Arsala Jamal, the provincial governor of eastern Afghan province of Logar, was killed and at least 15 civilians were injured Tuesday morning in a bomb attack at a provincial capital mosque
Provincial government spokesman Din Mohammad Darwish said, "Governor Arsala Jamal was reading out a message to the locals following the Eid al-Adah prayers. At that moment, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted under the tribune was detonated, killing Jamal at the scene."
Fifteen people were wounded in the incident which took place in the morning in Pul-e-Alam, some 60 km south of Kabul.
[Tolo News] The Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials on Monday confirmed that a truck carrying more than 1000kg of explosives was seized by police forces in Paktia province in the early morning.
According to MoI front man Siddiq Siddiqi, the truck's driver was bound for Gardiz city, the capital of Paktia province. Once a clash began with security forces who identified him as a threat, he was maimed and the truck disabled. However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the drama did not end there.
"After a clash with police forces he got injured and when the police moved him to the hospital he went kaboom! and died, but nobody else was harmed," Siddiqi told TOLOnews.
It was not explained how Paktia police were able to finger the truck and its driver as threats or just how the culprit managed to sneak explosives on his person past officers and into the hospital once he had been apprehended.
The incident took place after the ministry of MoI had announced it would be taking heightened security measures in coordination with the Afghan National Army (ANA) and other security forces during Eid celebrations.
"We are trying to provide better security during these days and we will do whatever is needed," Siddiqi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[Shabelle] Three Somali pirates went on trial Monday for hijacking a yacht in 2009, which prompted a rescue operation by the French special services in which the skipper died.
French troops stormed the Tanit sailboat on April 10, 2009 and captured the trio in a bid to free Florent Lemacon, his wife, their three-year-old son and two others.
Florent Lemacon died in the operation.
The pirates are now aged between 27 and 31.
"We will prove that they are children and there is a difference between the way things are presented and reality," said Ronan Appere, the lawyer for the youngest pirate.
The lawyer for Lemacon's widow Chloe, Arnaud Colon de Franciosi, said the family was "traumatised and shocked but at the same time wanted justice".
Chloe Lemacon was angry with the French state for ordering a "dangerous operation," he said.
The Lemacons left the northwestern French port of Vannes in 2008 for a journey to Zanzibar. They were taken hostage on April 6, 2009 off the Somali coast.
La Belle France has taken a tough line on pirates caught by its forces in the waters off East Africa, scene of a rash of pirate attacks in recent years.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"Children" can and do murder,
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/15/2013 10:26 Comments ||
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#2
The young pirate is 27 now, so he was only 23 in 2009 when the piracy was done, which is clearly less than the age of 26 at which we declare children grown up enough to be dropped from their parents' health insurance policies, so why is he being charged as an adult?
[Al Ahram] A kaboom in the Æthiopian capital Addis Ababa killed two people on Sunday, state radio said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Æthiopia says it has thwarted plots of attacks in the past two years and blames rebel groups based in the south and southeast, as well as Somalia's al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... bully boys.
"A kaboom occurred at a residential house in the Bole district and killed two unidentified individuals," a report on national radio said, quoting the National Security and Intelligence Service.
The kaboom occurred in the city's upscale Bole district, about 5 km (3 miles) from a soccer stadium where thousands of fans were queuing for tickets to a World Cup qualifier against Nigeria and gathering at squares in the capital to watch the match on giant screens.
The radio did not mention any suspected link to the match.
It quoted the security service as saying it was investigating the incident and gave no more details.
Æthiopian troops have been fighting al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab Death Eaters in Somalia since 2011, alongside African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... forces from Uganda and Burundi and Kenya.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... the Horn of Africa nation has so far been spared the sorts of attacks the Death Eaters have carried out in nearby countries - such as the siege at the Nairobi mall last month and the attack on soccer fans in Uganda in 2010 - because it doesn't have a really big Moslem population although it has been hit by sporadic kabooms in recent years.
[An Nahar] One of Somalia's most notorious pirate leaders, known as "Big Mouth", is under arrest facing charges of kidnapping and piracy after being tricked into traveling to Belgium, the prosecution said Monday.
Federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said Mohammed Abdi Hassan, known as "Afweyne" or "Big Mouth", was being held in Bruges after being jugged Please don't kill me! at Brussels airport on Saturday on disembarking from a flight from Nairobi.
He was jugged You have the right to remain silent... along with his accomplice, Mohammed Aden Tiiceey, former governor of Himan and Heeb state in central Somalia, the prosecutor said, reading a statement to the press in French and Dutch.
Both Afweyne and Tiiceey were facing charges of kidnapping and piracy in the case of the 2009 capture of a Belgian ship, the Pompei, which was seized and held by pirates off the Somali coast for more than 70 days.
Belgian Sherlocks had been working for years to bring the men behind such crimes to book and lured the notorious pirate to Brussels in a scheme that took months, the prosecutor said.
Because Afweyne lived in Somalia and rarely traveled, Belgian police "elaborated an infiltration operation aimed at arresting Afweyne outside of Somalia," he said.
"The plan was to approach Afweyne through the intermediary of his accomplice named Tiiceey," his statement added.
"Via Tiiceey, Afweyne was asked to collaborate as an adviser and expert on a film project on maritime piracy. The film was supposed to reflect his life as a pirate."
But when Afweyne and Tiiceey landed on Saturday morning to sign the movie contract, "they were expected and taken into custody," the prosecutor said.
Afweyne announced in Mogadishu in January that he was quitting piracy after a highly profitable eight-year career. He said he was working to persuade other pirates to do the same.
Described last year by the U.N. as "one of the most notorious and influential leaders" in Somalia's pirate hub, he notably was involved in the 2008 capture of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star oil supertanker, released for a ransom of several million dollars.
He also reportedly took part in the 2008 capture of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian transport ship carrying 33 refurbished Soviet-era battle tanks, which was released after a 134-day hijack for a reported three million dollars.
In a quick reaction, a front man for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton welcomed the arrests as a new breakthrough in the fight to stop piracy off the Somali coast.
"We welcome the arrest of Mohammed Abdi Hassan, alias Afweyne, one of the main suspected sponsors of Somali piracy, by Belgian authorities," said front man Sebastien Brabant.
"While fully respecting the principle of presumption of innocence, we consider that this arrest marks a significant step in the fight against piracy.
"It demonstrates that law enforcement authorities can now track not only the pirates themselves, but also the leaders of these criminal networks, who benefit most from pirate attacks."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
..after being tricked into traveling to Belgium
What, did he get an email....
Dear Mr. Hassan,
I am the brother of the finance minister of Belgium. Recently he's been indicted on trumped up charges concerning misappropriations of funds. We need your assistance in moving some of the family's rightful resources to a safe haven...
In a sting operation worthy of Hollywood, Mohamed Abdi Hassan was lured from Somalia to Belgium with promises of work on a documentary about high-seas crime that would mirror his life as a pirate, federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said Monday.
But rather than being behind the camera as an expert adviser, Abdi Hassan ended up behind bars, nabbed as he landed Saturday at Brussels airport.
MOGADISHU -- At least ten people reportedly died and ten others have been wounded in two separate clashes that took place on the outskirts of Mogadishu during the afternoon and the night of Sunday, Garowe Online reports.
We can do that in Chicago...
Local reports say, the Somali Federal Government troops fought each other near a hospital situated outside of Mogadishu when they disagreed over the collection of tax from under construction building, leaving three soldiers dead and eight others wounded.
According to the Somali government forces commander, the fighting erupted between armed militiamen disguised as military soldiers and the government forces.
Separately, Al Shabaab militants attacked Arbacow vicinity, 20km southwest of Mogadishu and close to former business hub Elasha Biyaha where Somalia Federal Government troops have military bases. Arbacow residents reported that both sides exchanged heavy gunfire which lasted for more than one hour.
Witnesses also saw at least seven bodies from the opposing sides and the residents also said it was the heaviest fighting since Somali-AMISOM troops dislodged Al Shabaab from the areas near Mogadishu.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Egyptian police fired teargas at protesters supporting deposed president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... who gathered east of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria on Monday afternoon, according to Ahram's Arabic news website.
