Three Kidnapped Israeli Teens Found Murdered in West Bank — #EyalGiladNaftali

At the Times of Israel, "Bodies of three kidnapped teens found."

"The three appeared to have been shot to death..."

At the New York Times, "Three Bodies Found Believed to Be Missing Israelis."

UPDATE: See the continuing coverage at Israel Matzav, "May God Have mercy - UPDATED; "NY Times: They were murdered shortly after they were kidnapped"; "Released from gag order: Shot heard on tape during call from Naftali Frenkel HY"D to police"; and "Report: IDF demolishing kidnapper/murderer's home."

Also more at the Times of Israel, "4 officers dismissed for response to kidnapped teen’s call."

ADDED: At Legal Insurrection, "Bodies of kidnapped Israeli teens found."

And again at the Times of Israel, "Dramatic developments regarding kidnapped teens," and "Hamas will pay, says PM, after bodies of kidnapped teens found."

Lois Lerner Death Threats? Well, Boo Freakin' Hoo

At CNN, FWIW, "Lois Lerner's attorney tells Candy Crowley about the threats against his client's life connected to the IRS scandal."

BONUS: At Legal Insurrection, "Darrell Issa: It’s Hard to Believe Lois Lerner Doesn’t Have Copies of Emails."

Montana's Billings Gazette Regrets Endorsing Barack Obama in 2008

At least the editors are honest enough to admit their colossal blunder.

At Legal Insurrection, "Newspaper That Endorsed Obama in 2008 Now Says He’s Worse Than Bush."

And from the Gazette's editors, "Obama earned the low ratings."

#ISIS Battle Loot Alters Balance of Power in #Iraq, Syria

At LAT, "ISIS weapons windfall may alter balance in Iraq, Syria conflicts":

Six months ago, Sunni Arab militants faced a daunting firepower imbalance in their uprising against the U.S.-equipped Iraqi army west of Baghdad.

But once their campaign for the city of Fallouja was launched in January, their lethal capabilities were bolstered from the stockpiles of the Iraqi armed forces.

Many soldiers fled, throwing down their weapons, which were picked up by the insurgents. Police stations and security posts overrun by Sunni militants yielded more martial booty to be turned against the forces of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's Shiite Muslim-led government.

"Praise God, we soon had enough weapons to fight for one or two years," said Ahmad Dabaash, spokesman for the Islamic Army, a Sunni rebel faction, who spoke in a hotel lobby here in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. "And now? Don't even ask!"

Keep reading.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."




Also at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Nite Funnies," and at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES."

More at Leg Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Shrink Wrapper," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Roundup..."

CARTOON CREDIT: William Warren.

Israeli Defense Forces Target #ISIS in Gaza: Jihadists Pledge to Destroy 'Zionist Regime'

At Algemeiner, "ISIS Now Openly Operating in Gaza – Flags Seen Waving at Funeral (VIDEO)."

And earlier at the Jerusalem Post, "Egypt arrests 15 ISIS militants in Sinai":

Egyptian special forces tracked and arrested a terrorist cell which had used tunnels to cross from Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula, Ma'ariv reported on Saturday. The 15 militants arrested belong to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Further interrogation of the cell by Egyptian forces revealed that the group's intent was to relay messages and set up terrorist cells for the ISIS in Egypt, to fight the Egyptian government...

Still more from Michael Maloof, at WND, "IRAQ INVADERS THREATEN NUKE ATTACK ON ISRAEL: ISIS focus on 'destroying Zionist regime' to 'liberate Palestine'."

Arrival of Russian Military Advisers in #Iraq is Pointed Rebuke to Obama Administration

Well, anything Russia does at this point is a rebuke to Obama. Putin's got a free hand. No worries about any international repercussions, least of all from the United States.

At the New York Times, "Russian Jets And Experts Sent to Iraq to Aid Army":

BAGHDAD — Iraqi government officials said Sunday that Russian experts had arrived in Iraq to help the army get 12 new Russian warplanes into the fight against Sunni extremists, while the extremists declared their leader the caliph, or absolute ruler, of all jihadi organizations worldwide.

The Russian move was at least an implicit rebuke to the United States, which the Iraqis believe has been too slow to supply American F-16s and attack helicopters — although the United States is now in the process of providing both.

