Yesterday evening, the town of Kunming in Yunnan province experienced a terrorist attack targeting the town's railway station. According to Chinese reports at least 100 people should have been affected. However, reliable information about casualties was not available even one day later.
As separatists from Xinjiang province are suspected to be behind the incident, general secretary Xi JinPing has already interfered, and a furious comment was published on People's Network. That comment reflected the semi-official intention to "smash the nation's public enemy".
Today's main headline on People's Network is saying:
"Xi JinPing gave important instructions in the case of a
violent terrorist incident at Kunming railway station."
Headline, related picture and comment are marked red.
................................
UPDATE for March 3:
Today's CNN news report is quoting XINHUA agency with further details. According to them eight terrorists armed with knives should have attacked people at Kunming railway station on Saturday evening (i.e. February 1), killing at least 28 people and wounding 113. Four terrorists should have been shot on the spot, the others have been arrested.
Editor's Comment:
That bloody attack obviously surprised Chinese authorities and media. I remember a first Chinese report, mentioning more than 100 wounded victims, and which suddenly disappeared from the web before I could extract more information. Another website taking over included a link to China's national TV channel CCTV1, however, the TV news report covered everything else but that terrorist incident. As my time is limited, I could not follow the news any longer that day.
By the way, the appearance of a fire brigade, shown on the official photo, suggested the use of a bomb rather than a mass slaughtering using knives. Even the remark of a Chinese journalist, saying he accidentally passed the railway station that evening and found it closed by police forces, shows how much confusion must have been on the Chinese side.
In their evening news on March 1, 2014, Russia's state-run TV "Russia Today" broadcast an interview with Konstantin Dolgov, the special commissioner for human rights from Russia's ministry of foreign affairs. Dolgov denounced Ukrainian terrorists as the real danger to Ukrainian democracy and which made Russia's intervention on the Crimean peninsula inevitable to saveguard the Russian population there.
On this occasion, the U.S. concentration camp of Guantánamo was mentioned as a proof that Western nations are turning a blind eye at undemocratic behaviour when it is serving their purpose. The broadcast of Russia Today was recorded from its Spanish language service.
Here are some headlines and stances published by Russia's national TV in Spanish. They were accompanied by scenes of violence from Kiev, showing assaults on public buildings and security personnel during earlier demonstrations that were targeting the pro-Russian government of president Yanucovich and who was ousted only some days ago. A cruel beating up of what seems to be a Yanukovich supporter was shown as well as insurgents using molotow cocktails against Ukrainian security forces.
Analista: EEUU y países de la UE son responsables de la crisis ucraniana.
An analyst says the U.S. and countries of the European Union are responsible for the Ukrainian crisis.
Rusia estudia retirar a su embajador en EE. UU.
Russia is considering to call back its ambassador to the United States.
Analista: La situación en Ucrania puede evolucionar en guerra civil.
According to an analyst the Ukrainian situation might develop into a civil war.
Razing reminders of the Russian dominated Soviet Union.
En la Ucrania de hoy hay una verdadera orgía de grupos extremistas y un atropello a los DD.HH.
In Ukraine today, extremist groups are having a veritable orgy and a clash on human rights.
Ukrainian opposition invading government buildings in Kiev.
Los radicales ucranianos al frente de las protestas seguían un guion preparado con apoyo del exterior.
Ukrainian radicals in the front line of protests are following a script prepared with foreign help.
El jefe de un grupo ultranacionalista ucraniano se dirigió al terrorista checheno Doku Umárov piniéndole su apoyo, según refleja una página de una red social rusa.
Some website belonging to a social network in Russia refers to [an alleged] request for support by the leader of an ultranationalist group in Ukraine and who addressed Chechen terrorist Doku Umarov .
To defend one's interest by force, as the Ukrainian
opposition did, is not at all democratic [behaviour].
It is oddly enough for the West not to speak about illegal and
racist activity in Ukraine while caring so much for democracy.
Las decisiones de la oposición pueden aumentar la tensión interétnica en Ucrania.
The decisions taken by the opposition might increase interethnic tensions in Ukraine.
This was the adage of an evening broadcast by Russia Today RT on March 2, 2014. The program dealt with parallels and differences between the Ukrainian revolution and similar developments in Arabic states which became known as the Arabic Spring.
Analizamos similitudes de primavera árabe con crisis que vive Ucrania.
