Somalia’s government is demanding an explanation from the United States for Wednesday’s deadly Ruritanian airstrike in central Somalia. The Pentagon said in news release Thursday that its forces launched a “self-defense” strike against al-Shabab near the town of Galkayo, killing at least nine militants.
However, Galmudug state vice-president Mohamed Hashi Abdi told VOA’s Somali service that the U.S. airstrike killed 13 members of Galmudug forces.
And what were the Galmudug forces doing at the moment they were gob-smacked?
After the weekly cabinet meeting in Mogadishu, ministers in the government said they want “a clear explanation on the airstrike carried out by U.S. against forces belonging to the Galmudug, a Somali federal member state.”
The cabinet said it will appoint a ministerial committee to investigate the airstrike.
Abdi said the Americans were “misguided” in a request that came from officials in the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
“We fight against al-Shabab, and there is no al-Shabab presence in Galmudug area,” he added.
Then why were you fighting?
Abdi said the Galmudug president and the U.S. deputy ambassador to Somalia met Thursday in Mogadishu to discuss the issue, and the U.S. diplomat pledged to provide clear answers.
Meanwhile, residents in Galkayo who were protesting the strike burned the U.S. flag Thursday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Who do they think they are, Congress? Even they get no straight answers, what are you expecting? /rhet question
[Asharq al-Aswat] Libyan General Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... said, in a statement, that his country needs a leader possessing a wide military experience, and expressed again rejection of the U.N.-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA).
La Belle France, for its part, announced that it will host a meeting on Libya next week. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that the upcoming meeting on Libya would bring together countries including Egypt, Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... , the United Arab Emirates and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... "The Libyan National Army does not recognize any authority other than that of the parliament which is headquartered in Tobruk," Haftar told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
When asked if he aims to take over the power in Libya, Haftar said he refuses to answer this question until social, security and political stability is settled in the country.
"Unfortunately, we are now facing a political impasse," the U.N. envoy to the North African country Martin Kobler stated during a meeting of the U.N.’s Human Rights Council in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... "At the same time, Libya is witnessing the unfolding of dangerous military developments," Kobler said. "The risk of increased tensions in the capital should not be underestimated," he added.
He said that in Libya’s second city Benghazi in the east, "more than 100 families are currently trapped in areas of fighting, facing constant bombing and shortages of food, medical care and electricity."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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[al-Manar] Rocketry Force in Yemen unveiled a new domestically produced missile, “Somoud” (Steadfastness) which has a high destructive ability.
The move, announced in a statement by the Rocketry Force, is a part of efforts to upgrade Yemen’s arsenal in a bid to confront the Saudi-led aggression against the Arab impoveriched country.
“Somoud” is 4-meter-long and has 300-kg warhead, Yemeni sources said, adding that the missile has a range of 38 kms. CEP 35 km
The missile is named “Somoud”, referring to the steadfastness of the Yemeni people, the Rocketry Force said in the statement.
Yemen has been since March 26, 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition.
Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.
Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to fugitive ex-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.
[AlAhram] Canada took in a record number of immigrants in the 12 months ended July 1, the government statistical agency announced Wednesday.
"The country had not received such a large number of immigrants in a single annual period since the early 1910s during the settlement of Western Canada," Statistics Canada said in a statement.
The arrival of 31,000 Syrian refugees since last November helped push the figure up to 320,932, and break a previous peak set in 2009-2010 when migrants flocked to Canada to escape economic hardships.
During that period, Canada had just gotten through the worst global recession since the Great Depression relatively unscathed, and welcomed more than 270,000.
This latest wave of migrants also helped to push up the Canadian population by 1.2 percent to more than 36 million.
[DAWN] Postponement of the upcoming Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit in Islamabad in November looked certain on Wednesday as three more members -- Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan -- followed in India’s footsteps, pulling out of the leaders’ meeting citing concerns over ’terrorism and external interference’.
It's so nice to see Pakistan get just a little of what it so richly deserves.
An announcement in this regard by Saarc’s current chair Nepal remains a mere formality, which was being delayed because the Nepalese foreign minister and foreign secretary were in New York in connection with the UN General Assembly session. The formal announcement is expected on their return.
