Ann Sheridan aka Loretta in "Come on Marines" aka Randy Monaghan in "Kings Row" aka Laury Martin in "Angels with Dirty Faces" aka Lorraine Sheldon in "The Man Who Came to Dinner" aka Chris Hunter in "The Unfaithful" (Died in 1967 at age 51)
[Emirates 24/7] At least 15 civilians, two African Union soldiers and six imported muscle were killed in weekend fighting in Mogadishu, witnesses, medical and security sources said on Sunday.
The African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said the fighting was triggered by its discovery of a mile-long trench system used by the Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab snuffies in the capital.
The force said in a statement the Shebab were "using the trench and tunnel system to infiltrate fighters closer to AMISOM positions without detection. It also acted as a protected logistic resupply and casualty evacuation route."
The Shebab "counter-attacked in a desperate attempt to recover this vital asset," AMISOM said in a statement, triggering two days of intense festivities pitting rebels against Somali soldiers backed by AMISOM.
Both sides claimed victory in the fighting, which kicked off before dawn on Saturday and claimed its customary toll on civilians, killing at least 15 of them over two days.
Ali Muse, who heads Mogadishu's ambulance services, told AFP his teams had collected the bodies of four civilians on Saturday and five more on Sunday.
Most of the fighting was centered around the southern districts of Hodan and Holwadag but shells also strayed into neighbouring districts.
Witnesses said six other civilians, three of them siblings, died after a mortar shell struck their home.
"There has been heavy shelling and exchanges of gunfire in Holwadag district since last night. This morning three civilians died after a mortar shell hit their house in Bakara while two others were caught in the crossfire nearby," Hasan Mahbub, a local resident, said.
Abdi Osmail, another witness, said his brother was also killed as he rushed to open his shop in Bakara market, a Shebab stronghold.
"People are dying for no reason, even far from where the fighting is going on. My younger brother... was hit by a stray bullet as he was going to open his shop," he said.
Abdikarin Yusuf Adan, Somalia's deputy army chief of staff, told news hounds the military would continue to battle the snuffies until the Shebab threat was completely eliminated.
"We are achieving some landmarks in the fight against the violent elements and we will continue fighting until we rid the country of the Shebab," he said.
AMISOM also hailed the closure of the trench and tunnel system as "a major step forward in the stabilisation effort in the city," which has been battered by two decades of almost uninterrupted conflict.
As is always the case when fighting breaks out in Mogadishu, the other side also claimed to have the upper hand.
"The invading Christian forces and their apostate allies attacked our positions yesterday and we struck back late yesterday, inflicting heavy losses on them," Sheikh Abdulasis Abu Musaab, a Shebab front man, told news hounds.
"The reports we are getting from our mujahideen (holy warriors) commanders indicate that at least fifteen Christian soldiers were killed and many of their apostate allies. We have also seized arms caches containing machineguns."
Death tolls are difficult to check independently in Mogadishu.
The Shebab accuse the country's transitional government of being stooges of the West and the African Union contingent of Ugandan and Burundian soldiers of being on a crusade against Mohammedan Somalia.
The AU force however painted a different picture, claiming to have killed six imported muscle combating alongside the Shebab.
"AMISOM can confirm that at least six foreign Al Qaeda-connected commanders have been killed and dozens of Shebab fighters have been maimed," it said in its statement.
It provided the names of the alleged imported muscle, who originated from Pakistain, Yemen, Kenya, Syria and India.
The festivities came after a period of relative calm in Mogadishu, where Shebab snuffies have been trying to break the weak Western-backed transitional federal government's last defences for close to two years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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Credible Western intelligence reports say that Muammar Gaddafi has fled Libya and is on his way to exile in Venezuela, according to William Hague, the foreign secretary.
Following an emergency EU meeting of foreign ministers on the situation in Libya, Mr Hague was asked if Britain, or other Western countries, knew if Col. Gaddafi had left Tripoli.
About whether Col. Gaddafi, is in Venezuela, I have no information that says he is although I have seen some information that suggests he is on his way there, he said.
British officials stressed that Mr Hague was referring not to media reports but information from other channels. This is credible information, said a diplomat.
Muammar Gaddafi speaking on Libyan state television signalled his defiance over a mounting a revolt against his 40-year rule.
Gaddafi dismissed reports that he has fled the country, calling them "malicious rumours" spread by "hating channels". Speaking to state TV from outside a ruined building, he asserted: "I am in Tripoli and not in Venezuela."
Earlier, the new General Committee for Defence said its forces would cleanse Libya of anti-government elements. A statement described the protesters as "terrorist gangs made up mostly of misguided youths", who had been exploited and fed "hallucinogenic pills" by people following foreign agendas.
#4
It will either be a bloodbath or Daffy gets assasinated. Probably both.
Assassins have to get close enough. I don't think anyone but Gaddafi's inner circle is getting to see him now. Too much risk of a political entrepreneur among the senior leadership offing him and seizing the reins of power.
INFLUENTIAL Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has issued a fatwa that any Libyan soldier who can shoot dead embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi should do so "to rid Libya of him."
"Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr Gaddafi should do so," Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born cleric who is usually based in Qatar, told Al-Jazeera television.
He also told Libyan soldiers "not to obey orders to strike at your own people," and urged Libyan ambassadors around the world to dissociate themselves from Gaddafi's regime.
Famous in the Middle East for his at times controversial fatwas, or religious edicts, the octogenarian Qaradawi has celebrity status in the Arab world thanks to his religious broadcasts on Al-Jazeera.
He has in the past defended "violence carried out by certain Muslims."
The West accuses the cleric of supporting "terrorism" because he sanctioned Palestinian suicide attacks in Israel. Britain and the United States have refused to grant him entry visas.
The cleric, spiritual leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and longtime resident of Qatar, heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars.
#1
pretty courageous now, ya cowardly Islamo-bastard
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2011 18:28 Comments ||
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#2
The cleric, spiritual leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and longtime resident of Qatar, heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars.
Between al-Jazeera and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar has a lot to answer for. It would probably not be a bad thing if Qatar were made a Saudi province.
Heavy EFL to the story. Perhaps this is why the copters landing in Malta needed a fighter escort.
Libyan military aircraft fired live ammunition at crowds of anti-government protesters in Tripoli, Al Jazeera television reported on Monday, quoting witnesses for its information.
A Libyan man, Soula al-Balaazi, who said he was an opposition activist, told the network by telephone that Libyan air force warplanes had bombed "some locations in Tripoli".
No independent verification of the report was immediately available.
The protesters were reportedly heading to the army base to obtain ammunition of their own, but witnesses said the air force bombed the demonstrators before they could get there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 12:54 ||
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#1
The big question is what does the White House do about it? There are many sides and arguments to this question.
Re: protests - crushing a popular uprising with force isn't really that hard. Plus, Gaddafi and the Chicoms have the advantage of Hosni recently demonstrating exactly what NOT to do.
#3
Well, what not to do if you want to stay in power/survive.
If you don't care about your citizens or world opinion, Gaddafi is doing exactly the right thing.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/21/2011 17:38 Comments ||
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#4
This stuff is pretty mild by Chinese standards. I'm kind of surprised - I had expected a Hama-scale massacre of tens of thousands, given that Arab regimes are much more repressive than their Chinese counterpart. In 1989, the Chinese government had two group armies (30K - 65K personnel each) tasked with defending the Sino-Russian border transferred to Beijing where they used armored vehicles spraying machine gun fire to squash the demonstrators, of whom NATO estimates 7,000 were killed. This transpired over 3 days.
Two Libyan fighter jets landed unexpectedly in Malta on Monday, witnesses told Reuters.
Local newspaper reporters saw the single-seater Mirage jets land at Malta's international airport on Monday afternoon, Reuters reported. The Maltese Foreign Ministry said it was trying to establish why the planes had landed.
The jets were escorts for the copters? Some VIPs who wanted to make sure the opposition didn't blow them out of the sky? What does that say about the Libyan air force?
The Al Jazeera satellite network reported the Libyan fighter jets were seen landing in Malta with two civilian helicopters. At least seven passengers were aboard, only one reported to be carrying a passport, according to Al Jazeera. All of the passengers were being held by immigration officials, the network reported.
Al Jazeera's Karl Stagno-Novarra, reporting from Malta, said officials on the Mediterranean island were preparing for it to be used as a base for evacuating European citizens from Libya, an hour's flight away.
Update: AaayPeee sez the fighter pilots, both colonels, asked for asylum. The fighters are apparently Mirage jets -- thank you France. The jets were not escorting the copters but arrived shortly afterwards.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 12:52 ||
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#1
...Fox is saying that the folks in the choppers are claiming to be French. Interesting.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/21/2011 13:33 Comments ||
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#2
I sure as heck wouldn't tell them I was Libyan; I'd end up in the hoosegow waiting for a return ride. That's why they didn't have passports on them when they landed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 13:53 Comments ||
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#3
How about using Malta as a base and going back to fly CAP for the demonstrators?
#4
That's why we have a Sixth Fleet. Wonder where they are right now?
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 15:51 Comments ||
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#5
Seems to me that since Libya was ordering its pilots to bomb civilians who were heading to armories, the pilots have decided to defect rather than risk whatever awaited them for not following orders.
[Daily Mail] Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy is believed to have decamped the capital Tripoli after anti-government demonstrators breached the state television building and set government property alight.
Protesters appear to have gained a foothold in Tripoli as banks and government buildings were looted while demonstrators have claimed they have taken control of the second city Benghazi.
It is thought up to 400 people may have died in the unrest with dozens more reported killed in Tripoli overnight as protests reached the capital for the first time and army units were said to have defected to the opposition.
The Libyan justice minister has now resigned in protest at the 'excessive use of violence' against the protesters, according to the Quryna newspaper.
As Europe and the U.S. condemned the regime's handling of the unrest, Qadaffy's son Saif said his family would 'fight until the last bullet'.
More than 300 victims were massacred -- many by foreign mercenaries -- during the government crackdown in Libya's second city, Benghazi.
Protesters were bumped off in the streets, with reports that helicopter gunships and snipers were used to suppress the uprising.
The state TV headquarters in the capital Tripoli were also damaged during protests on Sunday while the AFP news agency reported several public buildings had been set alight.
Al Jizz television quoted medical sources as saying 61 people had been killed in the latest protests in Tripoli.
It said security forces were looting banks and other government institutions in Tripoli, and protesters had broken into several cop shoppes and wrecked them.
The Libyan justice minister has now resigned in protest at the 'excessive use of violence' against the protesters, according to the Quryna newspaper.
As Europe and the U.S. condemned the regime's handling of the unrest, Qadaffy's son Saif said his family would 'fight until the last bullet'.