We are analyzing similarities between the Arabic Spring and the current crisis of Ukraine.
Particularities of all national revolutions analyzed here included the economic development where Ukraine could be compared to Egypt and Libya. In all of these countries former leaders had either been ousted or killed. The economy of Ukraine, Egypt and Libya had therefore drastically suffered from political turmoil while Syria's economy seems still somehow stable. Libya, where internal chaos has replaced the strong grip of Muammar al-Ghadafi, suffers most from a loss of governmental control, while Egypt seems to be stabilized by the unbroken influence of the military. One Spanish expert on national economy was quoted as follows:
Inestabilidad golpea a países que sufren estas revueltas. Oferta de asociación de la UE a Ucrania no tiene sentido.
Countries suffering from such rebellions are hitten by instability. An offer of association with the European Union doesn't make sense.
One of the biggest Bitcoin exchanges, MtGox, has gone offline. Its CEO Mark Karpelès is not available any longer, his whereabouts being unknown.
Holders of Bitcoin accounts on MtGox are gathering in front of the company's Tokyo main office in protest of the MtGox closure of all transactions for the time being.
The exchange has been hit by technical issues and recently halted all customer withdrawals of the digital currency after it spotted what it called "unusual activity". It seems that hackers succeeded in draining 744.408 Bitcoin token worth between 220 and 370 million Euro (depending on the reference value applied).
The move is a setback for backers of Bitcoin, who have been pushing for greater adoption of the currency. Meanwhile, six other major Bitcoin exchanges issued a joint statement distancing themselves from MtGox.
The move by MtGox to halt withdrawals had resulted in a sharp decline in the value of Bitcoin. Having reached its maximum value of 1000 Euro in November 2013, the rate of exchange for one Bitcoin unit remained stable at 600 Euro in January 2014. In February it dropped to 400 Euro as was reported by other trading platforms for Bitcoin tokens like btc-e.com and bitcoin.de. The exchange rate reported by MtGox at that time was even slightly lower. After alleged hacker activity, that rate finally dropped to yesterday's actual value of 100 Euro.
Above: Strategy timeline for MtGox found on the internet, and some
cryptic statement posted on the MtGox website yesterday afternoon.
The closure of the site did not "reflect the resilience or value of Bitcoin", said a statement from representatives of several other Bitcoin exchanges, including Coinbase and BTC China.
"This tragic violation of the trust of users of MtGox was the result of one company's actions.
"As with any new industry, there are certain bad actors that need to be weeded out, and that is what we are seeing today.
[Sources: BBC (Britain), N-TV (Germany), SINA (China) on February 25 / 26, 2014]
Here is a short description of how the Bitcoin system is working and which has been provided by BBC business and technology news:
How Bitcoin works
Bitcoin is often referred to as a new kind of currency.
But it may be best to think of its units being virtual tokens rather than physical coins or notes.
However, like all currencies its value is determined by how much people are willing to exchange it for.
To process Bitcoin transactions, a procedure called "mining" must take place, which involves a computer solving a difficult mathematical problem with a 64-digit solution.
For each problem solved, one block of Bitcoins is processed. In addition the miner is rewarded with new Bitcoins.
This provides an incentive for people to provide computer processing power to solve the problems.
To compensate for the growing power of computer chips, the difficulty of the puzzles is adjusted to ensure a steady stream of about 3,600 new Bitcoins a day.
There are currently about 11 million Bitcoins in existence.
To receive a Bitcoin, a user must have a Bitcoin address - a string of 27-34 letters and numbers - which acts as a kind of virtual post-box to and from which the Bitcoins are sent.
Since there is no registry of these addresses, people can use them to protect their anonymity when making a transaction.
These addresses are in turn stored in Bitcoin wallets, which are used to manage savings.
They operate like privately run bank accounts - with the proviso that if the data is lost, so are the Bitcoins owned.
Bitcoin's strength - that it has grown in an organic, slightly anarchic and
devolved way, with no central oversight or control - is also its weakness”
Robert Peston - Business editor for British Broadcasting Corporation BBC
You Better Buy Stamps !
..............................
UPDATE for February 27:
Today, China's People TV channel CCTV 1 comes with the news of a high-ranking meeting of Communist Party leaders dealing with internet security. That meeting should have taken place only some hours ago.
