Hi there, !
Today Mon 05/11/2015 Sun 05/10/2015 Sat 05/09/2015 Fri 05/08/2015 Thu 05/07/2015 Wed 05/06/2015 Tue 05/05/2015 Archives
Rantburg
533444 articles and 1861153 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 70 articles and 181 comments as of 2:22.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
ISIS controls 80% of Baiji refinery in Salahuddin
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 2: WoT Background
1 12:00 airandee [1] 
0 [7] 
0 [7] 
0 [10] 
1 00:29 newc [4] 
0 [6] 
4 21:51 JosephMendiola [10] 
4 09:06 Sock Puppet of Libya [6] 
0 [9] 
4 14:58 Frank G [13] 
0 [9] 
1 07:17 AlanC [5] 
12 22:32 Blossom Unains5562 [6] 
4 08:30 jvalentour [6] 
8 20:32 charger [6] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
2 19:15 Rex Mundi [4]
6 17:16 Alaska Paul [7]
0 [8]
3 17:37 Blossom Unains5562 [4]
1 02:07 g(r)omgoru [4]
0 [4]
0 [5]
4 17:50 Pappy [4]
0 [6]
2 17:56 Pappy [5]
0 [9]
0 [5]
1 21:46 JosephMendiola [4]
0 [3]
0 [4]
0 [7]
0 [1]
4 14:39 mossomo [2]
0 [2]
0 [7]
0 [5]
2 21:48 JosephMendiola [5]
0 [6]
0 [6]
0 [5]
0 [5]
1 14:53 Frank G [7]
0 [5]
0 [9]
0 [13]
0 [6]
0 [5]
0 [6]
0 [4]
0 [3]
Page 3: Non-WoT
3 22:06 49 Pan [8]
6 19:59 Chuck [5]
2 14:59 g(r)omgoru [3]
13 20:38 charger [6]
5 18:05 Pappy [6]
7 22:01 JosephMendiola [5]
0 []
3 12:12 charger [11]
2 13:42 swksvolFF [4]
2 11:35 Pappy [2]
4 09:31 JohnQC [5]
Page 4: Opinion
3 10:35 Besoeker [6]
1 13:52 SteveS [4]
10 14:56 g(r)omgoru [2]
0 [10]
0 [6]
24 23:28 newc [6]
Page 6: Politix
9 21:59 JosephMendiola [5]
9 18:08 OldSpook [6]
13 20:36 charger [3]
Afghanistan
Taliban Pledge to Amend Their Hard-Line Stance on Women's Rights
[WSJ] In Qatar talks, Taliban say they won’t roll back the progress women have made if they were to return to power
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Yeah, they'll get right on it. High level staff project, with committees. Trends need to be quantified. Should be ready to issue a report in thirty years or so.
Posted by: ed in texas || 05/08/2015 7:39 Comments || Top||

#2  That'll be right up there with the Left's pledge that "all men will be equal before the law". Just that some are more equal than others in their practice.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 05/08/2015 8:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Don't forget the focus groups Ed!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/08/2015 9:08 Comments || Top||

#4  Disposable Binders of Wymyns™
Posted by: Frank G || 05/08/2015 14:58 Comments || Top||


Arabia
After Suffering Severe Losses, Saudi Proposes Five-Day Yemen Ceasefire
[ALMANAR.LB] 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...
Thursday proposed a five-day "humanitarian" ceasefire in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
following weeks of its blatant aggression, with top US diplomat 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...
urging Ansarullah movement to accept the offer.

Field sources from Yemen told al-Manar that the tribal forces managed to seize eight posts in Najran and Jizan which are located in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen.

The bombing by a Saudi-led coalition has failed to halt an advance by the army and the popular committees in Yemen, and concern has been mounting over increasing civilian deaths.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced the ceasefire proposal after talks in Riyadh with Kerry, who described it as a "major opportunity to ease the humanitarian crisis."

Jubeir said he had informed Kerry of "the kingdom's idea of a five-day ceasefire in Yemen to coordinate with international organizations to deliver aid to Yemen if Ansarullah movement and their allies commit to this".

