The Antichrist Wants the US Out

Author: Hamdi Malik

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is talking with the US administration to keep US troops in Iraq after the fight against the Islamic State (IS) is over, the Associated Press (AP) cited Iraqi and US officials as saying on May 5. US officials confirmed to the AP on condition of anonymity that the United States and Iraq agreed on the need for a long-term US presence aimed at warding off the threat of another armed rebellion. However, the growing polarization in the region and the tightening policy of regional rivalries are hindering the conclusion of such an agreement.

Commenting on these reports, the military media office of Saraya al-Salam, the military wing of the Sadrist movement, told Al-Monitor, “His Eminence, Commander Muqtada al-Sadr absolutely rejects the presence of any occupation forces — be they Americans or not.” Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement, had demanded in February that all foreign troops leave Iraq.
Similarly, Naim Aboudi, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al–Haq, stressed that his faction rejects the US presence in Iraq. He told Al-Monitor, “The victories achieved by our heroic army and the Popular Mobilization Units [PMU] have given further power to the Iraqi state. And Iraq can use this power to ward off any foreign threat. Iraq does not need any foreign power at the moment. Self-reliance is the best way to maintain the sovereignty of Iraq.”
Asked about the possible targeting of US forces by Asaib Ahl al-Haq in the event that there is a decision to extend their stay in Iraq, Aboudi did not respond. However, the military media office of Saraya al-Salam threatened US forces and stressed that “all options are on the table.”
In an attempt to calm this atmosphere, the Iraqi prime minister’s office issued a statement May 5 confirming that “the Iraqi government did not agree with any state about any military role following the decisive victory over terrorism.”
However, Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office, confirmed in a TV interview on the same day the Iraqi government’s intention to reach an agreement to keep the American troops in Iraq. “We want sustained cooperation with these countries in the coming period in order to meet the security challenges,” he said.
“We certainly need a number of these trainers, experts and advisers, and we hope to develop an integrated coordination system in the coming period, not only with the United States but also with many other countries in the world in a bid to upgrade the Iraqi forces’ capabilities and readiness.”
The prime minister’s office reiterated, “There are no foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil.” But since the arrival of Donald Trump in Washington and the start of the operations to liberate west Mosul, US forces have stepped up their military role and have been operating closer to the front lines.”
Kurdish photojournalist Rebin Rozhbayane accompanied the US forces that were getting ready to launch an attack on the July 17 district in Mosul on May 2 and filmed a large US military convoy on its way to the battlefront. Rozhbayane told Al-Monitor that he counted 50 US military vehicles, noting that “the US forces backed the Iraqi forces in these operations during the day. But they participated directly in evening attacks on IS areas.”
Former Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily does not agree with the Asaib Ahl al-Haq spokesman who believes Iraq does not need the US forces. Faily told Al-Monitor, “Iraq does not have the needed components to protect its borders. To reach political and security stability, it needs to develop the capacities of its army through US sponsorship and aid, especially in training, preparation and equipment.”
One of the main challenges for the upcoming phase is to control the long Iraqi borders with Syria after IS is eliminated. Since 2003, Iraq has failed to secure these borders, and it does not have well-trained forces and necessary technology to halt the infiltration of IS forces from the borders, especially as IS controls eastern Syria. Iraq needs satellites, military air force and helicopters as well as strong logistic effort to achieve this mission. This must happen without alienating the locals — the Sunni Arabs. Thus, the task must be entrusted to the Iraqi official forces. Shiite factions from the PMU are also trying to reach the borders.
Besides, Iraq needs to build a strong intelligence service that is up to the security challenge. Previous experience and new reports indicate that IS and al-Qaeda will conduct terrorist operations in the coming phase.
Iraq’s needs are not limited to the security and military sectors. The high cost of the war amid falling oil prices necessitates that Iraq ask for help from the international community in which the United States is a key player.
Many Iraqi parties, especially the Shiite ones, believe that the American presence in Iraq aims at supporting the enemy, i.e., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Israel, at the expense of Iran and its allies. Faily asserted that the situation is complicated, saying, “Iraq is now at a crossroad. Different polarization fronts are at play, and they will increase pressure on Abadi.”
Ultimately, the balances in the region will play a pivotal role in Iraq’s future. Any decision that Abadi makes might put Iraq in the eye of the storm again.

