Monday, June 30, 2014

Ukraine President Suspends Ceasefire. Orders A Full Scale Military Assault (Updated)

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko addresses the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, June 26, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Vincent Kessler

Poroshenko Ends Ukraine Ceasefire, Says Government Will Attack Rebels -- Reuters

* Poroshenko says forces will "attack and free our lands"
* Blames rebels for failing to adhere to ceasefire
* Dismisses Russian offers to defuse crisis
* Truce expired late on Monday
* Talks with Russian, French, German leaders

KIEV, July 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Tuesday government forces would renew offensive operations against rebels and "free our lands", hours after a ceasefire to allow for peace talks with the pro-Russian separatists had expired.

Poroshenko, who accuses Russia of fanning violence in eastern Ukraine, dismissed Moscow's offers to defuse the crisis, and blamed the rebels for failing to keep to the truce or follow a peace plan he had outlined.

"We will attack and free our lands. The decision not to continue the ceasefire is our answer to terrorists, militants and marauders," he said in a televised statement delivered in front of the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag.

Read more ....



More News On The Ukrainian President Suspending The Ceasefire And Ordering New Military Assaults

English-language translation of Poroshenko's message to Ukraine ending ceasefire against Kremlin-backed separatists -- Kyiv Post
Ukrainian President Ends Cease-Fire With Rebels -- New York Times
Ukrainian President lets cease-fire expire, vows to 'liberate our land' -- CNN
Ukrainian President Poroshenko vows 'We will attack and we will liberate our land' -- UPI
Ceasefire in Ukraine Ends, Government Goes Back on Offensive Against Separatists -- Slate
Ukraine Update: President Orders Restart of Attacks on Rebels -- WSJ
Ukraine leader vows to 'attack' rebels as ceasefire dropped -- i24 News
Ukraine president ends ceasefire with rebels -- BBC
Poroshenko: 'We will attack and we will liberate our land' -- Kyiv Post
'We will attack': Ukrainian president ends unilateral ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists -- AP
Ukraine president ends cease-fire, vows attack on rebels -- USA Today
'We Will Attack': Ukraine President Poroshenko Ends Cease-Fire -- NBC
Ukraine Ends Truce With Rebels as Putin Seeks to Continue Talks -- Bloomberg

My Comment: This war is now going to explode.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 30, 2014



How Much Control Does Iran Have Over Iraq? An Expert Explains -- Isaac Chotiner, New Republic

With sectarian violence continuing in Iraq, I decided to call up Vali Nasr, who is an expert on the region, and who has written extensively about Shias in the Middle East. Nasr, the Dean of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins, is also the author of The Shia Revival and, more recently, The Dispensable Nation.

During our conversation we discussed Nouri al-Maliki's political standing, Iran's role in choosing the next Iraqi government, and whether nuclear negotiations will destroy any chance of an American-Iranian alliance.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 30, 2014

The Kurds May Seize the Moment to Break Free of Iraq -- National geographic

Voices: Why Awakening II won't save Iraq this time -- Jim Michaels, USA Today

America won't mind if Iraq splits -- Deutsche Welle

Iraq’s Christians See Putin As Savior -- Peter Schwartzstein, Daily Beast

How to keep ISIS terror from U.S. shores -- Aaron David Miller, CNN

Fighting Terrorism: A Third Way -- Max Boot, Commentary

The Shady Syrian Oligarchs Keeping Assad Afloat -- Benjamin Barthe, World Crunch

Israel is spurning Europe and sending its natural gas bonanza to Egypt -- Steve LeVine, Quartz

Japan PM to overturn pacifist defence policy -- Justin McCurry, The Guardian

Leaning on Thailand’s Junta -- Pavin Chachavalpongpun, NYT

Why Russians Go To Fight In Ukraine -- Ilya Barabanov, World Crunch

No Pressure, Belgian National Team—Just Keep the Country From Splintering Apart -- Joshua Keating, Slate

Brazil as World Cup host: What happened to predictions of doom and gloom? -- Eva Hershaw, CSM

World War next -- Michael Vatikiotis, Asia Times

Here’s What It Will Take to Contain the Worst Ebola Outbreak in History -- Alice Park, Time

World News Briefs -- June 30, 2014 (Evening Edition)



Cease-Fire In Ukraine Expires; No News On Possible Extension -- Al Jazeera

President Petro Poroshenko reportedly eyeing imposing martial law in restive east of country

A cease-fire declared by the Ukrainian president as part of his plan to end a pro-Russia insurgency in the east has expired without any immediate word on any extention.

The laying down of arms, which President Petro Poroshenko had prolonged last week from seven to 10 days, expired at 10 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) Monday. However, the Kyiv Post reported Monday afternoon that Poroshenko was expected to announce the end of the cease-fire and was expected to "impose a martial law in Donetsk and Luhansk."

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Bodies of missing settlers found in West Bank. Israeli military finds bodies of kidnapped teens.

Israeli leader: 'Hamas will pay'.

Any Israeli attack will open 'the gates of hell', warns Hamas.

Unrest in Iraq could delay delivery of US F-16s.

Isis rebels declare 'Islamic state' in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq strikes back with helicopter gunship attack on ISIS positions in Tikrit as Prime Minister Maliki says hundreds of soldiers have died in uprising.

Hanging onto oil-rich Kirkuk may prove a challenge for Iraq’s Kurds.

U.S. No. 2 diplomat expected to attend Iran nuclear talks in Vienna.

Russia asks UN to stop Syrian terrorist oil sales.

