Tag: isis

US air assets drop largest non-nuclear bomb on suspected ISIS tunnel network in Afghanistan

mc130

A Lockheed MC-130 from the US Air Force Special Operations Command dropped the largest conventional bomb available in the US arsenal on ISIS-held position in Afghanistan.

The aircraft dropped a GBU-43B Massive Ordnance Air Burst (MOAB), commonly nicknamed ‘Mother of all Bombs’, on a cave complex beneath the Achin district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, late Thursday night. Military intelligence suspected that ISIS operatives used the fortified caves for concealment and to move around the province unhindered.

The 30-foot long, 22-thousand pound heavy weapon is dropped from a specially adapted MC-130 aircraft fitted out with a deployment sled.

Once the aft cargo ramp opens, a parachute deploys and drags the sled out until the weapon becomes airborne. MOAB uses internal gyros for stabilization and preset GPS coordinates to guide it to its target.

The weapon detonates in an air burst close to the ground, delivering almost 20 thousand pounds of H6 explosive material. Such massive release of energy causes a highly concentrated barometric shockwave (referred to as ‘overpressure’) that travels across the air and then through solid ground. MOAB is specifically designed to destroy hard, underground targets such as bunkers or reinforced cave systems.

According to US sources, 36 ISIS fighters died in the blast, which could be felt miles away. The gigantic explosion shattered glass and cracked walls in nearby villages.

This is the first combat drop of a MOAB weapon. The US still has another 14 units in its arsenal.

The attack comes shortly after two US Navy Destroyers -USS Porter (DDG-78) and USS Ross (DDG-71)- launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles against Sharyat Airfield in Syria.

The MOAB strike is widely seen as a decisive show of force by the US military. President Trump referred to the bombing as ‘another successful job.’

Russian special forces use robotic weapon system to neutralize tier-one ISIS target

robot

Russian Spetsnaz troops used a robotic system equipped with a heavy weapon to neutralize a tier-one ISIS target.

A man known as Rustam Aselderov was cornered inside a house in the city of Makhachkala, sited on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Russian troops surrounded the compound and poured fire around the perimeter before sending in the armed robot.

The droid then fired a volley of high-caliber rounds into the building, reportedly obliterating the target and four of his associates also holed up inside.

Aselderov was a high-ranking official in the ISIS leadership, and had been linked to several terrorist attacks in the Russian city of Volgograd and other locations around the Dagestan region. The Russian Government had previously offered a reward for any information regarding the man’s whereabouts. Aselderov was also on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list.

The use of battlefield robotics has seen a recent upsurge, as technological advances have made it possible to equip drones and other remotely-controlled devices with deadly weaponry.

US forces have used drones extensively to carry out pinpoint strikes. On November 12 2015, for instance, the well-known ISIS executioner ‘Jihadi John’ (real name Mohammed Emwazi) was killed in a highly publicized surgical strike carried out by a US drone in Al-Raqqah, Syria.

Mosul offensive: Iraqi units approach city perimeter

mosul3

Though obscure by dust and dirt thrown into the air by continuous shelling, the Mosul low-rise skyline is within sight of forward elements of Iraqi special forces, the American-trained Counter Terrorism Force (CTF).

CTF operatives are now about 1.2m away from the outskirts of ISIS-controlled Mosul, and scouts report militia fighters darting in between houses, and heavy concentration of vehicles in the area. These vehicles are suspected to be packed with explosives, ready to ram advancing forces.

Iraqi mortar teams are maintaining a constant bombardment on ISIS-held positions, to disrupt staging and reduce battlefield morale.

The situation on the ground is tense, as ISIS militia know that losing Mosul will mean their inevitable end. The city had been designated to be the capital of the new, so-called ‘caliphate.’ A decisive victory for the Iraqi-led coalition here will certain spell ISIS’ demise in the country.

A bitter, bloody, and costly struggle awaits the coalition troops. ISIS have recalled hardened fighters into the city, and conservative estimates put the number of civilians still trapped inside Mosul in the tens of thousands. ISIS have been known to massacre personnel attempting to flee the city, including women and children, and use civilians as human shields to deter direct confrontation.

Morale is said to be high among Iraqi troops, with many no doubt seeking retribution from years of ISIS oppression.

The final assault on Mosul is expected to begin soon.

Mosul offensive: ISIS fighters believed to have massacred scores of civilians inside the besieged city

mosul2

Military observers on the ground around the besieged city of Mosul in Iraq report a large number of civilian casualties, allegedly inflicted by ISIS militia.