[While] presiding over the opening of the first conference of a leading group from the [CPC] Central Committee [and which is addressing] Internet Security and informatisation, [CPC chairman] Xi JinPing underlined [that] a general layout of plannings [requires] each side to blaze new trails of development. [It needs] to actively [transform] our country into a powerful internet nation. - [Prime minister] Li KeQiang and Liu Yunshan [a member of the CPC's political bureau] were attending [the meeting].
Editor's Note:
Even though the official bulletin doesn't mention Bitcoins, that item can be expected to establish an important subject in the discussions behind closed doors, even more as a remarkable number of Chinese internet users already adopted that virtual currency. That's why China's government had earlier emphasized the risks of using "Bitbi" when it stated that Bitcoins are not supported by any national currency system. However, the need for some kind of virtual money is not generally rejected by China's authorities.
Taiwan, on the contrary, seems to be much more worried: When the first public automat for money exchange into Bitcoins was installed in Hong Kong some weeks ago, Taiwan's authorities turned down the operating company's request to install a similar device in their country.
Here now comes an isolated personal remark published by some Chinese reader who considered the official Chinese bulletin mentioned above. As to Xi JinPing's demand to strengthen China's position on the internet, that reader argues:
网络反垄断搞不好，中国网络就没太大作为。
"The Web isn't too good in opposing a monopoly, China's Web will therefore accomplish next to nothing."
Three days ago, CNN reported about recent activity of "Boko Haram بوكو حرام", a militant Islamic group usually operating in Northern Nigeria, a region dominated by Muslims while the Christian population is mainly living in the southern part of the country.
According to CNN, 106 people should have been killed by Boko Haram in Borno district, North-Eastern Nigeria. [Source: CNN U.S. TV news on February 17, 2014]
Among the bloodiest incidents related to Boko Haram was a shooting spray targeting the living quarters of students that belonged to a center for agricultural studies in the same area. According to China's People's Network, 50 persons should have died on that occasion in September 2013. It is said, the death toll remained rather moderate as most students had already left to attend their lectures when the terrorists came. [Source: People's Network 人民网 on September 30, 2013]
Abuja township in the center of Nigeria is marking the ethnic and religious border between regional tribes that belong to either Muslimic or Christian communities. In the past, Abuja as well experienced terrorist attacks, including the torching of a newspaper office located there. [Source: Al-Jazeera TV الجزيرة]
Further reports on Boko Haram can be found on the Arabic service of Sky News. Their latest news report was published yesterday, February 19.
Above picture: Devastation left after an attack of
Boko Haram on a Nigerian village last January.
نيجيريا.. بوكو حرام تتوعد باستهداف النفط
Nigeria ..... Boko Haram is threatening to [concentrate its efforts] on petrol.
توعد زعيم جماعة بوكو حرام "المتشددة" أبو بكر شيكاو، بشن هجمات على المنطقة النفطية في جنوب نيجيريا، وذلك في شريط مصور، وفق ما ذكرت وكالة "فرانس برس" الأربعاء.ـ
In a video, Boko Haram group's leader "the rigorous" Abu Bakr [Shikawu] threatened to launch an offensive against the oil region in Southern Nigeria. [That video's] adaptation was mentioned by "France Press" agency [i.e. AFP] on Wednesday [i.e. February 19].
[Source: SkyNews Arabic سكاي نيوز عربية on February 19, 2014]
Abu Bakr
..............................
UPDATE for February 22:
According to different reports from ORF, Austria's National TV, Boko Haram should have staged two bloody attacks in Borno state recently. That one already mentioned above and which left 106 villagers dead and another one that took place in Bama township only some days later and resulted in a death toll of actually 60. Public buildings should have been severely damaged during the Bama incident while Nigerian military is quoted having killed numerous insurgents in an air raid that followed the attack.
ORF added that since 2009 thousands of people should have been killed by Boko Haram. Nigeria's federal state of Borno is seen as their main stronghold where civilian rule has been officially replaced by military rule since 2013. Joint forces from Nigeria, Niger and Tchad are actually trying to control that region.
Boko Haram is said to be fighting for about ten years to establish an Islamic emirate in Northern Nigeria by means of terrorist attacks that are directly targeting Christian villagers as well as public installations and Nigerian government authorities.
[Source: ORF on February 17 and 20, 2014]
..............................
Visitors to "blueprint news" who came from Abuja and other parts of Nigeria. Some of them are regular visitors !
