Iran
Suggest you ask the Islamic State that question.
No, Islamic State have never been the good guys and this doesn't change that.
It's a multi polar world, and you could even call it a bit of a free for all.
It's a multi polar world, and you could even call it a bit of a free for all.
Indeed, but that is not the point. We were discussing the views expressed in posts #769, #771 et seq which rather imply that, even though you don't support them, you approve of what they did, or least do not find the killing of these particular civilians abhorrent.
Have no idea what any of this has to do with military aviation, but hey ho.
Originally Posted by Reuters
Nearly 100 people were killed in the blasts at a memorial service for military commander General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in Iraq in 2020 by a U.S. drone. {snip} Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi said: "Various individuals have been arrested in five cities in five provinces, who have supported this incident or been linked to it. Details will be announced in the next few hours", the state news agency reported.
Islamic State said on Thursday two of its members had detonated explosive belts in the crowd that had gathered for Soleimani's memorial in the southeastern city.
Islamic State said on Thursday two of its members had detonated explosive belts in the crowd that had gathered for Soleimani's memorial in the southeastern city.
With that said, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq does have air assets. They are an Iran backed militia organization.
They made an attack within the last day.
Armed drone targets US base in northern Iraq
Reuters | January 5, 202410:48 AM CST
BAGHDAD, Jan 5 (Reuters) - An armed drone on Friday hit Iraq's al-Harir airbase, where U.S. and international forces are stationed, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service said. A service statement did not elaborate on whether the attack caused casualties or infrastructure damage.A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had attacked al-Harir military base by drone. Friday's action took place a day after the U.S. military carried out a retaliatory strike in Baghdad that killed a militia leader it blames for recent attacks on U.S. personnel, the Pentagon said.
Reuters | January 5, 202410:48 AM CST
BAGHDAD, Jan 5 (Reuters) - An armed drone on Friday hit Iraq's al-Harir airbase, where U.S. and international forces are stationed, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service said. A service statement did not elaborate on whether the attack caused casualties or infrastructure damage.A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had attacked al-Harir military base by drone. Friday's action took place a day after the U.S. military carried out a retaliatory strike in Baghdad that killed a militia leader it blames for recent attacks on U.S. personnel, the Pentagon said.
Name: Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyah fi al-Iraq (the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, or IRI). An umbrella term used to describe the operations of all Iran-backed militias in Iraq, including strikes into Syria during the October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Type of movement: Kinetic military operations, both national and transnational. Anti-U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria, stemming from the U.S. role in the Gaza crisis.
History: During the October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas, Iraqi muqawama (resistance) militias attacked U.S. troops based in Iraq and Syria. They have claimed the following attacks under the IRI brand:
Type of movement: Kinetic military operations, both national and transnational. Anti-U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria, stemming from the U.S. role in the Gaza crisis.
History: During the October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas, Iraqi muqawama (resistance) militias attacked U.S. troops based in Iraq and Syria. They have claimed the following attacks under the IRI brand:
- October 17, 2023: drone attack on Harir Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan. This attack was initially claimed by Tashkil al-Waritheen; soon thereafter, a superseding claim was issued by the IRI brand and the Waritheen claim was removed in deference. One Qasef-2K drone was used in the strike.
- Twenty subsequent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria as of October 30, 2023.
- To allow various Iraqi muqawama militias to launch attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria under one umbrella term.
- The militias may see benefit in obscuring which exact groups are attacking U.S. bases.
- Using a generic, no-logo brand is perhaps the ultimate extension of the “facade strategy” that Iran and its proxies have used since 2019 to avoid accountability for attacks on Americans.
- To show unity behind attacks against U.S. interests during the Israel-Hamas conflict, essentially "reporting for duty" as one force. This strongly suggests that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) is corralling its many Iraqi "resistance" proxies, which otherwise tend to argue over local leadership.
