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Fri, 05 Nov 2021
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Stratfor releases report on China's latest naval developments

China navy submarine
© AFP 2015/ POOL / Guang Niu
Commenting on the announcement late last month that China would be establishing its first permanent overseas naval installation in Djibouti, Stratfor, the Washington-based think tank widely referred to as the 'Shadow CIA', suggested that the move demonstrates that Beijing is "setting the stage for more active involvement by its military" abroad.

According to the think tank, Beijing's plans to establish a base in this "strategic location on the Horn of Africa about 7,700 kilometers from China" demonstrates that the country is "growing into" its role as a great power, and that Beijing is "setting the stage for more active involvement by its military to defend Beijing's interests abroad."

Furthermore, Stratfor says, Djibouti may be only the first step "toward establishing a capable and expansive logistics network to support its increasingly global operations."

Comment: See also: China outmaneuvered the US in forging a new Silk Road & a new Eurasia - Part 1


Bomb

Turkey exercising NATO-style regime change in Iraq, hits 3 villages in airstrikes

Turkey Iraq
© AFP 2015/ MUSTAFA OZER
Turkey' activities in northern Iraq are symptomatic of Ankara's desire for more regime change in Baghdad with NATO help, and could lead to war between the countries, the German press worries.

Turkey's aggression in northern Iraq, call for Turks to leave the country, and airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets raise the risk of full-blown conflict between the two countries, warned Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten (DWN) on Thursday.

"The tension between Turkey and Iraq could soon open a new front in the Middle East; a war between these two countries cannot be ruled out any longer," writes DWN. The newspaper quotes President Erdogan from an interview on Wednesday with Al-Jazeera, in which he accused the Iraqi government of failing to protect Sunnis in northern Iraq.

Comment: This situation reeks of more regime change. Iraq dared to decide its own future and allowed Russian influence into the country, but NATO wants control of it all.

Check out:


Pirates

South Afghanistan: Taliban militants overrun Kanashin district in Helmand Province

Taliban attack
© en.dailypakistan.com.pk
Taliban gains ground, unrest, in attacks in Helmand Province.
Taliban militants have taken control of a district in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand, local authorities say. Mohammad Karim Atal, the head of the provincial council, said the militants overran the Khanashin district on Wednesday evening following heavy clashes with Afghan security forces.

Atal said militants torched a government building, adding 14 police officers were killed and another 11, including district police chief Ruaf Khan, injured in the clashes. The official said local authorities had repeatedly warned both Afghan ministries of defense and interior about the possible fall of the district to Taliban.

Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman, said a fierce exchange of gunfire was going on between Afghan government forces and Taliban in the Khanashin district, but did not confirm its fall. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said militants had completely established control over Khanashin.

Comment: The gift that keeps on giving: Washington's War on Terror and its puppet, the Taliban.


Eggs Fried

Jump shift: Turkey may import Israeli gas to replace Russian loss

Net and Er
© thelondonpost.net
Bibi Netanyahu and pal Tayyip Erdogan, cut of the same cloth it seems.
Turkey is considering gas imports from Israel, with the Tel Aviv regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the two sides have already discussed the possibility. Ankara has listed a number of conditions for a deal, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman on Thursday, citing demands for compensation for the May 2010 Israeli attack on an aid flotilla.

"If Israel takes steps on this issue, we will of course take needed steps, but the implementation of the previously reached consensus on compensation and the finalization of the negotiations is particularly important," Ibrahim Kalın said in a press conference in Ankara. His remarks came after Netanyahu said Israel was already in talks with Ankara about selling gas to Turkey.

In a speech to the Knesset on Wednesday, the Israeli premier said he wanted to expand relations with Ankara. "We're looking at the changing scene and seeing how we can, as I said before, diversify our markets, establish new friendships or rekindle old relationships if possible," he said.

Comment: Perhaps this deal will shed light on Israeli-Turkey collaboration in other areas than merely energy. Ripping off other countries' oil and gas (i.e.: Syria, Palestine...) and selling it to your collaborator? No problem. Erdogan and Netanyahu are of like minds, on the same level of deeds and understanding. What else did they talk about?


Attention

Invasion: Media reports Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Jordan may send 90,000 military to fight IS in Iraq

Soldiers
© EPA/ALI HASSAN
Around 100,000 foreign military, including 90,000 from Arab countries, may be deployed to Iraq to fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization, Iraq Press Agency quoted politician Hanan Al Faltawi as saying.

Al Fatlawi said that she received this information from reliable sources after talks between US Senator John McCain and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The meeting took place on November 27 in the joint American-Iraqi operational headquarters in Baghdad that coordinates military actions against IS, she added.

"Foreign forces of 100,000 - 90,000 from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan and 10,000 from the United States - will be stationed in Iraq's western parts," Al Fatlawi noted. The politician added that "the Iraqi prime minister openly expressed bewilderment over McCain's statement but was told that everything had already been decided."


Comment: No permission required, US does whatever it wants.


Comment: If this is true, that would be a considerable force 'invading' Iraq. Note the countries involved won't have Iraqis' best interest in mind.


Bomb

Kim Jong Un says North Korea has hydrogen bomb, becomes powerful nuclear state

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
© KCNA / Reuters
North Korea has now developed a hydrogen bomb and can use it along with nuclear warheads to defend its sovereignty, the country's central news agency has reported.

