[Tolo News] Syed Fazel Aqa Hussain Sancharaki, a front man for presidential candidate 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... , reported on Tuesday that crucial aspects of the negotiations of the National Unity Committee have yet to be resolved and that major disagreements over the balance of authority between the president and chief executive remain.
Although nearly all of the matters that were intended to be discussed by the National Unity Committee have been agreed upon, providing this year's election with a much needed dose of progress, according to Abdullah's camp, a key part of the negotiations has proven somewhat intractable.
"The disagreements are in the perspectives of the two electoral teams over the structure of power; the Reform and Unanimity team believes that power should be shared between the president and the chief executive, because the president has major responsibilities and the executive authorities must be given to the chief executive, because it is in the interests of democracy in the country," Sancharaki said on Tuesday.
"His Excellency Dr. Abdullah agrees, but the rival team supports the centralized system, meaning the president keep all things," he went on. "The Change and Continuity team hasn't agree on it and decided to refer the issue to their leader."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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[ARABNEWS] Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh says that extremism and the ideologies of groups like the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are Islam's No. 1 enemy and that Moslems have been their first victims.
He also said in his public statement that terrorism has no place in Islam.
History and the Koran show otherwise, particularly the history of the Indian subcontinent. Not that a citizen of Arabia could be expected to know the history of the faraway Indian colonies.
"The ideas of extremism, radicalism and terrorism... have nothing to do with Islam and (their proponents) are the No. 1 enemy of Islam," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
He cited Death Eaters from the Islamic State, which has declared itself a "caliphate" straddling large parts of Iraq and Syria, and the Al-Qaeda network, saying their brutal actions have tarnished the image of the divine Islamic faith.
"Never have Muslims in England cut off the head of an unbeliever, after all."
"... except those Nigerian-English converts and that British soldier in broad daylight on the high street, Grand Mufti. But they only killed him, not being practiced in head-cutting."
"Oh. Never mind, then."
"Moslems are the main victims of this extremism, as shown by crimes committed by the so-called Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and groups linked to them," the mufti said, and called for greater efforts to promote tolerance and moderation among Moslems.
Where tolerance refers to being a true Wahabi, and moderation ditto.
Al-Asheikh's stance reflects the opposition of the Kingdom's senior religious scholars toward IS krazed killers.
"In the circumstances the Islamic nation is living through, several countries have been destabilized" by bad boys, who divide Moslems in the name of religion, the mufti said.
Commensurate with fourteen hundred years of history, Grand Mufti. Where now are the great Roman colonies of North Africa, the Eastern Roman empire of Byzantium, the Hindu and Sikh kingdoms of India, the Jewish trading tribes of Arabia?
He also advised Saudi nationals to stand united behind their politicianship.
"The conflicts outside our borders should not divide us," the mufti said, stressing the importance of dialogue to narrow differences of opinion on various matters.
He warned: "In Islam, after heresy, dividing Moslems is the greatest crime."
He urged tolerance, "which is at the root of Islam's growth and longevity."
"We here in the Arabia of the House of Saud tolerate all the heretics who come to spend their money on pilgrimage, even the ultimate heretics, the Shiites. We don't tolerate their heretical Korans, though."
On June 29, King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said: "We will not allow a handful of terrorists, using Islam for their vested interests, to terrify Moslems or undermine our country and its inhabitants."
ISIS apparently has something like 65,000 members and growing -- it's hard to tell, as they won't hold still long enough for accuracy, and jihadis are notorious for an inability to count above five (can't use the left hand for such things, after all) -- which is not exactly a handful, your Custodianness.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
So does he really believe this? Or is he pissed that the caliphate is not in soddy and he will lose power. Or is he just hoping to play both sides against the middle? I have not trust in anything he or any of them say.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/20/2014 1:27 Comments ||
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#2
Sure are a whole lot of "folks" who seem to disagree with him. Every day they disagree. Terrorism seems to be the normal face of Islam. It is certainly the most prominent. Funny we haven't heard from this fellow before now.
#9
ISIS apparently has something like 65,000 members and growing -- it's hard to tell, as they won't hold still long enough for accuracy, and jihadis are notorious for an inability to count above five (can't use the left hand for such things, after all)
So in converting from base 5 to base 10, that would mean around 4375 members? ;)
#10
As soon as some serious opposition occurs with actually effective airstrikes, ISIS will scatter. So 2-4 years from now at best guess. Until then enjoy the shocked faces of your neighbors when they finally get what you've been trying to tell them.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/20/2014 11:19 Comments ||
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#11
Islam is completely evil and it must be destroyed.
