"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
Father God, thank you for the love of the truth you have given me. Please bless me with the wisdom, knowledge and discernment needed to always present the truth in an attitude of grace and love. Use this blog and Northwoods Ministries for your glory. Help us all to read and to study Your Word without preconceived notions, but rather, let scripture interpret scripture in the presence of the Holy Spirit. All praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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A special court sitting in The Hague on Wednesday sentenced former Kosovon President Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in prison for murder, torture and other war crimes committed during Kosovo's fight for independence from Serbia in the 1990s. File Photo by Valdrin Xhemaj/EPA-EFE
Sept. 16 (UPI) --A special court sitting in The Hague on Wednesday sentenced former Kosovon President Hashim Thaçi and former two-time acting president Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison for murder, torture and other war crimes committed during Kosovo's fight for independence from Serbia in the 1990s.
A Kosovo Specialist Chambers trial panel found Thaçi, Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi guilty of playing significant roles in the targeting of individuals they believed opposed the political and military goals of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the chambers said on X.
The Trial Panel found that all four "criminally responsible" for the murders of 96 people, torture of 303, arbitrary arrest of 385 and cruel treatment of a further 49.
Veseli and Selimi were handed prison sentences of 18 years and 13 years, respectively, minus time already served on remand, the specialist prosecutor's office said in a news release.
The court said those targeted for assassination, arbitrary detention without due process, physical and psychologically abuse as well as harrassment and intimidation included Kosovo Albanians linked to rival political or military forces, including the Kosovo Democratic League and the Kosovo Armed Forces, its military wing.
Individuals alleged to be associated with the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or Serbian authorities and members of certain ethnic minorities, including a number of Roma and Serbs, were also singled out for targeting.
The trial panel acquitted the men of six counts of crimes against humanity.
The panel said that, bar a few examples, most of the those targeted were innocent civilians caught up in the perpetrating of a "common criminal purpose" that tarred them, often falsely and most of the time with no foundation, as "collaborators or spies."
It said it found no evidence that any of the victims played any active role in the conflict, posed a valid security threat to the KLA or were involved in criminal activity of any kind.
In testimony to the court, many of those affected said they had suffered lasting psychological and physical injuries.
The presiding judge stressed purpose of trial was not to re-litigate whether the KLA was a legitimate army of liberation, or Kosovon independence, but about the criminal acts perpetrated by some KLA members in pursuit of an independent Kosovo.
The court said in handing down the sentences it had taken into account additional vulnerabilities due to the ages of some victims or the fact some had witnessed their loved ones being murdered or abused.
The German Defense Ministry has a secretive military unit dedicated solely to facilitating cooperation between Berlin and Kiev, including meeting Ukraine’s weapons demands, the Financial Times has reported.
Dubbed Sonderstab Ukraine (Special Staff Ukraine), the unit processes arms procurement contracts signed by Kiev under Berlin’s military support program, which amounts to €11.5 billion ($13.27 billion) this year alone.
Described by one of the FT’s sources as an “incredibly un-German” unit, Special Staff Ukraine prides itself on signing off on Kiev’s demands in less than two weeks while bypassing the standard procurement rules that apply to Germany’s own armed forces, the Bundeswehr. The arrangement is possible because Ukraine, rather than Berlin, signs the contracts, according to the FT.
“Kiev provided the shopping list. Berlin paid the bill,” the outlet said, describing the unit’s operations. The FT said it enjoys strong political backing from German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Created soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the unit was initially tasked with monitoring the fighting and briefing Berlin’s political leadership on developments. Several months later, it pivoted heavily toward facilitating military support for Kiev.
The unit was formed and initially led by Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, who now heads Germany’s Land Forces. Known for his hardline stance on Russia, Freuding claimed in March that a full-fledged conflict between Moscow and NATO could occur as early as 2029 and said Ukrainian instructors would help the German military train for the allegedly looming confrontation.
The unit’s current commander, Brigadier General Joachim Kaschke, told the FT that it was entirely up to Kiev how to spend the German money. “We are not there to advise them – there is no ‘mentoring’,” he stated, adding that Berlin simply connects the relevant Ukrainian officials with German arms manufacturers.
At some point, cooperation between Berlin and Kiev expanded beyond simple arms exports, with Ukrainian companies gaining access to the NATO market through joint ventures with German partners, alarming Germany’s arms manufacturers. “The situation with Ukraine has changed, and it’s trying to become an exporter as well as an importer,” a defense contractor executive told the FT. “It’s becoming more political.”