Northern Nigeria:
The street gangs of Kano at Kufar Mata Road and the militant Islamists of Abu Bakr in Borno province. Urban dropouts in a traditional Muslimic society and the bloody restoration of Islam by Boko Haram.
Detonations in Baghdad and military engagements in Saliman Bey.
المجلس العسكري العام لثوار العراق يؤكد سيطرة مسلحي العشائر على بلدة سليمان بيك كاملة
The general military council [in charge of] Iraqi rebels confirms total military control over the clans of Saliman Bey community.
[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيرة, Arabic channel, on February 17, 2014]
قوات المالكي تستعيد السيطرة على "سليمان بيك"ـ
Troops of al-Maliki regain control over "Saliman Bey"
أعلن مدير ناحية "سليمان بيك" في محافظة صلاح الدين، طالب البياتي، اليوم الاثنين، أن قوات مشتركة من الجيش والشرطة الاتحادية أحكمت سيطرتها على الناحية بعد اقتحامها من ثلاثة محاور، مشيراً إلى أنها قتلت أكثر من 15 مسلحاً، فيما أوضح أن تلك القوات قطعت الطريق الرئيسي بين بغداد وكركوك.ـ
The [administrator] of "Saliman Bey" district in Salah ad-Din province, ....., declared today, Monday [February 17], that joint forces of military and federal police reestablished control over the district after [their] invasion [from three directions], ..... killing more than 15 armed [persons] while [making clear] that [such armed] force was interrupting the main route between Baghdad and Kirkuk.
[Source: Al-Arabiya - Al-Hadath العربية نت - الحدث on February 17, 2014]
..............................
سلسلة تفجيرات بسيارات ملغمة و عبوات ناسفة تستهدف عددا من أحياء بغداد و تسفر عن مقتل نحو 20 شخصا
A series of detonations from mined cars and explosive charges aiming at a multitude of quarters in Baghdad resulted in the killing of almost 20 people.
التفجيرات وقعت في أحياء أور و الكرادة و العامل و الغزالية و نفذت بسيارات مفخخة و عبوات ناسفة
The detonations took place in ..... [editor's note: four quarters of Baghdad that are marked in the above map] ..... and were executed with mined cars and explosive charges.
[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيرة, Arabic channel, on February 17, 2014]
The following news are covering the ongoing fight between Islamic militants and government troops in Iraq. For more information, please refer to earlier blogspots on that subject.
Iraq's president Nuri al-Maliki
المالكي: "داعش" جاء إلى العراق عبر ساحات الاعتصام
Al-Maliki: "Daesh" arrived in Iraq via refugee camps.
اعتبر رئيس الحكومة العراقية، نوري المالكي، أن تنظيم "داعش" جاء إلى العراق عبر ساحات الاعتصام، وذلك خلال اجتماعه بشيوخ العشائر في الأنبار.ـ
The chef of Iraq's government, Nuri al-Maliki, is considering that "Daesh" organization has arrived in Iraq via refugee camps at the time it met with clan leaders in Anbar [province].
وجاءت تصريحات المالكي هذه في نهاية اجتماعه بشيوخ عشائر الأنبار، بعد عام من الاعتصام والمطالبات، التي لم تلتفت إليها الحكومة العراقية حتى زيارة المالكي اليوم للمحافظة، برفقة وزير الدفاع ولقائه قيادتها وشيوخ العشائر.ـ
And declarations of al-Maliki appeared [regarding] the ending of [such] meetings with clan leaders from Anbar [province] after a year of seeking refuge and of claims the government of Iraq ignored until today's visit of al-Maliki to the province, when he was accompanied by the minister of defence and received by the [regional] leadership and clan leaders.
[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on February 16, 2014]
..............................
Background Information:
الجيش العراقي يقتل 40 مسلحا من داعش بالفلوجة
Iraq's army killed 40 armed [rebels] from Daesh in Falluja.
أكدت وزارة الدفاع العراقية، في بيان الخميس، مقتل 40 مسلحا من تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام (داعش)، وتدمير أسلحة، وكذلك 4 من مقرات القيادة والسيطرة للتنظيم بمدينة الفلوجة في محافظة الأنبار.ـ
In a declaration dating from Thursday [i.e. January 30], Iraq's ministry of defence confirmed the killing of 40 armed [rebels] belonging to the organization of an " Islamic Nation in Iraq and Syria / the Levant [ISIS / ISIL / Daesh] ", the destruction of weapons and, as well, of four posts of command and [administration] for the organization in Falluja, Anbar province.
