[AnNahar] A Russian held for years by the U.S. military in Afghanistan will be flown to the United States to face trial, marking the first such transfer for a foreign fighter from the country, officials said Friday.
The detainee is one of 13 foreigners who remain under detention by U.S. authorities at a wing of the Parwan prison near Bagram in Afghanistan, on suspicion of fighting with Taliban bad boys.
"We can confirm that a detainee at the Parwan detention facility in Afghanistan will be transferred to law enforcement custody and brought to the United States for trial," a defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The detainee will face "terrorism-related charges" in federal court, the official said.
The detainee was a Russian national, known by the nom de guerre of Irek Hamidullan, who allegedly led bad boy attacks in 2009 that maimed or killed American forces, officials said, confirming media reports.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the case.
Although other detainees at Parwan have been quietly repatriated to other countries, this was the first time an inmate had been transferred to U.S. soil from the prison.
The American combat mission in Afghanistan is due to wrap up this year, and Washington is anxious to transfer the remaining foreign detainees at Parwan by the end of December.
A Pentagon front man said the U.S. military was seeking to transfer more detainees out of the prison, without confirming whether they might be flown to the United States for trial.
"The Defense Department is working diligently to transfer the handful of remaining non-Afghan detainees at the Afghan National Detention Facility-Parwan prior to December 31," Lieutenant Colonel Myles Caggins said.
[AnNahar] Despite reservations from Russia and Jordan, the U.N. Security Council on Friday authorized snap inspections off Somalia's coast of ships suspected of carrying charcoal sold by Shabaab Islamists.
About a third of some $250 million in annual revenue from the charcoal trade flows directly to the coffers of the al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab fighting the Mogadishu government, according to a U.N. monitoring group.
The British-drafted resolution was approved by 13 of the 15 members of the Council, with Jordan and Russia abstaining, but not opposing, the measure intended to tighten an embargo on the charcoal trade.
Jordan argued that the text allowing inspections in Somali territorial waters and on the high seas opened the door to abuses and could be used for political aims in the volatile Horn of Africa.
Russia questioned the findings of the monitoring group's report, with Ambassador Vitaly Churkin saying that the experts should not base their conclusions on "rash accusations."
British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said the inspections were in line with a request from the Mogadishu government to choke off a major source of funding to the Shabaab.
"Charcoal is giving al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... a lifeline," the ambassador told the Council.
The U.N. monitoring group reported that despite the ban, charcoal exports continued to Gulf countries, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The Security Council imposed a charcoal and arms embargo in 2012 and last year moved to partially lift the ban on weapons sold to the Mogadishu government to allow it to supply its forces in its fight against the Shabaab.
The U.N. monitors however reported that some of the weapons sold to the Somali army fell into dubious hands including some shipments that were distributed to clans linked to the government.
Weapons sent to the national army and supposed to be used to defend the internationally backed government have been seen on open sale in at least one market where Shabaab agents bought arms, the report said.
The resolution called on the Somali government to report on the storage, distribution and use of all of the weapons by March and again in September.
Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, but the government which took power last year was the first to be given global recognition since the conflict began.
Somali troops, backed by African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... forces, have managed to beat back the Shabaab, which grabbed credit for last year's attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
[Libya Herald] The mountain town of Kikla could be under the full control of the Libyan National Army (LNA) within days, according to the Commander of the Military Operations in the Western Region.
"The majority of Kikla [area] is under the control of the Libyan army, and we could secure total control within two to three days," Brigadier Idris Madi told the Libya Herald. He added, however, that because of the difficult mountain terrain and the way the town was spread out, the operation could take longer to complete.
"We are fighting groups in different places there and are trying to deal with each place as a separate entity," Madi said. He added that it was known to the Libyan Army that these groups included several affiliated either with the Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... operation or 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 Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... Echoing advice given to residents of Benghazi, he advised local people not to allow turbans or militias to use their homes as hideaways. "The cooperation with local people is very important and they need to protect themselves," Madi said, adding that the LNA had "great support" from civilians in many of the Western mountain towns as well as in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... . "We have to keep social cohesion among the people and many in the Western Mountains are cooperating with the Libyan army."
The military forces were advancing gradually, to avoid heavy fighting in residential areas, which could result in civilian casualties, he explained.