“In the coming three or four days the aircraft will be in service to support our forces in the fight” against the insurgents of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said Gen. Anwar Hama Ameen, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force, referring to five SU-25 aircraft that were flown into Iraq aboard Russian cargo planes Saturday night, and two more expected later Sunday.

Also on Sunday, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria released a 34-minute audio recording of a speech by its official spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, who said that the insurgency’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was now the world’s caliph and as such had declared all other jihadi organizations void and under his direct control, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremists’ online presence.

The audio speech was released on an ISIS-linked Twitter feed, the group said....

In present-day Baghdad, the Iraqi Air Force commander, General Ameen, said that Russian military experts had arrived to help set up the new SU-25 warplanes, but that they would stay only a short time. The last five Russian aircraft would arrive by Monday, he said. Last week, President Obama ordered 300 American military advisers into the country, and the Iranians have reportedly sent advisers from their Republican Guards’ Quds Force. At least three United States Special Forces teams are said to have been deployed north of Baghdad in recent days, tasked with carrying out a survey of Iraqi forces to determine their condition and needs.

This was the first report of Russian military aides in the country, although General Ameen said they were experts, not advisers...

How #ISIS Builds Power and Support

I might be switching to the "IS" moniker pretty soon (with the new caliphate, and all), but for now, I'm staying with journalistic conventions.

From Thanassis Cambanis, at the Boston Globe, "The surprising appeal of ISIS."

Sarah Brandner World Cup Body Painting

From Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, "World Cup Body Painting: Sarah Brandner Wearing Nothing But PAINT!"

Katrina vanden Heuvel to Bill Kristol: 'You should, with all due respect, enlist in the Iraqi army...'

Heh, this is pretty good, via Sooper Mexican, "WATCH Lefty Liberal Take on Arch Neo-Con Bill Kristol: ‘Why Don’t YOU Enlist in The Iraqi Army?!’"

She's basically calling him a chicken hawk who should be tried for war crimes.

Hot Aida Yespica Bikini Pics

She's a former Venezuelan television personality and beauty contestant now living in Italy.

Looking good.

At Egotastic!, "Aida Yespica Bikini Pictures Hold Their Own and Then Some on Holiday in Spain."

BONUS: At Batshit Crazy News, "Side Boob Rule 5," and at Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup."

ALLAHU AKBAR! — #ISIS Declares Creation of Middle East Caliphate: 'New Era of International Jihad'

At RT, "ISIS declares creation of Islamic state in Middle East, 'new era of international jihad'."

And at the Wall Street Journal, "ISIS Declares New Islamist Caliphate: Militant Group Declares Statehood, Demands Allegiance From Other Organizations."

BREAKING: #ISIS declares Caliphate, All muslims according to Sharia & hadith must give allegiance
— Al-Janabi #باقية (@AbuBakrAl_Janab) June 29, 2014

More at Jihad Watch, "ISIS/ISIL declares Islamic State, shortens name to “The Islamic State” (IS)":

They clearly intend to hold the territory they have captured. They’ve also declared Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi the new caliph; he claims to be a descendant of Muhammad, so it is possible that if they can make their state viable, this claim will gain currency. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how Muslims in the West react to the idea that he is the “leader for Muslims everywhere,” which historically was always a claim of the caliph.

Plus, an English-language ISIS propaganda video, "The End of Sykes - Picot":



Meanwhile, the blood continues to spill, at RT, "ISIS crucify eight anti-Assad fighters in Syria – watchdog."

More news on Twitter:

Muslims express their happiness over the declaration of the Islamic Caliphate. Photo is from Raqqa, Syria #ISIS pic.twitter.com/xljmGKLhnF
— ابنة الشيخ البغدادي© (@MujaahidaHafy) June 29, 2014

The caliphate was abolished when the Ottoman empire collapsed in 1924. May Allah allow us to now see it again, a unified & real one. #ISIS
— ابنة الشيخ البغدادي© (@MujaahidaHafy) June 29, 2014

The Khilafah has been reestablished. Saudi's reaction pic.twitter.com/7tuI1njmaB
— ﷲ MILLATU IBRAHIM ﷲ (@RadicalIslamist) June 29, 2014

