(2021-08-08). Taliban Forces Take Control of 5 Cities in Afghanistan. telesurenglish.net On Sunday, Taliban forces took over another three important cities in Afghanistan, accounting for five new territories under their control in the last 72 hrs. | RELATED: | Located in the northern region, Kunduz, Sar-e-Pol and Taloqan are the last three cities to fall in hands of Taliban militias. | During Friday and Saturday, Taliban forces occupied Sheberghan and Zaranj, respective capitals of western provinces…
(2021-08-08). In Video: Kunduz, Sari-Pul Capitals Fell Under Taliban Control. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 7th, the Taliban launched an advance in the city of Kunduz in the north-eastern Afghanistan. | Following the night-long clashes, the Taliban fighters declared the complete capture of Kunduz. According to the group's representatives, the militants managed to take control of the police department building, the residence of the provincial governor and the prison building. | The Taliban released video showing the Kunduz police headquarters under the complete control of…
(2021-08-08). Military Situation In Afghanistan On August 8, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 8, Taliban captured Sare Pol city in Sare Pol province | On August 8, Taliban captured most of Kunduz city in Kunduz province | On August 8, clashes between the Afghan Army and Taliban continued to the west and south of Herat city | On August 8, clashes between the Afghan Army and Taliban continued inside the city of Lashkar Gah | On August 7, Taliban captured Khaja Do Kuh in Jowzjan province | 572 Taliban militants were killed and 143 others were wounded as a…
(2021-08-08). Palestinian Students in Gaza Are Back after Israel tried to destroy their future. juancole.com 
By Wafa Aludaini | — ( Middle East Monitor) — As Palestinian high school students celebrate their success in the Tawjihi exams and plan for the future, those in Gaza are still trying to rebuild their lives after Israel's brutal bombing campaign in May. The Tawjihi exams were held just one month after the ceasefire …
(2021-08-08). Sunday 8/15: Q&A Discussion of film "Stitching Palestine" indybay.org
(2021-08-08). Saturday 8/7: Protest US financed oppression in Palestine/Israel. indybay.org Corner of Water and Ocean Streets, Santa Cruz…
(2021-08-08). Syria-Jordan Border: Daraa Suffers Terrorist Occupation Again. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-08). Arab Parliamentary Union condemns Turkey's aggressive actions against Syria. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Arab Parliamentary Union condemns aggressive practices of Turkish regime against Syria The Arab Parliamentary Union condemned the continued aggressive practices of Turkey's regime against Syria, particularly cutting off water in Hasaka province. "The Arab Parliamentary Union expresses its deep concern over the repeated aggressive Turkish practices against the brotherly Syrian people in the neighboring areas …
(2021-08-08). US "Regime Change" Plans directed against Syria. 40 Relevant Links. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-08). In Video: Russian Advisors Train Syrian Soldiers On Close Combat. southfront.org 
Screen grab from Russia's TV5 report. | Russian military advisors have been training Syrian Arab Army (SAA) service members near the frontlines around the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, where several terrorist groups are active. | On August 6, Russia's TV 5 aired a report documenting a training course that was held recently in the countryside of Hama, a few kilometers away from terrorists' positions. | During the course, Russian advisors trained SAA service members on close combat and the use of RPO-A Shmel rock…
(2021-08-08). Military Situation In Syria On August 8, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 7, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 24 times: 14 — in Idlib province, 5 — in Latakia province, 3 — in Hama province, 2 — in Aleppo province | On August 7, unknown gunmen killed a person in al-Hawl camp | On August 7, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Ariha | On August 7, clashes between SAA and former rebeles were reported in Daraa | On August 7, artillery of Turki…
(2021-08-08). Mass Defections Push Syria's Ahrar Al-Sham Closer To Its End. southfront.org 
The official logo of the Ahrar al-Sham Movement. | The Ahrar al-Sham Movement, which stood once as one of the largest rebel factions in Syria, appears to be nearing its end. | On August 7, four of the movement's largest units, the Badr Brigade, al-Abbas Brigade, al-Sharqi Groups and Aleppo Gathering, announced their defection. In a joint statement, the four units revealed that they left Ahrar al-Sham on July 17. | The units joined the al-Shamiya Front, one of the largest Turkish-backed groups and a member of the Syrian Natio…