The LNA itself had not sustained heavy casualties so far, with the injured being taken to hospitals in Tunisia for treatment, Madi said. Those fighting for Libya Dawn were believed to have suffered heavier losses but, he claimed, the opposition was always keen to withhold such information.
Once Kikla was secured, LNA forces would wait for orders from higher ranks regarding its next move, Madi said. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... the ultimate goal of the military operations in the Western region was to keep progressing until Tripoli was retaken from Libya Dawn.
"We will move forward until we liberate the capital," Madi said. "The Libyan army is willing to protect all areas that are in need of protection, and this will be provided by the military, not by Libya Shield ...a conglomerate of pro-Islamist militias deployed across Libya. It reports to the Libyan defense ministry and is organized like a real army unit. Its commander used to head a Benghazi brigade called Free Libya Martyrs... Since the latest wave of fighting began in the Western Mountain region in early September, the LNA has been slowly advancing. As well as parts of Kikla, the towns of Kasarat, Shalghouda and Abusheba were now under control of the Libyan Army and supporting units, Madi said. The suburbs of Aziziya ‐ the largest town in the Wershafana area ‐ have also been secured.
"What remains are pockets of people, especially in areas close to Warsherfana and the Western Mountain and the Libyan army is dealing with such pockets," Madi said. "These are not necessarily members of Libya Dawn but they are smaller groups from other areas that support Libya Dawn operations."
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10/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[ARABNEWS] Gulf states are stepping up their awareness campaigns to alert young people about the dangers of extremism, said Kuwait's Information Minister Sheikh Salman Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah.
He said the new 'Gulf Awareness' programs would adopt a different approach with the aims of moving youth away from Lion of Islam and harmful views.
Al-Sabah's remarks followed a meeting of the Gulf information ministers that concluded in Kuwait recently.
The meeting discussed plans for combating extremism.
Terrorism in the media has become a global phenomenon, he said.
A recent meeting of interior ministers of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... has stressed the need to boost monitoring mechanisms against media networking sites that support terrorism, he pointed out.
Gulf authorities will support educational and media awareness campaigns to prevent terrorist ideologies and Lion of Islam thoughts from spreading across the Internet via social networking sites.
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[ARABNEWS] Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, said Salafism reflected the true Islamic way of life suited to any time or place.
"It is the way of life of the adherents of Sunnah who followed in the footsteps of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and also the way of the early believers, the Muhajirs and the Ansars," Al-Sudais said while delivering the Friday sermon at the Grand Mosque.
"It is also following the will of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said: 'Hold fast to my Sunnah and the way of life of the rightly guided caliphs after me. Beware of the innovations in religious matters; each new innovation in religious matters is a deviation from the right path and every deviation ends up in Hell Fire,'" he said quoting Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiah.
However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... Al-Sudais clarified that opposition to new innovations was confined to religious matters and did not apply to modern scientific inventions and technological advancement. He said that some people do evil deeds and wrongfully attribute them to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Salafi principles and method could not be held responsible for the erroneous understanding and practice of some people, he said.
Al-Sudais said the Kingdom has been holding fast to the Salafi creed and the teachings of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab who called on people to follow the path of Tawhid and faith. His teachings sought to reform people from the aberrations in the creed and he fought against deviant views and wrong practices.
"His call was not for a new religion or a fifth school of thought but for the true understanding of the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his truthful companions and followers of the succeeding generations to strictly follow the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. His teachings were poles apart from the 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... ideology and the khawarij practices, even though they attracted baseless accusations, false charges and attempts to tarnish him," Al-Sudais said, adding the teachings of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab were labeled by his enemies as Wahhabism. "The land of the Two Holy Mosques follows the moderate middle path of the Salafi way in the light of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah and the way of the righteous early followers of the Prophet.
At the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, Imam and Khatib Sheikh Husain Al-Asheikh called on the believers to introspect and evaluate their own deeds to know how far they have succeeded in making the best use of their time leading lives as true Moslems on the occasion of the end of the current Hijri year.
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10/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
10/25/2014 9:03 Comments ||
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A total of 38 people have been found in ten graves in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, according to Spanish language news sources.
According to a news article published in an online editon of La Cronica (Mexicali, B.C.) news daily, over the last three weeks ten gravesites have been found by government troops in Iguala municipality at a location called Pueblo Viejo.
