Wars & Rumours of Wars

nivek

As Above So Below
Dozens of Americans are STILL stranded in Afghanistan - two months after Biden's botched withdrawal that claimed lives of 13 troops in Kabul airport attack



Dozens of Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan more than two months after the United States withdrew from the country. The Pentagon says that among those trapped are immediate family members of US service members, as well as more than 100 extended family members. Defense officials are urging military personnel to alert the government of any family members who remained trapped. The Pentagon is creating a database of those who are stuck in an effort to get them out of the Taliban-controlled country. Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl issued a memo Thursday outlining the steps that military members need to take to get their loved ones in the database.

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nivek

As Above So Below
Iran-backed militants storm the US embassy facility in Yemen and seize hostages and equipment: State Department demands the release of staff

The US embassy compound in Yemen has been overrun by Iran-backed Houthi rebels who also took a number of Yemeni employees there hostage, the State Department confirmed on Thursday.

Biden administration officials are demanding the insurgents release all the staff they took prisoner there as well as the equipment they took and that they vacate the property immediately.

'We are concerned that Yemeni staff of the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a continue to be detained without explanation and we call for their immediate release. The United States has been unceasing in its diplomatic efforts to secure their release,' a State Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

The official said the majority of them have already been set free but that 'the Houthis continue to detain additional Yemeni employees of the Embassy.'

'We are also concerned about the breach of the compound that had been used by our Embassy prior to our suspension of operations in 2015. We call on the Houthis to immediately vacate it and return all seized property,' they said.

'The U.S. government will continue its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of our staff and the vacating of our compound, including through our international partners.'

Middle Eastern outlets first reported that three Yemeni nationals linked to the US embassy were taken from one of their homes in Sana'a on November 5, according to a translation from the Middle East Media Research Institute.


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wwkirk

Divine
Iran-backed militants storm the US embassy facility in Yemen and seize hostages and equipment: State Department demands the release of staff

The US embassy compound in Yemen has been overrun by Iran-backed Houthi rebels who also took a number of Yemeni employees there hostage, the State Department confirmed on Thursday.

Biden administration officials are demanding the insurgents release all the staff they took prisoner there as well as the equipment they took and that they vacate the property immediately.

'We are concerned that Yemeni staff of the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a continue to be detained without explanation and we call for their immediate release. The United States has been unceasing in its diplomatic efforts to secure their release,' a State Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

The official said the majority of them have already been set free but that 'the Houthis continue to detain additional Yemeni employees of the Embassy.'

'We are also concerned about the breach of the compound that had been used by our Embassy prior to our suspension of operations in 2015. We call on the Houthis to immediately vacate it and return all seized property,' they said.

'The U.S. government will continue its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of our staff and the vacating of our compound, including through our international partners.'

Middle Eastern outlets first reported that three Yemeni nationals linked to the US embassy were taken from one of their homes in Sana'a on November 5, according to a translation from the Middle East Media Research Institute.


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For the sake of the hostages and the nation's reputation, I hope Biden doesn't screw this up too.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
White House has warned European allies to prepare for a Russian INVASION of Ukraine with further border military build-up and tensions over gas supplies



Troubling reports of an increased amount of tanks and artillery at Russia's border with Ukraine prompted Biden to send his CIA chief to Moscow to express 'serious' concerns in a talk with Russian President Putin. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed similar concerns in a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba yesterday, telling reporters that 'We're concerned by reports of unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine. We're monitoring the region very closely, as we always do, we'll continue to consult closely as well with allies and partners on this issue.' Russia denied accusations it was planning an attack but expressed anger over American warships in the Black Sea that it says sailed too close to its territory.

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wwkirk

Divine
White House has warned European allies to prepare for a Russian INVASION of Ukraine with further border military build-up and tensions over gas supplies



Troubling reports of an increased amount of tanks and artillery at Russia's border with Ukraine prompted Biden to send his CIA chief to Moscow to express 'serious' concerns in a talk with Russian President Putin. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed similar concerns in a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba yesterday, telling reporters that 'We're concerned by reports of unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine. We're monitoring the region very closely, as we always do, we'll continue to consult closely as well with allies and partners on this issue.' Russia denied accusations it was planning an attack but expressed anger over American warships in the Black Sea that it says sailed too close to its territory.

