[Tolo News] In a meeting on Thursday regarding Afghanistan, U.S. 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... reportedly favored a total commitment of only 2,000 troops after the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... combat mission ends in December, a stance said to be indicative of a broader shift that has occurred in Washington in light of the ongoing stalemate over the Kabul-Washington security pact.
According to analysts, 2,000 U.S. troops, a significant reduction from the 8,000-10,000 previously discussed, would only be able to maintain security for the diplomatic assets of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Meaning, such a residual force would not be able to meet the continuing training and logistical support needs of the Afghan forces.
U.S. military officials told the Wall Street Journal that the deadlock facing the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) has begun compelling policymakers to shift their support toward a less ambitious presence in Afghanistan post-2014 than previously imagined.
According to U.S. diplomats, the longer the BSA remains unsigned, the more Washington will have to begin to plan for the "zero-option", which would see all U.S. troops withdraw by the end of the year.
Biden has always favored more of a reduction of the U.S.' role in Afghanistan than many of the top military officials in Washington. Since the start of President Barack Obama I am not a dictator!... 's tenure in the White House, Biden has been a champion of "ending the wars", referring to the U.S. engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan inherited from the George W. Bush administration.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Biden's been tagged to play the "Bad Dumb Cop"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/18/2014 9:59 Comments ||
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#2
More like the drunk uncle at the family gathering.
[Tolo News] According to newly appointed Baghlan Police Chief Ameenullah Amarakhail, representatives of Baghlan in Parliament, Provincial Council members and tribal elders are the biggest impediments to effective law enforcement in the province.
"We are always stuck with individuals who interfere; every day, 18 hours of our working day is taken up by those who support criminals, those who have sold government guns, or regarding appointments," Amarakhail said. "They even put pressure on the central office, all of these representatives and tribal elders."
Amarakhail was just recently appointed Police Chief of the province, and has reportedly already begun targeting corruption in the police force.
"Even government guns were sold or replaced with Pak ones by high and low ranking officials of police in the past, and former officials need to answer for that," Amarakhail said.
"Government vehicles were improperly used and most of them don't even work now, there was corruption and other problems as well," he added.
A number of Baghlan Parliamentarians offered responses to Amarakhail damaging claims. Some expressed support for the Police Chief while others questioned the truth in his allegations.
"The Police Chief must turn these people in...he must now stand and name those who interfere in his work and should name all the representatives," Baghlan MP Ashiqullah Wafa said.
"Representatives have a support base and must listen to the people but representatives of Baghlan never interfere in criminal cases, while representatives of other provinces do," Baghlan MP Neda Kaihani said. "You can see if for yourself that high ranking officials at Ministries are from other provinces."
Amarakhail said that he would identify officials suspected of malfeasance soon and have them face a judgement in court. He has reported appointed a committee for identifying corrupt individuals.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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The [Kenyan] government has warned of escalating extremism among Kenyan youths who are keen to join terrorist groups like Al Shabaab.
And who wouldn't want to be a Shaboob...
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku says the government will expand community engagement and development programs to empower local communities as part of the measures to contain the situation.
High prevalence of poverty in some Muslim dominated areas especially in parts of North Eastern, Eastern and Coast Provinces provide a fertile environment for extremist elements to lure young people into radicalism with promises of a better life, he acknowledged.
It's always poverty, you see. It's never Islam. Likewise it's poverty that turns western youths into hard-core criminals; never mind that plenty of poor young people manage to work, get by and be reasonably honest. Whether you're in Manhattan or Nairobi, there's an official narrative and you'd better stick to it...
The presence of extremist elements and groups in the country; Al Qaeda and its affiliates are actively seeking to recruit Kenyans to travel to Somalia to fight for Al Shabaab and to carry out attacks in the country, he warned.
More than 30 Kenyan youths have been arrested in Mombasa and Northern Kenya in the past month while trying to cross into Somalia to join the terror group, raising fears of an ongoing recruitment exercise.
Aware of the imminent security threat from the trend, he said that they will adopt a swift way of addressing grievances that could encourage receptiveness to violent extremism.
Addressing the National Conference on Security and Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya on Thursday, Lenku allayed fears of linking certain groups to terrorism even as the government sharpens it security policies.
This conference was conceived as one of the measures to help tame increasing extremism that appear to be growing rapidly in Kenya leading to terrorism attacks and posing a threat to national security, he said.
He assured that the government will deal with individuals and not members of any religion while dealing with terrorism.
In order to totally deal with the challenge, the Cabinet Secretary said the security docket will also work towards enhancing better understanding of Islam to rebut extremists myths and half-truths. If the war was to be successful, he said that religious leaders were crucial.
They are indeed crucial: certainly to the Islamicists, whose religious leaders provide them with inspiration, justification and (sometimes) weapons...
I also want to call upon the leadership of SUPKEM to continue working closely with the Government in the fight against violent extremism, which continues to negatively affect the countrys economic growth and the well-being of our people, he stated.
The feeling of exclusion among a section of Muslims youths has been a major cause for them joining terror groups but Lenku termed the notion as a mere perception.
The perception of exclusion among a section of the Muslim community, especially the youth, which makes them prone to radical opinions that push them to engage in violent extremism, he lamented.
He however noted that the perception of exclusion may be as a result of poor integration in society.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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GAROWE, Somalia -- Delegations representing Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland's separatist administration Thursday gathered for bilateral talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul after numerous postponements, Garowe Online reports.
The Somali Federal Government acting Interior Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled and Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Bihi Yonis briefed the media on the preparations for the third round of Turkey-brokered dialogue process by both sides, before moving into face-to-face discussions.
Guled firstly expressed hope over the outcome of the bilateral talks, declaring that a united Somalia is of utmost priority for them.
"On our side [Somalia Federal Government], we will focus on solutions to the standing differences and I am very hopeful about their future reaction to our agendas," said the acting internal affairs and security minister. "The political issues between Somalia and Somaliland can't be solved within short time and the talks will continue until an inclusive consensus".
Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister, Yonis who addressed reporters on behalf of the separatist administration's delegation emphasized his government's bid for independence from the rest of Somalia.