#Syria: the Husba car on patrol in celebration of the announcement of Caliphate: pic.twitter.com/Al4ZhZNsY3
— Aymenn J Al-Tamimi (@ajaltamimi) June 29, 2014

Alhamdulilah. What a HISTORIC moment, shivers run down my spine hearing the announcement of the Islamic Caliphate- #KHILAFAH #ISLAMIC_STATE.
— ابويحيي الصومال (@AbuYahya_Somal) June 29, 2014

The Kuffar, Murtadin and Munafiqin have been preventing the rebirth of the Caliphate for years! DIE IN YOUR RAGE! The Khilafa has returned!
— Abu Yazan (@UtopianIslamist) June 29, 2014

Citizens of the Islamic state in the street partying after the proclamation of the Caliphate pic.twitter.com/OGQndPD6p4"
— Ak47 (@afaqbeig) June 29, 2014

Al Jazeera from Baghdad: "a caliphate is effectively an Islamic Republic led by one leader, regardless of national boundaries." #ISIS
— ابنة الشيخ البغدادي© (@MujaahidaHafy) June 29, 2014

#Palestine old woman cries after Zionist Rat's bulldozed her house.#Israel will be destroyed #IS coming for you pic.twitter.com/cJWjRF8jDB"
— Ak47 (@afaqbeig) June 29, 2014

A message from the Islamic Khilafa to all Jihadi groups worldwide who fight for tawhid #IS #Syria #Iraq pic.twitter.com/pb5e7Gtr3R
— Al-Janabi #باقية (@AbuBakrAl_Janab) June 29, 2014

This Is the Promise of Allah An announcement by Ash-Sheikh Abu Muhammad Adnaani http://t.co/wXR1xiXMzV #CaliphateRestored #KhilafaRestored"
— Ak47 (@afaqbeig) June 29, 2014

ISIS claims its spokesman AlAdnani was himself at #Syria #Iraq border demolishing official international borders pic.twitter.com/xepbOAaWuM
— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) June 29, 2014

#ISIS Forces Repel Counteroffensive at Tikrit, Bring Down Iraqi Helicopter — #Iraq

I don't see photos of the downed copter, but it's being reported at Haaretz, "ISIS militants shoot down Iraqi chopper as Tikrit assault enters 2nd day," and the Irish Times, "Militants bring down army helicopter over Tikrit."

Meanwhile, jihadists have repelled the government's counteroffensive.

At the Washington Post, "Militants repel Iraqi forces’ attempt to recapture Tikrit," and the Wall Street Journal, "Iraqi Forces Stalled in Push Against Militants, Say Officials: Government's Official Statements Say Tikrit Has Been 'Cleansed'":

BAGHDAD—Iraqi security forces were locked in a standoff outside the city of Tikrit on Sunday morning, local security officials said, as the military's most muscular effort to beat back a three-week-old Sunni insurgency appeared to stall.

The military offensive, which began Saturday afternoon after weeks of preparation, was hampered by extensive land-mine formations laid by insurgents on the main road between Samarra, the provisional headquarters of Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, and Tikrit, according to security forces at the Samarra Command Center.

Reports from the ground contradicted government statements carried by the official television station, which said Iraqi security forces had "cleansed" Tikrit and were preparing to recapture all of the surrounding Salah Al Din province in the coming hours.

But as of Sunday morning, Iraqi forces still hadn't succeeded in taking Tikrit, the birthplace of former President Saddam Hussein and a flash point in the Sunni-led resistance against American forces following the 2003 invasion, according to residents of the city...

Continue reading.

More at Euronews, "Tikrit battle continues as Iraq attempts to recapture town from ISIL."

Ahmed Abu Khattala Pleads Not Guilty

Yeah, "not guilty."

I'm sure it'd be a riot if the dude was acquitted. Indeed, leftists would cheer the verdict.

At LAT, "Suspect in Benghazi attack pleads not guilty; more charges expected."

Outrage Over SFSU 'Race and Resistance' Professor Rabab Abdulhadi

Professor Rabab Abdulhadi teaches in the "Race and Resistance" program of the Ethnic Studies Department at San Francisco State University.