Eight bodies were exhumed at Rancho El Seripe. A total of 30 more were found in Pueblo Viejo.
A total of 43 students missing since last month sparked a search of the area, but Mexican news report say none of the dead found were the missing atudents. Those missing were involved in anti government protests which have been ongoing since the installation of the new government in 2012.
It is being reported that the 38 dead found were likely victims of Mexican organized crime.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
North Korean leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un visited a town in South Pyongyan Province earlier this week, the official Rodong Sinmun reported Wednesday, marking his first foray outside Pyongyang since he resurfaced in public.
Still requiring a cane to walk, the corpulent Kim visited the site for a retreat for scientists and checked on progress in construction, the daily said. He was accompanied by Hwang Pyong-so, a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission and Workers Party Secretary Choe Ryong-hae.
A Unification Ministry official said the visit appears to be aimed at quelling any lingering suspicions over Kim's health. Suet Face Kim reappeared last week after about 40 days out of the public eye.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/25/2014 00:00 ||
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has denied there was a secretive deal involved in North Korea's release of American Jeffrey Fowle.
He's lying, I think...
Kerry said in Berlin on Wednesday that the U.S. is concerned about the remaining American detainees, adding that he hopes Pyongyang will release them as soon as possible.
The top U.S. diplomat also expressed hope for the resumption of denuclearization talks with North Korea. He added the U.S. is prepared to reduce its regional military presence if North Korea takes steps toward denuclearization.
How about we take steps to reduce our presence after South Korea and China divide North Korea between them?
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has denied there was a secretive deal involved in North Korea's release of American Jeffrey Fowle.
Congratulations on accidentally not screwing up this time. I think . . . .
[IsraelTimes] The B.O. regime this week refused Israel defense minister's requests to meet several top national security aides, still miffed over negative comments he made about 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... 's Mideast peace efforts and nuclear negotiations with Iran, US officials said Friday.
While Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon did see Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and US Ambassador to the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Samantha Power, the officials said the White House and State Department rejected Israeli proposals for meetings with Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... , national security adviser Susan Rice and Kerry on his five-day trip to the United States. The administration had sought to stop Ya'alon from seeing Power but the objections were made too late to cancel the meeting, according to the officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the snubs, which were first reported by several Israeli media outlets.
Their comments were reported hours after publication of a report by the Israeli news-site Ynet, which said Ya'alon had been denied the meetings because the US administration was settling scores with Ya'alon for statements he made in January in which he called Kerry "obsessive" and "messianic" about Israeli-Paleostinian peace talks, which came to an abrupt halt in April. Ya'alon also privately derided Kerry's security proposals for an Israeli pullout from the West Bank.
Ya'alon met with Hagel at the Pentagon on Tuesday. Kerry himself was out of the country until late Wednesday, but the officials said pointedly that a meeting with the secretary of state could have been arranged before Ya'alon departs the US.
The White House and State Department declined to comment on internal deliberations about who Ya'alon should see.
"I can't speak to any meetings that didn't occur," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told news hounds.
At the State Department, spokeswoman Jen Psaki ...a valley girl who woke up one morning and found she was spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State... noted that the Ya'alon's meeting with his counterpart Hagel was "a natural, standard procedure."
Visiting Israeli defense ministers, including Ya'alon's immediate predecessor Ehud Barak, have in the past been granted meetings with senior US officials other than their direct counterparts. This week's refusals come amid increasingly strained US-Israel relations, particularly over criticism of Kerry by several members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, including Ya'alon.
Earlier this year, Ya'alon infuriated officials in Washington with comments accusing the administration of being weak on Iran and questioning the U.S. commitment to Israel's security. That followed reports that Ya'alon had criticized Kerry for being unrealistic and naive in trying to forge an Israeli-Paleostinian peace deal.
[DAWN] 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) Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... addressed a massive public gathering in Gujrat on Friday which he had earlier confidently said would be a record breaking rally.
Today's rally is part of the PTI's campaign against the government of 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... , which it started in August along with Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) leader Dr Tahirul-Qadri, who recently decided against continuing the sit-in in front of Parliament in the federal capital.
The PTI leadership has also decided to hold rallies in different cities in the country as according to a prominent party leader it became difficult for PTI supporters from Islamabad and Rawalpindi to maintain presence at the sit-in continuously.