Syria activists: 7,000 killed in rebel infighting.

Israel launches airstrikes on a dozen Hamas sites in Gaza after factory is destroyed by Palestinian bombs.

Increasing drug use strains Yemen’s services.

ASIA

Pakistan troops launch ground offensive against Taliban. Pakistan launches ground war in Waziristan.

Taliban hold territory after Afghan offensive.

Dozens killed as Taliban makes major bid for former Afghan stronghold of Helmand.

Karzai: 'Foreigners' behind Taliban offensive.

North Korea fires missiles ahead of Xi's Seoul visit.

N. Korea preparing to indict 2 American tourists.

N.Korea proposes suspension of military hostilities.

Thousands denounce Japanese PM Abe's security shift.

Top China military official Gen Xu Caihou accused.

Hong Kong prepares for mass protest against Beijing control.

Indonesia surpasses Brazil in deforestation rate.

AFRICA

Gunmen kidnap leading Libyan Islamist party figure.

U.N. peacekeeper killed, six others injured in Mali blast.

Suspected Islamist militants kill 24 in NE Nigeria. Dozens feared killed as Islamist militants attack several churches in Nigeria.

Market blast kills two in Somali capital.

50 rebels killed in Sudan’s Kordofan.

African economies expected to continue to grow.

WHO warns West Africa countries of Ebola spread.

Cairo hit by bombings on first anniversary of anti-Morsi protests.

Psych evaluation: Oscar Pistorius not mentally incapacitated during shooting.

EUROPE

Ukrainian cease-fire expires, no extension yet. Ukraine ceasefire expires without extension.

Ukraine's president faces decision on cease-fire.

Ukraine crisis: Leaders to hold more talks amid clashes.

Cameraman for Russia's top broadcaster killed in E. Ukraine. 5 Ukraine soldiers are killed as rebels defy extended cease-fire.

Russia: US pushing for Ukraine confrontation.

US general: Russian arms likely used in shootdowns.

European Commission steps in to help Bulgarian banks.

Juncker is new EU leader despite British wishes. Cameron comes under attack after defeat in EU row.

Thirty dead bodies found on Italy-bound migrant boat. Italian navy picks up thousands of migrants.

Pope says communists are closet Christians.

AMERICAS

Obama rips GOP on immigration, says he will act alone.

Obama connects ISIL, terror threats at home.

Pelosi: Border breach is ‘opportunity’ to serve ‘God’s children’.

Poverty, violence drive Central American exodus to U.S..

U.S. Supreme Court to rule in mandatory union dues case. Court: Public union can't make nonmembers pay fees.

Facing deadline, Argentina slams US court decision on debt payments. Holdout investors says Argentina not at negotiating table.

At least 22 killed in gunfight southwest of Mexico City.

U.S. soldier suspected of murder in Panama likely to face military justice.

Toronto mayor admits 'complete denial' about substance abuse.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Appeals court revives Abu Ghraib torture lawsuit.

Airport security to be tightened over intelligence reports that Syrian terrorists are making 'creative' new bombs to target commercial flights.

Controversy swirls over handling of Benghazi suspect Abu Khatallah. Benghazi suspect pleads not guilty.

Obama: US under threat entire term. Obama: Battle-hardened militants pose threat to US.

China jails 113 in Xinjiang for terrorism.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

BNP Paribas braces for $9 billion fine.

World Cup boosting profits for US businesses.

BNP Paribas to be 'punished severely', says boss.

Facebook emotion experiment sparks criticism.

Exclusive: Facebook scores record 1 billion interactions for World Cup.

Afghan Taliban Have Established A Foothold In Helmand Province After 10 Days Of Fighting



Taliban Hold Territory After Afghan Offensive -- Al Jazeera

Fighters establish foothold in southern Helmand province in 10-day deadly battle against Afghan forces.

The Taliban has established a foothold in southern Afghanistan in a 10-day battle against Afghan forces, locals said, as the army and police struggle to prove they can defeat the fighters without NATO help.

A coordinated assault by 800 Taliban fighters on police checkpoints and military posts began on June 19, with Afghan forces rushed in to recapture parts of Sangin district in Helmand province.

Figures on casualties were difficult to ascertain but around 50 police, soldiers and civilians were estimated by security forces to have been killed in the initial days of fighting. Last week the government said that they had killed about 100 Taliban rebels in the fighting.

Read more ....

More News On The Taliban Efforts To Seize A Part Of Helmand Province

Taliban Hold Ground in Southern Afghanistan -- Newsweek
Afghans battle for strategic Helmand after U.S. troops pull out -- Reuters
Afghan Army Says Regains Full Control Of Helmand Province -- RFE
Dozens killed as Taliban makes major bid for former Afghan stronghold of Helmand -- Washington Post
Taliban battle to regain areas of key southern province -- Long War Journal
Post-US withdrawal Afghans battle for strategic Helmand -- Daily Times
News Analysis: Taliban offensive in Helmand tests Afghan forces' ability to maintain security -- Global Post/Xinhua News Agency

My Comment: The Afghan government is saying that they have routed the Taliban. Other reports indicate that the Taliban are holding ground. I am not sure on who is winning .... but reporters are still not being permitted in the area where military operations are occurring.

China's Military Is Rocked By Corruption Scandal

Court-martial: General Xu Caihou, a former deputy chairman of the party's Central Military Commission is accused of accepting bribes, and has been expelled from the Communist Party

China Rocked By Its Biggest Military Scandal In Decades As Former Top General Is Expelled And Accused Of Accepting Bribes -- Daily Mail

* General Xu Caihou 'took bribes' in exchange for promotions and favours
* Former deputy chairman of Communist Party's Central Military Commission
* General Xu he has been thrown out of the party and faces court-martial
* The most senior 'victim' of President Xi Jinpings's anti-corruption campaign

A former top Chinese general has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party after he allegedly accepted bribes.