The Moslem Brüderbund, from which Morsi hails, has urged its followers to gather on Monday to break their fast together on the eve of the Mohammedan feast of Eid Al-Adha.
Earlier in the day, supporters attempted to block the seafront road near the iconic Stanley Bridge in Alexandria, before clashing with security forces.
Three were placed in durance vile Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! in the melee.
The Brotherhood has repeatedly called for street protests since the former Islamist president's ouster, which they view as a "coup."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Whether describing him as a criminal, killer or terrorist, Libyans have harsh words for militia leader Ahmed Boukhtala.
Citizens link the Islamist to the string of liquidations and bombings against security officers, journalists and others in Benghazi, but no one dares speak for fear of the man and his hard boys.
He is accused of orchestrating the murder of Abdul Fattah Younes, the rebel military commander killed in 2011. Boukhtala is suspected of many other crimes, including his involvement in the killing of the US ambassador and three colleagues in the September 11th, 2012 attack on the American consulate.
During the revolution, he led the Abu Obeida bin al-Jarrah Battalion. Many members of this battalion later joined the hard-line group Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Tunisia and Yemen, with the Tunisian version currently most active... "The situation is scary to a degree that I am afraid to mention my name or talk freely about this topic," said a 35-year-old navy lieutenant colonel who asked to be identified as "S.B.A."
"Radicals are ruling and wander without fear of anyone, not even the law. Anyone who opposes them is labelled an apostate and a heretic, and his head is placed on a stake by any means, slaughter, bombing or liquidation," the naval officer added.
K.A.Z., a math teacher from Marj, said, "Unfortunately, they claim to be Mohammedans when Islam is innocent of them and their actions. Islam is a tolerant religion and forbids murder and bombings, and calls for peace, affection, love and compassion. These people are mentally retarded and must be punished."
As for allegations that Boukhtala took part in the 2012 deadly attack on the US mission, Benghazi police Col. Hussein al-Akori told Magharebia that "a picture was taken of him at the consulate".
"However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... there isn't enough evidence to arrest him," the colonel said.
Adel Omran, 68, a colonel in the Libyan army, said, "Ahmed Boukhtala is a killer and deserves punishment."
"I was surprised when a Libyan official told journalists that Boukhtala was still on the lam," said 22-year-old engineering student Youssef Mansour.
Meanwhile, ...back at the saw mill, Scarface Al had tied Little Nell to the log and was about to turn on the buzz saw... Boukhtala denied in an interview with the BBC that he was the leader of Ansar al-Sharia. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... he said he had good relations with the group and knew its members well.
During an interview with Quryna in December, Boukhtala stressed the need to implement Sharia and went even as far as to consider the elections that took place in Libya illegitimate.
"Boukhtala is a reckless man, yet finds cover either through collusion with other groups or because they fear his violence," said Abu Ramzi, who declined to give his full name.
Anouer Abd Karim, owner of an event hall in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , called for Libyan authorities to arrest Boukhtala. "This man has become a threat to the lives of Libyans and the future of Libya due to his involvement in the killing of Major General Abdul Fattah Younes, as well as his participation in the attack on the US consulate," he said.
"He is a ruthless man looking to fuel strife in the country and insisting on imposing a creed based on terrorism, discrimination and division. These actions can only expose the country to danger," Abd Karim added.
For his part, Mabrouk Ahmed Hafiane commented, "This hard-line leader seeks to impose criminal behaviour on Libyans through incitement to murder and terrorism. He aspires along with his group to rule Libya with radical Islam and at gunpoint."
"We can say goodbye to Libya if people with his mind-set rule our country because no one will be spared their violence. They accept neither the constitution nor plurality," he added.
"If Boukhtala is at liberty, the country will be dragged backward," Hafiane said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Tunisian security forces on Sunday (October 13th) raided the home of a terror suspect in the Kasserine region. A day earlier, police raided a residence thought to be sheltering Mourad Gharsalli, the alleged number two of a jihadist group near Jebel Chaambi.
"Army and national guard reinforcements have been sent in, which could mean a large-scale operation" against the bully boys, Mosaique FM reported.
