 hours, the commentator noted.


Another user named “Gerjon” noted that Turkish air Force E-7 Boeing 737 airborne early warning and control radar aircraft were also active this evening. He argued that the C-130 was in fact a Casa CN-235. Another mysterious Beechcraft Super King turboprop also flew into Libya. Also a Libyan GNA Ilyushin IL-76 flew from Istanbul to Libya. A Qatari C-17A also was thought to be en route to Libya.

Meanwhile it appears that other flights arrived to bolster the LNA. A Syrian Cham Wings flight flew into Benghazi on Friday. It appears that allies of the LNA and GNA are trying to bolster their role in Libya in recent days after Turkish drones helped the GNA take a strategic airbase.

The LNA has lost numerous Russian-made Pantsir air defense. They are in desperate need of better weapons to confront Turkey’s drones. There are also questions about damage done to a reinforced hanger at Watiya airbase which appeared to come from a bomb far larger than a Turkish drone could have dropped. This means the air war in Libya could be growing. It is a contest between Turkish technology and Russian air defense as well as Chinese-made drones apparently supplied from the UAE. So far Turkey’s equipment seems to have the upper hand.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Who Will Survive In The End? UN-Backed Libyan Forces Or General Haftar – OpEd

Forces allied with Libya’s UN-supported government have wrested control of a key military base on the outskirts of the country’s capital from Khalifa Haftar, dealing a significant blow to the renegade general. In 2019 Haftar planned to take Tripoli in a lightning operation, but his forces have...

www.eurasiareview.com

Opinion
Who Will Survive In The End? UN-Backed Libyan Forces Or General Haftar – OpEd
May 23, 2020 Miral Sabry Al Ashry 1 Comment
By Miral Sabry Al Ashry

Forces allied with Libya’s UN-supported government have wrested control of a key military base on the outskirts of the country’s capital from Khalifa Haftar, dealing a significant blow to the renegade general. In 2019 Haftar planned to take Tripoli in a lightning operation, but his forces have been mired in fighting ever since.

This latest operation has made Haftar’s eastern-based forces to withdraw from the al-Watiya airbase 90 miles south of Tripoli. His retreat, following other recent military reverses, will force those foreign capitals that back him to review the viability of his plan to overthrow the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

On the other hand, negotiations over the town of Al-Asaba to handover peacefully to Libyan Army forces under the command of the Government of National Accord (GNA) failed as pro-Haftar groups refused to pull out. Hence, the social council of Al-Asaba town announced that the town was under GNA’s authority when some of GNA units advanced on the town to seize control, pro-Haftar forces rejected the withdrawal and opened fire on the GNA forces.

Violence escalated with the GNA forces retreating to the Jandouba Bridge between Al-Asaba and Gharyan to reorganize themselves after being hit by airstrikes by UAE drones coming from the Al-Jufra airbase, and which killed five Gharyan Protection Force fighters.

In addition, Libyan Air Force targeted a vehicle laden with a UAE armored vehicle and ammunition in Al-Asaba as GNA forces mobilized forces to attack the town, possibly liberating it.

Libyan Air Force destroyed seven Russian systems in Tarhouna and another one in Al-Wishka. The Libyan Air Force was continuing its surveillance over Tarhouna city as per the military tactics of the Libyan Army operations room.

Two more Pantsir missile systems were destroyed by Libyan GNA forces in the capturing of Al-Watiya airbase, when another Pantsir system was destroyed by GNA forces in southern Sirte.

The Libyan Air Force targeted two UAE Nimr armored vehicles and other military vehicles by six airstrikes on Tarhouna, besides the airstrikes on Al-Wishka, leaving behind casualties among Haftar’s forces and a number of destroyed ammunition depots.

Turkey’s foreign interventions
Turkish support for the GNA is growing, driven by Ankara’s desire to secure its energy supplies. Turkey knows there is coming a crisis in resources and energy and they want to control the Middle East through Libya’s resources, Turkey plans to extend the access to Mediterranean gas fields, which has included the supply of both drones and Syrian mercenary forces.

Last November, Turkey defied the UN arms embargo, and signed a treaty with the GNA in return for Libyan permission to access Mediterranean gas fields. It has since been supplying military support to the GNA. The bilateral treaty has been sharply criticized by Greece as being in breach of international law and in violation of Greek sovereignty.

Turkey claims that the GNA remains by law the UN-recognised government, and they have to find a way to stop the supply of arms and mercenaries to Haftar by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Russia. France also unofficially backs Haftar, regarding him as a bulwark against terrorism in the Sahel.

On the other hand, Turkey has caused concern in France and the UAE, because they take an interest in the country’s southern oilfields.
Turkey has reaffirmed that Haftar’s elements will be legitimate targets for its armed forces if they attack any of its interests in Libya.

Haftar’s response has been to target Turkish forces and interests in all Libyan cities. Turkey’s reply to Haftar’s statement has mirrored the defeat of his forces on the ground, even though Haftar and his supporters are trying to escalate the conflict in Libya.

Haftar’s Air Force Chief Saqr Al-Jaroushi has said, “our warplanes will carry out the largest aerial campaign in Libyan history against Turkish positions and interests in all Libyan cities,” and vowed painful hours ahead to “Erdogan and his loyalists,” saying that if they don’t surrender, “they will be annihilated.”

Russian foreign interventions
Russia had sent at least eight warplanes to Haftar, MiG 29s and two Sukhoi 24s and flown into the eastern region from the Russian-controlled Hmeimim Air Base in Syria, escorted by two SU-35 Russian airforce jets.
Russian has not issued any comment or official statements regarding this development, however it appears that they will support Haftar’s forces to carry out the largest aerial campaign in Libyan history to target Turkish interests in Libya.

Haftar’s forces have shutdown oil ports, but the GNA has vowed to bring the perpetrators behind the shutdown of oil ports, valves, and other oil-related apparatuses to justice, adding this step will have severe consequences on Libyans and will lead to deficits in state revenue, let alone the outages of electricity due to shortages of fuel and gas.
Such vandalizing acts are regarded as economic crimes by the Libyan law and a war crime by the international humanitarian law.

Another operation from National Accord
The forces launched a massive offensive in Salah Eddine, Ramla, and Almshrou districts forcing Haftar’s militia groups to retreat.

Haftar responded that by using the exchange of fire in Salah Eddine district, the army forces managed to recapture the Tikbali military camp, the Police College, the Passport Authority building, the Criminal Investigations Department building, the Judicial Institute, and Hai Zhour neighborhood.

Last year Haftar’s militia groups took these strategic sites. In addition, Libyan Army forces also declared full control of Almshrou district, while most of Ramla district has fallen in the hands of the army.

To answer the question, who will survive in the end? No one will remain, they will eliminate each other, the international governments will send up another leader like Haftar — based on foreign tendencies to control the region and take the oil, and Turkey willing to fight to because it also wants Libya’s energy, water and oil. The war will continue, but with different leaders.

Miral Sabry Al Ashry
Miral Sabry Al Ashry is an Associate Professor at Future University (FUE), Political Mass Media Department.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

UAE-Turkish Rivalry Wreaks Regional Havoc In Libya And Syria – Analysis

The Saudi-Iranian dispute may dominate headlines but a similar rivalry between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates is equally wreaking havoc in the Middle East and North Africa. While Saudi Arabia may in some ways have a leg up on Iran, Turkey and the UAE are at a virtual draw. In Libya, forces...

www.eurasiareview.com

1 Analysis World News
UAE-Turkish Rivalry Wreaks Regional Havoc In Libya And Syria – Analysis
May 24, 2020 James M. Dorsey 0 Comments
By James M. Dorsey

The Saudi-Iranian dispute may dominate headlines but a similar rivalry between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates is equally wreaking havoc in the Middle East and North Africa.