General Xu Caihou, a former deputy chairman of the party's Central Military Commission is accused of taking money and property in exchange for promotions and favours.

A party statement reported by the official Xinhua News Agency said he has been thrown out of the party and the case handed over to military prosecutors.

Read more ....

More News On China's Military Scandal

Anti-graft blitz KOs civilian, military heavyweights -- Xinhua (China)
Former top Chinese general becomes biggest figure caught in spreading corruption crackdown -- FOX News/AP
Top China military official Gen Xu Caihou accused -- BBC
China’s Anti-Corruption Campaign Snares Retired Military Chief -- Bloomberg Businessweek
China’s Antigraft Push Snares Most Senior Target Yet -- NYT
Corruption Charges Trigger Chinese General's Court-Martial -- Voice of America
Chinese anti-corruption crackdown nets former top general -- The Guardian
Top Chinese official expelled over corruption -- The Hindu

My Comment: This is a very "big fish". Chinese President Xi is clearly signalling to everyone that he is serious about his anti-corruption drive .... and that no one is immune.

Pakistan Army Launches A Ground Offensive Against The Taliban Near The Afghan border


Pakistan Launches Ground Offensive in North Waziristan -- Voice of America

Pakistan's military says it has begun a ground offensive against terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan, following two weeks of aerial bombing and evacuation of civilians from the region. The northwestern tribal territory bordering Afghanistan has long been a source of domestic and international terrorist activities.

After evacuation of “all civilian population,” the army says its troops and commandos have started a “house-to-house search” in and around Miranshah, the administrative center of North Waziristan.

The army says the initial ground offensive has killed 15 “terrorists” and found tunnels and bomb-making factories.

Read more ....

More News On The Pakistani Military Launching A Ground Offensive Against The Taliban

Pakistan troops launch ground offensive against Taliban -- BBC
Pakistan army begins ground offensive in North Waziristan capital -- Reuters
Pakistan launches ground offensive against Taliban near Afghan border -- FOX News/AP
Pakistan Starts Ground Offensive Against Taliban Near Border -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Pakistani army begins ground offensive against Taliban -- Washington Post
Pakistan Army Begins Ground Assault on Militants -- NYT
Pakistan launches ground offensive against militants in North Waziristan -- CNN
Pakistan Launches Ground Operation Against Militants -- WSJ
Pakistan launches ground war in Waziristan -- Al Jazeera
Pakistan's Military Kills 15 Militants In Ground Attack In Waziristan -- IBTimes
Roundup: 412 militants, 17 soldiers killed in military operation in NW Pakistan -- Global Post/Xinhua

European Governments Pressuring Internet And Social Media Companies To Close The Accounts Of Islamist Militants

European Governments Seek Jihadists' Ouster from Social Media -- Wall Street Journal

Companies Need to Enforce Rules Against Jihadist Statements, Says Netherlands' Security Minister

AMSTERDAM—European governments are calling on Internet and social media companies to close the accounts of Islamist militants, as part of a wider effort to contain the threat of European extremists returning from Syria, Dutch officials said Monday.

Ivo Opstelten, the Dutch minister of security and justice, said the companies must make greater efforts to ban Islamic militants from using their platforms for recruitment and propaganda.

"Many companies might have [clauses against jihadist statements] in their terms of service, but they don't act," he said in a letter to lawmakers. "These companies must live up to their own rules on postings and delete propaganda of violent jihadists," he said.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is really a warning from the EU governments to social media companies that if they do nothing about it .... the governments within the EU will force them to do so.

Russia And Ukraine Agree To Work On A Truce Extension (Updated)

Ukraine's President-elect Petro Proshenko (L) walks past Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) during the commemoration ceremony for the 70th anniversary of D-Day at Sword beach in Ouistreham June 6, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool

Ukraine And Russia Agree To Work On Truce Extension -- BBC

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to work together to establish a bilateral ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, the office of the French president says.

They are also working towards the establishment of effective border controls, it adds.

It follows talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France to resolve the conflict in east Ukraine.

A ceasefire between the Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists is due to end on Monday evening.

But the temporary truce, which was extended for three days on Friday, has had little effect on the ground, with both sides accusing the other of violating it.

Read more ....

More News On Efforts To Extend The Ukraine Ceasefire

Kiev and Moscow in talks to extend Ukraine truce -- France 24
Ukraine’s leader talks with Putin, Merkel on peace -- Washington Post/AP
Russia, Ukraine Agree to Work on Extending Cease-Fire -- VOA
Putin Holds Talks With EU Leaders in Ukraine Peace Push -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Putin Calls for Ukraine Cease-Fire Extension -- WSJ
Moscow offers to allow OSCE observers at Russia-Ukraine border checkpoints -- RT
Moscow hopes for talks with Ukraine border guards on presence at checkpoints -- ITAR-TASS
Ukraine leaders meets security chiefs as end of ceasefire approaches -- Reuters
Extended cease-fire for eastern Ukraine set to expire late Monday -- UPI

The Bodies Of Three Israeli Teenagers Who Were Kidnapped Last Month In The West Bank Have Been Found

Missing Israeli teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach.IDF

Bodies Of Three Missing Israeli Teens Found Near Hebron, Source Says -- ABC News

The bodies of three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped in the West Bank earlier this month have been found north of the city of Hebron, a source confirmed to ABC News today.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group accused by Israel of taking the boys, has denied kidnapping the teens, though senior Israeli and Palestinian officials agree that the abductors were likely tied to -- or part of -- Hamas but operating without orders from the organization's leadership.