#15
So now that the Soddies have spoken out against ISIS, out president can follow their lead and condemn them.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/20/2014 12:56 Comments ||
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#16
*blush* Thank you, KBK. I had a bit of fun.
Procopius2k, the fact that their base five number is the impossible 65,000 is a neat demonstration of their math skills, and so I wouldn't dare try to draw conclusions as to the real number. But your (base 10) 4,375 would make me very, very happy.
[Iran Press TV] The US and the UK are seeking to suppress the advance of ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... snuffies in Iraq out of fear that the group might pose a threat to 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... , a political commentator tells Press TV.
"The point is they [the US and Britannia] created this monster [the ISIL], and they now fear that this monster will now turn on Saudi Arabia in particular, and they are friends with Saudi Arabia and so they are now trying to control it," Rodney Shakespeare said in an interview with Press TV.
He further said that Washington and London are not prepared to head straight to the source of support for the ISIL acts of terrorism in the region, which is Saudi Arabia.
The terror group in the first place has been created by the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia "aided by their sidekicks in Turkey and [British] Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... ," Shakespeare noted, adding that the main purpose of the ISIL "is to smash up any Middle East state which exhibits any sort of opposition to the expansion of Israel."
He also warned that "Zionism… has created something [ISIL] which looks like capable of overthrowing eventually Saudi Arabia and will probably end up attacking Israel."
In a recent article published in The Sunday Telegraph, the British premier warned that if the ISIL Takfiri bully boyz grow stronger, the group would project a threat to the UK and the rest of Europe.
However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... Britannia has openly supported the militancy in Syria to help topple the government of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... . According to reports, an estimated 500 Britons have traveled to Syria to fight along the foreign-backed bully boyz there.
Some British bully boyz are also believed to have crossed into Iraq, where violence escalated two months ago after bully boyz from the ISIL took control of large swathes of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
See also WORLD NEWS > TO DEFEAT THE ISIS, US MAY HAVE TO ARM THE SUNNIS.
A move which, while pragmatic, in turn will NOT likely thrill OWG Co-Superpower Shia Rising Iran.
#2
The point is they [the US and Britannia] created this monster [the ISIL],
The motivation of the ISIL predate the existence of either the United States or the United Kingdom. Explain to me what they articulate that is fundamentally different from what the Wahhabi preach in the mosques?
#3
Can the Soddys not protect themselves? They have a history of dispatching those who oppose the Saud family. We, on the other hand, have long and endless trials for the 911 terrorists. Sometime we are our own worst enemy.
1. An example of the aftermath of the Malmedy massacre is the written order from the HQ of the 328th US Army Infantry Regiment, dated December 21, 1944: "No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner but will be shot on sight."
2. During the Civil War, Southerners hung Northern bridge burners in the Knoxville area as soon as they were found.
3. Germans during WWII who came to our shores via sub with the idea of sabotage were executed.
North Korea has moved scores of tanks and armored vehicles to an Army corps near the border with China in Ryanggang Province. The 12th Corps, which was established in 2010, is tasked with responding to movements of Chinese troops in an emergency.
A source on Monday said about 80 tanks have been deployed in Ryanggang Province, where there had not been a single one before. The corps has been "turned into an attack force after it has been reinforced" with an armored infantry unit, a unit of multiple rocket launchers, and a special warfare and sharpshooter brigade.
Some 80 new armored vehicles are expected to be deployed soon to the 42nd Brigade in the province. Leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered the rapid deployment of these new vehicles, which have a top speed of 80km/h carrying 10 to 15 troops. More than 10 new tanks with an automatic fire-control system and a computer monitor have also been deployed to this unit.
The source attributed the moves to fears that sole ally China could "betray" the North amid increasing pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.
We can only hope...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
"Popcorn, popcorn, get ya popcorn here"
Posted by: Steven ||
08/20/2014 2:44 Comments ||
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#2
Anybody out there taking money on this? I want to put in a side bet.
Posted by: Steven ||
08/20/2014 2:46 Comments ||
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#3
Norks are going to fight China? Even pudgy---or, at least, his dad's generals---are not that crazy.
#6
Three possible reasons in order of probability:
1. An exercise and a message to the Chinese,
2. To combat defections and smuggling,
3. Put a reliable unit in place, in case of of a coup or uprising. The province is claimed to be the birthplace of Kim Jong-Il. It's also dirt-poor, even by NorK standards.
#9
This would be Hilarious if it happened. I mean yeah, war is hell blah blah blah, but Chinese troops coming in getting nuked by the very regime they've prompt-up all these years? Hilarious in the same way a mortar misfire kills jihadi's.
Posted by: Charles ||
08/20/2014 11:25 Comments ||
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#10
Hey, #1 Steven, no horning in on my action!
