[Tolo News] U.S officials claim to have established a special unit to eliminate the Haqqani Network before the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan comes to an end in December.
In the meantime, some analysts have said that in the recent weeks Pak officials have shown some sort of willingness to support the U.S. in destroying the bully boy groups operating in its soil.
The liquidation of Haqqani Network's second-in-command by unknown gunnies in Pakistain was not the first strong attack against the group. Prior to his killing, several Taliban key leaders were killed in the U.S. drone attacks while some others disappeared mysteriously. The U.S. officials have now decided on an intelligence war against top Taliban figures.
"Things are coming together in terms of the more comprehensive approach (against the Haqqanis). So, there is a lot of focus - there is a lot of energy behind it right now," a U.S. official on condition of anonymity said.
Political commentators see the recent developments as new steps of cooperation between Pakistain and the U.S. government.
"The U.S. is determined to eliminate the Haqqani network; the U.S. considers it partner to Al-qaeda network and Pak Intelligence Service (ISI). This decision deserves appreciation,"
Jawed Kohistani, a political commentator, said. "In recent weeks, there are some signs that indicate Paks willingness to do so also. Pakistain has conducted some military operations in north Wazoo. We have witnesses such initiatives in the past too."
"Until they [the Haqqani network] operate in north Waziristan and rest of the areas on Afghan-Pak borders, neither the Haqqani network is eliminated nor the U.S. get anything from it," Farooq Bashir, a political analyst, added.
Nasiruddin Haqqani, a senior bully boy leader and son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network, was reportedly rubbed out by two faceless myrmidons on cycle of violences near Bara Kahu on the outskirts of Islamabad in November.
The Haqqani Network is a Pak group classified as an international terrorist organization by the U.S. and blacklisted by the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... (UN). The group is affiliated with the Taliban and al Qaeda and has been implicated in a number of attacks inside Pakistain as well as abroad.
Nasiruddin, who was in his early 30s, was the Haqqani Network's financier. He was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. in July 2010. Badruddin Haqqani, another son of Jalalauddin and big shot of the group, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in August 2012. Esmatollah Shaheen, another Taliban key commander, was recently targeted by unidentified gunnies in Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
#1
More going on here than polio vaccine peepee shrinkage, methinks...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/28/2014 7:17 Comments ||
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They have their work cut out for them - in a best case scenario, they may be able to substantially weaken the Haqqanis wid kill-n-snatch, but not absolutely defeat or destroy them by the Bammer's EOY 2014 deadline.
[An Nahar] Al-Qaeda's core leadership in Pakistain has been seriously weakened, but the potential withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan could trigger a resurgence of the terror network, a top U.S. commander said Thursday.
The warning came from the head of special operations command, Admiral William McRaven, known for overseeing the 2011 raid by Navy SEAL commandos that killed al-Qaeda founder the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be alive but now he's not... in his Pak compound.
"If we do go to zero, and there is no special operations component left in Afghanistan, it will certainly make it more difficult to be able to deal with the threat, ...and the potential resurgence of al-Qaeda in the area," McRaven told the House Armed Services Committee.
He said the danger posed by al-Qaeda is "inherent within the federally administered tribal areas (in Pakistain), and in the northern part of Afghanistan, in Kunar and Nuristan (provinces)."
While most U.S.-led forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan by the end of the year, Washington favors leaving a small force of up to 10,000 to train Afghan troops and counter al-Qaeda in the region.
But Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... has so far refused to sign a bilateral security agreement that sets the legal framework for NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... troops to stay.
The Pentagon has begun planning for a full withdrawal, while U.S. officials hope that a new president due to be elected in an April vote may be more willing to sign the security deal.
U.S. officials privately acknowledge that retaining a military presence in eastern Afghanistan is vital for the continued use of air bases and intelligence operations needed for drone attacks against terror suspects in Pakistain's tribal belt.
Assessing the threat posed by al-Qaeda, McRaven told politicians that the group's core "has gotten markedly weaker" while affiliate groups are surging in Yemen, North Africa, Iraq and Syria.
"So the threat is metastasizing. It is much more broad," he said.
But he said the danger presented by al-Qaeda to the U.S. "homeland" was less than it was five or ten years ago, with "one or two exceptions."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
"So the threat is metastasizing. It is much more broad," he said.
