Sapper Jamie Larcombe, 21, was killed after his patrol came under heavy fire in the Mirabad region around 10:30pm (AEDT) last night. An Afghan man employed as an interpreter was also killed in the attack.
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston says both men were shot and unable to be revived, despite the best efforts of their comrades. "Unfortunately the soldier and interpreter showed no signs of life despite best efforts," he said.
He says other soldiers in the patrol were able to repel the attack while they attempted first aid and called for a medivac.
Sapper Larcombe had been serving in Afghanistan since September. Larcombe, from the Darwin-based First Combat Regiment, was from the same regiment as Corporal Richard Atkinson, killed earlier this month in Afghanistan.
Air Chief Marshal Houston has praised Sapper Larcombe, who was originally from South Australia.
"He was a quiet achiever who worked hard and was focused on getting the job done," he said. "He was courageous and professional. Our nation should mourn the loss of this fine young Australian."
Air Chief Marshal Houston says Sapper Larcombe is survived by his parents, three younger sisters and his girlfriend. "They are a very close family and can be proud of Jamie," he said.
Twenty-three Australian soldiers have now been killed since Australia sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
[Arab News] Gunmen and jacket wallahs dressed as border police potted at least 18 people and maimed more than 70 in an attack on a bank in the main city in Afghanistan's east on Saturday, government officials said.
A Rooters witness reported hearing blasts soon after the attack began and gunfire could be heard coming from the branch of the Kabulbank in Jalalabad, which handles salaries for the Afghan police and armed forces, for several hours.
Gul Agha Sherzai, governor of Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital, said 18 people had been killed, with civilians and members of Afghanistan's security forces among the dead and maimed.
He said seven Death Eaters had attacked the bank, three of them detonating explosive vests inside the building.
Ahmadzia Abdulzai, a front man for the Nangarhar government, said fighting had gone on for several hours and described the scene as "chaotic."
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, although coordinated assaults by Death Eaters against government buildings and military bases have increased in recent years, especially in eastern provinces near the Pakistain border.
Insurgents often dress in the uniforms of Afghan cops, or as women, for such attacks.
The Taliban later grabbed credit, saying three jacket wallahs had entered the bank when Afghan cops were collecting their salaries.
Taliban front man Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message to Rooters that "many" members of the security forces had been killed and that fighting was continuing.
It is rare for the Taliban to launch complex attacks with robbery as their primary motive.
Violence across Afghanistan reached its worst levels last year since the Taliban were toppled by US -backed Afghan forces in 2001. Both civilian and military casualties hit record levels, despite the presence of about 150,000 foreign troops.
'My brother was killed'
"I was inside the bank when seven gunnies in border police uniform attacked," said a government employee who identified himself only as Salman and was maimed in the attack.
"My brother was killed by them," he said.
Another witness, Sediqullah Momand, said: "They shot the bank tellers first. I saw dead and maimed people inside the bank."
Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai condemned the attack.
Traffic from Jalalabad to the capital, Kabul, was blocked by Afghan police and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force) (ISAF) troops, witnesses said. One man was seen earlier running from the area with his clothes covered in blood.
An ISAF front man in Kabul said the coalition was aware of an incident in Jalalabad and was investigating.
Kabulbank, is Afghanistan's politically well-connected top private lender, and is mired in a corruption scandal that could have grave political consequences for Karzai and his government.
The International Monetary Fund has painted a grim picture of the government's handling of the crisis, in which hundreds of millions of dollars have been put at risk through mismanagement, fraud and bad loans, and is considering whether to renew its support for Afghanistan.
That would trigger a review of other commitments by international donors, who provide billions of dollars a year in aid to Afghanistan.
The growing bank crisis is especially worrying because it coincides with efforts by foreign forces to begin the gradual process of withdrawing their troops and handing security responsibility to Afghan forces by 2014.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] At least 53 Afghan non-combatants were killed in foreign forces' operation in eastern Kunar province ... which is right down the road from Binny's house in Chitral... on Thursday, locals claimed.
Residents of Kunar province said 53 civilians including women and kiddies were killed and more than 30 others were maimed Thursday night during an operation carried out by foreign forces in Ghazi Abad district of the province.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Isaf said more than 30 Taliban fighters were killed in Ghazi Abad district Thursday night during a three-hour clash with Isaf forces.
Afghan officials have not yet commented about the operation.
Ghazi Abad district is an insecure area in the province where bully boyz are still active.
Afghan and Nato forces have previously launched many military operations to clear the province of jihad boys.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] During Afghan forces' military operation on Friday four Taliban capos were nabbed in the southern Helmand province, officials said.
The operations were launched in Sangin district of Helmand province to wipe out the Death Eaters from the districts, Afghan officials in Helmand told TOLOnews.
Officials said two Talibs were killed in the operations in Musa Qala district of the province.
Taliban have not yet commented about the incidents.
The Afghan forces officials in Helmand province said they will continue their operation in other parts of the province to clear it of Islamic exemplars.
Militants have become active in most villages in the province recently.
Nearly 10,000 British soldiers are in Afghanistan most of whom are based in Helmand.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Two people, a policeman and a protester were killed Friday night during the violence that erupted after a large opposition rally in the capital of Djibouti, according to an official report given Saturday by the Ministry of Interior.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] An Iranian Navy commander says commandoes have captured and jugged two suspected Somali pirates near a southeastern port city after the sea bandidos hijacked an Iranian fishing boat.
"Navy commandoes at the Chabahar base (a port city on the east coast of the Sea of Oman) began conducting special and reconnaissance missions to arrest pirates after receiving information that an Iranian fishing had been seized," IRIB quoted the Commander of Chabahar Navy Base as saying on Saturday.
The commander, who was identified as Mareshi, said commandoes managed to disarm and board the ship near Pozm -- a port some 52 km (32 miles) west of Chabahar.
"The pirates controlled the ship for 22 days and in that period attempted to hijack five ships in international waters, but failed in all instances," he added, but did not elaborate on where the vessel was attacked and hijacked.
Commandoes confiscated a number of firearms from the pirates.
Mrashi said the pirates were turned over to the police forces of Sistan-Baluchestan Province after a court in the nearby town of Konarak sentenced them to jail.