Islam Controls Iran (Daniel 8)

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Khamenei stated in a speech on Wednesday, “In the end, a candidate will get a majority of votes and win, but the real winner in this process, regardless of who wins the majority of votes, are the Iranian people – and the main winner is the regime of the Islamic Republic.”

“The Iranian leader criticized the attack of candidates on each other during the debates and how they exposed corruption files, considering that, “some of the things that were said are not appropriate to the Iranian people,” stressing that, “everyone has to observe the law and be disciplined in the electoral process.”

Khamenei warned of unrest during the election, saying, “It is likely that someone will try to violate the law, but we trust in the capacity of our security system. We have to be careful, for the Iranian people have so many enemies.”

The Iranian leader often saw the elections as a renewal of allegiance by the people to Wilayat al-Faqih, even though there is no candidate who comes from the popular groups, that is, outside the system of the regime and its political groups.

In spite of this atmosphere, many officials of the Iranian regime fear the recurrence of the events of 2009, when millions of people protested, initially against what was said to be a falsification of the results of the Iranian elections, but soon turned into a popular uprising against the entire regime. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the Revolutionary Guard, the Basij, and the security and intelligence services.

Californians Prepare for Nuclear War (Revelation 15)

Earlier this week, North Korea showed off its new missile, which arced over 1,000 miles into space before splashing down into the Sea of Japan.
As North Korea moves closer to nuclear attack capability, Californians may also be moving closer to the realization of a nuclear strike, as highlighted in Pyongyang’s latest propaganda video.
And Californians are beginning to take action.
Ventura County released a series of public service announcements to help people prepare for the unthinkable.

Robert Levin, public health officer for Ventura County, says you can survive a limited nuclear blast by remembering one simple message: “Get inside, stay inside, stay tuned.”
During the Cold War, Americans were instructed to duck and cover in the event of a nuclear explosion, and that advice still holds true today.
“First you duck, and then you cover,” said Levin. “It’s just really important to know what to do.”
He says after a blast, you should try to get as close to the center of a building as you can and stay inside to avoid nuclear fallout.
If you do get covered in fallout; don’t panic, immediately remove any contaminated clothing, and rinse your body using soap and shampoo.
“Once they wash and shampoo out of the shower, they’re 99 percent free of any fallout,” said Levin.
Some are taking precautions to a different level.
Brian Fowler, with Atlas Survivor Shelters in Montebello, says he’s never been busier selling underground bomb shelters to people all over the world.
The steel shelters are installed 20 feet below ground and range in price from $19,000 to $165,000, and can have features as luxurious as showers, couches and big-screen TVs.
“You want to make sure you’re prepared today for what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Fowler said.
So who’s buying them?
“You never know what’s going to happen in the future, so we want one to be secure,” said one woman who did not want her identity revealed to keep her shelter a secret.

Pakistan Threatens Nuclear War (Revelation 8)

In an interview he gave to Outlook magazine, Farooq said that the protesters on the streets of Kashmir are “fourth generation of youth”.
The magazine quotes him s
aying:

“The people of Kashmir will continue their political struggle and the conflict will keep the entire region on the boil, which could lead to a ‘nuclear accident’.”

He does not elaborate on what he means by “nuclear accident”,
but it is evident that he is hinting at an all-out nuclear war while blaming it on India.

Twitter

Farooq, who is the founder of All Parties’ Hurriyat Conference, is under house arrest.
Ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, Kashmir has been on the boil. The youth of Kashmir, paid by the Separatists through their Pakistani masters, have resorted to stone pelting at the security forces.

Pakistan, on the other hand, continues to extend support to terrorists against India in the name of Kashmir’s ‘azaadi’.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been raising the Kashmir issue on the international stage while hiding the ISI-sponsored terrorism in the Valley as well as the atrocities committed by Pakistani forces in Pak-occupied Kashmir.
He has openly extended Pakistan’s support to the pro-Pakistani Kashmiris and terrorists in the Valley.

Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif has openly stated his country’s support to separatist activities in Kashmir. Monika Graff/UPI

Glorification of terrorists has been witnessed in Kashmir ever since Wani’s killing. Terrorist attacks have been rising, and when security forces retaliate, stone pelters hinder operations allowing the terrorists to escape.
But the Separatist leader skirts the question on whether the youth of Kashmir have gone of control and instead claims that they might be reacting radically because of “extreme repression”.
He accuses New Delhi of trying to avoid talks despite knowing “who to talk to” – Separatists and Pakistan.
Farooq said that whether or not Hurriayat will accept any future dialogue with the Indian government is “a speculative question”.

The Concern For Nuclear Terrorism (Revelation 14)

Pakistan-Based Terrorist Groups Plan To Attack India, Says US

PTI

Pakistan-based terrorist groups are planning to attack both India and Afghanistan, a top US spymaster has said.

“Islamabad has failed to curb militants and terrorists in Pakistan,” Daniel Coats, director of National Intelligence told members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during a Congressional hearing on Worldwide threats.

He blamed Pakistan for deteriorating Indo-Pak relations and warned that the ties might worsen further if another “high- profile” terrorist attack emanates from across the border this year.

“These groups will present a sustained threat to the United States’s interest in the region and continue to plan and conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan,” Coats said.
He blamed Pakistan for deteriorating Indo-Pak relations and warned that the ties might worsen further if another “high- profile” terrorist attack emanates from across the border this year.
Pakistan, he rued, is expanding its nuclear arsenal in pursuing tactical nuclear weapons, potentially lowering the threshold for their use.
In South Asia, the intelligence community assesses that the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018 even with a modest increase in military assistance by the United States and its partners, he told the lawmakers.
“This deterioration is undermined by its dire economic situation. Afghanistan will struggle to curb its dependence on external support until it contains the insurgency or reaches a peace agreement with the Taliban,” he said.
“Meanwhile, we assess that Taliban is likely to continue to make gains especially in rural areas. Afghan Security Forces performance will probably worsen due to a combination of Taliban operations, combat casualties, desertion, poor logistic support and weak leadership,” Coats said.

“Meanwhile, we assess that Taliban is likely to continue to make gains especially in rural areas,” said Coats. | Source: AFP

“Pakistan is concerned about international isolation and sees its position of India’s rising international status including India’s expanded foreign outreach and deepening ties to the United States.
“Pakistan will likely turn to China to offset its isolation, empowering a relationship that will help Beijing to project influence into the Indian Ocean,” Coats testified before the committee.

History Says Expect The Sixth Seal In New York (Revelation 6:12)

History Says New York Is Earthquake Prone

If the past is any indication, New York can be hit by an earthquake, claims John Armbruster, a seismologist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Based on historical precedent, Armbruster says the New York City metro area is susceptible to an earthquake of at least a magnitude of 5.0 once a century.
According to the New York Daily News, Lynn Skyes, lead author of a recent study by seismologists at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory adds that a magnitude-6 quake hits the area about every 670 years, and magnitude-7 every 3,400 years.
A 5.2-magnitude quake shook New York City in 1737 and another of the same severity hit in 1884.
Tremors were felt from Maine to Virginia.
There are several fault lines in the metro area, including one along Manhattan’s 125th St. – which may have generated two small tremors in 1981 and may have been the source of the major 1737 earthquake, says Armbruster.
There’s another fault line on Dyckman St. and one in Dobbs Ferry in nearby Westchester County.
“The problem here comes from many subtle faults,” explained Skyes after the study was published.
He adds: “We now see there is earthquake activity on them. Each one is small, but when you add them up, they are probably more dangerous than we thought.”
“Considering population density and the condition of the region’s infrastructure and building stock, it is clear that even a moderate earthquake would have considerable consequences in terms of public safety and economic impact,” says the New York City Area Consortium for Earthquake Loss Mitigation on its website.
Armbruster says a 5.0-magnitude earthquake today likely would result in casualties and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
“I would expect some people to be killed,” he notes.
The scope and scale of damage would multiply exponentially with each additional tick on the Richter scale. (ANI)

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Day: May 19, 2017

The Antichrist Wants the US Out

Iraqi factions divided over whether US troops stay