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Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Disaster Movie aka Summa Eve in "Deep in the Valley" aka Lisa in "Disaster Movie" aka Junk in her Trunk (age 32)



Gamboree
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 10/21/2011 1:50 Comments || Top||

#2  GB I must be getting old. The first things I thought of were rock, paper, scissors or eeny meany miney mo. Then the sticker price shock. The sugar plum fairies dancing in my head have got to lose some weight. Oy vey, my head hurts.
Posted by: Dale || 10/21/2011 9:36 Comments || Top||

#3  The Kardasdians are beautiful women but they are a bunch of midgets...none of them much over 5'-0"...I prefer TALL women since I like long legs...
Posted by: Bill Clinton || 10/21/2011 10:17 Comments || Top||

#4  and mental midgets to boot. not sure any of them would be able to out-think a bag of wet mice.
Posted by: abu do you love || 10/21/2011 12:11 Comments || Top||

#5  Mice are the physical protrusions into our dimension of a race of hyperintelligent pan-dimensional beings who commissioned construction of the Earth to find the Question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything. As such, they are the most intelligent life form on that planet.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/21/2011 12:50 Comments || Top||

#6  not sure any of them would be able to out-think a bag of wet mice.

So?
Posted by: Beavis || 10/21/2011 13:35 Comments || Top||

#7  not sure any of them would be able to out-think a bag of wet mice.

That's a good thing.
Posted by: gorb || 10/21/2011 13:48 Comments || Top||

#8  Elena Kagan is smarter than many bags of wet mice. Go admire her!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 10/21/2011 13:51 Comments || Top||

#9  Mr. Pebbles, the answer is 42. A porpoise told me that he learned it from a very depressed robot he met.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 10/21/2011 15:15 Comments || Top||

#10  Mice don't have implants...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/21/2011 15:40 Comments || Top||

#11  I must be getting old, IMO, the Kardasdians have a vapid, insipid, stupid T.V. show--maybe I've missed the point of the show if there is one.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/21/2011 16:47 Comments || Top||

#12  "the Kardashians"

Who?
Posted by: Barbara || 10/21/2011 17:19 Comments || Top||

#13  Barbara, they are Bruce Jenner's step children. Does that help?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 10/21/2011 17:52 Comments || Top||

#14  Couldn't out-think a bucket of hair.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 10/21/2011 18:01 Comments || Top||

#15  I don't think anyone watches it for its intellectual appeal.

I've heard of it. Never watched it and never had the inclination to watch it.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/21/2011 18:23 Comments || Top||

#16  "they are Bruce Jenner's step children. Does that help?"

Helps me to realize he married badly, Rambler. Wonder if he realizes it too.
Posted by: Barbara || 10/21/2011 20:31 Comments || Top||

#17  I'm thinking she, me and 90,000 units of frozen water in a steamy La Quinta Inns & Suites suite!

Posted by: Creger Hapsburg9613 || 10/21/2011 22:12 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Nato: 115 Insurgents Killed in Kunar Operation
[Tolo News] At least 115 gunnies have been killed in ongoing operations in eastern Kunar province
... which is right down the road from Chitral...
in the past 10 days, NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
said in a statement.

The US-led alliance said on Thursday that the operation in Kunar near the Afghan-Pakistain border started on October 15.

NATO said that foreign and Afghan forces have been involved in a "series of multiple, smaller operations that have a combined, larger impact."

The operation co-incides with the deployment of hundreds of US troops in the eastern parts of Afghanistan. They are perhaps preparing to launch attacks on the krazed killer Haqqani network, an al-Qaeda linked group that operates out of Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  Rack em up boys!
Posted by: Angimp Glavise7223 || 10/21/2011 1:38 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Frenchwoman's Kidnappers Demanding Cash for Body
[An Nahar] The Somali kidnappers of a disabled Frenchwoman who died after being snatched from her home in Kenya are demanding a ransom for the return of her body, La Belle France said on Thursday.

"The hostage-takers are even trying to sell the remains, it could not be more despicable," French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told the i-TELE news network.

La Belle France said Wednesday that 66-year-old Marie Dedieu, who was kidnapped on October 1 and taken to Somalia, had died in the hands of her captors, most probably because they had refused to provide her medication.

Dedieu had been in a wheelchair and suffering from cancer.

"Seizing a woman of this age, who is sick and paralyzed, and not giving her medication, allowing her to develop septicemia from which she apparently died, and then proposing to sell her remains! These are not people who deserve anything but contempt," Longuet said.

He said the French military was not planning any action against the kidnappers in Somalia because they were "a small band, a small minority, an exception who dishonor this territory."

A gang of 10 gunnies seized Dedieu from Manda Island in Kenya's Lamu archipelago earlier this month and decamped by sea to Somalia, fighting off an attempt by Kenya's navy to stop them.

La Belle France has denounced her death as an "an act of unqualified barbarism" and demanded the immediate and unconditional return of her remains.

Kenya has blamed Islamist Shebab rebels in Somalia for a spate of recent kidnappings of foreigners and this week launched an unprecedented incursion into Somalia against the cut-thoats.

Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  Nothing to lose, arm or track the money, boom, hostage was already dead.
Posted by: Angimp Glavise7223 || 10/21/2011 1:25 Comments || Top||

#2  "The hostage-takers are even trying to sell the remains, it could not be more despicable," French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told the i-TELE news network.

Let's wait and see if some "anonymous" entity ends up paying for the body before making statements like this.
Posted by: gorb || 10/21/2011 8:28 Comments || Top||

#3  Perhaps the French would be willing to subcontract, to get more bang for their Franc.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 10/21/2011 11:51 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm sure Israel would be willing to destroy half the Somali coast for the appropriate fee. It would probably be cheaper, but less satisfying, to pay the ransom. Personally, I'd like to see the use of napalm on a few of these a$$wipes, myself. I understand crispy critters can't get into paradise and don't get virgins. If that's not correct, it's a great rumor to start... The US is p$$$-poor at propaganda war, and we're losing ground because of it.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 10/21/2011 15:00 Comments || Top||


Islamist Rebels under Attack in Somalia
[An Nahar] African Union and Somali government troops battled Shebab rebels in the anarchic capital Mogadishu Thursday, as Kenyan troops in the south continued their assault on Islamist positions there.

Heavy fighting
... as opposed to the more usual light or sporadic fighting...
broke out before dawn in Mogadishu as AU-backed Somali forces advanced on holdout Islamist Shebab positions, officials and witnesses said.