Since December, security forces in the mountainous border region have been tracking an gang linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The head of Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Tunisia and Yemen, with the Tunisian version currently most active... in Tunisia is thought to be holed up in the Chaambi area, where some 15 soldiers have been killed in jihadist shootings or bombings in recent months, AFP reported.
Seif Allah ben Hassine (aka Abou Iyadh) is accused of orchestrating a deadly attack on the US embassy in Tunis last September and has been on the run ever since.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Egyptian authorities tossed in the calaboose Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! senior Moslem Brüderbund figure Walid Al-Haddad early on Monday, security sources said.
Al-Haddad, external relations coordinator of the Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, was apprehended in the Kafr Tohormous district in Giza, south of Cairo, over allegations related to "inciting violence."
Egypt's authorities have carried out a sustained clampdown on the Islamist group and their allies since Morsi's deposition on 3 July. The majority of the group's mid- and upper-echelons have been rounded up, along with several thousand other members and Islamist activists.
Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, has been held at some holy man's guesthouse an undisclosed location since his ouster by Egypt's army following massive protests against his year-long rule. He is being tried on charges related to inciting violence and jailbreak during the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , and was given an extra 30-day preventative detention on Sunday.
Those behind bars also include Brotherhood spiritual leader and its highest authority Mohammed Badie along with his second-in-command Khairat El-Shater.
Morsi's backers have accused the army of staging a coup, and decried the move as a violation of democratic principles.
The Brotherhood has spurned a transitional roadmap set forth by Egypt's interim authorities, intending to hold parliamentary and presidential polls by early next year.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Sometimes I wonder if the military planned it this way - let all the bruders step out into the limelight, and THEN arrest 'em all.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/15/2013 12:05 Comments ||
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[STANDARDMEDIA.CO.KE] Suspected Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... fighters have killed at least 24 members of a vigilante group in north-eastern Nigeria, security officials say.
They say another 34 people are missing after the attack near the town of Monguno in Borno state.
The officials said forces of Evil wearing army uniforms ambushed more than 100 vigilantes on Friday.
Attacks have increased recently despite a massive military deployment to areas worst affected by Islamist bad boys.
Nigeria's army recently said it had killed Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau but this has not been confirmed.
The military has encouraged the formation of vigilante groups to help tackle the Islamists.
Revenge attacks
The forces of Evil attacked the vigilante youths on the outskirts of Monguno, about 160km (100 miles) north-east of the state capital Maiduguri, where Boko Haram was formed in 2009.
The vigilante youths had been on a mission to capture Boko Haram forces of Evil in their camps when they were ambushed, the Sunday Tribune reports.
The vigilantes had originally arranged to go with the army but after some hours of waiting for the soldiers to arrive they moved in by themselves.
They were ambushed by forces of Evil who "had disguised in military uniforms with three captured patrol vehicles of the security agencies", sources told the paper.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[NIGERIANBULLETIN] A cop shoppe and a Keystone Bank branch was bombed last night around 8pm by some criminals in Makarfi, Kaduna State.
According to OSUN DEFENDER, an unknown number of gunnies, suspected to be Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... members, detonated a bomb in the bank and carted away unspecified amount of money.
"The Divisional Police Station in Makarfi also came under attack but no casualty is recorded in the two attacks so far. We are in the entourage of security and government officials at the scene now. I will give you details later," a source said in a telephone conversation.
He said six Improvised Explosive Devices were recovered before they were detonated by the assailants.
The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Olufemi Adenaike, confirmed the incident, adding that no casualty was recorded.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[Telegraph] Scotland Yard said the men were jugged Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Armed officers were deployed in the pre-planned intelligence-led operation because it was feared the men may have had access to weapons, the Daily Telegraph understands.
The men had been under surveillance by police and MI5 for some time.
They have all been taken to a south London cop shoppe, while six addresses across the capital are being searched, a force front man said.
Two men were arrested in Mansell Street, east London, one man was arrested at a premises in Westbourne Grove, west London and the fourth man was arrested in Peckham Street, south-east London.
The arrests took place at 7.10pm this evening, police said.
The deployment of armed officers raises the prospect that police were looking at a possible plot to target public places with guns.
A man who witnessed the arrest on Westbourne Grove -- a street lined with restaurants and boutiques in Notting Hill -- said what unfolded was "quite a scene".