More than 300 victims were massacred -- many by foreign mercenaries -- during the government crackdown in Libya's second city, Benghazi.
Protesters were bumped off in the streets, with reports that helicopter gunships and snipers were used to suppress the uprising.
The state TV headquarters in the capital Tripoli were also damaged during protests on Sunday while the AFP news agency reported several public buildings had been set alight.
Al Jizz television quoted medical sources as saying 61 people had been killed in the latest protests in Tripoli.
It said security forces were looting banks and other government institutions in Tripoli, and protesters had broken into several cop shoppes and wrecked them.
Three witnesses say protesters moved into Tripoli's central Green Square and nearby squares last night. Plain-clothes security forces and gunnies attacked in festivities that lasted until dawn.
One witness said snipers opened fire from rooftops. Two others said gunnies in vehicles with photos of Col Qadaffy sped through, opening fire and running people over. The witnesses reported seeing casualties, but the number could not be confirmed.
It has also been reported that 17 were maimed when Libyans stormed a South Korean-operated construction site 18 miles from the capital, with two Bangladeshi workers stabbed.
Output at one of the country's oil fields was reported to have been stopped by a workers' strike and some European oil companies withdrew expatriate workers and suspended operations.
With autocratic governments already toppled by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, there was a sense that Qadaffy's iron grip was being severely tested.
'Libya is the most likely candidate for civil war because the government has lost control over part of its own territory,' said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Centre in Qatar.
In the eastern city of Benghazi, protesters appeared to be largely in control after forcing troops and police to retreat to a compound. Government buildings were set ablaze and ransacked.
'People here in Benghazi are laughing at what he is saying. It is the same old story (on promised reform) and nobody believes what he says,' a lawyer in Libya's second city told the BBC after watching Saif al-Islam's speech.
'Youths with weapons are in charge of the city. There are no security forces anywhere,' University of Benghazi professor Hanaa Elgallal told Al Jizz International television.
Salahuddin Abdullah, a self-described protest organiser, said: 'In Benghazi there is celebration and euphoria ... The city is no longer under military control. It is completely under demonstrators' control.'
In Al Bayda, a town about 200 km (125 miles) from Benghazi, which was the scene of deadly festivities last week between protesters and security forces, a resident told Rooters protesters were also in command.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 10:19 ||
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#2
I'm strongly in favor of the Romanian treatment although the way Mussolini ended would be fine, too.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/21/2011 10:39 Comments ||
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#3
The Islamic Emirate of Barca is taking shape. A colonel in the military who might have been an Islamist infiltrator is apparently the leader of a group of mutineers.
#4
BBC out of Cairo a few hours ago: Almost all major tribal leaders seem to have joined the opposition, as well as important religious leaders and several senior Libyan ambassadors.
The east of the country is already almost entirely out of the hands of the government. Col Gaddafi's hold on power is becoming weaker by the hour.
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.
#12
This worries the hell out of me. Why? Because the bumbling fools at the State department have no clue how to handle this, CIA is too checken to actually try to intervene and guide it, and we have a narcissistic left-wing union-tool Chicago machine pol moron in the White House who is proving utterly unqualified for the job, and incapable of actually LEADING when its necessary. All he will do is look for a political angle for himself.
#13
#sigh# Okay, I said to various friends that if the Muslim Brotherhood got rid of Qadaffy I would - just this once and only this once - say "Thank you Muslim Brotherhood." So: thank you Muslim Brotherhood.
#14
Old Spook: yes, if we had a CIA worthy of the name Qadaffi and his evil spawn son would have been whacked long ago.
It would't be too late if State and CIA had some contacts in Libya so that we could perhaps get a soft landing and allow average people there some voice in their country. As it is we'll end up with a hostile emirate.
Perhaps we could name Michael Totten as our trouble-shooter -- he at least knows the country.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 12:51 Comments ||
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#15
allow average people there some voice in their country
Steve, neither a tribal culture nor Islam allows for the individualism that this would require. I'm expecting that within two years ALL of these "countries" will look like a cross between Gaza and Iran.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
02/21/2011 13:09 Comments ||
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#16
I suppose a cross between Gaza & Iran is better than Somalia...
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
02/21/2011 14:13 Comments ||
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#18
This could all still go either way, but Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, and now this -- it's starting to feel a little like 1989-91 when the Warsaw Pact collapsed. Not a 100% good outcome, but a considerable improvement over the USSR and friends.
To paraphrase someone much wiser than me ('cause I haven't the time go looking for the exact quote): dictatorships always look invincible right up to the moment they collapse.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/21/2011 15:10 Comments ||
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#19
This would be a real good time to have an energy policy, where we'd be seriously drilling for oil and building natural gas pipelines. But I guess in the short term all we can do is hope that Gaddafi's Ukrainian nurses seek asylum in the US.
Posted by: Matt ||
02/21/2011 16:46 Comments ||
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#20
ALL of these "countries" will look like a cross between Gaza and Iran.
An excellent outcome IMO.
Primarily because it will force the West into a sane energy independence policy. The transition will be painful, but if not now (soon) then when?
This nonsense (ME energy dependence) has dragged on since 1971. Enough already.
#21
More likely it will lead to general war. No doubt B. Hussein Obama see's himself as the second coming of FDR. But he won't have to wait for a third election to run as a wartime president.
#22
Nationalism might manifest. Are you an "English"? Why have we been describing the 300,000,000 people who speak the worthless language called "arabic" as "arabs?" Savages from the Hijaz and Negd sections of what is now the saud terrorist entity, raped and plundered their was across the near and far east, north africa and europe. They slaughtered millions, and forced the islam ic cult on peoples who lived better without the beast from the east.
#25
In the case of Libya, the IB isn't strongly rooted, so there may be some hope if we have any assets in that part of the region that are capable of assisting the right people and sidetracking the wrong ones. Thats if the clandestine services have any capability and guts left - and we have leadership willing to green-light these things.
#26
My dear and much respected Mr. Spook,
I have one question for you...
When you wrote if the clandestine services have any capability and guts left - and we have leadership willing to green-light these things.
Did you type it with a straight face and without the help of alcoholic beverages?
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
02/21/2011 20:44 Comments ||
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#27
AC: You got me. Just wishin and hopeing...
... and remembering the old days where we did have the swagger in the ranks and in the leadership and the thing you worried about was when (not if) you would put your ass on the line for your country, not how to cover it.
[Ennahar] Tunisia Prostitutes living in fear of another attack since the Islamists tried to burn down the main prostitution district in Tunis. "I no longer go out, I fear they burn me alive", says one of them.
Armed with Molotov cocktails, "small bottles filled with gasoline" and "Long Knives" chanting "Allah Akbar" Islamists have tried to set fire Friday to brothels in the district of Guechi Abdallah in Tunis near the Medina.
Dressed in jeans and leather jackets, according to pictures taken by mobile phones, they were dispersed in the meandering alleys of this neighborhood by police and military.
In the courtyard of a brothel where dry sadly old fluorescent color panties, a dozen prostitutes in fine lines drawn with eyebrow pencil, trying to show "strong" in front of the "Islamist terrorists."
Smoking cigarette after cigarette, Mariam, 35, "owner" of a brothel frequented, according to her, by "the Chinese, Germans, Italians, Algerians, Egyptians, French, Libyans and "others" is still in shock.
"I was terrified," she said, that they wanted to burn us alive, it was too much for me and my colleagues who are my family."
One of the prostitutes, Lamia, a 38 year old blonde, wearing shorts and black wool gaiters, wonders, she said, "why they did that."
"When one gives men the places where they can indulge in sex, she says, they need not bother the girls in the streets, without forgetting that we're also feeding other families as cooks, maids and couriers who work for us."
A young customer, face down, interrupted the testimony of Lamia. She disappeared with him behind a simple curtain fabric in a small room composed of a bed, a bidet and a washbasin.
She reappears suddenly stripped down to say "if the government finds a job with decent wages, we would be prepared to stop." She says "win 3 dinars (about 1.5 euro) per customer" and had "about 10 to 15 clients per day."
"We only work with condoms and we see a gynecologist twice a week," she exclaims, throwing an occasional glance at her client who is waiting.
The rules in brothels are strict: "We're not allowed to leave the house except one day per week and six days when we are unwell," said another prostitute.
"If one of us does not respect the law, she says, we are sent a month or more in a brothel, far, far away from Tunis."
In another brothel, the decor consists of furniture piled up, an old box and at the entry three small boxes connected by a padlock, three prostitutes of a certain age confide that "they no longer sleep at night" since the attack by the Islamists.
"I could not work today, so we were afraid that night to see them return," says the "responsible" for prostitutes, Rachida, hair restrained by a Paleostinian keffiyeh.
"They tried," she said, to burn us with Molotov cocktails, but they should know we do not like this job and we're Mohammedans."
Cherifa, 40, who previously worked as a housekeeper, said that "every customer spends between 10 and 30 minutes, but some, like the drunks can be very violent."
"It's too much for me," she said, but I have no choice." "I'm afraid they come back to burn us. We do not deserve it, we're human beings."
Outside, men stick together before the entry of other brothels, waiting for other women, very slightly and poorly clothed.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
I did not have sex with that woman, or that woman or that one over there, now the red head in the corner...I really don't remember.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
02/21/2011 19:24 Comments ||
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#2
Find out who these clowns were and where they live, then pay them a call one night soon with "Molotov cocktails, 'small bottles filled with gasoline' and 'Long Knives.'"
Don't chant anything - just go to work.
Paybacks are hell.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/21/2011 19:32 Comments ||
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[Arab News] Al Jizz's signal across the Middle East and North Africa was plagued by jamming on Sunday, the Arab satellite broadcaster said, and Leb said the electronic interference was coming from Libya.
Al Jizz, whose coverage of the regional political unrest has been widely watched in the Arab world, first reported jamming on Friday and said its website had been blocked in Libya.
"We believe that whoever is doing this is operating with sophisticated and large equipment," an Al Jizzfront man said in a statement.
In Beirut, Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas said the jamming "originated from Libyan territory" and it was also affecting Lebanese channels.
"They (Libyans) see what these televisions carry about what is happening in their country and they jam the transmission points ... so Al Jizz is affected and we are affected too," Nahhas said. There was no immediate response from Libya, where tens of thousands gathered in the city of Benghazi on Sunday for funerals of protesters killed by security forces as Human Rights Watch said overnight violence had doubled the corpse count from four days of festivities to 173.
"We ... are investigating the source of the problem, though cooperation would be needed from governments to precisely determine this," the Al Jizzfront man said, adding that alternative frequencies were offered to viewers.
The jamming was being caused by large installations capable of simultaneously interfering with several frequencies on the Arabsat and Nilesat satellites that carry the Qatar-based news channel's signal, it said. The station has exhaustively covered events in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, contacting protesters and government backers by telephone and often airing footage of events sent via the Internet.