A date for the ceasefire, "will soon be set," he told news hounds at a joint presser with the US secretary of state, who earlier held talks with King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians....
and other top government officials.
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

#1  Saudis needed to go for a brutal and swift victory in Yemen. But now it's looking like a stalemate.

Saudi Arabia cannot win a war of attrition and this looks like the beginning of that kind of war.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 05/08/2015 1:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Saudi Arabia cannot win a war of attrition

But we can have a lot of fun watching.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/08/2015 2:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Looks like all the Saudis have achieved is to spark up the Shiias who populate this corner of SA.

A land invasion would go very badly I feel.
Posted by: phil_b || 05/08/2015 15:57 Comments || Top||

#4  The Saudi bombing has led Iran to accuse the KSA of "lying" about the ceasefire offer.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/08/2015 21:51 Comments || Top||


Yemen food ships face mounting delays as conflict backs up deliveries
[REUTERS] Merchant vessels are taking weeks to deliver vital food supplies to Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
as Saudi-led coalition warships search for arms bound for Iran-allied 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 ...
fighters and heavy fighting disrupts shipments in a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has hurt imports to Yemen, where about 20 million people or 80 percent of the population, are estimated to be going hungry.

The Arabian peninsula's poorest country, Yemen imports more than 90 percent of its food, including most of its wheat and all its rice - most of it by sea. It faces increasing problems as many shipping companies have pulled out and those still willing to bring cargoes in face a long wait to get navy clearance.

The prospect of a humanitarian emergency has added to international pressure on 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...
to bring its military campaign to a close.
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Home Front: WoT
Boston Bombing: Tsarnaev Guilty..... but Who Made the Bombs?
[DEADLINE LIVE] Referencing "bomb-making" paraphernalia seized from Tamerlan Tsarnaev's apartment, Chakravarty told the court that, "there is evidence, at least in part, that the bombs were built at 410 Norfolk Street."

What the jury didn't know is that in May 2014, prosecutors said they had no evidence the bombs were constructed at Norfolk Street, and in October 2014, a year-and-a-half after the bombings, the FBI said it still had no idea where the bombs were built, or who actually built them.

The government's own witness, FBI explosives expert David McCollum, testified he could not determine where the bombs were constructed--a fact seemingly forgotten by Chakravarty during closing arguments Monday.

And when prosecutors tried to explain away the total lack of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's fingerprints on the 'bomb making' materials, they simply tossed aside the pressing issue of who really constructed the marathon bombs and where:

"Inspire magazine [an Al Qaeda publication] advises to wear gloves when building bombs--it could mean the defendant was wearing gloves," said Chakravarty. "But more important than who built the bombs is how they used the things."

While no one was expecting anything other than a guilty verdict for Tsarnaev, the question of who built the bombs and where is a salient one. It should concern anyone who would seek to prevent future bombings.

In the rush to condemn Dzhokhar to death, why is the government seemingly content to ignore evidence that might point to the involvement of others in the planning and execution of the attack? What is their overall objective here?
What about Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, Tamerlan's wife, the pressure cooker buyer? How are we coming along with Katherine? Is she still refusing to talk to investigators? Oh, we're not going there. I see.
For context, see this article in the Christian Science Monitor, on a recent case in which the FBI lured an unstable young man into a bomb plot and then practically handed him a bomb--albeit one that, at least in that case, was inert. This follows a long history of the FBI "helping" those expressing anger at the US to fulfill their wildest fantasies of revenge, before busting them. That the FBI was in contact with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the now-dead elder brother of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, prior to the Boston bombings, obviously deserves much more attention given the uncertain provenance of the bombs themselves.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/08/2015 04:04 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Michael Brescia
Posted by: airandee || 05/08/2015 12:00 Comments || Top||


Anjem Choudary Tells Pamela Geller on Live TV She Should be Killed
[THEGATEWAYPUNDIT]
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Al-Muhajiroun

#1  the UK has allowed faith courts to dispense sharia for minor family matters.

it should reverse this immediately. Sharia should be banned outright as treason.

No court should be able to dispense or enforce any law not passed by Parliament. If Anjem Choudary and his Islamist pals don't like this they should run for Parliament and try to pass their Sharia laws through due process.

If they don't like the law of the land they should leave. Emigrate.