While the pirates continue to prey on fat merchantmen sailing the treacherous seas of the Gulf of Aden and have expanded their zone of operation further into the Indian Ocean.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Gads - this is the eastern end of the Persian Gulf.
20 February 2011 -- Egypt has decided to reopen the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, which was closed in the face of protests that ousted president Hosni Mubarak, a Hamas official said on Sunday.
The crossing will reopen from Tuesday for 300 passengers a day, said Ghazi Hammad, head of the borders department in the Hamass administration in the territory.
The Rafah crossing, the only one into Gaza that is not controlled by Israel, has been closed since January 30.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2011 15:53 ||
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AP, so just the first three paragraphs as fair use:
CAIRO -- Libyan forces fired machine-guns at thousands of mourners marching in a funeral for anti-government protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi Sunday, a day after commandos and foreign mercenaries loyal to longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi attacked demonstrators with assault rifles and other heavy weapons.
Qadaffi sure isn't following the footsteps of Ben Ali, Hosni and King Abdullah, is he. Then again, he cares a whole lot less about his people than they do...
A doctor at one Benghazi hospital where many of the casualties are being taken said 20 people were killed Sunday. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said 173 people died - mostly in Benghazi - in three days of unrest from Thursday through Saturday.
Apparently the docs there don't give out work excuses on the street, either...
A Switzerland-based Libyan activist said 11 people were killed in the city of Beyida on Wednesday. The latest numbers brought the toll to at least 204 since Wednesday, although a precise count has been difficult because of Libya's tight restrictions on reporting.
The crackdown in oil-rich Libya is shaping up to be the most brutal repression of anti-government protests that began with uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
That's because Qadaffi is indulging his inner thug...
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2011 15:47 ||
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#1
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said 173 people died
..known for its own inimitable record of accuracy and objectivity. /sarc
HT to Weasel Zippers
Islamist gunmen have stormed a military arms depot in Libya and a nearby port and seized numerous weapons and army vehicles after killing four soldiers, a security official said on Sunday.
The group also took several hostages, both soldiers and civilians, and is "threatening to execute them unless a siege by security forces is lifted" in Al-Baida, the official said, asking not to be named. C'mon Mo - be a man!
"This criminal gang assaulted an army weapons depot and seized 250 weapons, killed four soldiers and wounded 16 others" in the Wednesday operation in Derna, which lies east of Al-Baida and 1,300 kilometres from Tripoli.
"Army Colonel Adnan al-Nwisri joined them and provided them with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, three pieces of anti-aircraft artillery and 70 Kalashnikov" assault rifles, the source said.
On Friday, he said they attacked the port in Derna and seized an assortment of 70 military vehicles.
It was not immediately clear who the civilians were or where they had been taken hostage.
The group calls itself the "Islamic Emirate of Barqa," after the ancient name of a region of northwest Libya, and the official said its leadership is made up of former Al-Qaeda fighters previously released from jail.
The official said the same group was responsible for the hanging of two policemen in Al-Baida on Friday that was reported in Oea newspaper. anybody that thought it could get worse than Colonel Sprockets? Raise your hand.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2011 15:45 ||
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#1
A geographic note:
This incident ocurred in the NW of the country. All the other incidents have ocurred in the East of the country (which has long standing grievences against Col. 'Daffy).
If this is true, then things are breaking out all over.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
02/20/2011 16:39 Comments ||
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#2
I do believe that even an 'Islamic Emirate of Libya' would be an improvement over Gaddafi.
The Western political class might at least consider a policy of containment whereas the consensus policy towards Gaddafi is abject surrender.
Gaddafi is a mortal enemy of Western civilization, nothing else.
If, after Lockerbie, GHW Bush had reacted appropriately to an act of war (270 dead!) instead of going to the UN hat in hand, treating the attack as a criminal matter, 9/11 might have been averted. Perhaps, after Gaddafi's death at the hand of the US, Saddam would not have started the 2nd Gulf War.
Failure to punish Gaddafi for Lockerbie and failure to punish Iran for Khomeini's Rushdie, both were dangerous displays of Western provocative weakness.
#3
If, after Lockerbie, GHW Bush had reacted appropriately to an act of war (270 dead!) instead of going to the UN hat in hand, treating the attack as a criminal matter, 9/11 might have been averted.
[Al Jazeera] Protesters have attacked a police station and premises linked to French firms in the Moroccan city of Tangier in a dispute over the local utility firm's management, organisers and residents have said.
Saturday's violence came a day before a planned nationwide protest to push for political reform but there was no immediate evidence of a direct link.
Local witness
Riot police intervened to break up the protest in Tangier, which evolved from a sit-in in front of the city hall to a march that gathered hundreds of protesters, the Moroccan branch of the local activist organisation, Attac, said on its website.
The sit-in was organised to push for the cancellation of a utilities contract that the city has awarded to an affiliate of the French firm Veolia.
Moroccans in cities where foreign firms run utility services often complain of hefty tariffs.
Residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a protest initially against utilities tariffs had developed into a march, which anti-riot police prevented from reaching the city centre.
"No tear gas, nothing was fired. They used long truncheons to disperse the crowds," one resident said.
Tanjanews.com published pictures showing the shattered windows of a police station and branches of firms affiliated to Veolia and the French bank Societe Generale, and said a branch of the latter had been set on fire.
Sunday protests
A group of young Moroccans that calls itself the "February 20 Movement for Change" has called for nationwide protests on Sunday to push for constitutional reforms that would reduce King Mohammed's powers and make the justice system more independent.
The group, which has gathered more than 17,000 Facebook fans, also wants to force the 47-year-old monarch to dismiss the government and dissolve parliament.
Pro-monarchists have announced counter-marches in support of a dynasty that has been ruling Morocco for almost 350 years.
Authoritarian Arab leaders are watching carefully for signs of unrest spreading through the region after revolts in Tunisia and Egypt.
However, the credit rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Fitch have said Morocco is the least likely of the Maghreb states to be affected by the wave of popular unrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] A member of the party Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), Tahar Besbes, was maimed in a clash with police during the march organized in Algiers by Algerian opposition against the regime, has reported a member of his party.