While Saudi Arabia may in some ways have a leg up on Iran, Turkey and the UAE are at a virtual draw.

In Libya, forces of the Turkish-backed, Tripoli-based internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) are pushing UAE-backed rebels led by renegade Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar out of western Libya. Mr. Haftar further enjoys support from Saudi Arabia and Egypt with whom Turkey is also at odds.

In contrast to Libya, Turkey is discovering that in Syria the odds are stacked against it, even if its objectives in the country are more limited.

If in Libya, Turkish support for the GNA amounts to an effort to shape who controls the country as well as energy-rich waters in the Eastern Mediterranean; in Syria, Turkey is determined to prevent Syrian Kurdish nationalist forces from establishing a permanent and meaningful presence on its borders and control jihadist forces in Idlib, the last major Syrian rebel stronghold.

US abandonment of their alliance with the Kurds in the fight against the Islamic State pushed the Kurds towards cooperation with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Kurds expect the cooperation to shield them from Turkish efforts to push them further out of border areas.

At the same time Turkey, already home to 3.6 million Syrian refugees – the single largest concentration of Syrians fleeing their war-torn and dilapidated homeland — also wants to stymie a potential new influx of many more if and when Idlib falls to Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

The UAE-Turkish rivalry — rooted in a battle for dominance of global Muslim religious soft power; geopolitical competition across the Muslim world, including the Middle East and the Horn of Africa; and fundamentally opposed attitudes towards political Islam — has escalated military confrontations and complicated, if not disrupted, efforts to resolve conflicts in Libya and Syria.

The UAE-Turkey scorecard is 1:1

Turkey so far has a winning hand in Libya.

In Syria, however, few doubt that Turkey will struggle to secure its interests with Mr. Al-Assad, backed not only by Russia and Iran but also the UAE, firmly in the saddle.

UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) reportedly promised Mr. Al-Assad $3 billion USD in April; $250 million of which was paid upfront, to break a ceasefire in Idlib imposed on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Russia appears to have successfully thwarted Prince Mohammed’s move.
The Emirati crown prince had hoped to tie Turkey up in fighting in Syria, which would complicate Turkish military support for the GNA in Libya. Mr. Al-Assad’s failure to take up the offer likely contributed to Turkey’s ability to successfully focus on Libya in recent weeks.

The UAE has, nonetheless, one strategic advantage. Turkey’s reputation in Washington DC, much like that of Saudi Arabia, is severely tarnished. The UAE has so far skilfully evaded a similar fate, enjoying not only close ties to the United States but also Russia.

Turkish-US relations are strained over multiple issues, including Turkey’s acquisition of Russia’s acclaimed S-400 anti-missile defense system, its close cooperation with Russia and Iran, and the continued presence in the United States of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish preacher whom Mr. Erdogan accuses of staging the failed 2016 military attempt to remove him from office.

The Trump administration has nevertheless offered Turkey ammunition to be used in military operations in north-eastern Syria as well as humanitarian assistance in a hopeless bid to persuade Ankara to push back Iranian forces in the country.

Mr. Erdogan, in a surprise move this week, demoted and then accepted the resignation of Rear Admiral Cihat Yayci, the popular architect of Turkey’s intervention in Libya and aggressive stance in the Eastern Mediterranean. Mr. Yayci is believed to be an anti-Western Eurasianist who advocates closer Turkish relations with Russia and China.

Turkey’s ties to Russia are equally complex.

While Turkey and Russia support opposing sides in Libya, they have so far been able to balance their interests in Syria that sometimes coincide and sometimes diverge, leading earlier this year to clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces.

In Libya, it was Turkish drones that allegedly destroyed a Russian-made Pantsir air defense system even as hundreds of Russian mercenaries working for the Wagner Group, with close ties to the Kremlin, reportedly support Mr. Haftar’s forces.

If support for Mr. Haftar is Russia capitalizing on an opportunity to stoke a fire, UAE backing is part of Prince Mohammed’s determination to confront political Islam across the Middle East and North Africa.

“Turkey and the UAE [are] engaged in a regional power struggle. They see it as a zero-sum game, in which there is no way for both sides to win. If one wins, the other one loses,” said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and chairman of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM).

It is a zero-sum-game played on proxy battlefields that bodes ill for those unwillingly sucked into it.
This story was first published in Inside Arabia

James M. Dorsey
James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and the author of the blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Recent clashes in Egypt, Syria and Iraq shows fight against ISIS is not over | | AW

Despite its military defeats and the demise of its territorial “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (ISIS) is determined to show that it remains a threat.

thearabweekly.com

Recent clashes in Egypt, Syria and Iraq shows fight against ISIS in region is not over

Cairo said Saturday that 21 jihadists were killed in clashes with security forces in the restive Sinai.

Saturday 23/05/2020

CAIRO--Despite its military defeats and the demise of its territorial “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (ISIS) is determined to show that it remains a threat.

But if recent clashes are any indication, the battle waged by anti-ISIS forces also continues.

In addition to the ongoing war led by Iraqi forces, backed by the international coalition to fight ISIS in Iraq as well the war against ISIS by the US-supported Kurdish forces in Syria, Egypt continues its counter-terrorism effort in the the Sinai Peninsula.

Cairo said Saturday that 21 jihadists were killed in clashes with security forces in the restive Sinai, where Islamic State group-affiliated militants wage a long-running insurgency.

The interior ministry said in a statement that police raided two hideouts of “terrorist elements” in the North Sinai governorate, sparking a gun battle in which two officers were wounded.

The two extremist groups had been planning attacks during the major Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which starts in Egypt on Sunday, sai Egyptian sources.

Security forces have been battling a long-running armed campaign by armed extremists in the Sinai Peninsula, in Egypt’s northeast for years.

The fighting intensified after the military’s 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. In February 2018, security forces launched a nationwide operation against extremists, focusing its effort on northern Sinai.

In Syria, the US-led coalition forces and their Kurdish allies, the Syrian Democratic Forces, face attempts at resurgence by the Islamic State.

In a recent attack this week, the coalition forces and their Kurdish allies killed two regional ISIS leaders in a raid in eastern Syria, US Central Command announced Friday.

Ahmad ‘Isa Ismail al-Zawi and Ahmad ‘Abd Muhammad Hasan al-Jughayfi were killed in the May 17 joint raid on an ISIS position in Deir Ezzor province, CentCom said in a statement.

Al-Zawi, also known as Abu Ali al-Baghdadi, was the ISIS regional commander of North Baghdad, it said, and was “responsible for disseminating terrorist guidance from senior ISIS leadership to operatives in North Baghdad”.

Al-Jughayfi, also known as Abu Ammar, was a senior ISIS logistics and supplies official “responsible for directing the acquisition and transport of weapons, IED materials, and personnel across Iraq and Syria,” CentCom said.

“The removal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt future attacks against innocent civilians and our security partners and in the region,” it said.
“Due to the relentless pressure maintained by the SDF, ISIS’s remaining leadership in the area continues to dwindle,” CentCom added.