Those who preach Sharia should be charged with treason. This would be possible if you first designate the Caliphate as an enemy state with Sharia as its system/ideology

That way we can start deporting or charging with treason those who advocate Sharia, like Anjem Choudary.
Posted by: anon1 || 05/08/2015 8:00 Comments || Top||

#2  That way we can start deporting or charging with treason those who advocate Sharia, like Anjem Choudary.

That would most likely shut up Choudary. He likes collecting his welfare from the Brits.
Posted by: JohnQC || 05/08/2015 9:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Dunno much about UK law but I would think that making death threats should be some kind of violation. If that kind of law is not enforced then chaos will be the result. Maybe that's what our rulers want.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 05/08/2015 11:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Here is California law on it. I would imagine that the UK law is similar, except for Islamists, which get a pass.

1. Does it Rise To The Level Of A Criminal Threat?

California Penal Code Section 422 — California’s law on criminal threats — defines “criminal threats” as the crime of threatening to kill or seriously injure someone. The crime is committed when you intentionally place another person in fear of being killed or seriously injured. Criminal threats charges can be filed as either a misdemeanor or a felony. In both scenarios, the penalties can be severe and life changing. Under California penal code 422 a threat made:

*In person,
*In writing or
*By electronic means

Even if you do not intend to carry out these criminal threats, California law treats it as a crime. Criminal threat prosecution only requires that the words were used in a way that constituted a believable threat. Words communicated in the heat of the moment can be construed in the same way as a well thought out threat with real intent behind it.

Examples:

Telling your ex-girlfriend that you will kill her current boyfriend if she continues to date him;

Sending your former boss a fax to the office that reads: “You fired me. Now it’s time for you to pay. I know where your kids are.”

2. Can The Prosecutor Prove It?

To prove that you are guilty of “criminal threats,” the prosecutor has to prove the following facts or elements:

You willfully threatened to unlawfully kill or cause great bodily injury to another person or the person’s immediate family;

You made the threat orally, in writing, or by electronic communication device;

You intended that your statement be understood as a threat;

The threat was so clear, immediate, unconditional, and specific that it communicated to the person being threatened a serious intention and the immediate prospect that the threat would be carried out;

The threat actually caused the person to be in sustained fear for his/her own safety or for the safety of his/her immediate family; AND

The threatened person’s fear was reasonable under the circumstances.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 05/08/2015 17:29 Comments || Top||

#5  So when can we expect the boys from Scotland Yard to show up on Mr. Choudary's doorstep?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 05/08/2015 17:45 Comments || Top||

#6  Ebbang---glaciers will get there first.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 05/08/2015 19:10 Comments || Top||

#7  Why hasn't Chowderheads ticket been punched? He's way overdue for his tea time with Allah.
Posted by: Unonter Bluetooth3165 || 05/08/2015 19:58 Comments || Top||

#8 
#5 So when can we expect the boys from Scotland Yard to show up on Mr. Choudary's doorstep?

They'll try to arrest Pamela Geller for triggering him.
Posted by: charger || 05/08/2015 20:32 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
US hands over used combat aircraft, other weapons
[Dawn] The United States has handed over 14 combat aircraft, 59 military trainer jets and 374 armoured personnel carriers to Pakistain from the weapons it is leaving behind in the region, reports the Congressional Research Service.

The agency, which prepares internal reports for the US Congress, reported that the weapons supplied to Pakistain were earlier used by American forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The United States is withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan and has offered some of the weapons it is leaving behind to its allies in the region, including Afghanistan and Pakistain.

Technically, these weapons are classified as "Excessive Defence Articles", i.e. equipment used by the US forces, which can be supplied to allied nations at withdrawal instead of shipping them back to the United States.

The weapons include F-16 armaments including 500 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles; 1,450 2,000-pound bombs; 500 JDAM Tail Kits for gravity bombs; and 1,600 Enhanced Paveway laser-guided kits. All this has cost Pakistain $629 million.

Pakistain has also paid $298 million for 100 harpoon anti-ship missiles, 500 sidewinder air-to-air missiles ($95 million); and seven Phalanx Close-In Weapons System naval guns ($80 million).