"He was hit in the stomach by a policeman. When falling his head struck the pavement," told AFP Mohsen Belabbas, a front man for the RCD, according to whom the deputy appeared to be in coma.
According to Dr. Rafik Hassan who was with him at Mustapha Hospital, Besbes seemed to suffer a head injury.
Tahar Besbes participated in the attempted march to the call of the National Coordination for Change and Democracy (NCCD) at the "May 1st Place" in Algiers to the "Place des Martyrs", about 4 miles away.
At daybreak, May 1 Square was crisscrossed by large security forces backed by armored vehicles, which prevented the demonstrators from approaching the perimeter isolated by metal barriers.
Some 200 faceless myrmidons have still managed to infiltrate and demanded the fall of the regime, while hundreds were stranded in the adjacent streets.
Last week, an attempt to walk, also blocked by police, had attracted some 2,000 protesters.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Chanting "free and democratic Algeria", "the people want the fall of the regime," some 200 people on Saturday braved heavy police deployment in central Algiers to protest, according to a journalists from the AFP.
Like last Saturday when a march to the call of the National Coordination for Change and Democracy (NCCD) was blocked, buses with coppers in helmets, armed with batons and shields, and armored vehicles took up positions in several locations in central Algiers.
All roads leading to the May 1 Square were blocked and arranged metal barriers on the site itself prevented the arrival of demonstrators.
Many of them, red cards in hand, were stuck in the street adjacent Belouizdad trying in vain to force the security cordon set up by the police for several hours.
On the square itself, a protester sexagenarian fainted and was quickly evacuated by firefighters, according to an AFP correspondent.
The police were stationed at almost every meter, a device similar to that expected last week as demonstrators had responded to the call of the NCCD.
The protesters were expected to walk from 11.00 am (10:00 GMT) a distance defined to the Martyrs' Square, about four miles away.
"It is expected that many Algerians join the march to tell the system they have a right to march in their capital," said shortly before the AFP Moumene Khalil, a member of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH), member of the NCCD, without wishing to advance on attendance figures.
Fodil Boumal, a founder of the Coordination, lashed out again the authorities.
"We need a definitive break with this regime embodied since 1999 by the authority itself composed of military and civilian forces, including President Abdelaziz Bouteflika," he told AFP.
"The government must leave in its two terms: military and civilian, which is the most corrupt," he said, indicating that the march of "today represents the continuity of action on February 12. It includes the same objectives: to act between Algerians of all persuasions to end this regime."
The coalition of parties, civil society members and independent trade unions was established on January 21 in the wake of deadly riots earlier this year in Algeria that killed 5 people and injured over 800.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated on Saturday for a secular state following the murder of a Polish priest, verbal attacks on Jews and an attempt by religious elements to set light to a brothel. Rallied by a call on social network Facebook, they gathered in the main Avenue Bourguiba in Tunis waving placards reading, 'Secularism = Freedom and Tolerance' and 'Stop Extremist Acts'.
"We've called this demonstration to show that Tunisia is a tolerant country which rejects fanaticism and to strengthen secularism in practice and in law," blogger Sofiane Chourabi, 29, said.
Police stood by as military helicopters circled overhead.
Earlier, on Saturday the Tunisian authorities and the country's main Mohammedan religious movement denounced the murder of the priest who was found dead in the country with his throat slit. Marek Rybinski, 34, was found dead Friday in the garage of the private religious school in the Manouba region near the capital where he was responsible for the accounting.
"The ministry of religious affairs condemns this criminal act and calls on all men of religion and civil society to act with determination to prevent such acts happening again," the ministry said in a statement carried by news agency TAP. It emphasised that "Tunisia has always been a place of peaceful coexistence between races and nationalities and of dialogue between civilisations, religions and culture."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya] Libya recruited hundreds of mercenaries from Sub-Saharan Africa to help quell a popular uprising that is threatening to unseat veteran leader Muammar Qadaffy after more than 41 years in office, witness told Al Arabiya from the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday.
The witnesses said protesters in Benghazi caught some "African mercenaries" who spoke French and who admitted that they were ordered by Muammar Qadaffy's son, Khamis Qadaffy, to fire live ammunition at demonstrators. The witnesses, who refused to be named for security reasons, That is, for fear of being killed...
added that they saw four airplanes carrying "African mercenaries" land in Benina International Airport near the city of Benghazi, the second largest city in the country. From Zimbabwe, perhaps?
UK-based Libyan website www.jeel-libya.net (Libya's generation) reported earlier that a number of airplanes carrying "African mercenaries" had landed in Mitiga military airport, 11 km east of the capital Tripoli, and they were dressed in Libyan army uniform. The website added that some of those "mercenaries" were sent to hot spots in the eastern region were deployed in Tripoli.
Twenty-four people were killed during anti-government protests in the eastern city of Benghazi, a medical source and a newspaper said, after Human Rights Watch reported security forces killed at least 84 people over three days, including 35 in Benghazi on Friday.
Gadhafi's regime has been cracking down on protesters demanding he step down and implement democratic reforms following similar uprisings that led to the ouster of the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia.
After regime opponents used Facebook to mobilize protests, like in neighboring Egypt, the social networking website was blocked on Saturday and Internet connections were patchy, said Internet users in Tripoli and Benghazi. Arbor Networks, a US-based tracker of online traffic, said Internet services were cut overnight.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
I'm sure Bob's 5th Brigade would reduce the opposition to bark-eating, leaf-soup drinking in a week or so without the world noticing, and Zimbabwe's debt to Daffy-Duck be much reduced.
#9
there's rumblings that Khadaffy Duck is on teh ropes. Hard to get the truth in a real dictatorship, but they're sounding often enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall. I hope they do him and his family so that Jeri-curled Lockerbie-ordering POS gets to meet his judgement
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2011 18:24 Comments ||
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#10
There are a couple threads on all hell breaking loose in Libya over on Freep Republic.
Including rumors that he's on a plane to Venezuela or some other third world nation.
#11
Ala FREEREPUBLIC ARTICS = "THE COLONEL" GHADDAFI is repor still in LIBYUH [Libya] + in power, while his Son is warning of potential breakout of LIBYAN CIVIL WAR as THE LIBYAN ARMY HAVE SEEMING FAILED TO PREVENT SEVERAL TOWNS FROM FALLING INTO THE CONTROL OF PROTESTERS???
