It's getting harder to hide role of United States in genocide

At first glance the following discussion at RT is only about a bombshell investigative report regarding Eastern/Central European governments making a (literal) killing selling materiel to Middle Eastern governments for use in Yemen and Syria.

Most of the weapons are sent to Saudi Arabia. ... The weapons and ammunition are "routed through two secret command facilities, called Military Operation Centers (MOC) in Jordan and Turkey," it claims, citing the former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Stephen Ford.

But as the discussion continues .....

The evidence points towards systematic diversion of weapons to armed groups accused of committing serious human rights violations.

..... it becomes increasingly clear that once again the United States of America is secretly doing everything to increase carnage in the two war zones:

According to Ford, the trade of weapons is "coordinated by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Turkey, and Gulf states through centers in Jordan and Turkey." But in reality, that process is "often" bypassed, he said.

Yet Washington's role in providing the European weapons to conflict zones might be bigger than that, according to the report, which claims that the US has directly bought "military material" from Eastern Europe and delivered it in "vast quantities" to Syria through its Department of Defense Special Operations Command (SOCOM). ...

'Unprecedented': European govts sold $1.3bn in arms to Middle East, some ended up with ISIS - report

July 27, 2016

RT

Governments of Central and Eastern European countries have been selling an “unprecedented” amount of weapons and ammunition to the Middle East in recent years, fueling armed conflicts in the troubled region, a new report claims.

According to the findings by a team of reporters from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a group of European countries led by Croatia and the Czech Republic have been channeling their arms to the region since 2012.

Since then, they have gained over US$1 billion from such sales, despite some of the weapons ending up in the hands of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists, according to the report, which was published earlier on Wednesday.

The report, titled 'Making a Killing: The 1.2 Billion Euros Arms Pipeline to Middle East,' is the result of a year-long investigation.

It reveals “for the first time” that dozens of airplanes have been taking off from airfields in Eastern Europe, carrying deadly cargo "to Middle Eastern states and Turkey which, in turn, funneled arms into brutal civil wars in Syria and Yemen."

Governments of the selling countries have been well aware of where their exports are ending up, the report claims.

"Arms export licenses, which are supposed to guarantee the final destination of the goods, have been granted despite ample evidence that weapons are being diverted to Syrian and other armed groups accused of widespread human rights abuses and atrocities," the report states, adding that experts who reviewed the evidence collected during the investigation agreed the trade was "almost certainly illegal."

"The evidence points towards systematic diversion of weapons to armed groups accused of committing serious human rights violations. If this is the case, the transfers are illegal under the ATT (United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty) and other international law," said Patrick Wilcken, an arms control researcher at Amnesty International, as quoted by the report.

Most of the weapons are sent to Saudi Arabia, with the Gulf kingdom having secured some 18,500 rocket launchers, 10,000 AK-47 guns, 300 tanks, and 250 anti-aircraft guns, among other weapons and ammunition from eight Central and Eastern European countries.

Those countries include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, the weapons are also being sent to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.

"The four recipient countries are key arms suppliers to Syria and Yemen," the report states, adding that they had "little or no history of buying from Central and Eastern Europe prior to 2012," when armed conflicts began to escalate in the region.

"[T]he pace of the transfers is not slowing, with some of the biggest deals approved in 2015," BIRN and the OCCRP warned.

After the deadly cargo lands in the four Middle Eastern countries, it is then directed to Syria, according to the report. The weapons and ammunition are "routed through two secret command facilities, called Military Operation Centers (MOC) in Jordan and Turkey," it claims, citing the former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Stephen Ford.

From the MOCs, arms are reportedly delivered by land to the Syrian border, or air-dropped by military planes. Some of those are reportedly intended for use by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), according to one of its commanders from Aleppo, who told BIRN and OCCRP that the weapons were distributed from centrally controlled headquarters in Syria.

"We don't care about the country of origin, we just know it is from Eastern Europe," said the FSA commander, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his safety.

The investigation team has identified Eastern and Central European weapons and ammunition in the hands of FSA fighters in more than 50 videos and photos posted on social media, the report says, adding that some terrorist groups – including Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State – are also apparently in possession of such weapons.

"Markings on some of the weapons identifying the origin and date of production reveal significant quantities have come off production lines as recently as 2015," the report says.

Weapons originating from the Central and Eastern European countries have also been air-dropped by the Saudis to their allies in Yemen.

According to Ford, the trade of weapons is "coordinated by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Turkey, and Gulf states through centers in Jordan and Turkey." But in reality, that process is "often" bypassed, he said.