Horsefeathers! Our President told us they are 'on the run'. Right before the last election, it was, and.... waitaminute...
But he said the danger presented by al-Qaeda to the U.S. "homeland" was less than it was five or ten years ago, with "one or two exceptions."
Like, mebbe, Boston?
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/28/2014 12:45 Comments ||
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#2
See also RELATED TOPIX, WORLD NEWS > [Various] US OFFICIALS: Al-QAIDA [AQ in Afghanistan] PLOTTING TO RETAKE AFGHANISTAN.
Starting to make me wonder iff AQ, "Core" or Affiliate, will compete wid the Pak Taliban for post-2014 Pakistan's nukes.
[Xinhua] NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been addressing the issue of Afghanistan, during the talks in Brussels. Rasmussen says if there's no agreement on a US-Afghan security pact, then the alliance will pull all its troops and equipment out of Afghanistan by December.
"If the bilateral security agreement between the United States and Afghanistan is not signed there will be no NATO status of forces agreement with Afghanistan and if there is no agreement there will be no NATO troops in Afghanistan after 2014. Let me stress this is not our preferred option. But these are the facts," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
The B.O. regime was hoping to leave up to 10 thousand troops in Afghanistan after combat operations end on December 31st. They would mainly stay on to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism missions. US Army Chief, General Martin Dempsey says that the impasse over the security agreement is "encouraging the enemy to take bold actions" and could lead some Afghan forces to cooperate with the Taliban.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
See also INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > PAKISTANI OFFICIAL: ["Zero option/Troops option" = Total] US WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN IN 2014 [EOY] MEANS "CIVIL WAR".
Official expects up to 30% of Afghan National Army will desert ASAP to the Hard Boyz, espec the Taliban.
* Also from RELATED DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > PAKISTAN ANGRY AT AFGHAN ARMY UNWILLINGNESS TO STRIKE AT FLEEING TTP, escaping Pak's Army pursuit vee their over-the-border Afghan sanctuaries.
[An Nahar] Khartoum dispatched reinforcements to its front lines Thursday as government and rebel delegations gathered in the Æthiopian capital to resume talks to end fighting in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
The 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... -mediated negotiations aim to end the nearly three-year-old war in the two restive states, which aid groups say has left 1.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Sudan's Armed Forces are battling ethnic snuffies of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North.
In a statement, SAF said it held a ceremony on Thursday to send more than a battalion to the "operational areas", which it did not name.
"SAF troops are ready to defeat the rebels," said State Minister of Defense Yahya Mohammed Khair, former governor of Blue Nile.
The military has made similar vows before, leading only to "the same stalemate," an African diplomat said last week.
Khair made his comments at a farewell ceremony for Popular Defense Force and other troops. The PDF is a type of reserve unit frequently used to support units of the regular army, which is also fighting an 11-year-old rebellion in Sudan's Darfur region.
The official SUNA news agency quoted Ibrahim Ghandour, Khartoum's chief negotiator, as saying three days of talks would start on Thursday, and would focus on a draft ceasefire agreement proposed by the African Union.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
KISMAYO -- Somalia's Jubaland administration has put condition on the handover of Kismayo seaport and airport as the clock ticks towards the deadline when Federal government of Somalia would take the control of the lucrative sites, Garowe Online reports.
Speaking on Kismayo-based radio station on Wednesday, State Minister for Presidency Abdiqani Abdi Jamac declared that the implementation of Jubba agreement which was signed by Mogadishu-based Federal Government and Jubaland in August 2013 under the auspices of IGAD in Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa still remains outstanding precondition.
"People didn ' understand that [Jubba agreement] was a bunch of points that required implementation but it wasn't intended several points to be hand-picked," said Jama, adding that Somalia Federal Government on its side failed to fulfill key issues including militias integration due to political infighting and the looming threats of instability in Mogadishu.
He said, only one step met the implementation process: "The first phase of Jubaland reconciliation conference in Mogadishu was a step toward cohesion among the local communities of Jubaland".
The State Minister for Presidency stressed the need for the full implementation of Jubba agreement ahead of specific points in the bilateral deal.
Today marks the end of six months period on which Federal Government of Somalia would have appointed a new management in consultation with Jubaland to Kismayo's seaport and airport.