One of the teens, 16-year-old Naftali Frenkel, had dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship and his family is from Brooklyn, N.Y. The two others were Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach.

Read more ....

Update: Israel: Fears that Bodies of Three Kidnapped Teenage Settlers Found near Hebron -- IBTimes

My Comment: There is going to be blow-back .... again.

Another Journalist Killed In Ukraine



Last Word ‘Camera’! Russian Journalist Killed In E. Ukraine Working Till Dying Breath -- RT

The Russian cameraman from Channel One TV who was shot by Kiev forces in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, never stopped working. Even when he was fatally shot he managed to record till his last breath. The video caught his final moments.

Anatoly Klyan, 68, was fatally wounded in the stomach and died Sunday night. Along with a few other journalists, he had boarded a bus full of women – mostly mothers – who were traveling to a military base in Donetsk to demand that their sons be dismissed from the unit and allowed to go home.

Kiev armed forces opened fire as soon as the bus entered the territory of the military base, the driver immediately turned the bus back to escape the deadly shooting.

Read more ....

Update #1: Russia protests over shooting of cameraman in Ukraine -- Reuters
Update #2: Russian Cameraman 5th Journalist Killed in Ukraine -- AP

My Comment:  Regardless of how this happened ... this is just more proof that there is no ceasefire.

Breaking News: Putin and Poroshenko Agree To Work On A Bilateral Ceasefire And To Continue To Free Hostages

WNU Editor: The above bulletin is from Reuters. No one else is reporting this story yet. When more news becomes available I will be posting an update.

World News Briefs -- June 30, 2014


ISIS Declares 'Caliphate' Stretching Across Iraq And Syria -- CNN

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Emboldened by a weakened Iraqi government that is struggling to stop their murderous advance, the extremists of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria declared over the weekend that they have set up a caliphate spanning large areas of the two countries.

In a newly released audio message and written statement, purportedly from the official spokesman of ISIS, the group called on Muslims to swear allegiance to the caliphate, which means Islamic state.

The group said in the message Sunday, which CNN couldn't independently confirm, that its flag now flies from Aleppo province in northwestern Syria to Diyala province in eastern Iraq. It announced that it was changing its name to just the "Islamic State."

The ISIS statement was just one of the many developments in the fast-moving situation in Iraq over the weekend.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Isis rebels declare 'Islamic state' in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq strikes back with helicopter gunship attack on ISIS positions in Tikrit as Prime Minister Maliki says hundreds of soldiers have died in uprising.

Hanging onto oil-rich Kirkuk may prove a challenge for Iraq’s Kurds.

Syria activists: 7,000 killed in rebel infighting.

Israel launches airstrikes on a dozen Hamas sites in Gaza after factory is destroyed by Palestinian bombs.

6 Palestinians arrested in Israeli search for abducted teens.

Increasing drug use strains Yemen’s services.

ASIA

Pakistan troops launch ground offensive against Taliban. Pakistan launches ground war in Waziristan.

Dozens killed as Taliban makes major bid for former Afghan stronghold of Helmand.

Karzai: 'Foreigners' behind Taliban offensive.

North Korea fires missiles ahead of Xi's Seoul visit.

N. Korea preparing to indict 2 American tourists.

N.Korea proposes suspension of military hostilities.

Thousands denounce Japanese PM Abe's security shift.

Top China military official Gen Xu Caihou accused.

Hong Kong prepares for mass protest against Beijing control.

Indonesia surpasses Brazil in deforestation rate.

AFRICA

Suspected Islamist militants kill 24 in NE Nigeria. Dozens feared killed as Islamist militants attack several churches in Nigeria.

Market blast kills two in Somali capital.

50 rebels killed in Sudan’s Kordofan.

African economies expected to continue to grow.

WHO warns West Africa countries of Ebola spread.

Cairo hit by bombings on first anniversary of anti-Morsi protests.

Psych evaluation: Oscar Pistorius not mentally incapacitated during shooting.

EUROPE

Ukraine's president faces decision on cease-fire.

Ukraine crisis: Leaders to hold more talks amid clashes.

Cameraman for Russia's top broadcaster killed in E. Ukraine. 5 Ukraine soldiers are killed as rebels defy extended cease-fire.

Russia: US pushing for Ukraine confrontation.

European Commission steps in to help Bulgarian banks.

Juncker is new EU leader despite British wishes. Cameron comes under attack after defeat in EU row.

Thirty dead bodies found on Italy-bound migrant boat. Italian navy picks up thousands of migrants.

Pope says communists are closet Christians.

AMERICAS

Obama connects ISIL, terror threats at home.

Pelosi: Border breach is ‘opportunity’ to serve ‘God’s children’.

Poverty, violence drive Central American exodus to U.S..

U.S. Supreme Court to rule in mandatory union dues case. Court: Public union can't make nonmembers pay fees.

Facing deadline, Argentina slams US court decision on debt payments. Holdout investors says Argentina not at negotiating table.

U.S. soldier suspected of murder in Panama likely to face military justice.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Airport security to be tightened over intelligence reports that Syrian terrorists are making 'creative' new bombs to target commercial flights.

Controversy swirls over handling of Benghazi suspect Abu Khatallah. Benghazi suspect pleads not guilty.