That sound you're hearing is RADICAL ISLAM licking its lips oer the OPPORTUNITIES WROUGHT BY THE "JASMINE" TRUBLES IN THE US [Wisconsin] + MUSLIM WORLD.
#12
It seems to me that the breaking point will come from the military. How long are they willing to gun down demonstrators or rioters, regardless of provocation? When you bring in mercenaries, it seems to mean that you cannot depend on your own forces to do the job.
I hope that G'Daffy leaves for good, one way or another. He has spread misery in his country for 4 decades. Sorta Kimmie Lite. Not to make light of this disaster of a dictator.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/20/2011 19:22 Comments ||
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#13
Judging from what looks to be an exit wound just below the dead Mercs right cheekbone, I'd say he was dispatched after taking a round in the guts.
There for a second they opened his coat/tunic and it was pretty bloody inside. Well...time to eat, my Chili is done.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
02/20/2011 19:23 Comments ||
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#14
"there's rumblings that Khadaffy Duck is on teh ropes"
"I hope that G'Daffy leaves for good, one way or another."
Agree that DaffyDuck is a worthless bastard, and deserves to burn in the hottest corner of hell, but before you plan his exit, better consider what will take his place.
I'm pretty sure the Libyan version of Madison and Jefferson ain't waiting in the wings. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/20/2011 19:59 Comments ||
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#15
Madison and Jefferson were preceded by Laud and Pym, Cromwell and Rupert. I'd say that's the stage the Muslims are at. They need to make up their minds, and the terrible thing for them is that they don't have nearly as much time as the Roundheads and Cavaliers.
[Iran Press TV] The Libyan government is using aerial fire to crack down on pro-democracy protesters as nationwide protests continue to shake Muammar Qadaffy's regime.
Helicopters have reportedly opened fire on demonstrators in the eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday. Medical sources have described the situation as critical. They say most of the victims suffer from gunshot wounds.
This as Human Rights Watch said at least 84 pro-democracy protesters have been killed by Libyan security forces during the past three days. Thirty-five deaths have been reported by a hospital in Benghazi.
Protesters have been demanding the ouster of Libyan leader Qadaffy who has been in power for over 40 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] The bloody riots continued Saturday shaking authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, with dozens of deaths in police repression in Libya, the occupation of thousands of Bahrainis of the center of the capital and violent demonstrations in Yemen and Djibouti.
The contestation has also struck Mauritania and Algeria, two countries of the Maghreb where was born the movement of revolt without precedent in the Arab world that inspired the rest of the countries.
It was in Tunisia that the revolt began provoking the fall on January 14 of President Zine al-Abidine ben Ali, followed by Egypt's Hosni Mubarak who fell on Feb. 11 under pressure from the street.
In Libya, where Colonel Muammar Qadaffy ... dictator of Libya since 1969. From 1972, when he relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Tripoli became an Ottoman province in 1551. When Chairman Mao was all the rage and millions of people were flashing his Little Red Book, Qadaffy came out with his own Little Green Book, which didn't do as well. Qadaffy's instability has been an inspiration to the Arab world and to Africa, which he would like to rule... faces an unprecedented challenge in 42 years of rule, repression has made 65 fatalities since the start of the revolt Tuesday, according to Libyan sources.
The contestation seems to turn into a real insurgency in the east, especially in Benghazi, a stronghold of opponents 1,000 km east of Tripoli, where 24 people were killed Friday in festivities between demonstrators and police, according to hospital sources and a newspaper close to the reformist Seif al-Islam, son of Colonel Qadaffy.
The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), based on medical sources and witnesses, reported on its side a global balance sheet of 84 dead, including 55 in Benghazi, but also in Al-Baida, and in Ajdabiya and Derna.
On the 5th day of protest, Colonel Qadaffy, whose departure is demanded by the protesters, has still not made a formal statement.
But the revolutionary committees, a pillar of his regime, threatened on Friday protesters an "overwhelming" response.
HRW described the repression as "savage" and denounced "the brutality of Muammar Qadaffy with any internal dissent."
Tripoli the capital remained calm, however, where the regime's supporters have also demonstrated in recent days.
It was also still unable to access Twitter and Facebook, which carried the call for mobilization, and connections to other sites were very slow or impossible.
In the Gulf, the Sunni regime of the tiny kingdom of Bahrain was confronted with demonstrations calling for a liberalization of the political system, with the majority Shiite population claiming to be excluded.
The kingdom is of strategic importance to Washington, serving as headquarters for its Fifth Fleet, responsible for monitoring the oil shipping lanes in the Gulf, supporting operations in Afghanistan and to counter any Iranian threat.
Thousands of anti-government protesters have returned to the "Place de la Perle" in Manama, the epicenter of the protest, they began to erect tents, two days after the violent dispersal of their sit-in.
After the withdrawal of army tanks in the capital as demanded by the opposition, mainly Shiite protesters reoccupied the place. The police did not intervene, except for a brief firing tear gas at one of the axes leading to the square, injuring six people.
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, has ordered police to "stay away from rallies," but also called on demonstrators to disperse "to avoid a confrontation."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
In every profession there is a right way and a wrong way of doing it. In the current "unrest", Qadaffy is the only Arab dictator who's acting as a proper dictator should.
#8
Is there a roadmap or legend to what all those battle ribbons, sprockets, and medals signify?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/20/2011 22:38 Comments ||
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#9
Hey, I found some info:
Ribbon Chart
Stuff like: Order of the Republic
Order of Courage
Tere is also a listing of some rather pretty medals, but I do not find any that he is wearing. Must have had those made up himself. Except the top one on his green sash. That one is from Boston Gear.
Order of Jihad
Order of the Grand Conqueror, to name a few
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/20/2011 22:51 Comments ||
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#10
apparently not "Glorious Strategic Motions 2011"?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2011 22:55 Comments ||
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[Arab News] An anti-government protester was killed and seven injured in festivities with supporters of Yemen's President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... in Sanaa on Saturday, a day after five people died in protests against his 32-year rule.