On Thursday, Imran Khan had expressed with great confidence that, "attendance in the rally will break all records of public gatherings held so far by different parties in the [Gujrat] district".
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10/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] "Pakistain is one of only three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... is still endemic, and efforts to stamp it out have been badly affected by attacks on vaccinators like Sumbal.
In the 2000s Pakistain looked on course to wipe out polio after a series of vaccination drives brought the number of cases down to just 28 in 2005, from more than 18,000 in 1993, according to Unicef data.
But from 2008 the epidemic rebounded and in 2014 hit a 15-year high, with 210 cases -- 80 per cent of all the polio cases in the world.
The problem is concentrated in the northwest, wracked since 2007 by a homegrown Taliban insurgency, and the main city Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. has gained an unenviable reputation as the "world capital" of polio.
A Taliban ban on vaccination in North and South Wazoo tribal areas, on the Afghan border, has left hundreds of thousands of children unprotected from the virus.
Adding to the problem, many of the poorly-educated population believe unfounded rumours about the vaccine containing pork or being a Western plot to sterilise Moslems.
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[DAWN] Haji Abdul Qayyum Changezi, the head of Hazara Qaumi Jirga and a survivor of many Hazara massacres, still thinks there is a way to stop it. Earlier this month, in his Hazara Town office, he was surrounded by fellow survivors. A man had lost his entire family. "Yes all of them," the man shook his head and refused to say anything more. Here was a transporter who had lost all his business. An eight-year-old kid with a scar across his face who lost his mother in the Mastung bus massacre. "I was sitting in the front of the bus playing with my brother, my mother was at the back," was all he could remember. Homes in Hazra Town were full of teenagers who couldn't go to university and their parents who couldn't go to their jobs while amateurish looking gunnies sat on streets corners trying to do DIY security.
Haji Changezi tapped on a pile of national Urdu dailies published from Quetta and pointed to headlines that he had highlighted; in various poetic forms inciting the murder of Shia Hazras. "Whenever these headlines appear, an attack on our community follows. Can anyone stop these headlines?" A young man in the office opened the Facebook page of a banned sectarian organization and played a clip from a rally held recently in Quetta stadium. A singer sang a composition declaring all Shias kafir. Speakers following him did the same in blood-curdling prose.
Liaqat Ali Hazara, the transporter said that he had approached the military authorities to resume his business. "Give it to us in writing that if one of your buses gets attacked you'll not protest again and sit on the streets with your coffins."
He is still considering the offer. "There are some drivers who are willing to drive my buses. They are saying if we are going to die sitting in our homes then we might as well die working. Also if you are in a moving bus maybe you have a better chance of survival."
Another young man complained that non-Hazara bus drivers had started refusing Hazara passengers. "They think we are a security threat. Sometimes they charge us extra."
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[DAWN] 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 Friday that a comprehensive communication strategy was being evolved which would promote immunisation as the right of every child and also called upon every segment of the society to ensure that children were being given their due rights.
A ceremony was held at the Prime Minister House in relation to World Polio Day. On the occasion, the premier met polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... -affected children and their parents.
Later, the prime minister administered polio vaccination drops to children and expressed commitment on behalf of his government towards eradicating the crippling virus. He said all resources were being made available to eradicate polio.
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[DAWN] Despite efforts by the government and other stakeholders, the number of polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... cases increased by four times in 2014 compared to the corresponding period last year. "The global community has been looking towards Pakistain to address the issue. During the low transmission season starting from December, quality campaigns have to be carried out to eradicate the virus."
This was stated by Dr Zubair Mufti, the representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), while speaking at a news conference at a local hotel a day before the World Polio Day (on October 24).
Dr Mufti said though Afghanistan and Nigeria had also the issue of polio, the situation in Pakistain was bad.
"As many as 217 cases of polio have been reported in the current year in Pakistain." He said 12 cases were reported from Afghanistan and only six from Nigeria during the current year.
"There are issues of security but still during the low transmission season, from December to April - steps should be taken to control the virus. Poliovirus cannot survive for more than four days in sewage."
He said the virus could only replicate in the human intestine so it has to be ensured that every child is vaccinated. The military operation in South Wazoo provided an opportunity to vaccinate the children who could not be covered for over two years.
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[DAWN] A family in Korangi was informed on Thursday that two minor siblings were suffering from polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... , though the family had the brothers inoculated more than once during routine campaigns, officials said.