Under Coalition Support Funds (in the Pentagon budget), Pakistain received 26 Bell 412EP utility helicopters, along with related parts and maintenance, valued at $235 million.

Pakistain is also receiving military equipment with a mix of its national funds and America's foreign military funding.

These include 60 Mid-Life Update kits for F-16A/B combat aircraft (valued at $891 million, with $477 million of this in FMF).

Pakistain has purchased 45 such kits, with all upgrades completed to date. This include 115 M-109 self-propelled howitzers ($87 million, with$53 million in FMF).
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  How soon before the Taliban is qualified on these?
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 05/08/2015 0:26 Comments || Top||

#2  ISIS in Afghanistan will get them. Just as in Iraq. We have a murderer in the White House.
Posted by: Ebbomosh Hupemp2664 || 05/08/2015 0:28 Comments || Top||

#3  Just remember, the excuse given for trying to dispose of A10 in favor of F35 is that they weren't given enough money.
Posted by: ed in texas || 05/08/2015 7:19 Comments || Top||

#4  India can't be too happy with the Pak's receiving air to air missiles and anti-ship missiles. Unless these supplies are headed to Yemen this seems a little odd (or odder than usual).
Posted by: jvalentour || 05/08/2015 8:30 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Leb: Indictments Issued against Suspects on Terror Charges
[AnNahar] Three indictments were issued on Thursday against detainees held on terror charges, reported the National News Agency.

Military Examining Magistrate Judge Fadi Sawan issued the indictments against the suspects for belonging to a terrorist organization that was seeking to carry out terror attacks.

They were also charged with combating the army and killing an officer and soldiers.

Lebanese Mahmoud Khodr Sheikho was accused of taking part in the fighting against the army in the festivities between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in the northern city of 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...
During the festivities, the suspect murdered officers and attempted to murder others.

The second suspect, Lebanese Abdul Rahman Mahmoud al-Badawi, is charged with belonging to the gang of detained holy man Sheikh Ahmed Hoblos.

The third indictment charges two Lebanese of the al-Khalaf family and Syrian from al-Atrash family with belonging to 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....
myrmidon group, fighting the army in the northeastern border town of Arsal, and murdering and attempting to murder soldiers.

The Syrian was also accused of forging an identification paper.

One of the Lebanese suspects is still on the lam and was charged in absentia, added NNA.

The suspects may face the death penalty if convicted.

In August, the army engaged in festivities with gunnies from the IS and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front when they overran Arsal. A number of soldiers and jihadists were killed in the fighting.

Hoblos was tossed in the clink
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
for taking part in festivities with the army in Tripoli in October 2014 and for his links to jihadist organizations in Syria.

The holy man was detained by security forces in April.

Later on Thursday, the Army Intelligence referred to the concerned judiciary detainee Ibrahim Mohammed Mustafa al-Sayyed Abdullah, also known as Abi Khalil al-Mouqalaat.

He was arrested in Khirbet Daoud on charges of belonging to the terrorist group of Osama Mansour and runaway Shadi al-Mawlawi and for taking part in festivities against the army in Tripoli, said the military in a statement.

Tasked by Mansour, Mawlawi, and detainee Omar Miqati, Abdullah had shot and killed soldier Fadi al-Jubaili and Internal Security Forces member Butros al-Bayeh.

He also attacked army positions in al-Beddawi in the North, wounding two soldiers and damaging military vehicles.

Abdullah is also charged with creating sectarian incitement in the North and opening fire at citizens from different sects, killing Fayez Bazzi and wounding others.

The detainee had fled the Ein el-Hellhole Paleostinian refugee camp located near the southern city of Sidon as soon as the Tripoli security plan took effect.

He was arrested after he returned to the camp and was found to be traveling with a fake ID.

The exact date of his detention was not disclosed.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


9 Rebel groups form 'Jaysh al-Tawhid' in Northern Homs
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] 9 Rebel groups active in northern countryside of Homs province have merged in one gang called it Jaysh al-Tawhid, according to video statement.

The newly alliance backed by Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham
...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014...
fighters on Tuesday had launched a surprise attack on Syrian army posts near Jbourin and Kafrnan, pro-Bashir al-Assad villages, north of Homs, leaving 20 troops dead, activists said.