Jubaland gained its recognition in August following months of bilateral talks between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's right hand man and the current Minister of Consitution and Federal Affairs, Farah Shiekh Abdulkadir and Jubaland President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe).
The southern Port city of Kismayo suffered from millennia years of armed clan clashes over the control of the fertile hinterland along Juba river as well as the lucrative seaport and the airport.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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Egyptian interim president Adli Mansour ordered formation of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in accordance with the new constitution, official MENA news agency reported Thursday.
The interim president ordered formation of the SCAF "with the defense minister as its leader," according to the text of the official decree, Xinhua reported. According to constitutional expert, the step is meant to officially announce the SCAF formation in accordance with the new constitution.
The recently approved constitution says that "the head of the republic is the supreme leader of the armed forces." It also states that the armed forces must have a supreme council regulated by the law.
Mansour's decree states that "the president can invite the SCAF to convene whenever necessary and the president chairs the SCAF meeting when it is held in his presence."
The presidential decree comes while newly-appointed interim prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab is in the process of forming a new government ahead of the presidential polls slated for mid-April.
It comes also amid expectations that military chief Abdel- Fattah al-Sisi, the defense minister of the outgoing government, may run for the country's upcoming presidential elections. Some experts said that Sisi will be included in Mahlab's government as defense minister and SCAF leader and will resign later to officially announce his presidential bid.
Others believe that Sisi will be excluded from the coming government and he will just announce joining the presidential race when the presidential election law is established within the coming few days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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Pudgy's wife apparently is swanning around looking wealthy and prosperous. In a society that still honors Confucian principles deep down, this is not good. She's managing to offend just about everyone she encounters. I'd encourage her to keep it up and become even more brazen -- anything to topple Fat Boy.
When Pudge gets tired of her she can find out if she can catch bullets with her teeth.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
#4
Pudgy's wife apparently is swanning around looking wealthy and prosperous. In a society that still honors Confucian principles deep down, this is not good.
North Korea on Thursday afternoon fired four presumed ballistic missiles into the East Sea, just a day after the reunions of families separated by the Korean War ended.
"The North fired four projectiles which we presume were short-range ballistic missiles from Kitdaeryong in Anbyon, Kangwon Province in a northeasterly direction into the sea," a Defense Ministry official here said. "We presume the missiles to have a range of more than 200 km."
A military source said the firing was either an exercise or a show of force in response to the ongoing joint South Korea-U.S. military drills.
The projectiles were probably Scud-series ballistic missiles, military authorities speculated.
In Kitdaeryong, a mountainous area about 40 km south of Wonsan, trucks carrying missiles and launchers are easily concealed.
On Monday, a North Korean patrol boat crossed the de facto maritime border in the West Sea three times, in what was probably another exercise in coat-trailing.
Some other pundits speculate that the missiles were fired in response to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry describing the North as an "evil place."
Good. Let Jahwn call them some more names, and maybe they'll deplete their missile supplies...
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Missiles are bad for the sea and its' creatures.
Where's Greenpeace? Why aren't they protesting and ramming Nork ships?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2014 9:36 Comments ||
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[DAWN] Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani has said that the war against terror cannot succeed unless there is cultural transformation and unless the people or the citizenry own it and extend their support.
Speaking at the oath taking ceremony of the members of the Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Bar Association (KBA) and a dinner reception hosted in his honour by the KBA here on Thursday, he said that the effort to fight intolerance has to begin at home, at school and in the college, as every citizen has a role to play in a democracy.
The chief justice said that laws are essential but not sufficient in countering intolerance, as it is rooted in ignorance, fear and an exaggerated sense of worth and pride. These notions creep in human mind at an early age, he added.
Justice Jillani said that the spirit and sacrifices made for the creation of this country and the vision of the founder of this country should always be kept in mind.
"When the Quaid talked of equality, of tolerance, of freedom and of social justice, he was not propagating an alien concept. These values are part of our faith, part of our Constitution which unfortunately are being flouted," he added.
The chief justice said that he has spent some of his finest moments of adolescence and youth in Karachi.
"I remember the city for its spirit of tolerance, open-mindedness, graciousness, and generosity of the people on the lam. Life those days was peaceful, serene and relatively predictable."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday said the government has made crucial decisions in relation to the country's security which it would be announcing soon, DawnNews reported.
Addressing a presser at the Governor House in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , the minister said despite the events of the past several days, the government still preferred the route of peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP).