Yet Washington's role in providing the European weapons to conflict zones might be bigger than that, according to the report, which claims that the US has directly bought "military material" from Eastern Europe and delivered it in "vast quantities" to Syria through its Department of Defense Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

"[A]s part of the covert supply of weapons to Syria," SOCOM has commissioned several cargo ships from ports in Romania and Bulgaria to deliver some 4,700 tons of arms and ammunition, including heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, mortars, and grenades.

[END REPORT]

From Human Rights Watch, July 11  

"(Beirut) – Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrikes have unlawfully hit numerous factories, warehouses, and other civilian economic structures in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. In the absence of credible and impartial investigations in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other coalition members should agree to an independent international inquiry into these and other allegedly unlawful attacks. ... "

********

TRUMP RUNS AWAY WITH DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

I'm just learning about this from Rush Limbaugh's show. This morning Trump held a no-holds-barred Q & A with the press that wrapped up just around the time Rush's show was starting, at noon EDT, and from what Rush said might have lasted as long as an hour.   

With this presser Trump upstaged the entire Democratic convention. In this he managed to make history because Republicans have never interfered with their opponent's national convention. But Trump poked fun at the (very strange) speech Bill Clinton gave at the convention last night and the accusations about the Russians. He sent the Clintonista entire media into hysterics by saying he hoped the Russians would find Clinton's missing emails. (The roughly 30,000 emails Clinton deleted that were on her private email server while she worked at State, and which the FBI had demanded she turn over.)  

I'm laughing too hard to finish this post. The story is all over Google News, you can't miss it.

./

Top 3 ways to tell if your dog is a Russian spy

3.  If you put a bowl of shashlik next to a bowl of bestselling Canidae all natural dog food, the dog will eat the shashlik first.

2.  The dog will immediately stop barking if you yell, "Nyet!"

1.  If you show the dog a picture of Vladimir Putin and say, "Kill" the dog will wag its tail.

*********

"Ansarullah Starts March on Saudi Soil"

FARS
July 26, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Yemeni army and Ansarullah fighters pushed the Saudi-led forces back into Saudi Arabia, and managed to seize back several strategic military positions in the kingdom near the border with Yemen.

The Yemeni forces took control of three Saudi military bases in al-Tal'a, Boqta and Najran as well as a region in al-Boq'a near the Saudi-Yemeni border crossing in heavy clashes with the Saudi troops.

Ansarullah has announced that it will continue its advances on Saudi soil despite the repeated airstrikes by the Saudi fighter jets.

In a relevant development on Tuesday, the Yemeni forces' ballistic missile attack killed and wounded tens of Saudi forces in Najran province in the Southern parts of the kingdom.

"At least 200 Saudi troops have been killed or wounded after Yemen's Zalzal 3 ballistic missile hit their military positions in Najran province," Senior Ansarullah Commander Abdollah al-Zeidi told FNA.

He, meantime, said that the Yemeni army and popular forces have made considerable advances in Ta'iz and al-Jawf provinces as they thwarted the Takfiri terrorists' attacks on Ma'rib.

Another Ansarullah Commander Hossein al-Houthi disclosed that the Yemeni forces have recaptured strategic heights overlooking Lahij province, inflicting heavy losses on them.

[END REPORT]

Syrian War: Militants' defenses collapse in Aleppo City

SYRIAN WAR REPORT – JULY 26, 2016 - SouthFront:
On July 25, the Syrian army successfully advanced in the Layramoun industrial area of Aleppo city, liberating over dozen buildings there. After liberation of the brick factory, sugar factory, Sabbagh factories, Bana factory, Shabareq factory and “Marketna Mall” area, the Syrian army reached Al Barrad crossroad. Heavy clashes were reported there. If Al Barrad crossroad is secured by pro-government forces, the logistical capabilities of militant groups operating in Aleppo will deteriorate significantly.

Early on July 26, the Syrian army further advanced south from the Mallah Farms, securing Castello Complex and expanding the zone of control along the strategic Castello Highway.

This will allow the Syrian army to develop momentum along the Castello Highway from north and from south, cutting off the militant units in Bani Zeid and Youth Housing from the main militant forces. The Kurdish YPG will likely use this in order to capture Youth Housing and help the Syrian army to push militants from Bani Zeid. Strategically, this move sets the full siege on the militant-controlled areas of Aleppo city.

Syrian and Russian warplanes have conducted a series of air raids against the ISIS terorrist group near the cities of Palmyra and Deir Ezzor in Syria. Syrian fighter jets bombed ISIS targets east of Palmyra and at Arak region, destroying the terrorists’ tactical units and fighting positions there.

