Al Qaeda in the Sahel, i.e. Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), appears to be making worrisome gains and garnering more attention these days than ISIS, i.e. Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS). This report about ISGC leaders being taken out or surrendering might be indicative of their situation. –RdM…
History, Conflict, Terrorism, Political Talk and Anecdotes
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Lebanon’s Risk In Disarming Palestinian Militias and Hezbollah. Look To The Past, 1969 TV News Report Shows Road to The Lebanon Civil War
Could Lebanon’s President Aoun’s push to disarm Palestinian militias and Iran-backed Hezbollah in the country spark another civil war? There are rumblings. Meanwhile, President Aoun is likely a marked man. The assassination of Lebanese leaders is not out of the ordinary. Refer to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister…
ISIS
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Two ISIS High-Ups Have Been Unalived, A Leader in Waiting and The Head of Finance and Logistics
According to news reports, two ISIS high-ups were killed, a leader in waiting and the finance and logistics head, i.e. Salah Nouman Abd Nayef al-Jubour. The reports so far do not claim that the ISIS incumbent leader, “Caliph” Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was killed, but “a senior ISIS figure who had been…
Angola
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Russians Arrested in Luanda for Links To A Wagner Propaganda Company, Fomenting Subversion and Terrorism… But Why??
Russia, Russia, Russia… More Russia meddling in Africa? Angola arrested two Russian suspects, Igor Racthin and Lev Lakshtanov, as agents provocateurs allegedly working for the Wagner Group’s disinformation and propaganda company ‘Africa Politology‘ (sanctioned by the US Treasury since January 2023). (Apparently, Wagner Group technically no longer exists in some…
Africa
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ISIS Affiliate ADF Murder An Estimated 52 People With Machetes in Eastern DRC… Never Ending
The ISIS affiliate ADF (Re: Islamic State’s Central Africa Province [ISCAP]) is up to its usual brutal, merciless, evil savagery. Imagine, the ADF claims it targeted innocent civilians in retaliation for the DRC’s security forces’ recent successes against the Jihadis. Ain’t that right? I can’t say it enough, the ADF,…
Hamas-Israel War
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Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Shtayyeh Let’s the Cat Out of the Bag About Hamas, Deception, Peace and No Peace…
There have been, de facto, two separate Palestinian states/entities since 2007, i.e. the West Bank and Gaza. So, this is rich coming from the former PA Prime Minister Shtayyeh, to say Hamas should go under the PLO’s wing, considering that the PLO’s armed wing, Fatah, had fought Hamas for control…
History
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Aquino Tank Weekend 2025, British Armour and Veterans, Volunteers, Steel Aces, MAG, and More
For all the tank nerds out there, here is a short informative and fascinating tidbit clip (below) by Australian Lottie The Tank Whisperer about the British armour and the British veterans participating in the Aquino Tank Weekend this past weekend in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. This year, Aquino Tank Weekend was…
Libya
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ADF Report: ‘With Eyes on Sahel, Russia Shifts From Syria to Libya’, and The Chadian–Libyan War, and an American in Cairo
This tall, thin American, with longish blonde hair, standing in front of me in a t-shirt and jeans, drinking a beer from a bottle, looked almost like a California surfer dude. He raised his left arm and pointed to scars on one side of his forearm and the other side….
History, Conflict, Terrorism, Political Talk and Anecdotes
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Podcast: The Ora Report: Talking Geopolitics with Ian Thornton-Trump and Royce de Melo
Join the Ora Report for a robust conversation Talking Geopolitics with cybersecurity expert and international speaker Ian Thornton-Trump, and Middle Eastern and African geopolitics and defence analyst, Royce de Melo. This was a fun and great conversation. I thank Marie-Ora de Villiers and Ian Thornton-Trump of inviting me to converse….
Iran
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US President Has Decided Not to Lift Sanctions on Iran; Iran’s Dogmatic Raison D’être Isn’t Likely to Change
This is a follow-up: On the 28th of June, and three days after I wrote the article below, the POTUS announced that he will not be lifting sanctions on Iran. His hopes for peace and normalization with Iran are likely dashed by the reality that Iran will not change its…