"Somaliland's succession is untouchable because Somaliland people agreed on it, but we are ready to discuss the other prevailing issues with them," noted Yonis.
Turkish Ambassador to Somalia Kani Torun officially launched the first phase of dialogue and urged all parties to reach agreement.
The Mogadishu-based Federal Government and Somalia's separatist administration of Somaliland agreed to co-manage national airspace during the second round of the dialogue process in July 2013.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally yet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] A last-minute amendment to Tunisia's 2014 Finance Act provided for the creation of a fund to compensate victims of repression, particularly Islamists.
Al-Karama Fund was passed by the National Constituent Assembly at one o'clock in the morning on December 31st by a vote of 99-10. Fourteen deputies abstained while 84 were absent.
Finance Minister Elyes Fakhfakh, who was present in the hall of the Constituent Assembly, said, "The ratification of this law is not correct in form as there is no law providing for the establishment of special funds."
He described the passage of the measure as "a game by the deputies ".
Jalel Bouzid, a deputy from Ettakatol, said, "We were surprised with a set of articles that have nothing to do with the philosophy of the Finance Law."
"The addition of some proposals that have nothing to do with the general philosophy of the Finance Law is a dumping operation," he said.
"Members of Ennahda want to include this proposal without taking into account the situation that the country is passing through," the Ettakatol deputy added.
A statement issued by Ennahda the same day denounced politicians and the press for "misleading" the public about the "fund to compensate victims of tyranny".
"The first decree after the revolution was the general legislative amnesty decree to repair the grievances of the oppressed thousands of families from all political walks, which to this day was not fully implemented," Ennahda said.
The Islamist party also said that the fund would not draw on the 2014 budget. Instead, it would be supported by associations or private individuals.
"The law of transitional justice, which was recently approved, recommended creating al-Karama Fund," Ennahda stressed.
But according to Popular Progressive Party chief Hichem Hosni, "The creation of the fund cannot take place since the body that launches it does not exist yet."
"Ennahda wants to secure some services to its members out of the mentality of the trophy. The budget is hurting the purchasing power of citizens while deputies of Ennahda are talking about compensation," Hosni added.
"The Finance law turned into a law to compensate Islamists," he said.
Tunisians on the street had plenty to say on the creation of the special fund.
"I think the timing was not right because the country is experiencing a difficult economic situation," said Maysem Hadded, 23.
Mounir Bou Laaba, a 33-year-old, said, "The passing of this law at a late hour and in the absence of opposition MPs whom I greatly blame is like a theft in the darkness."
"The resources of the state cannot accommodate such a large compensation. Those representatives should create a fund to help unemployed young people instead of taking payments for their struggle," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] A 85-page report produced by the US Senate Intelligence Committee into the attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi that resulted in the death of four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens on September 11, 2013, was released on Wednesday. It rejects any intelligence cover-up by the White House but states that "as many as 15 individuals supporting the investigation or otherwise helpful to the United States have been killed in Benghazi since the attacks". It is unclear if the killings were related to the Benghazi investigation, the report states.
The report provides new details about the circumstances that led to the attack and concentrates on what is seen as the lack of adequate security for the Benghazi mission and the failures by the US intelligence services to predict the attack, despite early warning signs. The report concludes that that attack was "preventable".
The report says that the killings were not fully premeditated by the perpetrators whose identities are known although they remain free because of the limited capabilities of the intelligence authorities in Libya. It also says that US intelligence warned about the risks of an attack but that security at the mission was not improved. It also rejected claims that the White House had misled the American public for days by claiming that the violence was the result of an anti-Islamic video that had been made in the US.
However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... while the political infighting between the Republicans and Democrats in the US over the possibility of a White House and State Department cover-up and whether the attack was preventable or not continues to dominate the reaction in the US, the report makes the striking revelation that one of the reasons behind the lack of progress in the investigation into the attack is the killing of as many as 15 Libyans who were helping the FBI with their inquiries into the attack.
It also says "that the US government must swiftly bring the attackers to justice, in spite of the unwillingness or lack of capacity of the Libyan government to assist in this effort".
Although the report does not categorically state that the 15 deaths were related to the probe being conducted by the FBI, nor does it name those murdered, the fact that Libyans helping with the investigation were killed is seen as alarming.
The revelation is expected to put the spotlight on the issue of Libya's security and intelligence establishments being infiltrated by Death Eater elements or their sympathisers.
The report is likely to substantially increase pressure on the Libyan government to ensure that officials involved in investigations into the September 2012 attack and other terror attacks are themselves properly vetted and that information does not get into the wrong hands.
This is not the first time that allegations of infiltration of the security and intelligence establishments and collusion between state organizations and gunnies have been made. The failure to answer questions about such infiltration, especially given the worryingly successful liquidation campaign that has plagued a number of Libyan cities, in particular Benghazi and Derna, has seriously damaged the authorities' standing in the eyes of the international community.
One example is that of Ali Al-Fezzani. Security forces in Benghazi jugged Please don't kill me! him on 25 August, 2013, allegedly carrying explosives and tools similar to those used in liquidation campaign in Benghazi, and initial reports stated that he had confessed to his crimes. He was then was transferred to 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... after gangs attempted to free him from his prison in Benghazi. But, a few days after arriving in Tripoli, Al-Fezzani managed to flee from the prison he was being held, and the authorities in Tripoli failed to provide any explanation. The Tripoli prison where Al-Fezzani was held, is considered the most secure in the capital and is where former regime figures are being held.
Even so, the revelation that 15 unnamed Libyans paid the ultimate price for helping bring to justice those responsible for the September 2012 attack on the US Benghazi mission and the fact that the US intends to hunt down and bring those responsible for the attacks are likely to have major impact in Libya as far as the public is concerned
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
wanna bet someone who wouldn't want an investigation getting much deeper could easily expose those helping? Just an indiscreet contact, a name mentioned to the wrong people...
nothing to see here...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/18/2014 10:03 Comments ||
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#2
Well, frankly (can I say that?) at this point, what does it matter?
