Jailed Kurdish militant leader urges PKK fighters to disarm ahead of symbolic peace ceremony
In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber's YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, declared that the p eace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps.
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Toronto Star
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Iraq makes ‘decisive findings' about drone attacks without identifying who targeted its bases
BAGHDAD (AP) — Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the 'decisive findings' of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Iraq makes ‘decisive findings' about drone attacks without identifying who targeted its bases
BAGHDAD (AP) — Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the 'decisive findings' of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month. The attacks on several military bases, including some housing U.S. troops, damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and at Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar province. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman said the investigation had reached 'decisive findings.' He said the drones used were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched from locations inside Iraqi territory. All drones used in the attacks were of the same type, indicating that a single actor was behind the entire campaign, he said. Al-Naaman said the investigation had identified the entities responsible for coordinating and executing the operations, but he did not name them. 'Legal measures will be taken against all those involved, and they will be referred to the Iraqi judiciary to be held accountable in accordance with the law,' the statement said. Before the drone attacks, Iran-backed Iraqi militias had previously threatened to target American bases if the U.S. attacked Iran. Some of the militias are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of armed groups that is officially under the command of the Iraqi military, although in practice they largely act independently. More recently, several oil fields in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region have come under attack by drones, further exacerbating tensions between the central government and Kurdish authorities and raising concerns over the security of Iraq's critical infrastructure.
Winnipeg Free Press
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Man accused of stockpiling bombs, using Biden photo for target practice, pleads guilty
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man pleaded guilty Friday in a federal case that accused him of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and of using then-President Joe Biden's photo for target practice. Brad Spafford pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk to possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for December. Federal authorities said they seized about 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices last fall at Spafford's home in Isle of Wight County, which is northwest of Norfolk. The investigation into Spafford began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend and member of law enforcement, told authorities that Spafford was using pictures of then-President Joe Biden for target practice and that 'he believed political assassinations should be brought back,' prosecutors wrote. Two weeks after the assassination attempt of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2024, Spafford told the informant, 'bro I hope the shooter doesn't miss Kamala,' according to court documents. Former Vice President Kamala Harris had recently announced she was running for president. On around the same day, Spafford told the informant that he was pursuing a sniper qualification at the local gun range, court records stated. Numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched the property in December. Spafford stored a highly unstable explosive material in a garage freezer next to 'Hot Pockets and frozen corn on the cob,' according to court documents. Investigators also said they found explosive devices in an unsecured backpack labeled '#NoLivesMatter.' Spafford has remained in jail since his arrest last December. U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ruled against his release last January, writing that Spafford has 'shown the capacity for extreme danger.' She also noted that Spafford lost three fingers in an accident involving homemade explosives in 2021. Spafford had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in January. Defense attorneys had argued at the time that Spafford, who is married and a father of two young daughters, works a steady job as a machinist and has no criminal record. Defense attorney Jeffrey Swartz said at Spafford's January detention hearing that investigators had gathered information on him since January 2023, during which Spafford never threatened anyone. 'And what has he done during those two years?' Swartz said. 'He purchased a home. He's raised his children. He's in a great marriage. He has a fantastic job, and those things all still exist for him.' Investigators, however, said they had limited knowledge of the homemade bombs until an informant visited Spafford's home, federal prosecutors wrote in a filing. 'But once the defendant stated on a recorded wire that he had an unstable primary explosive in the freezer in October 2024, the government moved swiftly,' prosecutors wrote.
