Happy New Year! ISIS takes credit for Istanbul massacre

So, farewell then, 2016. And welcome 2017. What will the new year be like? Walt has a few predictions. Here's one. The Islamic terrorist attacks against Western civilization and any Muslims who don't agree with their extremist views will continue unabated. The Muslim civil war will continue. Two "incidents" this weekend prove me right, as usual.

Yesterday, New Year's Eve, a pair of suicide bombings minutes apart hit al-Sinak, a flea market in central Baghdad, Iraq. Minutes after the first suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden belt, a cry of "Allahu akbar!" rang out again, as a the second attacker struck amid the crowd that gathered. 28 people, mostly Shia Muslims, died. 54 were wounded.

In a statement posted by its Aaqmaq news agency, the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks, and confirmed that the blasts came from a pair of suicide bombers. Later on Saturday, three separate attacks in and around Baghdad killed another 8 people, including a policeman, and wounded 17. Provisional total for the day: 36 "infidels" dead, 71 wounded.

This morning at 0115 local time -- just over an hour into the New Year -- a gunman who entered the crowded Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, and opened fire, killing at least 39 people, including a policeman, and wounding 69 others. At the time of the shooting, about 600 people were inside the club, located near a bridge that crosses the Bosphorus River. The venue was popular with wealthy locals and tourists. An Israeli woman has been identified as one of the victims. Other foreign victims came from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya.

As yet, no-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is reminiscent of last June's massacre of 49 people (and wounding of 53 others) at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando FL. The killer in that case was Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old "Muslim-American" security guard. In a 9-1-1 call shortly after he started shooting, Mr Mateen swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the ISIS/ISIL. He said the shooting was "triggered" [bad pun! Ed.] by the American killing of Abu Waheeb in Iraq the previous month. He later told a negotiator he was "out here right now" because of the American-led interventions in Iraq and in Syria, and that the negotiator should tell the United States to stop bombing ISIL.

Although no connection with ISIS has been established in the Reina killings, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has issued a statement in which he says "I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017." Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests", Mr Erdogan said, "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace." Walt wishes the Turks good luck with that!

Walt is keeping his eye on the mojo wire for reports of rape and other Islamic New Year's celebrations from Koln, Berlin, Stockholm and/or other European cities. My prediction: Cries of "Allahu akbar!" will echo around the world for the remaining 365.5 days of 2017. Happy New Year!

UPDATE 1/1/17: AP reports that President B. Hussein Obama expressed condolences for the attack and directed his team to offer US help to Turkish authorities. Whether the Turks want American help is another matter. The White House condemned the incident calling it a "horrific terrorist attack". Notice the omission of the word "Islamic". Even now, the Soon-to-be-ex-Prez can't bring himself to call Islamic terrorism by its name.

UPDATE 2/1/17: To no-one's surprise, AP reports today that ISIS (The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is claiming responsibility for the New Year's Eve Istanbul nightclub massacre. The ISIS-linked Aamaq News Agency said that the attack was carried out by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle and also detonated hand grenades in "revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders" of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. They went on to describe Turkey as "the servant of the cross" and suggested the attack was in retaliation for Turkish military offensives against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Walt explains why the Muslim jihadists want to kill us

Last week -- before yesterday's tragic events in Brussels -- Agent 6 e-mailed me to express his lack of understanding of why the ISIS (and al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and Taliban) terrorists keep killing people.

Speaking of the Muslim terrorist attack on a Canadian Forces recruiting office, our esteemed agent calls it "a sordid story. One wonders what went through the mind of Ayanie Hassan Ali before the attack. What did he really hope to accomplish in the name of Allah? And he was born and raised [in Canada]! Could be a result of too much inbreeding through his heritage. Will raise suspicion for anyone with a beard."

Last night I heard a "security expert" giving his explanation for the Muslims' attacks on Westerners. He said that in Europe and North America, Muslims are "marginalized" and the victims of discrimination, demonization and (of course) Islamophobia. He made a thinly veiled reference to Donald Trump and others who preach "exclusion".