Obama: US under threat entire term. Obama: Battle-hardened militants pose threat to US.

China jails 113 in Xinjiang for terrorism.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

World Cup boosting profits for US businesses.

BNP Paribas to be 'punished severely', says boss.

Facebook emotion experiment sparks criticism.

Exclusive: Facebook scores record 1 billion interactions for World Cup.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 30, 2014

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Defense Department Comptroller Robert Hale testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee on the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2015 budget request in Washington, D.C., June 18, 2014. DOD photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp

White House Submits $59 Billion War Budget -- DoD Buzz

The White House on Thursday sent Congress a proposed fiscal 2015 war budget that includes major cuts and a request for $500 million to train and equip moderate rebels in Syria’s civil war.

The $58.6 billion request for the Defense Department so-called Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) next year is $20.9 billion less than the $79.4 billion placeholder originally included in the budget, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget said.

In recent years, war budgets have generally been in the $80 billion range, down from the $187 billion in fiscal 2008 at the height of the Iraq war.

Read more ....

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 30, 2014

President Requests $58.6 Billion for Overseas Contingencies -- US Department of Defense

ISIL strengthened by abandoned US-made weapons -- Stars and Stripes/L.A. Times

In the Shadows of Shrines, Shiite Forces Are Preparing to Fight ISIS -- NYT

Russian 'Blackwater'? MPs call for local security industry loophole -- RT

Turkey Could Double Its Arms Budget -- Defense News

Saudi King Sacks Deputy Defense Minister -- Defense News/AFP

China Expels Military Commander Who Nearly Reached The 'Very Apex Of Power' Over Graft -- Business Insider/Reuters

Afghanistan 'won't mirror Iraq', UK Army officer says -- BBC

Sikorsky to Begin Building New Air Force Helo -- Defense Tech

Navy Engineers LCS Changes -- DoD Buzz

Stealthy warship Zumwalt is soon getting jet fuel -- AP

US Armored Vehicle Battle Intensifies -- Defense News

US Navy Shows Off Ideas About 2025 Workplace -- Defense News

Congress to Cut Key U.S. Missile Defense System -- Washington Free Beacon

Despite Lawsuits, Disagreements, SpaceX and USAF Moving Forward -- Defense News

U.S. releases data on sensitive surveillance programs for first time -- Washington Post

New NSA director says Snowden leaks are manageable: report -- Washington Times

Obama Poised to Yank Top Military Intel Pick -- Foreign Policy

Powerful Radar Blimp To Surveil Washington, Baltimore, Out to Sea -- Defense News

Advisers tell Obama ‘significant and chronic systemic failures’ at VA still not addressed -- Washington Times

Obama to tap former chief of Procter & Gamble to clean up VA -- CNN

Blumenthal: VA nominee will face ‘tough questions’ -- The Hill

50 VA hospital workers claim retaliation for blowing whistle on the horrors they saw -- Washington Times

Report: Blackwater probe abandoned after threat -- The Hill

Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 back in U.S. -- Washington Times

Pentagon: 7 in 10 Youths Would Fail to Qualify for Military Service -- Time

Pentagon: Young Adults Too Fat, Tattooed, Uneducated for Military -- Newsmax

Pew Poll Finds Americans Deeply Skeptical of US Military Force -- Defense News

Sneak peek into Marines' quiet mission in Central America -- Marine Times

Military intervention, Iranian-style -- Farzan Sabet, War On The Rocks

Why America’s Military Dominance Is Fading -- Mackenzie Eaglen, National Interest

The U.S. Navy’s Biggest Base Is Sinking: Climate change endangers Norfolk -- Robert Farley, War Is Boring

White House Sends A Special CIA Unit To The UK To Investigate British Islamists

Obama Sends CIA To UK To Probe Terrorist 'Breeding Ground': President In Pointed Snub To MI5 Over 'Lone Wolf' Mission To Interrogate British Security Experts -- Daily Mail

* Sources said U.S. agents want to assess stability of Muslim relations in UK
* Normally Obama relies on intelligence passed directly from the British
* But fears have ramped up after recent radicalisation of young Britons

President Obama has sent a special unit of CIA officers to the UK to investigate British Muslim extremists amid growing fears in Washington that we are becoming a ‘breeding ground’ for terrorism.

In a pointed snub to MI5, the agents arrived on a ‘lone wolf’ mission to interrogate senior security experts about the radicalisation of UK Muslims.

The mission has been revealed as our security services have been forced to admit they are struggling to keep track of the estimated 500 Britons who have travelled to the Middle East to fight alongside the Islamic Isis forces in Syria and Iraq.

Read more ....

Update: Special CIA Unit Sent to UK to Investigate British Islamists -- Arutz Sheva

My Comment:  The radicalization of young Muslims in Western nations has been an ongoing "problem" .... and this report only gives credence that it will probably be with us for a long time.

New NSA Chief Says Snowden NSA Leaks Are Manageable

NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers listens at a Reuters CyberSecurity Summit in Washington, May 12, 2014. Reuters

New N.S.A. Chief Calls Damage From Snowden Leaks Manageable -- New York Times

FORT MEADE, Md. — The newly installed director of the National Security Agency says that while he has seen some terrorist groups alter their communications to avoid surveillance techniques revealed by Edward J. Snowden, the damage done over all by a year of revelations does not lead him to the conclusion that “the sky is falling.”