Since the territorial defeat of the Islamic State in Syria in March 2019, ISIS attacks have been limited to the vast deserts stretching from Deir Ezzor to Homs in the centre of the country.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who had led ISIS since 2014 and was the world’s most wanted man, was killed in an US special forces raid in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib in October 2019. but the organization and its ideology remain dangerous and experts warns that ISIS is seeking a resurgence amid the chaos in Iraq.

The Pentagon said in January that ISIS was regenerating faster in Iraq than in Syria. Analysts estimated earlier this year that about 2,000 active combatants now operate in Iraq, noting that sleeper cells have regrouped in provinces including Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk and Nineveh.

Iraqi Security Forces routinely carry out operations against remnants of the Jihadist group who they have carried out frequent attacks, including kidnappings and bombings aimed at undermining the Baghdad government.

ISIS killed, Saturday, three policemen in an attack in the province of Nineveh, west of Mosul, an Iraqi security source said.

“ISIS fighters launched an attack at a local police checkpoint on the outskirts of Zammar district (125 km west of Mosul) and kill three policemen, including an officer with the rank of lieutenant, before fleeing to an unknown destination”, Captain Bashar Salem of the Nineveh Police said.

Experts said that this attack may be an act of revenge for the arrest by the Iraqi military of Abdul Nasser Qardash, previously considered a possible heir to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at the helm of the Islamic State terrorist group.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

3 IRGC members killed by airstrike in eastern Syria - report

Sources told SOHR that they believed that the explosion was caused by an airstrike because more damage was caused to the top of the car than the bottom of the car.

www.jpost.com

3 IRGC members killed by airstrike in eastern Syria - report
Sources told SOHR that they believed that the explosion was caused by an airstrike because more damage was caused to the top of the car than the bottom of the car.

By TZVI JOFFRE
MAY 23, 2020 23:29

Three members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed when their vehicle exploded in the Deir Ezzor region of eastern Syria due to what is believed to have been an airstrike by unidentified aircraft on Saturday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Sources told SOHR they believed the explosion was caused by an airstrike because more damage was caused to the top of the car than the bottom.


Last week, seven Iranian-backed militants were killed after unidentified aircraft attacked a site belonging to Iranian forces and Iran-backed militias near the city of Al-Mayadeen in the Deir Ezzor area near the Syria-Iraq border, according to SOHR.

The strikes, which destroyed a structure inside the base, came just days after Iranian militias sent reinforcements to the site. The death toll was expected to rise as a number of people were also reported wounded.

Earlier that same day, local media reported two large explosions in Aleppo, with some outlets claiming that an alleged Israeli airstrike had targeted Iranian sites in the city. Syrian state media later denied that the explosions had been caused by an airstrike.

A correspondent for the Step News Agency reported that the explosions in Aleppo were believed to have been caused by a strike on Iranian sites in the city and that four bodies had been brought from the scene of the explosion to a hospital in Aleppo, but it was unknown whether the casualties belonged to the Syrian military or Iranian militias.

The reports indicated that the airstrikes targeted the Ramouse suburb near a military school. The opposition-affiliated Halab Today TV also reported on the alleged airstrikes, stressing that no official source provided information on the cause or location of the explosion.


The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Saturday that while the source of the explosion was unknown, unidentified aircraft were said to have been over the area when the explosion occurred. The SOHR also reported that the explosion occurred in the Ramouse area.

Earlier this month, airstrikes by unidentified aircraft were carried out in Al-Mayadeen shortly after airstrikes attributed to Israel targeted sites in Aleppo. 14 Iranians and Iran-backed militants were killed in the alleged Israeli airstrikes in Deir Ezzor, according to SOHR.

Iranian-backed militias have been shuffled throughout Syria since a series of airstrikes targeted Iranian and Syrian targets in the country in recent weeks, according to local reports.

Earlier this month, Iranian militias began to withdraw from the area near the Aleppo International Airport and moved to Al-Safira, southeast of Aleppo, according to Halab Today. The militias were replaced by Russian forces. The militias included members of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group, the Shi'ite Liwa Zainebiyoun militia and the Shi'ite Quwat Al-Ridha, and evacuated due to recent alleged Israeli airstrikes, according to the report.

The Liwa Fatemiyoun and Brigade 313 militias were transferred out of the Deir Ezzor area of eastern Syria, according to local news source DeirEzzor24.

The formerly Iranian-backed and currently Russian-backed Palestinian Liwa al-Quds (Jerusalem Brigade) militia which was located in Aleppo entered the city of Al-Bukamal in the Deir Ezzor area, in order to take over the headquarters of Iranian militias in the city after a request by Russia, according to Halab Today.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

US building new military bases in Syria’s Raqqa amid Russian expansion

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:45 P.M.) - The U.S. military has sent a large number of reinforcements to the Al-Raqqa Governorate recently

www.almasdarnews.com

• Syria

US building new military bases in Syria’s Raqqa amid Russian expansion

By
News Desk
-
2020-05-23

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:45 P.M.) – The U.S. military has sent a large number of reinforcements to the Al-Raqqa Governorate recently to strengthen their presence in the region and rebuild installations they withdrew from last year, a tribal source told Sputnik Arabic.

“A military convoy of the American occupation forces made up of 50 trucks entered on Saturday afternoon (May 23), Syrian territory coming from Iraq, accompanied by military helicopters, through the illegal Al-Walid Crossing,” the source said.


The tribal source said the “American military experts recently visited the villages of Hazima in northern Raqqa, Al-Karamah in eastern Raqqa, and the villages of (Ayed, Al-Jazirah) west of it, and chose them as the places to start building new military points and bases in them.”

The American forces withdrew their bases from the al-Raqqa Governorate after reaching an agreement with the Turkish regime to allow them to conduct an ‘anti-terror’ operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and People’s Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates.

Kurdish media outlets have spoken of an American plan to establish new military bases in Raqqa, which is under the control of the SDF, as part of the redeployment in the region again.

The sites quoted a source close to the SDF leadership, who said that “the United States is working seriously on the ground to establish new points and bases for it in the countryside of Raqqa, in the context of redeployment in the region.”

Earlier this month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a large U.S. convoy entering northeastern Syria.

ALSO READ US-backed forces seize Syrian Commercial Bank in Hasakah

The monitor said the U.S. convoy was seeking to expand its military presence and one of its bases inside the Al-Hasakah Governorate, which neighbors Al-Raqqa to the east.

It appears these latest moves by the U.S. come at the same time the Russian military continues to expand its own presence in the region.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Cartel Gunmen Leave 12 Bodies Pickup Bed in Western Mexico

A group of cartel gunmen left twelve bodies in the bed of a pickup truck in the Mexican state of Michoacán.

www.breitbart.com

Cartel Gunmen Leave 12 Bodies Pickup Bed in Western Mexico
by
Cartel Chronicles23 May 20206

2:13

A group of cartel gunmen left twelve bodies in the bed of a pickup truck in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The mass murder comes at a time when two of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels waged a fierce turf war for control of drug production and smuggling routes in the western part of the country.

Local and federal authorities responded to an abandoned vehicle along the highway that connects the town of Huetamo with Ciudad Altamirano on the morning of May 16. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by law enforcement sources, the red pickup was dripping blood. Officials said the truck had been previously reported stolen from the neighboring state of Guerrero.