Separately, Russian warplanes conducted air raids at Deir Ezzor with special attention to the Thayyem Valley where the terrorist group contentrated manpower for an advance against the Syrian army units encircled in the city. Due to Russian air raids the advance was foiled. Russian fighter bombers also conducted air raids near the T4 airport. However, there is no information about casualties among ISIS terrorists there.

[...]

Latest update: The incredible Sand Fire roars on

A veritable army is fighting the fire, but the conditions under which it's being fought are hellish.  

Wed Jul 27, 2016 2:06am EDT
California firefighters battling wildfires face hot, windy weather

Reuters

[See website for 12 photos related to the fire]

Crews battling a deadly wildfire in rugged drought-stricken terrain north of Los Angeles on Wednesday face a second consecutive day of scorching weather and erratic winds that could hinder their efforts.

The National Weather Service forecast of near-triple-digit temperatures and 20 mph wind gusts that could make attempts difficult to further extinguish the so-called Sand Fire, a wildfire that erupted 40 miles north of Los Angeles that has destroyed 18 homes and claimed one life.

As of Tuesday night, some 3,000 firefighters hacked through dense brush and chaparral and had extended containment lines around 25 percent of the fire, which has charred 59 square miles since Friday, officials said.

The single fatality blamed on the Sand Fire was identified on Tuesday as Robert Bresnick, 67, whose body was found Saturday inside a burned-out car parked in a driveway, said Ed Winter, assistant chief Los Angeles County coroner.

Winter said a female friend Bresnick was visiting was forcibly removed by firefighters as flames closed in on them, but Bresnick insisted on staying put. He was last seen alive walking toward the car, apparently having changed his mind after it was too late.

About 300 miles to the north, a smaller fire raging since Friday between Big Sur and the scenic coastal town of Carmel-by-the-Sea continued to threaten some 1,650 properties after destroying 20 homes on Sunday. It remained 10 percent contained late on Tuesday, authorities said.

North of Big Sur at the edge of the Los Padres National Forest, some 2,300 firefighters were battling a blaze dubbed the Soberanes Fire, which has scorched nearly 20,000 acres since Friday, a state fire agency spokeswoman said.

The forecast in that area was expected to also reach near triple-digit temperatures and include erratic winds that could hamper firefighting efforts.

The causes of both fires were under investigation, but they are among some 3,750 blazes large and small that have erupted across California since January. The higher-than-normal total has collectively scorched more than 200,000 acres, state fire officials said.

The biggest so far was last month's Erskine Fire, which consumed 48,000 acres northeast of Bakersfield, killing two people and destroying about 250 structures.

By comparison, the 2003 Cedar Fire ranks as the biggest on record in the state, burning more than 273,000 acres and killing 15 people.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Michael Perry)

Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas: French didn't learn from U.S.-Saudi relationship

December 2013:

France tries to supplant US as Saudi Arabia's arms supplier

June 2015:

Saudi Arabia and France ink $12bln deal

November 2015, Massacre in Paris:

July 2016, Massacre in Nice

Nice, France: A Harvest of Horror

July 20, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - While the Western media poses as perplexed over the recent string of horrific attacks across Europe and particularly in France, the latest of which unfolded this week in the seaside city of Nice leaving over 80 dead and many more injured, it is clear that France itself has cultivated the soil within which terrorism and violence has taken root.

[...]

The London Guardian's [2012] article, "France funding Syrian rebels in new push to oust Assad," would report that:

Large sums of cash have been delivered by French government proxies across the Turkish border to rebel commanders in the past month, diplomatic sources have confirmed. The money has been used to buy weapons inside Syria and to fund armed operations against loyalist forces.

For 5 years now, France, along with the US and overt state sponsors of terrorism including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, have waged proxy war on Syria giving rise to terrorist organizations with full-scale military capabilities including mechanized, anti-tank, and anti-air warfare.

The sheer scale of the terrorist organizations France has helped cultivate in Syria [is] astounding. Billions of dollars are involved, and tens of thousands of fighters from across the world, including France itself, have created logistical lines wrapping around the planet to feed the conflict.

[...]

France has emerged as the most prominent backer of Syria's armed opposition and is now directly funding rebel groups around Aleppo as part of a new push to oust the embattled Assad regime.

[...]

September 2001:

Declassified 9/11 Report Portrays US-Saudis as Partners in Crime

July 25, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The recently released, previously classified report titled, "Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001" (.pdf), reveals that indeed long-time US ally, Saudi Arabia, had connections to the alleged hijackers who purportedly carried out the 9/11 attacks.