In an hourlong interview Friday in his office here at the heart of the country’s electronic eavesdropping and cyberoperations, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, who has now run the beleaguered spy agency and the military’s Cyber Command for just short of three months, described the series of steps he was taking to ensure that no one could download the trove of data that Mr. Snowden gathered — more than a million documents.

But he cautioned that there was no perfect protection against a dedicated insider with access to the agency’s networks.

Read more ....

More News On Remarks From The New NSA Chief Saying That The NSA Leaks Are Manageable

New NSA director says Snowden leaks are manageable: report -- Washington Times
New NSA chief says 'sky not falling down' after Snowden revelations -- The Guardian
New NSA Chief: Snowden Didn’t Do That Much Damage -- Time
NSA Chief: The Sky Is Not Falling Over The Snowden Leaks -- Business Insider

Air Force Secretary Gets Violently Sick During A Ride With The Thunderbirds

Air Force Secretary Gets Sick Flying With Thunderbirds -- Washington Times

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James became “violently ill” during a ride with the storied Thunderbirds aerial acrobatic team this week.

Commanders at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., thought it would be good PR to invite the relatively new secretary for a flight with its most famous squadron. Amid tight defense spending, there is pressure to demonstrate the worth of the Thunderbirds, which is back in the air show business after having been grounded last year when sequestration took hold.

But Tuesday’s F-16 flight did not go as planned in the cockpit for Ms. James, a former House defense staffer, Pentagon official and defense industry executive.

“Someone got the bright idea to invite her on the airplane,” said a source familiar with the incident. “She got violently ill.”

Read more ....

My Comment: Here is an easy prediction .... she is not going to do that again.

Iraq's Refugee Crisis Is Exploding



A Reignited War Drives Iraqis Out in Huge Numbers -- New York Times

DARBANDIKHAN, Iraq — As Sunni rebels advanced across Iraq in recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were driven from their homes. For many, it was not the first time.

There have been very few prolonged periods of peace in Iraq over the last several decades, and for civilians seemingly perpetual flight. More than a million Iraqis have been displaced this year, half within the last couple of weeks, the United Nations says.

For Akheel Ahmed, a Sunni Arab who fled his home in the central Iraq town of Balad, fear and uncertainty were accompanied by familiarity. He arrived in this mountain village along the Iranian border a few days ago with his three sons, the second time in recent years that he has become a refugee in his own country.

Using hand gestures, he described the battlefield that his hometown had become.

Read more ....

My Comment: The next step will be organized ethnic cleansing and a true sectarian division of Iraq.

Update: The last Christians are fleeing .... Iraqi Christians: 'US Must Act Now to Stop Religious Genocide' -- Breitbart

Is The Israel - Hamas Conflict About To 'Heat Up'?



Israel 'Ready' To Launch Major Offensive On Gaza Militant Groups -- The Telegraph

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, warns of large-scale response to increase in rocket fire from Gaza.

Israel is prepared to a launch a renewed large-scale offensive against militant groups in Gaza in response to an increase in rocket fire from the tiny coastal territory, the country’s leadership said on Sunday.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, led the warnings after the Israeli air force hit up to a dozen targets in Gaza on Sunday in the latest in a series of raids conducted in recent days. The strikes came after one of six missiles fired from Gaza on Saturday hit a paint factory in Sderot, an Israeli border town, setting it ablaze and forcing four workers to flee the site.

“We are ready to expand this operation as per need,” Mr Netanyahu told Sunday’s cabinet meeting. He said the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, was responsible for halting rocket fire from Gaza thanks to a recent unity deal struck with Hamas, the Islamist group in de facto control of the territory.

Read more ....

Update #1: Rocket barrage continues after Israel strikes Gaza -- i24 News
Update #2: Israel bombs Gaza after rocket attacks, Hamas gunman killed -- Reuters

My Comment: It looks like both sides are now gearing up for war. 

Ukraine President Under Intense Pressure To Issue Another Extension To The Ceasefire

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko

Ukraine President To Call Ceasefire -- AFP

Ukraine's new president Petro Poroshenko has announced that he will soon order a unilateral ceasefire in the separatist east to help end the 10-week pro-Russian insurgency.

He took a further step towards relieving tensions with Russia by deciding to replace acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya -- a hated figure in Moscow -- with his current envoy to ongoing OSCE-mediate negotiations with the Kremlin.

But the Western-backed leader also appealed for US and EU help to secure his crisis-torn country's porous border with Russia, and stem the influx of arms and militants into the conflict zone.

"The peace plan begins with my order for a unilateral ceasefire," the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Poroshenko as saying on Wednesday.

Read more ....

Update: EU leaders urge Ukraine to extend ceasefire -- Al Jazeera

My Comment: Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko is also under pressure from Ukrainian nationalists who apparently want to wage war against pro-Russian separatists .... ‘Let’s wage war!’ Huge crowd rallies in Kiev for end of ceasefire, martial law -- RT

Report: ISIS's Battle Plan For Baghdad


"The Battle For Baghdad" - A Backgrounder On ISIS' Grand Plan -- Zero Hedge

It is no secret that the extremist al-Qaeda Jihadist group known as ISIS for short, which in the span of weeks has overrun the northern part of Iraq, has grand ambitions to not only preserve its power in the north and central regions, as well as the border with Syria, but to ultimately proceed south where not only Baghdad is located but also the great energy infrastructure of the country: "the grand prize" for ISIS as it would make the extremist group viable and financially self-sustaining.

But how and when will this "Battle for Baghdad" take place?

For the answer we go to a backgrounder prepared by the Institute for the Study of War titled, as expected, "ISIS Battle Plan for Baghdad" which lays it out in detail.