The pickup had a large blue tarp covering the bed area. Under that blue tarp, authorities found twelve bodies. All the victims were shot several times, pointing to a likely escalation of the ongoing drug violence in the region. State officials responded to the scene to document the crime and collect the bodies.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the western state of Michoacán continues to see an alarming rate of violence as Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) makes a regional power grab. Factions of Los Viagras – Familia Michoacana and other smaller cells calling themselves Carteles Unidos have been fighting back, leading to a series of large-scale gun battles. The violence has been heightened by a series of graphic executions and dismemberments that cartel members videotape and share on social media in an attempt to spread terror among their rivals.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and other areas to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Jose Luis Lara, a former leading member who helped start the Self-Defense Movement in Michoacán. J.C. Sanchez contributed to this report.


Border / Cartel ChroniclesCrimeCartel Jalisco Nueva GeneracionCartel ViolenceCarteles UnidosCJNGLa Familia MichoacanaLos Viagrasmichoacán

 

[Housecarl]

Hummm.....

Posted for fair use.....

Who is being backed by Pakistan in Afghanistan in these days of chaos?

What is happening in Afghanistan is going to affect Pakistan and since Pakistan is no longer clear whom it can support, the coming post-US withdrawal days will mean trouble for it.

indianexpress.com

Who is being backed by Pakistan in Afghanistan in these days of chaos?
What is happening in Afghanistan is going to affect Pakistan and since Pakistan is no longer clear whom it can support, the coming post-US withdrawal days will mean trouble for it.
Written by Khaled Ahmed | Updated: May 23, 2020 9:25:02 am

The recent violence in Afghanistan has highlighted its multi-pronged conflict. The IS or Islamic State may hate Shias just as the Taliban does but they hate each other too. Pakistan may hate the Pakistani Taliban that the Afghan Taliban doesn’t hate but it can hardly get the “friendly” Haqqani Group to be an arbiter in the Afghanistan negotiations. Its own suppression of Pashtuns will not endear it to anyone in the Pashtun south in Afghanistan. India, recently rejected as a party to talk to by the Afghan Taliban, is all over the place with its investment in projects that the Afghans can’t ignore.

What is happening in Afghanistan is going to affect Pakistan and since Pakistan is no longer clear whom it can support, the coming post-US withdrawal days will mean trouble for it. Because the Americans leaned on it for getting the Taliban to talk peace, Pakistan appears to outsiders as a strong influence in Afghanistan. But one should sit back and ask: Who is being backed by Pakistan in Afghanistan in these days of utter chaos?

There were days when the Afghan Taliban was in North Waziristan with al Qaeda. The latter could be led by Pakistanis like the erstwhile champion of Kashmir jihad, Ilyas Kashmiri, who then blew up the naval base in Karachi because the Pakistani naval chief was not releasing several navy men more loyal to al Qaeda than to Pakistan. (Mehran naval base was destroyed and all the terrorists involved in the action were naval employees.)


Opinion | Boosting demand with cheap credit to consumers is not a good idea

There was a time when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan favoured the Pakistani Taliban against the US, declaring himself against the “American war” in Afghanistan. In time, he was disembarrassed when the Pakistani Taliban attacked an army public school and killed over a hundred children there. Pakistani and Afghan Taliban were then ousted from North Waziristan and forced to take refuge in Afghanistan, and there is no proof that they have been spurned by the Afghan Taliban to retain Pakistan’s friendship.

The IS in Afghanistan is killing Shias there and in Pakistan, and it doesn’t get along with the Taliban. This doesn’t mean that the IS is free of all kinds of “warriors”, including Pakistanis who have links back home through such Shia-killing outfits as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. ISIL and al Qaeda are both in Afghanistan and are at cross-purposes while fighting the American Satan. Both contain terrorists from other nationalities like Sinkiang Uighurs and Indian Muslims, which gets both China and India worried about what Pakistan will do next.

The US counted on Pakistan to “deliver” the Taliban — especially the powerful Haqqani Group that has influence with the Taliban movement — but Pakistan is not certain whether in a crunch even the Haqqanis will stand by it. The vulnerability comes from madrasas in Pakistan spawning jihadi militias and owing loyalty to the Taliban-al Qaeda combine. Pakistan has to work to break this nexus made strong by the penetrability of the 2,430-km Durand Line. While threatened by the Taliban, Pakistan also makes a “deal” over their availability in “peace talks” with the US. In Afghanistan, no one believes in this “arrangement”.

Opinion | Stress on supply-side in economic package while neglecting demand reveals flawed understanding of economies

Sectarianism in Pakistan has complicated its relations with Iran. The other factor is Iran’s outreach to India with the construction of the Chabahar Port on the Iranian coast next to Pakistan. The highway that goes up from Chabahar to Afghanistan worries Pakistan and is one of the reasons it is fencing its borders. Pakistan has been attacked through the Iran-Pakistan border by groups who have targeted both Pakistan’s strategic port of Gwadar in Balochistan and Karachi in the south through agents said to be on the take from India. Last week, a group of policemen acting as alleged Indian agents were arrested in Karachi.

Indian influence in the Gulf, Iran and Afghanistan is palpable and there is a promise of extending it to the friendly Central Asian states through Chabahar and potentially through Pakistan. In normal times, the moment would have been ripe for an Indo-Pak “normalisation” and opening up of trade routes to ward off the economic uncertainties of a changing global order.

This article first appeared in the print section of May 23, 2020, under the title ‘Question in search of answer’. The writer is consulting editor, Newsweek Pakistan

 

[mzkitty]

Wow, this is snotty:

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

ANALYSIS/ Financial woes prompt N. Korea to again eschew diplomacy : The Asahi Shimbun

ANALYSIS/ Financial woes prompt N. Korea to again eschew diplomacy
By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO/ Senior Staff Writer

May 25, 2020 at 07:00 JST

Economic failure is forcing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to follow the same playbook as his grandfather and father did before him, taking their nation down an increasingly reclusive path.

As the 10th anniversary approaches of Kim's appearance at the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's conference in September 2010, Pyongyang has not reaped favorable results from summits with the United States and South Korea.

Continuously engaging in developing missiles and nuclear weaponry, a large-scale tourism zone development plan has also fallen by the wayside, resulting in Pyongyang's isolation from the international community.

The Korea International Trade Association in the South released the North's export data in March, underscoring the state's deteriorated economy deriving from U.N. sanctions.
According to the statistics, goods totaling a paltry $216 million (23 billion yen) were exported to China last year, with a record-high trade deficit of $2.37 billion posted against Beijing. Transactions with China account for more than 90 percent of North Korea's trade.

Although a U.N. report reveals Pyongyang smuggled coal and soil from rivers to China and earned nearly $400 million, the figure is far lower than the more than the $3 billion generated through official annual exports alone in 2013 and 2014.

The situation is further exacerbated by the delay in a resort development plan.

The Asahi Shimbun obtained an image that was taken last autumn showing a construction site at the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone in the eastern part of North Korea.

Whereas Kim demanded the resort area be completed by April 2018, most buildings have yet to be completed. That is likely because internal fittings, window glass and other materials cannot be imported.

Under the challenging economic environment, Pyongyang organized the general meeting of the party's Central Committee late last year, in which Kim declared, "We must nullify the hostile forces' sanction pressure to achieve a frontal breakthrough."
A senior South Korean government official long in charge of issues connected with the North summarized what "a frontal breakthrough" means.