(2021-08-08). Syrian Army Deploys Additional Reinforcements In Daraa As Clashes With Former Rebels Renew (Videos). southfront.org 
File image. | On August 8, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) deployed additional reinforcements in the southern governorate of Daraa, where tensions continue to raise. | The reinforcements were deployed near the southern part of Daraa city, also known as Daraa al-Balad, where former rebels have been taking a stand against the authorities as well as in the town of Busra al-Harir in the eastern countryside of the governorate. | Videos shared by Syrian opposition activists revealed that the reinforcements included hundreds of troops a…
(2021-08-08). Saturday 10/2: Opening Reception – The Art of Protest: 1960s-1970s to Now. indybay.org Oakland Asian Cultural Center…
(2021-08-08). USA to Brazil: Join NATO but First Kick Out Huawei from 5G Market (Free Trade Not So Free). orinocotribune.com The US offers Brazil the status of "global partner" in NATO, if Brasilia replaces the Chinese Huawei in its 5G network market with a "similar" US one. | As reported by Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sà£o Paulo on Friday, August 6, US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, during his visit to Brazil, has offered the government of Jair Bolsonaro to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with the status of "global partner," in exchange for Brasilia "reconsidering" its digital communication technology relations with China. | The senior US official undertook his first trip to Brazil with the aim of…
(2021-08-08). Fighting On The Armenian-Azerbaijani Border Continues. southfront.org 
Armenian artillery position in Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. | On August 8th, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that the Armenian Armed Forces had shelled their positions on the border. The same claims have been made on a daily basis since the late July.On August 8, at 13: 00 the Armenian armed forces units from the positions in the Arazdeyen settlement of the Vedi region using small arms periodically subjected to fire the Azerbaijan Army positions in the direction of the Hey…
(2021-08-08). Ottawa Implements Historic Fisheries Agreement With First Nations. popularresistance.org Years of negotiation to develop a collaborative fisheries governance model between Canada and eight First Nations along the West Coast came to fruition this week. | Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan and Coastal First Nations (CFN) president KÃìáwázi…´ Marilyn Slett, along with other CFN member nations, celebrated the signing and next steps for implementation of the Fisheries Resources Reconciliation Agreement (FRRA) on Friday. | The first of its kind in B.C., the agreement between Canada and First Nations on the north and central coast and Haida Gwaii — whose territories make up 40…
(2021-08-08). Social Banditry For The 21st Century. popularresistance.org At least as early as the first century A.D., shiftas of the Horn of Africa renounced their allegiance to emperors, government and law, and took to the wild where — through their disruptions of the usual business and trade — they would manage to survive as outlaws. For centuries, the Balkan haiduks roamed their lands, stealing from their Ottoman occupiers. Yi brigands and others from across the Chinese frontier sustained their economies in large part through raiding during the early 20th century. From 1917-1937, Peruvian women led bands of sharpshooters by horseback to rob the rich and give to the poor…
(2021-08-07). Military Situation In Afghanistan On August 7, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 7, Taliban captured Sheberghan city in Jowzjan province | On August 7, Taliban captured Zaranj city in Nimruz province | On August 7, clashes between the Afghan Army and Taliban continued inside the city of Lashkar Gah | On August 7, clashes between the Afghan Army and Taliban continued to the west and south of Herat city | On August 7, Taliban attacked Kunduz city in Kunduz province | 358 Taliban militants were killed and 143 others were wounded as a result o…
(2021-08-07). Twenty Years ago: US Prepares for Its Invasion of Afghanistan. orinocotribune.com By Shane Quinn — Aug 4, 2021 | As George W. Bush entered the White House on 20 January 2001, having been granted a controversial election victory, his cabinet promptly drew up a particularly hawkish foreign policy program. This included identifying a number of strategically important states to gain full ascendancy over, through military intervention if needs be, and among the first countries selected for invasion was Afghanistan. | Due to America's declining oil and natural gas stocks, the top priority for president Bush was to increase US influence over rich fossil fuel sources, laying down pipelines, refin…