Read more ....

Update: Why ISIS Won’t Take Baghdad -- Jamies dettmer, Daily Beast

My Comment:  There is very little that I disagree with in this report .... the only question that needs to be answered is .... is ISIS getting ready to implement this strategy .... or some variant of it.

Sectarian Warfare Is Now Gripping The Middle East

A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holds an ISIL flag and a weapon on a street in the city of Mosul, June 23, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer

Sectarian Genie Is Out Of The Bottle From Syria To Iraq -- Samia Nakhoul, Reuters

(Reuters) - As jihadists storm through the Sunni heartlands of Iraq towards Baghdad, where a Shi’ite government they regard as heretic clings on, they have lifted the veil on deep sectarianism which has also stoked the fires of Syria’s civil war and is spilling over into vulnerable mosaic societies such as Lebanon.

The sectarian genie is now well out of the bottle, eclipsing traditional inter-state rivalries that plague the Middle East - even if these still play a part in the drama.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution brought a Shi’ite theocracy to power in non-Arab Iran, giving a sectarian edge to the long-standing, state-to-state contest for influence in the Gulf between Iran and Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy underpinned by the fundamentalist tenets of Sunni Wahhabi doctrine.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a sectarian conflict that has been ongoing since the birth of Islam .... and after a brief interlude in the 20th century .... it is now back with a vengeance.

Boko Haram Launches A Number Of Attacks Against Christian Villages In Nigeria

Nigeria: 'Boko Haram' Attack Villages Near Chibok -- BBC

Four villages in north-eastern Nigeria have been attacked by suspected Boko Haram militants who targeted at least one church.

Some unconfirmed reports say 40 civilians and 6 insurgents were killed as militants and vigilantes clashed.

It is the latest assault on villages near Chibok, the town where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in April.

Hundreds of villagers have been killed in similar attacks in the region by Boko Haram in recent months.

A state of emergency is in force in northern Nigeria because of the group's increasingly violent campaign to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

Read more ....

More News On Boko Haram Launches A Number Of Attacks Against Christian Villages In Nigeria

Nigerian Islamists attack villages, churches near Chibok, dozens killed -- Reuters
Gunmen torch churches, kill dozens in Nigeria -- FOX News/AP
Gunmen Fire on Nigerian Churchgoers -- New York Times
Suspected Islamist Militants Kill 24 in NE Nigeria -- VOA
Nigeria: Boko Haram Sets Five Churches Ablaze, Killing Many Worshippers in Borno -- Daily Independent

US Marine 'Deserter' Reappears After 10 Years By Turning Himself Over To NCIS Investigators In Bahrain

Wassef Ali Hassoun (via Twitter)

The 'Mystery Marine' Finally Turns Himself In: Two-Time Deserter Accused Of Faking His Kidnapping Is In Custody After Spending 9 Years On The Run In Lebanon -- Daily Times

* Hassoun turned himself over to NCIS investigators in Bahrain, reportedly telling them that he feared for his life in Lebanon
* He was charged twice for desertion, the first when he allegedly staged his kidnapping by terrorists, the second when he fled U.S. custody in January 2005
* Family: Marine Corp. has anti-Muslim bias
* Officials say Hassoun's case is unrelated to the controversial situation of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was released May 31 in a trade with the Taliban. Bergdahl's colleagues allege that he deserted his post in June 2009

A U.S. Marine charged twice with desertion has turned himself in to U.S. custody after hiding for nine years in Lebanon, authorities said Sunday.

Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, 34, surrendered to NCIS investigators in Bahrain, reportedly telling them that he feared for his life in Lebanon.

Capt. Eric Flanagan said that Hassoun was being flown out of the Middle East to Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday. From there, he is to be moved to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, where authorities will decide whether or not to court-martial him.

Read more ....

More News On US Marine 'Deserter' Reappearing After 10 Years

Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 is back in US custody -- FOX News/AP
US Marine 'Deserter' Reappears After 10 Years -- SKY News
Marine Twice Charged With Desertion Turns Himself In -- NBC
Missing Marine, Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun Turns Himself In; Alleged Deserter Flown To Norfolk, Va. -- IBTimes

Russian Military Advisers Are Now In Iraq



Russian Advisers Ready Iraq to Use New Combat Aircraft -- Bloomberg

Russian military advisers helped to prepare Iraq’s air force to use five newly delivered combat planes in its campaign to recapture areas of the country’s north that fell to an al-Qaeda breakaway.

The used Russian Sukhoi combat aircraft arrived in Iraq as government ground forces, backed by helicopter gunships, pressed their offensive to drive Sunni fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from the northern city of Tikrit. Al-Mada Press reported late yesterday that government forces recaptured Ouja village, Saddam Hussein’s birthplace, south of Tikrit.

The Iraqi government turned to Russia to bolster its air capabilities, saying U.S. fighter jets were taking too long to be delivered. Russian advisers who arrived in Iraq are helping to put the “logistical procedures in place,” and the aircraft will enter service within three to four days, air force commander General Anwar Ameen said yesterday on state-run Iraqiya TV.

Read more ....

Previous Post: Iraq Receives It's First Batch Of Russian Fighter Jets

My Comment: From a PR point of view .... this is win - win for Russia. But will these jet fighters change the course of the conflict .... I doubt it.

North Korea Tast Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles



North Korea Defies U.N. and Provokes Its Neighbors by Firing 2 Ballistic Missiles -- New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Monday that it planned to indict and try two Americans it has held on charges of committing “hostile acts” against the country, just a day after it fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, flouting a United Nations ban on the country’s testing of such missiles.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said of the Americans, Matthew Miller, 24, and Jeffrey Edward Fowle, 56, “Their hostile acts were confirmed by evidence and their own testimonies.”