Talks between government and Taliban representatives that began earlier this month were suspended after the killing of 23 paramilitary soldiers by the krazed killers.
The military responded with a series of air strikes that have left more than 100 gunnies dead, but Khan said the government was still open to talks -- with the right people.
"We will talk to those groups who are not against Pakistain," he said adding, "We are in contact with groups that have never attacked Pakistain's interests, we have dialogue for them."
He gave no details of which groups he meant.
His comments could revive fears that Pakistain is maintaining a policy of distinguishing between "good" turbans who can be used to further strategic goals abroad, and "bad" turbans who attack domestic targets.
Pakistain has come in for strong criticism from the United States and Afghanistan in recent years for sheltering and patronising turbans such as the Haqqani network, who attack NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... and Afghan forces across the border.
On Wednesday, Chaudhry Nisar unveiled Pakistain's first-ever counter-terrorism policy, seven years since the TTP rose up and began its bloody campaign against the state.
The minister said every act of violence would in future be met with an attack on the krazed killers' bases, which lie mainly in the North Wazoo tribal district on the Afghan border. Let's fight. I won't try to defeat you, but I'll hit you back any time you hit me.
Commenting on the status of the dialogue between the government and Taliban representatives, Khan said Wednesday that while talks have been put on hold they could "resume anytime soon and both negotiations and targeted strikes will go hand in hand."
He said the government was sincerely working towards establishing peace in the country, adding that it would remove all the stumbling blocks that lay on the road ahead.
The minister said acts of violence could not be tolerated on the country's soil and that the government would appropriately respond to any such attacks.
Nisar said security forces were being provided with the latest equipment purchased from abroad, adding that new vehicles would also be provided to the forces, including the police.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Governor Engineer Shaukatullah, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Inspector General KP Police Nasir Durrani were also present during the press briefing.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... on Thursday accused neighboring states of backing a powerful jihadist group that is operating in the country, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original...
"Some states do not want ISIL, especially on their territory, but they want ISIL in Iraq" for "sectarian" reasons, Maliki said in an interview broadcast on Iraqiya state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
"We know the details of ISIL and its foreign ties and the ties of states to it, and the funding that comes to it," Maliki said.
The premier was apparently referring to Sunni-majority Gulf states including Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , Iraq's neighbor to the south.
Militants in Iraq have been bolstered by widespread discontent among members of the country's Sunni Arab minority, who say they are marginalized and unfairly targeted with heavy-handed security measures, and by the bloody civil war in neighboring Syria.
In a sign of the reach of hard boyz and the weakness of security forces, the city of Fallujah -- just a short drive from Storied Baghdad -- and shifting parts of Anbar scenic provincial capital Ramadi, to its west, have been held by anti-government fighters since early January.
Maliki said in the interview that except for Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... Anbar province was under government control, though hard boyz in fact hold areas outside the city.
Of the situation in Fallujah, he said: "God willing, it will end soon."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Jordanian Islamist holy man Abu Qatada, on trial for terrorism, lashed out Thursday at jihadists in Syria for imposing a special tax on Christians under their control, saying their ideas were "distorted and extreme."
"The tax imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... on Christians in some areas in Syria is not acceptable," Abu Qatada told news hounds during his trial in Amman.
Christians living in the thriving provincial capital of Raqa, under ISIL control, will now have to pay the levy, known as jizya, as part of an alleged agreement for their protection announced Wednesday.
Abu Qatada said the jihadists' "ideas are distorted and extreme."
"ISIL cannot protect Christians because they are not in charge... they are still fighting," he said.
ISIL said wealthy Christians must pay the equivalent of 13 grams (half an ounce) of pure gold, middle-class Christians pay half that sum and the poor a quarter of it.
Jizya was a poll tax imposed by early Moslem rulers on Christians and Jews in lands they conquered in exchange for allowing them to continue practicing their religion.
These people were also usually prohibited from carrying arms, serving in the army, displaying symbols of their faith, or building or repairing places of worship.
The Raqa "agreement" included such provisions as prohibiting Christians from displaying a cross or "anything from their book" anywhere in a Moslem's path or in markets," or using "megaphones to make their prayers heard."
Raqa was once home to some 300,000 people, less than one percent of whom were Christian. Many Christians fled the city after ISIL started attacking and burning churches.
