[SWISSINFO.CH] Afghans head to the polls on Saturday for a second round of voting to elect a successor to President Hamid 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... in a decisive test of Afghanistan's ambitions to transfer power democratically for the first time in its tumultuous history.
The vote pits former anti-Taliban fighter Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani after neither secured the 50 percent majority needed to win outright in the first round on April 5.
As most foreign troops leave by the end of 2014, whoever takes over from Karzai will inherit a troubled country with an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency and an economy crippled by corruption and the weak rule of law.
The process has been fraught with accusations of fraud by both candidates and many fear a close outcome will make it less likely the loser will accept defeat, possibly dragging Afghanistan into a risky and protracted stand-off over the vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[OMANTRIBUNE] Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked Shabaab snuffies are planning further attacks in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, Britannia warned on Thursday, after jacket wallahs last month attacked a crowded restaurant.
"There are credible reports that Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... plan, and have the capability, to attack targets in Djibouti, including western interests," the Foreign Office said, noting "there is a high threat from terrorism in the port city."
Troops from Djibouti are part of 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... force in Somalia fighting the Shabaab, and Djibouti's port also serves as a key base for ships taking part in international anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast. "Djibouti and western interests within Djibouti may be seen as a legitimate target by Al-Shabaab because of its support to the Somali government and its participation in the African Union peacekeeping mission," the Foreign Office statement said.
East African nations were on high alert on Thursday over fears that Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab rebels may launch attacks on World Cup screenings.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose country is a key contributor to African Union forces fighting the Shabaab in Somalia, cautioned fans "to be alert as they enjoy football, bearing in mind that the country is threatened".
A statement said Ugandan security forces had been urged to screen people to avoid a repeat of attacks four years ago.
In Kenya, police chief David Kimaiyo promised "sufficient security measures" to ensure fans were safe, but said bar owners must take their own precautions.
"Owners of such social places must ensure that every person is thoroughly screened before entering their premises," he said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Libya's grand mufti is facing calls to resign after he appeared on Wataniya TV Monday (June 9th) and issued a fatwa to fight the army and police.
Grand Mufti Sadik Ghariani made the statements on the "Islam and Life" programme with host Dr Osama Sallabi.
Libyans were angered by Sadik Ghariani's claim that "There is no terror in Libya and we should not use the word terrorism when referring to 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 Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, with the Libyan and Tunisian versions currently most active... . They kill and have their reasons. Those among them who have died are deaders."
That prompted former National Transitional Council chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil to call for the mufti's ouster, according to Libya Herald.
"The mufti has lost the confidence of Libyans and according to the law that brought him into office, he is no longer eligible for service," the paper quoted Abdel Jalil as saying.
The mufti's fatwa also sparked outrage on the Libyan street, where people called for the trial and dismissal of Ghariani.
"Sometimes we wait for the mufti to condemn bombings, murders and liquidations but he doesn't do it," noted Bahija Hijazi, a 23-year-old economics student. "Yet when there is a political issue he comes up with strange fatwas that have nothing to do with religion."
Political activist and writer Salim al-Riqii from Ajdabiya, said, "He is by God an bully boy cheikh with a political orientation. God is exposing him by the day. Once Libya is liberated from the grip of bully boy militias and the Moslem Brüderbund, he must be tried. This tape is enough proof that he is a party to the political game and not just a mufti."
"The mufti has exaggerated in his fatwas and should be tried by an Islamic court along with al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... by judges in Islamic jurisprudence because of the crimes they committed on behalf of Islam and their misrepresentation of the noble Islam and their exploitation of positions in the killing of innocent people and the dismantling of the Arab-Islamic nation," commented Amira Tariq Suleiman, a 28-year-old teacher.
For his part, 17-year-old Mumen Mohammed said, "We did not deny what he did at the beginning of the revolution, but at this stage the mufti must be removed. He lost unanimity, intervened in ethical matters, and has incited citizens against each other."
"Sadik Al-Ghariani practices the role of a guide as if he were the Sistani of Libya," lawyer Omar Hassi said. "I demand seizing him and having him examined by a psychiatrist in a psychiatric hospital."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
I am surprised at this.
Did someone take away his meds?
When I was in Libya, he was the only adult in the room when the GNC got into their childish slanging and dithering.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/14/2014 12:04 Comments ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Under siege from government troops in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, a renegade general in Libya, and multi-national forces in Mali, snuffies in the Maghreb and Sahel are pinning their hopes on tech talents.