"We are moving towards the final strongholds of the terrorist bully boys, and we hope we will be taking control of the whole city soon," Ibrahim Abdalla, a Somali security officer told Agence La Belle France Presse.

The fighting was centered in the northwest Deynile suburb, a remaining pocket still held by the al-Qaeda linked bully boyz in war-torn Mogadishu.

"Our forces are now in control of most parts in Deynile, where they attacked this morning," he added.

African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) troops and government forces have been pushing into remaining rebel areas in Mogadishu, after the bulk of the Shebab abandoned fixed positions in August.

"We have no casualties on our side except two soldiers who were slightly injured, but the enemy left several of their dead bodies," Abdalla said.

"We are moving forward until we eliminate them completely."

Despite largely withdrawing from the capital, the Shebab still control large swathes of southern and central Somalia, and remain a serious security threat to the city.

Shebab fighters in southern Somalia are also facing assaults from Kenyan troops and tanks backed by air strikes since Nairobi declared war on the cut-throats and confirmed it had moved its forces across into Somalia on Sunday.

Kenya's military said Wednesday that its troops were based some 100 kilometers (60 miles) into Somalia, as they prepared to push forward to seize the town of Afmadow, where Somali government forces were already fighting.

But Nairobi's unprecedented military incursion into Somalia, which it said had already killed dozens of Shebab fighters, triggered warnings of bloody retaliation by a top Shebab leader.

The Shebab deny involvement in a spate of abductions from Kenya, including that of a French woman who died in captivity, that Nairobi says prompted its attack on the bully boys.

Kenya issued warnings Thursday of heightened security during a national holiday for independence heroes, with top leaders expected to attend a military parade at the main football stadium in Nairobi.

In Somalia, a string of suicide bombs have been set off in the capital since the Shebab said it was abandoning face-to-face battles against AU and government troops, and switching to guerrilla tactics in the city instead.

A jacket wallah died late Wednesday after his boom belt detonated before he reached his target, near south Mogadishu's busy Banadir road junction, Somali government security officials said.

"His plans backfired and killed him," said security official Mohamed Afrah, adding that the young man had been wearing a "suicide belt."

"We don't know what he was planning to target, but he blew up near a humanitarian organization," he added.

"The bottom half of his body is there this morning", said Hassan Muktar, a witness.

Earlier this month, a suicide bomber went kaboom! a truck laden with explosives killing at least 82 people and wounding many more.

Witnesses said civilians were maimed in the crossfire Thursday as AU tanks and troops pushed into the Shebab-held positions before dawn.

"The fighting started early in the morning while people were still sleeping, and nobody had the chance to evacuate," Muhidin Ali, a resident in the area said.

"Many families are trapped amid the festivities, and I saw at least four civilians injured in the crossfire."

Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Kenyan forces capture Shabaab's Ras Kamboni
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Kenyan forces on Thursday captured a pirates haven in Southern Somalia and were advancing towards the al-Shabaab
... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader...
stronghold of Kismayu.

Ras Kamboni was seized by troops which entered Somalia through the Kiunga border point in Lamu.

"This avenue provides the Defence Forces with a vantage to clear al-Shabaab and pirates on the Somali waters from Ras Kiamboni to Kismayu," military front man Major Emmanuel Chirchir said on Thursday.

The troops did not face any resistance, he added.

Ground troops moved in after air force jets had pounded targets in the town for several days.

Ras Kamboni has been a key haven, not just for pirates attacking ships in the Indian Ocean, but also had training camps for the al Qaeda-linked terror group.

It was also a key route through-which foreign jihadists were smuggled into Somalia to join al-Shabaab.

Its capture came as President Kibaki explained why he had sent the military into Somalia.

Speaking during the Mashujaa Day (Heroes day) celebrations, the President praised soldiers involved in the incursion saying they were '' the country's new heroes".

"We will defend our territorial integrity through all measures necessary to ensure peace and stability," the President said at Nyayo National Stadium. (READ: Kibaki vows to defend Kenya's territory)

After capturing Ras Kamboni, the troops in the south sector of the operation will now advance to the port city of Kismayu where they hope to link up with the others advancing through the central sector who are on the outskirts of Afmadow Town.

The troops in the Afmadow sector had been forced to scale down operations due to bad weather which made movement difficult.

The capture of Ras Kamboni is a major victory in the war against piracy which is one of the major sources of revenue for al-Shabaab gun-hung tough guys responsible for the insecurity in Somalia and the region.

Three other al-Shabaab strongholds had already been overrun since the start of the offensive dubbed "Operation Linda Nchi (Kiswahili for Operation Protect the Nation). They area Dhobley, Tabda and Beles Qooqani, all in the central sector.

As the Kenyan troops battled the gun-hung tough guys in southern Somalia, a joint operation by African Union and Transitional Federal Government forces captured the last al-Shabaab stronghold in Mogadishu.

Daynile District, Northwestern of the Capital, was the only area still under the thugs' control. It is a strategic corridor that connects Mogadishu to both Middle and Lower Shabelle regions.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga was the first to break the news of the fall of Ras Kamboni while addressing the nation during the Mashujaa Day celebrations.

"We are fighting the criminal group. Today (Thursday) we have taken over Ras Kamboni. We will fight them until we are secure," Mr Odinga said.

He said Kenya had a duty to protect its borders and to ensure the country remained stable and peaceful for the sake of the present and future generations. Major Chirchir said Afmadow Town was yet to fall.

The Kenya Navy was meanwhile patrolling the Indian Ocean waters near Somalia to deter pirates.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Africa North
Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
[Dawn] Libyan interim government fighters captured Muammar Qadaffy
...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years...
's home town on Thursday, extinguishing the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the deposed leader and ending a two-month siege.

The capture of Sirte means Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) should now begin the task of forging a new democratic system which it had said it would start after the city, built as a showpiece for Qadaffy's rule, had fallen.

Qadaffy, wanted by the International Criminal Court
... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ...
on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, is in hiding, possibly deep in Libya's southern Sahara desert.

He was toppled by rebel forces on August, 23 after 42 years of one-man rule over the oil-producing North African state.

"Sirte has been liberated. There are no Qadaffy forces any more," said Colonel Yunus Al Abdali, head of operations in the eastern half of the city. "We are now chasing his fighters who are trying to run away."

Government fighters hoisted the red, black and green national flag above a large utilities building in the centre of a newly-captured Sirte neighbourhood and celebratory gunfire broke out among their ecstatic and relieved comrades.