With two more polio cases in the city, the provincial government received confirmation of four polio cases within two days -- three from 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... and one from Dadu. The provincial tally has now reached 23.
The officials said Ajmal Khan, a labourer from the Pakhtun community, residing in Union Council 3 of Ittehad Town brought his three-year-old son Umair on Sept 27 to doctors with polio symptoms.
On Oct 1, he reported to authorities with 12-month-old Kashif in the similar condition, officials added.
"Their excreta samples were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad and today we were informed that both siblings are afflicted with poliovirus," said Dr Mazhar Khamisani, director of the expanded programme on immunisation of Sindh, while speaking to Dawn.
In the confirmation report, both legs of the two siblings were stated to have been hit by polio.
"It is the first time we have seen two children of a same family falling victim to polio."
Official records showed that Umair had been vaccinated thrice and young Kashif immunised twice in previous anti-polio campaigns.
"One reason could be the lack of immunity in their bodies for any reason that did not support the vaccine's efficacy," said an expert.
However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... Dr Khamisani said the health authorities would investigate the matter.
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[ARABNEWS] The US is looking into reports that Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... bandidosmurderous Moslems used chlorine gas against Iraqi security forces, 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.
Kerry said he was unable to confirm media reports that chlorine gas was used against Iraqi coppers last month.
"These allegations are extremely serious and we are seeking additional information in order to be able to determine whether or not we can confirm it," Kerry said.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that 11 Iraqi coppers were rushed to a hospital north of Baghdad last month with symptoms that are consistent with chlorine poisoning.
The newspaper said Iraqi forces have reported two other crude chlorine gas attacks in Iraq since Islamic State bandidosmurderous Moslems took over large areas of the country.
"The use of any chemical weapons ... is against international law and these recent allegations underscore the importance of the work we are currently engaged in," Kerry said, adding that the possible chlorine gas attack would not sway US strategy in battling the Islamic State.
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#1
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
10/25/2014 9:04 Comments ||
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[ARABNEWS] US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in the air war against the IS group and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the American military said Thursday.
The flights for "Operation Inherent Resolve" include thousands of mid-air fueling runs, surveillance sorties and 632 air strikes in Iraq and Syria, according to US Central Command.
The latest tally was released one month since the US-led coalition extended its air campaign from Iraq into Syria, in a bid to counter the advance of the IS men.
The effect of the open-ended air campaign remains the subject of debate, with the White House saying the snuffies have been damaged by the strikes and critics pointing to the group's battlefield successes despite the raids.
Coalition aircraft have targeted IS snuffies with more than 1,700 bombs and missiles since Aug. 8 in both Iraq and Syria, Central Command said in a statement.
Washington often stresses that a broad coalition is fighting the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... bully boys, but US aircraft have conducted the overwhelming majority of the strikes so far.
Out of 632 bombing raids, non-US coalition members, including four Arab states, carried out only 79 of the strikes, Central Command said.
In Iraq, aircraft from Australia, Belgium, Britannia, and the Netherlands have taken part in the strikes along with the US.
And in Syria, the Americans have been joined by combat aircraft from Bahrain, Jordan, 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 the UAE, it said.
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#1
Let's suppose at least one IS "soldier" is killed with each bomb. Where are the casualties?
#4
Bad, you send a plane out with a couple bombs and a recon pod. On the way out it takes pictures of a previously bombed target and on the way back it can take pics of a not-yet-bombed target.
#5
Interesting question. Here's another - why does it take an average of nearly four sorties to drop a single bomb?
Been a while since I've done any air-ground operations, and I've never had anything to do with Naval Air, but I suspect many of the sorties are recce, targeting missions.
#6
This little bastid (Tiger Shark UAV) saves a lot of AVGAS and pilot recce flight hours. Of course you have to be close enough to the fight to use it.
#9
"Operation Inherent Resolve?" That's a crappy name for an operation. Inherent resolve to do what; to not hurt anyone? Inherent resolve is dropping a bomb every 2-2.5 missions?
[AnNahar] The Iraqi army is still months away from staging a major offensive to retake ground lost to the Islamist State group and is regrouping after suffering battlefield defeats this year, U.S. military officials said Thursday.