AMCHA (the Israeli Center for Holocaust Survivors and the Second Generation) is protesting Professor Abdulhadi's recent trip to Jordan, where she met with Leila Khaled of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which was financed with tax-payer funding.

Daniel Mael has the background, at Truth Revolt, "SFSU Professors Met with Terrorists Tied to American Deaths on Taxpayer's Dime":

A California Public Records Act inquiry revealed that multiple professors from San Francisco State University met with terrorists on a trip funded by the university. Professors Rabab Abdulhadi and Joanne Barker, along with Abdulhadi's husband, met with terrorists Leila Khaled and Sheikh Raed Salah during the "Labor Delegation to Palestine 2014" which began on January 5th, 2014 and concluded on February 14th, 2014.

Eight organizations- the AMCHA Initiative, Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Simon Wiesenthal Center Campus Outreach, StandWithUs, and Zionist Organization of America- sent a letter to CSU Chancellor Timothy White, SFSU President Leslie Wong, CSU Vice Chancellor and Chief Audit Officer Larry Mendel and CSU Attorney Carrie Hemphill Reith concerning the matter.

Leila Khaled is "a convicted hijacker and the most famous member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization responsible for 159 terrorist acts such as bombings, armed assault and assassinations, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths including those of more than 20 US citizens," the groups noted.

Sheikh Raed Salah has been convicted of funding the terrorist organization Hamas and sat in prison from 2003 - 2005. In the letter to school administration the organizations also highlighted that, "In 2008, Salah was charged with incitement to violence and racism. In 2010, Salah was also arrested for his participation on the Mavi Marmara, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Salah was recently incarcerated again on charges of incitement to violence."

The letter to the university administration outlined Abdulhadi's dishonest approach to obtaining funding...

More here, "AMCHA and Jewish Organizations Write President Wong about Professor Abdulhadi and SFSU Faculty Event Condoning Terrorism."

Kenneth Monteiro, the Dean of SFSU College of Ethnic Studies, has defended Abdulhadi, "Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies Commentary on Free Speech and AMCHA Initiative’s attacks on students and faculty across California Campuses." And at Truth Revolt, "SFSU Ethnic Studies Dean: I Stand With Pro-Terror Research."

And here's the response from Professor Abdulhadi, "Public Statement: Rabab Abdulhadi Responds to AMCHA Allegations." And get a load of this:

AMCHA has predictably focused a huge amount of attention on our meeting with Leila Khaled, in an attempt to demonize the delegation and to damage my reputation. So let me clarify the purpose of meeting with Khaled. Khaled is a Palestinian feminist icon. She is therefore relevant to my research and pedagogy, both of which aim to revise Palestinian women’s studies by critiquing conventional wisdom within the feminist canon. In my courses, I aim to provide a counter narrative to the orientalist depictions of Palestinian, and other Arab and Muslim, women as weak and docile—and men as bloodthirsty and misogynist. To this end, I screen several films including “Leila Khaled: Hijacker?” and open these classes to the public.

Orientalist? Sounds like terror-supporting Middle East scholar (the late) Edward Said.

And screening films like "Leila Khaled: Hijacker?" Might as well screen "Triumph of the Will" and "open these classes to the public."

In any case, back over at Truth Revolt, "SFSU: We'll Fight 'Censorship' of Taxpayer-Funded Pro-Terror Trips by Professors."

Clearly, taxpayer monies funded meetings with terrorists. If such advocacy is legal under current law, the law should be changed. However, I don't buy this woman's explanation that all of this was on the up and up. You've pretty much lost the debate when you start screaming "McCarthyism."

GRAPHIC VIDEO: Shiite Forces Execute Scores of Sunni Prisoners in Tal Afar, #Iraq

Uh, about that new civil war in Iraq.

Arwa Damon reports, for CNN, "Iraqi witnesses recall horrors in Tal Afar, Mosul."

The report cites Amnesty International, "Iraq: scores of Sunni detainees summarily killed by government and Shi'a militias - new testimonies."