"Libya is free from east to west," cried a young fighter Malik Al Gantri, a young fighter from Tripoli who had been in the battle for Sirte for two weeks. "I hope to go home now," he said. "I want to see my mother."

Hundreds of NTC fighters gathered in the centre of Sirte shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest"), firing guns into the air and dancing in the streets. One of them, a man aged 65 and blind in one eye, rode around on a mountain bike and carrying an AK47 assault rifle and a Libyan flag.

"This is the best day of my life," said Al Sharash Thawban.

"The whole city of Sirte is freed from that criminal Qadaffy."

But a group of about 40 vehicles carrying around 100 Qadaffy loyalists broke out of the siege early on Thursday morning and had headed west, NTC fighters said.

"They broke out just as we were waking up to pray," said Dr Abdul Rauf Mohammad, who was among the NTC troops.

"The Qadaffy people broke out west, but the revolutionaries have them surrounded and are dealing with them," said one of the fighters, Abdul Salam Mohammad.

Dozens of NTC pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns raced towards the west in pursuit and the sound of shooting could be heard coming from that direction.

Inside what had been the last redoubt of Qadaffy's men, an area of low-rise apartment blocks known as Neighbourhood Two, was a scene of destruction: gaping holes in buildings, trees stripped of their branches, lamp-posts felled by artillery and traffic lights dangling by their cables.

Rooters saw five dejected-looking Qadaffy prisoners marched down a street, guarded by NTC fighters.

Hundreds of NTC troops have surrounded the Mediterranean coastal town for weeks in a chaotic struggle that has killed and maimed scores of the besieging forces and an unknown number of defenders.

NTC fighters said there were a large number of corpses inside the last redoubts of the Qadaffy troops, but it was not immediately possible to verify the claim.

Thousands of civilians have decamped Sirte which had a peacetime population of 75,000 and now lies largely in ruins from the rocket, artillery and tank fire which rained down on the town for weeks.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In just 3 years Obama has been so much more successful in keeping this country safe than Bush was in 8, and at a much, MUCH lower cost to the American taxpayer. Yet the GOP are loath to give Obama any credit. If they were people of honor and truly put the nation first, theyÂ’d give credit where credit was do. But they are not and they donÂ’t. They make a big deal of it when Bush landed on the aircraft carrier adorned with the banner “Mission Accomplished,” which was nothing but an embarrassing farce, but when real, substantive accomplishments are achieved, all they do is criticize. How does the GOP still get people to vote for them? Must explain all the voter suppression laws that the GOP are passing to make it harder for blacks, Hispanics, elderly, and college students to vote. Gaddafi would be proud.
Posted by: play4keeps || 10/21/2011 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2  A lot safer---it's no longer worth the effort of mega attack.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 6:53 Comments || Top||

#3  LOL - Now comes word that Gadaffy's corpse is stored in a meat locker at a shopping center. This meat locker is used by grocery stores and restaurants...
Steak Tartar or Steak Mommar?
Diners should beware....
Posted by: BigEd || 10/21/2011 15:25 Comments || Top||

#4  This meat locker is used by grocery stores and restaurants
TGIF may now mean 'This Gadafi Is Frozen...'
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 10/21/2011 19:52 Comments || Top||

#5  "Weekend at Moammar's"
Posted by: Frank G || 10/21/2011 20:06 Comments || Top||


Gadhafi's Son Mutassim Found Dead in Sirte
[An Nahar] Mutassim Qadaffy
...a reminder that a single man with an idea can screw up an entire nation...
, one of the ousted Libyan strongman's sons, was found dead in Sirte on Thursday, a commander of the new regime forces told Agence La Belle France Presse.

"We found him dead. We put his body and that of (former defense minister) Abu Bakr Younis in an ambulance to take them to Misrata," said Mohammed Leith, who had earlier confirmed that Moammar Qadaffy had been captured in his hometown and subsequently died of his wounds.

Later on Thursday, Al-Arabiya television broadcast an image apparently showing Mutassim's body.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  [ Ring ring! ]

Sir! We have found Mutassim. He may be dead!

Before I embarass myself in front of a press conference, could you please confirm that he is dead?

[ Blam! ]

OK, he's gotta be dead now!
Posted by: gorb || 10/21/2011 8:36 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Yemen President's son has the right to stand for Presidential elections after his father steps down, says Opposition figure
[Yemen Observer] The Yemeni conflicting parties reached a deadlock and are now waiting for a resolution from the UN Security Council which is expected today, said a senior opposition figure Wednesday.

"The main reason of the deadlock was the disagreement on how to re-structure and neutralize the army before any early presidential elections," said Dr. Mohammed Al Mutawakel, Secretary General of the Popular Forces Party, and former rotating chairman of the supreme council of the opposition coalition.

Al Mutawakel said President-for-Life Saleh
... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence...
will not stand for the coming elections because his constitutional term is the last but his son Ahmed or any one else have all the right to stand for the elections.

"There is no accused until proved guilty, so Ahmed Ali, and Ali Muhsen, and Hamid Al Ahmar, and Ali Salem Al Baidh, and Haidar Al Attas, and Ali Nasser , all those have the right to stand for Presidential elections," said Al Mutawakel.

Al Qaeda and rustics threatened to retaliate for the US drone attacks recently implemented in Yemen where the 9-month long political crisis remains unsolved.

The UN Security Council is expected this week to issue a resolution binding the conflicting parties to stop hostilities and President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower...
to transfer the power according to an internationally backed deal brokered by the Saudi-led six nations of the Arabian Gulf.

President Saleh,however, insists that the power must be transferred only through early elections in which he is not participating nor anyone of his family members.

Or the army will take the final decision as Saleh said earlier this week in a meeting with his military and security commanders.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Yemen based al-Qaeda, tribesmen threaten to attack Americans and kill French hostages
[Yemen Observer] Al Qaeda and rustics vowed to implement painful strikes against the Yemeni and American government in retaliation for recent Arclight airstrikes which killed their significant leaders including the most-wanted for CIA, the Yemeni-American thug holy man Anwar al-Awlaki.
... Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, bumped off in Yemen, al-Awlaki was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Yemen. He is an Islamic holy man who was a trainer for al-Qaeda and its franchises. His sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, by Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hussein, and Undieboomer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He is the first U.S. citizen ever placed on a CIA target list...
"We will retaliate, for sure, for Anwar Al Awlaki and his son and the other Mujahideen who were killed by American planes in full cooperation with the Yemeni government," said a tribal leader from Al Awlaki's tribe in a phone interview with the Weekly .