Iraqi security forces were now able to stage small-scale attacks against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group but needed time to plan and train for a larger operation, even with the aid of U.S.-led air strikes, one military official told news hounds.
"It's well within their capability to do that (counter-attack), on the order of months, not years," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... But he added: "It's not imminent."
Asked when the Iraqi army might be ready to launch an operation to push the Islamic State group out of the northern town of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , the official said it could be up to a year.
Officials at the U.S. military's Central Command headquarters acknowledged the pace of the bombing raids by American and allied warplanes has been limited by the Iraqi army's shortcomings, as it was not on the move and mainly in a defensive position.
There have been more than 600 strikes in Iraq and Syria since August 8, officials said, a much smaller number when compared to previous air campaigns in Libya or the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The scope of the air strikes also has hinged on how often the IS group moved in larger numbers in the open, leaving themselves open to attack.
Under the Shiite-led government of former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi army had deteriorated in recent years with some capable senior officers replaced by political loyalists and equipment neglected, the official said.
U.S. military advisors based in Baghdad and Arbil were working to shore up the Iraqi army, according to officials.
And for the first time, U.S. officials left open the possibility advisor teams could eventually deploy to western Anbar province, where the Iraqi army has suffered a string of setbacks.
"I can't tell you when" advisers may operate out of Anbar, the official said. "There's been a lot of discussion and planning."
Such a move could put U.S. forces at more risk, given the strength of the Islamic State group west of Baghdad, and open President Barack Obama I bowled a 129. Itâs like â it was like Special Olympics, or something... up to criticism that he is escalating the American commitment despite a vow not to have "boots on the ground."
Obama's war strategy calls for helping to persuade Sunni tribes to confront the Islamic State Lion of Islams, but officials said that effort -- led by Baghdad -- was only at a preliminary stage.
More than one tribe had joined the fight but "it's not a widespread tribal uprising," the official said.
Many Sunnis, who felt alienated by the previous Baghdad government, were "waiting to see which way the (Haider) Abadi government is going to go," he said.
- IS stalled in Kobane -
Officials said it was too soon to judge whether President Barack Obama's strategy to defeat the Islamic State group was succeeding because the war effort is in its early stages.
But commanders have said the initial goal of the air strikes was to stop the advance of the snuffies across Syria and Iraq, buying time to train and arm local forces to eventually roll them back.
In at least one battleground, in the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane in northern Syria, the American air strikes appear to have succeeded in helping halt the onslaught of the Lion of Islams, officials said.
A weeks-long offensive by the jihadists around the border town has stalled and Kurdish fighters likely will be able to hold out indefinitely with the help of air raids, officials said.
The front lines between Islamic State snuffies and Kurdish forces have not moved for more than a week, despite a concerted push by the well-armed jihadists.
"If you look at what's happened over the last week and a half, really the line in Kobane hasn't really changed much," said a second official at Central Command.
"I think unless something happens out of the current paradigm of what ISIL (IS) is doing, I think the Kurdish defenders... are going to be able to hold."
The fate of Kobane has grabbed headlines and now carries crucial symbolic importance for both the IS group and the U.S.-led coalition.
Officials said the Islamic State group had not given up its assault on the town, and would likely keep up its offensive.
But a failure to prevail in Kobane will present the snuffies with a propaganda problem, as it has painted itself with an aura of inevitability, the official added.
In Washington, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel acknowledged "mixed" results in the war effort but said: "We believe that our strategy is working."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
WTF does this Artic mean - is the US-Allies going to reorg, retrain, + reequip the Iraqi Army over the next few months; or does it mean no Iraqi-led ground offensive until after the Nov/2014 Elex + January swear-in back in the US, until such time in late February or mid-March when things M-I-G-H-T actually get moving???
India has opted to buy Israel's Spike anti-tank guided missile, a defence ministry source said on Saturday, rejecting a rival US offer of Javelin missiles that Washington had lobbied hard to win.
India will buy at least 8,000 Spike missiles and more than 300 launchers in a deal worth 32 billion rupees ($525 million), the source said after a meeting of India's Defense Acquisition Council. Ah, that explains
[IsraelTimes] The summer war in Gazoo barely set back Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,'s military capabilities, the movement's political second-in-command said in comments published this week, countering Israeli claims that the movement was significantly harmed during Operation Protective Edge.