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 Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, with the Libyan and Tunisian versions currently most active... in Libya, Mokhtar Belmokhtar's fighters in Mali and al-Qaeda's Sahel branch have different goals but the same approach to fleshing out their ranks: using videos, websites and media statements to attract attention and recruits.
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Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Horror over the death of a 13-year-old girl will bring Tunisians to the streets next week for a silent march.
Demonstrators on June 19th will trek from Mohammed V Avenue to the Women's Affairs Ministry in Tunis to commemorate the life of Eya Laaroussi El Abed.
The Tunis teenager was buried Monday (June 9th) after an 11 day struggle to survive third degree burns.
The father of the middle school student allegedly
Allegedly? Isn't that carrying the presumption of innocence a little far in a non-democratic state?
burned her alive after seeing her walk home with a male schoolmate in the Ibn Khaldoun neighbourhood.
The victim's mother said that her daughter always quarrelled with her father and would sometimes threaten to escape from home because of restrictions on her movements. When Laaroussi's father saw her with her schoolmate, "he thought that his daughter had planned to elope with that boy," the mother said.
"He rushed to her, violently beat her in the street in front of people and dragged her to a deserted building where he set her body ablaze. He left her there facing death without any regard for her pleas and cries," she explained.
All on the spur of the moment of course. He was just carrying gasoline with him at that moment in case the car ran dry...
The girl's father is now in jail, while Tunisians try to make sense of what happened.
"The original principle in relation between a father and a daughter is mercy, love, and compassion, following the example of Prophet Mohammed (PTUI!) who said, 'You're like a shepherd, and each one of you is responsible for their dependents,' " Imam Chiheb Telliche said.
"In this way, the parents are responsible for their children both before God and the law," the preacher added.
He explained that regardless of how society expects young people to behave, "such cases shouldn't be dealt with violently; rather, they should be cared for and raised up based on dialogue."
"Our Islamic faith prohibits the killing of human soul," he said. "This case is strange to our society."
Not as strange as you think, preacher...
On the Tunisian street, meanwhile, citizens are still in shock.
"I cried when I saw her picture on websites," 20-year old Marwa Moussa told Magharebia.
"I thanked God because my parents understand this stage of my life, and know all my male friends," she said. She added, "Parents should advise their children and raise them right, and in this way, they won't fall in the trap of prohibited behaviours."
But if they do, you can beat and burn them...
In her turn, Lobna Ben Salem, 24, said, "I was surprised with this crime in our time and our Tunisian society, which has its own traditions in mixing between the sexes."
The father must be punished for his crime, she added.
"This incident is frankly strange in Tunisia and we can't consider it to be a phenomenon," 25-year-old Youssef Chawech agreed, noting that the father was "psychologically sick, as per some of the neighbours".
In his turn, Mohammed Abdellaoui, 54, said, "I have two daughters and they have friends and schoolmates."
"They go out with some friends, with my knowledge, of course, or the knowledge of their mother because at their age (they're aged 14 and 17) it's only natural for them to have friends," he told Magharebia.
Adolescents "must live their age naturally", he said, because "it's natural for girls to have a close friend, but in a reasonable way as per our religion and the customs of our society."
"Dialogue between family members, especially mother and daughter, is very important so girls don't do shameful things without their family's knowledge," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Instead of a silent march, a nice burning-at-the-stake in the public square of "Dad" is in order. As a lesson
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/14/2014 10:06 Comments ||
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#2
Where are the radical feminits? Anyone has seen them?
[An Nahar] A Belgian court on Friday ordered that 46 suspected members of a radical Islamist group, believed to be involved in sending young fighters to Syria, stand trial later this year.
Sixteen people alleged to be part of Sharia4Belgium, including its head Fouad Belkacem, face charges of leading a terrorist organization, the federal justice office said.
The remaining 30 will be tried on charges of belonging to Sharia4Belgium, it said.
However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... only eight of the 46 ordered to face trial are currently in Belgium, scene last month of an attack at a Jewish museum in Brussels that left four people dead and shocked the country.
The others are believed to be in Syria where some of them may have been killed, the federal justice office said.
"The trial is likely to take place in September, at the earliest," a judiciary front man was quoted as saying by the Belga news agency.
Sharia4Belgium, based in the northern port city of Antwerp, campaigned for the introduction of Sharia Islamic law in the country.