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It's unreal. Less than a year into his presidency and it's like the world is falling apart - and the country with it!
 

nivek

As Above So Below
It's unreal. Less than a year into his presidency and it's like the world is falling apart - and the country with it!

I dont think Russia, China, and Iran fear Biden all that much and perhaps even less after his screwed up Afghanistan withdraw...They see Biden as weak with a self-absorbed American population now distracted by divisions and infighting on various levels of society...

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nivek

As Above So Below
Russian jets 'force British spy plane to change course as it approaches Crimea' after Kremlin warned the West is 'playing with fire' by deploying warships in the Black Sea

Russia claimed today that one of its fighter jets chases away a British spy plane which was approaching annexed Crimea.

The Moscow Defence Ministry announced that a British RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft 'tried to approach the state border of the Russian Federation in southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula,' before it was forced to divert by a Russian Su-30 fighter.

Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the ministry, said: 'About 19 miles from the Russian Federation state border, the Su-30 approached the reconnaissance aircraft, after which the British plane changed course away from the Russian border.'

Footage released this morning purports to show the incident in which the RAF Boeing aircraft was intercepted over the Black Sea south of the Crimea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

It comes after the Kremlin had warned that the West was 'playing with fire' and vowed to bomb any warships that sail too close to the Crimea when British destroyer HMS Defender engaged in a dramatic stand-off with Russian vessels in the Black Sea in June.

Western nations, including the US, maintain that Crimea is occupied Ukrainian territory - an assertion that continues to be a point of geopolitical tension.


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nivek

As Above So Below
Poland has deployed 15,000 troops to its eastern border in response to this migrant crisis...I don't know what started the aggression from Belarus towards Poland...It could have been something brewing for many years, I don't know...Poland may also be preparing and sending troops in response to Russia's more aggressive actions lately...

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Migrant crisis on Belarus border could escalate into war, neighbouring countries warn as Ukraine sends 8,500 troops to its frontier and Lukashenko threatens to cut off gas to Europe

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Thousands of desperate refugees from the Middle East and North Africa have been ferried to the Belarus-Poland border this week by Lukashenko's security forces, prompting Poland to deploy 15,000 troops along the line (pictured: Russian gas supplies to the EU, main; Lukashenko, inset; a Russian bomber over Belarus today, top right; and migrants camped at the border, bottom right). Belarusian soldiers have been cutting holes in the barbed wire fence and some 400 migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, poured across the frontier last night, a police source told MailOnline. EU members Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia released a joint statement warning that the 'hybrid attack' using migrants risked 'serious incidents that could also spill over into the military domain.' Non-EU member Ukraine was equally wary, announcing massive drills along its border with Belarus to the south with thousands more troops to reinforce the border contingent, including 15 more helicopters. As tensions mounted over the crisis, Vladimir Putin lent fresh support to Lukashenko today by sending two nuclear bombers to carry out drills in Belarusian airspace for the second day running. Lukashenko turned the screw again today as he warned: 'If [the EU] impose additional sanctions on us ... we must respond.' 'We are warming Europe, and they are threatening us,' Lukashenko said, pointing out that Russia's Yamal-Europe pipeline passes through Belarus to Poland. The dictator asked: 'And what if we halt natural gas supplies?' The Yamal-Europe is one of three major Russian pipelines to the Continent and represents around 20 per cent of Russia's supplying capacity. Russia supplies roughly half of the EU's natural gas imports. Fortunately Britain relies on Russia for less than five per cent of its gas imports. The UK, which imports most of its gas, pipes around three-quarters of it in from Norway.

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AD1184

Celestial
Poland has deployed 15,000 troops to its eastern border in response to this migrant crisis...I don't know what started the aggression from Belarus towards Poland...It could have been something brewing for many years, I don't know...Poland may also be preparing and sending troops in response to Russia's more aggressive actions lately...