The bodies of at least 120 civilians have been discovered inside houses and in shallow graves, most of them with multiple gunshot wounds. It remains unclear which faction carried out the killings, however.

Some 5,000-6,000 were dug in around Mosul at the outset of the battle. Vastly outnumbered by a coalition of around 90,000, ISIS militias have sustained heavy losses since the start of the offensive, though they are fighting doggedly to retain control. The bitter struggle for the city is thought to be ISIS’ last stand in Iraq.

The jihadi fighters have mined all access to the city with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and laid booby traps all over, creating a hazardous environment indeed.

Specialist engineering teams are on the ground, but progress is slow, and clearing has to be done house by house.

Mosul offensive: ISIS attack on Kirkuk is repelled as heavy fighting rages on around Mosul

kirkuk

ISIS fighters mounted an attack on Kirkuk, just over 100 miles south-east of Mosul, while a sulphur plant near Mosul was set on fire, creating a toxic cloud. Noxious fumes drifted towards Qayyarah West airfield, forcing US troops stationed there to wear protective masks. Qayyarah West is the main staging area for US air assets supporting the ground offensive to retake Mosul.

Meanwhile, a large ISIS contingent mounted an attack on the south-eastern city of Kirkuk. ISIS incurred heavy losses, and the assault was ultimately deemed ineffective. Analysts believe ISIS staged this move to divert attention from Mosul.

Local sources on the ground also report that people trapped inside Mosul have began launching hit-and-run attacks against ISIS militia, in what is seen as an uprising against their tyrannical grip on the city.

US engineers also report that all accesses to Mosul are heavily booby-trapped and covered by sniper fire, making progress slow and extremely hazardous.

Fourth day of ground offensive in Mosul gets underway, as Iraqi special forces enter the city

mosul

The fourth day of ground operations around the northern city of Mosul in Iraq got underway today. Led by Iraqi special forces, army units opened a third front to liberate the city from ISIS control.

Iraqi troops, supported by Kurdish army elements, US air assets, and other mixed militia, have so far made large gains in terms of terrain recaptured, but report heavy resistance from ISIS fighters.

The city of Mosul, considered by ISIS to be the capital of their so-called caliphate, has remained under ISIS control for over two years. According to troops on the ground, the city is heavily booby-trapped, and fighters are putting up a stiff resistance.

US attack helicopters strafed ISIS positions to support Iraqi army units on the ground yesterday, it was reported, and nine suicide trucks loaded with explosives were destroyed before reaching their objectives.

An US serviceman was killed on Thursday, the first casualty of the Mosul offensive.

Meanwhile, an estimated 200 ISIS fighters have so far been killed. It is thought that the ISIS garrison within Mosul includes around 5,000 fighters. Facing them, there is a coalition of over 108,000 troops.

Iraqi housewife ‘cooks the heads’ of ISIS fighters out of revenge

hanadi

While most Irish housewives use their pots to cook cabbage and the like, things inside the kitchen are somewhat more complicated in the hellish, war-torn Middle East.

Enter 39-year-old Wahida Mohamed, better known as Um Hanadi. After losing two husbands, several family members, and some domestic animals to the savagery of ISIS, the self-declared ‘housewife’ vowed to take revenge and wage brutal war against her foes.

Commanding a 70-strong, all-male militia, no-nonsense Um Hanadi now strictly applies the ‘eye-for-an-eye’, or rather a ‘head-for-a-head’ policy. Any ISIS fighter or prisoner that falls to her group is beheaded, and the head is cooked inside a slow-burning pot.

In recent interviews, she boasted of having taken out 18 ISIS operatives herself, though she did say that her group ‘fights as a family.’

Having struck fear in the heart of ISIS, Um Hanadi is now at the top of their kill list. She has reportedly survived six assassination attempts thus far, and her body is riddled with shrapnel after car bomb attacks. She bears a 15-shot 9-mm Beretta sidearm at all times.

ISIS operatives are particularly bent on taking her out, as they believe that being killed by a woman tears up their ticket to heaven.

Um Hanadi admits ‘I fought them. I beheaded them. I cooked their heads, I burned their bodies.’

British sniper kills savage ISIS executioner with a single shot from a mile out

sniper3

An SAS marksman killed a feared ISIS executioner who was about to set 12 people on fire with a single shot from nearly a mile out.

The ISIS operative, who had been on a kill list for some time, was well known for his brutal method of choice to execute prisoners, a flamethrower.