Rebels took control of four checkpoints were used as bases for mortar and missile launchers on rebel-held areas.

Meanwhile,
...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system...
the aerial and ground bombardment has targeted towns of al-Ghajer, al-Hola, al-Saen, Talbiseh and al-Ghanto.

14 people have been killed in Talbiseh town on Tuesday by army shelling, medics told Zaman al-Wasl.
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Banned in Syria, Muslim Brotherhood members trickle home
Good luck, guys. Seriously. You're going home to a vicious war of all against all, and you claim to be political rather than fighters. Like Syria's dear little would-be democrats, you'll be eaten alive in short order.
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Hundreds of members of the Syrian Moslem Brüderbund have returned from exile, hoping to rebuild a movement which was crushed decades ago at home and is deemed a terrorist organization by leading Arab states.

Membership of the Brotherhood remains punishable by death in Syria more than 30 years after Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now...
's father outlawed the group, but the exiles are filtering back mainly into opposition-held areas.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood


Saudi plans pan-opposition meet on Syria after Assad
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] 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...
wants to bring together the many branches of the war-torn country's armed and political opposition to discuss what to do after the regime's downfall, opposition sources said Thursday.

The Sunni-ruled kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a main backer of forces fighting to topple Syria's Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...
, while its Shiite-dominated rival Iran backs him.

"In mid-June, Saudi leaders want to unite all -- or a vast majority -- of Syrian political and military opponents to prepare" for the period after Assad, said Haytham Manna, a veteran opposition figure.

This meeting would "not include the jihadists of (Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate) Al-Nusra Front and of 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," he told AFP by telephone.

Manna heads the "Cairo conference," a gathering of opposition figures living in Syria and abroad.

He said Saudi Arabia had tentatively organised its pan-opposition meeting for May 3, but was forced to abandon the idea due to differences among opposition groups.

But closer ties between Saudi Arabia, Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates...
and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
-- previously competing for influence over Syria's rebels -- had led to a string of recent victories for opposition fighters, said Manna.

A representative from the opposition National Coalition, which is officially recognised by much of the international community, told AFP a date was yet to be set for the conference.

"All of the political and military opposition, inside and outside Syria, would take part," the representative said.

"The objective would be to find common points among the different opposition groups and to come up with a road map for the transitional period after Assad's fall," added the official.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister told AFP he had no information on the topic. (
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  You need to protect the minorities. The Alawite and Christians.
Posted by: newc || 05/08/2015 0:29 Comments || Top||


Lebanese Army Chief: Terrorism, Israel Two Sides of Same Coin
Yeah, yeah. Whatevs, dood.
[ALMANAR.LB] Lebanese Army commander General Jean Qahwaji said that terrorism and the Israeli enemy are two sides for the same coin, as they are posing the same threat to Leb.

"Confronting terrorism is not less dangerous than the Army confronting the (Israeli) enemy," Qahwaji said during a speech at the Beirut Bar Association on the occasion of the he National Day of the Lebanese Army's Martyrs.Lebanese Army commander General Jean Qahwaji

"Terrorism and Israel are two sides of the same coin," he said, adding that the Army will not tolerate the Takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed...
groups like ISIL and Nusra front to spread in Leb.

Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the SWAT team had finally arrived...
he said that the differences among the country's rival leaders would not stop the military from defending Leb, vowing to continue the battle against terrorists.

"The political disputes will not thwart the army's sacred duties in defending Leb," Qahwaji said.
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:


Iran must not have nuclear arms, Kerry assures Saudis
[DAWN] Iran is a destabilising force that must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
said in 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...
Thursday, aiming to calm Riyadh's worries.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours fear Tehran might be able to develop an atomic bomb despite an international accord being drafted, which aims to prevent that.

A framework agreement between Tehran and the United States, La Belle France and other major powers limits Iran's nuclear capabilities in return for a lifting of international sanctions.

Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Shia majority Iran were already divided over Syria, where Saudi Arabia backs Sunni-led rebels and Iran supports Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Leveler of Latakia...
's regime.

But the war in Saudi Arabia's neighbour Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
has worsened relations.

Iran has dismissed as "utter lies" accusations that it armed Yemen's 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 ...
rebels, which a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing since March 26.
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  I get the feeling the horse is out of the barn on this one.