"After all the bombing and war, Israel reduced Hamas's military capabilities by less than 7%," Abu Marzouk said in a lengthy interview with Egyptian daily A-Shorouk published Monday.
Long article at the link full of stuff Hamas wants the world to believe is true.
[Ynet] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, test-fired a rocket in the direction of the Mediterranean sea on Friday morning, sources in Gazoo said.
This the sixth reported test firing that the group has carried out recently.
[AnNahar] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... said Friday that 1,300 Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... fighters would join Kurds in defending the key Syrian border town of Kobane from an assault by Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... jihadists.
The Syrian Kurds have "accepted 1,300 people from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and they are holding talks to determine the transit route," Erdogan told news hounds in Estonia's capital Tallinn.
"I have just been informed that the number of (Iraqi Kurdish) peshmerga (to be sent to Kobane) was reduced to 150" from a previously agreed 200, he added.
Erdogan said Thursday that 200 Iraqi Kurd peshmerga fighters would travel through Turkey to Kobane to fight jihadists from the Islamic State group.
There are an estimated 2,000 Kurdish fighters battling IS jihadists for control of Kobane.
Ankara views the PYD as the Syrian arm of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) whose three-decade armed campaign for self-rule in Turkey has left 40,000 people dead.
Erdogan on Thursday dubbed the PYD a "terrorist organization".
"As you know, in our talks with (U.S. President Barack) Obama we had agreed that the FSA could be the first choice (for deployment in Kobane) and the second choice could be (Kurdish) peshmergas," Erdogan said Friday in Tallinn.
He has also raised the acute humanitarian crisis gripping Syria and the spillover of refugees into Turkey.
Some 200,000 Kurds have fled from Syria to Turkey to escape the onslaught on Kobane by IS jihadists.
Turkey is separately hosting over 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled the civil war between Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... and rebels seeking his ouster.
"Where was the world when 300,000 people have been killed in Syria thus far?" Erdogan said Thursday in Riga.
Well, Turkey was aiding and abetting ISIS with funds, rest and rejuvenation opportunities, medical treatment and possibly training, and still pronounces ISIS to be less of a danger to humanity than the Kurds mountain Turks, so owns some responsibility for the consequences that developed...
"Why are they so keen on Kobane, but not on the whole of Syria? That's a question to ask."
War, like politics, is the art of the possible, Mr. President. Why are you not interested in what is passing a mere hundred yards or so from your border crossing?
Erdogan was in EU member Estonia Friday, where he was expected to discuss Turkey's bid to join the 28-member bloc.
The co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish PYD said on Friday that no agreement has been reached yet on the passage of Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... (FSA) fighters into the besieged border town of Kobani, contradicting comments from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
"We already established connection with FSA but no such agreement has been reached yet as Mr. Erdogan has mentioned," Saleh Moslem told Rooters via phone from Brussels. He referred to the Turkish President's comments that 1,300 FSA fighters had been cleared to cross into Kobani.
#2
It was 200 hundred Kurds, Skidmark, though it may become 150. The Free Syrian Army would be a shifting alliance of anti-Assad rebels ranging from Communists and democrats to Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure how trustworthy they are.
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.
[AnNahar] A Russian held for years by the U.S. military in Afghanistan will be flown to the United States to face trial, marking the first such transfer for a foreign fighter from the country, officials said Friday.
Joe 
Wazoo
[DAWN] Haji Abdul Qayyum Changezi, the head of Hazara Qaumi Jirga and a survivor of many Hazara massacres, still thinks there is a way to stop it. Earlier this month, in his Hazara Town office, he was surrounded by fellow survivors. A man had lost his entire family. "Yes all of them," the man shook his head and refused to say anything more. Here was a transporter who had lost all his business. An eight-year-old kid with a scar across his face who lost his mother in the Mastung bus massacre. "I was sitting in the front of the bus playing with my brother, my mother was at the back," was all he could remember. Homes in Hazra Town were full of teenagers who couldn't go to university and their parents who couldn't go to their jobs while amateurish looking 
[DAWN] Prime Minister .png)
Wazoo
[DAWN] A family in Korangi was informed on Thursday that two minor siblings were suffering from 
[ARABNEWS] The US is looking into reports that 
[ARABNEWS] US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in the air war against the IS group and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the American military said Thursday.
[IsraelTimes] The summer war in 
[AnNahar] Turkish President 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