The man, who did not want to give his name, said: "Well, I walked by and it seemed to be a couple of guys being arrested.
"There were three."
The man said the men "looked white" and were "up against the wall".
He added: "And there was quite a lot of police. There was quite a scene as I approached." He recalls seeing two police vans and a police car.
The area is now clear and there is no sign of an anti-terrorism operation having taken place, the man said.
British law enforcement agencies averted a plot to orchestrate a large-scale terror attack similar to the assault on Kenya's Westgate mall, an official said Monday.
Police were questioning four men in their 20s on suspicion of terrorism after they were incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! Sunday in pre-planned, intelligence-led raids.
Four years after a brutal battle in Afghanistan in which he was "outnumbered, outgunned, and taking casualties," former U.S. Army Captain William Swenson will become the sixth living recipient of the Medal of Honor at a ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the White House.
Swenson, who retired from the Army in 2011, is being awarded the medal for his actions in the 2009 Battle of Ganjgal Valley in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan, which claimed the lives of five Americans. Swenson is credited with risking his life to recover the bodies of his fellow soldiers.
The road to this honor has not been easy for Swenson, whose nomination was "lost" for a time, prompting questions from lawmakers and an eventual internal Pentagon investigation. Swenson spoke out after the 2009 battle, criticizing his leadership for failing to provide him with adequate air support after multiple radio requests. The Army later backed up his claims.
#1
No organic or directly attached air elements? Not a Cav or airmobile unit. Still, every army unit on ops should have apache support at brigade or lower. Upper echelons deserve a career limiting reprimand, especially if there are Zoomies on call.
#2
Its getting bad over there with this. I hear horror stories about 58D's circling and being ordered off targets where guys are getting fired on. Time to bring them home.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/15/2013 18:05 Comments ||
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#3
Well,if the Jihadis bring their kids (or somebody else's kids) into battle, we aren't allowed to shout them, are we?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/15/2013 19:26 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Five of the seven bodies at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad were identified late Monday night.
The dear departed are said to be the relatives of PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar and PTI MNA Nafisa Khattak.
The couple and their three children were strangled. The victims are said to be Australian nationals of Pak descent and hail from Nowshera.
A family dispute on land is alleged to be the reason behind the gruesome murders.
Police sources said that post mortem was carried out on all the five victims and arrangements have been made to hand over the bodies to the heirs.
Earlier on Monday, bodies of seven people killed in different incidents were found from three separate spots in the federal capital.
The bodies of a woman, a 10-year-old child, and two men were found in the capital's Sihala area within the remit of the Alius Sabah cop shoppe. Police said the hands of the two men were tied and they had been murdered at a different location before their bodies were dumped in Sihala.
Police said they recovered the bodies of a man and a woman dumped in the bushes in an area within the remits of Lohi Bhair cop shoppe. They said both victims had been strangled to death.
In a third similar though apparently unrelated incident, a Pakistain-born girl from Singapore was found dead. Police said the girl had been kidnapped three days earlier. The girl's kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs20 million for her release. Police said they have placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! a man suspected of the crime.
According to a recent report published in Dawn, the federal capital has witnessed an alarming increase in extortion, kidnapping for ransom, and bank robberies.
Police says the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) is involved in extorting money from rich people directly and indirectly. The report says the terror group is also indirectly encouraging small groups to collect extortions and share the money with it.
Police say money collected from extortion and ransom is sent abroad through Hundi for onward delivery to the terror network to finance its activities.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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A bomb exploded near a mosque in Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing eight Sunni worshippers after the first prayer of the Eid al-Adha. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Eyewitness Ibrahim Mohammed said, "I was on my way home nearby when I heard the explosion. I ran back to see what had happened and there were many killed and wounded people. There is drilling work on one of the mosque pillars and the bomb was placed there".
Fifteen people were reported wounded in the blast.
A spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations said, "These attacks, the latest in an upsurge of bombings, are particularly despicable as they hit Iraqis at a time when they extend their hands to the needy and the suffering on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha."