"Pyongyang has no intention of compromising in diplomacy, so it does not hold any expectations for sanctions being relaxed," the official said. "To avoid unrest, it will not forge ahead with difficult economic reforms, simply resorting to a conventional way. This is what is meant in the declaration."

In fact, Pyongyang appears to have shifted from economic reconstruction based on international cooperation to self-help efforts, taking into account the fact that the North Korean media stresses more "self-reliance" in reference to mass mobilization campaigns.

At the party's political bureau meeting in April, Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon was named as a new alternate member, meaning that the foreign minister post was downgraded compared with the time of his predecessor, Ri Yong Ho, who was a formal member.

Kim now shows no intention of seeking talks with the United States and other countries while continuing to launch short-range ballistic missiles as part of the development program of nuclear weapons and missiles.

Meanwhile, Kim Su Gil, director of the General Political Bureau of the military, and Pak Jong Chon, chief of the military's general staff, were newly appointed as political bureau members.

The decision seemingly represents Pyongyang's plan to reintroduce the military-first policy similar to the one adopted in the reign of Kim Jong Il.

Referring to the revival of the traditional tactics, a source close to both Tokyo and Washington noted that prompting the move is the struggle of the North Korean leader to strengthen his authority.

"Frequently reassigning personnel is proof that Kim Jong Un is always concerned about the likelihood of failing to maintain his power," the source said.

ALLEGED HEALTH PROBLEMS
Further complicating the issue is Kim's reportedly worsening health.

Kim did not appear at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to pay his respects on April 15, the birthday of Kim Il Sung. It is extremely rare given that Kim tries to justify his authority based only on his blood relations.

Though Kim began appearing in public again on May 1, officials in both Tokyo and Washington still suspect that the North Korean leader is suffering from some health issues.

Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim, was selected as a political bureau alternate member at the April meeting and engages in more activities on behalf of her brother, apparently to lessen his burden.

But more than one North Korean source pointed out that Pyongyang's current course of action would not drastically change irrespective of Kim's health.

"Even if Kim Jong Un is stricken by an illness, the privileged would promote Yo Jong as a new leader to build a new system of authority," said a source. "North Korea's current political system and policy would not be altered so easily."

Related News

• S. Korea spy agency: No signs Kim had heart surgery--Yonhap May 6, 2020
• Putin awards commemorative WWII medal to Kim Jong Un May 5, 2020
• N. Korea defectors criticized over speculation Kim ill or dead May 4, 2020
• North Korea leader Kim Jong Un oversaw latest missile launch--KCNA March 10, 2020
• In her 1st official statement, Kim’s sister slams S. Korea March 4, 2020

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Bomb Blast in Somalia Kills 4 During Eid Celebrations

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but security officials suspect al-Shabab was behind the blast in Baidoa

www.voanews.com

Bomb Blast in Somalia Kills 4 During Eid Celebrations

By Harun Maruf

May 24, 2020 06:15 PM

At least four civilians were killed and more than 15 others were wounded in a bomb blast during Eid al Fitr celebrations outside the Somali town of Baidoa, witnesses said.

Two of the dead are children, according to reports from the scene.

The explosion occurred on Sunday afternoon as people performed traditional dances in a field near an internally displaced persons camp north of the town.
Somalia observed Eid al Fitr on Saturday but festivities continue for three days according to Islamic traditions.

A security official who could not be named says celebrations were held in the field Saturday without incident. He said he believes the bomb was planted before celebrations continued for a second day Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, a police general survived a roadside explosion targeting his vehicle in Mogadishu. General Ali Hersi Barre and his bodyguards escaped unhurt following the explosion.

General Barre is the acting chief of the health department of the national police. He was targeted on May 20 when a similar roadside explosion hit his vehicle. Gen Barre was not in the vehicle, but one of his bodyguards was killed and three other people were wounded.

There was no immediate claim responsibility for either attack Sunday, but security officials suspect al-Shabab was behind the blasts.

 

[danielboon]

I put this in the wrong thread

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1264559874802724867

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/Fxhedgers/status/1264559874802724867

 

[mzkitty]

 

[jward]

U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers conduct 24-hour mission in Indo-Pacific region


Photo by Senior Airman River Bruce





By Dylan Malyasov | reporter
Published May 24, 2020

The U.S. Air Force has announced that two B-1B Lancer bombers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron have completed a 24-hour mission that included a large force exercise.
Air Force officials said B-1B aircrews completed a 24-hour mission to support Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces; and strategic deterrence missions to reinforce the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The 9th EBS deployed to Guam from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, along with 200 Airmen assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas, as part of a Bomber Task Force and is supporting Pacific Air Forces’ strategic deterrence missions and commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.,” the Air Force said.

B-1B Lancers returned to the Indo-Pacific region in May 1.
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U.S. Navy provides high-energy laser weapon system test details
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In line with the National Defense Strategy’s objectives of strategic predictability and operational unpredictability, the Bomber Task Force enables a mix of different types of strategic bombers to operate forward in the Indo-Pacific region from a broader array of overseas and Continental U.S. locations with greater operational resilience.
“The B-1 provides all of the training opportunities which the B-52 [Stratofortress] provided, plus the ability to train to advanced stand-off, anti-surface warfare with [Long Range Anti-Surface Missiles],” said Lt. Col. Frank, Welton, PACAF’s chief of operations force management.
The B-1 can carry the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the U.S. Air Force.
“The B-1 is able to carry a larger payload of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles and a larger payload of 2,000-pound class Joint Direct Attack Munitions,” Welton said. “Additionally, the B-1 is able to carry the LRASM, giving it an advanced stand-off, counter-ship capability. It also has an advanced self-protection suite and is able to transit at supersonic speeds to enhance offensive and defensive capabilities.”
The last time the B-1s were deployed to the region was in 2017. Bombers from the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron supported missions from Andersen AFB, conducting multiple sequenced bilateral missions with the Republic of Korea Air Force and the Japan Air Self Defense Force.

posted for fair use

U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers conduct 24-hour mission in Indo-Pacific region

The U.S. Air Force has announced that two B-1B Lancer bombers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron have completed a 24-hour mission that included a large force exercise. Air Force officials said B-1B aircrews completed a 24-hour mission to support Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts...

defence-blog.com

 

[jward]

U.S. Navy provides high-energy laser weapon system test details


Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class John McGovern PACIFIC OCEAN (April 28, 2020) San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) comes alongside Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during a fueling-at-sea. Essex is underway in the eastern Pacific Ocean conducting routine maritime operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Luke McGovern/RELEASED)





By Dylan Malyasov | reporter
Published May 24, 2020

The U.S. Navy released a statement and detailed the ongoing test of the newest high-energy laser weapon system on board of Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27).
The details were given in a 22 May media release, to announce that USS Portland (LPD 27) successfully disabled an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a Solid State Laser – Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) MK 2 MOD 0.