- The balance of available evidence suggests that the IRGC-QF plays a role in coordinating the IRI brand. Iraqi armed groups tend to jealously guard their individual identities and the credit they derive (directly or via facade groups linked to them) from attacks, so their willingness to submerge these identities and even recant an individual group attack claim suggests that a higher power is coordinating them. Furthermore, co-branding with Tashkil al-Waritheen in the October 17 strike on Harir indicates a direct link to an IRGC-QF direct-operated group with close ties to Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.
- Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba has publicly affiliated itself with the IRI brand, releasing a threatening video on October 30, 2023, that includes footage of drone attacks originally published on IRI's Telegram channel. These videos purported to show the moment of launch for a number of drone attacks on U.S. positions. Nujaba did not actively claim to control IRI, though it is likely some of the attacks claimed by this facade group were carried out by teams controlled by Nujaba.
- The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee (al-Haya al-Tansiqiya lil-Muqawama al-Iraqiya, or Tansiqiya for short).
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 5th Jan 2024 at 18:16.
"Have no idea what any of this has to do with military aviation, but hey ho"
I'd guess because it's military aviation that will be used to attack these deeply unpleasant people - no-one is going to send a n army and most of them live a ways from the sea
I'd guess because it's military aviation that will be used to attack these deeply unpleasant people - no-one is going to send a n army and most of them live a ways from the sea
I wonder if the Red Sea follies, and the Houthis, ought to have its own thread. Sure, Iran backs the Houthis, but Iran doesn't have a Red Sea seacoast.
India is in the game.
India intercepts hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel in Arabian Sea, navy says
Story by Krishn Kaushik
I bolded that last bit, since I found it to be of interest.
India is in the game.
India intercepts hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel in Arabian Sea, navy says
Story by Krishn Kaushik
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian Navy commandos have boarded a hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel in the Arabian Sea and are now carrying out "sanitisation" operations, the navy said on Friday, without elaborating.
An Indian Navy warship intercepted the MV Lila Norfolk on Friday afternoon, less than a day after the navy received news that it had been hijacked off Somalia's coast in the North Arabian Sea.
At least 15 Indian crew members were on board the vessel, which was hijacked near Somalia's coast and the navy received information about it on Thursday evening, Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, reported earlier, citing military officials.
The warship INS Chennai was diverted and deployed to assist the vessel, the navy said earlier in the day, adding that a naval aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.
The Indian navy has increased its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region.
It said earlier this week that it had investigated a large number of fishing vessel and boarded vessels of interest in the region.
The hijacking of commercial ships and attempted hijackings by suspected pirates near the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea regions resumed in December after a six-year lull. Experts believe this is because naval forces led by the U.S. have diverted their attention to the Red Sea to thwart Houthi attacks.
"The sudden revival in ship hijacking and attacks can only be attributed to the pirates' willingness to take advantage of the fact that the focus of anti-piracy maritime forces has largely shifted from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea," Abhijit Singh, head of the Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi said.
"India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said last month of the increased surveillance in the region.
India is not part of the U.S.-led Red Sea task force.
An Indian Navy warship intercepted the MV Lila Norfolk on Friday afternoon, less than a day after the navy received news that it had been hijacked off Somalia's coast in the North Arabian Sea.
At least 15 Indian crew members were on board the vessel, which was hijacked near Somalia's coast and the navy received information about it on Thursday evening, Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, reported earlier, citing military officials.
The warship INS Chennai was diverted and deployed to assist the vessel, the navy said earlier in the day, adding that a naval aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.
The Indian navy has increased its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region.
It said earlier this week that it had investigated a large number of fishing vessel and boarded vessels of interest in the region.
The hijacking of commercial ships and attempted hijackings by suspected pirates near the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea regions resumed in December after a six-year lull. Experts believe this is because naval forces led by the U.S. have diverted their attention to the Red Sea to thwart Houthi attacks.
"The sudden revival in ship hijacking and attacks can only be attributed to the pirates' willingness to take advantage of the fact that the focus of anti-piracy maritime forces has largely shifted from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea," Abhijit Singh, head of the Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi said.