Jawn is kinda flogging a dead one to say Iran won't get a nuke. I think they already have one
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 05/08/2015 0:21 Comments || Top||

#2  "must" seems to be the leftards favorite word.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/08/2015 4:29 Comments || Top||

#3  I get the feeling the horse is out of the barn on this one. Jawn is kinda flogging a dead one to say Iran won't get a nuke. I think they already have one Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom

Well, the timeline for development and acquisition certainly has been compressed of late. Five years? No. Two years? One year? No, no, no. As reported by the WH, it's now only 2 short months, which is essentially nothing.

If they're already a nuclear power, then the sanctions have failed and need to be swept away and forgotten....along with all of the western sanctions violators, related Foundations, etc. Publicizing regime failure is not an option.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/08/2015 4:39 Comments || Top||

#4  Well, Bo, the only one compressing the timeline has been the current administration.

Bibi and the boys at Shin Bet have been saying for two years that the mullahs would get a nuke in two years. we called them liars and alarmists.

So here's an alarm for you: The Iranians ARE a nuclear power RIGHT NOW. So there. Thank you DOS for negotiating away our advantage to stop this thing.

Remember Jawn, to ignore discord for peace only postpones war to the opposition's advantage. Advantage Iran.

SO whatcha gonna do?
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Libya || 05/08/2015 9:06 Comments || Top||


U.S. military starts training Syria fighters to combat Islamic State
[Haaretz] The U.S. military has started training Syrian fighters to combat Islamic State militants, U.S. and Middle East sources told Reuters on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding the program had begun in Jordan and would soon launch in Turkey.
What could possibly go wrong?
The U.S. plan to train and arm a force that is expected to eventually total more than 15,000 troops is a major test of President Barack Obama's strategy in Syria, which critics say is too limited to steer events.

The Pentagon declined comment.
Al Ahram adds:
President Barack Obama
I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money...
has been criticized over the pace of the training program, with some politicians accusing the White House of a lackluster, slow-moving effort.

The B.O. regime has spent months trying to select and screen the fighters to be trained to ensure no holy warriors slip through.

According to Pentagon officials, more than 3,750 Syrians volunteered for the training and roughly 400 completed "pre-screening."
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iranian general: War with the US would be 'no big deal'
[TIMESOFISRAEL] Two top Iranian generals on Thursday taunted the United States, saying the much-discussed military option to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities is "ridiculous," that Washington knows it can't be done, and that their country "welcomes war with the US."
That's what Tojo said.
The saber rattling came as Western powers prepared to sit down for another round of negotiations with Iran to reach an agreement on putting curbs on Iran's nuclear program.

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said in an interview on state-run television that a battle with the US would only serve to highlight Iran's strengths.

"We welcome war with the US as we do believe that it will be the scene for our success to display the real potentials of our power," he said, according to a report by the semi-official Fars news agency. "We have prepared ourselves for the most dangerous scenarios and this is no big deal."
A certain Mr. Saddam Hussein used also to think in that vein, once upon a time. Sometime thereafter he thought differently. One does wonder what his followers think now, those still trying desperately to maintain their footing in the Hell that is the ISIS caliphate.
Salami threatened that Iran would strike any airbase used as a launch-pad for a strike on his country.

"We warn their pilots that their first flight [to attack Iran] will be their last one and no one will be allowed to go back safe and sound," he warned.

The commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, gave similarly belligerent warning during a ceremony in the city of Semnan, in the north of the country. Jafari reasoned that if the West really thought it could attack Iran at will, it would have done so already; instead world powers "kneel" before Iranian might, he boasted.