That's rubbish! Totally! A big black crock! The answer to Agent 6's question, and the contradiction to the politically correct explanation of the "expert", is to be found in what Ayanie Hassan Ali shouted as he knifed the soldiers. "Allah told me to do this," he yelled. "Allah told me to come here and kill people!"

The celebrators of diversity were quick to say that was just the rant of one deranged individual, not representative of the feelings of the vast majority of "moderate Muslims". That's rubbish too! Rewind to October 2014 when two "homegrown, radicalized Muslims" killed two Canadian soldiers in separate incidents in Ottawa and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Not long before the attacks, a young Canuck fighting in the sandpit for ISIS posted a video warning "We're coming to get you!" -- referring to not just the Great Satan but the British, Canadians, Australians and any others who would dare to wage war on them, or stand in the way of their jihad to establish a New Caliphate in the Middle East.

That's pretty much the truth of it. The Islamic terrorists -- ISIS (or whatever we're calling it today), al-Qaeda and the rest of them -- have declared jihad (holy war) on all Christians and other unbelievers, and are exhorting their followers and sympathizers in every country to "kill the infidels, wherever they may be found!"

"Wherever they may be found" includes Paris, Madrid, London, New York, Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, San Bernardino... and now Brussels. This shouldn't come as a surprise. See "Turkish President Erdoğan predicted Brussels bombings last Friday!", WWW 22/3/16. And please, let's stop saying it's because we're being mean to Muslims. The Islamic extremists want to kill us... because Allah's telling them to!

Footnote: On the Vatican Insider web page, Andrea Tornielli quotes the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, as taking issue with the US announcement that a genocidal campaign against Christians is taking place in the Middle East. "The statement comes too late, when everything has already happened," said the prelate. "Everyone has either escaped or [is] dead."

Turkish President Erdoğan predicted Brussels bombings last Friday!

The first thing Walt does when he stumbles out of bed is fire up the old rangdidio to catch up on the news of overnight disasters. The site of today's catastrophe is Brussels, the capital of Belgium, which is in virtual lockdown after explosions rocked the airport and subway system. The death toll at last count was 26, with many more injured.

According to the public transport operator, 15 people were killed and 81 injured in a blast at Maelbeek metro station. The Belgian health minister said 11 people died in two explosions at the Zaventem airport just outside Brussels. The number of killed may yet rise, as earlier reports put the airport death toll at 13.

As yet, no-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and no-one has said it was Muslim jihadists that did it. But Belgium's federal prosecutor said that at least one of the explosions at the airport was likely caused by a suicide bomber. He earlier described the explosions as terror attacks. And Reuters reported that a witness said he heard shouts in Arabic shortly before two blasts struck the packed airport departures area. Walt is offering 99 to 1 odds (place your bets by PayPal) that the attackers were followers of the prophet.

Hold on... Perhaps it's not fair for me to take your money. I had a tipoff from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan! This past Friday Mr. Erdoğan gave a speech at a ceremony to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, in which he warned European countries about terrorist organizations. Here's what he said. "Once again I call on countries that directly or indirectly support terror groups. The snakes you are sleeping with can bite you any time. European countries are paying no attention as if they are dancing in a minefield. There is no reason why the bomb that exploded in Ankara cannot explode in Brussels, in any other European city."

Sadly, it's not just European leaders who are paying no attention. The "Leader of the Free World" [Who dat? Ed.] pays no attention. POTUS's would-be successor -- Hellery Clinton -- pays no attention. The Canuck celebrity who thinks he's the up-and-coming champion of progressivism -- Justin Trudeau -- pays no attention. And when someone like Donald Trump says folks like Mr. Erdoğan and Marine Le Pen (see yesterday's post) are right, and we should keep the Muslims out, they call him a racist. There are none so deaf as those who will not hear!