Abu Qatada, a Paleostinian-born preacher, was condemned to death in absentia in 1999 for conspiracy to carry out terror attacks. The sentence was immediately commuted to life imprisonment with hard labor.
A year later, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years for plotting to attack tourists in Jordan during millennium celebrations.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Thursday Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... 's statement on the Israeli strike that targeted one of its positions on Monday, saying that the army is the sole protector of the Lebanese border.
It demanded in its weekly statement that "the Army Command issue a clear and honest communique over the details of the strike."
Moreover, it noted that Hizbullah's statement did not reveal if the strike took place within Lebanese or Syrian territory.
"The only way to put an end to confusion over such matters lies in allowing the army to deploy along the Lebanese-Syrian border, with the support of the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... Interim Force in Leb in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," it stressed.
"The strike is linked to the Syrian conflict and with what right does Hizbullah drag Leb and the Lebanese people against their will towards this crisis?" it wondered.
"Hizbullah's history of resisting Israel has become tarnished by its participation in the crimes taking place against the Syrian people," said the March 14 General Secretariat.
Israeli jets struck on Monday a Hizbullah position near the Jinta region in the Bekaa near the Lebanese-Syrian border.
The party said that none of its members were killed or hurt in the incident, vowing that it will choose the appropriate time and place to retaliate to the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Phalange Party The Kataeb (Phalange) party was founded by Pierre Gemayel in 1936, who modeled the party after Spanish and Italian Fascist parties he had observed as an Olympic athlete during the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, then Nazi Germany. The movement's uniforms originally included brown shirts and members used the Nazi salute. Despite the party's uniform, its strong sense of nationalism and dedication to a single charismatic leader, the Lebanese Kataeb was not and never became a fascist party nor did it espouse a totalitarian ideology. Central Committee Coordinator MP Sami Gemayel criticized on Thursday reports saying the ministerial policy statement will include a clause on "Lebanese people's right to resist."
"There is no consensus over the resistance. Who is going to resist?" Gemayel asked after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... in Ain el-Tineh.
"Does this mean we are going to live in a jungle where everyone gets arms licenses?" he added.
The Phalange MP also told news hounds that Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... is the only party that has reservations over mentioning the Baabda Declaration in the policy statement.
"We discussed with Berri the crisis in the country and we are thinking of structural solutions to problems in Leb."
Health Minister Wael Abou Faour announced on Wednesday that the ministerial panel tasked with drafting a policy statement has reached a "satisfactory formula" regarding mentioning the Baabda Declaration in the draft.
The minister explained that the formula respects all parties' stances.
MTV revealed that Abou Faour's formula mentions commitment to the resolutions of the national dialogue sessions that were held at the parliament and in Baabda.
The same source also said Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil suggested mentioning the Lebanese's right to resist against Israel in the statement, but added that the March 14 camp insisted on writing "Leb's rights to resist' instead to underscore the role of the state."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The March 14 forces on Thursday handed the U.N. secretary-general's representative in Leb a petition demanding the expansion of the Special Tribunal for Leb's mandate to cover all liquidations against March 14 figures.
"We handed the U.N. secretary-general's representative in Leb a petition signed by 69 MPs and demanding the expansion of the STL's jurisdiction to involve all liquidation crimes that targeted Lebanese leaders, from the attempt on MP Marwan Hamadeh's life to the liquidation of martyr minister Mohammed Shatah," al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Atef Majdalani said after a March 14 delegation handed the petition to U.N. Special Coordinator for Leb Derek Plumbly.
According to Majdalani, the petition was signed by four premiers and former premiers and the parliamentary blocs of al-Mustaqbal, the National Struggle Front, the Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... , the Phalange Party The Kataeb (Phalange) party was founded by Pierre Gemayel in 1936, who modeled the party after Spanish and Italian Fascist parties he had observed as an Olympic athlete during the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, then Nazi Germany. The movement's uniforms originally included brown shirts and members used the Nazi salute. Despite the party's uniform, its strong sense of nationalism and dedication to a single charismatic leader, the Lebanese Kataeb was not and never became a fascist party nor did it espouse a totalitarian ideology. , and independent MPs.
"The criminals managed to assassinate an elite group of our leaders but they did not and will not manage to evade punishment or break the will of the Lebanese to achieve freedom, independence and decent living," Majdalani stressed.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... slammed on Thursday a ministerial policy statement that seeks to respect all parties' stances, stating that "the problem lies in Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... 's fighting in Syria and that this reality must change."