Earlier this month, Egypt's Nilesat cut off Al Jizz's signal for more than a week after authorities there ordered it to stop operations in Egypt during the unrest that ultimately ended geriatric President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Launched in 1996, Al Jizz has more than 400 news hounds in over 60 countries, according to its website. It says it can reach 220 million households in more than 100 countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Arab News] Members of a Libyan Army unit told Benghazi residents on Sunday they had defected and "liberated" Libya's second city from troops supporting veteran leader Muammar Qadaffy.
Habib Al-Obaidi, who heads the intensive care unit at the main Al-Jalae hospital, and lawyer Mohamed Al-Mana, told Rooters members of the "Thunderbolt" squad had arrived at the hospital with soldiers maimed in festivities with Qadaffy's personal guard. "They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," Al-Mana said by telephone.
Obaidi said the bodies of 50 people killed on Sunday had arrived at the hospital in the late afternoon. Most had died from bullet wounds.
As the dramatic events unfolded in his country, Libya's permanent representative to the vaporous Arab League, Abdel Moneim Al-Honi, said he has quit his position in order to "join the revolution." "I have submitted my resignation in protest against the acts of repression and violence against demonstrators (in Libya) and I am joining the ranks of the revolution," Honi said.
The 50 people were killed Sunday when Libyan forces fired machine guns at mourners marching in a funeral for anti-government protesters, a day after commandos and foreign mercenaries loyal to Qadaffy pummeled demonstrators with assault rifles and other heavy weaponry.
A doctor at one Benghazi hospital said earlier that his morgue had received at least 200 dead from six days of unrest. The doctor said his hospital, one of two in the city, is out of supplies and cannot treat more than 70 maimed in similar attacks on mourners Saturday and other festivities.
Jamal Eddin Mohammed, a 53-year-old resident of Benghazi, said thousands marched Sunday toward the city's cemetery to bury at least a dozen protesters. They feared more festivities with the government when they passed by Qadaffy's residential palace and the regime's local security headquarters.
A man shot in the leg Sunday said marchers were carrying coffins to a cemetery and were passing by the compound when security forces fired in the air and then aimed at the crowd.
The latest violence in Benghazi followed the same pattern as the crackdown on Saturday, when witnesses said forces loyal to Qadaffy attacked mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters. They were burying 35 marchers who were slain Friday by government forces.
On Saturday, witnesses told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named a mix of special commandos, foreign mercenaries and Qadaffy loyalists assaulted demonstrators in Benghazi with knives, assault rifles and other heavy weapons.
On Sunday, defiant mourners chanted: "The people demand the removal of the regime," which became a mantra for protesters in Egypt and Tunisia.
Hatred of Qadaffy's rule has grown in Benghazi in the past two decades. Anger has focused on the shooting deaths of about 1,200 inmates -- most of them political prisoners _ during prison riots in 1996.
A similar scenario took place in other eastern cities, including Al-Baida, which once housed Libya's Parliament before Qadaffy's 1969 military coup toppled the monarchy.
Protests spread to the outskirts of the southern city of Zentan and west to Mesrata, Libya's third-largest city. However, The infamous However... the capital Tripoli, a city of some 2 million people, remained a stronghold of Qadaffy support, with security forces swiftly curbing small protests that erupted in the outskirts. Secret police were heavily deployed on the streets, as residents kept their opinions and emotions secret.
The US-based Arbor Networks reported another Internet service outage in Libya just before midnight Saturday. The company says online traffic ceased in Libya about 2 a.m. Saturday, was restored at reduced levels several hours later, only to be cut off again that night. People in Libya said they can no longer make international telephone calls on their land lines.
Britain has called reports of the use of snipers and heavy weapons against demonstrators in Libya "clearly unacceptable and horrifying."
Libya has warned the European Union it will "suspend cooperation" in the fight against illegal immigration if the bloc does not stop encouraging pro-democracy protests, the EU presidency said Sunday.
Turkish media reported Sunday that Ankara has repatriated 543 of its nationals from Libya over the weekend, some of whom said they were targeted by rioters during the protests.
Austria announced it was sending a military plane to Malta with a view to evacuating Austrian and European citizens from Libya or other Arab countries following unrest in the region.
A security official said Libyan authorities foiled an attempt by saboteurs to set ablaze oil wells south of the capital at dawn on Sunday and nabbed six Libyan suspects. Two Libyan guards deployed to protect oil installations were slightly maimed in the operation at 1:30 a.m. at the Sarir oilfield, the official said.
Supporters of the Libyan uprising demonstrated in Egypt, Switzerland and Washington. In Egypt, exiled Libyans and members of the country's Press Syndicate have sent urgent medical supplies to Libya.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Libyan strongman Muammar Qadaffy will fight a popular revolt to "the last man standing," one of his sons said Monday as people in the capital joined protests for the first time after days of violent unrest in the eastern city of Benghazi. Anti-government protesters rallied in Tripoli's streets, tribal leaders spoke out against Qadaffy, and army units defected to the opposition as oil exporter Libya endured one of the bloodiest revolts to convulse the Arab world.
Qadaffy's son Saif al-Islam Qadaffy appeared on national television in an attempt to both threaten and calm people, saying the army would enforce security at any price.
"Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Qadaffy is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army," he said. "We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing...We will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks."
Wagging a finger at the camera, he blamed Libyan exiles for fomenting the violence. But he also promised dialogue on reforms and wage rises.
The cajoling may not be enough to douse the anger unleashed after four decades of rule by Qadaffy -- mirroring events in Egypt where a popular revolt overthrew the seemingly impregnable geriatric President Hosni Mubarak 10 days ago.
In the coastal city of Benghazi protesters appeared to be largely in control after forcing troops and police to retreat to a compound. Government buildings were set ablaze and ransacked.
In the first sign of serious unrest in the capital, thousands of protesters clashed with Qadaffy supporters. Gunfire rang out in the night and police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, some of whom threw stones at Qadaffy billboards.
Human Rights Watch said at least 223 people have been killed in five days of violence. Most were in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising and a region where Qadaffy's grip has always been weaker than elsewhere in the oil-rich desert nation.
Habib al-Obaidi, a surgeon at the Al-Jalae hospital, said the bodies of 50 people, mostly rubbed out, were brought there on Sunday afternoon. Two hundred maimed had arrived, he said.
"One of the victims was obliterated after being hit by an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) to the abdomen," he said.
Members of an army unit known as the "Thunderbolt" squad had brought maimed comrades to the hospital, he said. The soldiers said they had defected to the cause of the protesters and had fought and defeated Qadaffy's elite guards.
"They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," another man at the hospital, lawyer Mohamed al-Mana, told Rooters by telephone.
BENGHAZI THE CRADLE
If Qadaffy had hoped to dismiss Benghazi as a provincial problem, he faced an alarming development Sunday night as crowds erupted into the streets of Tripoli.
One resident told Rooters he could hear gunshots in the streets and crowds of people.
"We're inside the house and the lights are out. That's what I hear, gunshots and people. I can't go outside," he said.
An expatriate worker said anti-government demonstrators were gathering in residential complexes.
"The police are dispersing them. I can also see burning cars," he said.
Support for Qadaffy, the son of a herdsman who seized power in 1969, among Libya's desert tribes was also waning.
The leader of the eastern Al-Zuwayya tribe threatened to cut oil exports unless authorities halted what he called the "oppression of protesters."
Speaking to Al Jizz television, Sheikh Faraj al Zuway said: "We will stop oil exports to Western countries within 24 hours" if the violence did not stop.
Akram Al-Warfalli, a leading figure in the Al Warfalla tribe, told Al Jizz: "We tell the brother (Qadaffy), well he's no longer a brother, we tell him to leave the country."
The Libyan uprising is one of series of revolts that have raced like wildfire across the Arab world since December, toppling the long-time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and threatening entrenched dynasties from Bahrain to Yemen.
The West has watched with alarm as long-time allies and old foes have come under threat, appealing for reform and urging restraint.
REVILED AND REVERED
Qadaffy has been one of the most recognizable figures on the world stage in recent history, reviled by the West for many years as a supporter of cut-throats and revolutionary movements while at the same time cutting a showmanlike figure with his flowing robes, lofty pronouncements and bevy of glamorous female assistants attending him in his Bedouin tent.
Former President Ronald Reagan once called him "the Mad Dog of the Middle East" and in 1986 unleashed air raids against Tripoli in response to the bombing of a Berlin disco frequented by US servicemen, an attack Washington blamed on Libya.
The 1988 destruction of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, by Libyan agents in which 270 people were killed brought him fresh notoriety and led to UN sanctions.
But recent years have seen a rapprochement with the West as countries such as Britain and Italy sought a slice of its oil wealth and other lucrative commercial deals.
Though portrayed overseas as a ruthless despot, Qadaffy has enjoyed some popular support at home. After toppling King Idriss in 1969, he forged a middle road between communism and capitalism and oversaw rapid development of the poor country.
While using ruthless tactics against dissidents, he also spent billions of oil dollars to improve living standards.
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02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Maghrebia] Algerian police on Saturday (February 19th) prevented hundreds of anti-government protesters from staging another Algiers rally, local and international press reported. The march was held by the National Co-ordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD).
The CNCD said earlier that the protests would proceed as planned, despite assurances from Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia to lift Algeria's long-standing state of emergency by the end of the month and adopt housing and employment measures.
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02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Libyan sources told Asharq al-Awsat that the Libyan leader, 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... , will not flee the country if the situation escalates, and that he intends to die on Libyan soil. Sources affiliated with the Qadaffy family spoke to Asharq al-Awsat via telephone, saying that the city of al-Bayda [east Libya] is witnessing riots and widespread violence, led by armed militias. [These groups] began their activities by storming a prison, releasing the inmates, and ended by surrounding an army battalion belonging to the younger son of the Libyan leader.
The sources said: "the militias are in control of al-Bayda and they are killing anyone who stands in their way, even if they are opponents of the regime". They added that the militia groups had stormed a prison, released the inmates, and then conducted acts of violence against the people, as well as looting. The sources noted that such activities began after two militia members were killed trying to storm the internal security building, and set it on fire.