#3
Also it didn't happen and if it did happen it's old news. Can't we just move on? We have 478 children in this great country that went to bed without a quart of milk. Let's stay focused on the important things.
[Libya Herald] Revealing some of the internal divisions that exist between the government, the GNC and the Chief of Staff, and that are contributing to the ineffectiveness of the new Libyan state and the current political paralyses, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan ... served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador Mohammed Magariaf. Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in Geneva after the defection. During the revolution Zeidan served as the National Transitional Council's Europe envoy, and is credited as having played a key role in persuading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the anti-Qadaffy forces... admitted during Tuesday's presser that the Chief of Staff was refusing to take orders from him or send troops to the recent hotspot of Sebha .
It is by all accounts an astonishing admission by the head of the executive that he has no power to call on the army in times of security crises.
Zeidan admitted that there was a problem between the government and the Ministry of Defence. "The Chief of Staff is appointed by the GNC, and the Minister of Defence is appointed by the government", the Prime Minister explained.
Moreover, he continued, "the Chief of Staff has the understanding that the government does not have the right in issuing him with instructions. We have discussed this with the GNC Defence Committee", he explained.
Moreover, Zeidan, revealing the depth and seriousness of the dysfunctionality between his government and the GNC, frankly admitted that "even in sending troops to the south we faced problems".
Zeidan was referring to the recent shooting spree in Sebha and the inter-ethnic conflict leading to tens of maimed and killed. Mediators from the Western regions of Libya were needed to bring calm to the city.
"This situation does not help the country because it is not in the interest of the government", Zeidan went on to warn. "To delay anything in Libya whatever the period of delay, will be harmful. I hope all the concerned parties will reach an understanding so as to avoid the current problems", he said appealing to and for a solution from the GNC.
The revelation could be indicative of the increased strained relations between the current Ali Zeidan government and the GNC, a strain that could prove costly to the fragile security situation in Libya.
It could also be a revelation of the internal power struggles within the GNC, which is still currently considering a vote of no confidence in the increasingly ineffective Zeidan government.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Commenting during Tuesday's (14 January) presser on the liquidation the previous Sunday of the Deputy Minister of Industry in Sirte, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan ... served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador Mohammed Magariaf. Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in Geneva after the defection. During the revolution Zeidan served as the National Transitional Council's Europe envoy, and is credited as having played a key role in persuading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the anti-Qadaffy forces... said that "the liquidation has a clear message to all Libyans who do not appreciate the nature of the stage in which Libya finds itself in -- a stage of challenge.
Libya after the revolution and after the end (collapse) of the state and the army and police is in a state of real exhaustion."
"We have not been able to succeed at all until now in the matter of security", he admitted. "Assassinations and bombings are still continuing", he added. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... he blamed this squarely on the stage in which Libya finds itself in.
This blame "goes back to the revolution and to the proliferation of weapons and explosives everywhere. Those who cannot deal with or handle these weapons with responsibility are creating illegal killing machines everywhere. I do not think that there is legal justification except by legal order".
"The public must be aware of this dangerous stage Libya is in. A stage that will have long term effects on the present and on the future of the nation. What is needed now is the restrain in the use of weapons and the prevention of its use and warning to all who want to create insecurity ".
Explaining his government's efforts to improve security and the steps that they had taken, Zeidan revealed that his government attempted to train 20,000 in the police force, and that the head of police training had told him that they were trained and stationed in their locations but that "when we called upon them, we could not find them".
Moreover, getting to the crux of the cause of the weakness or unwillingness of the police to remain at their posts and turn out to work, Zeidan said that the police have "a stick or at best a pistol or a rifle and when they face a thuwar/militiaman, they, the militias, are not (so lightly armed)".
Frankly admitting the weakness of the state and the terrorizing stranglehold by the militias on the state, Zeidan went on to explain that the police "are terrorized with RPGs and the 14.5mm and the 23.5 mm (guns) and are unable to confront the situation".
Zeidan added that he did not "envisage taking the route of bloodshed" to achieving government policy and building the state, but that this situation (of non-confrontation and non-use of force as a deterrent) is not going to continue. He added that there "may have to be bloodshed in order to preserve security".
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has threatened the use of force on numerous occasions in the past. He had threatened it in August against oil strikers, and he had threatened it in July, to give just two examples.
However, some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... in reality, he has never used it. He has failed to use force as a deterrent against the thuwar/militias, demonstrators at Ministerial buildings, blockades and sieges of either the GNC or his Prime Minister's office, oil terminals, oil fields, roads, telecoms buildings, 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... port and the Central Bank of Libya, to name a few.
What is not clear is whether Zeidan has ever wanted to use force but was unable to or was prevented from doing so by the GNC. It is also not clear if in reality the regular Libyan state security forces are too weak to confront the various opponents.
What is clear, is that the constant threat to use force and the subsequent failure to use it loses the government and Zeidan credibility and enhances the perception that he and his government are indeed weak.
Indeed, it could be argued that the constant failure to use force, following the threat of its use is probably worse than not having issued the threat in the first place.
This perception of weakness of the Zeidan government serves only to strengthen the Libyan government's opponents and gives them further courage to embark on actions against the state, in the full knowledge that they will suffer no consequences.
In view of this, it is questionable whether Ibrahim Jadran and his followers blockading Libya's oil ports or any other forces confronting the government and the GNC are taking any notice of Zeidan's threat of use of force.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Egypt Independent] A war of words took place on Friday between engineers supporting and those opposing the Moslem Brüderbund-led board of the Engineers Syndicate.
An emergency general assembly meeting was held in Cairo stadium after 176 members submitted a request to withdraw confidence from the board.
Engineers opposed to the current board chanted for Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whereas Brotherhood supporters flashed Rabaa signs and chanted against the military and police.
Cairo governor Galal al-Saeed, a member of the syndicate, was attacked by pro-MB engineers after he cast his ballot.
An estimated 20,000 engineers voted on the measure, according to Wael al-Degwy, the head of the committee in charge of conducting the vote.
Some syndicate members complained of alleged voter irregularities saying that engineers were transferred to the syndicate's headquarters in buses belonging to the Arab Contractors Company.
Others complained that they did not find their names although they are registered voting members.