"Any talks to overcome the current security situation in the country necessitates a change in the reality of things and this is what's expected from the new cabinet. Any cabinet should adopt new policies," Geagea said during a presser held in Maarab.
"And therefore, a ministerial policy statement formula that insists on respecting all parties' stances becomes useless because the problem lies with one of these parties and its decisions," he added.
Geagea considered that the deteriorating security situation in Leb is caused by the fact that the state "does not own the military or the security decisions."
"But Hizbullah does, and the party is confiscating these decisions and fighting in Syria," he stressed.
He continued: "Hizbullah is not fighting fundamentalist groups in Syria but the Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... and for this reason it is subjecting all the Lebanese to danger. The March 8 forces ... the opposition to the Mar. 14th movement, consisting of Hizbullah and its allies, so-called in commemoration of their Mar. 8th, 2006 demonstration of strength in Beirut ... are reiterating that fundamentalists would have reached Leb if Hizbullah did not get involved in the Syrian war and I remind you that the last fundamentalist group to have presence in Leb was Fatah al-Islam A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. in 2007, and Hizbullah back then was the only party not to criticize its presence."
The LF leader assured that if the Baabda Declaration was not implemented, the security situation would remain the same.
"This means that social conditions in Leb will continue to deteriorate," he noted.
"Any cabinet that does not change the reality of Hizbullah's fighting in Syria does not promise much."
The committee tasked with drafting a ministerial polity statement concluded its sixth meeting on Wednesday without reaching a final accord on its formula with media reports revealing that the Baabda Declaration will not be mentioned per se, but would be replaced instead with "the conclusions of the national dialogue sessions."
Geagea also lashed out at Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... 's decision to impose a "dhimma pact" on Christians, hoping that the Syrian opposition would triumph as soon as possible so that ISIL won't be the only image given of the Syrian people's revolution.
"The presence of such a regime in Syria is the reason for ISIL's existence," he said.
"The regime sought to create it in Iraq and therefore both the Damascus rulers and ISIL must be eliminated," Geagea pointed out.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Wasn't it shown last week sometime that ISIL is working for Damascus anyway? Just another reminder.
Pakistan on Thursday denied any plans to send weapons to Syrian terrorists rebels, amid reports that Saudi Arabia is holding talks with it about arming the insurgents.
"No, no, certainly not!"
A Saudi source said Sunday that Riyadh was seeking Pakistani anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets for forces fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
My guess is that they'll try to play both sides of the fence, along with sitting on it and burrowing underneath it.
The United States has long opposed arming the rebels with such weapons, fearing they might end up in the hands of terrorists extremists. But Syrian opposition figures say the failure of peace talks in Geneva seems to have led Washington to soften its opposition.
Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs, told reporters Pakistan has not considered such a proposal.
"The reports about arms supply to Syria are totally baseless," Aziz said.
The Saudi source had pointed to a visit to Riyadh earlier this month by Pakistan's army chief, General Raheel Sharif, who met Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz. Prince Salman himself last week led a large delegation to Pakistan, shortly after Saudi Arabia's chief diplomat Prince Saud al-Faisal visited the country -- a key ally.
They were talking about .. upgrades to Mecca. Yeah, that's it, for the Haj...
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said at a regular briefing that Pakistan did not supply arms to "entities", meaning terrorist rebel groups.
"The policy guidelines for the sale of arms that we have are in line with the adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN charter," she said. "We also have what is known as end users' certificate which ensures that our weapons are not resold or provided to a third country."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Let the Pakis do whatever they want. Just stop sending them money.
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.
Wazoo
[An Nahar] Al-Qaeda's core leadership in Pakistain has been seriously weakened, but the potential withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan could trigger a resurgence of the terror network, a top U.S. commander said Thursday.
KISMAYO -- Somalia's Jubaland administration has put condition on the handover of Kismayo seaport and airport as the clock ticks towards the deadline when Federal government of Somalia would take the control of the lucrative sites, Garowe Online reports.
North Korea on Thursday afternoon fired four presumed ballistic missiles into the East Sea, just a day after the reunions of families separated by the Korean War ended.
Nouri al-Maliki
Samir Geagea