The sources highlighted that the military had lost control of the situation in the city, and had been forced to pull out. However, The infamous However... they went on to say: "The battalion belonging to Khamis [the younger son of Qadaffy], named "Legion 36", is still trapped inside the city. They are at the mercy of the militia, whose members are killing them and mutilating their bodies". The sources pointed out that the majority of soldiers in "Legion 36" are of "Tabu" origin, a dark-skinned tribe living in the Kufra governorate. When they entered al-Bayda the residents thought they were African mercenaries, recruited by the government to fight against them. Thus they [the militia] killed them and mutilated their bodies. The sources said: "Since day one, demonstrations in al-Bayda have not been peaceful, like they have been in other cities. From the first day the demonstrators burned cop shoppes, national and internal security buildings, and centers affiliated to the Army. Even clinics and hospitals have not been spared from their attacks". They added: "To those who want to 'overthrow the regime', as they say, why ruin the country? These people have no culture of protesting, unlike what was evident in Tunisia and Egypt".
The sources went on to say: "Colonel Qadaffy still refuses to send Special Forces from the army to the city of al-Bayda, in order to end the prevailing violence there. Doing so would leave behind many victims, and this is the last thing Qadaffy wants". They added that Qadaffy himself was not leading the demonstrations against the government, as some media outlets have portrayed, "but some of his supporters went to meet him at his headquarters and he came to greet them... that is all there is to it".
The sources quoted Qadaffy's reiteration that neither he nor his family will flee from the country: "We all intend to die on Libyan soil". Asharq al-Awsat learned that all members of the Qadaffy family living outside the country, either due to study or work commitments, have been recalled home. Most of them were living in European countries, and they have been returning to Libya since last Thursday.
Opposition eye witnesses living in al-Bayda spoke to Asharq al-Awsat by telephone: "the situation in the city has become very difficult, snuffies are deployed everywhere. Those who object to the destructive acts being carried out are putting their lives, or their families lives, at risk...bodies are scattered in the streets. Three days ago, three soldiers from the army were hanged, and their bodies still remain on the streets".
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Libyan forces fired machine-guns at 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 Qadaffy pummeled demonstrators with assault rifles and other heavy weaponry.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
Every gay Libyan hopes to get his wardrobe as soon as the camel leaves the tent.
Posted by: JT ||
02/21/2011 3:44 Comments ||
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#2
Daffy Qadaffy hears those EA-6Bs, F-111s, and F-117s winding up again. Reagan's on his mind.
Posted by: JT ||
02/21/2011 3:50 Comments ||
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[Emirates 24/7] An Egyptian court ratified on Sunday the death sentence against a man convicted of killing six Christians outside a church but acquitted two alleged accomplices, the official MENA news agency reported.
The State Security emergency court had referred Mohammed Ahmad Hussein to the country's top government holy man last month, a legal formality before the court can announce a death sentence.
It delayed its verdict on the two other defendants until Sunday's hearing.
Hussein will be hanged for the murder of six Copts and a Mohammedancoppers in the southern town of Nagaa Hammadi after the Coptic Christmas Eve Mass in January 2010.
The court acquitted Qorshi Abul Haggag Muhammed and Hindawi Muhammed Sayyid, whom police nabbed with Hussein several days after the massacre.
Before an Alexandria church bombing early this year killed 21 people, the Nagaa Hammadi attack had been the deadliest of its kind since 2000 when 20 Copts were killed in sectarian festivities.
Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 80-million population.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[An Nahar] Anti-regime protests spread closer to the Libyan capital Sunday amid new fighting in the flashpoint city of Benghazi, as Human Rights Watch said it feared a catastrophe with more than 170 people dead in an iron-fisted crackdown.
As the corpse count continued to rise, world leaders stepped up their pressure over strongman Moammar Gadhafi's response to the unprecedented challenge to his four-decade rule of the oil-rich North African country.
And in a crack in the regime's public face, Libya's envoy to the vaporous Arab League announced he was quitting and "joining the revolution."
"I have submitted my resignation in protest against the acts of repression and violence against demonstrators (in Libya) and I am joining the ranks of the revolution," Abdul Moneim al-Honi said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Libyan state television announced that Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, would address the nation later on Sunday.
The 68-year-old Gadhafi has himself made no public comment since deadly violence erupted on Tuesday.
Witnesses told Agence La Belle France Presse by telephone that Libyan security forces clashed with anti-regime protesters in the Mediterranean city of Misrata, 200 kilometers from Tripoli.
Demonstrators there came out in support of residents of second city Benghazi, 1,000 kilometers east of Tripoli, who have endured the brunt of a crackdown in eastern Libya, they said.
The witnesses said security forces, backed by "African mercenaries," fired into crowds "without discrimination."
In Benghazi, protests continued against Gadhafi's rule, lawyer Mohammed al-Mughrabi told AFP by telephone.
"Lawyers are demonstrating outside the Northern Benghazi court; there are thousands here. We have called it Tahrir Square Two," he said of the Cairo square central to protests that brought down Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
Separately, others are "storming the garrison" and "taking fire from snipers," Mughrabi said, without elaborating.
Media reports said members of a Libyan army unit had told Benghazi residents that they had defected and "liberated" the city from pro-Gadhafi forces.
A doctor at Benghazi's Al-Jalaa hospital told AFP late on Sunday afternoon that 15 bodies had been brought in since 2:00 pm, bringing to 85 the number of fatalities there since Saturday morning.
Mughrabi said "at least 200 have been killed altogether (since the unrest began) but we can't verify from hospital. We are pleading for the Red Thingy to send field hospitals. We can't take it anymore."
Speaking to Al-Jazeera television, one resident spoke of "out-of-sight massacres" in Benghazi.
"It feels like an open war zone between protesters and security forces," said Fathi Terbeel, a protest organizer.
"Our numbers show that more than 200 people have been killed. God have mercy on them."
In London, Human Rights Watch said at least 173 people had died since Tuesday.
"It's a conservative figure based on hospital sources in eastern Libya, Benghazi and three other places," HRW's Tom Porteous said. "It is a very incomplete figure and there are also a very large number of maimed.
"According to medical sources in Libya the wounds are indicative of heavy weapons being used against the demonstrators."
Earlier on Sunday, Porteous had said "we are very concerned that under the communication blackout that has fallen on Libya since yesterday a human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... catastrophe is unfolding."
The United States strongly condemned the use of lethal force in Libya and called on Tripoli to allow peaceful protests after "credible reports" of hundreds of casualties.
"We are working to ascertain the facts, but we have received multiple credible reports that hundreds of people have been killed and injured in several days of unrest -- and the full extent of the corpse count is unknown due to the lack of access of international media and human rights organizations," State Department front man Philip Crowley said.
"Libyan officials have stated their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the right of peaceful protest. We call upon the Libyan government to uphold that commitment, and hold accountable any security officer who does not act in accordance with that commitment."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he will raise the crackdown with EU ministers this week, and urged Arab nations to speak out.
"I think we have to increase the international pressure and condemnation," Hague told Sky News television.
"The United Kingdom condemns what the Libyan government has been doing and how they have responded to these protests, and we look to other countries to do the same."
The Foreign Office said Hague had spoken to Gadhafi's son Seif, who heads the Gadhafi Human Rights Society.
Hague "expressed alarm at reports of large numbers of people being killed or attacked by Libyan security forces," a statement said. "The Foreign Secretary told Mr. Gadhafi that the Libyan government's actions were unacceptable."
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said that she was "really worried about what is happening in Libya," whose government has told Brussels to stop "encouraging" demonstrators or face a halt to cooperation on illegal immigration.
"We have been urging restraint and it is important to continue to do so," Ashton said. "It is very, very important that the violence stops."
And German European Affairs Minister Werner Hoyer expressed his government's "indignation" at the crackdown, speaking at the start of an EU ministerial session on the revolts sweeping the Arab world.
Around 500 people gathered outside the Libyan embassy in London to protest against the crackdown, police said.
In an emotional but peaceful demonstration, British Libyans chanted in Arabic: "It's our turn, it's our turn, Gadhafi is a dictator."
"My country is swimming in a pool of blood. People have been massacred openly in the street. It's a bloodbath," said Abdelwahb Naas, 56, a doctor.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
AM NEWS > Libyan death toll is now officially at 233 this AM, to possible alleged high of 600???
* WAFF > GADDAFI ISRAEL THREAT LINKED TO LIBYA RIOTS?
ARTIC read, DIVERSION? as Uncle Muammar/Moammar may have had advanced Notice = "Awareness" that trouble was a'brewin + about to break out???
[Iran Press TV] The son of Libyan ruler Muammar Qadaffy, Seif al-Islam, has offered dialog and the establishment of local governments in a bid to quell the nationwide uprising.
In a televised speech on Sunday, Saif al-Islam Qadaffy accused the factions of attempting to stir chaos in the North African country.
He said the situation has become extremely dangerous in Libya, emphasizing that his country is not Tunisia or Egypt.
Saif al-Islam further pointed out that Libya has neared a crossroads to either a civil war or peace.
In other comments, he expressed the Lybian government's willingness to negotiate with 'legitimate' factions and parties to carry out reforms.
However, The infamous However... he warned that the government will fight until last drop of blood, saying that no dissidents or what he called thugs will be allowed to take over Libya.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... fresh reports say thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in defiance of Muammar Qadaffy's speech. They are said to be calling for the prosecution of Saif al-Islam and his father.
Saif al-Islam also denied the latest corpse count figure from festivities in Libya's massive popular uprising against long-time ruler Muammar Qadaffy.
Latest figures show the corpse count from festivities in Libya's massive popular uprising is nearing 300.
Reports have put the number of people killed in the country's second largest city, Benghazi, at more than 200 over the past days.
Residents in Benghazi reported that there was no electricity in parts of the city and tanks were stationed outside the city's main courthouse. Benghazi's airport is also reported closed.
The repression became bloodier on Sunday when security forces opened fire on thousands of people who had gathered to mourn for those killed on Saturday festivities in Benghazi.
The rights group Amnesia Amnesty International has urged the Libyan government to stop its crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.
Protesters have been demanding the ouster of the Libyan leader, who has been in power for over 40 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Libya's Muammar Qadaffy has left his country for Venezuela or Brazil, as protests calling on him to step down have turned violent, a report says. Con granum salis.
Government's crackdown on people to put down the protests against Qadaffy's 41-year rule turned out to be counterproductive as demonstrations continued on Sunday.
The repression became bloodier when security forces opened fire on thousands of people gathered to mourn for those killed on Saturday festivities in Benghazi.
EU and US have condemned the suppression of pro-democracy protesters and expressed concern about "disturbing reports and images coming out of Libya."
The rights group Amnesia Amnesty International has also urged the Libyan government to stop its crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Libyan envoy to the vaporous Arab League Abdel Moneim al-Honi and the country's Ambassador to China Hussein Sadeq Al Misurati, have resigned to join the protests.
Al-Honi has submitted his resignation "in protest against the acts of repression and violence against demonstrators."
Al Misurati told Al Jizz TV that he was not "honored to represent a regime that kills its people."
An opposition leader has said that all tribes across the country have joined the anti-government protests, reports said.