The emergency meeting took place after the current board refused to respond to the request of those seeking its removal.
According to the law, if the board fails to respond in 30 days, the request would be transferred to Mohammed Abdel Motteleb, the minister of water resources and irrigation, who in turn would call for the emergency general assembly.
The syndicate's board challenged the minister's decision before the administrative court but the case was rejected last Sunday.
A number of news reports said that a majority of engineers voted for withdrawing confidence from the board.
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01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] As per the terms of Friday's ceasefire agreement, Salafi forces of Evil (a group of Sunni ultra-orthodox radicals) agreed to vacate Dar al-Hadith, Sa'ada main Salafi religious centre, some four decades after its establishment.
Following weeks of violence festivities with their religious nemesis, the Houthis, Yemen Salafis were explicitly asked to leave Dammaj as to defuse religious tensions and return calm to Yemen northern highlands.
Since an armed struggle broke out in Dammaj, after the Houthis alleged Dar al-Hadith sought to train an army of wannabe Jihadists ahead of a regional takeover and a repression movement against Shia Islam, the drums of war have echoed across the provinces of Sa'ada, al-Jawf and Amran, threatening to engulf the entire northern region.
Only last week, Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is "God is Great, Death to America", Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews" ... forces of Evil stood but a few kilometres away from the capital, Sana'a. Should such a tribal army had been authorized to carry on its campaign against Salafis on allegations and conjecture, experts warned Yemen's very institutional future would have been put in jeopardy, hence President Abdo Rabbo Mansour's decisive intervention.
Determined to diffuse all tensions and eliminate sectarian sentiment from the equation altogether, President decided, to Salafis' fury one need to add, to sacrifice Dar al-Hadith and relocate all Salafis and their students.
On Tuesday Sana'a send several military helicopters to facilitate the center's evacauation. Salafis have been forced to move some 250 km south, in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, far away from Houthis' territories, away from the heartland of Zaidi Islam.
Yehia Abuesbaa, Head of the presidential committee which led the negotiations confirmed on Tuesday that Yehia a-Hujuri, Dar al-Hadith's main scholar and his aides had already been moved.
"The rest of the Salafis, and 97 foreign students studying in Dammaj, will be moved tomorrow," he added.
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01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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Can't argue with them. That Mr. Snowden has the Guardian, the New York Times and Glenn Greenwald fronting for him tells me all I need to know.
Edward Snowden has made some dangerous enemies. As the American intelligence community struggles to contain the public damage done by the former National Security Agency contractors revelations of mass domestic spying, intelligence operators have continued to seethe in very personal terms against the 30-year-old whistle-blower.
In a world where I would not be restricted from killing an American, I personally would go and kill him myself, a current NSA analyst told BuzzFeed. A lot of people share this sentiment.
I would love to put a bullet in his head, one Pentagon official, a former special forces officer, said bluntly. I do not take pleasure in taking another human beings life, having to do it in uniform, but he is single-handedly the greatest traitor in American history.
That violent hostility lies just beneath the surface of the domestic debate over NSA spying is still ongoing. Some members of Congress have hailed Snowden as a whistle-blower, the New York Times has called for clemency, and pundits regularly defend his actions on Sunday talk shows. In intelligence community circles, Snowden is considered a nothing short of a traitor in wartime.
His name is cursed every day over here, a defense contractor told BuzzFeed, speaking from an overseas intelligence collections base. Most everyone I talk to says he needs to be tried and hung, forget the trial and just hang him.
One Army intelligence officer even offered BuzzFeed a chillingly detailed fantasy.
I think if we had the chance, we would end it very quickly, he said. Just casually walking on the streets of Moscow, coming back from buying his groceries. Going back to his flat and he is casually poked by a passerby. He thinks nothing of it at the time starts to feel a little woozy and thinks its a parasite from the local water. He goes home very innocently and next thing you know he dies in the shower.
There is no indication that the United States has sought to take vengeance on Snowden, who is living in an undisclosed location in Russia without visible security measures, according to a recent Washington Post interview. And the intelligence operators who spoke to BuzzFeed on the condition of anonymity did not say they expected anyone to act on their desire for revenge. But their mood is widespread, people who regularly work with the intelligence community said.
These guys are emoting how pissed they are, Peter Singer, a cyber-security expert at the Brookings Institute. Do you think people at the NSA would put a statue of him out front?
The degree to which Snowdens revelations have damaged intelligence operations are also being debated. Shawn Turner, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, recently called the leaks unnecessarily and extremely damaging to the United States and the intelligence communitys national security efforts, and the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Dutch Ruppersberger said terrorists have been changing their methods because of the leaks. Snowdens defenders dismiss those concerns as overblown, and the government has not pointed to specific incidents to bear out the claims.
On the ground, intelligence workers certainly say the damage has been done. The NSA officer complained that his sources had become useless. The Army intelligence officer said the revelations had increased his blindness.
I do my work in a combat zone so now I have to see the effects of a Snowden in a combat zone. It will not be pretty, he said.
And while government officials have a long record of overstating the damage from leaks, some specific consequences seem logical.
By [Snowden] showing who our collections partners were, the terrorists have dropped those carriers and email addresses, the DOD official said. We cant find them because he released that data. Their electronic signature is gone.
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01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Contract it out. Lots of Russians who are qualified. It doesn't have to be subtle or professional. Just something heavy applied vigorously with a big blunt knob and a lot of shoulder behind it. Repeat until the gravy is warm.
He IS the biggest traitor the US has has ever had. And he is " a citizen of the world"..he isn't an American any more. Besides, who will miss him? Will you miss him?
Get some old lady to bag his groceries and make sure the vegetables are fresh.
#2
Personally, I'd rather not confuse intelligence collection and criminal justice, lest we become more like them. Evil such as this will always walk among us. There's no killing them all.
The Intelligence Community should be absolutely consumed with damage assessment, and the repair of a system which permitted this to happen in the first place.
#4
They should set up both Snowden and Assange by making it seem like both of them are reaching out for a meeting. When they both show up; whack them both.