In 2012, it said it was disbanding but the authorities suspect that it has continued to recruit dozens of volunteers to fight in Syria.
The attack at the Jewish museum in the center of Brussels has raised fears of a resurgence of anti-Semitic violence in Europe and of terror strikes from imported muscle returning from Syria.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#4
More of a problem in eastern Syria (ISIS zone) than Iraq, where Saddam put in a couple of massive reservoirs.
Remember, Ramadan starts in two weeks.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
06/14/2014 7:52 Comments ||
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#6
that'll make fasting and avoiding liquids easier. How pious!
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/14/2014 10:08 Comments ||
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#7
I've made comments in this vein before, based on my own assumptions, but seriously: is the Turkish army still the apparently fearsome entity of the past, after Prime Minister Erdogan's purges?
[DAWN] Over 6,000 people from Ahmadzai Wazir and other clans have taken refuge in Afghanistan's Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... in the aftermath of the recent targeted military action, suggesting the North Wazoorustics consider the neighbouring country safer than their own.
"Keeping in view the long stay and plight of thousands of internally displaced persons of Fata in and off relief camps, I have made my mind to take my family to Afghanistan instead of keeping them in grimy tents in the adjacent Bannu district," said a tribal elder from Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... .
Several families have already crossed over to Afghanistan due to uncertainty.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iraq Sun] As insurgents continue to overrun parts of northern Iraq, the United Nations human rights chief expressed "extreme alarm" today at reports of summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and the massive displacement of some half a million people, many of whom are now in urgent need of shelter. Tut tut.
"The full extent of civilian casualties is not yet known," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, "but reports suggest the number of people killed in recent days may run into the hundreds, and the number of wounded is said to be approaching 1,000."
Ms. Pillay added that she was deeply disturbed by reports that fighters from the groups, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), and prisoners they had released from jails in Mosul and provided with arms "have been actively seeking out " and in some cases killing "soldiers, police and others, including civilians, whom they perceive as being associated with the Government."
Under these circumstances, she said, "murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture constitute war crimes". She warned that ISIL would be under "particular scrutiny" given their "well-documented record of committing grave international crimes in Syria."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Well documented and filed away. The UN has no intention of breaking a sweat on anything.
I have wondered why, if the international court had charges against three of the five exchanged for Bergdahl for war crimes, how come the International court didn't ask the US government to hand those guys over for prosecution? I don't understand.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/14/2014 12:08 Comments ||
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[DAWN] US President Barack Obama I am not a dictator!... said Friday that he is examining options short of sending ground troops to help Iraq counter a Sunni hard boy offensive, but warned the country must heal its own divisions.
"We will not be sending US troops back into combat in Iraq, but I have asked my national security team to prepare a range of other options that could help support Iraqi security forces," Obama said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government has asked the United States to provide military assistance to counter a stunning advance by ISIL, a Sunni hard boy movement.
But, in brief remarks to news hounds at the White House, Obama warned the Storied Baghdad government that it had brought disaster on itself by failing to heal the divides between Sunni and Shia camps in the country.
"The United States will not involve itself in military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they're prepared to work together," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Wait until the Sunnis take over and Champ will see some really interesting..."working together."
#4
What could possibly go wrong with that notion? (Sunnis aren't too fond of the Shia and vice versa. Lot of history there. (Ship some of Obama's "best-of-speeches to them; that's the ticket. These divisions should evaporate just as if the seas had parted.)
#7
Thank you, Besoeker dear. Yes, we definitely do that here when needed. And yes, I've noticed the night team. Meaty articles greeted us this a.m., as well as yesterday, keeping Rantburg on top of events. Thanks, all!
I'll fetch the electric tea kettle, and put an order in with Barbara Skolaut for several popcorn. I babysat two little granddaughters yesterday, so the usual healthy crudités and fruit will have to wait.
#8
The Shia and the Sunnis have been fighting since about 864 AD over who would succeed Mohammed as the leader of Islam. The Sunni side of the table claims Mohammed gave leadership to one of his generals. The Shia say it should only be a direct descendent or blood relative.
According to their stories, the General and his cohort went to discuss the succession with Ali, a nephew of Mohammed who was being promoted as Mohammed's successor. In the discussion, Ali was killed, Ali's wife who was pregnant was injured and miscarried...war commenced.