Latest figures show the corpse count from festivities in Libya's massive popular uprising is nearing 300.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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The head of the Al-Zuwayya tribe in eastern Libya has threatened to cut off oil exports unless authorities stop what he called the "oppression of protesters", the Warfala tribe, one of Libya's biggest, has reportedly joined the anti-Gaddafi protests.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Shaikh Faraj al Zuway said: "We will stop oil exports to Western countries within 24 hours" if the violence did not stop. The tribe lives south of Benghazi, which has seen the worst of the deadly violence in recent days.
Akram Al-Warfalli, a leading figure in the Al Warfalla tribe, one of Libya's biggest, told the network: "We tell the brother (Gaddafi), well he's no longer a brother, we tell him to leave the country." The tribe lives south of Tripoli.
Protests have also reportedly broken out in other cities, including Bayda, Derna, Tobruk and Misrata - and anti-Gaddafi graffiti adorns the walls of several cities.
Anti-government protesters in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi have reportedly seized army vehicles and weapons amid worsening turmoil in the African nation.
A local witness said that a section of the troops had joined the protesters on Sunday as chaos swept the streets of the city, worst hit by the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year old rule.
Mohamed, a doctor from Al Jalaa hospital in Benghazi, confirmed to Al Jazeera that members of the military had sided with the protesters. "We are still receiving serious injuries, I can confirm 13 deaths in our hospital. However, the good news is that people are cheering and celebrating outside after receiving news that the army is siding with the people," he said.
"But there is still a brigade that is against the demonstrators. For the past three days demonstrators have been shot at by this brigade, called Al-Sibyl brigade."
The head of the Al-Zuwayya tribe in eastern Libya has threatened to cut off oil exports unless authorities stop what he called the "oppression of protesters", the Warfala tribe, one of Libya's biggest, has reportedly joined the anti-Gaddafi protests.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Shaikh Faraj al Zuway said: "We will stop oil exports to Western countries within 24 hours" if the violence did not stop. The tribe lives south of Benghazi, which has seen the worst of the deadly violence in recent days.
Akram Al-Warfalli, a leading figure in the Al Warfalla tribe, one of Libya's biggest, told the network: "We tell the brother (Gaddafi), well he's no longer a brother, we tell him to leave the country." The tribe lives south of Tripoli.
Protests have also reportedly broken out in other cities, including Bayda, Derna, Tobruk and Misrata - and anti-Gaddafi graffiti adorns the walls of several cities.
Perhaps we can soon re-open the real Wheelus O-Club?
Anti-government protesters in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi have reportedly seized army vehicles and weapons amid worsening turmoil in the African nation.
A local witness said that a section of the troops had joined the protesters on Sunday as chaos swept the streets of the city, worst hit by the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year old rule.
Mohamed, a doctor from Al Jalaa hospital in Benghazi, confirmed to Al Jazeera that members of the military had sided with the protesters. "We are still receiving serious injuries, I can confirm 13 deaths in our hospital. However, the good news is that people are cheering and celebrating outside after receiving news that the army is siding with the people," he said.
"But there is still a brigade that is against the demonstrators. For the past three days demonstrators have been shot at by this brigade, called Al-Sibyl brigade."
I think the end will resemble more like what happened to Saddam's sons. Remember them?
I wonder if Khadaffy will look as good as what the undertakers efforts made the two sons of Saddam....look like?
If you were in the al-Sibyl Brigade would you have a plan for your "transportation"? The smart ones will. The stupid ones will be like the AVO in Budapest.
Stupid people dont live to get old. But then, Khadaffy got old.
And he is gonna get even older. Which one of the Pharoah mummies was cleaned up from being killed with an axe? One of them....dried nicely, and packed...but with a twelve inch gap in his head which was impossible to hide with cosmetics...and a strange grin.
Khadaffy Duck may be stupid enough to stay until "the end".
Ever seen those old sepia photographs of Mussolini hanging upside down on a greasy blood soaked winch, dripping in that gas station ?
In Libya, its out of the bag now so how do you think Khadaffy is gonna get it BACK in the bag? The answer is, he AINT gonna.
There is only one way this can end now.
#3
When I read the word "tribes," for a moment I feel like I have been transported back in time to the 7th or 8th century and then I pinch myself and realize it is still 2011...
#4
Daffy will probably be gone by the end of week, assuming he doesn't meet with an accident involving a rope and a lamppost.
But what then of his charming son, good ol' Sword of Islam himself? The one with all those technocratic degrees (BS Engineering, MBA, PhD Economics) who's been so busy running charities, throwing fancy parties, and being the pretty face of Libya? Master Sword has made promises to the people, after all, on the official Libyan television.
#6
Perhaps we can soon re-open the real Wheelus O-Club?
And while we're at it, get the remains of the Lady Be Good from the trash heap in Benghazi where Khaddafi had it thrown a few years back.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/21/2011 9:23 Comments ||
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#7
JohnQC, you took the word right out of my mouth.
No region that is still this tribal will ever reach true democracy / freedom. The key to the success of the West (where it's successful) is the concept of individualism. But that is anathema. To any tribal society especially an Islamic one.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
02/21/2011 10:35 Comments ||
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#8
When I read the word "tribes," for a moment I feel like I have been transported back in time to the 7th or 8th century and then I pinch myself and realize it is still 2011...
Call them 'special interest groups'. That ought to make it feel "2011".
TRIPOLI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Seif al-Islam said in a televised address early Monday that Libya was in danger of civil wars if the clashes between the security forces and protestors escalate, according to Doha-based Al-Jazeera.
He said that his father was in the country and backed by the army, saying that Gaddafi "was not a leader as (Zine El Abidine) Ben Ali or (Hosni) Mubarak. We will fight to the last minute, until the last bullet," he said. "To the last...DROP OF BLOOD!!!"
What's next? The Line of Death? Maybe a Sea of Fire...
Seif al-Islam said Libya's parliament would convene on Monday to discuss a "clear" reform agenda, while the government would also raise wages. "We will have to lay down a constitution for the country," he said, pledging to make reforms in future.
Dubai-based Al-Alabiya and Al-Jazeera reported earlier that Gaddafi has left for Brazil or Venezuela, and his son Seif al-Islam took over as the head of the country. But this was not confirmed by any Libyan official sources.
Gaddafi's son said if the situation goes out of control, every Libyan has to carry arms to defend himself, because the country will have bloodshed. "Violence worse than Iraq" is possible if revolt continues.
Seif al-Islam said that it was a plot against Libya, as foreign elements were present in the country.
Members of a Libyan army unit told Benghazi residents on Sunday they had defected and "liberated" the city from forces supporting veteran leader Muammar Qadaffy, two residents said.
Habib al-Obaidi, who heads the intensive care unit at the main al-Jalae hospital, and lawyer Mohamed Al-Mana, told Rooters members of the "Thunderbolt" squad had arrived at the hospital with soldiers maimed in festivities with Qadaffy's personal guard. "They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," Mohamed said by telephone. It was not possible to independently verify the report.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
02/21/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Thunderbolt squad..a reference to Hamilcar Barca I suppose.
Sorry if this is a duplicate, looks like dinnerjackets thugs are using something else to quell the protests, if any-one has any sugestions, please help.
Thank you.
Excerpt: ""Attention all Chemical Engineers"
The Islamic regime in IRAN is using a new "tear gas" that renders those exposed into a state of semi paralysis and violent sickness. We want to reach out to chemical engineers the world over to help us identify the gas and how to defuse it?
Sorry if this is a duplicate, looks like dinnerjackets thugs are using something else to quell the protests, if any-one has any sugestions, please help.
Thank you.
Excerpt: ""Attention all Chemical Engineers"
The Islamic regime in IRAN is using a new "tear gas" that renders those exposed into a state of semi paralysis and violent sickness. We want to reach out to chemical engineers the world over to help us identify the gas and how to defuse it?
Symptoms include: severe nausea and vomiting (in some cases blood), semi paralysis, blurry vision."
I'm sure that the Obama administration will condemn this violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 ... real soon ... imminently ... any minute ...
#2
Sounds like a nerve agent. But if not, most of the pharmacological prophylactics and treatments can cause equally bad symptoms. And are probably difficult to obtain in any case. As a preventive: wear a gas mask or avoid exposure are about the only options. As a treatment: fresh air, time, and wash everything possible with soap or detergent.
Not very helpful, but there isn't much you can do about nerve agents. That's why they use them.
#3
Heavy-Duty Insecticides do the same thing. Our family Marine tells us that they found lots of 'empty' CW shells during the 2003 Iraq invasion. In adjacent rooms or buildings were drums of E605 insecticide. Nope, no WMDs there.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/21/2011 10:55 Comments ||
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#4
Some nerve gases condense as oily liquids & stick to skin & clothing. If you have nothing else, use plain water in vast amounts to rinse off contact points. Handle victims with impermeable rubber gloves.
Previous news items on the 'Burg years back told of Iraqi IED's using nerve gas shells. Those who devised them were probably ignorant of the contents of those shells.
#5
Symptoms sound like chloropicrin -- nitrous chloroform mixed with tear gas
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 11:05 Comments ||
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#6
Thx, judging by the symptoms ([5] Tests have shown that chloropicrin causes humans to shut their eyes involuntarily.[3] Chloropicrin can be absorbed systemically through inhalation, ingestion, and the skin. It is severely irritating to the lungs, eyes, and skin.[6]) chloropicrin is a good candidate, the only thing i can find on methods of dispersal is: " Because of these properties, chloropicrin can only be delivered in shell form as a chemical weapon.[5]"
So a full chem-suit looks like the only protection, but if the nutbags are firing artillery at the protesters, the gas maybe the least of their problems, damn.
#7
Don't overlook that CS has the same effects in higher concentrations, powdered form and a different propellant or aerosol agent. It can knock you immediately prostrate, blind, coughing, and due to the powder form, once inhaled can induce bleeding in the lining of the throat (explains the blood), as well as nausea (explains the vomiting). Add in the propensity for people to have psychological reactions, and the propensity for people to exaggerate effects, and one could be skeptical.
Using an insecticide or industrial solvent to aerosolize powdered CS would be within their capability, and they are likely not forward thinking enough to realize the physiological impact of compositional changes - after all, Muhammad (Piss be upon him) never wrote a treatise on organic chemistry therefore it is likely haram.
#8
In that incident in the Russian theatre a few years back I recall that some form of anesthetic was used. Perhaps this is a combination of several different chemicals, either in one container, or perhaps several things were tried simultaneously?
#12
CS? Translation please, for those of us following with ignorant interest. Thank you!
CS = Tear Gas (or at least one variant)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CS_gas
Basically any of the riot control agents in large enough concentrations could cause any of the described effects,its not very specific enough unfortunately. Hell even pepper spray combined with CS could have those effects in high concentrations.