[...]

Some 14 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and as memories begin to fade, the US [found] itself partnered with Saudi Arabia once again, arming and funding terrorists to fight their proxy wars in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and beyond, just as they did in the 1980s when they jointly created Al Qaeda to begin with.

[...]

********

810 attacks on Christian churches, cemeteries in France in 2015. Belgian Christians also targeted

For political and ideological reasons, whenever possible French politicians (along with many other European authorities) continue to downplay such attacks. In response, few major media sources bother to report them.

Attacks on Christian communities in France are growing. Why aren't we hearing about them?
By Lela Gilbert

July 26, 2016

Fox News

[...]

On the part of authorities and the media, a persistent lack of attention obscures – perhaps intentionally – the loathing Islamist terrorists hold toward both Jews and Christians.

Thanks to the careful scrutiny of international Jewish publications, attacks by radical Islamists on French Jews and their businesses, synagogues and cemeteries are better known.  

There have been innumerable such assaults; perhaps the most widely reported was on January 9, 2015 at Hyper Casher, a Kosher supermarket in Vincennes, where four hostages were murdered. Tablet Magazine listed 25 such incidents in 2014 alone; many more have taken place since.

In response, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), 10 percent of French Jewry has relocated to Israel since 2000.

Unfortunately, similar attacks on Christians are rarely recounted, although ISIS has made its intentions clear: “the Christian community… “will not have safety, even in your dreams, until you embrace Islam. We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women….”  

Certainly Islamist radicals have not ignored this proclamation, even though accounts of their successful efforts may be hard to come by.

Only a scouring of Catholic news reports exposes an ongoing litany of desecration, arson and abuse.  For example, a recent newsletter from Federation for Europa Christiana recounts (in French) the following:

“At Martigues…three successive attacks in May 2016: first the pastor extinguished a malicious fire on the altar of the church of the Madeleine. This same priest was later attacked and his eye was blackened….

“Then, at the Saint-Genest church, the same priest discovered the open tabernacle and communion wafers thrown to the ground…

“In April, 2016, all the crucifixes and crosses were shattered at the cemetery of La Chapelle-du-Bard….”

All told, 810 attacks on French Christian places of worship and Christian cemeteries took place in 2015.

Meanwhile, the National Catholic Register reported on June 6,

“In recent weeks, Catholics in France and Belgium — countries still recovering from brutal ISIS attacks — have been hit with numerous acts of violence and aggression, including fires set in churches, an assault on a priest, the desecration of a tabernacle.

“More than 100 Catholic websites… of churches and congregations were hacked by suspected Tunisian cyber-jihadists who call themselves the Fallaga Team.”

Tuesday’s murder of an 84-year-old priest, the grave injuries to a nun, and the hostage-taking of Catholics attending Mass suggest an escalation of these shadowy activities.

For political and ideological reasons, whenever possible French politicians (along with many other European authorities) continue to downplay such attacks. In response, few major media sources bother to report them.

Nonetheless, as the jihadi saying goes, “First the Saturday People, then the Sunday People.” Islamist radicals consistently target Jews and Christians.

And, widely reported or not, the facts on the bloodied ground speak for themselves.

Lela Gilbert is author of "Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner" and co-author, with Nina Shea and Paul Marshall, of "Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians." She is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and lives in Jerusalem. For more, visit her website: www.lelagilbert.com. Follow her on Twitter@lelagilbert.

[END ARTICLE]

Pay to Save: After Cyprus they were called alarmist for warning that goverments were at war on savers

The good news, at least for England: "[If] rates go negative there would be "at least 20 banks waiting in the wings" to obtain licences and begin offering savers higher rates, increasing competition.

But what about the United States, where the Fed doesn't want the rabble to use saving accounts?

Savers fear negative interest rates as Natwest warns businesses might have to pay to hold cash

By Tim Wallace, Katie Morley 

25 JULY 2016 • 9:48PM

The Telegraph

[See also video clip in Telegraph report that quotes Mark Carney, Governor of The Bank of England: "We may need to cut interest rates in a few months."]

Natwest has become the first bank to warn business customers it may charge them negative interest rates on money held in current accounts.

In what is believed to be a UK first, the bank has signalled its intention to force account holders to either pay to hold money or move funds elsewhere.

Although current plans for negative rates are restricted to business customers, fears are mounting that "pay to save" rates could soon become a reality for millions of consumers, if other banks follow suit.