Saleh blamed a "foreign agenda" and a "conspiracy against Yemen, its security and stability" for the string of protests against poverty, unemployment and corruption which have gained momentum since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The protester was shot in the neck and was taken to a hospital near Sanaa University where he died, witnesses told Rooters. At one stage both sides fired pistols and assault rifles -- the first reported use of firearms by demonstrators.
Four other Saleh opponents were seriously maimed by gunfire, two of them seriously, and three were maimed when demonstrators threw stones at each other outside the university.
A photographer saw one man with his face covered in blood and another being carried away by protesters. Around 1,000 anti-Saleh demonstrators chanted "Leave! Leave!" and "The people want the fall of the regime!," echoing the slogans of Tunisian and Egyptian protesters. Between 200 and 300 Saleh supporters called for dialogue.
"Those who want power let them come with us to the polling stations ... the Yemeni people face elements of sabotage and those who are outside the system and the law," Saleh said in a speech to representatives of civil society organizations.
In a concession to protesters, he has promised to step down when his term ends in 2013 and not to hand power to his son. A coalition of opposition parties has agreed to talk to him, but protests have continued. In south Yemen, where resentment of rule from Sanaa runs high, dozens of men used their cars in the town of Karish to block the main road between Taiz and the southern port city of Aden, shouting for "the fall of the regime," residents said.
In Aden as many as 400 protesters staged a peaceful sit-in, holding banners saying: "No to oppression. No to corruption."
The local council of Sheikh Othman, a directorate in Aden, said in a statement it resigned in protest at the use of live bullets by security forces against protesters which led to deaths and injuries in the city on Friday.
In Sanaa, the editor of Defense Ministry newspaper September 26 was maimed when he was beaten and stabbed by anti-government protesters, a government official told Rooters. On Friday, security forces and pro-government loyalists clashed in several cities with crowds demanding Saleh step down.
Doctors said four people died from gunfire in Aden and one was killed by a grenade in Taiz, Yemen's second city. US President Barack B.O. Obama said he was deeply concerned by the violence in Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. "The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries and wherever else it may occur," he said in a statement.
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02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Several anti-government protesters have been injured in festivities with supporters of Yemen's President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh, ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... a day after five people died in protests against his 32-year rule.
It included one protester who was shot in the neck, witnesses said. Doctors at the hospital where he was taken said he was in a stable condition.
At one stage both sides fired pistols and assault rifles - the first reported use of firearms by demonstrators,the Rooters news agency reported.
Four other Saleh opponents were maimed by gunfire, two of them seriously, and three were maimed when
demonstrators threw stones at each other outside the university.
Around 1,000 anti-Saleh demonstrators chanted "Leave! Leave!" and "The people want the fall of the regime!", Between 200 and 300 Saleh supporters called for dialogue.
Saturday was the 10th straight day of protests in Yemen inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Demonstrators are calling for the ouster of Saleh - a key US ally in fighting al-Qaeda.
In a concession to protesters, the president has promised to step down when his term ends in 2013 and not to hand power to his son.
A coalition of opposition parties has agreed to talk to him, but protests have continued.
In south Yemen, where resentment of rule from Sanaa runs high, dozens of men used their cars in the town of Karish to block the main road between Taiz and the southern port city of Aden, shouting for "the fall of the regime", residents said.
'No to opppression'
In Aden as many as 400 protesters staged a peaceful sit-in, holding banners saying: "No to oppression. No to corruption".
The local council of Sheikh Othman, a directorate in Aden, said in a statement it resigned in protest at the use of live bullets by security forces against protesters which led to deaths and injuries in the city on Friday.
In Sanaa, the editor of the defence ministry newspaper was maimed when he was beaten and stabbed by anti-government protesters, a government official told Rooters.
On Friday, security forces and pro-government loyalists clashed in several cities with crowds demanding Saleh step down.
Doctors said four people died from gunfire in Aden and one was killed by a grenade in Taiz, Yemen's second city.
"Although the crowds are smaller in number compared to what happens in different countries, the hostile and fearful mood setting over the last 48 hours may spark more violence," Hashem Ahelbarra, Al Jizz's correspondent in Sanaa, said on Friday.
"The fear here is that if events reach a tipping point, armed tribes may raid the capital and this is why people are worried about bloody confrontations."
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[Yemen Post] Southern politicians living in exile attacked on Saturday the Saleh regime, saying it is inciting violence and hiring bullies to attack anti-government protesters killing and injuring many of them in several cities.
At least four politicians of those living abroad including former president of the south republic Ali Nasser Muhammad and former premier Al-Attas said in a statement that they are watching the situation in their country with concern, criticizing the confusion and scare of the regime as the people started to revolt demanding the ouster of the 32-year regime of Saleh.
"The young protesters chanting: the Saleh regime is corrupt and out, Ali, come as a result of the political deadlock caused by the regime, which killed the peaceful unity and democracy and consolidated autocracy and corruption," the statement said.
They urged the southern movement, Harak, and the protesters in other provinces to unite against the regime.
Saluting the southern movement and the protesters in Sana'a, Taiz, Aden and other cities, they urged the military to avoid the orders of the regime for attacking and thwarting the demonstrators to avoid legal accountability.
Furthermore, they called on the government to learn from the Tunisian and Egyptian lessons and quit willingly before they are forced to do so.
"Those who support the regime and provide it with the tools that help it stay longer are contributing to the tragedy that will likely affect the country's stability and security," the statement said, condemning all oppressive measures against the people.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
At first I thought this headline was about Wisconsin.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh accused Yemeni opposition, the Socialist Party, of carrying out foreign agendas against Yemen. ''There are foreign agendas and there is a plot against Yemen and its security and stability,'' he said.
The accusation against the Socialist party came during Saleh's speech at the celebration of the founding conference of Civil Society Organizations.
President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... indicated that "we do not want to copy others but we shall define what we want."
He criticized what happened in Aden during the past two days in which he said is against the law and undemocratic.
Saleh pointed out the rights of all people to express their views and opinion through democratic means but not through violence.
"Whoever wants power shall then come with us to the ballot boxes," president said.
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Bahrain's crown prince, known as a reformer among royals in the Gulf Arab kingdom, called on Friday for calm, saying it was "time for dialogue, not fighting."