The following excerpt has been taken from an anonymous personal comment broadly published on some kind of patriotic website and that is directly linked to the main page of People's Network, the online edition of China's semi-official People's Daily. Even though the comment is marked as not necessarily representing the opinion of People's Network, I deemed it worth mentioning.
Above: U.S. President Obama and Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe on a ship carrying the flags of both countries. That picture, partly covered by the comment's title, marked the direct link from People's Network.
换一个方式去应对中日这几年来的矛盾，美国是在借日本玩弄中国吗？
Headline:
A change of style to answer the contradictions that affected China in recent years.
Is America using Japan as a pretext to play with China ?
These years have seen what seems to be a lot of contradictions between China and Japan. On the international stage, each [of them] at the time of its surfacing looked as if such kind of contradiction could probably lead to a sharp conflict at any time and could even get out of control. At least myself is considering the significant problems that emerged between China and Japan during these years, their [essential] key issues, as not being caused by Chinese - American problems but accompanying them.
America is the most important creator of Chinese - Japanese contradictions and promoter behind the scene, the starting point of an ultimate settling of such major problems. And I consider [we] ought [to begin with the provocative answer from] the American side. That one who started the trouble should end such style of handling problems and which is the true cause at the beginning of contradictions.
[Source: People's Network 人民网 — 强国社区 on February 7, 2014]
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The above quoted comment was published shortly before China's Global News came with the following headline and an article based on an earlier report by BBC, London:
美国务卿克里声称将保护日本不受中国攻击
U.S. secretary of state Kerry claims to ensure Japan's protection against Chinese attack.
ليبيا: دبلوماسيين مصريين خطفوا بعد اعتقال زعيم ميليشيا
Libya: Egyptian diplomats kidnapped after the arrest of a militia leader.
خطف أربعة من أفراد البعثة الدبلوماسية بالسفارة المصرية في طرابلس اليوم بعد يوم من خطف دبلوماسي مصري آخر فيما وصفته الحكومة الليبية بانه رد فعل على اعتقال مصر لزعيم ميليشيا ليبية.ـ
Four individuals on a diplomatic mission at the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli were kidnapped one day after the abduction of other Egyptian diplomats in what the Libyan government described as a reaction on the arrest of a Libyan militia leader by Egypt.
There was no declaration about the group responsible for the abductions, however information was spread that a Libyan militia leader should have been arrested in Cairo.
[Source: Ar-Riyadh Net الرياض نت, Saudi Arabia, on January 25, 2014]
..............................
Evening UPDATE on January 26:
عززت السلطات الليبية من وجود قوات الأمن أمام السفارة المصرية بالعاصمة الليبية طرابلس عقب مغادرة البعثة الدبلوماسية المصرية طرابلس بعد قرار الحكومة المصرية بإجلاء كل الدبلوماسيين بالسفارة، جراء اختطاف 5 دبلوماسيين مصريين بالسفارة المصرية، من بينهم الملحق الثقافي الدكتور الهلالي الشربيني والملحق التجاري حمدي غانم. ـ
Libyan authorities increased the presence of security forces in front of the Egyptian embassy in Libya's capital Tripoli which followed the abandoning of Egypt's diplomatic mission [there] after a decision of the Egyptian government to clear the embassy from all diplomats. [When] the abduction of five Egyptian diplomats from the Egyptian embassy took place, the cultural attaché Dr. Hilali ash-Sharbini and the commercial attaché Hamdi Ghanem were among them.
[Source: Al-Ahram الأهرام, Cairo, on January 26, 2014]
Related News on January 26:
伊朗称未证实在也门被绑架外交官遭基地组织斩首
Iran says there is no confirmation that an [Iranian] diplomat abducted in Yemen has been beheaded by al-Qaeda organization.
The official Iranian source contradicts the Yemenite government and its security ministry on this matter and who had already launched the news of a beheading.
[Source: China News Network 中国新闻网 on January 27 local date (!), 2014]
Related News on January 28:
安理会呼吁不向恐怖分子付赎金和做政治让步
[The United Nations] Security Council calls for not paying ransom money and not making political concessions towards terrorists.