(2021-08-07). WATCH: Taliban fighters joyride in Humvees after capturing Nimroz provincial capital & seizing more US-made weaponry. rt.com 
Taliban militants were spotted parading around in US-made Humvees after seizing a major city in Nimroz province, footage shows — the first regional capital to fall to the group as it launches a wave of attacks across Afghanistan. | The militants were seen making victory laps around the city of Zaranj on Friday afternoon in the captured vehicles, having just captured the provincial capital after overrunning Afghan government forces. |
(2021-08-07). Overview Of Taliban's Advance: First Provincial Capitals Fell, Manhunt Declared In Kabul. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | The first two provincial capitals came under the Taliban's control. | On August 6, the first reports came about the Taliban taking control over the city of Zaranj in Afghanistan's western Nimruz province. It became the first provincial capital the group has taken from the Afghan government. | According to the reports from the area, the Taliban have taken control of the airport as well as key government buildings, including the provincial governor's compound. Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a sp…
(2021-08-07). Twilight of the 20-Year Occupation of Afghanistan. zcomm.org U.S. Soldiers Sent to Kill and Die—For What?>
(2021-08-07). Watch Taliban Militants Parade in US-Made Humvees After Seizing Afghan Provincial Capital. sputniknews.com On Friday, Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ghulam Isaczai told the UN Security Council that the scale and scope of the ongoing Taliban* offensive in the country "are akin to an invasion unparalleled in the last 30 years of the conflict".
(2021-08-07). Afghan Black Hawk Helicopter Pilot Assassinated By The Taliban. southfront.org 
Afghan pilot Hamidullah Azimi. | On August 7, the Taliban assassinated a pilot of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in the Chahar Asiab district of the capital, Kabul. | The pilot, identified as Hamidullah Azimi, was killed when a magnetic explosive device, that had been planted under his vehicle by operatives of the Taliban, blew up. According to the TOLO News, six civilians were wounded in the same blast. | Azimi was a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot. The AAF uses its unarmed Black Hawk helicopters for t…
(2021-08-07). Media Paints Israel As 'Victim' As Hezbollah Responds To Airstrikes. popularresistance.org Lebanese Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the firing of the 19 rockets into northern Israel in response to a series of Israeli air and artillery strikes carried out earlier this week on southern Lebanon. The rocket fire reportedly shocked the Israeli military establishment and sparked further aggression against targets in Lebanon's south; and, in defiance of all evidence, Western mainstream media quickly took to painting Israel as the victim.
(2021-08-07). Media Paints Israel As "Victim" As Hezbollah Responds To Fresh Israeli Airstrikes. popularresistance.org Lebanese Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the firing of the 19 rockets into northern Israel in response to a series of Israeli air and artillery strikes carried out earlier this week on southern Lebanon. The rocket fire reportedly shocked the Israeli military establishment and sparked further aggression against targets in Lebanon's south; and, in defiance of all evidence, Western mainstream media quickly took to painting Israel as the victim.
(2021-08-07). Hezbollah Fires Rockets in Response to Israeli Airstrikes. news.antiwar.com Hezbollah responded Friday to recent Israeli shelling and airstrikes in southern Lebanon by firing rockets into Israel. The incident marks the Israel said 19 rockets were launched from Lebanon and that it fired back with artillery after the barrage. The back and forth is the most significant escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in years, but no casualties were reported on either side. | Israel's initial shelling of Lebanon took place late We…
(2021-08-07). Israel-Hezbollah Confrontation is 'Exchange of Messages', War is Not on Horizon, Expert Says. sputniknews.com The reason for this is not only the reluctance of Hezbollah to draw Lebanon into another bloody conflict, especially now when the country is mired in deep economic and political crises. It also stems from Israel being preoccupied with other problems and the split within its own coalition.