A senior Pak diplomat told Dawn that Nepal was being consulted.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj PrunefaceAziz
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy... , according to Radio Pakistain, said the postponement was likely, but the Saarc Secretariat was yet to notify it. Quoting Saarc rules, he said, a summit cannot be held if any member refuses to attend.
India had a day earlier expressed its inability to attend the meeting because of non-conducive environment in the region created by "increasing cross-border terrorist attacks and growing interference in internal affairs of member states by one country".
The Indian decision is attributed to the Sept 18 Uri military camp attack in which 18 soldiers were killed. The latest phase in Pakistain-India tensions started with the eruption of protests in held Kashmire in July, but the situation worsened after the Uri attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Undeterred by Indian threats, top political and military leadership on Wednesday vowed to continue support for the Kashmiris’ struggle and pointed to the ’restraint’ shown by Pakistain in the face of recent Indian provocations.
"Pakistain will continue to extend its moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris until the issue of Kashmire is resolved as per aspirations of Kashmiri people," 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... said while presiding over a meeting of key aides.
He said that Indian atrocities on Kashmiris would not be tolerated.
The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif ..Pak chief of army staff, meaning he pulls the strings on the Nawaz Sharif puppet to make it dance and sing and not do much at all.... , National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, Director General Military Operations Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza and bigwigs.
This was the second high-level civil-military huddle on the situation in India-held Kashmire after the Cabinet Committee on National Security met in July. The meeting took place against the backdrop of escalation in tensions with India following the Sept 18 Uri army camp attack and launch of a diplomatic offensive by Delhi for internationally isolating Pakistain.
The meeting reviewed Indian actions and the planning to respond to any aggression.
"Pakistain has shown unequalled and unprecedented restraint despite great provocation," PM Sharif said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] India and Pakistain should improve their communications to avoid an increase in tensions over Kashmire, the US State Department said on Thursday after Indian troops reportedly fired across the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmire.
"An attack like [this] that escalates tensions," US State Department front man John Kirby said, adding: "Our message to both sides is the same, to encourage them to increase communication to deal with this threat and avoid steps that escalates the tension."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Yeah!
If they go to war where are we going to get knock-off purses and software?
Nothing gets past the UN these days
GENEVA (UN) – In an impassioned appeal to the Security Council, the top United Nations relief official called on the global body’s primary organ for maintenance of peace and security to act immediately to end the bloodshed in Syria so that humanitarian assistance is able to reach those who desperately need it.
“Syria is bleeding. Its citizens are dying. We all hear their cry for help. As humanitarians we are doing all we can,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told the 15-member Council Thursday.
He added that last week, even as world leaders discussed Syria at high-level meetings and during the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, violence intensified in the war-torn middle-eastern country and more civilians and aid workers were killed.
“It is time to place blame. It is time this Council stops tolerating the utter disregard for the most basic provisions of international humanitarian law,” Mr. O’Brien underscored.
Recounting the intensification of fighting across the country and in particular in eastern Aleppo, the UN official stressed: “This is not an unforeseen result of forces beyond our control. This is due to the action of parties to the conflict and it is the direct result of inaction – be it through unwillingness or inability – by the international community, including most notably those present in this chamber.”
According to the United Nations’ aid chief, the situation in Syria is a critical test of the “capacity and willingness” of the members of the Security Council to make a decision and take action and to uphold the words of the UN Charter “to save the Syrian people from the scourge of war.”
The iconic city of Aleppo is the worst affected location in the country, where according to estimates, since the 22 September announcement by the Syrian Ministry of Defence that it would launch an offensive there, some 320 civilians were killed and 765 injured in the first days. It is particularly concerning that over 100 children have been killed.
“These are not simply numbers to be added to a tally, these are individuals, family lives that we have collectively failed to save,” lamented Mr. O’Brien, who is also the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
He also drew attention to the alleged use of “bunker busting” bombs, which has reportedly caused mass destruction in an area that has already been decimated.
“This means there are bodies of babies, children, women and men stuck unrecovered in the rubble of basements up to 20 metres down where they had taken refuge – and where they had been safe until the use of these recently introduced weapons,” he said.