Thousands of mainly Shi'ite demonstrators, emboldened by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, have held protests in Bahrain since a "Day of Rage" on February 14 to demand more say in the Sunni-ruled island state.
"The dialogue is always open and the reforms continue," Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa said on Bahrain TV. "This land is for all citizens of Bahrain ... All honest people at this time should say 'enough'."
"We need to call for self-restraint from all sides, the armed forces, security men and citizens," he said. "I urge you, there should be calm. Now is time for calm."
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has asked the crown prince to start a national dialogue "with all parties" to resolve the crisis rocking the island kingdom, an official statement said.
Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa had been given "all the powers to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all gracious citizens from all sections", it added.
King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa rules a population of 1.3 million, half of them expatriates. The U.S. State Department estimates that 70 percent of Bahraini nationals are Shi'ites.
"I respect Wefaq, as I respect others. Today is the time to sit down and hold a dialogue, not to fight," the crown prince said.
Wefaq, the main Shi'ite bloc with 17 of 40 assembly seats, competes with Sunni Islamist groups and the secular group Waad.
Wefaq MPs all resigned from parliament on Thursday in protest at the police raid on Pearl Square.
The overthrow of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian geriatric President Hosni Mubarak this year has inspired popular revolts elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East..
Bahrain's crown prince also most recently ordered the withdrawal of all military from the streets of Bahrain, the government said in a statement on Saturday.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has ordered the withdrawal of all military from the streets of Bahrain with immediate effect," the statement said.
Bahrain's police force will "continue to oversee law and order", the statement said.
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02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Many Bahrainis blame British national Ian Henderson for the recent violent crackdown on thousands of pro-democracy protesters in Pearl Square. This is the "Perfidious Albion" argument... It's almost as if all the unrest in Bahrain is being encouraged and abetted by a hidden hand... Henderson, who served as the head of Bahrain's state security for thirty years until 1998, is now an advisor to King Hamad bin Isa al- Khalifa.
The government has violently suppressed demonstrators that demand an end to monarchy. The crackdown has left six people dead and hundreds of others maimed.
Tension is running high in the streets of Bahrain's capital, Manama. Despite the crackdown and heavy police presence, pro-democracy protesters have taken to Pearl Square, demanding the regime's ouster.
The developments come shortly after the army withdrew from the area. The army left the Square after Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa ordered military vehicles to withdraw.
Shortly afterwards protesters stormed the square and erected tents. Police fired teargas to disperse them.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the Bahraini king called for national dialogue, but the offer was rejected by the main opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq, which says the government must resign and troops must withdraw from the streets first.
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[Iran Press TV] Reports say thousands of pro-democracy protesters, chanting "victory, victory," have forced out police and snipers from a central square in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
Thousands have start marching towards Pearl Square, which has become the symbol of the ongoing revolutionary movement.
Protesters returned to the epicenter of demonstrations shortly after riot police fired teargas and shotgun rounds before leaving, Maryam Khawaja with the Bahrain Center for Human Rights told Press TV.
Live footage show that protesters are removing roadblocks and barbed wire barricade from main roads reaching the square.
Khawaja said protesters were in high spirits and rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud like 'victory, victory.'
Protesters have vowed to stand firm despite the deadly crackdown that left several people dead and hundreds of others maimed in Manama over the past days.
"We don't fear death any more, let the army come and kill us to show the world what kind of savages they are," Rooters quoted one woman, teacher Umm Mohammed, quoted as saying.
Earlier in the day, Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa ordered military vehicles to withdraw from the streets and deployed police in their place.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the Bahraini king called for national dialogue, but the offer was rejected by the main opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq, which says the government must resign and troops must withdraw from the streets first.
On Friday, Bahrain witnessed its biggest-ever protest in recent history. Bahraini troops opened fire on protesters in what was described as a "massacre" by medics and politicians.
The crackdown has left six people dead and hundreds more maimed.
The Bahraini government has violently suppressed the demonstrators demanding an end to monarchy.
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02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
percentage of Basij ?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
02/20/2011 1:25 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya] Anti-government protesters in Bahrain swarmed back into a symbolic square on Saturday, putting riot police to flight in a striking victory for their cause and confidently setting up camp for a protracted stay.
Crowds had approached Pearl Square in Manama from different directions, creating a standoff with riot police who had moved in earlier to replace troops withdrawn on royal orders. Suddenly police raced to their buses, which drove away mounting kerbs in their haste to escape.
The emboldened protesters, cheering and waving national flags, ran to the centre of the traffic circle, reoccupying it even before all the police had left. The crowd waved fleeing coppers through.
"We don't fear death anymore, let the army come and kill us to show the world what kind of savages they are," said Umm Mohammed, a teacher wearing a black abaya cloak.
Troops in tanks and armoured vehicles took over the traffic circle on Thursday after riot police attacked protesters who had camped out there, killing four people and wounding 231.
Army withdrawn
Bahrain's crown prince announced that all troops had been ordered off the streets and that police would maintain order.
"That's a very positive step," Jasim Hussain, a member of the main Shiite Wefaq bloc that quit parliament on Thursday, told Rooters. "They're trying to ease the tensions. I don't know whether it will be sufficient."
"We hope to hear a clear message from the government that it will stop killing people who are protesting peacefully."
Mattar said the king must accept the "concept" of constitutional monarchy, as well as withdrawing the military. "Then we can go for a temporary government of new faces that would not include the current interior or defence ministers."
He reiterated an opposition demand for the king to fire his uncle, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, crown prince, and prime minister since Bahrain gained its independence in 1971.
"We are not going to enter a dialogue as Shi'ites," Mattar said. "They try to put the issue in this frame. The dialogue should be with all people who were protesting. Some are liberal, non-Islamic. Some are Sunni and some Shi'ite."
Bahrain's general labor union called an indefinite strike on Saturday in protest against "violent acts" by police and demanding the right to demonstrate peacefully.
Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group said on Saturday that the government must resign and the army pull off the streets of the capital before it will take up an offer of dialogue from the crown prince.
"To consider dialogue, the government must resign and the army should withdraw from the streets" of Manama, said Abdul Jalil Khalil Ibrahim, parliamentary leader of the Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq), the largest Shiite opposition bloc.