The tribal leader who spoke from Shabwa, asked not to be named because some other tribal leaders disagree with him on declaring their plans, as he said.

" If they killed Anwar, I would assure them there would be thousand Anwars, and if they kill Fahd Al Qusu, there will be thousand Fahds," said the tribal leader who is at least ideologically close to Al Qaeda operatives.

"There will be retaliatory operations inside the United States," he threatened.

The tribal leader, who is from the same tribe and same village of the slain Al Awlaki, said that 86 people from Al Awalik, name of his tribe, were killed by US drone attacks since the first drone attack of December 17th, 2009, on Majalah, to the last attack of October 15th, 2011 on Azzan.

Anwar Al Awlaki,who was accused of orchestrating at least three terrorist attacks on US, was killed on September 30th, 2011 with three other forces of Evil in a dronezap in the eastern province of Al Jawf. Al Qaeda confirmed his death.

His oldest son, Abdul Rehman, 16, was killed in the Arclight airstrike of October 15th, 2011 in Azzan.

At dawn of Saturday October15th, 2011, eight Al Qaeda operatives were killed in an Arclight airstrike on the town of Azzan in Shabwa province, a remote town which was declared earlier this year as a Taliban-style Islamic Emirate after it was overrun by Al Qaeda turbans.

Two leading members at least were among the eight who died in the attack.

Yemen based al-Qaeda, rustics threaten to attack Americans and kill kidnapped Frenchies

Al Qaeda and rustics vowed to implement painful strikes against the Yemeni and American government in retaliation for recent Arclight airstrikes which killed their significant leaders including the most-wanted for CIA, the Yemeni-American thug holy man Anwar Al Awlaki.

"We will retaliate, for sure, for Anwar Al Awlaki and his son and the other Mujahideen who were killed by American planes in full cooperation with the Yemeni government," said a tribal leader from Al Awlaki's tribe in a phone interview with the Weekly .

The tribal leader who spoke from Shabwa, asked not to be named because some other tribal leaders disagree with him on declaring their plans, as he said.

" If they killed Anwar, I would assure them there would be thousand Anwars, and if they kill Fahd Al Qusu, there will be thousand Fahds," said the tribal leader who is at least ideologically close to Al Qaeda operatives.

"There will be retaliatory operations inside the United States," he threatened.

The tribal leader, who is from the same tribe and same village of the slain Al Awlaki, said that 86 people from Al Awalik, name of his tribe, were killed by US drone attacks since the first drone attack of December 17th, 2009, on Majalah, to the last attack of October 15th, 2011 on Azzan.

Anwar Al Awlaki,who was accused of orchestrating at least three terrorist attacks on US, was killed on September 30th, 2011 with three other forces of Evil in a US drone attack in the eastern province of Al Jawf. Al Qaeda confirmed his death.

His oldest son, Abdul Rehman, 16, was killed in the Arclight airstrike of October 15th, 2011 in Azzan.

At dawn of Saturday October15th, 2011, eight Al Qaeda operatives were killed in an Arclight airstrike on the town of Azzan in Shabwa province, a remote town which was declared earlier this year as a Taliban-style Islamic Emirate after it was overrun by Al Qaeda turbans.

Two leading members at least were among the eight who died in the attack.

They were identified as Abu Abdul Rehman Al Saeedi, and Ibrahim Al Bana'a.

Al Bana'a is an Egyptian who has been fighting with Al Qaeda since late 1990s. He is wanted for Yemeni , Saudi and Egyptian authorities

The Arclight airstrike was implemented on the group who were trying to bomb a gas pipeline which is extended from Mareb province to Belhaf area in Shabwah.

The local sources said Al Qaeda operatives bombed part of the gas pipe line close to the control area number 9.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths...
kidnappers of three French people in abduction since last May threatened to kill the three hostages if their demands are not met in five days.

" I was told by the kidnappers to declare their ultimatum of five days only, if their demands are not met, then they would slaughter the three hostages," A source close to the kidnappers told the Weekly on Sunday October 16th, 2011.


The demands of the kidnappers are either money or release of detainees in the Yemeni government's jails, according the source who did not give anymore details.

When asked for more details about the details, he said " Their demands were declared many times everybody knows them."

He said the kidnappers asked him only to declare the ultimatum to press before he called the Weekly.

He described the detainees to be released as " brothers who were doing Jihad when they were locked away" .

On September 12th, 2011, the kidnappers posted in a Yemeni website a video showing the three hostages (two women and man), with the man saying the French government had done little to win their release.

On the ground, dozens of Yemeni people. were killed and injured in bloody demonstrations after President-for-Life Saleh
... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence...
said earlier this week, he would only hand power through early elections or the decision will be to the army.

Observers view what's happening in Yemen now as a war between two factions3 within the regime itself and not a "revolution" within the so-called Arab Spring.

But one faction, led by defected military and tribal leaders, is obviously using the peaceful protesters who struggle for change and better future, to defeat the other faction.

The second faction, led by President Saleh, sticks to the constitutional legitimacy which was obtained through elections recognized by the opposition and international community.

"It's a war between two powerful teams within the regime, not a revolution for change that we need," said the political analyst and politics professor at Sanaa university, Najeeb Ghallab.


The defected faction seems to betting on more bloodshed in violent demonstrations to exercise more external and internal pressure on Saleh and his team.

"if they bet on more bloodshed to win on us, we bet on peace and democracy to win on them," said Abdul Janadi, the deputy minister of information and the official. front man of the government.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia

#1  Does France not have travel advisories/warnings like the U.S. State Department issues?
Posted by: American Delight || 10/21/2011 7:21 Comments || Top||

#2  YAWN, children Misbehaving again?
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 10/21/2011 14:54 Comments || Top||


President Says He'll Sign
[Yemen Post] In a surprising move, president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower...
announced late on Wednesday that he would sign the GCC brokered proposal but only if the United States of America, Europe and the Gulf Arab states were willing to give him some guarantees.

As he was meeting with party leaders yesterday, Saleh said: "Now that the president has returned, they say there is no need for the vice president to sign. Fine, I am ready to sign."

"But provide guarantees to implement this initiative. We want Gulf guarantees, first, second, European guarantees and third American guarantees," he added.

As usual, president Saleh did not however elaborate on what he meant by "guarantees", leaving political analysts and Yemenis alike let their imagination run away with them.