(2021-08-07). 7 August, Toulouse: Palestine Stand — Free all Palestinian prisoners! samidoun.net 
Saturday, 7 August 11 am Metro Capitole Toulouse, France Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/436408997413252/ Saturday August 7th from 11am to 1pm, Collectif Palestine Vaincra is organizing a Palestine Stand at the exit of the Capitole metro in Toulouse. Today, 4,850 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli occupation prisons, including 540 administrative detainees (without charge or trial). This comes in addition to the case of Georges Abdallah, Palestinian resistance fighter imprisoned in France since 1984. Faced with this situation, more than 17 prisoners are on hunger strike to demand their immediate rele…
(2021-08-07). Palestinians Refuse to Concede Land Rights to Israelis. zcomm.org "The minute we pay rent for our homes, it means we have given up ownership," said one woman who could be expelled to make way for Jewish settlers…
(2021-08-07). Israel Lashes Out at Ben & Jerry's for Boycott in Occupied Palestinian Territory. truthout.org 
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement got a powerful boost when Ben & Jerry's announced its boycott in the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territory. On July 19, the iconic ice cream company
(2021-08-07). Israeli Military Struck Gaza Strip In Response To Attacks With 'Arson Balloons' (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
Illustrative photo of an Israeli F-15 Eagle fighter jet (Edi Israel/Flash90/File) | Early on August 7, warplanes of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a number of airstrikes on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. | In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that the airstrikes were a response to repeated attacks with "arson balloons" by Palestinians in Gaza. | The IDF claimed that the airstrikes destroyed a compound and a rocket launching site of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movem…
(2021-08-07). The Politics of Cheering and Booing: On Palestine, Solidarity, and the Tokyo Olympics. commondreams.org "If the corporate Democrats running the party keep… reforms off the table and marginalize the candidates espousing them, they are foreclosing big opportunities to landslide the Trumpian Republicans."
(2021-08-07). [World Report] Palestinian health NGO leader detained. thelancet.com Health and human rights organisations have requested the release of Shatha Odeh, director of the Palestinian Health Work Committees, who is being held by the Israeli military. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2021-08-07). ISIS will Operate 'Indefinitely,' Warns US Military Report. orinocotribune.com The US justifies its presence in Iraq and Syria by inflating the threat of ISIS, but the group holds no significant territory. | On Tuesday, August 3, the US military submitted to the Congress The US presence in Iraq and Syria is under the umbrella of the US-led anti-ISIS coalitions. Washington does not want to give up its occupation of either country, so even though ISIS no longer holds significant territory, the…
(2021-08-07). Tunisia: the complex issues behind the presidential power-grab. juancole.com 
By Mariam Salehi | — Ten years on from the Arab uprisings, Tunisia has often been presented as a rare success story. Elsewhere Egypt sank into an army dictatorship, Syria, Libya and Yemen into bloody civil war. In other countries, meanwhile, such as Bahrain, the protests were put down with ferocity and the old regimes …
(2021-08-07). US transfers 40 ISIL forces to its base in Hasaka: report. en.mehrnews.com Syrian sources reported that the US military transferred dozens of ISIL prisoners in Syria to its base.