"The military option that the Westerners speak of constantly is ridiculous and they know that if the military option could have produced any result, they would have already used it many times, and today they have shifted their focus to other types of threats and to the soft war front," Jafri said.
Posted by: Fred || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Yeah - and any ship can be a minesweeper - once.
Posted by: Lone Ranger || 05/08/2015 0:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Got Obama's number, have they?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/08/2015 1:50 Comments || Top||

#3  An army of lions commanded by a deer will never be an army of lions. - Napoleon
Posted by: Procopius2k || 05/08/2015 8:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Yeah sure, the quickest way to suicide,
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 05/08/2015 11:07 Comments || Top||

#5  "War with the US would be 'no big deal'"

True, it would not even interfere with chow time on our War ships.
Posted by: newc || 05/08/2015 11:36 Comments || Top||

#6  A certain Mr. Saddam Hussein used also to think in that vein,

True, but Saddam didn't have Bush on his side. Obama is on the same side as the Mullahs.
Posted by: AlanC || 05/08/2015 12:27 Comments || Top||

#7  I think he meant war 'with' US such as together against Israel.
Posted by: airandee || 05/08/2015 13:12 Comments || Top||

#8  Typically the first wave is stealth and missiles to take out enemy radar and defenses. What would happen if the first wave was a large flight of drones. They are cheap and if you lose a few hundred who cares.

Follow that up with missiles and stealth.

The manned pilots to hit whatever else we decide to target the second hour.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 05/08/2015 14:41 Comments || Top||

#9  Ha! He looks like Billy Batts. Did he tell Obama to go get his shine box too?
Posted by: tu3031 || 05/08/2015 14:50 Comments || Top||

#10  The manned pilots to hit whatever else we decide to target the second hour

As we shouldn't be concerned about collateral damage, a squadron or two of BUFFs in the third hour for 'cleanup detail'.

Still time for lunch in there somewhere.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 05/08/2015 17:09 Comments || Top||

#11  As to why RISING IRAN = RISING CHINA? PUTINIST RUSSIA? [Other?] IS CONFIDENT ...

Lest we fergit,

* TOPIX > [RWN.com] COWARDLY OBAMA ORDERS US NAVY TO RUN AWAY FROM IRANIAN SHIPS + PLANES OFF YEMEN'S COAST.

* SAME > [Gateway Pundit] ITS AN OBAMA WORLD: IRANIAN NAVAL FLEETS CHASES OFF US WARSHIP OFF COAST OF YEMEN.

I have to disagree wid any notion that POTUS Obama is a coward - AFAIC or IMO, the Bammer is an Anti-American Amerikan = Anti-US US OWG Globalist whom is INTENTIONALLY/DELIBERATELY following a pre-planned/determined, dedicated Agenda.

I ALSO DISAGREE WID THE NEED FOR A VIOLENT 9-11 EVENT TO CARRY OUT THE ABOVE, IN ADDITION TO US-WORLD OWG GLOBALISTS NOT BOTHERING TO ASK ORDINARY/MAINSTREAM AMERICANS VIA NATIONAL REFERENDUMS = ELECTION QUESTIONS AS TO IFF THEY WANT OWG-NWO, SOCIALISM IN THE US, ...@ETC.

WHY, YOU ASK THIS SUNNY GUAM AM ...

* CNN AM > MUQTADA AL-SADR WARNS HEZBOLLAH + OTHER SHITTE MILITIAS WILL ATTACK US INTERESTS IN THE ME [ + Anywhere, including CONUS] IFF THE US PROCEEDS WID ARMING THE KURDS.

WOLF BLITZER INTERVIEW WID ED ROYCE, CHAIR OF US HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS CMTE = Chairman Royce ...
> labeled Muggsy's comments to attack US interests as utterly "BRAZEN" IN ITS DIRECTNESS + AUDACITY.
> Muggsy's statements made it clear to him that IRAN-N-ONLY-IRAN INTENDS TO THE ONE-N-ONLY LEADER IN IRAQ + POSSIBLY ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST, where no one save Iran + proxies, i.e. Hezbollah + Iran-controlled Iraqi, etc. Shiite Militias, are allowed to have Arms.

IOW, IRAN WANTS TO BE A "SOLE" OWG "US-STYLE" CO-SUPERPOWER WID ITS OWN, UNCHALLENGED "SPHERE OF INTEREST" IN THE ME + PERSIAN GULF + CENTRAL ASIA.
CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA?

Perhaps more importantly, GLOBALIST? IRAN = IS WILLING TO WAGE WAR AGZ GLOBALIST AMERIKA IFF NECESSARY TO BE THE ABOVE SAIDSAME "SOLE" MIDDLE EAST + GULF, ETC. SUPERPOWER = "CO-SUPERPOWER".