What precipitated this situation was this incident:

Ryanair Flight 4978 - Wikipedia

Ryanair Flight 4978 (an Irish airliner, being operated by Ryanair's Polish subsidiary Buzz) was travelling between Athens, Greece, and Vilnius, Lithuania on the 23rd of May of this year. While over-flying Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship, it was ordered to land under the fabricated pretext of a terrorist bomb threat to the aircraft, in contravention of international law.

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Aboard the plane were the Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Petrosavich and his Russian girlfriend. They were both taken into custody.

In retaliation for this act, the EU imposed economic sanctions on Belarus. Belarus is an ally of Russia.

This crisis a stratagem by Lukashenko, the Belarusian president, to exert pressure on the EU to lift sanctions. Seemingly a very shrewd one, as it gives them a lot of leverage.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Deadly game of cat and mouse in the skies over Europe: British and US bombers are pictured on patrol and intercepting Russian bomber over the North Sea as tensions rise in Belarus amid fears of Ukraine invasion



British Typhoons and F35 Lightning jets teamed up with US B1 and B52 bombers in a joint military exercise dubbed Operation Point Blank this week. The US air force said the mission showed its 'commitment to work closely with our allies and partners to deter any potential adversary from aggressive actions.' It came just two days before a pair of Russian nuclear bombers forced the RAF to defend British airspace over the North Sea amid rising tensions over the migrant crisis in Eastern Europe.

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nivek

As Above So Below
What precipitated this situation was this incident:

Ryanair Flight 4978 - Wikipedia

Ryanair Flight 4978 (an Irish airliner, being operated by Ryanair's Polish subsidiary Buzz) was travelling between Athens, Greece, and Vilnius, Lithuania on the 23rd of May of this year. While over-flying Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship, it was ordered to land under the fabricated pretext of a terrorist bomb threat to the aircraft, in contravention of international law.

View attachment 15363

Aboard the plane were the Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Petrosavich and his Russian girlfriend. They were both taken into custody.

In retaliation for this act, the EU imposed economic sanctions on Belarus. Belarus is an ally of Russia.

This crisis a stratagem by Lukashenko, the Belarusian president, to exert pressure on the EU to lift sanctions. Seemingly a very shrewd one, as it gives them a lot of leverage.

I remember reading about that incident, so Belarus has been the instigator and aggressor from the beginning and while Russia is claiming not to have any direct part in this crisis, they sure seem to be backing Belarus indirectly and using this situation to mass troops and tanks on the Ukraine border...

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nivek

As Above So Below
Nearly 300K Non-Existent 'Ghost Soldiers' Is Why Afghan Government Collapsed So Quickly: Ex-Finance Minister

Former Afghani finance minister, Khalid Payenda, says that most of the 300,000 Afghan troops never existed, and were in fact "ghost" solders who were fabricated by corrupt officials who then pocketed their wages, according to the BBC.

So - corrupt Afghan officials lied about their fighting force, while US President Joe Biden was pressuring former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to lie about the US pullout and say that the Taliban wasn't winning "whether it is true or not." Ghani refused to lie, and the rest is history - the Taliban spread throughout the country like wildfire and toppled the government within a matter of days.

"The way the accountability was done, you would ask the chief in that province how many people you have and based on that you could calculate salaries and ration expenses and they would always be inflated," the former finance minister told BBC's Ed Butler.

The former minister said the numbers may have been inflated by more than six times, and included "desertions [and] martyrs who were never accounted for because some of the commanders would keep their bank cards" and withdraw their salaries, he alleged.

There have long been questions over Afghan troop numbers.

A 2016 report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar) claimed that "neither the United States nor its Afghan allies know how many Afghan soldiers and police actually exist, how many are in fact available for duty, or, by extension, the true nature of their operational capabilities". -BBC

More recently, Sigar expressed "serious concerns about the corrosive effects of corruption... and the questionable accuracy of data on the actual strength of the force."