The outgoing pensions minister, Ros Altmann, warned negative interest rates on current and savings accounts pose a threat to the financial security of older savers, who often rely on their savings to provide a retirement income.

A number of high street banks including HSBC, The Post Office and First Direct are already offering savings accounts with rates as low as zero, as this newspaper reported last week.

A move to negative interest rates would turn a key part of banking on its head, with banks effectively paid to store people's money, while savers are penalised for keeping money in their accounts.

However this could become a reality if Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, cuts Bank rate to 0.25pc in August after seven years of it being held at 0.5pc.

Bank rate strongly influences the level of interest banks and building societies choose to pass on to their customers, although some banks offer significantly more or less.

Natwest blamed the potential decision on ultra-low interest rates imposed by the Bank of England, which it said were putting huge pressures on its finances.

Baroness Altmann said: "Negative rates would be very dangerous,especially for ordinary savers – the danger is many people will just think, I’m going to put the money under the mattress. That could have security risks, especially for older people.

"You don’t want your life savings out of the bank, you want them somewhere safe – but if the bank is going to charge you for keeping your money and every day you have it there it is worth less and less, you can see why people would say, I’m not going to do that."

Martin Lewis, founder at Moneysavingexpert, said: “The psychological impact of the actual money shrinking the cash terms would be huge and you would see a swathe of customers, at a level we’ve never seen before, ditching any bank that imposed negative rates. The first one to break that taboo for customers is going to face an enormous uproar."

A Natwest spokesman said: “We will consider any necessary action in the event of the Bank of England Base Rate falling below zero, but will do our utmost to protect our customers from any impacts.”

Anna Bowes, director at Savings Champion, a savings comparison service, said: "Currently you get virtually nothing on savings accounts because the big banks don't really want savers' money."

She predicted that if rates go negative there would be "at least 20 banks waiting in the wings" to obtain licences and begin offering savers higher rates, increasing competition.

She added: "Whether you are a business, and individual, or a charity you always need to be seeking the best interest rates that are available. Those pockets of competition are a lifeline for savers."

At a Glance: What Brexit would mean for interest rates

[...]

Unprecedented Sand Fire: The Perfect Firestorm

“All the experience we’ve seen with fire, that’s all out the window. ”

What I found very surprising is that the fire swept through large amounts of dried brush -- which had been there for 60 or 70 years!  So there must have been many tons accumulated!  Why weren't controlled burns ever conducted to clear the deadwood? 

I wonder if this was one of those situations that kept falling between the cracks of the argument about how to manage forests: controlled burns vs. do everything to prevent fires? 

For background on the argument, which has gone on for decades with no resolution, see the transcript for the PBS NOVA May 2002 documentary, Fire Wars, which I've highlighted at least twice on this blog over the years.  

But if that's what prevented more than a half-century's worth of brush from being cleared, one would think the very severe prolonged drought in that part of California would have settled the argument, at least for that situation. 

In any case the Sand Fire produced a type of conflagration that fire officials had never seen before.....

‘Not normal times’: Sand fire exploded in Sand Canyon

By Jim Holt, Signal Senior Staff Writer
July 25, 2016 8:50 p.m.

The Santa Clarita Valley Signal [California]

The Sand fire – which burned more than 35,000 acres in four days, destroying 18 homes and claiming one life – has found a place in Santa Clarita Valley history as a fire unlike any previous one, fire officials said.

“All the experience we’ve seen with fire, that’s all out the window,” said Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “You’ve got to look at the four major fires we’ve had in this county in six weeks. We’ve seen fires explode all over this county.”

In more than three decades of fighting fires, Tripp said, he has never seen four major fires in Sand Canyon during June and July.

And he should know.

“I was out here for the Station fire when it was coming right into Sand Canyon. I was the incident commander for the Sayer fire when it burned down the mobile home park in Sylmar. Then we had another one called the Cross fire that was coming down Placerita, but we’ve never seen this type of fire.”

Homeowners on Iron Canyon Road, which branches off Sand Canyon and where two homes were destroyed Saturday, told The Signal separately that the fire came “ripping” into their neighborhood.

The county’s top fire official, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby, said of the Sand Fire: “In one day we saw this fire go from 11,000 acres burned to 22,000 acres.”

Sharing what insight he has to explain the uniqueness of the Sand fire, he added: “This is the fifth year of an ongoing drought, so we have very extreme fire behavior.

“Some of our citizens have seen fires before,” he said. “But these are not normal times.”

When the fire whipped through Bear Divide – not far, ironically, from the U.S. Forest Service Bear Divide Fire Station on Sand Canyon Road – it swept through one canyon and swiftly engulfed five dwellings owned by the U.S. Forest Service.