Mr. Miller was detained for his “absurd” behavior after he tore up his tourist visa and demanded asylum upon arriving in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on April 10, according to state news media there. The arrest of Mr. Fowle, of Miamisburg, Ohio, was confirmed in early June when North Korea accused him of perpetrating “activities that violated the laws of our republic, which did not fit his stated purpose of visiting our republic as a tourist.”

The ballistics test came four days before President Xi Jinping of China was scheduled to visit Seoul, South Korea, in his first trip to the Korean Peninsula as Beijing’s leader.

Read more ....

More News On North Korea Test Firing 2 Ballistic Missiles

North Korea test-fires Scud missiles amid heightened tensions with South Korea -- AP
N. Korea Fires 2 Missiles, Defying UN -- VOA
North Korea fires another round of missiles into sea -- CSM
North Korea fires second round of short-range projectiles in less than week -- UPI
N. Korean leader Kim guides test-launch of rockets: KCNA -- Yonhap News Agency

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Will Support Kurdish Independence From Iraq

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Credit: REUTERS/Dan Balilty

Netanyahu: I Support Kurdish Independence -- Jerusalem Post

Israel must prepare for ISIS infiltration into Jordan by building security barrier from Eilat to Golan Heights, says PM.

In a move that placed him at odds with US policy, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday took his first public stand in support of Kurdish independence.

He also warned that Israel must prepare for a possible infiltration of ISIS forces via Jordan by building a security barrier along that border that would run from Eilat all the way up to the Golan Heights.

Throughout a speech in Tel Aviv to the Institute for National Security Studies on the regional threats facing Israel, Netanyahu explained that recent events have shown the dangers of a security strategy that is overly dependent on Western powers.

Read more ....

More News On Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Supporting Kurdish Independence From Iraq

Israel's Netanyahu calls for supporting Kurdish independence -- Reuters
Israeli leader calls for independent Kurdistan -- AP
Israel's prime minister backs Kurdish independence -- The Guardian
Israeli prime minister calls for Kurdish independence from Iraq -- Deutsche Welle
Israeli PM: We should 'support' Kurdish independence -- ITV
Israeli PM Netanyahu endorses Kurdish independence citing chaos in Iraq -- RT
Benjamin Netanyahu Calls for Jordan Support, Kurdish Autonomy -- NDTV/AFP

The Weapons That ISIS Has Captured In Iraq Is Altering The Military Balance In Iraq And Syria



ISIS Weapons Windfall May Alter Balance In Iraq, Syria Conflicts -- L.A. Times

Six months ago, Sunni Arab militants faced a daunting firepower imbalance in their uprising against the U.S.-equipped Iraqi army west of Baghdad.

But once their campaign for the city of Fallouja was launched in January, their lethal capabilities were bolstered from the stockpiles of the Iraqi armed forces.

Many soldiers fled, throwing down their weapons, which were picked up by the insurgents. Police stations and security posts overrun by Sunni militants yielded more martial booty to be turned against the forces of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's Shiite Muslim-led government.

"Praise God, we soon had enough weapons to fight for one or two years," said Ahmad Dabaash, spokesman for the Islamic Army, a Sunni rebel faction, who spoke in a hotel lobby here in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. "And now? Don't even ask!"

Read more ....

My Comment:  They have the will and the weapons to fight .... the question that needs to be answered is .... do they have the numbers necessary to carry and sustain the fight against Syrian and Iraqi military forces.

ISIS Declares A New Islamic State And Caliphate In The Middle East



Isis Rebels Declare 'Caliphate' In Iraq And Syria -- BBC

Islamist militant group Isis has said it is establishing a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.

It also proclaimed the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as caliph and "leader for Muslims everywhere".

Setting up a caliphate ruled by the strict Islamic law has long been a goal of many jihadists.

Meanwhile, Iraq's army continued an offensive to retake the northern city of Tikrit from the Isis-led rebels.

The city was seized by the insurgents on 11 June as they swept across large parts of northern-western Iraq.

In a separate development, Israel called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in response to the gain made by the Sunni rebels in Iraq.

Read more ....



More News On ISIS Declaring A New Islamic State And Caliphate In The Middle East

ISIS announces formation of Caliphate, rebrands as 'Islamic State' -- Long War Journal
ISIL renames itself “Islamic State” and declares Caliphate in captured territory -- Euronews
Al-Qaeda Splinter Group Declares New Islamic State -- Epoch Times/AP
After Iraq gains, Qaeda offshoot claims Islamic "caliphate" -- Reuters
Militants making headway in Iraq and Syria declare creation of formal Islamic state -- Washington Post
ISIS Militants Declare Islamist ‘Caliphate’ -- Time
ISIS declares creation of Islamic state in Middle East, 'new era of international jihad' -- RT
ISIL declares Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi its jihadist ‘caliph’ -- Washington Times
Iraq militants announce new Islamic state -- USA Today
ISIS Claims Supremacy Among Extremists -- Wall Street Journal
Isis announces caliphate in 'declaration of war' -- The Guardian
Iraq crisis: ISIL militants declare 'Caliphate' -- Sydney Morning Herald
The 'Islamic Caliphate' Is Now A Reality -- Business Insider
ISIS Declares New Islamic State -- Slate
ISIS Risks Everything to Declare a Caliphate -- J.M. Berger, Daily Beast