The sniper team set up a position on ridge overlooking the village where the execution was about to take place. The ISIS man first gave a ranting speech over a loudspeaker, and when he finished and got ready to use his weapon on the civilians, the sniper fired one round into the weapon’s fuel tank, setting it on fire. The conflagration killed the executioner and three other operatives nearby.

The man’s death saved the lives of 12 civilians, who were understood to be accused of being spies, and were about to be burned alive.

The feat is yet another display of expert marksmanship by SAS teams.

Recently, a SAS sniper took out two men with a single shot from 1,000mts. The men were driving a car full of explosives towards a target when the sniper’s bullet thwarted their plans. The round pierced clean through one of the men’s head and lodged in the neck of the other.

This time is war: Hacker group Anonymous issues global threat against ISIS in response to Paris attacks

anonymous

Anonymous have released a statement declaring all-out cyberwar on the ISIS organization, threatening to intercept all their communications and take down all their online bank accounts.

The threats follow the atrocities committed by ISIS on Friday, which left 129 dead and hundreds more injured, many of them critically.

Part of the war declaration reads: “”We are upping our game, you will now be hit by major cyber attacks.”

“We are furious with the repeated slaughter of innocent citizens in the name of a peaceful religion, you clearly don’t respect you beliefs.”

“And you clearly have no respect for human life and evolution. We are coming to get you, we will be hitting you harder than ever.

“We don’t need to tell you to expect us because we have already proven ourselves time and time again to you but you still show no regard for mankind.”

The voice behind the Anonymous’s trade mark Guy Fawkes mask added: “Anonymous from all over the world will hunt you down.”

Islamic State claims responsibility for Paris atrocity

Police officers take position outside the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer France against Germany, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in Saint Denis, outside Paris. At least 35 people were killed in shootings and explosions around Paris, many of them in a popular theater where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said Friday. Two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A statement released online by supporters of the Islamic State (IS) organization claims that the extremist group is behind the attacks that took the lives of 127 and injured hundreds of others in Paris last night.

The statement was released both in Arabic and French. The authenticity of the statement has not yet been independently verified, but it bears all the hallmarks of the terror organization.

It is understood that one of the perpetrators was known to the authorities.

French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency in the country following the attacks and said that there would be three days of official mourning.

The full statement released by IS sympathizers reads as follows:

Urgent: Statement about the Blessed Paris Invasion on the French Crusaders

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The Almighty said: “And they thought that their fortresses would defend them from Allah! But Allah’s (Torment) reached them from a place whereof they expected it not, and He cast terror into their hearts so that they destroyed their own dwellings with their own hands and the hands of the believers. Then take admonition, O you with eyes (to see).” [Al-Hashr: 2]

In a blessed attack for which Allah facilitated the causes for success, a faithful group of the soldiers of the Caliphate, may Allah dignify it and make it victorious, launched out, targeting the capital of prostitution and obscenity, the carrier of the banner of the Cross in Europe, Paris… Youths who divorced the world and went to their enemy seeking to be killed in the cause of Allah, in support of His religion and His Prophet, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and his charges, and to put the nose of His enemies in the ground. So they were honest with Allah, we consider them thusly, and Allah conquered through their hands and cast in the hearts of the Crusaders horror in the middle of their land, where eight brothers wrapped in explosive belts and armed with machine rifles, targeted sites that were accurately chosen in the heart of the capital of France, including the Stade de France during the match between the Crusader German and French teams, where the fool of France, Francois Hollande, was present.

[They also targeted] the Bataclan Conference Center, where hundreds of apostates had gathered in a profligate prostitution party, and other areas in the 10th and 11th and 18th [arrondissements] and in a coordinated fashion. So Paris shook under their feet, and its streets were tight upon them, and the result of the attacks was the death of no less than 100 Crusaders and the wounding of more than those, and unto Allah is all praise and gratitude.

Allah had granted our brothers their wish and gave them what they loved, for they detonated their belts in the gatherings of the disbelievers after running out of ammunition, we ask Allah to accept them among the martyrs and make us follow them.

Let France and those who walk in its path know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State, and that the smell of death will never leave their noses as long as they lead the convoy of the Crusader campaign, and dare to curse our Prophet, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and are proud of fighting Islam in France and striking the Muslims in the land of the Caliphate with their planes, which did not help them at all in the streets of Paris and its rotten alleys. This attack is the first of the storm and a warning to those who wish to learn.

Allah is Great

“But honor, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger (Muhammad), and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not.” [From Al-Munafiqun: 8]