Tripp explained the fire’s growth.

“The fire came through and blasted the backside of those homes,” he said, referring to homes on Iron Canyon Road and Condor Ridge Road. “Most the homes that were consumed were destroyed when the fire was coming down from Bear Divide like a freight train.

“It started consuming houses that were non-defendable,” Tripp said.

Part of what made the Sand fire unique was its exposure to brush that’s had more than a half century to become brittle, dry and dangerous, he said.

“We always knew the potential was there because the fuel is old,” he said. “It’s 60, maybe 70-year-old brush, so we knew the potential was there.

“But everything lined up perfectly,” he said. “The vegetation stressed from the drought, the wind at red flag conditions, with the heat and the low humidity – it came down like a freight train.”

[END REPORT]

More than 5,100: Record number of Afghans killed and maimed during past six months

Voice of America in-depth report
By Lisa Schlein, Ayaz Gul
Last updated on: July 25, 2016 3:22 PM

Here are the opening paragraphs:

GENEVA AND ISLAMABAD—

More than 5,100 civilians, including some 1,500 children, have been killed in Afghanistan in just the first six months of this year, the United Nations reported Monday.

That represents a 4 percent rise compared with 2015.

The overall casualties are the highest half-year total since the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan — UNAMA — began counting. The report notes that nearly 64,000 civilians in Afghanistan have been killed or maimed since counting began in January 2009.

The report blames the Taliban, Islamic State and other so-called anti-government elements for a majority of civilian casualties. It also finds, however, that the number of casualties by pro-government forces is increasing. Ground attacks, followed by suicide bombings and unexploded remnants of war, cause the greatest harm. 

Victims playing, praying

The report presents stark testimony by victims and their families of the agonizing impact these attacks have upon their lives. U.N. human rights spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani tells VOA the victims come from all sectors of society.

[...]

Ansbach bomber pledged allegiance to Islamic State, had enough material for second bomb

For background on the attack see Bombing in Ansbach Germany injures 12, kills Syrian bomber; bomb packed with shrapnel and German government had provided Ansbach bomber with apartment

RT, July 25, 2016

The attacker who left a bomb outside a bar in Ansbach, Germany, had enough materials to make another explosive device, according to police. The man also pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a video found on his phone.

The attacker, identified as Mohammad D., possessed gasoline, chemicals, and other material that could be used to make a bomb, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann said, as cited by AP.

The attacker had also pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on one of his phones.

"A provisional translation by an interpreter shows that he expressly announces, in the name of Allah, and testifying his allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a famous Islamist leader, an act of revenge against the Germans because they're getting in the way of Islam," Hermann said at a news conference.

"I think that after this video there's no doubt that the attack was a terrorist attack with an Islamist background," he added.

IS has also claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Amaq news agency.

Hermann said that two mobile phones were found that belonged to the man, along with multiple SIM cards and a laptop, Reuters reported.

He said officers also discovered videos with "Salafist content" on storage devices seized from the man's home.

The 27-year-old attacker, originally from Syria, had been denied asylum in Germany and had twice been ordered to be deported to Bulgaria, his point of entry into the European Union, according to officials cited by The New York Times.

He had received asylum in Bulgaria in 2013, according to Hermann.

The Sunday night explosion left at least one person dead and 15 others injured.

The blast was one of four violent attacks to hit Germany in a matter of just one week. German officials have said that such attacks are expected to intensify.

[END REPORT]

Greek, Cypriot religious leaders conduct Mass in Damascus, meet with Syria's Grand Mufti

See website for more photographs of the Mass

Religious mass headed by Patriarch Yazigi, Archbishop Chrysostomos II held in Damascus

July 24, 

SANA

(Damascus, SANA) A mass was held at the Church of the Holy Cross in Kassaa neighborhood in Damascus, headed by Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X Yazigi and Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus Chrysostomos II.

Patriarch Yazigi pointed out that the unified Syrian family, Muslims and Christians included, is steadfast in facing conspiracy and terrorist war thanks to their support for the Syrian army, the brave leadership of President Bashar al-Assad and adherence to the homeland.

For his part, Archbishop Chrysostomos II affirmed that his visit came to express solidarity with the Syrian people.

Following the mass, a reception ceremony was held in honor of the Cypriot guests in the Church’s hall.

During the ceremony, Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed said that the visit of the Archbishop Chrysostomos II is a message for the entire world that Syria is an example of coexistence, hailing the stances of Archbishop Chrysostomos II in condemning terrorism and the countries supporting it.