So they have been fighting for almost 1200 years over the succession to Mohammed when there are no direct or blood descendants of Mohammed. The split lead to a number of differences in interpretation of the Quran and different versions of the Haditha and the "Sayings of the Prophet". Each side views the other as not just an infidel but worse than a Jew or a Christian, a heretic and a blasphemer.
Putting those two groups in the same room as the British and the French did when they carved up the Middle East for its oil in the 1920s, was stupid, probably stupider than anything else in the Treaty of Versailles.
After WWI, we withdrew the troops, shut the door and left the middle east and its oil to the Italians, the Brits and the French, and Standard Oil. Our lack of involvement in the Middle East until after WWII is one reason why the region is in chaos.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/14/2014 12:18 Comments ||
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The ISIS invasion of Iraq reflects a wider war between Shiites and Sunnis for control of the Middle East.
For Washington, the option of inaction has to be balanced by the fate of the estimated 20,000 American civilians still left in the country (even though the U.S. military is long-departed). Indeed.
Posted by: Squinty ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Guess which side the Saudis have harbored? Hint: its the ones that love beheadings and Sharia law. (Wahabbis and Salafists)
Obama warned the Storied Baghdad government that it had brought disaster on itself by failing to heal the divides between Sunni and Shia camps in the country.
#4
Seems that means a Civil War in the US based on race or politics should start any time now since Obamanation has done nothing to heal divides in this country.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/14/2014 11:30 Comments ||
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#7
Well Frank, if he can properly bugger up the Southwest with hundreds of thousands of illegals, remove the States from the picture by assigning the task of 'caring and feeding' and law enforcement to FEMA, the feds, and the military; he'll have started a job he'll no doubt have to see through to the end.
#8
He's orchestrating one problem after another to create an excuse to declare martial law and suspend elections...let's see how that works.
If it works as well as his other programs, we'll have someone in his office telling him to resign or risk a military coup. Al Haig was a jackass but the one thing he did do was convince Nixon to resign when no one else could. Is there anyone in the government, Congress or the executive branch that can stop this devious scheme to install a dictatorship?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/14/2014 12:01 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki imposed order on Basra wen the Shiites were going nuts, but has proven incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda's Sunni insurgency. Reelected to his third term in 2014... has arrived in the city of Samarra where security forces are carrying out operations against Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... myrmidons.
Before arriving at the holy city on Friday, the Iraqi premier said soldiers began clearing cities of the forces of Evil of the al-Qaeda-linked 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... (ISIL).
Security forces "began their work to clear all our dear cities from these terrorists," Maliki said in a statement without providing more details about the operations.
The Iraqi prime minister is said to have travelled to the embattled city to supervise the operations and hold security meetings.
Some areas of the city have reportedly fallen to the hands of the myrmidons.
Earlier in the day, officials said that Iraqi army helicopters fired rockets into myrmidon hideouts in Tikrit, the thriving provincial capital of Salah al-Din province.
Security sources said the army also shelled myrmidon positions in the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla, located in the eastern Diyala province.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
I dont know whether to root for his guys to win, or for him to die as a martyr. Or both.
[Iran Press TV] US President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... says the current troubles in Iraq are spilling over from Syria, adding that he is reviewing a range of options to respond to the crisis.
"Over the last several days, we've seen significant gains made by ISIL, a terrorist organization that operates in both Iraq and in Syria," Obama told news hounds at the White House on Friday.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the foreign-backed murderous Moslems.
According to reports, the United States and its regional allies -- especially Qatar, 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... and Turkey -- have supported the snuffies operating inside Syria.
"In the face of a terrorist offensive, Iraqi security forces have proven unable to defend a number of cities, which has allowed the faceless myrmidons to overrun a part of Iraq's territory, and this poses a danger to Iraq and its people. And given the nature of these terrorists, it could pose a threat, eventually, to American interests as well," Obama added.
"The United States will do our part, but understand that ultimately, it's up to the Iraqis, as a sovereign nation, to solve their problems," he noted.
The US president further said Washington continues to monitor the situation and will review available options in the coming days. "Surrender's an option, right? And maybe a small indemnity..."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The al-Qaeda-linked Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... s operating in Iraq face imminent defeat as they have fallen into trap, an analyst tells Press TV.
"I do not think it will take very long before these faceless myrmidons will be defeated. They entered a bottle and it will be impossible for them to exit the bottle neck," Hilal Khashan told Press TV in an interview.