Posted by: Barbara ||
08/20/2014 13:26 Comments ||
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#11
"More than 10 new tanks with an automatic fire-control system and a computer monitor have also been deployed to this unit."
I've got a few old computer monitors in the basement - think I could sell them to the NORKs?
[Jpost] Arab Bank has said there is a lack of proof the funds went to bully boyz or that the funds contributed directly and sufficiently to terror attacks.
In one of the key moments of the Arab Bank terrorism-finance trial, plaintiffs showed a video on Tuesday in which a top Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, official told a conference of the Union of Good, the umbrella Hamas-funding group, that they were a room full of terrorists.
Hamas expert Dr. Matthew Levitt, who may be the key witness in the case, testified that the Saudi Committee, to which Arab Bank transferred a great deal of money, is essentially an alter ego of Hamas's Union of Good in a "web of charity organizations" providing cover for the funds' terrorist purposes.
On Thursday, 297 plaintiffs and Arab Bank defense lawyers made opening statements in what could be a watershed terrorist finance trial, with the plaintiffs telling the jury that "you will see bank records in black and white that say 'Hamas'" as proof that the bank knew it was being used to fund terrorism.
One of the lead plaintiffs' lawyers, Mark Werbner, said before New York Federal Judge Brian Cogan that evidence would show that the bank required "all their employees to donate 5 percent of their salaries" to the second intifada.
The case involves allegations that Arab Bank, essentially Jordan's sovereign bank and one of the largest in the Middle East, with branches in 30 countries, facilitated massive transfer of funds to Hamas leaders and institutions, as well as to the families of imprisoned Hamas members and jacket wallahs, via 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 Hezbollah's al-Shahid Foundation, mostly between 1998 and 2004.
Arab Bank has said there is a lack of proof the money went to terrorists, that the money contributed directly and sufficiently to terrorist attacks and that the bank had any knowledge of a connection to terrorism.
Levitt, a former FBI counterterrorism analyst and deputy assistant secretary for intelligence at the US Treasury, has written about Hamas and testified in cases relating to the terrorist group in the past.
Levitt said he was there to help the jury learn "Hamas 101," telling them that the funds in question were "absolutely essential, it is the lifeblood" for terrorist groups.
He went through a veritable Rolodex of Hamas leaders that the US and other countries designated as terrorists, repeatedly being asked to spell out their names by the court news hound.
Levitt talked about the charities working with Hamas, saying, "These weren't stove-piped entities.
There's a network working together."
He said that the charities operating under Hamas's umbrella don't "put a shingle out there" that says Hamas in the EU or the US, but they openly publicize it in the Paleostinian areas.
The political, charitable and bad boy terrorist branches of Hamas work together and support each other like three legs of a stool, he said.
Levitt took aim at the bank's main defense, according to which it allegedly checked US terrorist watch-lists, and since the bully boyz who received funds from the bank were not listed it could not be liable — though his attack was subsequently stricken from the official record.
"If someone's not designated, [it] doesn't mean they're on a white list," Levitt said. "Just checking the Treasury list is absolutely insufficient."
On the flip side, the bank could argue that most of the entities Levitt mentioned were designated after the time at issue in this case.
The bank might also say that much of the source material that Levitt used in his testimony is from a later date than the time frame at issue in this case.
For example, information Levitt included regarding German designation of certain fund recipients as bully boyz and related intelligence, were neither publicly available nor necessarily accessible to banks during the time covered in the case.
Besides Levitt's testimony, graphic footage was shown to explain Hamas's ideology, including images of children dressed as soldiers, with one child dressed as a mock suicide bomber with fake dynamite strapped to his chest, as well as mock kidnappings of an Israeli solider.
Another expert on the organizational structure of Hamas, Evan Kohlmann, testified on Monday.
The trial continues next week with the plaintiffs' case expected to run for all or most of the week.
[IsraelTimes] The US State Department designated an al-Qaeda affiliated group active in the Gazoo Strip as a foreign terrorist organization Tuesday morning.
The official designation that forbids Americans from supporting or engaging in transactions with the group, and allows the US to freeze any assets or interests in the group's property.
Some three years after its inception, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) will no longer be allowed to raise funds or carry out any transactions in the United States or American institutions.
Fred will have to add them to his little list, if he hasn't already.
Foreign terror organization designations are made by the State Department in consultation with the Treasury and the Department of Justice.
According to State Department officials, MSC is an umbrella group composed of several jihadist terrorist sub-groups based in Gazoo. It grabbed credit for a number of attacks between its inception following the Arab Spring of 2011 and 2013.