However since his immunity has been much discussed lately, one can imagine that Saleh is looking for assurances that no one will come after him or his money once he agrees to let go of the presidency.

So for the fifth time in a row, president Saleh is promising that this time he is serious, and that this time he will sign the power-transfer proposal; giving in to his people's demands.

The Opposition immediately reacted by saying that Saleh was once again trying to stall the UN Security Council resolution vote, as pressure was mounting against his presidency and that he was slowly losing his grasp on power.

People in the streets saw in this new address to the nation, an admission of weakness. Yemenis are now wary that their ailing dictator will try to ignite a civil war in a last bid to save his presidency.

"Since he does not want to go and that there is no real political solution the only way forward is war for Saleh. He is an army man and a tribal man, he only understands force....He will burn Yemen down for sure rather than let al-Ahmar wins...God help us," said doctor Rajeh, a liberal who so far has refused to side with either parties.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Live streaming from Sirte drainage ditches must have concentrated the mind.
Posted by: manversgwtw || 10/21/2011 17:32 Comments || Top||


Yemen Opposition Says No to Timetable
[Yemen Post] After president Sakeh came out on Wednesday evening saying that he needed "guarantees" from the USA, the Gulf Arab states and the European before signing any transfer-power deal, which he said he would ink, the Opposition slammed him, accusing him of declaring war to his country.

Mohamed Qahtan, the Opposition's main front man and long standing political opponent of the regime as he heads the Yemeni Moslem Brüderbund, told the press that Saleh was only trying to make things worse by refusing to admit the inevitable, stalling once again the power-transfer with his empty promises and ridiculous demands. He added that the time for negotiations was well over.

Saleh is now saying that he needs a " guaranteed timetable to implement the plan", underlying his fear of prosecution since the UN is under pressure from rights groups of passing a resolution which not guarantee Saleh's immunity from future prosecution as formerly agreed upon in the first GCC brokered proposal.

"Saleh missed the train by continuously stalling the negotiation process; he has lost all his allies now and the ICC is becoming a serious eventuality for the dictator" said a Ali Mohsen, a retired General.

Mark Toner, the U.S. State Department's front man said on Wednesday that "Saleh shold sign the GCC agreement without further delay", proving that the even Saleh's staunchest allies were losing patience.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Yemen Officials Running Away
[Yemen Post] According to several sources close to the government, several high ranking members of Saleh's government as well as businessmen and ruling party members would have prepared their escape from Yemen for the past few months.

Many of Saleh's decades long supporters have now sold their properties in Yemen, foreseeing the fall of the regime and not wanting to jeopardize their financial future.

Since rights groups and activists in Yemen are already calling for a freeze of president Saleh's assets in and out of Yemen, his "allies" did not wish to wait around and see whether this "policy" would be applied to them as well.

Now sources in Sana'a International Airport have revealed that several well-known Yemeni families had sent their wives and children abroad, preparing an emergency exit as they are waiting to see whether or not Saleh can turn the tide in his favor.

The sources are claiming that al-Anisi, the Head of Yemen's National Security deported his family to Abu Dhabi last Saturday. This actually coincides with claims from residents that Saleh's family members had decamped the country last week as a 20 car convoy was seen driving towards the airport.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Yemen Opposition Says Saleh Guarantee Request a Sham
[An Nahar] The Yemeni opposition called on the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
on Thursday to force President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower...
to step down unconditionally, rejecting his request for international guarantees.

The opposition Common Forum dismissed as a sham Saleh's announcement on Wednesday that he was ready to sign a Gulf-brokered deal for him to quit office in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution if it was backed up by European and U.S. guarantees.

"It is clear he absolutely refuses to resign and hand power to his vice president," Mohammed Qahtan, the front man for the opposition coalition Common Forum told Agence La Belle France Presse.

"Unfortunately, his statements are in effect a declaration of war," he added.

Thousands of freedom fighters who have for months been camped out at their base in the Sanaa's Change Square also rejected Saleh's request for guarantees.

"No immunity, no guarantees, Saleh and his aides will be judged," chanted thousands of demonstrators as they marched Thursday in the capital.

Thousands of Saleh supporters also marched in the capital but were intercepted by government troops, who managed to prevent a confrontation between the two groups, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

Thursday's protests, in contrast to recent days and weeks of violent government crackdowns, ended peacefully.

Since calls for an end to Saleh's 33-year rule erupted in January, the president has made repeated pledges to sign the deal brokered by his impoverished nation's wealthy Gulf neighbors only to backtrack.

Saleh's latest statement was yet another diversion, Qahtan said, noting that the Gulf Cooperation Council plan already included both an immunity clause for Saleh and his family, and a timetable for the transfer of power.

In a sign Washington is losing patience with Saleh's stalling tactics, a State Department front man said Wednesday more guarantees were unnecessary, and urged Saleh to sign the GCC initiative "without further delay."

Qahtan said the time had come for decisive U.N. action.

"Ali Saleh is not going to willingly give up power... not now, not in 2013, and not in 2020," Qahtan told AFP.

"We call on the U.N. to adopt a binding resolution that demands Saleh's resignation and clearly supports the revolutionaries and the armies that support them," he added.

In the coming days, the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution condemning the escalating violence between the protesters and Saleh's loyalists.

But the resolution will not threaten sanctions or explicitly call on Saleh to step down, according to a text of the draft seen by AFP.

At least 23 civilian demonstrators and two dissident soldiers have been killed since Saturday as Saleh's opponents have repeatedly attempted to march on loyalist-held parts of the capital in a bid to bring the nine-month-old protests to a head.

Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Aden under Attack
[Yemen Post] Thursday evening, residents in Aden reported heavy shelling in the Crater area, saying that the explosions were so numerous and violent that they had to take cover into basements and nearby buildings.

Several other eye witnesses told the Yemen Post that the night sky was lit up by flashes of light as the sound of bombings continue to resound loudly.

"War is at our door", said a man shaking his head in disbelief.

In other parts of the city gun-battles are raging between men in civilian clothes and regular Adeni residents.

With so much confusion and contradictory statements, it is really difficult to establish a clear picture.

Some anti-regime protesters are claiming that the government is attacking the Revolution, while others are claiming that al-Qaeda elements are trying to take control over Aden as the town is strategically of great importance.