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wwkirk

Divine
Nearly 300K Non-Existent 'Ghost Soldiers' Is Why Afghan Government Collapsed So Quickly: Ex-Finance Minister

Former Afghani finance minister, Khalid Payenda, says that most of the 300,000 Afghan troops never existed, and were in fact "ghost" solders who were fabricated by corrupt officials who then pocketed their wages, according to the BBC.

So - corrupt Afghan officials lied about their fighting force, while US President Joe Biden was pressuring former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to lie about the US pullout and say that the Taliban wasn't winning "whether it is true or not." Ghani refused to lie, and the rest is history - the Taliban spread throughout the country like wildfire and toppled the government within a matter of days.

"The way the accountability was done, you would ask the chief in that province how many people you have and based on that you could calculate salaries and ration expenses and they would always be inflated," the former finance minister told BBC's Ed Butler.

The former minister said the numbers may have been inflated by more than six times, and included "desertions [and] martyrs who were never accounted for because some of the commanders would keep their bank cards" and withdraw their salaries, he alleged.

There have long been questions over Afghan troop numbers.

A 2016 report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar) claimed that "neither the United States nor its Afghan allies know how many Afghan soldiers and police actually exist, how many are in fact available for duty, or, by extension, the true nature of their operational capabilities". -BBC

More recently, Sigar expressed "serious concerns about the corrosive effects of corruption... and the questionable accuracy of data on the actual strength of the force."


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Shame on the Afghan government (if true). But also shame on the CIA for not knowing (again, if true).
 

nivek

As Above So Below
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Poland is braced for major attack by 'weaponized' migrants from Belarus TONIGHT: New column of desperate Middle Eastern refugees is headed to border after some were ARMED by dictator's troops

Polish Border Force guards claim their Belarusian counterparts are issuing the thousands of stranded migrants with instructions, equipment and weapons to force their way into the EU in a major attack tonight. The attack is believed to be planned for frontier at Kuznica, one of two main crossing points from Poland to Belarus. A spokesman for the Polish Border Guard told MailOnline: 'After a 'quiet' night in the vicinity of the camp in Kuznica, we are currently observing that more groups of armed officers of Belarusian services are located in the place. We are noticing a commotion among migrants. There is also a TV broadcast van.' He added: 'Some tents are starting to disappear. Migrants get instructions, equipment and gas from Belarusian services. You can see that the Belarus side is getting ready today for a big attempt at crossing the border. Our forces are ready for action.'

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nivek

As Above So Below
 

nivek

As Above So Below
US Nuclear Unit In Germany Reactivates With "Dark Eagle" Hypersonic Missiles

Much attention lately has been focused on a series of Chinese hypersonic weapons tests. Let's now shift our attention to the US and Russia, where the Pentagon has reactivated a nuclear unit, based in Mainz-Kastel, western Germany, that will soon be able to launch 4,000 mph hypersonic weapons aimed at Moscow, according to The Sun.

For the first time in decades, the 56th Artillery Command is armed with "Dark Eagle" long-range hypersonic missiles that can strike Moscow in 21 minutes and 30 seconds. The last time the command was fully operational was in 1991, right before the Soviet Union collapsed.

"From a blank piece of paper in March 2019, we, along with our industry partners and joint services, delivered this hardware in just over two years. Now, Soldiers can begin training," Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood said in a statement.

The reactivation reveals increasing concerns among Pentagon officials that Russia has outgunned the US and NATO in Europe with advanced hypersonic weapons. There are mounting issues in the region where Russia has positioned 100k troops on the Ukraine border, and tensions between Russian-backed Belarus and Poland have resulted in waves of migrants attempting to storm Europe.

The commanding general of the artillery unit, General Stephen Maranian, said the reactivation would "provide the US Army Europe and Africa with significant capabilities in multi-domain operations." Separate from Dark Eagle, the 56th Artillery Command will also receive an array of weapons, including the ground-launched version of the Tomahawk cruise missile.