"We managed to become a great nuclear power capable of defending the independence and national dignity of our homeland by mighty nuclear and hydrogen strikes," leader Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying by the central news agency. He also said North Korea "has to continue with actively developing its military industry."

Satellite

'Embarrassing to defend': US general blasts Raytheon's GPS control system a 'disaster'

Raytheon
© Mike Blake / Reuters
A top-brass US Air Force general has openly criticized a new ground control system for GPS satellites built by Raytheon, calling them a 'disaster', condemning their defense contractor for bloating budgets while not delivering anything functional on time.

The system in question - GPS OCX - is the ground-based command and control network that will manage GPS satellites with significantly improved accuracy and precision, while providing unprecedented levels of cyber protection.

Comment: First the USAF's new F-35 fighter jet fiasco, now this. Assuming neither of these stories is propaganda meant as a weak attempt to fool opposing forces (Russia, etc.) then it almost seems as though the military industrial complex is becoming so complacent about raking in the bux they aren't even trying to earn it anymore.


Pirates

Erdogan's Mosul escapade: Blackmail for another Qatar-Turkey pipeline

Update: Iraqi sources confirm to Elijah J. Magnier that Turkey is indeed blackmailing Baghdad to get a Qatar-Turkey pipeline. The blackmail also has a water resource component. I wrote on that here back in August. I recommend to read the above linked Magnier piece together with my speculations below.
tanks
The Turkish move to annex Mosul is further developing into a serious conflict. Iraq has demanded that Turkey removes its soldiers and heavy weapons from the "training base" near Mosul within 48 hours. It asserts that these were put there without asking or informing the sovereign Iraqi government.

Turkey first denied that any new troops arrived in Iraq. It then said that the troops were only a replacement of the existing training force. Then it claimed that the new troops were there to protect the training force:
Turkish sources say the reinforcement plans were discussed in detail with Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's counter-ISIL fight coordinator, during his latest visit to Ankara on Nov. 5-6. "The Americans are telling the truth," one high-rank source said. "This is not a U.S.-led coalition operation, but we are informing them about every single detail. This is not a secret operation."
The U.S. was informed but Iraq was not? That makes it look as if the U.S. is behind this. Brett McGurk has also said that this is not a "U.S.-led coalition" operation but is otherwise playing "neutral" on the issue.

Bad Guys

Was the U.S. coalition attack on Syrian forces actually air cover for ISIS?


Comment: Fadel's account below is unverified, but it makes sense.


Syrian Army
You have all heard the news about the American air strike on the 137th Artillery Brigade stationed at a Desert Forces Base between 'Ayyaash and Al-Baaghiliyya. You may have also heard about the American attempt to blame the malicious attack on the Russian Air Force which even the Syrian Army has described as a pure lie. The fact of the matter is that ISIS was planning an attack on the base after its dismal concatenation of failures at the Dayr El-Zor AB. ISIS needed some new triumph in order to raise the sagging morale of its rank-and-file.....and the U.S. agreed. The coordination was completed with the help of the Turkish military which continued to maintain contact with the terrorist rat organization. And such a plan like this had to have the approval of the biggest rat of them all in the White House. But the plan failed miserably. (Map via Wikimapia)

As the ISIS main force was seen taking position across the Euphrates at a ford where the river's level was low enough to permit four-wheel vehicles to cross, albeit with some difficulty, SAA spotters noticed the presence of many rubber dinghies and other small vessels useable for crossing a body of water. The SAA opened fire as soon as the trucks started to collect. SAA-MI heard chatter on terrorist telephone demanding some intervention to prevent a slaughter of their ranks, and, abra-cadabra, the U.S. sent in bombers to target the artillery laying waste to the ISIS rodents. Photos of the damage can be seen in the article I posted below from Fortruss.

In any case, this was typical of the inept Turk planning which envisioned an ISIS presence on the north edge of the provincial capital. The number of dead ISIS vermin exceeds 30 with many wounded seen being spirited out of the area in pickups. The SAA did not stop firing ordnance until the rats were out of range.

The treacherous American attack killed 4 Syrian soldiers and wounded over 13.

Comment: Further reading: NATO's jihad: Turkey invades ISIS-occupied Iraq, U.S. attacks Syrian forces


Snakes in Suits

Fascist Trump calls for closing Internet, calls people who believe in free speech "foolish"

Donal Trump
On Monday, Donald Trump issued a statement advocating "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our representatives can figure out what's going on."

Only hours after calling for a "total and complete ban on Muslims entering the United States," the Republican presidential candidate forwarded the notion that America should also consider "closing the Internet up in some way," as a means of fighting the Islamic State.

During a speech, Trump said that children in America are "watching the internet and they want to be masterminds," and "we're losing a lot of people because of the internet."

Forwarding the narrative that the internet is responsible for radicalizing Muslims, a contentious point, to say the least, Trump called for closing down the internet, by oddly invoking Microsoft founder Bill Gates as a point man of sorts in his ludicrous scheme.
"We've got to maybe do something with the internet. We're losing a lot of people because of the internet. We have to see Bill Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what's happening," said Trump.


"We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that internet up in some ways. Somebody will say, 'Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.' These are foolish people."
Let that sink in for a moment.

Comment: When it comes to the presidential election, if you prefer a country that is run by someone who is clearly influenced by Hitler or Mussolini, go ahead and vote for Trump.