LWSD is a high-energy laser weapon system demonstrator developed by the Office of Naval Research and installed on Portland for an at-sea demonstration. LWSD’s operational employment on a Pacific Fleet ship is the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser. The laser system was developed by Northrup Grumman, with full System and Ship Integration and Testing led by NSWC Dahlgren and Port Hueneme.
At the announcement, Capt. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland said “By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats.”
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May 24, 2020




U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers conduct 24-hour mission in Indo-Pacific region
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The U.S. Navy has been developing directed-energy weapons (DEWs), to include lasers, since the 1960s. DEWs are defined as electromagnetic systems capable of converting chemical or electrical energy to radiated energy and focusing it on a target, resulting in physical damage that degrades, neutralizes, defeats, or destroys an adversarial capability.
Navy ships face an increasing number of threats in conducting their missions, including UAVs, armed small boats, and adversary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. The Navy’s development of DEWs like the LWSD, provide immediate warfighter benefits and provide the commander increased decision space and response options.
“The Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator is a unique capability the Portland gets to test and operate for the Navy, while paving the way for future weapons systems, “ said Sanders. “With this new advanced capability, we are redefining war at sea for the Navy.”

Portland is the 11th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. While it is the third ship to bear the name ‘USS Portland,’ it is the first ship to be named solely after the largest city in Oregon.
As The WarZone previously reported, Northrop Grumman developed the LWSD Mk 2 Mod 0 for the Navy as part of the Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) program and delivered it to San Diego for installation on Portland in late 2019, something The War Zone was also first to report. The service had announced that the San Antonio class ship would be the first to carry this laser weapon back in 2018 and had originally planned to conduct the first at-sea tests by the end of September 2019.

photos and video at source
posted for fair use

U.S. Navy provides high-energy laser weapon system test details

The U.S. Navy released a statement and detailed the ongoing test of the newest high-energy laser weapon system on board

defence-blog.com

 

[jward]

..Hmm..
Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
21m

NEW: According to SK military sources, the North Korean SLBM submarine, is almost ready to be deployed. They are currently monitoring for a launching ceremony - Yonhap

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1264760319009853442

View: https://twitter.com/Global_Mil_Info/status/1264760319009853442?s=20

 

[jward]

Tyler Rogoway

@Aviation_Intel
·
22h

No idea what this about, could be training or something, but there has been a huge amount of activity in the ranges over the last week, including a carrier strike group pre deployment force integration exercise (COMPUTEX).

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1264451672824147968

View: https://twitter.com/Aviation_Intel/status/1264451672824147968?s=20

 

[jward]

Iraq Can Now Wrest Its Sovereignty From Iran
A New Prime Minister Looks to Bring Shiite Militias Under Baghdad’s Control
By Hamdi Malik
May 25, 2020

Anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq, May 2020
Khalid al-Mousily / Reuters
Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq’s new prime minister as of May 12, has already announced a bold intention. In a short government manifesto he submitted to the Iraqi Parliament, Kadhimi emphasized his plans to “impose the state’s prestige” by bringing armed groups under government control. To observers of post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, the manifesto’s meaning is clear: the damage to the state’s “prestige” has, after all, come mainly from pro-Iranian militant groups who answer to the commanders of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), rather than to Iraq’s commander in chief.

Iranian-backed Iraqi militias such as Kataib Hezbollah, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, among others, operate outside the jurisdiction of the Iraqi state. They are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella military organization that is nominally under Iraqi command but that in fact plays an integral part in projecting Iranian power throughout the region.
Previous Iraqi administrations tried, but ultimately failed, to limit the influence of the armed militias. Iraq's prime minister from 2014 to 2018, Haider al-Abadi, sought to bring the militias under the control of the state and to limit their political ambitions. He demanded that the militias make their spending transparent and separate their military and political wings. But in the end, Iranian-backed politicians outmaneuvered Abadi and backed his much friendlier replacement, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who became prime minister in October 2018. Abdul-Mahdi increased the PMF’s budget by 20 percent in 2019 and enabled the Iranian-backed militias to expand their presence in strategic regions, including along the Iraqi-Syrian border, across which they have moved almost freely.

Kadhimi has indicated that he has plans to end this state of affairs. Recent developments in Iraq and in the wider region suggest that the new prime minister has a much better chance than his predecessors did of curbing the militias’ influence and consequently, that of Iran.

A Turning Tide
A popular uprising has wracked Iraq since October 2019—one that even a brutal crackdown did not manage to quell and that persisted until the spread of the novel coronavirus quieted the streets. The protesters were predominantly Shiite, and they vehemently objected to Iran’s meddling in their county. To show the bitter resentment that they felt toward Iran, in November 2019, some slapped their shoes against banners of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. Many did not even bother to cover their faces. Major General Qasem Soleimani, then the commander of the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds Force, came in for his fair share of insults from the demonstrators, too.
The demonstrations led to the resignation of Abdul-Mahdi and, for the first time since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, put an anti-Iranian, Shiite, national current at the center of Iraq’s political landscape. The protesters demanded a sovereign state free from Iranian interference, and Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in the country, supported them.

Khadimi takes the reins following directly on these events—and because of them, the new prime minister may see his way clear to limit Iran’s influence in the country.
Sistani’s role is particularly important. Back in 2014, the Islamic State (or ISIS) wrested vast swaths of Iraqi territory from the Baghdad government, and Sistani issued a fatwa calling on all able men to take up arms and join the fight under the state’s security institutions. Instead, militias aligned with Iran took the opportunity to create the PMF—a parallel military organization with a budget of $2.16 billion and 135,000 armed fighters. The organization has been a key element in the IRGC’s plans to exert influence in Iraq and beyond.

Sistani is now actively seeking to strip militias aligned with Iran of their religious legitimacy.

Sistani is now actively seeking to strip these militias of their religious legitimacy. Under the supervision of one of the cleric’s close confidants, four Shiite paramilitary factions affiliated with Sistani—the Abbas Combat Division, the Imam Ali Combat Division, the Ali Akbar Brigade, and the Ansar al-Marja’iya Brigade—defected from the PMF in April and expressed their intention to help others do the same. By giving his affiliated factions the nod to secede from the PMF, Sistani is effectively withdrawing his endorsement from the factions that remain loyal to the IRGC—a snub that could seriously damage the religious legitimacy of the Iranian-backed factions.

Those factions were already reeling from the U.S. airstrike that assassinated Soleimani and the PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in early January. The two charismatic commanders were instrumental in consolidating Iran’s influence in Iraq and in unifying the country’s Shiite factions. Their loss has left a void that Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, Soleimani’s successor, has not been able to fill. As a result, Iraq’s pro-Iranian factions occupy their weakest position in years—just in time for the new prime minister to begin bringing the militias under state control.
President Barham Salih can be a powerful ally to Kadhimi in this endeavor. He has taken a more active role in politics than did his predecessor, Fuad Masum, the president when Abadi attempted to bring the militas to heel. Salih even played a major part in selecting Kadhimi, enraging the pro-Iranian factions in late March when he refused to nominate their candidate for the premiership. Salih said that he would rather resign than appoint someone to the position who would be rejected by the protesters.

Iran on the Ropes
If there were ever a moment for Iraq to shake off Iranian influence, the time is now—not only because conditions are ripe in Iraq but because they are ripe in Iran. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has pursued a policy of maximum pressure against Iran that has taken a toll on the country’s ability to support its regional proxies. According to Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, the Islamic Republic has been forced to reduce its military spending in recent years. Anecdotal evidence backs this claim. In March 2019, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, asked supporters to donate money, suggesting that the Iranian-supported militants were short of funds. In February 2020, a high-ranking Iranian politician recalled that Soleimani came to him looking to raise funds for the IRGC’s proxies in Syria.