SUB-IOW, THE "GREAT GAME" - Why should Iran = China = Putinist Russia, etc. settle for "second-tier/fiddle" when they can be EL SUPREMO, MORESO WID A ANTI-US US POTUS + ALIGNED, SUCCESSOR(S) ENGAGING ANDOR FAVORING WORLDWIDE UNILATERAL = SELF-IMPOSED US STRATEGIC RETREAT. Iff OWG Globalist Amerika CAN'T OR WON'T DEFEND ITS INTERESTS + TERRITORIES, WHY SHOULD IRAN = CHINA = PUTIN RUSSIA OR OTHER N-O-T TRY TO TAKE IT OVER FOR THEMSELVES???

BECAUSE THE WEAK NEEDS THE STRONG TO DEFEND THEM, BUT THE STRONG CAN'T DEFEND THE WEAK IFF THE STRONG ARE NOT IN CHARGE.

OOOOOOOOPPPSIES.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/08/2015 20:30 Comments || Top||

#12  Spoken like a true Warrior of Allen.

How the heck can you defeat an enemy who professes no downside (and a strong possibility of an upgrade) to dying? Is this the big "bluff," or must Muslims be sorted out (good luck with that) and the jihadists torn out by the root?
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 05/08/2015 22:32 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
Two Twitter friends of the dead Texas jihadis
No need to hook up with a local organization in the physical world, when one is embraced by the International Keyboard Jihadis Union, all egging one another on. The first example is from Australia:
Online jihadist hails power of social media after Texas attack

[SydneyMorningHerald] Two men, Elton Simpson and Nadir Hamid Soofi, opened fire with assault rifles on Sunday at an exhibition of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad in Garland, Texas. They maimed a security guard before being rubbed out by a traffic policeman, who authorities in Garland say prevented a likely bloodbath.

Australi Witness insisted he did not "explicitly" tell Simpson and Soofi to carry out the attacks, though Fairfax Media understands he could face prosecution under the Abbott government's new laws against advocating terrorism.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/08/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  but I take no responsibility for it. Allah commanded them to attack, not me,

Translation: the devil made them do it.
Posted by: AlanC || 05/08/2015 7:17 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
37[untagged]
10Islamic State
3Govt of Pakistan
3Govt of Syria
2Houthis
2Govt of Iran
2Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis
1Al-Muhajiroun
1Govt of Saudi Arabia
1Thai Insurgency
1Abu Sayyaf
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Salafists
1Taliban
1al-Qaeda
1al-Nusra
1al-Qaeda in Arabia
1Commies

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2015-05-08
  ISIS controls 80% of Baiji refinery in Salahuddin
Thu 2015-05-07
  Fighting continues in Benghazi despite fall of Mreisa
Wed 2015-05-06
  Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq repel a major ISIS attack southeast of Fallujah
Tue 2015-05-05
  Troops Kill 28 Suspected Militants in Central Nigeria
Mon 2015-05-04
  3 Shot, 2 dead a '€˜Muhammad Art, Cartoon Contest' in Texas
Sun 2015-05-03
  40 Person Mob Assaults 2 Jews on Paris’ Boulevard Voltaire
Sat 2015-05-02
  Saudi Air Raids Kill Dozens of Yemenis
Fri 2015-05-01
  Largest Iraqi Refinery Under Seige
Thu 2015-04-30
   Iraqi forces make hard gains in rough Ramadi
Wed 2015-04-29
  Houthis, tribesmen battle in central Yemen, at least 15 dead
Tue 2015-04-28
  Saudi Arabia Arrests 93 Jihadists, Says Attacks Foiled
Mon 2015-04-27
  Isis Leader Baghdadi Is Reportedly 'Unable To Move' After A Spinal Injury
Sun 2015-04-26
  Mpls. Man Charged with Making Threats in Islamic State Group Case
Sat 2015-04-25
  Italy arrests suspected bin Laden bodyguards, Peshawar bombers
Fri 2015-04-24
  Italian police arrest 18 in AQ plot to attack Vatican


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.
18.118.30.253
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (35)    Non-WoT (11)    Opinion (6)    (0)    Politix (3)