It was the MSC that took credit for a rocket attack on Sderot that was launched during US President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... 's March 2013 visit to Israel. Only two of the four rockets fired actually left the boundaries of the Gazoo Strip and reached their target.
...about twice Hamas' failure rate...
The organization took credit for the attack, issuing a statement saying that "responding to the bragging of the Roman dog
That would be President Obama, whom they believe to be a Christian.
and the war criminals of their so-called Iron Dome,
Israel, of course...
we assert that all their military techniques will not stop God's destiny of tormenting them."
God, on the other hand, appears to be pleased with Israel rather than otherwise, given how He enabled them to wipe the floor with all the Gaza belligerents.
In February of this year, the MSC released a statement declaring support for the Islamic State (IS) group — then still known as ISIS, or ISIL — currently active in Syria and northern Iraq.
MSC has been on Israel's radar since shortly after its inception. In the course of a week in October 2012, IDF Arclight airstrikes killed Hisham al-Saedni, the MSC's leader in Gazoo as well as two other operatives, one of whom had a leadership role in the group's first terror attack.
Definitely showing which side God is on, it seems. Perhaps if the MSC people banged their heads harder in the ground during prayers?
[DAWN] The Sindh High Court directed the trial court to expeditiously conclude the trial of a defendant in the murder case of Wall Street Journal news hound Daniel Pearl.
With this direction, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar disposed of an application of Mohammed Hashim who had sought the transfer of the murder case of the news hound from an anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad to 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... Pearl, 38, was kidnapped in Karachi on Jan 23, 2002 while he was working on a story about Islamist Lion of Islams. Later, he was decapitated by his captors.
Omer Saeed Sheikh, who criminal masterminded the murder, was sentenced to death, while Salman Saqib Sheikh, Fahad Naseem and Mohammad Adil were sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2002. But the court had shown seven other accused, including Hashim, as absconders. Hashim was incarcerated ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... on Sept 6, 2005.
The applicant's counsel, Syed Mehmood Alam Rizvi, submitted before the court that Hashim had been behind bars since his arrest, while the trial court had examined eight prosecution witnesses so far. He said the trial of the accused could not proceed further as the presiding officer of the ATC in Hyderabad, Javed Alam, had been transferred and the newly posted presiding officer of the ATC Abdul Ghafoor Memon had already refused to hear the case when he was the presiding officer of the ATC-II, Karachi.
On Monday, the applicant's counsel informed the court that the trial was in progress as the depositions of the prosecution witnesses were being recorded.
He asked the court to direct the trial court to expeditiously conclude the trial. The court accepted the request and disposed of the application.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri ...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him... announced on Monday midnight at the expiry of the deadline he had set for the government to quit that a 'people's parliament' would be held at the venue of his sit-in at 5pm on Tuesday.
He appealed to the masses to turn up in the large number for the event. "It will now be haram to sit at home," he said.
Recalling the hardships suffered by PAT workers at the hands of Punjab police in the aftermath of Model Town tragedy, he said the likely 'revolution' by his party would be dedicated to the 14 'deaders' of Lahore.
"So far I and other leaders of Inqilab march took decisions but tomorrow the decision will be made by the people. Whatever the decision will be taken by people, we will accept it," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Police deputed in Islamabad's Red zone area were authorised to use force against Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) protesters staging their Azadi March in the federal capital, according to the copy of a document available with Dawn.
The document, signed by a Supervisory Officer at the spot, allowed the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and lathi (baton) charge against the protesters if they entered the Red Zone.
Visuals and TV footage showed coppers and women, other security agency personnel (FC and Rangers) standing at the ready in riot gear.
Security in the Red Zone has been divided into three tiers with coppers deputed on the front-lines, other law enforcers (FC and Rangers) as the second tier, while army troops have been deployed in the third tier to protect key installations.
Additional containers were also placed on Constitution Avenue on routes leading to the Parliament and Secretariat.
PTI chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... on Monday had vowed to lead the march into 'Red Zone' of the federal capital upon expiry of his deadline today.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Minister Shaukat Yousafzai confirmed that women and kiddies would march in the second row, right behind key PTI politicians and Imran Khan. The PTI Youth Wing would follow behind the women.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Islamabad, Damascus, Baghdad - THREE "RED ZONES" IN MAJOR MUSLIM CITIES IN NEAR-SIMULTAN HIGH RISK.
[DAWN] Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri ...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him... announced the advance of the "peaceful" protest onto Constitution Avenue and in front of Parliament — right inside the Red Zone. He said the advance would begin as soon as permission was received from authorities.
"Promise no violence…no militancy," Qadri appealed to his cheering crowd of supporters.