Iran’s proxies in Syria are not only on the ropes financially; they are also under military pressure from Israel. Gadi Eisenkot, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, stated in January 2019, “We struck thousands of [Iranian] targets without claiming responsibility.” Among such targets are Iraqi militias that also belong to the PMF. In late April 2020, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett told the Israeli news media that his country was stepping up its campaign against Iran in Syria: since the beginning of the year, Israel has conducted at least 11 raids against targets affiliated with Iran.
To expect Iran’s influence to vanish from Iraq overnight would be naive, but certainly the circumstances under which Kadhimi begins his tenure are the best aligned of any in recent years to the purpose of restraining Iran’s hand.

The new prime minister can start by freezing further expansion of the PMF. Then Kadhimi should divide responsibility among the various leaders across the military organization. When Muhandis was the PMF’s sole leader, he liaised directly with Soleimani, who exercised considerable control. Kadhimi should structure the organization differently, such that leadership is shared—and among the group’s leaders, he should appoint some who believe in a sovereign Iraq, in order to balance the commanders loyal to Iran. At the same time, Kadhimi must put effective auditing in place to make the PMF’s spending more transparent. He should establish a good working relationship with the units that have broken with the PMF and facilitate the defection of others, should the pro-Iranian militias refuse to implement his reforms. A Shiite paramilitary force that operates under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi state will offer an alternative to the rogue Shiite militias led by Iran.
Iraq’s new prime minister has momentum behind him. He has only to implement his plan.

• Hamdi Malik is a Middle East analyst for Iran International TV and a co-author of Honored, Not Contained: The Future of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces. Follow him on Twitter @HamdiAMalik.

posted for fair use

Iraq Can Now Wrest Its Sovereignty From Iran

A new prime minister looks to bring Shiite militias under Baghdad’s control.

www.foreignaffairs.com

 

[Housecarl]

Hummm.....

Posted for fair use.....

Taiwan to fire up missile programme to focus on asymmetric warfare

Missile advancements allow greater range and capability to strike cities in inner China, including strategic targets.

www.scmp.com

Taiwan to fire up missile programme as Tsai puts focus on asymmetric warfare against mainland China

• Taiwanese missiles are increasing in range and are capable of striking cities in inner China, including strategic targets
• A boost to the weapons would allow island to brace for the PLA’s first advance before an ally stepped in to help, analyst says

Lawrence Chung
Published: 6:00pm, 23 May, 2020
Updated: 10:56pm, 23 May, 2020



Taiwan
is expected to step up the development of missiles able to strike mainland China in the face of growing military threats by Beijing.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed during her inaugural speech on Wednesday to bolster the self-ruled island’s defences by emphasising the development of asymmetrical warfare, apparently foreseeing bumpy cross-strait ties in her next four years in office.

In asymmetrical warfare, one side uses non-traditional weapons against a more powerful enemy. Analysts said a boost to Taiwan’s missile programme would mean the island could brace for the mainland’s first advance before the United States came to its rescue.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen wants to put more emphasis on asymmetrical warfare. Photo: Reuters

“Weapons listed in this [asymmetrical warfare] category include missiles, torpedoes, unmanned aerial and navy drones and cyberweaponry. But missiles are by far the most effective to strike and intimidate the enemy,” said Chieh Chung, senior researcher of national security at Taipei-based National Policy Foundation, a think tank of the opposition Kuomintang party.

He said it was not surprising that Taiwan wanted to step up its missile development programme to ensure it had the necessary ability to strike should a cross-strait conflict erupt, given that the mainland’s People’s Liberation Army was a much bigger power and Taiwan had a limited military budget to stage an arms race with Beijing.

In his annual government work report on Friday,
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
called for the
resolute rejection of separatist activities seeking Taiwan’s independence
and a deepening of ties across the Taiwan Strait towards the goal of peaceful reunification.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory
awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary. It has suspended official exchanges with Taiwan and staged numerous war games close to the island to try to force Tsai to accept the one-China principle, which she has rejected since first being elected as president in 2016.

Beijing has also warned other countries against supplying arms to Taiwan, making it difficult for the island to acquire weapons.

Taiwan’s National Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology – known as the cradle of the island’s missile development – has worked with the military since the 1970s to develop short and medium-range missiles.

In an inspection of the institute in January, Tsai asked the defence ministry and the institute to accelerate plans for mass production of the improved version of the Tien Kung-3 and the supersonic Hsiung Feng-3 missiles to bolster Taiwan’s defensive capabilities.

Last month, the institute test-fired missiles, including the
Tien Kung-3
and a land-attack missile capable of striking targets on the mainland.

According to local news media, the Tien Kung-3 surface-to-air missile and medium-range Yun Feng land-attack cruise missile were tested between April 5 and April 23 at the Jiupeng military base in Pingtung, the southernmost part of Taiwan.

The institute declined to comment on the tests, but last month made public the testing dates while warning ships and planes against approaching the announced firing zone.
Local news media said the latest version of the ship-based Tien Kung-3 was test-fired on April 9-10.

The supersonic Hsiung Feng-3 ship-to-ship missile. Photo: AFP

Its development was first revealed by legislators during a budget review session in 2014. The missile was listed as one of the 10 indigenous arms development items in the NT$7.02 billion (US$233 million) Chiang Kung – or Enhanced Bow – project. It is expected to go into mass production next year, according to the local Liberty Times.

Chang Cheng, a retired engineer who led development of the Hsiung Feng-3 missiles at the institute, said the Tien Kung-3 firing range had been boosted from about 45km (28 miles) to about 70km, allowing it to intercept the PLA’s guided missile.

But it would be “wrong for some news reports to assume that it is able to intercept the mainland’s Dongfeng ballistic or intercontinental missiles ”, he said.

The institute also test-fired the Yun Feng – or Cloud Peak – on April 14-15 at the Jiupeng base, according to United Daily News.

Local military experts said the supersonic land-attack cruise missile had a range of 1,500km, making it capable of striking targets in inner China, including Beijing, Tianjin in China’s north, Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu province, Shanghai in the east and Wuhan, Changsha and the Three Gorges Dam in central China.

The Yun Feng is fitted with a ramjet engine and can carry a semi-armour-piercing high explosive and fragmentation warhead, the experts said.

The institute has remained tight-lipped about development of the missile which is expected to be rolled out for production at the end of this year.

Reports of the Yun Feng’s development first surfaced in December 2012, but the programme has been under way since the post-1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, when Beijing staged missile tests near Taiwan to try to warn then president Lee Teng-hui against promoting independence.

The development, which has spanned the tenures of four presidents – from Lee, to Chen Shui-bian, Ma Ying-jeou and Tsai – had been shrouded in secrecy because of US concern that it might prompt an angry action by Beijing.

Su Tzu-yun, a senior analyst at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research, a government think tank, said the Yun Feng could be deployed to weaken mainland China’s combat capability.

“The weapon is believed to be able to attack strategic targets, including airports, harbours and military command bases in central China,” he said, adding the missile formed an important part of Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare.

The PLA Air Force was considered the biggest threat to Taiwan and if the mainland’s airbases could be destroyed, Taiwan would have a better chance of defending itself, he said.

Tung Li-wen, a researcher at the pro-government Taiwan think tank, said the Hsiung Feng-2E’s upgraded firing range of 1,000km was already long enough to threaten the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta.

“These are China’s two major economic zones and any attack would paralyse their operations,” he noted.