#5
Lot's of "emoting" and "seething" in this article. Just what makes the results of Snowden's disclosures more damaging than, say, those of Aldrich Ames? Or compared to the unknown and/or undisclosed atomic spies who gave US secrets to the Soviets & who wound up retiring on US pensions? Or is this all about the "public" damage?
#6
Cutting & pasting another article on today's Burg:
freedom where art thou? The citizens come together to better their lives and the lives of their loved ones in a country. Here they end up giving their lives for the sake of some 'feel good' cliché. When it comes to bestowing the title of martyr, everyone is for it but let me ask a few painful yet extremely simple questions: who are you at war with? What do they want and what do you want? If you are at war, then accept and own this war. Do not play the confused lamb. Admit it and go all the way. Let me part with another painful reality. Day by day, the grip on the capital is eroding. At this rate, that day is coming closer when our enemy will be in the capital -- provided we consider them our enemy. The people claiming to be right at this moment will keep their heads buried deeper and deeper in the sand. It sure seems like they are talking. The fact is it is always good to talk, especially when you are talking to yourself.
#7
I can understand the anger, but all this does is give Snowden justification in the eyes of many. His "Reason" for not being a whistleblower was because he was genuinely afraid for his safety, aka backlash. Now we have the very people he is claiming to be afraid of wishing to kill him without trial. Why in the name of God these sources thought giving quotes like this wouldn't be taken the wrong way by a majority of people confounds me. Aren't these suppose to be INTELLIGENCE officials?
Posted by: Charles ||
01/18/2014 12:31 Comments ||
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#8
We need more, not less amirite Spereting Tingle4064?
That's not your real name BTW. But your IP address is real and copied.
#10
Snowden didnt accomplish what he did by himself. He had behind the scenes help. Some scrutiny needs to be applied in that direction.
I have mixed feelings about Snowden, yes he's a traitor. But, he exposed a whole lot of rot and revealed how deep it really goes. Whack Snowden? Okay, but let's nuke D.C. while we're at it.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
01/18/2014 16:41 Comments ||
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#11
This is just more propaganda for the brainwashed masses U-S-A U-S-A
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/18/2014 18:33 Comments ||
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#13
This group has never quite gotten it right. It is absolutely unnecessary to read the mail, read the email, record the phone calls of the Jone's who live next door, or of grandma who lives across town. Absolutely useless.
It is absolutely necessary to monitor people who make open threats and who clearly exhibit signs that result in the Boston Marathon bombings and the Fort Hood massacre. Absolutely essential.
Snowden is an absolute HERO. He exposed that the NSA is stalking grandma, not Dzhokhar or Tamerlan or Nidal Hassan.
All the while the useless left wing socialist media propaganda machine continues banging the drum, KILL SNOWDEN, driving people on the left and the right, as witnessed here, into a feeding frenzy of KILL SNOWDEN.
Who did he kill to deserve a death sentence? No one. But the people who murdered our Fort Hood troops and failed to protect marathon runners from explosions in Boston and who are busy recording every phone call grandma makes continue to band the drums for another death while the mindless bots every where jump on the death wagon and bang the drums too. Sick, very sick.
Pakistans city of Peshawar is the worlds largest pool of the polio virus, with the vast majority of cases in the country and neighboring Afghanistan tracing back to the restive northwestern city, the World Health Organization said Friday. Some 90 percent of polio cases found around Pakistan can be genetically linked to the city, the UN organization said, showing the challenge of combating the disease in a country where militants target vaccinators.
#4
They want to keep their culture, Just give each and every one a sugar cube with the dead virus On entering the airplane, that'll fix it, No more Poli ever, course you still have Martyr/Bombers to deal with.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/18/2014 18:37 Comments ||
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#5
Nah Jim. I prefer the fuel air explosive approach. Kills both diseases at the same time.
[Pak Daily Times] 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 who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... on Friday demanded another all-parties conference for talks with the Taliban.
Imran said the government should explain as to why the dialogue process could not be initiated. Addressing a presser at his residence, Imran questioned how could the dialogue fail even before starting. He deplored the attitude of the government, pointing out that 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... does not even have time to hold a meeting with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... chief minister, who has been trying to get an appointment with him for the past two months.
The PTI chief also accused the PML-N-led government of "fixing the match" over Taliban and asked Nawaz Sharif whether or not he had asked the US to stop drone strikes, which is a pre-condition set by the Taliban for entering into dialogue. Imran noted that the issue of drone strikes was supposed to be taken to the UN Security Council by the government, but unfortunately that did not happen. Commenting on the criticism of PTI for advocating talks with the Taliban, Imran said when talks haven't formally started, how could PTI be criticised.
Imran Khan expressed his unwillingness to hold peace talks with Taliban, saying he lacks authority. He said he cannot hold talks with the Taliban as neither his party is in power at the federal level nor has he any authority over the armed services. About the military operation in North Wazoo, the PTI chief said going by the briefing given in the APC held in September last year the success rate of the military operation in the area is just forty percent. Commenting on the resignation of ex-NADRA chief, Imran said Tariq Malik resigned under the government's pressure. He announced to move the court against the appointment of the new NADRA chief. Imran demanded the incumbent chief justice of Pakistain to take suo motu ...a legal term, from the Latin. Roughly translated it means I saw what you did, you bastard... notice over the matter. He said that Tariq Malik and his family had received threats, and accused the Interior Ministry of failing to address Malik's security concerns.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Police investigating a kaboom on a preaching centre in northwest Pakistain said on Friday they had no clear idea who could have been behind the blast.
The blast at an Islamic preaching centre in troubled 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. city on Thursday evening killed at least nine preachers and maimed more than 50, officials said.
The Pak Taliban strongly denied No, no! Certainly not! any link to the attack on the centre run by Tableeghi Jamaat, a respected organization which enjoys good relations with the authorities as well as other religious groups.
"We are investigating it but we cannot blame any group until completion of our investigations," senior police official Mohammad Faisal told AFP on Friday.
Militant groups are usually quick to claim responsibility for attacks but no one has come forward to admit Thursday's blast.
Faisal said the centre was an easy target for the attackers.