Delivering a speech to an enraptured audience, the PAT Chief justified moving into the Red Zone, narrating how both the PPP and PML-N had held protests in front of Parliament.
The speech was a combination of calls for "discipline" and calls for "vengeance".
Qadri claimed yet another PAT supporter had died in hospital today after being targeted in Gujranwala.
"If we don't get Dire Revenge™ for their blood, would you like to return?" Qadri asked a highly charged crowd that yelled "No!".
Qadri then asked the crowd whether they would prefer to protest in front of Parliament house in the Red Zone, to which his supporters yelled, "Yes!".
"Should the government stay, or go?" asked the PAT chief, which was met with loud cries of "Go Nawaz go!"
The PAT Chief reiterated the standing demand for the arrest of the Sharif brothers for "murder, planning and involvement" in the Model Town tragedy.
Pushing the crowd into a frenzy, Qadri shot out question after question in hypnotic rhythm, slamming the government, the PML-N and the existing setup, as well as outlining the PAT ideological viewpoint.
"You don't want to go back? Are you sure? You want a national government? You wan't these rulers to go? Do you want accountability? Do you want to forgive them? Or arrest them? Do you want implementation of the 12 point agenda? Yes or no? Do you want terrorism to end or not? Do you want hard boyz and turbans to stay in our country? Yes to terrorism or no to terrorism?"
The PAT chief called on the government to remove all containers, and asked security forces not to create "bloodshed" in Islamabad. Instructing his supporters multiple times to remain peaceful and disciplined, he said any violence that erupts would be the security forces' fault.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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[Washington Post] Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched on Pakistain's Parliament on Tuesday night, even as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... mobilized the military to help secure the heart of the capital.
On a day when the country's political crisis escalated sharply, demonstrators demanding Sharif's resignation began their march toward heavily fortified areas of Islamabad shortly after sunrise. Although few expect Sharif to step down, the protests are fomenting further instability in a region struggling with an election stalemate in Afghanistan and the continued threat from Islamist militancy.
The march follows a multi-day sit-in led by Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... , leader of the Movement for Justice party, and firebrand ...firebrands are noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments... holy man Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri. Khan alleges that last year's elections, in which Sharif's Pakistain Moslem League-N won the majority of seats in Parliament, were rife with fraud. Qadri accuses Sharif of being too slow in implementing political and economic reforms.
"Listen, Nawaz Sharif, I am coming, and you have to go," Khan declared before ordering his supporters to test police and military lines near Parliament. "I am coming for your resignation, and I will not return without that."
For days, Khan and Qadri had warned that they were preparing to lead their followers into the capital's "Red Zone," which includes the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, diplomatic compounds and Sharif's official residence.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] The Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... sent a ministerial delegation to Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... Tuesday, to discuss the possibility of holding a conference on the protection of civilians in the Paleostinian territories.
"Quick! we must pretend to be preparing to talk about something, to show how much we care! Also, I have a craving for fondue followed by chocolates and brandy."
The departure of the delegation came as hostilities threatened to resume between Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Israel with Paleostinian rocket attacks and retaliatory strikes while a ceasefire truce was still active.
According to the Kuwaiti KUNA, the delegation is led by the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, whose country hosts the presidency of the Arab League.
#3
There's lots of room in Soody where they could build tunnels/underground housing to make the civvies feel at home. I'm sure they'd emigrate quickly and not cause any trouble.
[AnNahar] Jihadists targeting minorities are "worse than Saddam", a Kurdish commander says, standing near a sand barrier at a front line in north Iraq, the myrmidons' black flag fluttering in the distance.
The desert area was until recently under control of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which launched a renewed push in Iraq's north earlier this month, taking ground from Kurdish forces, attacking minority groups and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.
IS is "worse than Saddam. They use terror and chaos to force the population to flee. Then they take over," says Major General Abdulrahman Kawiri, an officer in the Kurdish peshmerga forces, puffing on a cigarette as the sun slips below the horizon.
It is an emotive assertion for a member of Iraq's Kurdish community, which was targeted in a genocidal campaign in the 1980s by executed dictator Saddam Hussein's regime that killed tens of thousands of people.
Kawiri's deputy, Major General Sardar Kamal, says the Kurds' experience under Saddam is part of the reason they are so keen to join the fight against IS.
"We don't want history to repeat itself," says Kamal, as his men pitch tents and get ready to spend the night guarding their freshly recaptured ground, just a few dozen meters (yards) from the nearest IS position.
IS "had the element of surprise to begin with, but now we know their tactics," says Kamal. "They send fighters with explosives strapped around them into areas and start blowing things up. They attack the civilians -- men, women and children -- and terrorize the rest into flight. Within a short space of time, they take over."