The upgraded subsonic, land-attack cruise missile – first mass-produced in 2009 – was test-fired on May 14-15, according to news reports.

Other operational missiles developed by the institute include the 120km range Tien Chien air-to-air missile, Hsiung Feng 1, 2, 3 subsonic anti-ship missiles, and 240km range air-to-ground Wan Chien subsonic cruise missile.


This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Taiwan poised to step up cross-straitmissile capability

 

[danielboon]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1265034234139418624

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1265034234139418624

 

[danielboon]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1265035530967883777

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1265035530967883777

 

[danielboon]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1265033853380497415

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1265033853380497415

 

[Housecarl]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1265033853380497415

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1265033853380497415

Well that doesn't give me the warm and fuzzes....

Posted for fair use.....

China to evacuate its citizens facing ‘difficulties’ in India

The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website Monday, asking those keen to return home to book tickets in special flights.

indianexpress.com

China to evacuate its citizens facing ‘difficulties’ in India
The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website Monday, asking those keen to return home to book tickets in special flights.

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: May 26, 2020 7:10:58 am
China has decided to evacuate from India its citizens, including students, tourists and businessmen, who are facing “difficulties” in the country and want to return in the wake of Covid-19.

The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website Monday, asking those keen to return home to book tickets in special flights.

The move comes in the wake of India becoming the 10th worst-hit country by the virus — nearly 1.40 lakh people in India have been affected. The coronavirus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has spread to over 190 countries, infecting over 54 lakh people and claiming the lives of 3.4 lakh. India had evacuated around 700 Indians from Wuhan in February.

The notice by the Chinese embassy said the people opting to return home will have to accept all quarantine and epidemic prevention arrangements during the flight and after entering China.

The notice in Mandarin said people treated for coronavirus infection or having symptoms of the infection like fever and cough in the last 14 days should not board the special flights.

“Through the unified arrangement of the ministry of foreign affairs and relevant departments, the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in India will assist international students in India, tourists, temporary business visitors who have difficulties and are in urgent need to take a temporary flight back home to China,” according to the notice.

It suggested that people from some other countries may also be evacuated. The notice said the cost of flight ticket and quarantine in China will have to be borne by the evacuees. “If your body temperature exceeds 37.3 degrees (inclusive) before boarding or if you have suspected symptoms, you will be refused boarding by the airline,” the notice said.

 

[1-12020]

Well that doesn't give me the warm and fuzzes....

Posted for fair use.....

China to evacuate its citizens facing ‘difficulties’ in India

The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website Monday, asking those keen to return home to book tickets in special flights.

indianexpress.com

China to evacuate its citizens facing ‘difficulties’ in India
The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website Monday, asking those keen to return home to book tickets in special flights.

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: May 26, 2020 7:10:58 am
China has decided to evacuate from India its citizens, including students, tourists and businessmen, who are facing “difficulties” in the country and want to return in the wake of Covid-19.

The Chinese embassy put out a notice on its website Monday, asking those keen to return home to book tickets in special flights.

The move comes in the wake of India becoming the 10th worst-hit country by the virus — nearly 1.40 lakh people in India have been affected. The coronavirus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has spread to over 190 countries, infecting over 54 lakh people and claiming the lives of 3.4 lakh. India had evacuated around 700 Indians from Wuhan in February.

The notice by the Chinese embassy said the people opting to return home will have to accept all quarantine and epidemic prevention arrangements during the flight and after entering China.

The notice in Mandarin said people treated for coronavirus infection or having symptoms of the infection like fever and cough in the last 14 days should not board the special flights.

“Through the unified arrangement of the ministry of foreign affairs and relevant departments, the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in India will assist international students in India, tourists, temporary business visitors who have difficulties and are in urgent need to take a temporary flight back home to China,” according to the notice.

It suggested that people from some other countries may also be evacuated. The notice said the cost of flight ticket and quarantine in China will have to be borne by the evacuees. “If your body temperature exceeds 37.3 degrees (inclusive) before boarding or if you have suspected symptoms, you will be refused boarding by the airline,” the notice said.

Oh dang.
Things are getting real.
10,000 Chineese troops on India soil????


Ajai Shukla

@ajaishukla
· 1h
There are now reportedly close to 10,000 PLA troops on Indian soil. PLA has upping the ante and claimed the entire Galwan River valley. If PLA can enforce that claim, India's new road to Daulet Beg Oldi will be unusable. Sub-Sector North will be isolated. https://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/2020/05/after-

 

[jward]

India-China standoff intensifies at eastern Laddakh with troop buildup

Photo: AFP
The standoff between India and China at the disputed eastern Laddakh border area intensified with Indian media reports claiming both sides are increasing their troops in the area.
As per a report by ThePrint, Beijing has also beefed up its security on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)by locating an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 troops near the Pangong Lake.
The report, citing sources, said that Chinese soldiers have moved into the “finger areas” of Pangong Lake whilst it bolstered its troop strength at the LAC. "The Pangong Lake’s northern bank juts forward like a palm, and the various protrusions are identified as “fingers” to demarcate territory."

Sources further said that while the Chinese soldiers maintained that they remained within their borders, they did however believe that 3 km within India's perception of the LAC was crossed.
Nonetheless, India have taken precautionary measures and deployed forces on its side of the control line while no maps have been exchanged to provide clarity over border claim.
"No maps have been exchanged in this area between India and China demarcating what is the LAC," a source said.
"Whatever understanding that is there is between the two Army at local level."

In 2017, a similar standoff had taken place at the Doklam border between India and China when Chinese soldiers had proceeded to extend a road that India claimed was cutting into its territory.
The standoff raised tensions between the two countries as an armed conflict threatened to break out between the two nuclear-armed states. However, the senior leadership in both countries settled the matter with talks.
The border dispute between India and China has spanned four decades yet not a single bullet has been fired between the two sides over it.
posted for fair use

India-China standoff intensifies at eastern Laddakh with troop buildup

The standoff between India and China at the disputed eastern Laddakh border area intensified with Indian media reports claiming both sides are increasing their troops in the area.As per a report by ThePrint, Beijing has also beefed...

www.geo.tv

 

[Housecarl]

This is looking like the opener for both the Sino-Indian War and the Sino-Vietnamese War....if if goes there again it won't end "as well" as it did then....

 

[jward]

I wish you'd find a 10' chalk board, and diagram all these interlocking conflicts for us, complete with the history and analysis of the probable futures. There are just too many on the dance floor right now, and it's obscuring my view of the big picture.

 

[Housecarl]

I wish you'd find a 10' chalk board, and diagram all these interlocking conflicts for us, complete with the history and analysis of the probable futures. There are just too many on the dance floor right now, and it's obscuring my view of the big picture.

Hummm....I guess the "short" version is this is the latest act or inning in the ongoing "game" of empire where only the players change but the goal is the same, global hegemony. What makes it different are the nukes and who is pointing them at whom.

 

[jward]

Vincent Lee
@Rover829

BEIJING, May 26 (Reuters) - President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday China would step up its preparedness for armed combat and improve its ability to carry out military tasks as the coronavirus pandemic is having a profound impact on national security, state television reported.


Vincent Lee
@Rover829
10m

Replying to
@Rover829
Reuters: Xi, who chairs China's Central Military Commission, made the comments when attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force on the sidelines of the annual session of parliament.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1265239414831116288

View: https://twitter.com/Rover829/status/1265239414831116288?s=20