Before fleeing from Tal Afar, Maliki troops executed these #Sunni prisoners in the prison, #Iraq (#ISIS, #Iraqwar) pic.twitter.com/6LDf3mlk0I

— Abu Umar (@AbuUmar8246) June 28, 2014

Dozens of Casualities in Massive Bomb Blast at Marketplace Near Damascus, Syria

Video at Reuters, "Two car bombs hit Syrian market in Douma," and Vice, "Car Bomb Explosion Leaves Dozens Hurt in Eastern Damascus."

And according to the Daily Sabah, "CAR BOMB KILLS TWO, INJURES DOZENS NEAR DAMASCUS":

CAIRO – Two people were killed and dozens wounded when a car bomb exploded in a town on the outskirts of Damascus on Saturday, a rights watchdog reported.

The bomb struck a crowded market area in Douma town, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Earlier this month, a bombing killed eight people in Douma.

Rebels accused the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) of carrying out the attack against other Islamist groups fighting to oust the regime of President Bashar al-Assad...

And at Press TV, "Two killed as blast hits Syrian town of Douma."

The death toll could be higher.

#Iraq Troops Mount Defense to Save Baghdad

At the Los Angeles Times, "Iraqi forces dig in to keep militants from capturing Baghdad":

If the Sunni Muslim insurgents lurking west of Baghdad decide to rush the Iraqi capital, Ahmed Ali knows the quickest route runs past his fruit stand.

Peering at the highway over mounds of watermelon and bananas, Ali watches Iraqi army pickup trucks and personnel carriers race by — headed, he hopes, toward a battle somewhere.

“I feel relief when I see them,” said Ali, a Shiite Muslim in his 50s who took refuge in Abu Ghraib this year after insurgents seized his village. “Somehow, I feel the security forces will protect me.”

Facing a methodical onslaught by an Al Qaeda splinter group and antigovernment militants, soldiers, police and Shiite militias are digging in around Baghdad and at strategic points outside the capital in a desperate bid to prevent the pillars of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s Shiite-dominated government from falling to the insurgents.

With the deployment of security forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of volunteer fighters, Iraqi military officials say, Baghdad is not in immediate danger of a major attack. U.S. officials are less certain. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said this week that as the insurgents “continue to press into central and southern Iraq … they are still a legitimate threat to Baghdad.”

More.

PREVIOUSLY: "#Iraq Army Mounts Counteroffensive in Tikrit, Mosul."

VIDEO: Marine Capt. William Mahoney Lands AV-8B Harrier on Tiny Bench After Landing Gear Malfunction

Simply amazing.

At the Navy Times, "Marine Harrier pilot sticks incredible landing on tiny bench at sea."

Bin Laden's Caliphate Rises in #Iraq

At the Wall Street Journal, "The Caliphate Rises":

The jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) continue to consolidate their grip on Sunni Iraq. They control most major cities, they took over the border crossings with Jordan this week, and now they're re-opening banks and government offices and establishing political control.

Welcome to the new Middle East caliphate, a state whose leader is considered the religious and political successor to the prophet Mohammed and is thus sovereign over all Muslims. The last time a caliphate was based in Baghdad was 1258, the year it was conquered by the ravaging Mongols. Now the jihadists aim to do the ravaging, and it isn't clear that the Obama Administration has a plan to depose them.

It's important to understand how large a setback for American interests and security this is. Establishing a caliphate in the Middle East was the main political project of Osama bin Laden's life. Current al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri once said a new caliphate would signal a turning of world history "against the empire of the United States and the world's Jewish government."

In 2005, a Jordanian journalist named Fouad Hussein wrote a book on al Qaeda's "second generation," which focused on the thinking of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed by U.S. forces in 2006. The book described a seven-phase plan, beginning with an "awakening" of Islamic consciousness with the September 11 attacks. Among other predictions, it foresaw an effort to "clear plans to partition Syria, Lebanon and Jordan into sectarian statelets to reshape the region."

In phase four, timed to happen between 2010 and 2013, the Arab world's secular regimes would be toppled. And then? Phase five would see the "declaration of the caliphate or Islamic state" sometime between 2013 and 2016. This was to be followed by "total war," or "the beginning of the confrontation between faith and disbelief, which would begin in earnest after the establishment of the Islamic caliphate."

Keep reading.

And keep all of this in mind next time you hear some leftist commentator claiming that ISIS isn't al Qaeda.

More, "#ISIS is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Dream Come True in Iraq."