"This was the most soft target for the attackers, apparently they want to terrorise the people by bombing innocent people," Faisal said.
He said the bomb was planted inside a can of cooking oil near a pillar in the main hall of the centre.
Medics in the city's main Lady Reading Hospital said 28 injured were still under medical treatment with six at death's door.
Thursday's attack was the second on a Tableeghi Jamaat centre in recent years.
Last year in January, a similar type of bomb in Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... Valley -- where schoolgirl rights activist Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head -- hit a preaching centre, killing 22 people and wounding more than 80. The Taliban also denied any involvement in that bombing.
Residents in Peshawar were in grief and shock over the attack saying it was a peaceful place where they came for worship.
"This attack was really depressing, we never thought that anyone can attack this peaceful place," Daud Khan, a milk seller in Peshawar, told AFP.
Police said they have tightened the security at the centre with a body search for all visitors and installing a walk-through gate scanner.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] The special court on Friday rejected the special prosecutor's plea to issue orders for symbolic arrest of Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... , who is on trial on the charge of high treason.
In its order, the court maintained that the decision regarding the arrest of Musharraf or otherwise would be made on January 24 after it receives reports from the medical board, comprising senior doctors of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC). The court adjourned the hearing of the case till Monday. During Friday's proceedings, Anwar Mansoor, counsel for Musharraf, continued the arguments on the issuance of a notification by the federal government for the constitution of special court's bench.
However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... Akram Sheikh, special public prosecutor, contended that the court should at least pass an order for the symbolic arrest of the accused, as he (Musharraf) might proceed abroad. The court rejected his stance and stated that appropriate orders would be issued after it receives the reports from AFIC.
Akram Sheikh said, "The matter of non-arrest of Pervez Musharraf is being mocked at and apprehension remains that he will flee the country." Justice Faisal Arab, head of the special court, remarked, "Pervez Musharraf's name is placed in the Exit Control List. Court has other options with it but no order will be issued till the decision of the medical board. He further remarked "courts do not issue orders to please someone or in the matter of making mockery. The court's ruling is aimed at fulfilling legal obligations."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The U.S. military is planning to train Iraqi troops in a third country to help counter a resurgence of Al-Qaeda-linked myrmidons, a defense official told AFP on Friday.
Pending an agreement with Jordan or another nation to host the effort, the training was "likely" to go ahead as both Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... and Washington supported the idea, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pentagon officials were not contemplating sending an American team of military trainers into Iraq, partly because it would require negotiating a legal agreement with Storied Baghdad that proved elusive in the past.
Such a move also would spark a bitter political debate in Washington that would revive old wounds over the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
"We're in discussions with the Iraqis on how we can improve the Iraqi security forces," Colonel Steven Warren, a Pentagon front man, told news hounds.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
Sending a container load of instructional DVDs might be cheaper. It would almost certainly be just as effective.
#2
Pappy, we are already training cadre in Jordan. USArmy officers and Sr NCOs are active now (along with a couple of other silent partner nations SF types). I know this because a good friend of mine is outside of Amman right now (been there 3+ months doing liaison, prep work, and camp setup, active duty) military folks saw this one long ago, even if Obumble was blind as a bat to it, and Obumble ignored them as well when they tried to wake his military-hating ass up.
#3
To clarify, we are training others (non Iraqi) to be trainers. They are the ones that will train the Iraqi soldiers, starting with officer and NCO in a British style organization, which is much more familiar to that region culturally (for an example, look at Jordanian Army organization).
"Training the trainers" is a common enough mission world wide for the Army (and for contract firms, like Triple Canopy or Academi). It's ongoing in every region, and is fairly unremarkable -- except for the location and potential clients in this case.
#4
...because doing it in a third (world?) country makes all the difference...not difficult to tell that lawyers, not statesmen, are running the show @ 1600...
[FOXNEWS] The United States has agreed to send new arms to Iraq to thwart Al Qaeda-linked turbans currently controlling Fallujah following a request by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... , senior defense officials told Fox News.
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... spoke to the Iraqi leader on Tuesday, although White House officials suggest the weapons -- artillery and assault rifles -- were not the primary thrust of the conversation. The United States is also in discussions with the Iraqis to send officials to Jordan to train Iraqi security forces.
Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon front man, declined to detail the immediate status of those trainers, but did confirm Maliki's request, adding that the United States will send "several thousand" M-16 and M-4 rifles, as well as ammunition. The new weapons have been "sourced," Warren said, and should arrive in Iraq in weeks.
Maliki also requested an additional 100 Hellfire missiles, a second U.S. defense official told Fox News. That request must be approved by Congress, however.
The United States has delivered more than $14 billion in equipment, services and training to the Iraqi military and security forces since 2005, according to Department of Defense statistics. In the past year alone, the United States delivered six C-130J aircraft and a Rapid Avenger surface-to-air missile battery. Additionally, a total of 140 M1A1 tanks have been provided between 2010 and 2012.
Earlier this month, Biden also spoke with Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni leader and frequent critic of Maliki's Shiite-led government. The two discussed ways to sustain cooperation between Sunni communities and the Shiite-led government, and al-Nujaifi said he was committed to fighting terrorism, The News Agency that Dare Not be Named reports.
The B.O. regime has been criticized recently by those who question whether Iraq would be better off today had the U.S. left a military presence in Iraq, as it is attempting to do in Afghanistan while it winds down its war there.
White House front man Jay Carney has said such violence in Iraq took place even when there were 150,000 U.S. troops there. While the United States can aide Iraqis, the war-torn country must take the lead, Carney said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, trains its youth for next fight against Israel with teen boot camp teaching how to shoot rifles, crawl under barbed wire, jump through burning tires. 'Will know how to overcome Israeli army' says 15-year-old student ... who's never actually been under fire...
The New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... followed a graduation ceremony at Hamas' training camp in Gazoo, where the next generation of fighters is being trained ahead of a possible future battle with Israel.
Some 13,000 high school students in the Gazoo Strip joined a six-day program, Futuwwa, run by the movement controlling Gazoo since 2007, in order to undergo intensive training carried out by members of Hamas' military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
During the training, the young fighters were taught how to fire AK-47 rifles, crawl under barbed wire and jump over burning tires, all while their course commanders closely monitor every student and looked for any mistake.