A suspected bomb blast shook a luxury hotel in Myanmar's main city Yangon late on Monday, leaving one U.S. guest slightly wounded, police said. It was the latest in a series of mysterious bomb explosions in the former military-ruled country that have left two people dead and several wounded in recent days.
"An American woman who was staying inside the room was injured during the blast," according to a police official at the scene of the explosion at the Traders Hotel who did not want to be named.
"We assume that it was a bomb blast but we are still trying to find out more information," he told Agence France Presse.
The woman was taken to the Yangon General Hospital with wounds to her thigh and her hand, the official said. He said the blast was believed to have happened in the guest's bathroom. Her husband and two children, who were also staying in the hotel, were not injured.
Military officials and soldiers with sniffer dogs were seen at the hotel while shattered glass lay on the road outside.
The hotel, part of the Shangri-La group, is located in the heart of Myanmar's commercial hub. It is popular with foreign tourists and visiting business people. The incident came amid heightened security concerns in the country following a series of bomb blasts by unknown perpetrators.
A man and a woman were killed and another person was injured in an explosion Friday at a guesthouse in the town of Taunggu about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital Naypyidaw, police said.
Two other devices exploded in Yangon on Sunday -- one at a bus stop and another under a truck which wounded two teenagers, according to the authorities.
Two more makeshift devices were found in the cities of Yangon and Mandalay on Monday.
"We cannot say who is responsible for these acts," said Police Lieutenant General Min Aung of the Myanmar Police Force's intelligence and security department.
"We're still investigating. The system they used is the same in all the cases. We think an organization or a person planted them all," he told AFP by telephone from Naypyidaw, speaking before the blast at the Traders Hotel.
In a message posted on its official Facebook page, the Yangon police appealed to people to be vigilant for any suspicious objects at railway stations, bus stops and other public places.
"We also urge people to cooperate to find those causing unrest and casualties with explosions," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I don't think the link/title match the story, Fred
Fixed.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/15/2013 10:20 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Police in Myanmar said Monday they were investigating a series of mysterious kabooms that have left two people dead and several maimed in recent days.
A man and a woman were killed and another person was injured in an kaboom Friday at a guesthouse in the town of Taunggu about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital Naypyidaw ...generally translated as royal capital, seat of the king or abode of kings because the general in charge had a massive ego. It was founded in 2002 because Rangoon was worn out. Traditionally, Naypyidaw was used as a suffix to the names of royal capitals, such as Mandalay, which was called Yadanabon Naypyidaw in Burmese... , police said.
Two other devices went kaboom! in Yangon on Sunday -- one at a bus stop and another under a truck which maimed two teenagers, according to the authorities.
Two more makeshift devices were found in the cities of Yangon and Mandalay on Monday.
"We cannot say who is responsible for these acts," said Police Lieutenant General Min Aung of the Myanmar Police Force's intelligence and security department.
"We're still investigating. The system they used is the same in all the cases. We think an organization or a person planted them all," he told Agence La Belle France Presse by telephone from Naypyidaw.
He said security had been stepped up in Yangon.
Bomb blasts were relatively common under the former junta, which usually blamed the kabooms on armed exile groups or ethnic rebels.
But such kabooms are less common under a new quasi-civilian government which took power in 2011, promising political reforms and efforts to end long-running ethnic insurgencies.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] At least 20 people were killed on Monday when a boom-mobilewent kaboom! in the Syrian town of Darkush in northwestern Idlib province, near the Turkish border, a watchdog said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the toll was expected to rise due to the large number of people who suffered serious injuries.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A booby-trapped car containing many explosives was found on Monday evening in Beirut's southern suburbs.
"A booby-trapped blue Grand Cherokee car was found in Beirut's al-Maamoura neighborhood," the Army Command said in a communique.
The army added: "Experts are working on dismantling the large amounts of explosives found in it and move the vehicle to a secure place."
"The booby-trapped car was located in al-Maamoura-al-Mreije neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs," the state-run National News Agency said.
"A military expert has dismantled the explosives found in it," it added.
Al-Manar, meanwhile, said that a mobile phone connected to a cable was found in Dahieh's suspicious car.
But the army's intelligence informed State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr that a large number of explosives was found in Dahieh's car.