Berlin has also complained that Kiev is not spending enough of its Western-provided procurement funds on German weapons. Last week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned that Germany would struggle to justify its continued support for Ukraine to its people if it did not bring any benefits.
“We stand by you, we support you. But I also have to explain this to German taxpayers, and the very least you can do is to involve the German defense industry in all procurement measures,” Wadephul told Bild.
Berlin emerged as Kiev’s single biggest military donor after Washington drastically scaled back its assistance under US President Donald Trump. Germany has provided or earmarked a total of €57.6 billion in military aid for Ukraine, according to German government data.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has prioritized a military buildup, including assistance to Kiev, despite acknowledging that his country’s own economy is in a “structural crisis.” His government amended the constitutional debt brake to fund the buildup and passed a 2026 budget allocating a record €108.2 billion to defense and €11.5 billion in military aid for Ukraine.
The spending comes despite warnings from the German central bank that the country is on course to record its largest budget deficit since reunification by 2028.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Wednesday warned Japan over its expanding military capabilities. in this March 2019 photo, Kim is seen in Hanoi, Vietnam. File Pool Photo by Jorge Silva/EPA-EFE
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (UPI) --Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned Wednesday that Pyongyang could adopt "additional military options" against Japan, accusing Tokyo of becoming a "war state" through its expanding military capabilities.
Kim made the remarks in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
"Japan, a war criminal state, is accelerating its transformation into a war state," she wrote, claiming that Tokyo was exploiting growing geopolitical tensions to boost its offensive military capacity.
She cited Japan's recent test-firing of U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles from a destroyer in the Pacific Ocean and its March deployment of long-range surface-to-ship missiles and high-speed gliding projectiles at bases in Kumamoto and Shizuoka prefectures as examples of Tokyo's changing military posture.
Kim also pointed to Japan's participation in U.S.-led military exercises in the Philippines in May, where it launched offensive missiles outside its territory for the first time since World War II.
Kim claimed that Japan's growing arsenal of long-range weapons was transforming its Self-Defense Forces into an offensive military.
"The mass possession of different kinds of long-range strike means with an unexpectedness of preemptive attack and a drastic increase in the radius of their operation ... make Japan reorganize its overall armed forces as a formation of preemptive attack and overseas aggression," she wrote.
Kim also accused the United States of driving Japan's military expansion, saying Tokyo and Seoul were acting as Washington's "shock brigade" in the region.
"Japan's military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, which is being turned into the world's biggest hotspot due to the U.S. exclusive and aggressive foreign policy ... seriously threatens international peace and stability," she wrote.
North Korea has repeatedly criticized the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hawkish conservative who took office in February, over efforts to strengthen Japan's military and broaden its regional security role.
Tokyo has bolstered its defense posture since adopting a new National Security Strategy in late 2022 that calls for acquiring "counterstrike capabilities," including long-range missiles intended to strike enemy launch sites if Japan comes under attack.
In a commentary published in KCNA on Tuesday, North Korea condemned a recent U.S.-led multinational naval exercise in Hawaii and criticized military cooperation among Washington and its regional allies, including the Pentagon's recent move to upgrade U.S. Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters with expanded operational responsibilities.
Kim said North Korea should make Japan "regret" its growing military ambitions.
"One effective way is to make Japan feel that its security has been exposed to greater danger due to its greediness," she wrote. "We will never remain a passive onlooker to the military evolution of Japan which may pose a grave threat to the security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.
"I make it clear upon authorization that the armed forces of the DPRK and the military leadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan's transformation," she added.
President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to push ahead with the sale of dozens of jet engines to Turkey worth hundreds of millions of dollars despite objections from some members of the US Congress, four sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, an important gesture to Ankara ahead of a NATO summit there next month.
The engines, produced by General Electric, will power Turkey‘s first indigenous combat jet KAAN, a major project launched in 2016 as part of NATO member Ankara’s efforts to be more self-sufficient in its defense.
One of the sources said the package will be worth more than $700 million.
Turkey and the United States have generally enjoyed warm ties under Trump, who regularly praises Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
However, their relationship has been tested by a long-standing disagreement over Washington’s decision to remove Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program and impose sanctions after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, which the United States says pose a security threat.
While the engine sale is likely to be welcomed in Ankara, analysts say it falls well short of Turkey‘s broader goal of returning to the F-35 program.
“Acquiring the engines is certainly important for Turkey, but it is also the lowest-hanging fruit for a US administration that has made far more ambitious promises to Ankara, including Turkey’s return to the F-35 program,” said Gonul Tol, director of the Washington-based Middle East Institute’s Turkish program.