"India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said last month of the increased surveillance in the region.
India is not part of the U.S.-led Red Sea task force.
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I wonder if the Red Sea follies, and the Houthis, ought to have its own thread. Sure, Iran backs the Houthis, but Iran doesn't have a Red Sea seacoast.
India is in the game.
India is not part of the U.S.-led Red Sea task force.
I bolded that last bit, since I found it to be of interest.
India is in the game.
India is not part of the U.S.-led Red Sea task force.
I bolded that last bit, since I found it to be of interest.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
On the Jan. 6, at approximately 9:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen was shot down in self-defense by USS LABOON (DDG 59) in international waters of the Southern Red Sea in the vicinity of multiple commercial vessels. There were no casualties or damage reported.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Hmmm, who?
But they do smoke a lot…
Video:
Mysterious blast in Iran: 16 vessels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, including an IRGC spy ship aiding Houthi operations, sustained significant damage.
But they do smoke a lot…
Video:
Mysterious blast in Iran: 16 vessels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, including an IRGC spy ship aiding Houthi operations, sustained significant damage.
I am shocked, shocked that Iranian warships are spontaneously blowing up !
Is the reference related to this explosion reported by BBC, or something else?
Iranian 'spy ship' damaged by explosion in Red Sea (bbc.com)
Iranian 'spy ship' damaged by explosion in Red Sea (bbc.com)
Originally Posted by linked article, excerpted
An explosion has damaged an Iranian cargo ship anchored off Yemen's Red Sea coast that is allegedly used by the Revolutionary Guards for spying, Iran's foreign ministry has confirmed.
The blast that targeted the Saviz on Tuesday caused no casualties and was under investigation, a spokesman said.
"The vessel was a civilian ship stationed there to secure the region against pirates," he added.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the explosion that hit the Saviz at about 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Tuesday caused only "minor damage".
"Technical investigations about the incident and its cause are going on, and our country will take all necessary measures about it through international organisations," he added. Mr Khatibzadeh said the Saviz was a "non-military ship", which was helping to "provide security along shipping lines and combat pirates".
"The ship was practically operating as Iran's logistical station... in the Red Sea, thus the ship's information and mission had been already announced to [the International Maritime Organization] officially." Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency cited unnamed sources as saying the explosion was caused by "limpet mines attached to the hull of the ship".
The blast that targeted the Saviz on Tuesday caused no casualties and was under investigation, a spokesman said.
"The vessel was a civilian ship stationed there to secure the region against pirates," he added.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the explosion that hit the Saviz at about 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Tuesday caused only "minor damage".
"Technical investigations about the incident and its cause are going on, and our country will take all necessary measures about it through international organisations," he added. Mr Khatibzadeh said the Saviz was a "non-military ship", which was helping to "provide security along shipping lines and combat pirates".
"The ship was practically operating as Iran's logistical station... in the Red Sea, thus the ship's information and mission had been already announced to [the International Maritime Organization] officially." Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency cited unnamed sources as saying the explosion was caused by "limpet mines attached to the hull of the ship".
Who knew limpets had mines?
Check with your RM or SBS fellows.....seems to me I seen a movie about some kayakers who raided a French Port and also Singapore Harbor after it was taken over by new management.
"Cockleshell Heroes" and "The Highest Honor" films were based upon those exploits as I recall.
The Italians had some very good luck with them too I am thinking.
Mr. Noriega had to forego leaving home by boat because of those nasty Limpet critters it is said.
"Cockleshell Heroes" and "The Highest Honor" films were based upon those exploits as I recall.
The Italians had some very good luck with them too I am thinking.
Mr. Noriega had to forego leaving home by boat because of those nasty Limpet critters it is said.
Makes you wonder what them limpets had been eating.
They named a class of warships after De La Penne.
It has a flight deck on the back, so it's aviation related, yes?
It has a flight deck on the back, so it's aviation related, yes?