In the distance, columns of smoke rise from the sites of American air strikes carried out in support of the Kurdish and federal security forces fighting IS.
Kawiri says the strikes have been "very, very helpful".
His forces also have strong Kurdish nationalist sentiment on their side.
"We are fighting a war in self-defense, and we believe in our cause," he says.
Kamal says he has been fighting with the peshmerga since he was 16 years old.
"I can't remember how many battles I've fought," he laughs, while fighters unload watermelons, ice blocks and crates of water bottles from pickup trucks bringing supplies.
The peshmerga's long experience with guerrilla war against Saddam's regime has helped the Kurds turn the tide after losing large swathes of territory to the IS in recent weeks, he says.
Having adequate ammunition makes a big difference, as does good air support.
The peshmerga's worst defeat was the IS capture of the djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... Dam, the country's largest, nearly a fortnight ago, but peshmerga and Iraqi security forces retook it on Sunday.
Deployed just a few dozen kilometers (miles) from the dam, Kamal says he cannot remember any wars quite like this one.
IS "had the element of surprise to begin with, but now we know their tactics," says Kamal, while other peshmerga gather to listen in.
"They send fighters with explosives strapped around them into areas and start blowing things up. They attack the civilians -- men, women and kiddies -- and terrorize the rest into flight. Within a short space of time, they take over," he says.
While older peshmerga fighters have a wealth of combat experience, others are facing battle for the first time.
Aram Hikmet, a slight 19-year-old carrying a large machinegun, wasn't born when Saddam's forces carried out their heaviest crackdowns on the Kurds.
"I heard of the Yazidi and Christian women and kiddies being killed," he says, referring to minorities targeted by IS. "I couldn't take it. I had to join the fight."
Another fighter, Jassem Yahya, says he came out of retirement.
"I spent eight years in the Iraqi army, fighting the Iraq-Iran war" that ended in 1988, he says.
"I am a good fighter," he adds. IS "was attacking ferociously. I had to do something."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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Is Qatar responsible for the collapse of the cease-fire in the South?
A senior Fatah official is quoted by the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat as saying that the Qatari government threatened to expel the Hamas political bureau chief, Khaled Mashaal, if the Palestinian Islamist group agreed to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal.
Mashaal, who is based in Qatar,
...where he's apparently afraid of his own shadow...
has been blamed by Israeli officials in recent days for sabotaging a long-term truce along the Gaza front by repeatedly making new demands that Jerusalem is unwilling to meet.
The Fatah official told Al-Hayat that Hamas has insisted that Qatar be given a seat at the negotiating table in Cairo. According to the official, Hamas wants either the Qatari foreign minister or the head of intelligence to be permitted to take part in the discussions.
Egypt has adamantly refused to permit Qatar to participate in the cease-fire talks, according to the report.
But thanks to Jahwn Kerry, Qatar was included against both Israel's and Egypt's wishes. Now they are fighting to remain included, and Mashaal is the cat's paw...
Cairo wants a Qatari apology for the government's policies toward Egypt since the military coup against the Muslim Brotherhood brought Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.
Seems like both Mashaal and a couple of emirs need to be whacked...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2014 13:14 ||
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Sharing with the world their own, unique version of events, heeeeere's Iran PressTV!
[Iran Press TV] Paleostinian officials have blamed Israel for the collapse of a temporary ceasefire in the Gazoo Strip as several Paleostinians are killed during fresh Israeli attacks.
"The ceasefire has collapsed and Israel is responsible," Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Paleostinian negotiating team in Cairo, said on Wednesday.
"We are leaving tomorrow, but we have not pulled out of negotiations," he stated, adding that the Paleostinians were waiting for Israel's response to their truce proposal.
"We will not come back (to Cairo) until Israel responds," Ahmed said.
Ahmed also said a peace agreement could have been reached, but it was Israel's decision to make the talks fail.
A Paleostinian infant was killed along with two adults in Israeli Arclight airstrikes against the besieged Gazoo Strip on Tuesday.
According to Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, officials, despite the fact that a temporary truce was supposed to be in effect, there were at least 25 Arclight airstrikes across Gazoo on Tuesday.
Israeli warplanes and tanks have been pounding the blockaded sliver since early July, inflicting heavy losses on the coastal enclave.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Of course it's Israel's fault -- they didn't surrender to Hamass and grant them everything they wished for. These idiots need to be stomped so hard into the ground they'll have to speak Chinese to be rescued.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2014 14:47 Comments ||
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[Ynet] Terrorists say they feel at home in tunnels, vow to restock arsenal: 'In peace we make preparations, and in war we use what we have readied,' says one of them.
Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, fighters, clad in black and armed with assault rifles, navigated the dimly lit tunnel with ease, saying they felt at home in their network of underground passages in the Gazoo Strip.
Ooooh, black -- scary! Photos at link.
A rare tour that Hamas granted to a Rootersnews hound, photographer and cameraman appeared to be an attempt to dispute Israel's claim that it had demolished all of the Islamist group's border infiltration tunnels in the Gazoo war.
No, Israel claimed to have destroyed the tunnels which passed under the border into Israel. They saved the tunnels going to the Hamas' hospital headquarters for the next phase of fighting, should it come to that. In the meantime, let Hamas' black-clad fighters and their important senior men hide deep in the bowels of the earth, mourning the failed triple attack set for Rosh Hashanah: the intifada and coup in the West Bank, the tunnel kidnap-massacre, and the rain of missiles which was to have terrorized and smashed neighbourhoods as far as Tel Aviv. Instead they can't even negotiate a cease fire longer than five days while Gaza lies in rubble over their heads, poor pathetic things that they are.
"We are speaking to you today from inside one of those tunnels, which Israel said it had destroyed. Our men are still operating in those tunnels prepared for all options," said a masked fighter from Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Y'all keep crouching in readiness, guys. By the time anything actually happens, your thigh muscles will be simply gorgeous.
But driven, blindfolded, to the secret location in a Hamas vehicle that made a series of turns, it was impossible for the Rooters crew to tell whether it was close to the frontier or further inside the Gazoo Strip in tunnels untouched by Israeli bombing. It was not clear where the tunnel led.
But the betting money's on "not to Israel"...
By Israel's own account, its ground forces focused only on destroying tunnels within 2 to 4.5 km of the border, while ignoring more distant connecting passages. During the Gazoo offensive, Israel's military took news hounds through tunnels it discovered at the frontier.
Chatting in soft voices and laughing at times, Hamas men guided the Rooters crew through corridors less than a metre (3.3 feet) wide that are reached by descending a thin metal ladder through a tiny shaft.
The chat can be heard on the video, also at the link. Click on the article headline to watch and listen. And translate, if you happen to know Arabic, dear Reader.
"It feels just like home," their commander said. "Fighters dug these tunnels with their own hands just like they built their houses, so they live here at comfort and assurance like they do at home."
Did they? I thought it was small children, 160 of whom had died in the doing, and hired diggers, quite a few of whom were killed when the war was going badly. Dead men tell the Shin Bet no tales, donchaknow. Live ones, however, have shared quite a bit. Which will make the next phase of things a good deal more interesting for Gaza than originally planned.
Sound of silence
The ceiling in parts of the tunnel was high enough so we could walk through - alternately on dry, concrete floors and muddy ground - without having to bend our heads.
It was impossible to gauge the tunnel's length, but it had offshoots leading in different directions. Once inside, the sounds of traffic and Israeli drones that routinely fly over the territory of 1.8 million people could not be heard.
Israel said the tunnel network is used by Hamas to move and store weapons and keep fighters out of sight of Israeli aircraft.
It is separate from smuggling conduits that ran under the Egypt-Gazoo border. Egypt, which regards Hamas as a security threat, destroyed those tunnels before the current war.
Israel launched its Gazoo offensive on July 8 after a surge in Hamas rocket fire across the border. Israeli ground forces invaded on July 17 with the declared aim of destroying infiltration tunnels and left on August 5 after saying that mission had been accomplished.
Even Rooters reporters are not fooled by Hamas claims of what Israel said...
Egypt is trying to finalize a long-term ceasefire after a five-day truce was extended by 24 hours into Tuesday, a truce that was broken several hours before it was set to expire when Paleostinian factions in Gazoo resumed rocket fire on Israel.
On the battlefield, Hamas met Israeli forces with an array of tactics, including the use of tunnels to launch surprise attacks. The IDF lost 64 soldiers, more than six times the number of troops killed in its previous invasion of Gazoo in early 2009. Three civilians in Israel were also killed.
The ratio of 64 IDF to 1,000 terrorists does not bode well for Gaza in future interactions, for all the families of the dead 'fighters' will rejoice in the pensions they receive, paid by generous Qatar.
Israel says it has killed hundreds of Hamas fighters and destroyed more than 30 tunnels. Funeral marches were held for several members of the Qassam Brigades but there has been no official word from the group on its losses.
The Paleostinian Health Ministry puts the Gazoocorpse count at 2,016 and says most were civilians in the small, densely populated coastal territory.
Yes, but others have looked into those numbers, drawing a different conclusion.
In the tunnel, a Hamas fighter said the group would press on with restocking its arsenal or rockets and other weaponry and shoring up its underground network.