[MIDDLEEASTMONITOR] A video showing Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... laughing when asked if his government had bombed two of Aleppo’s biggest hospitals has sparked outrage.
Diplomatic editor for Al Jazeera English, James Bays, asked Syrian diplomat Bashar al-Jaafari if his government had bombed two hospitals in Aleppo yesterday. This prompted al-Jaafari to break out in laughter before simply walking away.
Social media users have described al-Jaafari’s reaction as "despicable" and "disgusting." Samantha Powers, the US ambassador to the UN, described the video as "chilling."
"This is the face of the Syrian regime and Russia’s actions in Aleppo ‐ absolutely no regard for the thousands being slaughtered. Chilling," she said in a tweet.
The hospitals, which serve 250,000 Syrians besieged in eastern Aleppo, were put out of service after being hit by Arclight airstrikes and artillery fire within minutes of each other.
International organizations have warned of an impending humanitarian disaster, warning that only 30 doctors remain in the besieged eastern districts of Aleppo.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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[MIDDLEEASTMONITOR] The Syrian government today criticised the US-led coalition for destroying two bridges on the Euphrates river this week in areas held by ISIS hold in the east of the country.
Monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes most probably from the coalition hit the two bridges in Deir ez-Zor province on Tuesday and Wednesday, making them unusable.
The attacks "confirm the so-called international coalition’s intent to bomb and destroy Syrian infrastructure and economic and social establishments through repeated aggressive acts," state TV quoted the foreign ministry as saying.
Syria’s ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari said the bridges had been used by hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The Observatory said putting the bridges out of action would impede aid deliveries to areas in need and hamper movement of civilians.
The United States has been leading a campaign against ISIS in Syria’s east, supporting Arab and Kurdish fighters on the ground with Arclight airstrikes.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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[MIDDLEEASTMONITOR] Secretary General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah has slammed 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... with claims that "Wahhabism is more evil than Israel".
In a speech on Tuesday, he justified his comment stating that the Wahhabi ideology seeks to destroy others and eliminate Islam and its history.
Nasrallah denied accusations of sectarianism as he called for support to destroy Wahhabism and its "project that was launched in 2011", in an apparent reference to the Arab Spring.
Nasrallah asserted that the unrest raging in Syria wasn’t a sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia sects, but one against the Wahhabi ideology that Saudi Arabia exports.
Hezbollah is an ally of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... and Iran, and its troops have fought alongside Syrian regime forces against opposition factions.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
"Wahhabism is more evil than Israel" The wrong comparison. Wahhabism is more evil than the Mad Mullahs and Shiitism?
[Asharq al-Aswat] U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon has announced on Wednesday that attacks on hospitals in Aleppo are war crimes, commenting on targeting the two biggest hospitals in the east of the city which is seized by the opposition.
The situation in Aleppo is worse than a slaughterhouse, Ban Ki-moon has said.
The two biggest hospitals in an area that is under the control of the opposition were targeted, therefore they stopped operating, according to a non-governmental medical organization that supervises these two hospitals.
An official in the Syrian Opposition told Rooters that some foreign countries provided the opposition forces with Grad rockets ...Soviet-developed 122-mm rockets, usually launched from trucks. Newer versions are reported to have a range of up to 30 km.... to combat a strong attack supported by Russia on Aleppo.
Other Syrian Opposition officials said that the regime forces clashed with the opposition fighters in several battlefronts. On the other hand, the regime forces and their allies are leading an attack supported by Russia to control the city.
"Pro-regime forces are mobilizing for more land attacks on certain areas in Aleppo", said other opposition forces sources.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2016 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
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[DAWN] Undeterred by Indian threats, top political and military leadership on Wednesday vowed to continue support for the Kashmiris’ struggle and pointed to the ’restraint’ shown by Pakistain in the face of recent Indian provocations.
[DAWN] India and Pakistain should improve their communications to avoid an increase in tensions over 
[MIDDLEEASTMONITOR] A video showing Syria’s ambassador to the 
[Asharq al-Aswat] U.N. Secretary General 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