Grand Mufti of Syria Ahmad Badr Eddin Hassoun affirmed on Sunday that Syria is fighting terrorism on behalf of Europe and the world.

During a meeting with Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus Chrysostomos II, Mufti Hassoun called on the regimes of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to stop supporting terrorists.

For his part, Archbishop Chrysostomos II said that he will convey the true image of what is happening in Syria and the suffering of the Syrians due to terrorism.

[END REPORT]

Pregnant woman dead and five injured from machete attack in South Germany

Number of People Injured in Reutlingen Machete Attack Rises to Five

July 25, 2016

Sputnik

The number of people injured in the machete attack in the south German town of Reutlingen on Sunday reached five, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The incident occurred on Sunday near the Reutlingen’s central bus terminal when a 21-year-old Syrian asylum seeker attacked a 42-year-old pregnant Pole with a machete, the Bild newspaper reported. The attack left the woman dead and five more people injured.

​Police managed to detain the assailant, who had an earlier criminal record.

Local police noted on Sunday that the incident was not a terror attack.

[END REPORT]

Of course it wasn't a terror attack. It was a poor deranged refugee. The German authorities have gone barking mad under Merkel's leadership.

********

German government had provided Ansbach bomber with an apartment

It's still not clear whether the perp was a suicide bomber or accidentally set off the bomb while he was trying to prime it. Either way, he's dead from the bomb blast, although he wasn't killed instantly; the bomb might have been in a rucksack he was carrying rather than strapped to his back. (See my earlier post featuring different news reports on the incident.)

It's also not clear whether the bomber, a Syrian, was a migrant or refugee. Different BBC headlines have characterized him both ways. 

What is clear from the following report is that the German government put him up in an apartment even after rejecting his request for asylum and let him stay in the country.

As for his mental problems -- not so crazy that he couldn't build or obtain a bomb constructed to do a lot of harm to many people at a music concert; it's just that for whatever reason it wasn't as lethal as intended.   

From BBC report, July 25:

[...]
The explosion is reported to have happened at about 22:10 (20:10 GMT) outside the Eugens Weinstube bar in the city centre which is a short distance from the entrance to the Ansbach Open music festival.

Police said three of the injured were in a serious condition.

Security services have sealed off the city centre and experts are trying to establish the kind of explosives the bomber used.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the suspected attacker had entered Germany two years ago and had his asylum claim rejected a year ago.

He had been given leave to stay temporarily given the situation in his home country and provided with an apartment in Ansbach, Mr Herrmann added.

The minister said he was "incensed" by the attack, which he said demonstrated the need "to strengthen controls on those we have living in our country".

Mr Herrmann said the man was known to have attempted suicide twice and had spent time in a psychiatric clinic.

"We don't know if this man planned on suicide or if he had the intention of killing others," he said.

However, he added that the bomb in the backpack would have been sufficient to kill and injure many more people.

Ansbach deputy police chief Roman Fertinger said there were "indications" that pieces of metal had been added to the explosive device.

Witness Thomas Debinski said there was "panic" after the explosion, although some people thought it was caused by a gas explosion.

"Then people came past and said it was a rucksack that had exploded," he told Sky News.

[...]

********

When will U.S. heatwave end? Not anytime soon.

"Higher than normal temperatures are still expected in the six to 10 day outlook. Two weeks out, the temperatures are still slated to be high. The good news is there's a chance, Robinson added, of normal to above normal precipitation."

Heat wave, drought showing no signs of slowing down
July 24, 2016 - 6:11 PM PT
The Associated Press via Sacramento Bee

(PHILADELPHIA) The heat wave gripping parts of the country including Philadelphia, where tens of thousands are descending upon the city for the Democratic National Convention this week, is not going away anytime soon and will hit a peak Monday with temperatures in the city feeling like 108 degrees.

Excessive heat warnings will continue Monday, the first day of the convention, in the Philadelphia area, most of the Midwest and regions out west. It's due to a dome of high pressure, meteorologists say, that's affecting most of the United States and contributing to drought conditions in the Northeast and continuing to fuel wildfires in California.

"It's fair to say that the vast majority of the nation has been experiencing above normal temperatures for the past week," said David Robinson, New Jersey state climatologist at Rutgers University.

The dome of high pressure traps hot air and is the basis for the "critical high temperatures" the country has been experiencing the past week, Robinson said, even for being the warmest time of the year.