“The real test of whether Washington and Ankara can open a new chapter in bilateral relations lies there,” Tol said.
US law does not permit Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wishes to rejoin the F-35 program.
However, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said in December that the warm relationship between Trump and Erdogan helped the two sides hold “the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.”
US Vice President JD Vance indicated on Wednesday that a review was under way to see how the United States could sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets given Ankara’s 2019 acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
“Pete and the entire team are reviewing this right now, because there are certain things that we have to certify have happened … in order to comply with American law. The president has asked us to do that,” Vance told reporters.
Turkey will host NATO leaders on July 7 to 8 amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing, defense spending, and US complaints about allies’ role in efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open during the US-Iran war.
OBJECTIONS
Turkey‘s 2019 acquisition of the Russian air defense systems weakened support for Ankara particularly in the US Congress, although lawmakers ultimately approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets in 2024.
Some of that sentiment persists. Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, had raised objections during an informal review process and has not given his green light for the package, two of the sources, including a US official, said.
Despite that, the sale is expected to be finalized in the coming days, followed by a formal notification from the State Department to Congress, the sources said.
The congressional review process is designed to allow lawmakers to weigh in on large sales, but the objections are not binding if a US administration wishes to press ahead with the sale.
The Trump administration has bypassed, or threatened to bypass, congressional holds on several weapons sales.
“As a matter of general policy, we do not comment on pending arms transfers. Official correspondence with Congress is conducted through official channels,” a State Department official said.
The decision to move forward with the sale comes nearly a year after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan publicly complained about what he described as a hold-up in the process.
Turkish officials were hoping to secure an approval on the sale shortly after Erdogan’s meeting with Trump at the White House last September.
Frustrated by past hot-cold ties with the West and some arms embargoes, Turkey has developed its own KAAN stealth fighter.
Yet officials acknowledge it will take years before it replaces the American-made F-16s that form the backbone of its air force.
Jet upgrades are part of a broader effort to strengthen layered air defenses that also includes Turkey‘s domestic “Steel Dome” project and an expansion of long-range missile coverage.
“The acquisition of 80 F110-GE-129 engines from US was part of the original program plan of the Kaan indigenous combat aircraft development project,” said Arda Mevlutoglu, defense analyst and CEO of Mergen Analytical Strategies.
“The Kaan program is composed of “blocks,” similar to many US aircraft programs. Until the development of the indigenous powerplant is complete for later blocks, the Kaan will enter service with the GE engine,” Mevlutoglu said.
Norwegian armed forces ad features Muslim soldier screaming ‘Allahu akbar’
The story below translates “Allahu akbar” as “Allah is greatest.” It’s actually “Allah is greater,” that is, greater than your God. Norwegian authorities should ponder the question of whether such a declaration is really compatible with loyalty to the Norwegian state and military. But they won’t.
Norwegian soldiers, U.S. Army photo by Spc. Derek Mustard, Public domain
Norwegian defense advertisement: Muslim prayer with ‘Allahu akbar'
translated from “Norska försvarets reklam: Muslimsk bön med ‘Allahu akbar,'” Fria Tider, June 22, 2026 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
In a new commercial from the Norwegian Defense Forces, a Muslim soldier is shown praying to Allah – something that is sparking debate.
“It’s about showing that the armed forces need diversity,” says Gry Bohne Hauge at the Norwegian Defense Forces.
Both the Norwegian flag and the Islamic crescent are visible on the soldier’s uniform.
“Allah is greatest,”says the soldier in the film.
The same campaign video also features a flirting gay couple and a man holding a baby – among other things.
Gry Bohne Hauge, head of marketing and society within the Norwegian Defense Forces, defends the cultural Marxist approach.
“When we highlight love and faith, it is because these are fundamental rights and values that the armed forces must protect for everyone who lives in Norway,” she tells Kampanje.
She also states that the defense wants to show that they are looking for personnel with different backgrounds.
“It’s about showing that the armed forces need diversity and must be a good place to work, regardless of who you are, who you love or what you believe in,” says Gry Bohne Hauge.
Of course, she's completely oblivious to the fact that Norway's next war will be civil and will be against Islam.
The recruitment film has received harsh criticism on social media. Journalist Espen Teigen at the conservative Document writes in an X post that the campaign goes against Norwegian tradition.
“Now that’s enough. Activists within the Armed Forces spit on our ancestors, our culture and our history. ‘Allahu akbar’ and Islam are not part of the Norway we defend. This is not what our ancestors sacrificed their lives for. Islam is the very opposite of our values,” Teigen writes.