(2021-08-07). Iranian Forces Deployed Air-Defense System, Anti-Aircraft Guns In Syria's Deir Ezzor: Monitoring Group. southfront.org 
File image. | The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had deployed a mobile air-defense system in the southern countryside of Syria's Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on August 7. | According to the London-based monitoring group, the air-defense system was deployed in the in the al-Mazar'a area in the outskirts of the town of al-Mayadin. The group said that the system was armed with "several missiles," without providing any further details. | A few days after the deploye…
(2021-08-07). US Military Says It Lost Global Hawk Drone In 'Accident' After Reports Of Similar Drone Shot Down In Syria. southfront.org 
On August 6, a Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude long endurance surveillance drone of the US Air Force crashed…
(2021-08-07). Syrian Army Shelled Idlib City With Laser-Guided Artillery Rounds (Video). southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On August 7 morning, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) shelled Idlib city, the largest urban center in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib. | The army targeted the western outskirts of the city, where many positions of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are located. The terrorist group is the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib. No civilian losses were reported. | Opposition sources revealed that the SAA fired at least four Russian-made Krasnopol 155 mm artillery rounds at the area. | Most 152…
(2021-08-07). How a Network of UK Intel-Linked Operatives Helped Sell Every Alleged Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack. strategic-culture.org 
While Western media covers up their credibility issues, these pseudo-experts and spooks have helped drive the dirty war on Syria. | By Kit KLARENBERG | A tight-knit cast of characters has sought to destabilize the Syrian government by convincing Syrians, Western citizens, foreign states, and international bodies that the CIA-backed Free Syrian Army is a legitimate, "moderate" alternative, while flooding news across the globe with opposition propaganda. | Its key actors have also played a central part in high-profile chemical weapon deceptions, participating in the attacks' staging, generating media coverage, orc…
(2021-08-07). Military Situation In Syria On August 7, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 7, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 24 times: 14 — in Idlib province, 5 — in Latakia province, 3 — in Hama province, 2 — in Aleppo province | On August 7, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Banin village | On August 7, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Kafr Nuran village | On August 6, YPG artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed force…
(2021-08-07). 2021 California Admission Day, Equity and Inclusion Conversation. indybay.org The origin of the State of California and transition to US Statehood through the eyes of Indigenous, Pan African, Latino, European, Asian and Pacific Islanders poised this 2021 Admission Day…
(2021-08-07). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org AsiaIndia: General insurance sector workers strike against privatisationTens of thousands of workers from India's four public sector general insurance companies—National Insurance, New India Assurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance—held a national strike on Wednesday against Modi government moves to privatise the sector. The four companies employ 60,000 workers.
(2021-08-07). On China, Biden is continuing Trump's Zero-Sum Vision of the World when our Crises demand a Win-Win Approach. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Special to Informed Comment) — Regarding China, Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Team has embraced the zero-sum rhetoric of the Trump administration. That approach could bifurcate the globe politically and technologically along racial lines, but instead of race, the project has been marketed as a contest of values. Zero-sum rhetoric didn't begin with Trump. …
(2021-08-07). WHO should conduct origin tracing in the US: China Daily editorial. ecns.cn A survey conducted around the world by China Global Television Network in the six official languages of the United Nations over the past few weeks found that 83.1 percent of the respondents support the World Health Organization carrying out a novel coronavirus origin tracing investigation in the United States.
(2021-08-07). Security U.S. fears of China nuclear expansion… déjà vu of Soviet missile gap hype. mronline.org 
Media reports from the U.S. this week—regurgitated by the European press—highlighted concerns that China is embarking on a massive scale-up of underground silos for launching nuclear weapons.
(2021-08-07). 7 August, Toronto: Make Noise for Jerusalem. samidoun.net 
Saturday, 7 August 2 PM Yonge/Dundas Square Toronto ON Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/218433180287757/ TORONTO: Join us this Saturday August 7th at 2PM in Yonge & Dundas Square to make some noise for Jerusalem and take a stand against Zionist settler-colonialism. As Israel's attempts to evict and displace the residents of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan continue unabated, we call on all people of conscience to show out and stand with residents of occupied East Jerusalem resisting displacement. We demand an end to state and institutional complicity with Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. We dem…
(2021-08-07). What is the U.S. afraid of? What kind of 'truth' does it try to make up?>. ecns.cn The U.S.' "excessive efforts" on origin tracing has distorted this scientific issue while its failure to curb the surging COVID-19 cases has ruined its international image.