"In peace we make preparations, and in war we use what we have readied," he said.
Which next time -- or perhaps this time -- will be so much less than in the round just completed.
#1
Y'all keep crouching in readiness, guys. By the time anything actually happens, your thigh muscles will be simply gorgeous.
Crouching is also good for the glutes - which leads us into areas we probably don't want to go...
Seems to me that those cute lil' Packbots that iRobot makes would be just the thing for exploring tunnels. Equip them with night vision and a shotgun or grenade launcher and you have the makings of one fine-ass video game.
Use a program filter to degrade the image to video game level and then set it up as a MMO with a popular console network for play. Use both live feed crossed with random AI to keep the gamers occupied. There'd be people who'd subscribe to play. Anyone copyright the title 'Tunnel Rats' yet?
Along with a mental image of the erstwhile 'performer'.
Yikes
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/20/2014 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#6
I bought these new boots, did my nails
Had my hairwrap done just right
I thought this new dress was a sure bet
for Jihad tonight
Well its perfectly clear, between the goats and rears
I won't get so much as a kiss
As I head for the door, I turn around to be sure
Did I shave my eyebrows for this?
(from the video at link, with apologies to Mrs. Carter)
#9
A terribly sad song, swksvolFF. She should go back to school, then leave him in the enjoyment of his trailer, tv, and beer. And shave her legs just because legs should be shaved, saving that lbd for someone who'll appreciate it properly.
As for the jihad tourists, which so many of them are, wearing the scary clothes does not a warrior make.
[Iran Press TV] The number of ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... forces of Evil fighting against the Syrian government amounts to more than 50,000, says a UK-based NGO.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday that the holy warriors managed to recruit 6,000 forces of Evil in the past month alone.
The observatory's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said there were at least 20,000 non-Syrians among the terrorists.
"July saw the largest recruitment since the group appeared in Syria in 2013, with more than 6,000 new fighters," said the head of the group, which opposes the Syrian government.
The observatory also said there were 1,000 foreign forces of Evil among the raw recruits mostly from Chechnya, Europe, Arab countries, and China.
Most of the forces of Evil had entered via Turkey, Abdel Rahman said, adding that other recruits joined the ISIL from foreign-backed opposition groups, including 200 from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front that initially cooperated with ISIL.
The ISIL holy warriors currently control a swathe of eastern Syria and western Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Leslie Gelb humorously sez that there's only 327 of them.
[Iran Press TV] A reconciliation deal has been implemented between the Syrian government and some krazed killer groups in four strategic areas south of the capital Damascus, Press TV reports.
The goal of the reconciliation deal, first implemented on Tuesday, is to close ranks in the fighting against the ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... holy warriors in the al-Qadam, al-Asali, Bor Saeed and al-Jura areas.
Thousands of civilians are anticipating the result of the reconciliation processes here in the al-Qadam area in Damascus, hoping that it ends up successfully so they can return home.
"We heard about the reconciliation, my house and job are inside al-Qadam. I haven't seen them for over two years, I hope I can return home and live a normal life," Mohammad Abdulghafour, a displaced civilian, told the Press TV correspondent.
The government has already started cleaning the blocked streets and removing debris to pave the way for the return of civilians as well as the reestablishment of main services like the electricity work.
Adnan Abdulkhaliq, a truck driver, said, "Today we started opening the streets starting from them main square at the entrance of al-Qadam in the direction of the quarter. We reached the municipality building and the cop shoppe."
According to the deal, gangs in the region are to release the people they have kidnapped, provide the government with a list of the people they have kidnapped, turn themselves in and later on join government forces in fighting forces of Evil and Death Eaters near al-Qadam.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Cars and trucks formed on Tuesday long queues at Leb's northern border crossings after heavy security measures were taken by Lebanese and Syrian border posts, the state-run National News Agency reported.
NNA said that the queues of vehicles reached several kilometers long at the Abboudiyeh and Arida crossings.
The measures taken by the border posts affected the movement of travelers from and into Syria, the agency said.
Commuters urged the authorities to act to resolve the crisis, it added.
A report said in June that security agencies have intensified their efforts to control Leb's land, air, and maritime borders.
The measures include setting up modern surveillance towers to monitor the illegal land crossings, it said.
The legal crossings will meanwhile be equipped with the necessary technology to connect them to main security databases to determine the identity of travelers to and from Leb, the report added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the game, the Babe headed for second base. He almost made it. Then Sheila slapped him.... Voice of Leb radio (93.3) said that contact was lost with a fishing boat off Arida on Monday night.
VDL identified the fishermen on board as Bilal Hamawi, Ezzeddine Yassine and Rashid Asafiri.
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.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh
David Cameron
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