He was referring to the krazed killerfaceless myrmidons from the so-called 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... (ISIL) that have reportedly captured two picturesque provincial capitals this week, namely Tikrit in Salahuddin Province and Iraq's second city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... in the northern province of Nineveh.
Khashan said the ISIL faceless myrmidons "have no chance whatsoever" to win the war they waged on Iraq.
He added that ISIL operatives could not have advanced so quickly without regional support.
"I do not know to what extent they have regional support. If they do have regional support I am absolutely sure that their supporters will regret what they are doing," Khashan stated.
He said the Iraqi government should not wait for any action on the part of the UN Security Council against the Takfiris.
Over the past days, Iraqi armed forces have been engaged in fierce festivities with terrorists, who have threatened to take their acts of violence to other Iraqi cities, including the capital, Storied Baghdad.
Iraqi men from all walks of life are flocking to recruitment centers to join the army in its fight against the ISIL Death Eaters.
The United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Security Council has condemned the attacks on Mosul by Takfiri faceless myrmidons and the abduction of Turkish consulate staff members there.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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The Iraqi extremist group didn't conquer a major chunk of the country on their own. They had help - from ex-Saddamites, tribal councils, and other militants.
"Non-ISIS groups played a central role in the takeover," Hassan said.
Tactical details from the past week's offensive are hard to come by. But Hassan says the groups that cooperated with ISIS include: "The Sufi-Baathist militia known as the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order, which has former members of the Iraqi army during Saddam Hussein's reign. The Al Qaeda-originated Ansar al-Islam, and provisional tribal councils, many of the which are actually front groups for the Naqshbandis," according to Hassan.
War can be a centrifugal force, pulling together disparate groups who share a common enemy. It's after the heat of battle when it comes time to divvy up the spoils and work out power sharing arrangements, that yesterday's allies turn on each other.
"That's where jihadi groups have always failed in the past," said Fishman. "ISIS has built a military coalition," he said "at this point they haven't fully demonstrated it can be a governing coalition. If this crumbles in the near term it won't be because Baghdad gets it act together but from the coalition coming apart."
Whether ISIS can maintain the partnerships that allowed it to get this far is uncertain. What is certain, a grim and unavoidable reality at this point, is that Iraq is once again at war, and has a ruthless fundamentalist power lodged in the heart of the country. So how many sleeper cells are waiting Baghdad for ISIL to issue the go order?
Posted by: Squinty ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
It is my understanding that the regime has turned a totally deaf ear toward weeks and months of U.S. intelligence community indications and warnings regarding Iraq.
#3
Passed the Indications and Warnings on to the Iranian regime would be my guess. Providing the Persian el Quds an opportunity to become a regional quick reaction force, peace stabilizer whilst softening the media attacks on Iranian nuclear developments. Remember, it was Bush's war.
Posted by: Chutch Pheamble3100 ||
06/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Excellent assessment. My money is on ISIS taking the Depot at Taji, then a protracted encirclement and old fashioned siege of Baghdad. No need for Champ to worry about clandestine arms shipments to the Syrian rebels after that, they'll have everything they need.
[Jpost] Cruz (R-Texas) told the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs that Khamenei appears confident that "there is no credible deterrence from the US."
An Israeli strike against Iran "could happen in a matter of months," Sen. Ted Cruz reportedly told a US Jewish security group.
Cruz (R-Texas) at a meeting of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, or JINSA, said Tuesday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appears confident that "there is no credible deterrence from the United States" to prevent the Islamic Republic from progress in its nuclear development.
"That means that if they keep going forward, I think if it comes down to it, I have real confidence that the nation of Israel will act to preserve her national security, even if this administration will not act first. And that could happen sooner rather than later -- that could happen in a matter of months," he told JINSA's Spring National Leadership Meeting in Washington, according to the Daily Caller, the only media present at the meeting.
Cruz met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel in May.
The Texas Republican said he believes the Obama administration has been practicing "a policy of weakness and appeasement" when it comes to Iran and that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a responsibility of the United States.
"I don't think Israel should have to act to prevent Iranian nuclear-weapons capability because it is so profoundly in US national security interests that we should act, rather than forcing Israel to act, but I do take some comfort that if this administration will not defend our interests, at the very least Israel will defend her interests," Cruz said.
Cruz reportedly is considering a bid for the presidency in 2016.
#2
They're all very pro-Israel during the election season, Uncle. Afterward it's back to appeasing the Saudis---who know how to show appreciation for their friends.