LBCI television said the bomb defused was estimated to weigh hundreds of kilograms.
The explosives were dismantled and the car was pulled over from the scene, the army's intelligence told Saqr according to LBCI.
LBCI added: "Judge Saqr tasked the army intelligence to investigate the case of the car and to keep him updated on the results of the probe."
The NNA said earlier that security forces suspected a car in Beirut's Dahieh neighborhood.
"The army has since cordoned off the area and a military expert inspected the scene with the help of sniffer dogs," it added.
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10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Monday seven people, three of whom are in jug, in connection with the August bombings of two mosques in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
The charges include the formation of an armed gang for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities and the bombing of al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques on August 23.
The three detainees were identified as Youssef Diab, Anas Hamzi and Hussein Jaafar.
The Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch incarcerated Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! Diab on Friday. He has admitted to parking the booby-trapped car that went kaboom! near al-Salam mosque.
Diab is from the Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are Alawites and back Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ...
Jaafar has facilitated the transfer of the boom-mobiles from Syria, An Nahar daily reported Monday. It was not clear what Hamzi's role was in the bombings.
The ringleader of the network, Hayan Haidar, and three others are nowhere to be found, it said.
The driver of the second booby-trapped vehicle near al-Taqwa mosque was identified as Ahmed Merhi.
The ISF arrested Diab after it studied advanced cameras placed near the house of former ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi that lies near al-Salam mosque.
It also studied telecommunications data and heard the testimonies of informants that led to the arrests.
A security official told An Nahar the investigation revealed that the Syrian intelligence lied behind the bombings.
Arab Democratic Party Secretary-General Rifaat Eid, whose supporters are from Jabal Mohsen, warned that "if Diab was innocent, then the Intelligence Branch should be dissolved for taking the country towards strife."
He also challenged the authorities by saying that the caretaker interior minister should dissolve his party if the judiciary proved that it was involved in the twin bombings.
Eid, who is a close ally of Assad, said during a presser that his supporters would "resort to the street" if his rivals did not end their political campaign against him.
Eid was referring to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement and its allies.
"Our battle should not be through the media. The issue of Jabal Mohsen should be taken to the judiciary," he said.
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[An Nahar] At least 15 Syrian shells hit several towns in the northern city of Akkar on Monday evening, the state-run National News Agency reported.
"As much as 15 shells have landed in several towns in Akkar according to the city's residents," the NNA said, adding that no injuries were reported.
The NNA also remarked that the shelling caused power outage in several regions in the northern city.
Witnesses told Naharnet that around 9:30 pm, around 17 shells launched from the Syrian side of the border landed in the northern towns of Hikr Janine, Qashlaq, al-Arma, al-Noura, al-Dababiyeh, Menjez and Amar al-Bikat.
They also pointed out that the power outage was due to targeting an electricity source.
The NNA noted that the shelling was accompanied with gunfire targeting these towns, also shot from Syria.
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[An Nahar] A scuffle broke out on Monday between two inmates in the Roumieh prison and security guards intervened to contain the situation, the Internal Security Forces announced in a statement.
"A personal dispute between two inmates at the convicts building of the central Roumieh prison erupted into a fistfight between a number of prisoners," the ISF said.
"An anti-riot unit intervened and fire rubber bullets to restore security and order and calm soon returned to the prison," it added.
The ISF said "six inmates were maimed in the scuffle -- two of them with rubber bullets that struck their feet and four suffered bruises and wounds as a result of the fighting and the stampede that ensued."
"Normalcy has been restored in the prison and no ISF personnel were taken hostage" during the incident, the ISF added.
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[An Nahar] The General Security tossed in the slammer Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! a Paleostinian national on charges of belonging to a terrorist network, it announced in a statement on Monday.
It said that W.N. was responsible for forging identification papers, with high level of proficiency, for terrorists.
He was also in charge of designing and manufacturing electronic devises used in bomb timers.
The suspect was charged with firing rockets and taking part in activities that violate the state's internal and external security.
The General Security also charged him with sectarian incitement.
His case has been referred to State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr.
Al-Akhbar newspaper had reported on Saturday that the General Security had arrested a man who forges IDs and is close to an al-Qaeda terrorist who resides in the Paleostinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole in southern Leb.