Hypersonic missiles could be a game-changer for NATO because the world's most advanced missile defense shields have trouble shooting down these weapons due to high speeds and an unpredictable flight path. China and Russia are both ahead in the hypersonic race when compared to the US. The FT released a series of reports last month that left US intelligence and military officials stunned by Chinese hypersonic tests. Washington's hypersonic missile plan for Germany suggests an inevitable Cold War is ahead, one where the development of hypersonic weapons and fifth-generation fighter jets will be a competition among global superpowers.

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nivek

As Above So Below
US is asked to join search for British F-35 stealth fighter that crashed in the Mediterranean in race to stop Russia from recovering secret American tech

The US has been asked to help locate and salvage a crashed British fighter jet, in order to prevent the top-secret American technology from falling into Russian hands. The Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning II, one of 24 such aircraft that America has delivered to the UK, crashed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday after the RAF pilot safely ejected.

The top-secret technology on board the stealth jet is now believed to be more than a mile below the surface, and the British military has requested assistance from US teams in the area, according to The Times of London.

The Pentagon referred a DailyMail.com inquiry about salvage efforts to the UK Ministry of Defence, which could not be immediately reached after UK business hours on Thursday.

The $130 million F-35B short-take-off, vertical-landing jet was one of eight British aircraft deployed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, where 10 US Marine F-35B jets are also deployed.

The race is now on to locate and recover the wreckage of the advanced stealth fighter before it can be located by Russia, which maintains a Mediterranean naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus.

The Russian Navy's 5th Operational Squadron which operates from the base is believed to include both nuclear and diesel-powered submarines.
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RAF F-35 crash was SEVENTH time jets have malfunctioned in 7 years

June 23, 2014: A USAF F-35A had a catastrophic engine fire caused by a fractured rotor which saw it turn into a blaze as it took off in Florida.

October 27, 2016: A US Marine Corp F-35B set alight mid-flight due to a fire in its weapons bay before the pilot landed safely in Beaufort, South Carolina.

September 28, 2018: All operational F-35s were grounded while a probe was launched into why a fuel tube failed in flight after a horror crash at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina.

April 9, 2019: Parts of the tail of a Japanese F-35 were found in the sea around 85 miles east of Misawa during a training mission.

May 19. 2020: This F-35 crash on landing was caused by a tired, distracted pilot and unresponsive tail glitch.

September 20, 2020: A F-35 stealth fighter jet fell out of the sky and exploded on the ground after hitting a KC-130J tanker in a mid-air collision near the Salton Sea in Imperial County, California.


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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Weak US leadership emboldens our competitors. We're hearing about this because of the situation in Taiwan, saber rattling I would assume. Their rattling involving those artificial islands may not be working out as planned.

China’s Artificial South China Sea Islands Have a Problem

I sincerely doubt the Chinese are preparing to nuke us - and a substantial part of their economy and the world's ecosystem - but it is disturbing to hear this talk at all. And frankly, I think we'd be very, very uncomfortable knowing how many people in our own government advocated for a first strike and continued do so for a very long time. I guarantee there are already contingency plans for exactly that standing by. Always are.

A more likely scenario would be a shooting war that escalates to the use of small tactical nuclear weapons; say the destruction of an aircraft carrier. That could go wonky very quickly. Having a feeble president making statements about Taiwan makes me nervous. This administration has found new ways to embarrass us on the world stage.

Top military official discloses new details about China's hypersonic test

In an exclusive interview with CBS News, General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the No. 2 person in the U.S. military, revealed new details of last summer's Chinese hypersonic weapons test, which sent a missile around the world at more than five times the speed of sound.

"They launched a long-range missile," Hyten told CBS News. "It went around the world, dropped off a hypersonic glide vehicle that glided all the way back to China, that impacted a target in China." Asked if it hit the target, Hyten replied, "Close enough."

Unlike intercontinental ballistic missiles which travel in a predictable arc and can be tracked by long range radars, a hypersonic weapon maneuvers much closer to the earth, making it harder for radars to detect. Combined with hundreds of new missile silos China is building, Hyten believes the Chinese could one day have the capability to launch a surprise nuclear attack on the U.S.

"They look like a first-use weapon," Hyten said. "That's what those weapons look like to me."
 
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