#3
That means that if they keep going forward, I think if it comes down to it, I have real confidence that the nation of Israel will act to preserve her national security, even if this administration will not act first. And that could happen sooner rather than later -- that could happen in a matter of months I think the good Senator gets it.
[Ynet] Paleostinian delegation to Canberra warns decision to stop referring to East Jerusalem as 'occupied' would lead to Arab trade sanctions, which would leave Australia isolated.
Australia could face trade sanctions by Arab nations over its decision to stop using the term "occupied" when referring to East Jerusalem, the head of the Paleostinian delegation to Canberra warned Friday.
Izzat Abdulhadi said Australia's new stance on East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel in a move never recognized by the international community, was a "substantial policy shift."
"We think that it's very provocative and un-useful, and it's not appropriate," Abdulhadi told AFP.
His comments came after 18 diplomats from countries including Indonesia, Egypt and 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... protested to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra on Thursday.
Australia said last week it would no longer refer to East Jerusalem as "occupied" because the term carries pejorative implications and was neither appropriate or useful.
"It is important, as far as you can, not to use loaded terms, not to use pejorative terms, not to use terms which suggest that matters have been prejudged and that is a freighted term," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.
"The truth is they're disputed territories."
The comments sparked fury in the Arab world, with the Jordanian and Paleostinian governments summoning Australia's diplomatic representative in protest. Israel hailed the move as "refreshing."
"We asked the government to reverse this position," Abdulhadi said of the diplomatic protest.
He added that trade sanctions could be put in place against Canberra if the government persisted with its stance, which he said left Australia isolated.
"It depends on the reaction of the Australian government," he said, adding that the issue could also be taken to the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... General Assembly.
"Unfortunately I think there will be negative consequences for the (Australian) government."
Australia's export trade with the Middle East is significant, accounting for billions of dollars annually, particularly in wheat and meat, with Qatar and Jordan major markets for live sheep.
"We want to maintain the trade and we will work very hard with them to ensure that that happens," Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss told news hounds on Friday.
Israel seized East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
The Paleostinians claim Arab East Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state.
The international community views all Israeli construction on land seized in 1967, including the West Bank, as illegal and a major obstacle to a negotiated peace agreement.
Abdulhadi said he would meet Foreign Minister Julie Bishop next week and was hopeful that Australia could explain the decision.
"Maybe we can avoid all this sort of thing if we can have good discussions," he said.
[An Nahar] 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... stressed on Friday that it will not intervene in the security situation in Iraq, expressing fear of the spread of 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... (ISIL).
"Hizbullah has nothing to do with Iraq... Iraq is bigger than the capabilities of the party," Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Walid Sakariya told al-Joumhouria newspaper.
He stressed that "it's time to end the abnormal phenomena of ISIL."
Hizbullah has deployed thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to back Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators... 's army as he battles turbans who have been trying to overthrow him for the past three years.
"The developments in Iraq will have major repercussions on the situation in the area and the policies followed by all states, especially the U.S. policies," Sakariya said.
The politician reassured that the "situation in Leb is still stable and will remain as it is as long as there's agreement between the political parties to prevent ISIL from entering the country."
Hizbullah, a long-standing ally of both Iran, Syria, and Iraq says it is supporting Assad against Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... s (Sunni myrmidons) who are targeting Syria's Alawite and Christian minorities.
Jihadists from ISIL have swept up a huge swathe of predominantly Sunni Arab territory in northern and north-central Iraq, including the second city djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... .
Forces from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region have meanwhile taken control of Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... an ethnically divided northern city they have sought to rule for decades.
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[An Nahar] Leb is faced with the possibility of having two grand muftis after the rival Higher Islamic Councils called on Thursday for a new head to the country's Sunni sect, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.
"There would either be two muftis or Learned Elders of Islams would make a last-minute interference to find a settlement," al-Akhbar quoted informed sources as saying.
But Dar al-Fatwa officials said no solution was looming in the horizon.
The dispute between the council led by Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani ... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity. He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide. Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. and that of his deputy Omar Misqawi is the result of political interferences.
The Higher Islamic Council -- which elects the Mufti and organizes Dar al-Fatwa's affairs -- became the center of controversy in 2012 after 21 of its members, who are close to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement, extended its term until 2015 despite Qabbani's objection.