Several security analysts over the past few months have warned that since Aden sits directly in between Asia and Africa terror groups might potentially want to use the town to launch attack on the West and disrupt the Oil shipping route.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Drones Attack in Shabwa
[Yemen Post] Residents in Shawa, an oil rich province of Yemen, south-east of the capital, Sana'a, are said to be terrified as Drones are darkening their sky.

Since the government is much too pre-occupied with solving the current political crisis, allowing al-Qaeda gunnies to roam free in its southern territories a group called "Ansar al Sharia" has been extended its area of control throughout Abyan and Shabwa.

As alleged al-Qaeda gunnies are arriving in Shabwa in their hundreds, according to some residents, local villagers are worry that like in Abyan, they will bring in their wake destruction and death.

For the past few months, the U.S has been freely violating Yemen's airspace, resuming its Drone campaign onto alleged al-Qaeda targets. Only a few weeks ago, Anwar al-Awlaki
... Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, al-Awlaki is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Yemen. He is an Islamic holy man who is a trainer for al-Qaeda and its franchises. His sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, by Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hussein, and Undieboomer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He is the first U.S. citizen ever placed on a CIA target list...
, the well-known controversial holy man and one of America's most wanted terrorist was executed in al-Jawf, a northern province of Yemen. A few days later his17 year-old was to meet the same fate, bumped off my America's unmanned planes.

"Ansar al Sharia" is now in control of the city of Azzan in Shabwa.

Residents of the town have already started to evacuate their homes as they are seeing more and more planes flying over the area, leading them to believe that an attack is imminent.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Caribbean-Latin America
Authorities uncover mass grave in Vallecillo
For a map, click here. For a map of Nuevo Leon, click here
A Nuevo Leon state paramilitary unit has uncovered a narcococina in a northern municipality where Mexican security forces recently concluded a counternarcotics operation, according to Mexican news accounts.

Elements of the Nuevo Leon Fuerza Civil found the area near the village of Los Leones about twelve 200 liter steel barrels with human remains inside. Authorities say criminals use barrels which contain corrosive liquid to "cook" their victims.

The area also showed signs of excavations which may indicate unmarked graves.

Additionally other skeletal remains were found scattered throughout the area as well as clothing.

Los Leones is about 20 kilometers from Vallecillo.

Vallecillo was the location where earlier in the week a series of gunfights between Mexican security forces and apparent members of Los Zetas yielded 22 dead gang members and three security elements.
To read the Rantburg report on the Vallecillo counternarcotics operation click here
Posted by: badanov || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Car bomb explosion meant for Mexican Army
exclusive from RantburgFor a map, click here. For a map of Nuevo Leon, click here. For a map of Monterrey, click here.

By Chris Covert

A Mexican Army unit on patrol in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon came within minutes of being in the blast radius of a car bomb that was detonated early Thursday morning, according to Mexican news accounts.

The unit was on patrol in the La Ladrilla sector of Monterrey, when the unit began pursuit of a Volkswagen Jetta sedan travelling south along Avenida Revolucion.
Authorities think the explosion was meant for the army unit in pursuit. If so, Thursday morning's explosion represents a significant escalation of the armed conflict between gangs affiliated with Mexican drug cartels and the Mexican military.

At some point when the sedan was pursued past the intersection of avenida Revolucion and Covarrubias, a Nissan Tsuru sedan exploded. The unit failed to advance following the explosion, so the sedan got away.

No one was hurt in the explosion, and damage was limited to the car and a nearby building.

Authorities think the explosion was meant for the army unit in pursuit. If so, Thursday morning's explosion represents a significant escalation of the armed conflict between gangs affiliated with Mexican drug cartels and the Mexican military.

The attack is also the first time a Mexican military was unit has been directly targeted using a car bomb.

And in related news, a Mexican Army patrol located an arsenal at an abandoned ranch at Las Aguilas in Vallecillo municipality.

Seized contraband included 13 rifles, 131 weapons magazines, 3,261 rounds of ammunition, and two vehicles

Mexican news reports have not disclosed the explosive used in the attack. In the several car bomb attacks which have taken place in northern Mexican since July 2010, only two types of explosives have been tied to the attacks: Tovex, which is a commercial dynamite and gunpowder compiled from fireworks.

The car bomb in Juarez, Chihuahua July 16th, 2010 used Tovex. That bomb was assembled under the orders of La Linea, the
armed/enforcement wing of the Juarez Cartel. The operational leader who planned that attack, Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez AKA El Diego, was captured last July. The Juarez car bomb killed three individuals including one Policia federal agent. That bomb was meant for a Policia Federal column on patrol at the time in downtown Juarez.
To read Rantburg reports on the arrest of Acosta Hernandez and links relating to the Juarez car bomb, click here
To read Rantburg reports on the six other car bombs in northern Mexico since July, 2010 click here here here here here and here.

The attack this morning follows a relatively successful counternarcotics operation recently concluded in Vallecillo municipality in far northern Nuevo Leon earlier in the week in which a Los Zetas training and supply camp was dismantled following several days of running firefights between presumed members of Los Zetas, and elements of the Mexican Army and the Mexican Policia Federal agents.

That operation began a week ago with the capture of an alleged leader of that local group Thursday night.

Those gun battles yielded at least 20 dead, possibly more since Los Zetas gangs often retrieve their killed and wounded following gun fights either with rival gangs or with Mexican security forces to prevent post battle intelligence from being gathered.
To read Rantburg reports on the Vallecillo counternarcotics operation, click here, here and here.
Posted by: badanov || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Turkish army launches land operation with 22 battalions
[Hurriyet Daily News] Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said air and ground operations were underway today as a first step against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a day after Death Eater attacks near the border with northern Iraq killed 24 Turkish soldiers, inflicting one of the largest losses suffered by the military.

Security officials said around 1,000 Turkish commandos were scouring the mountainous terrain several kilometers inside Iraqi territory, and 21 snuffies had been killed during the counter attack.

Cobra helicopter gunships have backed up ground forces, and warplanes have carried out air strikes.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now, wouldn't it be nice if Kurd had an equalizer?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 6:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Somehow I think the PKK won't be trying this again any time soon.
Posted by: gorb || 10/21/2011 8:24 Comments || Top||

#3  What's happening with Cyprus?. Things have gotten quiet. Erdogan has many problems. He is rebuilding ties with Iran now. Perhaps more of a working relationship with Iran dealing with PKK. Turkish singer Sezen Aksu sings for peace in Albert Hall. So many different signals projected.

Posted by: Dale || 10/21/2011 10:09 Comments || Top||

#4  I am wondering how effective Turkish units are right now, since their higher command was sacked or arrested?