#13
CS is a military designation for a riot control agent. It is NOT a "nerve gas", it attacks and irritates mucous membranes, upper respiratory tract and skin, but especially hits the tear duct systems.
If they had used a nerve agent, like VX, one of the G agents (e.g Sarin) or similar, there would have been mass casualties.
Again, do not discount the effects of panic combined with riot agent - if you've ever been exposed to the stuff you are likely to panic. It feels like your eyes cannot open and you cannot breathe - a "someone stuffed a sock in my mouth" feeling when trying to breath, and if you are prone to panic you will - blind, burning, gasping - and if you accidentally swallow the contaminated mucous while gasping, you will vomit violently when the CS hits your stomach.
Anyone that's been through boot camp has had minor exposure of this sort to 1% CS gas. Trust me on this one, 5% powder make the 1% in the boot camp gas chamber seem like a walk in the park on a clear spring day.
#15
Thank you, guys. So if it's merely a Western-style riot control product they need only wait for it to wear off, preferably washing with soap and water and changing clothing to prevent recontamination. If it is something worse (are the Mullahcracy's thugs likely to be more benign than Colonel Qadaffi's, or Saddam Hussein's?) then quite a few of them are already -- or soon to be -- dead. Yes?
Do the stronger war chemicals linger in the environment, or do they break down quickly, like Round-Up? If they linger, I would thing even a tyrannical oligarchy would hesitate to destroy their own nest...
#16
...Old Spook, as always, speaks wisdom - CS in heavy enough concentrations can cause some pretty grim effects. We should however take into consideration the possibility that the Mad Mullah Chemical and Shwarma Company may have decided to come up with some new witches' brew on its own, and these poor SOBs are the field trials.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/21/2011 13:38 Comments ||
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#17
I would guess a vomiting agent like DM (maybe w/ CS) would cause the symptoms listed. DM can be deactivated with a baking soda and water solution. So take a cloth, soak it in the solution and breathe through that as an expedient measure and get the heck out of the gas.
While looking up the molecule on wiki, it said the North Koreans still stockpile it and would be a likely source for Iran.
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
02/21/2011 14:08 Comments ||
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#18
Once out of danger, decontaminate w/ the baking soda solution and soap and water.
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
02/21/2011 14:10 Comments ||
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#19
Fun fact: nerve gas is nothing but bug spray for humans. Rearrange a couple molecules of the can of Raid in your closet and you get Sarin.
#21
"I gotta tell you abdul,
*ack*gag*puke*
at least we're not being gassed by infidels!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2011 16:01 Comments ||
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#22
Oldspook "Anyone that's been through boot camp has had minor exposure of this sort to 1% CS gas. Trust me on this one, 5% powder make the 1% in the boot camp gas chamber seem like a walk in the park on a clear spring day"
Roger THAT! I've been hit with both.
Note on wash down: when rinsing the powder off of your skin and hair, do NOT let water get near your eyes.
#23
Sounds like they'll need a shower. It doesn't sound all that convenient when you're talking about impromptu field medical service in a square full of protesters. This kind of service would have to be organized, and the thugs would take it down in minutes if it was.
#25
Unless someone who knows the particulars of this agent and delivery medium, I would suggest against a dunk tank as I have been tought not only can that make a funky soup but some nasties float making it impossible to get out of the solution without recontaminating.
In general, running water/solution, keep it away from eyes, ears, nose, mouth, open wounds, other orifices as much as possible. Keep out of the run-off. Do not re-use scrubbing items if possible.
Posted by: Steven ||
02/21/2011 17:26 Comments ||
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#27
Most vomiting agents have a delayed response so by the time you notice symptoms, it is too late to take protective measures. If the symptoms have immediate onset upon exposure, it is not likely a vomiting agent but could be one mixed with CS or other standard crowd control agent.
Note that other crowd control agents such as CN can produce other symptoms such as the "semi paralysis" mentioned but actually it is a loss of balance and a disoriented feeling that prevents people getting up and running away.
The Russians used a synthetic opiate in that theater, basically what amounts to "morphine gas".
#28
This seems like strong CS, with possibly some extra "stuff" to make it easy to dispense, to mark people, or make it hard to get off. As described above, soap & lots of water should be an effective approach. Avoid the dirty water and contaminated clothes afterward.
If that isn't working, send more info about the situation.
Also, don't panic. If they were spraying anything really lethal, few people exposed would be able to report it. Many people would have died in less than an hour. Even the low density Sarin from Aum Shinrikyo killed a dozen people right away. Compare what is described to this article for accounts of an attack by mustard gas from the Iran-Iraq war. http://www.nj.com/specialprojects/index.ssf?/specialprojects/mideaststories/me1209.html
#29
The Russians used an aerosol fentanyl derivative about 8-9 years ago. It hit and then quickly exceeded the LD50 concentration in enclosed spaces, generally being fatal.
Doc Steve can better explain fentanyl if you need it. This was not fentanyl.
As for CS or CN recovery, a garden hose hooke to a faucet (flowing clean water) and some baking soda if available, and a bit of care can get that resolved quickly - or simply time.
[Arab News] Opposition groups in Bahrain were meeting Sunday to formulate a charter of demands and a leading opposition figure expressed her party's readiness to take part in a dialogue process announced by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
A day after the armed forces withdrew from Pearl Square -- the nerve center of protests in the Gulf kingdom -- crowds raised slogans vowing to continue their protests until their demands for wider democracy are conceded by the monarchy.
The United States warned Bahrain against any attempt by security forces to crack down on peaceful protests while thousands of workers walked out of their jobs demanding the right to hold peaceful demonstrations.
"We are ready for dialogue -- provided we know how much the government is willing to concede and how serious it is in listening and acceding to our demands," said Muneera Fakhro who belongs to the Al-Waad political grouping.
In a gesture of reconciliation in the face of sustained opposition protests, the king on Friday delegated Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to open dialogue with the opposition.
Fakhro said: "The dialogue process has the capacity to succeed because the crown prince is trusted by many Bahrainis. The first element of any dialogue to succeed is the element of trust."
Ibrahim Mattar, a politician of the main opposition Wefaq party, said that they wanted the crown prince to show signs of addressing their demands before any formal dialogue could start.
In Pearl Square, public mood was anything but conciliatory. "We will not sit down with murderers. No to dialogue!" one woman shouted, as people handed out bread, fruit and juice.
Along with a medical center and lost-and-found department, tents were being organized and portable toilets brought in. "I came here to prove we are united," said May Hadi, a 27-year-old woman who said she was a bank dealer. "Bahrain television is trying to show we are divided. We are not. They are trying to prove it is a Shiite revolution. We are asking for freedom in this country."
Criticizing the government's show of force, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John Foster Dulles ... said: "We've been very clear from the beginning that we do not want to see any violence. We deplore it. We think it is absolutely unacceptable."
"We very much want to see the human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... of the people protected, including right to assemble, right to express themselves, and we want to see reform," Clinton told the ABC News program This Week.
With the focus switching to talks rather than festivities, Bahrain's main trade union called off a general strike it had organized for Monday because its main demand for the right to peaceful demonstrations had been satisfied. "In the light of the army's withdrawal and respect of the right to demonstrate peacefully, the general union for labor syndicates has decided to suspend the general strike and return to work on Monday," the General Federation of Trade Unions said.
A union official said that "many sectors abided by the strike call," adding that a large number of workers had joined the protesters in Pearl Square.
Earlier, Bahrain's Chamber of Commerce and Industry condemned the strike call, citing losses to businesses. "The uncertain situation fueled by the protests will have a huge economic and financial impact on the national economy and will tarnish the image of the kingdom as one of the rapidly growing economies in the region," the BCCI said in a statement.
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02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] The leader of Yemen's secessionist Southern Movement was nabbed in Aden and shots were fired at a demonstration in Sanaa on Sunday as unrest hit the impoverished Arab country for a ninth consecutive day.
Thousands of people also staged sit-ins in the cities of Ibb and Taiz, demanding the departure of 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. ... who renewed his call for opposition parties to pursue a dialogue with the government.
Saleh, a U.S. ally battling a resurgent al Qaeda wing based in Yemen, has held power for 32 years in an Arabian Peninsula state that faces soaring unemployment, dwindling oil and water reserves, and chronic unrest in northern and southern provinces.
Hasan Baoum was nabbed in the southern port city by an "armed military group" in a hospital where he was receiving treatment and was taken to an unknown location, his youngest son Fadi Hasan Baoum told Rooters.
Baoum was also nabbed in November last year, accused of planning illegal demonstrations.
Security in Aden was stepped up on Sunday with tanks and armored vehicles out on the city's main streets.
In the capital, as many as 50 government supporters tried to break up a demonstration outside Sanaa University by more than 1,000 protesters.
A Saleh supporter fired shots from an assault rifle but there were no reported casualties and the government supporters soon dispersed, while the protesters continued their demonstration chanting, "Leave, Ali!"
Both sides fired weapons on Saturday outside the university -- the first reported use of firearms by demonstrators. Several protesters were hurt in those festivities and five people including maidens of tender years were maimed in the southern town of Sheikh Othman, apparently by stray bullets.
Five soldiers were maimed on Saturday evening in Khormaksar and Sheikh Othman when protesters clashed with security forces, a local official and witnesses said on Sunday.
PROTESTS AND SIT-INS
In the southern city of Ibb, around 1,000 protesters set up camp in Freedom Square waving banners which read "Leave" and "The people want the fall of the regime," witnesses said.
In Taiz, thousands continued a sit-in for the ninth straight day. Twelve Yemeni human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... organisations demanded the sacking and trials of security officials in Aden, Sanaa and Taiz because of their role in attacks against demonstrators, according to a statement seen by Rooters.
Saleh on Sunday renewed his call for opposition parties to continue their dialogue and blamed the last two days of protests, in which five people were killed, on "elements outside the system and the law."
"Dialogue is the best way. Not sabotage. Not blocking the roads," he told tribal, military and civil leaders in Sanaa.
On Saturday he 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.
Saleh is facing not only an al Qaeda branch that has launched attacks at home and abroad
Protests have flared across Yemen for the past month. Saleh also faces a separatist revolt in the south and is trying to maintain a shaky truce with Shi'ite Mohammedan rebels in the north.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Soddy Arabia on Sunday said it stands ready "with all its capabilities" to shore up Bahrain's ruling royal family if a standoff with the Shiite-led opposition is not resolved soon, underscoring the kingdom's deep concern about its neighbor's ongoing political crisis.
Sunni-led Soddy Arabia props up Bahrain's al-Khalifa family with cash and has long sought to prevent the tiny Persian Gulf state - with its majority Shiite population - from falling into Iran's orbit. With dwindling oil resources, Bahrain relies heavily on Soddy Arabia for money and security.