The Mufti later held elections for the Council, which were deemed illegal by ex-PMs Saniora and Najib Miqati, and the group led by Misqawi, who argued that the polls violated Shura Council decisions and did not enjoy a legal quorum.
On Thursday, the two councils called for the election of a Mufti before the expiry of his term on Sept. 15.
Mount Leb Mufti Sheikh Mohammed al-Jouzo told the Saudi Okaz daily that the invitation for the election of a grand mufti by Qabbani's council came in conformity with decree 18 of the by-laws which had been announced by Qabbani.
"We shouldn't focus on the details as long as his term is nearing to end because any dispute on the issue would reflect negatively on the Sunni sect in Leb," he said.
Former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss has also defended the decision of Qabbani's council to call for elections.
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[An Nahar] The Internal Security Forces said Friday that two Syrian teenagers have killed their sister in what the state-run National News Agency described as a crime of honor.
The ISF Intelligence Branch found the body of 24-year-old Diala T. near a school in the town of Deddeh in the northern Koura district, NNA said.
The police investigation led to the arrest of her brothers N.T. and Aa.T., who admitted to strangling her in an honor killing, the agency said.
The two men were placed in durance vile Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! and handed over to the Dahr al-Ain cop shoppe for further investigation, it added.
But according to an ISF communique, the 16-year-old and 13-year-old brothers said they killed their sister "for family reasons."
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#1
The Internal Security Forces said Friday that two Syrian teenagers have killed their sister in what the state-run National News AgencyThe civilized world described as a crime of honorMURDER. (F*** POLITICAL CORRECTNESS)
[Iran Press TV] The US government is 'urgently' considering air assaults on Iraq and Syria in an attempt to flush out the al-Qaeda-linked Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... bully boyz operating in the two countries, a US official says.
The unnamed official, quoted by the Guardian, said on Friday that the White House was "urgently and expediently" considering military action to halt the rapid advance of the so-called 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... (ISIL).
The revelation comes one day after US President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... said there are "some short-term, immediate things that need to be done militarily," signaling a new openness to returning the US to war in Iraq.
According to unnamed officials, the B.O. regime is examining an air assault using air force or navy warplanes and drone strikes, but manned aircraft are said to the preferred option, owing to their superiority against moving and maneuverable targets.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Alamo, Davy was counting their remaining cannon balls and not liking the results... a Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , told the Guardian that the ISIL "is now across the border," adding, "It is possible to take out the head, you've got to take out the heart.... Everything is being looked at."
US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said in London that the B.O. regime would make a decision quickly about action on the ISIL terrorists, adding, "I am confident the US will move rapidly and effectively to join with our allies in dealing with this challenge."
Carl Levin ...Democrat Senator-for-Life from Michigan. He has been in the Senate since 1979. Prior to that he was president of the Detroit city council and Mayor Coleman Young's right-hand man. He is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services... , the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said after emerging from a briefing with defence officials on Thursday that a direct US military involvement in Iraq may revive the bloody conflict which erupted following the 2003 capture of the Iraqi capital Storied Baghdad.
"While all options should be considered, the problem in Iraq has not been so much a lack of direct US military involvement, but a lack of reconciliation on the part of Iraqi leaders," he said.
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#1
Sorry but that mutherfucker Obama is playing golf, while good men are surrounded begging for air support - and I mean US Contractors stuck at Balad. They need air support to evac, and Obama denied it, then went golfing. About 100 of them are left at Balad, and its up to the Iraqi Air Force to get them out. They are surrounded by ISI and the local Sunnis in the police and military dropped their weapons and ran.
#2
Levin you FUCKWIT!!!! "Lack or reconciliation"? Are you that fucking stupid?
Go online see the pics from Mosul. The streets are lined with the beheaded bodies of police and soldiers. Men we trained and supported - and have now disgracefully abandoned.
Some text deleted. I understand, but nothing that might be interpreted as a threat is the rule. This is non-negotiable, and we need you here right now, my dear.
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.
[MAGHAREBIA] Under siege from government troops in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, a renegade general in Libya, and multi-national forces in Mali, 
[MAGHAREBIA] Horror over the death of a 13-year-old girl will bring Tunisians to the streets next week for a silent march.
Wazoo
Nouri al-Maliki
[Iran Press TV] US President 
[Iran Press TV] The al-Qaeda-linked 
The Iraqi extremist group didn't conquer a major chunk of the country on their own. They had help - from ex-Saddamites, tribal councils, and other militants. 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that 
Najib Miqati