The daily identified the suspect with his initials as W.N., saying the agency arrested him last week after monitoring his activities for weeks.
They confiscated a forged ID with him, it said. The newspaper described him as the most professional identity theft suspect in Leb.
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A car bombing in a rebel-held north western town in Syria killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens on Monday, setting cars on fire and sending people running in panic, two activist groups said.
The car bomb went off at a market in the town of Darkoush in Idlib province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees. The Observatory said 20 people died while the Committees said at least 12 were killed.
An amateur video posted on the LCCs Facebook page showed several cars on fire in a street full of debris. People are seen running in panic as smoke billowed from the area, and several shops and apartment buildings appear heavily damaged in the blast.
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10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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The six Red Thingy Cross workers and local Red Moon-shaped Thingy Crescent volunteer were abducted by unidentified gunmen as they were returning to Damascus after a four-day mission to deliver medical supplies
Four of seven aid workers abducted in Syria have been freed, the Red Thingy Cross said on Monday, but there was no word on the fate of the other three, whose kidnapping highlights the risk to continuing humanitarian work in a country fragmented by war.
Robert Mardini, head of ICRC operations for the Near and Middle East, said in a tweet the four were safe and sound after their abduction on Sunday. ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson said they had been released in the Idlib region, a near-lawless area in northeast Syria where hundreds of militia operate, but did not elaborate on the circumstances.
The ICRC was awaiting information on the remaining three, he said. The six Red Thingy Cross workers and local Red Moon-shaped Thingy Crescent volunteer were abducted by unidentified gunmen as they were returning to Damascus after a four-day mission to deliver medical supplies.
Of course this type of incident is terrible because it is disruptive and puts in jeopardy our operations in Syria, Mardini told Reuters in Geneva hours before the partial release.
The ICRC remain committed to its relief operations in Syria where it is delivering food, water and medical supplies to displaced civilians and trying to evacuate the wounded, he said.
Kidnappings of civilians, aid workers and journalists have spiked this year as groups linked to Al Qaeda and opportunist criminals have exploited the vacuum of power. Some aid agencies have had to adapt their work, others are scaling back.
The security situation has got much worse in recent months, especially in August, given the rise of the influence of extremist groups directly linked to Al Qaeda, said Jitka Kovránková, who works for the Czech People in Need, one of the few aid groups working in Aleppo city, in north Syria. She said fighting between Al Qaedas linked groups and other rebels as well as Kurdish groups along the Turkish border had made her organisation change the way aid enters Syria.
There are now no open official border crossings for humanitarian cargo in the areas of Idlib and Aleppo governorates, where we work, she said, adding that People in Need works with the Turkish border police and the Turkish Red Crescent to deliver aid through semi-official crossings, often dirt roads on other parts of the frontier to get aid in.
Simon Ingram, a Unicef spokesman, said that the UN Childrens Fund is trying to operate in a more localised manner than we might have done in the past.
Aid workers say the Damascus government has also placed barriers on working in Syria such as rejecting visas or preventing convoys from entering certain areas.
Syrians complain that aid is not getting through to many areas of the country, especially to residents living in rebel-held territory who say the government is restricting access.
You could stop fighting for a while and let the Red Cross in...
Opposition activists say that rebel-held towns around the capital have been besieged by the army and say food and medicine are in very short supply.
Syrian authorities evacuated 5,000 women and children from the town of Mouadamiya over the weekend, state media said. The ICRC says around 10,000 civilians are still in the area, which opposition activists say has been besieged by the government for months.
The ICRCs UK spokesman Sean Maguire says the group has good contacts within the layers of government authorities and the armed opposition.
But, he said, the armed opposition are very fractured and we have to deal with groups of different shades. As territory changes hands between different armed groups it is hard to identify who is in control of certain areas.
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10/15/2013 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Tolo News] The Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials on Monday confirmed that a truck carrying more than 1000kg of explosives was seized by police forces in Paktia province in the early morning.
Somali pirates
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
A car bombing in a rebel-held north western town in Syria killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens on Monday, setting cars on fire and sending people running in panic, two activist groups said. 