It was unclear whether the Saudi comments indicated that the country was contemplating possible action in Bahrain or were merely meant to express growing anxiety among Saudi leaders. But some regional experts have long warned that a concerted Shiite challenge to the monarchy in Bahrain might prompt intervention from Soddy Arabia, which has its own restive Shiite minority population. The two countries are connected by a causeway.
The Saudi comments came as an uneasy calm prevailed in Bahrain's capital Sunday. Protesters pitched tents and held a peaceful demonstration at a central square as opposition leaders continued to rebuff the crown prince's invitation to engage in dialogue.
The statements from Soddy Arabia, which had been largely silent on the crisis in Bahrain since protests erupted a week ago, were issued in quick succession. The official Saudi press agency reported that the kingdom was following developments in Bahrain "with concern" and that it hopes to see a "restoration of calm and stability" under Bahrain's "wise leadership."
"The Kingdom of Soddy Arabia stands with all its capabilities behind the state and the brotherly people of Bahrain," the statement added.
Shortly afterward, it was announced that Soddy Arabia's powerful minister of interior, Prince Nayef, had called Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa to convey the same message.
Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah Ahmed al-Sabah, also called the Bahraini king on Sunday and stressed that "the security of Bahrain is the security of the region," reflecting the growing anxiety among gulf monarchies that Bahrain's troubles could have a spillover effect. In Kuwait, protesters have already taken to the streets demanding more rights.
Soddy Arabia's expression of concern came as Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Riyadh for two days of consultations with the Saudi leadership, the first stop on a regional tour. The purpose of his mission is to "reassure, discuss and understand what is going on," Mullen told news hounds. Bahrain, in addition to its proximity to Soddy Arabia, hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet, which has served as a hub for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In the Bahraini capital, the Pearl Square roundabout, which had been the site of vicious crackdowns against protesters, again had the feeling of a festival. Families set out picnics, vendors sold tea and pastries and a tight knot of traffic stopped up what is usually one of Manama's most congested areas.
The only noticeable government presence was a string of coppers keeping watch over the area from a nearby highway.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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For a map, click here. For a map of Sonora, click here
A Mexican Army detachment in far southern Sonora has seized arms and munitions arresting two suspects, according to Mexican news reports.
The operation took place in the 16 de Junio colony east of Navajoa, Sonora where a detachment of the Mexican 14th Military Zone stopped two men aboard a vehicle.
Seized were:
21 AK-47 assault rifles
6 .223 caliber rifles (probably AR-15 type assault rifle)
4 5.56mm rifles (probably AR-15 type assault rifle)
1 5.56mm carbine (probably AR-15 type assault carbine)
1 5.45mm rifle (probably an AK-74 assaul trifle)
1 9mm pistol
1 .45 caliber pistol
1 500 SW Magnum revolver
2 40mm grenade launcher Attachments
1 37mm grenade launcher (probably a flare gun)
1 fragmentation hand grenade
2 smoke grenades
1 percussion grenade
227 rifle magazines
118 pistol magazines
18 disk magazines
16,000 rounds of ammunition
Arrested were Isai Solis Velazquez and Cecilio Castro Fierro.
#4
Dr. Randeep Mann had far more than that literally next door to Arkansas One nuclear reactors near Russellville.
Posted by: JT ||
02/21/2011 3:40 Comments ||
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#5
Hardly a mega arsenal. I would say there are many folks in the U.S., er, "collectors" or just citizens who like to celebrate their 2nd Amendment rights whose collections far exceed this mega arsenal. I suppose if they weren't law-abiding citizens and got busted for something the MSM would call their collection a mega-arsenal.
This weekend a least 9 taxi drivers have been murdered in Acapulco, as the Mexican Open Tennis Tournament comes to town. Three riders have also been killed, and multiple cabs torched. One driver was decapitated. Cabbies have been targets and/or recruits for the drug cartels. Four suspects have been detained but who knows if they are the right ones (one had a grenade, which is a promising sign.) This synopsis is an unrecognizable rewrite of A-pee.
#2
Yeah, what Pappy said. You need to whack a few cabbies at once so it doesn't look like traditional robbery-gone-wrong, but the scale here suggests either some previous resistance to the idea or a turf war.
As for the Mexican Open Tennis Tournament, I didn't know there was such a thing. Activities that scare the tourists, especially high-rollers, tend to draw a strong response from the authorities.
[Geo News] The US gunman, Raymond Davis, who rubbed out two men in Lahore, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Pakistain and the United States, is a CIA agent who was on assignment at the time of the incident, British newspaper claimed.
Based on interviews in the US and Pakistain, the newspaper quoted a Pak intelligence official that the 36-year-old former special forces soldier is employed by the CIA.
Pak officials believe the vehicle's occupants were also CIA because they came from the same suburban house where Davis lived.
The US refused Pak demands to interrogate the two men who crushed another Pakistain with vehicle and on Sunday a Pak intelligence official said they had left the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
There is some suggestion that Davis is acting Station Chief. The previous occupant of that post left the country after being outed in a lawsuit. Adds an interesting twist to the whole 'robbery' by a couple of ISI mooks story, doesn't it?
[shaking SCOTT WALKER = NOT-PENN STATE McDonald's Angus Wrap angrily].
* PEOPLE'S DAILY > PAKISTAN FEARS DAVIS MAY BE KILLED EVEN BY AMERICANS. Heavily-armed PAK Security cordon placed around him, including elite PAK Paramilitary Rangers.
* DAILY TIMES > EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION WILL DEEPLY IMPACT OTHER MIDDLE EAST NATIONS: JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI CHIEF [Syed Hasan]. 'Tis just the "First Drop of Rain" [RainStorm?]???
[Geo News] Pak troops killed 20 beturbanned goons in a pre-dawn gunbattle in the tribal district of Mohmand ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot for the most part. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Bloody Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... near the Afghan border, local officials said Sunday.
The gun fight erupted after more than 40 beturbanned goons armed with rockets and assault rifles stormed a security post in Baizai town, where security forces have been trying flush out bad turbans, local official Maqsood Hussain said.
The paramilitary post, located in a sensitive area facing the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, had recently been reinforced by soldiers following intelligence reports that beturbanned goons were planning an assault, he added.
"Troops launched a counter-attack and killed at least 20 beturbanned goons and maimed another 25 rebels," Hussain said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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A US drone attack killed at least five forces of Evil in north-west Pakistain's South Wazoo tribal district late on Sunday, officials said.
"Five forces of Evil were killed in the strike," a military official told AFP. "The target was a house used by bad turbans," he added, requesting anonymity.
An intelligence official who confirmed the attack put the toll at six dead and three maimed.
The unmanned aircraft fired three missiles at the house in Kaza Panga village, 15 kilometres west of Wana, the main town in lawless South Wazoo.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Good to see they're back in action; been kind of slow lately.
[Arab News] Hundreds of protesters inspired by unrest around the Arab world erupted into the streets of the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya on Sunday and at least 48 people were maimed.
A police official said security forces fired in the air when demonstrators chanting against corruption tried to approach the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, where festivities on Thursday killed two people and maimed dozens.
"Hospitals in Sulaimaniya received 48 maimed people including 19 police and security forces," said a health official who asked not to be named. "There are 11 people maimed by gunshots." Gunmen raided and set fire to a television station in the city, shutting down broadcasts of the protests, station and government officials said.
The protesters are seeking better public services, the ouster of local officials and other demands. Similar rallies took place in Fallujah and other locations.
In Storied Baghdad, the Cabinet decided to have ministers visit demonstrators to soothe anger over corruption, shortages of food and electricity and other issues behind a series of protests that have triggered skirmishes with security forces.
Unlike their regional counterparts, Iraqi protesters generally have not been calling for the removal of their elected government, installed just two months ago after months of tense negotiations between political factions. Dictator Saddam Hussein was swept away by the US-led invasion in 2003.
The raid on NRT satellite channel in Sulaimaniya was carried out by 50 masked gunnies wearing security force uniforms who sprayed the station with gunfire, smashed equipment, maimed a guard and lit fires, Twana Othman, the station's manager, said.
NRT had aired coverage of violent protests in Sulaimaniya last week.
Bahrouz Mohammed, the local governor, condemned the attack and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"Those saboteurs who attacked the TV station are trying undermine stability in Sulaimaniya," he said in a statement.
In the western city of Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity ... about 300 protesters demanded the firing of the governor and provincial council members in Anbar province. Dozens of people rallied for jobs in the southern province of Nassiriya, Abdul Hadi Mohan, deputy head of the provincial council, said.
The Cabinet decision to reach out to protesters underscored politicians' concerns over growing unrest.
"The general secretary of the council of ministers has called for immediate action to improve the food ration card system and to work on reforming the social benefits system," said a statement issued by the cabinet's media office.
"The finance minister has been ordered to request parliament to start launching job opportunities to reduce unemployment." In recent days Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki has moved to soothe anger by cutting his pay, reducing electricity bills, buying more sugar for the national food ration program and diverting money from fighter jets to food.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
I think Iraqi reconstruction could have been accelerated from the start had the US military adopted a "big brother" approach to security.
The way to do this would be to have a simple portable security system, to secure the identity of each and every Iraqi they met, and provide them with an encrypted and laminated photo ID card that they would use for everything from rations, to voting, to drivers license, internal and external passport, etc. All their information entered into a database controlled by the US military.
It would not have any identifying text on the card, only code and their picture, so even government bureaucrats could not tell their name, where they were from, or their religion; only if they were authorized what that bureaucrat provided. Green light or red light.
In the field, one device would take the facial picture of the Iraqi, using lasers to determine their height. They would stick their hands into a box, one at a time, and their hands would be laser scanned for prints. Then an oral swab to get some DNA.
Then they would be asked their name, age, place of birth, place of residency, religion and sect, tribe if any, criminal record, etc. With their answers recorded on voice print ID, so that any electronic communications could be associated with a person.
Finally, all that data would be encrypted and put on a data matrix barcode on the back of their ID, with just their picture on the front. The DNA sample would go to a central location to be added to the database.
If stopped in public by a policeman or soldier of any kind, they would have to present their ID and have it scanned. Green light and they were good to go. Red light or no ID and they would be detained to confirm their identity, or issue them a new card.
Resistance or refusal to carry would just mean longer detentions, denial of food, fuel, voting, government services such as water, power, trash collection, and freedom of movement, etc.
Even foreigners would be issued such cards, so all Iranian pilgrims would get one, for example.
Ideally, the ID cards would be a source of national identity, stabilizing the country quickly, and maximizing bureaucratic efficiency while reducing graft and persecution.