On top of former settlement
"We target the students to create future soldiers and leaders who can defend their cause and appreciate the value of resistance," said course commander Abu Mahmoud, who supervised 200 students at the training base that was constructed over the ruins of former Israeli settlement of Atzmona, which was evacuated as part of the disengagement from Gazoo in 2005.
The high school students do not conceal their excitement at the thought of possibly fighting those they dub "the Zionist enemy". Muhamad Ghanem, only 15-years-old, is already geared up to take weapons into his hands. "By the time I finish training, I will know how to overcome the Israeli army. Even if they don't invade Gazoo again, I will be ready to reach the border and fight them," he said.
Osama Shehada, also 15, said that he is interested in learning how to construct bombs to use against Israeli targets. According to him, he joined the training program to professionalize and to understand how Israel uses Paleostinian collaborators. "The Israeli occupation doesn't stop recruiting spies. For us, the spies are more dangerous than the (IAF) warplane," said Shehada.
The course, which ended Tuesday, was entirely funded by Hamas' Education Ministry. The graduation ceremony was attended by the movement's Prime Minister in GazooIsmail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... , who spoke at the event and encouraged to continue the resistance. "Your generation will achieve the liberation and independence (of Paleostine)," said Haniyeh, who suggested that girls could also take part in the program in the future.
In November, the New York Times reported that Hamas has stopped using the Paleostinian Authority's curriculum and penetrated its own ideology into its education system. Among other details, the Oslo Accords are not mentioned in their books, Paleostine spans from Jordan to the Mediterranean, and there's a special chapter regarding Operation Pillar of Defense , which reads: "An attempted attack against the Israeli Knesset brought the Zionists to plead for a ceasefire."
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Friday that Burmas ongoing Buddhist-Muslim violence has implications outside of the country, citing attempts by Indonesian terror groups to attack Burmas Embassy in Jakarta last May, a plot apparently in response to attacks on Muslims in Burma since mid-2012. He said, While it is an internal matter, it obviously impacts all of us. There have been cases of terrorist activities driven by these developments elsewhere, so we have to be keenly concerned."
On Monday, a Jakarta court found militant Rokhadi guilty of evil conspiracy for plotting the bombing of Burmas Embassy in Indonesia, while on New Years Eve, Indonesian police killed six alleged Islamist terrorists said to be hatching other anti-Buddhist attacks.
Elsewhere, in Malaysia, host to hundreds of thousands of Burmese migrant workers and refugees, there have been several rounds of violence in recent months involving Burmese Buddhists and Muslims, as well as more recent fighting between Burmese and Indonesian migrant workers. Those clashes were again thought to be set off by Burmas internal problems, in which the majority of the dead and displaced have been Muslims.
The comments come as reports emerged that one policeman and possibly dozens of Rohingya Muslims were killed this week in Burmas Arakan State, the region worst-hit by sectarian clashes. The US Embassy in Rangoon said in posts on its Twitter account Friday it was deeply concerned about the allegations, especially reports of excessive use of force by security officials.
But Burmas Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut denied reports that Rohingya were killed in the latest incident, and said that Burmas sectarian strife was a domestic matter. He said, The Bengali issue is our internal affair and we will not discuss it in the Asean meetings, even if member countries ask for it."
[An Nahar] U.S. 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... warned the Syrian regime Friday it would fail to divert next week's peace talks away from the aim of installing a new government.
Accusing Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... of funding and even ceding territory to turbans in order to fuel fears of turban groups, Kerry said "nobody is going to be fooled."
"They can bluster, they can protest, they can put out distortions, the bottom line is we are going to Geneva to implement Geneva I, and if Assad doesn't do that he will invite greater response," he said.
Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have led moves to bring together the divided Syrian opposition and the Assad regime for the first time since the conflict erupted in March 2011.
More than 35 countries will gather in the Swiss cities of Montreux and Geneva from Wednesday for talks on setting up a transitional government to lead the country, in line with a 2012 deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Given how they've caved on Iran, to paraphrase a former Secretary of State - "what difference does it make?"
[An Nahar] refugee camp in southern Damascus might be considered a war crime, U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay said Friday.
"Impeding humanitarian assistance to civilians in desperate need may amount to a war crime," Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... , said in a statement.
Rebels control swathes of Yarmuk, but for months Syrian government forces have imposed a suffocating siege on the camp, where some 20,000 Paleostinians live despite terrible shortages.
"Government forces and affiliated militias appear to be imposing collective punishment on the civilians in Yarmuk," Pillay said.
Over the past four months, numerous attempts by the U.N. and other organizations to bring convoys of food and medical aid to Yarmuk have been thwarted, while very little aid was getting through for the nine months prior to that, she noted.
"Civilians, including many women and kiddies, are caught in a quagmire between besieging Syrian government forces and affiliated militias surrounding the Yarmuk camp, as well as anti-government gangs operating inside," Pillay said.
She pointed to repeated reports of deaths from starvation, from the consumption of rotten food, and because of the chronic shortage of medical supplies and expertise.
The camp-dwellers also have to deal with severe water shortages, a lack of power, plus ongoing fighting and sporadic aerial attacks.
"The extent of malnutrition, and the numbers who have died directly or indirectly because of it, are not known for sure," Pillay said.
"But it is crystal clear that the situation in Yarmuk is now extremely desperate, and that civilians are dying as a result," she added.
The laws of war prohibit the starvation of civilians as a method of combat, as well as banning attacks on food stocks or drinking water installations, among other things considered indispensable to the survival of the population.
Pillay also protested that aid convoys had come under fire, saying that intentional attacks against humanitarian personnel and supplied were also a war crime.
"All parties to the conflict must urgently facilitate unimpeded access to humanitarian relief to the civilians trapped in Yarmuk, before more children die," she said.
"In addition, immediate action needs to be taken to ensure safe passage for all those civilians wishing to leave," she added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
Common Navi, it isn't like Juice been doing it!
