Westerners Beware: July 4th Anniversary of Saladin’s Destruction of the ‘Crusader Army’ at the Battl
Westerners Beware: July 4th Anniversary of Saladin’s Destruction of the ‘Crusader Army’ at the Battle of Hattin.
With the Islamic State (ISIS) facing battlefield defeat in Raqqa and Mosul, is important to remember that ISIS is likely to act out at Western targets to avoid the perception that they are defeated. Of note, on July 4th, 1187, European crusader forces were defeated and massacred by Sultan Salah ad-Din at the Battle of Hattin. The anniversary may be symbolic to ISIS and its supporters coming in close proximity to Canada Day and the French Bastille Day on July 14th.
The US has announced a series of new security measures in place of a proposal to ban electronic devices larger than a cell phone from the cabins of passenger aircraft traveling to the US from Europe. The new measures include increased scrutiny of laptop computers at screening points at some 280 airports in 105 countries. The security measures are in response to Israeli intelligence that ISIS planned to disguise bombs as batteries in electronic devices carried on to passenger jets.
A car has reportedly crashed into people outside of Starbucks at London King's Cross station but police do not believe that it is terror-related, at this time.
A British-based Moroccan-born imam Tarik Chadlioui also known as Tarik Ibn Ali has been charged in court with recruiting Jihadists to fight for ISIS and other terror charges. He is accused of posting video propaganda in support of ISIS on YouTube and other social media. Chadlioui is also believed to have preached hate-filled sermons at a Paris mosque attended by Bataclan bomber, Omar Mostefai. Mostefai was one of three ISIS terrorists involved in the attacks on Paris in 2015 which killed 130 people. Chadlioui is also wanted in Spain on terror-related charges.
Spanish authorities have broken an ISIS terror cell on the resort island of Mallorca in a series of raids across Europe. A coordinated anti-terror operation saw security forces arrest six people for allegedly raising funds and recruiting fighters for ISIS. Four of the six ISIS terrorists were detained in Mallorca, while the others were seized in the UK and Germany. There have in recent months been several reports about ISIS planning to attack Britons and Westerners at Spanish beach resorts.
All indications are that Raqqa, the ISIS capital of its Caliphate, is about to fall and it is a matter of days. While ISIS counterattacks on the western edge of Mosul have stalled Iraqi forces' push in the Old City, the last ISIS stronghold. There are fears that as fighting against ISIS winds down in Raqqa that there will be increasing hostilities between Syrian government, Russian and Iranian-backed forces and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
It has been revealed that upon detecting indications that the Assad regime was preparing to carry out another chemical weapons attack from the Shayrat air base, that the US warned both Syria and Russia that use of a chemical weapon would be met by force. Russia warned the US not to take unilateral action against Syria. Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, and Russian Chief of Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, visited the Russian air base at Hmeymim in western Syria on Tuesday.
The Philippine Army has reportedly recovered decapitated bodies of five civilians in their battle to retake Mawari from ISIS-linked Maute militants and foreign terrorists.
In a sign of what is likely to be a pending coup or full scale civil war, a rogue faction of the Venezuelan police used a helicopter to drop grenades on the Supreme Court in Caracas on Tuesday.
It was revealed in satellite imagery that Iran used a large Star of David as a target in a ballistic missile test underlining their continued policy to destroy Israel.
The Japanese government is reportedly planning to arm its F-35 fighter aircraft the extremely capable Joint Strike Missile (JSM), developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Defence Systems.
China launches Asia’s largest domestically produce warship built since the Second World War in the new Type 055 class Destroyer. The new destroyer is expected to have a displacement of 13-14,000 tons and carry as many as 100 missile tubes akin is capability to a US Aegis destroyer.
Chinese and South Korean leaders are expected to hold talks during the G20 summit early next month to soothe relations between the two countries over the deployment of a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
North Korea has reportedly threatened to kill South Korea's former President, Park Geun-hye.
US Nuclear expert, Siegfried Hecker, a Professor at Stanford University has warned that North Korea can produce tritium, a basic element for making hydrogen or thermonuclear bombs, but has not yet managed to weaponize it.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will continue its military build-up and increase the quality and frequency of military exercises in the current "complex international situation." Russia has announced plans to construct a new aircraft carrier to supplement its only carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov. The Admiral Kuznetsov launched in 1985 has a displacement of about 60,000 tons and will be upgraded in 2018. Russia has ordered two upgraded Lada-class non-nuclear attack submarines (SSK) with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system that allow the conventional boats to operate under the edge of the Arctic icepack, two universal assault landing ships by 2025, six upgraded Kilo-class SSK for Russia's Pacific Fleet.