"What we're seeing now is not the language of dialogue but the language of force," he said.
On Friday King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said he had granted the crown prince all powers to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all gracious citizens from all sections" in the national dialogue.
Bahrain's crown prince appealed on television for calm. "Today is the time to sit down and hold a dialogue, not to fight," he said on Friday.
The monarch's offer of dialogue "is not serious," said the INAA's top MP, urging the authorities to take "serious and sincere measures that meet the requirements of the current situation".
"The situation is complicated and I fear it has run out of control," warned Ibrahim, whose group -- which holds 18 of the 40 seats in parliament -- has pulled out in protest.
This article starring:
Abdul Jalil Khalil Ibrahim
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Four suspected robbers were maimed during a "shootout" between them and Rapid Action Battalion at Chhotodhali of Companiganj in Noakhali early yesterday. My guess: RAB-11 is going to get some serious gun range time after this...
Two Rab personnel were also injured.
The injured alleged robbers are: Mohammad Harun, 23, Nabidur Rahman, 26, Md Harun, 30, and Sujon Prakash Mamun, 35. They were admitted to Noakhali General Hospital in police custody. They'll be discharged soon enough and thence find their way to the Noakhali Upazaila Medical Examiner's Office...
Havildar Md Ali and constable Monju Mia were maimed during the "shootout" and were admitted to Basurhat Upazila Health Complex.
Officer-in-Charge AKM Monjurul Haque Akhanda of Companiganj Police Station said following a tip-off, A big tip o' the hat as always to Mahmoud the Weasel...
a team of Rab-11 raided Chhotodhali where the gang was allegedly preparing for a robbery.
"Allegedly"? Who's been messing with the Rab stylebook?
Spider senses tingling at the proximity of Rab, the bandidos opened fire on them forcing the elite force to return fire. At some point you'd think the RAB boys would say, 'screw this' and open fire first. But they never do. What amazing discipline.
The two Rab personnel were maimed then. A hernia and a bruised ego... However, The infamous However... the gang managed to flee the scene. ... as though they had never been... leaving behind their injured cohorts, police said.
Rab recovered three guns and four sharp weapons from the scene. No deaders means no shutter gun, Achmed.
Three separate cases were filed with Companiganj Police Station in this connection.
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02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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Seven individuals were murdered in Chihuahua state in ongoing drug and gang related violence, according to Mexican news accounts.
Two unidentified individuals were abducted from their vehicle on a crowded street in Juarez Friday night. The kidnapping took place in front of a Rapidito Bip Bip convenience store near the intersection of Bulevar Cuatro Siglos and Calle Arizona where six individuals were riding in a Nissan Maxima when armed suspects fired on the vehicle wounding two victims. The suspects then got into several vehicles with their victims and fled the scene.
An unidentified woman was found beaten to in Juarez Friday night. The victim was found on calle Neptuno in the Satelite colony in front a a factory.
An unidentified man out for a walk was shot to death in Juarez late Friday night. The victim was pursued by his attackers at the Borunda park near the Auditorio Civico Benito Juarez when he was shot.
An unidentified man was found beaten and shot to death in Juarez Friday night. The victim was found in the Del Carmen colony with a note identifying Artistas Asesinos as his killers. Artistas Asesinos are said to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Three unidentified individuals were murdered in two separate incidents in Juarez, according to the Mexican daily La Polaka.
A man was shot to death aboard a public bus in the Gomez Morin colony on avenida Ejercito Nacional. Armed suspects boarded the stopped bus, shot the victim, and then fled.
Two individuals were shot to death near the intersection of calles Durango and Santiago Troncoso in the Eco 200 colony. The victims were aboard a Jeep Compass with two others who wre also wounded in the shooting.
One man was shot to death and two others were wounded in a shooting in Juarez Saturday. The victims were at a residence on the corner of calles Alfilerillo and Ajenjo in the Infonavit Angel Trias colony drinking beer when armed suspects shot the trio. The dead was identified as Ricardo Aguero Flores.
How many people have been killed because Mexicans have proven that they are thoroughly corrupt and incapable of successfully running a viable nation-state?
Posted by: El Chingaso ||
02/20/2011 12:13 Comments ||
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#3
People in Mexico are being killed because of ruthless bastards who run the drug trade to the United States.
Corruption sensationalized by media does not mean Mexico is a failed state.
#4
El Chingaso, I put your link in an html thingy. When you post a comment, there are a series of letters and icons at the bottom of the blue box. The one of the world with binoculars -- just to the left of the square brackets -- will do that for you if you don't do html. Just type a few words, highlight them, then click on the world icon and paste the URL in the box that pops up. Mr. Pruitt designed it for hopeless end-users like me, so you should have no trouble. ;-)
[Al Arabiya] Around 2,000 university students were demonstrating Saturday in north Iraq, demanding an apology from regional president Massud Barzani after protests earlier in the week left two dead.
The rally in Sulaimaniyah, along with another protest in the same city and others in Storied Baghdad, were the latest in a string of nationwide demonstrations that have drawn thousands out to denounce high level corruption, unemployment and poor basic services.
"The authorities in the region do not understand what democracy means," said Frishta Karim, a 21-year-old student of Sulaimaniyah University. "We firmly reject the use of weapons against demonstrators."
Police at the rally refused to allow the protesters to exit the university campus, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
One banner in Saturday's demonstration called on Barzani, whose Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is the dominant political force in the region, "to apologize to the people of Sulaimaniyah for his guards' shootings."
On Thursday, two young men were killed and 54 others were maimed when KDP guards fired into the air in an attempt to stop protesters from reaching KDP's headquarters in Sulaimaniyah, the autonomous Kurdish region's second city.
Around 1,000 people were also at Sulaimaniyah's main square on Saturday demanding the release of individuals nabbed in connection with Thursday's rally, and the prosecution of the head of the city's KDP office who, the protesters claimed, gave the order for security to open fire.
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ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq: A combined force from the Iraqi army and police arrested four leading members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) near the city of al-Falluja on Saturday, a security source said.