This news is quoting an advice given by the United Nations Security Council the day before on January 27. It is referring to incidents of abduction by al-Qaeda and its branches. According to related British statistics, there should have been paid about 105 million U.S.$ of ransom money during the last 3.5 years to such organizations.
[Source: China News Network 中国新闻网 on January 28, 2014]
At the very beginning of a 'Geneva 2' conference on Syria, two sides involved in the problem, however not present at the negotiating table, make themthelves heard. One side is the Iranian president Rouhani who proposes general elections in Syria as a means to solve the problem. The other side involved is al-Qaeda, the " parent organization of Islamic terrorism ", represented by its actual leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
الظواهري يدعو لوقف القتال بين الفصائل الإسلامية بسوريا
Headline:
Al-Zawahiri calls for an ending of the battle between Islamic troops in Syria.
دعا زعيم تنظيم القاعدة أيمن الظواهري، في رسالة صوتية نشرت على الإنترنت، إلى وقف القتال بين "أخوة الجهاد والإسلام" في سوريا.ـ
In an acoustic message distributed on the internet, the leader of al-Qaeda organization Ayman al-Zawahiri called for an ending of the battle within " the brotherhood of Jihad and Islam " in Syria.
ووجه الظواهري في رسالته التي تتزامن مع انطلاق مؤتمر جنيف 2، نداءً إلى "كل المجموعات الجهادية وكل حر في الشام يسعى لإسقاط حكم الأسد"، وقال "ندعوهم جميعا لأن يسعوا إلى إيقاف القتال بين أخوة الجهاد والإسلام فورًا".ـ
And in his message which came simultaneously with the beginning of a 'Geneva 2' conference, al-Zawahiri addressed " all militant groups and all [liberal ones] in Syria to engage in overthrowing the regime of al-Assad ". And he said " we call them all to engage immediately in ending the battle within the brotherhood of Jihad and Islam ".
An international conference to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria is set to begin in Switzerland today, January 22.
For months, UN, US and Russian diplomats have struggled to persuade both sides to attend what has become known as "Geneva II".
The UN's Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has said it would be "unforgivable not to seize this opportunity" to end a conflict that has left more than 100,000 people dead and driven 9.5 million from their homes.
[Source: BBC on January 21, 2014]
التلفزيون السوري: طائرة وفد المحادثات منعت من التزود بالوقود في اثينا
Headline:
Syrian TV: The airplane [carrying] a delegation for negotiations was refused refuelling in Athens.
قال التلفزيون السوري الحكومي ان الطائرة التي [تنقل] الوفد الذي سيشارك في محادثات السلام الدولية التي ستجري في سويسرا منعت من التزود بالوقود يوم الثلاثاء بعد ان هبطت في مطار أثينا.ـ
[According to] Syrian state TV, the aircraft carrying the delegation that will participate in international peace talks to take place in Switzerland was refused refuelling after landing on Athens airport.
واضاف ان الطائرة حصلت على اذن بالمرور في المجال الجوي المعني والهبوط في اثينا للتزود بالوقود.ـ
And it was added the aircraft had received a [traffic/transit] permission for the [requested] airspace [including] landing in Athens for refuelling.
[Source: Reuters - Arabic News رويترز on January 21, 2014]
وليد المعلم قبيل وصوله جنيف: الأسد خط أحمر
Walid al-Muallem shortly before his arrival in Geneva : Assad's "red line".
[Editor's Note: Walid al-Muallem (photo above) is Syria's minister of foreign affairs. His recent activity came only days after a defected member of Assad's state security presented photos proving cruel torture on a large scale in Syrian prisons.]
اعتبر أن مشاركة وفد النظام تهدف لبدء حوار سوري - سوري
It was considered that a participation of the regime's delegation [would be] aiming at the beginning of a Syrian-Syrian dialogue.
After shelling militant Islamic groups in Falluja, the Iraqi army is now launching an attack on similar groups in Ramadi township.
الجيش العراقي يشن عملية عسكرية ضد "داعش" في الرمادي
The Iraqi army is launching a military operation against "Daesh" in Ramadi.
According to General Mahmud al-Eskari, the spokesman for Iraq's ministry of defense (photo below), that operation is directed against " followers of 'Daesh' (Islamic Nation of Iraq and Syria/ the Levant, ISIS/ISIL), members of al-Qaeda and other terrorists ".