Unless Erdogan has put zampolits in the ranks, I can imagine them going out, blowing up some desert, then claiming large enemy body counts. "Let the TAF handle it."

Sure, they probably want some revenge on the PKK, but why stick their necks out for a guy who obviously does not respect them?
Posted by: Anonymoose || 10/21/2011 16:25 Comments || Top||


Turkey steps up PKK offensive
[Hurriyet Daily News] Thousands of elite Turkish troops went on the offensive against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq yesterday following an outbreak of fury across the country as 24 soldiers killed in an attack a day earlier were being laid to rest. About 10,000 soldiers joined the hunt for Kurdish cut-throats in the Southeast and across the border in northern Iraq in one of the largest ground operations in recent years.

Turkish army launches ground offensive in Iraq

The offensive focused on five areas in Turkey and in northern Iraq to hunt down the PKK cut-throats who killed 24 soldiers in eight simultaneous assaults in the border province of Hakkari province on Oct. 19, the General Staff said yesterday. "This is an operation to get results," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after a meeting with journalists and media executives. "Our objective is to make a first step at the determined coordinates and see what we can achieve."
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: WoT
Mohammad and Ali charged as co-conspirators with Jihad Jane
[BBC] The US has officially charged two men of conspiring with a woman known as "Jihad Jane" to recruit women and solicit funds for terror plots.

One of the two charged is Mohammad Hassan Khalid, 18, a Pak immigrant from the state of Maryland reported to have won a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University.

Ali Charaf Damache, 46, an Algerian living in Ireland, was also charged.

Prosecutors said the US would ask Ireland to extradite Mr Damache.

Colleen LaRose, known by the internet pseudonym "Jihad Jane," admitted in February to plotting to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who drew pictures of the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog. She faces a possible life sentence after pleading guilty to four federal charges, including conspiracy to support terrorists. She has not yet been sentenced.

Mr Damache faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted, while Mr Khalid could a 15-year term.

Mr Khalid met LaRose in an online chat room in 2009, when he was just 15, according to the indictment.

"This case demonstrates that we must remain vigilant within our communities to make sure that we bring to justice those terrorists, of any age or background, who seek to do great harm to our citizens," said US Attorney Zane Memeger in a statement.
This article starring:
Ali Charaf Damache
Colleen LaRose
Mohammad Hassan Khalid
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Three soldiers, 34 militants killed in Khyber clash
[Dawn] At least three soldiers and up to 34 bully boyz were killed on Thursday in a gunbattle in Pakistain's restive tribal district of Khyber along the Afghan border, officials said.

The corpse count was announced shortly before 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 Frederick T. Frelinghuysen ...
was expected in Pakistain for crunch talks aimed at ramping up pressure on Islamabad to do more to eliminate Taliban safe havens on the Afghan border.

The fighting erupted when Pakistain's paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) launched a search operation in the Malik din Khel area of Khyber.

The strategically important Khyber district lies between Beautiful Downtown Peshawar and Afghanistan and is the main route for NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
supplies in Afghanistan.

Mutahir Zeb, the top administrative official of Khyber, said bully boyz from Lashkar-e-Islam (army of Islam) were involved.

"At least 34 bully boyz and three soldiers were killed during an encounter," a paramilitary statement said. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the corpse count as the area is off-limits to journalists and aid workers.

"Security forces responded effectively and have cleared the area of Death Eaters," it said.

Zeb had said earlier that four soldiers had been killed.

Lashkar-e-Islam is the most active Death Eater group in Khyber and led by feared warlord Mangal Bagh
...a former bus driver, now head of the Deobandi bandido group Lashkar-e-Islam and the Terror of Khyber Agency...
. It has loose ideological ties to the Taliban, but operates independently.

Nearly 4,700 people have been killed across Pakistain in attacks blamed on Taliban and al Qaeda-linked bully boyz based in the northwestern tribal belt since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

Around 3,000 Pak soldiers have also bit the dust in attacks since 2001, when the country joined the "war on terror".
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Hideouts of militants destroyed in Bara
[Dawn] At least three bad boy hideouts were destroyed when helicopter gunships shelled them in the far-off areas of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency on Wednesday, officials said. They said that the aerial strikes were carried out in Mera Sar and Baz Garha areas of Qamarkhel. "There is no confirmation of bad boys` casualties in the air strikes," said a press note issued by the security forces in Bara.

The security forces intensified operation against Death Eaters after nine soldiers were killed in an ambush in Akkakhel on Monday last.

There were also reports of armed festivities between volunteers of Ziauddin-Zamhakhel tribe and activists of banned bad boy organization Lashkar-i-Islam in Sheen Qamar area of Tirah. However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
no details about casualties could be obtained due to remoteness of the area.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Esquimeau village our hero was receiving a quick lesson in aeronautics......
a government school for girls was partially damaged when Death Eaters tried to blow up its building by planting an improvised bomb (IED).

The Death Eaters planted IED at the building of the government girls higher secondary school in Kalanga Akkakhel area of Bara tehsil. The water tank of the school was completely destroyed while one of the rooms was partially damaged in the kaboom.No casualty was reported as the schools in Bara tehsil have been closed for the last two years owing to militancy and military operation.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Esquimeau village our hero was receiving a quick lesson in aeronautics......
an oil tanker carrying fuel to NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants...
forces in Afghanistan was partially damaged when a time device fitted in it went kaboom! near Ali Masjid on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar-e-Islami

#1  Have fun! Would be a lot easier with US help.
Posted by: Angimp Glavise7223 || 10/21/2011 1:29 Comments || Top||


Pakistan Deploys Troops to stop Cross-Border Attacks from Afghanistan
[Tolo News] Pakistain has deployed troops along its border with Afghanistan to stop cross-border Death Eater attacks originating from its neighbour's soil, Major General Athar Abbas
... who is The Very Model of a Modern Major General...
, the Pak military's chief front man, said.

Pakistain will not allow cut-throats to carry out attacks on border check-points and villages, and to kill security forces," General Abbas said on Radio Pakistain.

More than 100 Pak troops have been killed by cut-throats operating from Afghan soil, he added.

General Abbas said that Isaf had been informed about these attacks, but that no action had been taken so far.

The mobilisation comes after the United States deployed hundreds of its own troops along the Afghan side of the border. Nearly 500 soldiers are now based in the area of Afghanistan abutting Pakistain's North Wazoo tribal region.