While this would be abhorrent in a peaceful and prosperous country like the US, it could be a godsend to a country in the throes of chaos, anarchy and violence, as a way to restore order.
MISSAN / Aswat al-Iraq: Security forces captured 20 persons wanted on different charges and seized a weapons cache east of al-Amara city on Sunday, according to a police official in Missan.
Police forces in Missan conducted several search raids all over the province, capturing 20 on varied charges including premeditated murder and robbery, Ghassan Adnan Hammoudi, the Missan Police Departments information & relations chief, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Bomb squad personnel also seized an arms cache in the area of al-Tayyeb, (60 km) east of Amara, containing 22 anti-aircraft rockets, 97 other rockets, 19 cannon shells and two tank shells, he added.
Amara, the capital city of Missan province, lies 390 km south of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2011 00:00 ||
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KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: A pro-government sahwa (awakening) tribal fighter escaped an assassination attempt with an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to his vehicle in central Kirkuk on Sunday, according to the citys emergency police chief.
An IED attached to the vehicle of a sahwa commander went off today (Feb.
20) on the road linking downtown Kirkuk to Baghdad, causing severe damage to the vehicle but no casualties were reported, Maj. Youssef Saleh told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
The targeted sahwa commander was not inside the vehicle when it exploded, he added.
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02/21/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Around 3,000 Paleostinians on Sunday protested against the US veto that nixed a UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements. The crowd massed in Ramallah's Manara Square, a central roundabout in the West Bank city, waving banners and shouting slogans against the US administration.
"Obama, you despicable man, we want self-determination!" shouted protesters, many of them members of Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
Fatah Central Committee member Mahmoud Al-Alul told the crowd: "This decision is against the Paleostinian people and its freedom, and it supports Israeli injustice, oppression and occupation. We tell (President Barack) Obama that we are a people that doesn't bow to anyone."
In Jenin, Paleostinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad accused the United States of blackmail amid Paleostinian allegations that Washington threatened to cut aid if the settlements resolution was not withdrawn. "We didn't and will not accept blackmail and neither will our people," Fayyad said. "We are not interested in aid from any party that threatens to cut it for political reasons.
The US approach must change because these double standards cannot continue and this situation is unacceptable."
Fatah called the protest after the United States used the first veto of Obama's administration to prevent a resolution that would have condemned continued Israeli settlement building. The resolution was supported by all 14 other members of the Security Council.
Jordan expressed regrets over the US veto, saying it could have a negative impact on Washington's credibility.
"The resolution proves that the international community sees that continued Israeli settlement building is illegal and threatens the grinding of the peace processor," Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said in a statement, urging the United States to "correct its position."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
Why does this article bring a slow smile to my face ?
Why does my mind pause for a moment to savor an inner image of the tip of a heavy steel toed boot kicking real hard and solid into the base of the human head at the neck?
Screaming rabbits under the porch with the cats on a dark Summer's night.
Do you ever feel sorry for the Palestinians?
Somebody's gotta lose.
There will come a day when no one will even remember who the "Palestinians" were. They will be completely forgotten by everyone but the odd regional scholar of an esoteric history. A dusty footnote in an old "book" ( remember those?) back in the carrels in the corner of the basement with the wet wall.
It will be said that there are still "Palestinian" descendants somewhere in Brazil. But only if you want to go "upriver".
My new islamospeak2english software renders this as "Death to Juice!". The code may be a little buggy though, since every quote from the article comes out the same way.
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Unidentified armed men on Sunday abducted three Egyptian officers patrolling the border with Israel, Egyptian security sources said.
Sources told Ma'an that three officers serving in Rafah's central security forces were kidnapped near the barbed wire fence separating Egypt and Israel about three kilometers south of the Kerem Shalom crossing, between Gaza and Egypt.
According to security officials, gunmen arrived in three vehicles without license plates and abducted the soldiers. Egyptian security in Rafah was negotiating with the kidnappers to release the officers, sources added.
Other sources speculated that the officers were kidnapped in retaliation for the killing of a drug smuggler shot dead Thursday in possession of a considerable quantity of hashish.
Two people were killed in separate attacks in Narathiwat province on Monday.
Vithoon Sidam, 33, and his wife Renoo Saengprasit, 46, were attacked while on a motorcycle. They were followed by two men on another motorcycle and the pillion rider opened fire at Mr Vithoon with an M16. Mr Vithoon later died at the district hospital.
In the second attack, Abubakri Pohna, 32, was killed while walking from his house to a nearby tea shop. Two men followed him on a motorcycle and the pillion rider opened fire at him with a .38 pistol. He was shot four times and died on the spot.
Two people were killed in separate attacks in Narathiwat province on Monday.
Vithoon Sidam, 33, and his wife Renoo Saengprasit, 46, were attacked while on a motorcycle. They were followed by two men on another motorcycle and the pillion rider opened fire at Mr Vithoon with an M16. Mr Vithoon later died at the district hospital.
In the second attack, Abubakri Pohna, 32, was killed while walking from his house to a nearby tea shop. Two men followed him on a motorcycle and the pillion rider opened fire at him with a .38 pistol. He was shot four times and died on the spot.
Police seeking links between a car bombing and a shooting attack that together injured 20 people in Narathiwat province on Saturday night and the attack on an army outpost a month ago.
Eighteen people were wounded when a bomb hidden in a car parked in front of Dow Phrachan massage parlor exploded on Saturday night. The bomb was detonated as soldiers were driving to the scene of an earlier shooting.
Gunmen had opened fire earlier at the Maya Karaoke restaurant 100 meters from the scene of the car bomb, and had wounded two women. Soldiers were heading to the scene of the gun attack when suspected terrorists insurgents detonated the bomb.
The suspected terrorists insurgents also fired a grenade from an M79 launcher at another restaurant at about the same time, but the grenade didn't explode.
11 M16 rifle cartridges found in front of the restaurant were from rounds stolen from an army outpost that had been attacked by terrorists insurgents on Jan 19. Four soldiers were killed in that attack and the assailants made off with a number of weapons.
The car bombers planted an IED containing a 20 kilogram gas cylinder in car and set up two detonation systems - an electronic clock and a mobile phone. They wanted to ensure the device would detonate even if police blocked the mobile phone signals in the area.
[Asharq al-Aswat] In an apparent attempt to discourage protesters, an Iranian pro-government news agency claimed on Sunday that armed opposition groups plan to fire on people participating in a rally set for Sunday afternoon.
The report from the hardline Fars news agency said that teams from the Mujahedeen Khalq, an Iraq-based Iranian opposition group, have entered the country to shoot people during the protest.
Iran's opposition has called for a rally Sunday to mark a week since the deaths of two people in Feb. 14 festivities between security forces and opposition protesters in Tehran. The opposition maintains the dead were killed by government forces.
Last week's rally called by opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi in solidarity with the Egyptian uprising was the largest demonstration by the opposition in more than a year.
On Sunday Karroubi sent an open letter to judiciary reaffirming his backing for opposition demands on his website Sahamnews.net.
"God willing, there will be no doubt in Mahdi Karroubi continuing to defend the rights of Iranian people and I will stand by the people until my final moment," the statement said.
The opposition leader said hundreds of hardliners have gathered in front of his home over the past night and filled the air with anti-opposition chants and threats to his life.
Both opposition leaders have been under tight house arrest since calling the 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad fraudulent.
Hundreds of thousand of people poured into the streets in protest to the result of the election. Opposition says scores were killed in massive crackdown on the protest demonstration. Government brought the number to about 30.
Authorities jugged hundreds and sentenced about 80 of them to prison terms from six months to 15 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2011 00:07 ||
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#1
Looks like ISRAEL knows where all the Hezzies Hizzies Huzzies Hazzies Hassies went after Valentine's Day...
To wit,
* VARIOUS > e.g. ISRAEL NN > HEZBOLLAH ARMY HELP IRAN SUPPRESS MASSIVE RIOTS.
versus
* YNETNEWS > AHMADINEJAD: ENEMY [USA] DOESN'T FEAR NUCLEAR BOMBS, or Missles, but does fear the "SPIRIT" OF IRAN + IRANIAN REVOLUTION.
HMMM, HMMMM, wehell, I could be wrong but methinks MOUD just politely affirmed that ISLAMIST IRAN DESIRES ANY FUTURE OWG CALIPHATE = GLOBAL ISLAMIST-JIHADIST STATE TO BE NOT ONLY NUKULAAR [NucWeaps] BUT ALSO IRAN-, SHIA- DOMINATED???
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.
[Emirates 24/7] At least 15 civilians, two African Union soldiers and six 
[Daily Mail] Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy is believed to have
[Ennahar] Tunisia Prostitutes living in fear of another attack since the Islamists tried to burn down the main prostitution district in Tunis. "I no longer go out, I fear they burn me alive", says one of them.
[Arab News] Members of a Libyan Army unit told Benghazi residents on Sunday they had defected and "liberated" Libya's second city from troops supporting veteran leader Muammar Qadaffy.
[Bangla Daily Star] Libyan strongman Muammar Qadaffy will fight a popular revolt to "the last man standing," one of his sons said Monday as people in the capital joined protests for the first time after days of violent unrest in the eastern city of Benghazi. Anti-government protesters rallied in Tripoli's streets, tribal leaders spoke out against Qadaffy, and army units defected to the opposition as oil exporter Libya endured one of the bloodiest revolts to convulse the Arab world.
Colonel Muammar Qadaffy
[Emirates 24/7] An Egyptian court ratified on Sunday the death sentence against a man convicted of killing six Christians outside a church but acquitted two alleged accomplices, the official MENA news agency reported.
[An Nahar] Anti-regime protests spread closer to the Libyan capital Sunday amid new fighting in the flashpoint city of Benghazi, as Human Rights Watch said it feared a catastrophe with more than 170 people dead in an iron-fisted crackdown.
[Iran Press TV] The son of Libyan ruler Muammar Qadaffy, Seif al-Islam, has offered dialog and the establishment of local governments in a bid to quell the nationwide uprising.
[Iran Press TV] Libya's Muammar Qadaffy has left his country for Venezuela or Brazil, as protests calling on him to step down have turned violent, a report says.
[Arab News] Opposition groups in Bahrain were meeting Sunday to formulate a charter of demands and a leading opposition figure expressed her party's readiness to take part in a dialogue process announced by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
Hillary Clinton
President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh,
Mohmand
A US drone attack killed at least five 
MISSAN / Aswat al-Iraq: Security forces captured 20 persons wanted on different charges and seized a weapons cache east of al-Amara city on Sunday, according to a police official in Missan.
KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: A pro-government sahwa (awakening) tribal fighter escaped an assassination attempt with an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to his vehicle in central Kirkuk on Sunday, according to the citys emergency police chief.
Mahmoud 