Thunderstorms are common, as they were in parts of New England over the weekend, but don't help much with drought conditions in the Northeast and out west. Particularly dry weather in areas like Massachusetts and New York have forced farmers to choose which crops they will water and which will just not survive the season.

"The Northeast is a little bit of a mixed bag, but the bottom line is that the conditions have deteriorated over the past several weeks to a couple of months," said Rich Tinker, a drought specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In southern California, where drought has persisted for years, 18 homes have been destroyed and more than 34 square miles of brush have been blackened in a blaze that sparked Friday. Los Angeles Fire Chief John Tripp said the fire "started consuming houses" "like a freight train."

A main difference between the drought in the Northeast and out west is that the Northeast can pull out of those conditions at any time, Robinson said.

"The good news is that there's always a chance that the pattern can switch in several weeks at any time of the year," he added.

Temperatures in the Philadelphia area are predicted to reach their highest points Monday as 50,000 Democrats are expected there for the DNC. The heat index could hit 108 degrees, said Mitchell Gaines, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Temperatures may reach into triple digits. Adding to that, the humidity is set to return.

Thousands of protesters, many for climate change, on Sunday braved mid-90s temperatures as the city provided free water and "misting tents" to demonstrators, some of whom are walking several miles.

When will the heat wave break? Not anytime soon, Robinson said. Higher than normal temperatures are still expected in the six to 10 day outlook. Two weeks out, the temperatures are still slated to be high. The good news is there's a chance, Robinson added, of normal to above normal precipitation.

[END REPORT]

"Massive fire near NATO base in Turkey, possible anti-American sabotage"

01:44 25.07.2016(updated 04:46 25.07.2016)

Sputnik

A massive fire erupted near a NATO base in western Turkey. Authorities are investigating the fire as a possible act of anti-American sabotage.

The inferno started on Sunday evening in western Turkey. The fire blew through the grassy wooded area and is now perilously near NATO’s military base pushed forward by strong winds.

​CNNTurk reports that the fire threatens a number of populated areas, and has already impacted a home for the elderly and its adjacent garden, T24 News reports. The channel also reports that anti-American "sabotage" in the wake of the attempted overthrow of the Erdogan government is suspected.

The fire threatens the Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) base at Şirinyer (Buca) in İzmir, Turkey. LANDCOM is tasked with supporting US troops to enhance reaction time and the unit is equipped to respond to international crises.

Although Washington maintains its largest overseas nuclear arsenal in Turkey, consisting of up to 90 tactical nuclear weapons, the US atomic weapons stockpile is stored at Incirlik air base and no such weapons of mass destruction are reportedly stored at the Izmir base.

The fire is not fully subdued despite hours of effort along with the use of firefighting helicopters and airplanes conducting water drops according to local news outlets.

Sunday's fire comes in the wake of the failed attempt to overthrow the Erdogan government last week that the regime has blamed on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The country's Laber Minister created a stir when he said on live television during an interview with HaberTurk that "the US is behind the coup." This hyperbolic statement, condemned by the US State Department, was followed by a threat from Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yidlirim that Ankara would go to war with "any country" that supports Fethullah Gulen — a direct reference to the United States.

The US has repeatedly informed Turkey that they are unable to extradite the alleged mastermind of the coup, Fethullah Gulen, under US law without sufficient evidence. A recent poll shows that only 17% of Turks welcome the United States in the country and with Ankara shifting towards a more nationalistic posture attacks against US installations may become more likely in the wake of the failed coup.

[END REPORT]

Prior to Outbreak of Massive Fire Near NATO Base Pro-Erdogan Islamist Paper Said US General Led Coup Against Erdogan

04:43 25.07.2016(updated 05:47 25.07.2016)

Sputnik

[Headline and lede edited by Pundita because language is confusing. Pix of the U.S. general is directly under "Yeni Safak" banner ]

Only hours before a massive blaze broke out near a NATO base the Yeni Safak newspaper printed a picture of a US military commander it claims led the attempt to overthrow the Erdogan government 

On Sunday, hours before a massive blaze broke out near the NATO base in the western Turkish town of Izmir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s primary print publication for his Islamist supporters, Yeni Safak, printed the image of NATO International Security Assistance Force Commander Army General John F. Campbell accusing the US military official of plotting the coup against Erdogan in league with US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

[...]

Hours after the publication of the article, the NATO military base in Izmir became victim of a mass fire that continues to rage on at this hour despite desperate attempts by forces to contain the blaze using helicopter and airplane water drops. The fire threatens US munitions stockpiles at the base which could result in a severe exacerbation of the fire, loss of expensive weaponry, and safety dangers.

[...]

********