The deployment may be part of a military drill in advance of launching a ground assault against Haqqani network Death Eaters.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Iraq
Iraq to execute 53 people, including 5 foreigners
[Emirates 24/7] Iraq's presidency approved on Thursday the executions of 53 people, including five foreigners, the head of the presidency council office said.

"There are 53 people who have been approved for execution -- among them are five foreigners," Nassir al-Ani told AFP. He provided no further details of who the people were who would be executed, or the nationalities of the foreign prisoners.

Ani heads the office of the presidency council, comprised of President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies Tareq al-Hashemi and Khudayr al-Khuzaie, which must approve all death sentences in Iraq.

Last month, Abdelsattar Birakdar, the front man of the Higher Judicial Council, said 338 death sentences had been issued so far this year, and three executions had been carried out.

Iraq's Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said in December 2010 that Iraq has executed 257 people, including six women, since 2005.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is an ardent supporter of capital punishment, but President Jalal Talabani is a staunch opponent.

Amnesia Amnesty International, a human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
watchdog, noted in a September 2009 that Iraq was one of only 46 countries that voted against a December 2008 UN resolution in favour of a moratorium on the use of capital punishment. The resolution was approved by 106 states.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I have no doubt there are more than enough people deserving of the sentence, but is the justice system administering it to appropriate people - and will it continue to?
Posted by: Glenmore || 10/21/2011 6:15 Comments || Top||

#2  Glenmore, don't be childish---it's an Arab country.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 6:48 Comments || Top||

#3  They're doing more due diligence and contemplation than any other Arab country I can think of...
Posted by: Steve White || 10/21/2011 7:45 Comments || Top||

#4  Doc, I don't doubt they're the best of the Arab countries, but I'm not even real thrilled with OUR execution of executions. Not against them per se, but like prosecution in general, it gets to be a 'game' (just released a convicted rapist here after 30 years when exonerating DNA evidence was admitted and considered.) And the temptation everywhere is to use prosecution in general and execution in particular as a tool of politics.
Posted by: Glenmore || 10/21/2011 7:53 Comments || Top||

#5  They're doing more due diligence and contemplation than any other Arab country I can think of...

Calculus 101
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 8:12 Comments || Top||

#6  Glenmore, I hear you. I personally would reserve the death penalty for one crime only -- multiple murder (terrorists, serial killers and mass murderers). For those folks there is no question of guilt and no chance of earthly redemption.

Everyone else? No execution, and (perhaps) an Office of Review that could, impartially, check out whether someone was jugged improperly years before.
Posted by: Steve White || 10/21/2011 9:20 Comments || Top||

#7  Why am I picturing that scene in Blazing Saddles outside of Lepetomaine's office with the hunch-backed executioner getting ready to hang a rider and his horse, simultaneously?
Posted by: Mitch H. || 10/21/2011 10:34 Comments || Top||

#8  Calculus 101

Which teaches us that for every depth, there is one still lower.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/21/2011 12:11 Comments || Top||

#9  SteveS you're going off on a tangent there.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/21/2011 12:18 Comments || Top||

#10  Consider a sequence of irrational numbers tending to zero, BP.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 15:02 Comments || Top||

#11  you're going off on a tangent there

Maybe, I but I have not quite reached the limit. And one can secant you my point?
Posted by: SteveS || 10/21/2011 16:42 Comments || Top||

#12  Soon to approach infinity, rotating around the end of the y-axis.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 10/21/2011 17:02 Comments || Top||

#13  Ah, The Burg, where math majors roam free...
Posted by: Steve White || 10/21/2011 18:09 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
5 Civilians, Several Troops Dead as Syria Clashes Rage
[An Nahar] Clashes raged Thursday in Syria between troops and suspected army deserters as more civilians were reportedly killed in the crisis-hit country, a rights group said.

Violence in Syria has intensified in recent weeks as defections from the army reportedly increase, and at least five civilians died in Thursday's violence, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Violent festivities today pitted troops to gunnies believed to be army deserters" in Burhaniya, near the town of Qusayr in central Homs province, said Rami Abdul Rahman, who heads the rights watchdog.

He quoted residents as saying "several soldiers were killed and maimed and two military vehicles were destroyed," but was unable to give a precise casualty toll.

Abdul Rahman told Agence La Belle France Presse power, water and communication had been cut off in Qusayr on Thursday.

The Britannia-based Observatory also reported five civilian deaths on Thursday and said a sixth person died of injuries sustained the previous day.

One woman was rubbed out Thursday in the district of Deir Baalaba in Homs when her home came under heavy fire and a 25-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a stray bullet in Damir outside Damascus
...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
, the watchdog said.

A third civilian was killed and five others maimed in the central Hama region when security forces opened fire on a crowd which gathered outside a military camp to demand the release of villagers jugged by the army.

And two young people were killed in the southern province of Daraa, cradle of the anti-regime protests that erupted in mid-March, when security forces opened fire to disperse a protest by students, it said.

The Observatory also reported several protests in the Sahl el-Ghab region of Hama after schoolchildren there were reportedly jugged by security forces.

The United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
estimates more than 3,000 people, including 187 children, have been killed in a fierce crackdown on dissent in Syria.

Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria



Who's in the News
35[untagged]
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On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
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Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2011-10-21
  Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
Thu 2011-10-20
  Qadaffy titzup
Wed 2011-10-19
  Libyans push into Qaddafi hometown from east
Tue 2011-10-18
  Shalit reunited with family, Paleo prisoners freed
Mon 2011-10-17
  Mexican Army rescues 61 kidnap victims, seizes drugs
Sun 2011-10-16
  US missiles kill six in South Waziristan
Sat 2011-10-15
  Son of the spiritual head of the Egyptian Islamic Group killed in Afghanistan
Fri 2011-10-14
  10 militants killed in drone attacks
Thu 2011-10-13
  Haqqani big shot confirmed killed in Pakistan
Wed 2011-10-12
  Underwear bomber pleads guilty to all counts
Tue 2011-10-11
  Breaking: Feds Thwart Iran-Tied Terror Plot Against Saudi, Israeli Targets in D.C.
Mon 2011-10-10
  Syria warns countries not to recognize opposition
Sun 2011-10-09
  Yemen president says ready to quit within days
Sat 2011-10-08
  Mexican security forces find 46 dead in Veracruz
Fri 2011-10-07
  Doctor Who Helped U.S. Find Osama Bin Laden May Hang

Better than the average link...



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