#2
Let the Moslems take responsibility for getting the relief in. If they won't do it for their OWN then obviously the Love and Peace we all associate with the great Religion of Peace and Love ( that's Islam for you ) must be seen for what it is...just a big load of Love and Peace.
The UN can load it all on camels and raise a Red Crescent flag and march down the middle of the road playing on the Sackbutt, the Snake flute and the Queezy horn, the National anthem of the Holy City of Mecca and ...just see what happens. Where is your Faith? It doesn't matter what you believe if you just have "Faith"....and if you can't have faith in Allah ( PBUH ) who can you have faith in?
Be honest.
[An Nahar] Syria said on Friday it was ready to swap prisoners with the rebels and would take swift steps that could lead to the first such mass exchange in nearly three years of fighting.
The announcement by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Moscow could mark another diplomatic success for Russia after the Kremlin managed to convince its ally Damascus to renounce its chemical weapons in order to avert imminent U.S. air strikes.
It also came just as the war-torn country's divided opposition prepared to hold decisive talks in Istanbul on whether to join a peace conference that is due to begin on Wednesday in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... .
Muallem failed to specify how many prisoners such a swap would involve or when it might begin. But it would represent a concession to one of the opposition's key demands before it agreed to peace talks.
"I informed (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov of our principled position in favour of an agreement to exchange those held in Syrian prisons for those taken by the other side," Muallem said following talks with his Russian counterpart in a government mansion in the heart of Moscow.
"We are ready to exchange lists and develop the necessary mechanism for accomplishing these goals," Muallem said in remarks translated from Arabic into Russian.
Muallem also confirmed his government's plans to send a senior delegation to the Swiss lakeside city of Montreux where the long-delayed peace conference -- the first since June 2012 -- is due to begin.
Syria "will take part in Geneva II and make every effort to ensure this event is a success and meets the aspirations of the Syrian people and the direct orders of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... ," said Muallem.
He added that Assad will send his representatives to Switzerland "irrespective of the situation around the participation or the non-participation of the National Coalition at this conference."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Unfortunately, all the prisoners in rebel hand are already in pieces---except the consumed parts.
[An Nahar] It will be difficult on Hizbullah and its supporters to go on with the theory that Israel violated the telephone networks in Leb in an attempt to alter the data and point the accusation in the murder of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri away from the party's members and its prominent leaders after the extensive demonstration by Prosecution counsel Graeme Cameron during the opening session of the Special Tribunal for Leb trials in The Hague.
The issue isn't linked to one cellular phone or a particular number of them but with the networks of tens of phone, which the prosecution proved were moving according to a specific mechanism in specified geographical areas and specific protocols to ensure the secrecy of the movement.
Although the team of the prosecution rejects to talk to the media and reveal the remaining information, observers close to the investigation and the indictment pointed out that Hizbullah is seeking to admit that the party's ranks were breached en-mass, which allowed Israel to detect the secret numbers used by tens of its prominent and security members and modified the data afterward to prove the theory of spatial correlation, which was proved by the prosecution.
The observers wonder if Hizbullah's theory concerning the Israeli breach of the Lebanese telecom networks was true then what would those who are defending the party justify the political association between the data of tailing Hariri and his notable stances that his enemies, in Leb and their allies in the region, didn't favor. Did Israel alter the reality of the political course that Leb passed through in 2004 and 2005?
The observers continue that the prosecution identified the owners of the phone numbers through various methods including submitting their numbers in bank transactions, administration records, vehicles registration papers and even through phone calls with "girlfriends" and old companions.
Despite the extensive explanation during the opening session regarding the phone calls, observers noticed that the prosecution focused on several other indications that it will endorse throughout the trials, most significant:
1- The type of explosives used in assassinating Hariri and his lover companions.
After reports said that C4 was used in the bombing, the prosecution stressed that the matter used was kaboom RDX. Which poses a question whether this kind of material would point the accusation finger towards a specific side based on the fact that it has ties with those who are manufacturing this type of explosives or own it?
2- A number of suspect that haven't been revealed yet, which the prosecution is calling them by numbers, used more than one cellular phone that were used plotting the crime, which indicates that "leadership" sides owned a phone that managed each of the networks and direct them. The matter requires the usage of one cellphone for each network by a "leader" to contact its group without making the five networks overlap.
3- The counterfeit report that grabbed credit for the crime would allow opening new testimonies in the investigation file linked to phone calls received by several media outlets from a prominent security official to demand the broadcasting of the video recording that showed "Abu Adas" claiming responsibility for the liquidation.
4- Linking between trailing of Hariri and his stances and specific decisions taken by him indicates that there was a political decision to assassinate him, prompting the groups that tracked him to implement the decision.
The implicit reference by the prosecution could open wide doors in the upcoming stages that aim at identifying the side that issued the liquidation order that will lead, if they were successful, to transferring the responsibility to the "president," who in turn is responsible for the actions of his followers.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2014 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.
Joe 
GAROWE, Somalia -- Delegations representing Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland's separatist administration Thursday gathered for bilateral talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul after numerous postponements, Garowe Online reports.
[MAGHAREBIA] A last-minute amendment to Tunisia's 2014 Finance Act provided for the creation of a fund to compensate victims of repression, particularly Islamists.
[Libya Herald] A 85-page report produced by the US Senate Intelligence Committee into the attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi that resulted in the death of four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens on September 11, 2013, was released on Wednesday. It rejects any intelligence cover-up by the White House but states that "as many as 15 individuals supporting the investigation or otherwise helpful to the United States have been killed in Benghazi since the attacks". It is unclear if the killings were related to the Benghazi investigation, the report states.
[Egypt Independent] A war of words took place on Friday between engineers supporting and those opposing the 
Pakistans city of Peshawar is the worlds largest pool of the polio virus, with the vast majority of cases in the country and neighboring Afghanistan tracing back to the restive northwestern city, the World Health Organization said Friday. Some 90 percent of polio cases found around Pakistan can be genetically linked to the city, the UN organization said, showing the challenge of combating the disease in a country where militants target vaccinators.
Nawaz Sharif
Wazoo
[Pak Daily Times] Police investigating a 
Pervez 
Nouri al-Maliki
[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