A joint army-police force captured four amirs (leaders) of the AQI south and east of Falluja, (60 km) west of Ramadi, today (Feb. 19), on charges of involvement in murders of security personnel and civilians, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
The forces also seized a weapons cache in the area of al-Shwirtan, al-Karma district, which contained 38 sticky explosive charges, 23 home-made explosive devices, 13 RPG-7 shells and four depots of medium-arms munitions, he added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Four workers were maimed Saturday when the roof of a mosque collapsed in the southern Gazoo Strip, medics said.
Gazoo medical services front man Adham Abu Salmiya said the builders were constructing a new roof for the mosque when the incident happened east of Khan Younis.
The injured were transferred to Nasser Hospital, Abu Salmiya said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Those whom Allah smites, are truly smitten, unto the point of smithereens.
Southern insurgents Saturday opened fire at a karaoke bar in Narathiwat's Muang district before detonating a car bomb parked nearby while police were inspecting the shooting scene, leading to a total of 17 injuries.
Following a report at 7.20pm that unknown gunmen opened fire and injured two female workers of Maya Karaoke Bar in Soi 21/1 on Na Kakhon Road, police officials went to inspect the scene, as the two injured women were rushed to Narathiwat Rajanakarin Hospital.
At 7.45pm, a bomb went off in front of a massage shop on Suriyapradit Road, only 100 meters away from the shooting scene, as the police team has just passed, and injured 15 people. The bomb impact also damaged four nearby commercial building chambers and 12 motorcycles.
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
02/20/2011 01:48 ||
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[Straits Times] COMMUNIST rebels holding peace talks with the Philippine government have freed a police officer and a retired soldier taken hostage ahead of the negotiations, the army said on Saturday.
The New People's Army (NPA) handed over retired army sergeant Mario Veluz to an intermediary late on Friday while police officer Jorge Sabatin was separately turned over on Saturday, Lieutenant-Colonel Joshua Santiago told AFP.
Their physical condition was not immediately known, said Mr Santiago, the regional military front man who added the Maoist rebel group was still holding another police officer and a soldier hostage.
'Mr Veluz is long-retired and is getting on in years. I don't know why they took him hostage in the first place,' Mr Santiago said.
The releases were announced separately by the 4,700-member NPA, which is observing a week-long ceasefire amid peace talks hosted by Norway in Oslo.
'The order to release prisoner of war Police Officer 3 Mr Sabatin was also issued as an act of goodwill for the formal resumption of the peace talks,' the rebel group said in a statement.
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[Al Jazeera] Iran's opposition has invited Iranians to attend a protest rally in Tehran and other cities on Sunday to mark a week since the deaths of two people in earlier demonstrations.
With organisers renewing calls for protest on Facebook and Twitter, the opposition website kaleme.com says the rallies on Sunday will be a "fight against religious dictatorship" in Iran.
The announcement comes just a day after many MPs and holy men called for the execution of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who are already under house arrest, for organising last week's rallies.
At least two people were killed in Monday's festivities between security forces and opposition protesters in Tehran. The rallies were the largest to be held by the opposition in more than a year.
The brother of one of the men has been nabbed following an interview he gave to the Voice of America (VOA).
The Iranian government says that Sana Jaleh was a member of the Basij security force, and that he was killed by anti-government protesters in Monday's banned demonstrations.
On Wednesday, Jaleh's brother, Ghaneh, told the VOA that his brother was not a member of the Basij and that his family was under intense pressure to keep silent.
Following several reports in independent Iranian media, the International Campaign for Human Rights confirmed on Friday that Ghaneh has been nabbed.
Ghaneh's account is disputed by the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Iran's state media.
The broadcaster interviewed an unnamed man claiming to be Sana's brother, saying that Sana "is a martyr ... in the footsteps of Iran's Islamic martyrs" and denying that anyone in his family had ever spoken to the VOA.
'Corrupt on earth' Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... tens of thousands of government loyalists poured on to the streets of Tehran on Friday, demanding that Mousavi and Karroubi be hanged for their "rebellion".
Kaleme.com, the website of Mousavi, reported that the opposition leader was now completely cut off from the world and that masked men had been deployed at the entrance to his Tehran house.
"Death to Mousavi! Death to Karroubi! Mousavi, Karroubi should be hanged!" worshippers chanted as they emerged from Friday prayers at Tehran University to join large crowds of loyalists marching toward Enghelab Square.
They also called for the hanging of reformist Mohammad Khatami, Iran's former president.
In his Friday prayer sermon, Ayatollah Ahmad Janati, the head of the powerful Guardians Council, demanded the total isolation of Mousavi and Karroubi as worshippers chanted "American servants, shame on you!"
Janati said the judiciary must "cut access (of Mousavi and Karroubi) with the people completely, the doors of their homes must be shut ... so that they can't receive and give messages, their phones ... internet must be cut and they
be imprisoned in their homes."
In their final declaration, the organisers of what was billed as a "hatred" rally, demanded the "harshest punishment to the heads of sedition" and labelled them as "corrupt on earth", a crime punishable by death under Iran's penal code.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Sapper Jamie Larcombe, 21, was killed after his patrol came under heavy fire in the Mirabad region around 10:30pm (AEDT) last night. An Afghan man employed as an interpreter was also killed in the attack.
[Arab News] Gunmen and 
Hamid 
[Tolo News] At least 53 Afghan 
[Tolo News] During Afghan forces' military operation on Friday four 
[Ennahar] Two people, a policeman and a protester were killed Friday night during the violence that erupted after a large opposition rally in the capital of Djibouti, according to an official report given Saturday by the Ministry of Interior.
Somali pirates
[Al Jazeera] Protesters have attacked a police station and premises linked to French firms in the Moroccan city of Tangier in a dispute over the local utility firm's management, organisers and residents have said.
[Ennahar] A member of the party Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), Tahar Besbes, 
[Ennahar] Chanting "free and democratic Algeria", "the people want the fall of the regime," some 200 people on Saturday braved heavy police deployment in central Algiers to protest, according to a journalists from the AFP.
Colonel Muammar Qadaffy
President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
President 
[Iran Press TV] Reports say thousands of pro-democracy protesters, chanting "victory, victory," have forced out police and snipers from a central square in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq: A combined force from the Iraqi army and police arrested four leading members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) near the city of al-Falluja on Saturday, a security source said.
[Ma'an] Four workers 
